SACRED HEART SCHOOL, SILIGURI

ENGLISH PAPER 1
(Maximum Marks: 80)
(Time allowed: Three hours)
(Candidates are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the paper.
They must NOT start writing during this time.)
Attempt all four questions.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ]. (You are advised to spend not more than 50 minutes
on Question 1, 40 minutes on
Question 2, 30 minutes on Question 3 and 1 hour on Question 4.)
(You should begin each answer on a fresh page.)
Question 1
Write a composition (in approximately 400 – 450 words) on any one of the following subjects: [20]
(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general
accuracy of spelling, punctuation and grammar.)
a) Imagine that you visited a village in Maharashtra where houses do not have doors. Describe the village, the people, and the
unique tradition. How did you feel at first? What were your feelings once you returned to your hometown?
b) You were waiting for your ISC examination dates to be announced, when on the news it was announced that your examination
had been cancelled. Narrate your own experience as the entire sequence events unfolded in front of you.
c) “Education is not about the head, but about the heart”. Argue for or against the given statement.
d) Crowd funding
e) Success is 99% sweat, 1% luck. Express your views on the given statement.
f) Write an original short story beginning with the following words: “Travelling is the best investment…”
Question 2
(a) As a travel enthusiast and aspiring blogger, write an article on the impact of Covid 19 on tourism locally and globally. [15]
About the pandemic-circumstances that lead to travel ban-its impact on the industry- opinions of the experts and tour operators-
government measures-foreseeable future.

(b) As a Beadle of your school, you have been given the responsibility of organising a project to help save small book shops of your
locality. [10]
Write a proposal in not more than 150 words, stating the steps you would take to make it a successful venture.
Question 3
Answer sections (a), (b) and (c).
(a) In each of the following items, sentence A is complete, while sentence B is not. Complete sentence B, making it as similar as
possible to sentence A. Write sentence B in each case.
Example: (0) (A) He always obeys his teachers. (B) His teachers………………………
Answer: (0) His teachers are always obeyed by him. [5]
(1)(A) Not only did he buy a desktop but also a laptop.
(B) Besides………………………………
(2) (A) The heavy showers of rain revived the plants.
(B) The plants……………………………
(3) (A) The men were forced to work although the light was poor.
(B) In spite of …………………………….
(4) (A) No sooner did we see a flash of light in the sky than we heard a loud explosion near us.
(B) As soon as……………………………
(5) (A) As she has not brought a pen, she is writing with a pencil.
(B) Not……………………………………
(b) Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (Do not write the sentence.) [5]
(1)If we set _______________ early, we can return before sunset.
(2) He left the company for good and set _________ his own business.
(3) The teacher jumped _________ a conclusion and punished the child.
(4) Ramesh jumped__________ my offer of a job.
(5) I am a simple man and have no use __________much money.
(6) My father lost the use ____________ his right arm in an accident.
(7) Rahul decided to carry ___________ with tennis and give up volley ball.
(8) Dinanath is a good worker and is always ready to carry ________ his master‟s orders.

MODULE 4/12/SHS/ENG 1/ARP Page 1

(c) Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with the appropriate form of the verb given in brackets. Do not write the passage but
write the verbs in the correct order. [5]
One day I _________(1)(be) in the lunch line, and there I saw a pile of apples. The teacher-in-charge _________ (2)(stare) at me and
said, “Just _______(3)(take) one. God _________(4)(watch)”.
So, I _________(5)(take) an apple, and the line ________(6)(move) along. At the next table there ________(7)(be) a pile of chocolate
chip cookies. I _________(8)(not know) what to do.
“Psst,” the kid behind me __________(9)(whisper). “_________(10)(take) all you want. God’s watching the apples.”
Question 4
Read the passage given below and answer the questions (a), (b) and (c) that follow:
1 Well, this is the beginning of another semester. Time for work again. You may be wondering what I am. Well, I am just a simple
wall-fan situated on one of the pillars in the dining hall of one of the residential colleges in University Malaya. I have seen a lot in my
days, and this can be attributed to my high and mighty position so much so that I can safely say that nothing can escape my vision or
hearing.
2 I know every face in this college. I meet new faces every year, but I long for familiar faces too. I am not the only kind of my species
around. I do not know for sure how many there are because I never really bother to keep count of them. I do not have a chance to
speak to my pals due to the fact that we are placed so far apart. To the human beings, I am just one of the many objects that give
them satisfaction and utility, nothing more than that. They make me work, from morning till night. Only around midnight am I given
some rest, when some kind gentleman switches off my mechanism.
3 I love to observe all the happenings around me. Life for the humans depends on food -- breakfast, lunch and dinner. During these
times, I can really study the ways of mankind. Some rush into the dining hall, and rush off with a file in one hand and a piece of bread
in the other. On the other hand, some of them take their time, combining their food with the latest gossip and chit-chat. I have heard
a wide range of gossip since my days. Why is the human species so full of gossip?
4 After the last meal of the day is over, the humans gather in the hall with their books. There are those who do study, but there are
those who come with certain other intentions in mind too. Some come with the intention of dating, while others with the intention
of watching television -- the inconsiderate ones who turn on the volume full blast. My sympathy goes to those who want to study.
5 As midnight approaches, more and more of them leave the dining hall. Finally, all the light will be switched off and I will be left in
the solitary darkness. Well, that is the end of another day. Sleep and face another morrow.
(a)
(i) Candidates are instructed to find words, from the passage which have a similar meaning to those given in the question paper. [3]
(1) credited
(2) chinwag
(3) lonely
For each of the words given below, write a sentence of at least ten words using the same word unchanged in form, but with a
different meaning from that which it carries in the passage: [3]
(1) vision
(2) count
(3) rest
(b) Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:
i. Who is the anonymous narrator? When does the narrator know that it is time to return to work? [2]
ii. What is the nature of the relationship between him/her and human beings? [2]
iii. What does the narrator get to observe from its vantage position? [2]
(c ) In not more than 100 words, summarise what the narrator sees, hears and feels being in the mighty position (Paragraphs 1 to 5).
Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. You will be required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage
in about 100 words. [8]

MODULE 4/12/SHS/ENG 1/ARP Page 2