Kerala Plus One English Improvement Question Paper Say 2016 with Answers
| Board | SCERT |
| Class | Plus One |
| Subject | English |
| Category | Plus One Previous Year Question Papers |
Time Allowed: 21/2 hours
Cool off time: 15 Minutes
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions to Candidates:
- There is a ‘Cool off time’ of 15 minutes in addition to the writing time of 21/2 hrs.
- You are neither allowed to write your answers nor to discuss anything with others during the ‘cool off time’.
- Read the questions carefully before answering.
- All questions are compulsory and the only internal choice is allowed.
- When you select a question, all the sub-questions must be answered from the same question itself.
- Electronic devices except nonprogrammable calculators are not allowed in the Examination Hall.
Question 1.
Choose the correct cohesive devices from the box given to complete the sentences.
When I was young, we were living in Chennai. Our flat was tiny …….(a)………, we managed to live there for 5 years. When I was eight years old, I stopped taking guitar lessons and ……(b)……. I took up the piano …….(c)…….. a year later my brother also stopped learning the guitar and joined me. (3)
Answer:
(a) however
(b) instead
(c) likewise
Question 2.
Your class is conducting a debate on ‘Physical Education should be made compulsory to Higher Secondary students’. The following are a few of the arguments raised against the topic.
- Physical Education period is a waste of time, since majority of the students are not interested.
- There is no sufficient time to allot for Physical Education as the syllabuses of other subjects are vast.
- Students will be tired when they come for classes after the Physical Education period.
If you are to speak for the topic, what points will you raise? Write four such arguments. (4)
Answer:
- Mens sana in corpore sano, a Latin proverb which means “A Healthy mind in a healthy body. Without a healthy body there can be no healthy mind.
- Physical education is essential as sitting in the classroom for long periods makes students feel tired.
- Mental activity alone is not enough for proper growth. A person is a combination of mind and body.
- Physical education helps in making the mind sharp and alert and increases its retention capabilities.
Question 3.
Mrs. Clifford was down with illness, when there was no news of her son. Maggie gave a hard earned shilling to buy flowers to lay on her brother’s grave. Prepare a short write-up on family relationships as portrayed in the story, “The Price of Flowers”. (5)
Answer:
The “Price of Flowers” is an excellent story by Prabhat Kumar Mukopadhyaya. It is the touching story of family relations. When we read it, we will be greatly moved by the pathos in it. It is the story of a family of three – Maggie, her brother Frank and their mother Mrs. Clifford.
On meeting the writer, Maggie asks him if he is an Indian and if he is a vegetarian because she knows most Indians are vegetarians. She knew some things about India because her brother, a soldier, is working in India. She had heard that India was a land of tigers, snakes and fevers. So her mother was worried about Frank.
Maggie shows the author a book of pictures that Frank had sent her on her birthday. It had many pictures of Simla and the mountainous places around. She also showed him a ring which a yogi had given to Frank. Maggie had heard about crystal gazing. Frank had written that if you concentrated on a distant person when you looked into the crystal on the ring, you could see him and what he was doing.
Both Mrs. Clifford and Maggie had tried to see Frank in the crystal, but they never saw him. Then we see how Mrs. Clifford becomes seriously sick worrying about her son. Then the author looks into the ring and tells a lie to Mrs. Clifford that her son was alive and doing well.
Tears of joy filled her eyes and she sought blessings for the author. She recovered. On the last day of the author’s refining to India, Maggie meets him and gives him a shilling to buy flowers and place them at the grave of her brother. Maggie’s brother was killed even before the author had told the mother that he was alive and well in India.
The author’s eyes were filled with tears seeing the love of Maggie for her dead brother. She had to work very hard to earn the one shilling she had given the author to buy flowers for her dead brother. We really see family love in the story.
(Q. 4 to 6): Read the following excerpt from the story, ‘Gooseberries’ and answer the questions that follow.
Years passed; he completed his fortieth year and was still reading advertisements in the papers and saving up his money. Then I heard he was married.
Question 4.
Who is ‘he’ referred to here? (1)
Answer:
Nicholai
Question 5.
Whom did he marry and why? (2)
Answer:
He married an elderly and ugly widow because she had a lot of money.
Question 6.
How did he treat his wife after the marriage? (2)
Answer:
He mistreated her; he even starved her and put all her money in his name in the bank.
Question 7.
“Two or three hundred people were looking at it, sitting or standing, and some were examining the basket, a nice little square basket for a human cargo, bearing on its side in gold letters on a mahogany plate the words:
Le Horla.
Suddenly the people began to stand back,….”
Imagine you were one of the people standing there. You witnessed the preparation of the Le Horla and its take off. As a journalist you have to send a report to the editor. Prepare the report. (6)
Answer:
Today, the 8th of July is an important day for Le Horla and its passengers. Le Horla is a hot air balloon and it is to take off from La Vilette. The balloon is now getting filled up and it is swelling and wriggling like a huge worm. There are some 300 enthusiastic people surrounding it to witness its flight.
The passengers are getting in. The captain is Jovis. The others in the basket attached to the balloon are Lieu-tenant Malet, M. Etierine Beer, M. Paul Bassand and Mr. Patrice Eyries. Before they take off one could see them talking animatedly. The basket was overloaded and so one of them has to come out.
Patrice Eyries climbs out of the basket. He walks away dejectedly. All the people standing there felt sorry for poor Eyries. His plan fora great adventure is dashed. M. Joliet asks all the ladies to keep off. When the balloon lifts, sand will be thrown into their hats. He cuts the ropes that hold the balloon to the ground.
Le Horla is lifting upward now, just like birds lift off. Up, up and up goes the balloon. People scream in joy. Le Horla climbs above the city of Paris and it slowly disappears! We wish the passengers god luck!
(Q. 8 to 10): Correct the following sentence.
Question 8.
Three fifths of the money have already been spend. (1)
Answer:
has
Question 9.
Everyone at the supermarket were looking for the missing child. (1)
Answer:
was
Question 10.
The team manager, along with the players are coming to the playground. (1)
Answer:
is coming
Question 11.
In the unit ‘Glimpses of Greatness’ you have read about the qualities of greatness. Now write a paragraph describing an ideal citizen. (4)
Answer:
An ideal citizen should love and respect his motherland. He should be loyal to her and should be willing to fight, and even die, for her freedom and sovereignty.
A good citizen ought to be hard working. No pain no gain. Without hard work one can’t progress. When everybody progresses, the country will progress automatically. A good citizen should work for the welfare of all and not just his own welfare. We saw how Dr. APJ Abdulkalam worked hard and became the missile man of India and finally the President of the country.
A good citizen should be able to take risks and should be adventurous. If the bird does not make an effort to fly, it will never fly and it will remain in the nest. So one must be adventurous and take initia¬tives for the betterment of himself as well as the society. We saw how a handicapped person like Stephen Hawking climbed to the top of the scientific world. It shows with determination we can do anything.
Some of the qualities of a good citizen can be found in the poem “If by Rudyard Kipling. Keep cool, be patient, and don’t hate people. We should dream and should be able to accept defeats also. Perseverance is important. Forgive people and ask for forgiveness if you have offended anyone. Be bold and courageous.
Question 12.
“Greta clicked and this time smiled when the word peaches appeared. It was a furtive smile – a smile she got when she pretended, she understood something that made no sense”.
Write a short character sketch of Greta in the story, ‘Conceptual Fruit’. (5)
Answer:
Greta, in the story “Conceptual Fruit” by Thaisa Frank, is a differently-abled girl. She goes to a special school. She is 16, but she is in a much lower class than her younger brother. She was so slow in learning things that could tie her shoes only by the age of 10.
In spite of her handicap, she has certain desires. She wants to have a big house. She loves peaches. She also loves cats. Her father is quite a loving person. He tries to make his daughter happy. He can’t buy her a real house. Instead he makes her a house on the cyberspace. Greta wants a blue bowl in every room. She wants peaches in the kitchen and living room and all the bedrooms. She wants 11 windows covered with sheer white curtains.
She has a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a bedroom for a cat. Her mother and brother are not as understanding as her father. But he is compas¬sionate and loving. As the girl and the father make their plans for the house, the mother and the brother make eyes to mean that he is just wasting his time. Greta is happy with her imaginary house. The father hopes and prays that one day Greta may live in a house of her dreams.
The emotions of the father are quite moving. We learn a big lesson from Greta. Even differently-abled people have dreams, big dreams, of their own!
(Q. 13 and 14): Read the following lines from the poem ‘To Sleep’ and answer the questions that follow.
Without Thee what is all the morning’s wealth?
Come, blessed barrier between day and day,
Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!
Question 13.
What is the figure of speech used in the expression ‘blessed barrier”? (1)
Answer:
Oxymoron/metaphor/alliteration
Question 14.
Elaborate the idea in the above lines. (3)
Answer:
The poem is addressed to “sleep”, Without sleep, ail the wealth of morning has no meaning. Only when one sleeps well he can enjoy the beauties of the morning. Sleep is the barrier between day and day as night separates one day from the other. Sleep is the mother that brings fresh thoughts and good health.
Question 15.
Imagine yourself to be a villager at the Fijian village of Namuana. A group of tourists visits Namuana to see the turtle calling.
Narrate to them the legend behind the turtle calling. (5)
Answer:
The legend of the “calling turtles” is something like this. Many, many years ago, in the beautiful village of Namuana, on the island of Kadavu, lived a very lovely princess called Tinaicoboga. She was the wife of the chief of the Namuana village. She had a charming daughter called Raudalice.
The two women often went fishing on the reefs around their home. Once they went farther than usual. They became so involved with their fishing that they did not see the approach of a big war canoe. It was full of fishermen from the nearby village Nabukelevu. Suddenly the fishermen jumped out of their boats and caught the two women. They tied their hands and feet with vine and threw them into their canoe and they wanted to go home. The women begged for their lives. But the cruel fishermen from Nabukelevu did not listen to their requests.
But the gods of the sea were kind. A great storm arose and the canoe was tossed about by huge waves, which almost drowned it. As the canoe was in serious difficulty, the fishermen were surprised to see that the two women lying in the water in the hold of the canoe had turned into turtles. To save their own lives, the fishermen threw the turtles into the sea. Immediately the weather changed and there were no more waves.
The Nabukelevu fishermen continued their journey home. The two women from Namuana who had changed themselves into turtles lived in the water of the bay. It is their descendants today who rise from the water when the maidens of their own village sing songs to them from the cliffs.
Question 16.
“There can be no room in such an India for the curse of untouchability or the curse of intoxicating drinks and drugs. …….. Women will enjoy the same right as men. …….. This is the India of my dreams”.
Gandhiji had his own dreams about an ideal India.
As the NSS Volunteer Secretary of your school, you are asked to deliver a speech on Gandhiji’s dreams about an ideal India and the role of students in real¬izing it. Prepare the script of the speech. (6)
OR
“And then Gandhi came”.
What were the changes that took place in the atti¬tude of the leaders and the people with the arrival of Gandhi? How did it influence the freedom struggle? Write your ideas in the form of a short essay. (6)
Answer:
a) Gandhi’s Dreams about India Here three things are stressed. First of all there should be no untouchability in India. How can persons be discriminated just because one is born into a particular caste or creed? Caste system was a curse on India imposed by the higher classes on the lower classes, especially the Scheduled Castes.
Members of the Scheduled Castes were restricted in their freedom to travel. They could not even draw water from public wells and ponds. They could not enter temples for worship. They were kept away from learning. All these discriminations must go and people should consider themselves as the children on the same mother – India.
Then comes the curse of alcohol and psychedelic drugs. These destroy the minds of people and they become ready to do any crime to get money to buy their intoxicating stuff – alcoholic drinks or psychedelic drugs. Addiction becomes so debilitating that people become unable to work and contribute to the welfare of the society. They become a shame to the family and a burden on the society.
The third point is equality of women with men. 17. Unfortunately in India we had the injunction from Manusmriti “Na Sthree Swatantrymarhati”. Following this, women were refused all their rights. There was even the horrendous system of “Sati” where a woman had to immolate herself on the funeral pyre of her 18. husband as if she had no life of her own.
There was the accursed female infanticide, and even now there is the practice of female foeticide. Although legally prohibited, the sex of the baby in the womb is found out and if it is a female, abortion is carried out. Of course this is done by unscrupulous parents in collusion with greedy and immoral doctors.
Gandhiji wanted a free, enlightened India where all the citizens could enjoy their life without any fear of discrimination or unnecessary restrictions. His dream was to have a county where liberty, equality and fraternity reigned.
OR
b) The people of India had expected peace and progress after the First World War. But what they got instead was repressive legislation and martial law in Punjab. People felt humiliated and were angry. Yet they could hardly do anything to change this vicious process. They seemed to be in the grip of some powerful monster. Their minds and their limbs were paralyzed. There were many people without any employment and there was extreme poverty. They did not know where to look for help.
Neither the old leaders nor the new ones gave them any hope. The question was how to pull India out of this bad situation. For many years Indians had been offering their blood and toil, tears and sweat. Now the body and soul of India were in bad shape. Every aspect of her life was poisoned. Humiliation, unemployment, poverty and desperation were found everywhere.
It was into this turmoil that Gandhi came. When he came things changed. Through his confidence, unusual power, astonishing vitality and exemplary leadership, Gandhi influenced millions of people in India in varying degrees. Some changed completely; others were changed only partly. His call for action was two-fold. One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other was fighting against our own social evils.
His principal aims were freedom through peaceful means, national unity, solution to minority problems; improvement of the depressed classes and the ending of untouchability. The effect of his leadership was electrifying. People were no more willing to suffer under foreign domination. They wanted freedom and they were willing to make any sacrifice for it.
Question 17.
Complete the passage meaningfully, using the right form of the words given in brackets.
Sweet dishes (a) ……… (cool) with snow and ice in ancient times. These (b) ………. (enjoy) by the rich and powerful such as Alexander the Great, the Egyptian Pharaohs, and the Emperor Nero. However, real ice-cream, made with fresh cream or milk (c) ……… (produce) for the first time in the 1630s by Gerald Tissain, the French chef of the British King, Charles I. Today excellent ice-cream (d) …….. (make) all over the world. (4)
Answer:
a. were cooled
b. were enjoyed
c. was produced
d. is made
Question 18.
Read the poem given below and write a note of appreciation. (8)
How did you Die?
Edmund Vance Cooke
Did you tackle that trouble that came your way
With a resolute heart and cheerful?
Or hide your face from the light of day
With a craven soul and fearful?
Oh, a trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce.
Or a trouble is what you make it,
And it isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts,
But only how did you take it?
And though you be done to the death, what then?
If you battled the best you could,
If you played your part in the world of men,
Why, the Critic will call it good.
Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,
And whether he’s slow or spry,
It isn’t the fact that you’re dead that counts,
But only how did you die?
(craven-cowardly, lick-easily defeat, spry-lively)
Answer:
The poet asks us if we tackled the troubles that came our way with a cheerful and resolute heart. Or did we hide our face away from the light of the day with a cowardly and fearful soul?
Troubles can come in different shapes and sizes. It all depends on how you take it. What really matters is how much you are affected by the trouble. Even if it is a really bad one, capable of bending you down to the earth, if you battled with it in the best possible manner, and if you played your part well, you have done your duty nicely. In a game you win or lose. It does not matter. The important thing is you have done your part in the best possible manner.
Death may come slowly or fast, in a stealthy manner or quite directly. It does not really matter that you are dead. What really matters is how you died and what you have achieved before you died.
The poem is a classical one by Edmund Vance Cooke, who is a Canadian poet. In fact the poem has nothing to do with death, but life. The entire poem talks about how you lived and how you faced life. The poet starts this theme with stanza one and pushes it through the entire poem. It is an uplifting poem that makes you think about what you have done with your life.
Vance once said, “You may batter your way through the thick of the fray, you may sweat, you may swear, you may grunt; you may be a jack-fool, if you must, but this rule should ever be kept at the front – Don’t fight with your pillow, but lay down your head and kick every worriment out of the bed.” The poem has rich imagery. There is fine use of metaphors. There are many alliterations like “tackle that trouble”.
The poem has a fine moral which reminds me of the teaching of Bhagvat Gita which says “Do thy duty, reward is not thy concern”. The poem has a fine rhythm and its rhyming scheme for the first 8 lines is ababcdcd.
(Q. 19 to 23): Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Natural disasters happen all over the world, and they can be utterly devastating for people’s lives and environments in which they live. Although natural disasters are caused by nature and there is nothing that we can do to prevent them happening, there are many different natural causes that lead to natural disasters, and being aware of these causes enables us to be better prepared when such disasters do arrive.
One common natural disaster is flooding, which occurs when a river bursts its banks and the water spills out onto the floodplain. This is for more likely to happen when there is a great deal of heavy rain, so during very wet periods, flood warnings are often put in place. There are other risk factors for flooding too: steep-sided channels cause fast surface runoff. Drainage basins of impermeable rock also cause the water to run faster over the surface.
Earthquakes are another common natural disas¬ter that can cause may fatalities. The movements of the plates in the earth’s crust cause them. These plates do not always move smoothly and can get stuck, causing a build-up of pressure. It is when this pressure is released that an earthquake occurs. In turn an earthquake under the water can also cause a tsunami, as the quake causes great waves by push¬ing large volumes of water to the surface.
Answer:
Question 19.
The word impermeable means (1)
a) gigantic
b) not allowing anything to pass through
c) not tall enough
d) too steep
Answer:
b) not allowing anything to pass through
Question 20.
Death that is caused in an accident or war, or by violence or disease is called ……… (1)
Answer:
fatality
Question 21.
How is a tsunami caused? (2)
Answer:
An earthquake under the sea or ocean water causes gigantic waves by pushing large volumes of water to the surface.
Question 22.
Why is it said that we should be aware of the natural causes that lead to natural disasters? (2)
Answer:
We should be aware of the natural causes that lead to natural disasters so that we can be better prepared to face them when they come.
Question 23.
When and where are flood warnings often put in? (2)
Answer:
During very wet periods and where there is a great deal of heavy rain.
Question 24.
The poem ‘Sunrise on the Hills’, presents the experience of the poet as he watches the sunrise amidst the hills. Haven’t you observed the sunrise? Write your observations of the sunrise in four or five sentences. (3)
Answer:
I have observed sunrise and I have seen some beautiful sights and heard some fine sounds. When the sun rises, the mist is lifted and the entire place is bathed in the glorious and mild light of the sun. The flowers start blooming as the sun gets warmer. The breeze makes the leaves move and rustle and we can hear the murmurs as if they are whispering sweet nothing to one another.
Then there is the happy chirping of birds that are ready to start their morning search for their food. The horizon with its light crimson colour is a beautiful sight to behold. I have often wondered what a great Artist God is for making such beautiful pictures for us to enjoy!
Question 25.
Use the correct tense from of the verbs given in the brackets to complete the sentences.
The children (a) ……… (play) outside at the moment.
They always (b) ………. (come) back home when they are tired. (2 × 1=2)
Answer:
a) are playing
b) come
Question 26.
Prepare a profile of the person using the information given below.
Charles Spencer Chaplin : British – US actor and director.
Birth : April 16, 1889, London
parents : Charles Chaplin Sr. and Hannah
Childhood : Fought with poverty and hardship – early death of parents – started performing on the stage
Turning Point : Tour in New York -singed film contract with Mack Sennet – developed his costume.
Career : Directing and acting in his own films – The Tramp, The Gold Rush, The Kid, City Lights, Modern Times etc.
Honours : Doctors Letters Degree by University of Oxford and University of Durham – Winner of 3 Academy Awards.
Death : Christmas Day, 1977 (5)
Answer:
Charles Spencer Chaplin, popularly known as Charlie Chaplin, was a very famous British-US actor and director. He was born on 16 April 1889, in London. His father was Charles Chaplin Sr. and his mother was Hannah. Charlie was born into a poor family and he had to fight with extreme poverty and hardship. The early death of his parents made his childhood really miserable. To earn his livelihood, he started performing on stage at a very early age.
The turning point in his life came when he went on a tour to New York. He signed a film contract with Mack Sennet. Charlie developed his special costume which looked very funny. He directed and acted in his own films. Some of his most famous films are The Tramp, The Gold Rush, The Kid, City Lights, and Modern Times. He was honoured with the Doctor of Letters Degree by the University of Oxford and University of Durham.
He bagged 3 Academy Awards. Charlie Chaplin still makes us laugh because of his antics and his histrionic talents. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is hardly anybody in the English speaking world to match Charlie Chaplin when it comes.to acting as a comedian.
He died on 25 December 1977.