_ISC PAPER~2018 ENGLISH-I (Three hours) (Attempt all four questions) (Candidates are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the paper. They must NOT start writing during this time.) 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 I hour on Question 4). (You should begin each answer on a fresh page.) Question 1. Write a composition (in approximately 450-500 words) on any one of the following subjects : [30] (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) You have recently moved to a new neighbourhood in your city. Describe the new neighbourhood, comparing it to the one you have just left. (b) Relate something unpleasant that happened to you during your childhood that nevertheless helped you to grow up and mature. (©) ‘The end justifies the means.’ Argue for or against the statement. (a) ‘Appearances can be deceptive’ . Give your views on the topic. (©) Dreams. (© Write a short story that ends with the words : .- really doubt if things could have turned out any better.” Answer 1. (a) | NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD IN COMPARING TO THE OLD WE LEFT Having recently moved to Marathahalli, Bangalore, I often reminisce the things I cherished in Hennur and all that I miss now in Marathahalli. I still remember the days I learnt to tide my bicycle, enjoying the days riding around the colony. The cotony where we lived was a very beautiful and idyllic place, away from the city with lots.of blossoming trees. | remember that alternate streets had different coloured flowering trees. They were bright yellow and lavender shaded flowers. One could literally walk on the carpet of flowers. We enjoyed picking flowers, climbing trees, chasing friends around the park, playing ball, chatting with friends and playing with puppies that were plenty as many of our neighbours had dogs as pets. So very often there were new set of puppies to play with. It was at a stage where I was not worried about a million things that might bother others. I enjoyed school and had plenty of vacation and holidays. The one thing, I enjoyed the most was the space around the colony that allowed us to gallivant and relax without getting our parents worried. 10 a aS en NR B0 ry (|| 10YearsQuestionPaper.comIn comparison, the place we have moved to this year is an apartment, where there is not much space around our buildings, let alone nature. The well-built closed community sure has better roads and well-trimmed gardens, but it is nothing like the previous neighborhood where we were surrounded by untamed nature The most important thing that I miss are my friends. As we have moved recently, [have only made a few friends and I am yet to know the others. They are nice, but I still remember the crazy things we would do there such as shake the tamarind tree, eat the fresh and sour tamarind. We would run away laughing when the old uncle would come after us, yelling at us to stop the ruckus we were creating. Nothing ever stopped us from having that togethemess and fun. On the other hand, I like our house here as we live on the 10th floor of our building which has a great view of the city around us and the crisp cold air in winters that makes me want to snuggle a littte longer in bed. I love having my own room. I am enjoying the summer holidays now as much as I can and I hope I get better acquainted with my new neighbourhood, make new friends as I await joining my new school and have great experiences. (b) UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE OF CHILDHOOD This happened when I was in school, when buses were the major way of commuting from place to place. It reminds me of days where I had to wait under the crowded and dirty bus stands. I still remember the day when as a family we had to travel from Dindigut to Oddanchatram, both fairly smal] towns in Tamil Nadu. It was a hot aftemoon, when we were standing under the crowded Dindigul Bus- stand, waiting for the bus to come. My father got us some cold drinks to cool us down during that hot summer day. While my father was moving around to find the right bus, he took us near a bus that we thought was the correct bus. I climbed the bus, thinking the rest of the family got in with me. I suddenly realized I was alone. I started to panic. On the other hand, my father started Jooking around for me, climbing every bus in the stand. It took him about twenty minutes to find me. Both my parents were in distress and were frantically looking around for me. At the same time, I got off the bus looking for them. It seemed like an eternity for all of us as we kept searching for each other. Finally. we found each other and were relieved and scared at the same time, thinking of what could have happened. My parents were terrified and gave me a good scolding for not being conscious enough to be with them, hold hands and stick together. We then travelied to Oddanchatram and later took another bus to reach home. I felt guilty for a very long time Uiinking how I had been careless and foolish by not being with my family. I learnt the importance of staying together when one is in a crowded place and never let go of one’s family. It scares me when I think of it even now and wonder that it was a miracle that all turned out well in the end. So, now whenever I travel in a group with friends or family I always look out for everyone and keep a check if they are around. Thave learnt great things since then but most importantly to be careful and stay safe, I wish for every child that they stay together whenever they travel with family and friends and be safe. 19. sc B RD Xll 10YearsQuestionPaper.com (QUESTION PAPER.COM() THE END JUSTIFYES THE MEANS @® FOR THE MOTION The phrase “The end justifies the means” can be defined as a good outcome excuses wrongs committed to attain it. The phrase is attributed to one of the major political thinkers Niccolo Machiavelli. ‘The phrase makes it clear that one can engage in wrong things if in the end it is justifiable and noble. For example, in Tamil, there is a saying, one can tell a thousand lies to make a wedding happen. People for long have followed this maxim, when families lic about various details pertaining to the character and capabilities of the boy or girl to the other party. The girl’s family might state that their girl is excellent in singing or playing musical instruments and a wonderful cook when in reality these things might not be entirely true. The parents and relatives often justify saying it is important that good alliances are formed for a good family life. In this case, it becomes necessary as the happiness of a generation depends on few lies or half-truths spoken about the boy or girl or about the families as a whole. It becomes imperative in order to be married into the right family so as to avoid future issues. Another simple example which many might identify with are braces for teeth. Braces are messy, uncomfortable and difficult to maintain with food getting stuck in them and anyone who has worn them would vouch for this. But the end result is all worth it with perfectly straight teeth. The straight teeth definitely justify the whole ordeal. It would also be appropriate to add at this juncture that one might fight and also harm another person, if that person intended to harm their family. Anyone fierce enough to protect their loved ones will take a step to harm anyone in their way. In such a case, the end justifies the means. In conclusion, it would be right to say that in many situations and events, the end justifies the means. (1) AGAINST THE MOTION Brutus justified that Caesar had to be assassinated for the greater good of Rome and all that he did was root out over-reaching ambition. But that did not end well with Brutus as he was killed by the angry mob who were kindled by Mark Anthony’ speech and it set the ball rolling as all the leaders involved in the killing of Caesar ended being killed themselves after the battle. Here the end, that is the future of Rome, did not bode well for neither the leader nor the citizens as there was more trouble than ever before. The means to attain greatness for Rome could not be justified either. The end cannot justify the means as killing or assassinations do not solve any critical situations in a country. _ Often in history we find that people have done various things such as assassinations because they believed that they doing the country a greater good by killing certain men or even the thousands of people. For example, Joseph Stalin justified the death of tens of millions of his people as he felt that ‘the population was too large to be effective in the building of the nation and support communism. Does this act bring about growth in the country? It seems to be an apparent yes, but in reality killing innocent lives cannot bring about greater good as there has been so much bloodshed and turmoil in Russia and not all problems have been solved. Mass killing or ethnic cleansing has happened in many countries all 10. sc il ARD Xll 10YearsQuestionPaper.com (QUESTION PAPER.COMwith a similar aim to bring about a purer race or better community with superior qualities. The sad part is that in spite of such drastic actions. they cannot be justified. Another example can be building wealth based on someone else who deserves it more. Exploitation and wealth and resources in the name of growth cannot be justified when lives of millions are affected in a country. There can be no true growth but just a sense of growth when many in a country might be in utter poverty. Many examples can be taken from developing countries where policies benefit the rich and undermine the necessities of the common man. When ethical stands are broken to achieve a goal that might scem ‘rosy’ cannot be justified as many actually are scratched by ‘thoms’ while others enjoy the ‘roses.’ In conclusion, the thought that we need to pay attention to, is that any goal however glorious it might seem; if it causes hunger, poverty and illness, emotional torment, physical pain or displacement due to wars or human rights violation, the end cannot justify the means. @ APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE Appearances can be deceptive is an old adage that most of us can recognize or might have experienced at some point in our lives. Appearance does play a very important role in many aspects of life. People are often enamoured by physical appearances, social standings, ways of dressing and even footwear. Appearances hold a clear advantage for businesses, F or example, in real estate business, the fagade and external looks of a building might fetch great customers. In truth, there might be many hidden faults in various aspects of the building’s structure, plumbing or electrical lines. This can be true for any said product or service in today’s world. Packaging has gained greater priority ‘as appearance can attract customers. With online shopping becoming the in-thing customers are attracted to products because of the manner it is presented in, but when the product arrives it is far from what we had imagined or seen on the website. Though higher credibility of appearances can prove faulty in some ficlds like medicine, finance or education. Promises are squandered and people fall into misfortune because they are gullible. This can be true of human beings also. People give so much significance to the appearance that we fail to see beyond the mask. The mask might hide flaws, bad character or even suffering and pain. In some cases, it might hide bravery, for example, the legend of Fa Mulan, popularized by the Disney movie Mulan; talks about the story of a girl named Mulan of the Chinese Han dynasty who impersonates a man. The appearance of a man held within a fierce and brave girl who fought along her men for the country. In other instances, we mect people who secm sophisticated and refined but are proud and selfish, seeking their own end, never bothering about the good of others. ‘We might find such people in the family, community, state or country. There are many examples, in our day to day lives when appearances have been deceptive and it has been true.in history across all nations too; where people followed great leaders for their charisma but were brutal and heartless in their pursuits against humanity. In contrast, at times some people who had been declared as outcast have been found to be wonderful people. Similarly, a person might be apprehensive about a stranger, might turn out to be the ‘good Samaritan’ when the realization occurs. 10 anaes sc B RD Xll 10YearsQuestionPaper.comTo conclude, one can boldly say that appearances can be deceptive and the question is that whether we are able to see what lies beyond the veil. © DREAMS The very word ‘dream’ evokes a million thoughts bustling in our mind. Dreams at night, day dreams and nightmares are all a part of the psyche. People often dream of a better world. A world where there is less hatred, lesser strife, brighter days, a world where there is giving and no greed, a world where every man is free, every child is safe, a world where one can wake up to a better day and a million small things that would make the world a better place to live. Dreams on the other hand, have also been studied and explained as a succession of images, ideas, emotions and sensations that occur while we sleep. Though this aspect of dreams has been researched and studied no one is sure as to why they occur. Dreams are attributed to rapid eye movements, that occur when the brain is active, triggering a sequence of images that tend to be vivid or:memorable. The explanation of dreams does not stop there, as many have tried to work towards the interpretation of dreams. It is a whole new world out there in the arena of interpretation of dreams. Dreams are analysed and help is offered to those who find trouble living with such dreams. Characters are studied based on dreams people have. Apart from the serious stuff, people tend to spend most of their day, day- dreaming which is a wonderful thing. Dreams become the base for many success stories. When dreams are worked npon with dedication and determination there are positive results. People do rely on dreams a lot and feel that dreams are sometimes signboards that indicate some direction in their lives. For example, Calpurnia believed in her dream that Caesar was in danger and invariably Caesar and his ‘friends’ dismissed the belief as foolish and goaded Caesar to go ahead and attend the council. We know that all did not bode well with either Caesar or for Rome. It is said that the Romans believe a lot in the dreams. And it can be said for everyone across the globe, though each community might interpret them differently. But everyone around the world agrees to dream of a wonderful world. | finish by quoting Louis Armstrong verse which goes : The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people going by I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do They're really saying I love you I hear babies crying, I watch them grow They'll learn much more than I'll never know And I think to myself what a wonderful world Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world. (f) 1 REALLY DOUBT IF THINGS COULD HAVE TURNED OUT ANY BETTER It was the end of July and we were on our way to visit our uncle’s newbom baby in Coimbatore. It was a beautiful day arid we had started the journey pretty early in thé morning. We started off in our car and had driven for about two hours when we stopped for breakfast at a hotel. 10 ; anaes sc B RD Xll 10YearsQuestionPaper.comAfter about half an hour as we started on our way again when we suddenly saw a dog crossing the road from the other side of the highway. Before we could realise, the dog ran under our car and got injured and died. As we stopped the car we realized that the car was badly hit. The car wouldn’t move and when we checked we saw that the chassis had been damaged by the impact. We were stranded by the road. The place where we were, was in between towns and it was a village side with nothing in sight. As my father called for roadside assistance for the car, we began to explore the area as there were plenty of trees around with plenty of shade. We found huge stones where we could sit. Our dad told us that it would take at Ieast two hours for the roadside assistance to reach us from the nearest car workshop. We sighed and started walking around only to find a bund near the spot where we were stranded, We climbed up that bund and saw a lake on the other side. We were happy to see such a place and as there was not much water we walked to the lake skipping the water puddles. My little sister plucked wild flowers and my dad and I skipped stones on the water and began to enjoy ourselves. Before we realised the tow truck had come and we waited as the workshop personnel maneuvered our car on to the tow truck. Finally, our car was ‘loaded’ on the tow truck, while we waited for our uncle to come and pick us up. We had some more time to play in the lake and we had finished all the snacks we had brought for our journey and were terribly hungry. Soon our uncle came by and we went back to Chennai. We were safe that’s all that mattered and I really doubt if things could have tumed out any better. Question 2. You are the editor of your school magazine. You have recently attended a cultural programme in your city. Write an account of this programme (in approximately 300 words) using the points given below : Date and venue—occasion—Chief Guest—other invitees—inauguration—events —other important features—highlights—reaction of audience—conclusion. Answer 2, A CULTURAL PROGRAMME Tenjoy cultural programmes more than anything and I was extremely glad when I got the tickets to attend the most popular cultural extravaganza at the Museum theatre in Chennai, which held a week-long cultural programme between February Sth to 9th, 2018. I got the tickets to attend the folk dances of India on the 9th February which was also a finale for all the programmes that included music, puppetry, storytelling and regional short films from all across the country. The evening at Museum Theatre resonated with excitement and expectation. It was wonderful to see families dressed for the part as people came in traditional clothes adding colour to the evening. The enthusiasm to watch was wonderful as people are usually glued to screens at home. This seemed like a welcoming change as people were out to experience their heritage and the passing of their own traditions to the next generation. i TE 2 enn sc il A RD {| | 10YearsQuestionPaper.comSoon it was time to be seated and the programme started exactly at 6:30 as announced. The programme was inaugurated by the Chief Guest who was none other than Shobana, the veteran actress and dancer of Bharatanatyam. Her presence added charm and grace to the entire programme and her students performed a traditional “Kutrala kuravanji’ dance depicting the life of tribes of ‘kuravas’, the nomadic hunters and fortune tellers from Andhra Pradesh. It also included the changes that have happened to these tribes over the years due to modernization. The compelling story was a blend of both classical and modem interpretation of the legend of yore. The other dances included the Rasleela, Bhangra, Garba, Bihu, Mayilattam, Karagattam and Puli kali. Every dance heightened the delight among the audience and the vibrancy could not be missed. On the whole, I celebrated every minute of the programme and it was a joy to witness some of the best dances of India and I was proud to be a part of it all. (B21 words) 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 - (0) Example : (0) (A) The heavy showers of rain revived the plants. (B) The plants Answer : (0) The plants were savived by the heavy. showers of rain. (1) (A) Ashita is the most beautiful girl in the class. (B) No. (2) (A) As soon as she reached home, she learnt that she had to leave for London. (B) Hardly. @) (A) Ramesh said, “Rajiv, please bring your physics book to school tomorrow.” B) Ramesh . (4) (A) Some of ihe cakes had been eaten by the boys before the party began. @B) The boys © (A) Ifyou are not ready 10 come with me, Twill not go. B) Unless . : (6) (A) Itis such a wonderful opportunity that we must not miss it. (B) Itis too. (A) We did not know that Mr. Francis was retiring and leaving for Ooty. @) Little. (8) (A) He knew the culprit, but refused to admie it. B) Although .... 19. sc B RD Xll 10YearsQuestionPaper.com (QUESTION PAPER.COM(9) (A) I am afraid you cannot get admission to the college without clearing the admission test. (B) Lam afraid you cannot be . (10) (A) If Rita had finished her work earlier, she would have gone to the marker. (B) Had (b) Fill in each blank with a suitable word. (Do not write the sentence.) [5] Q) After his parents died in a car accident, his uncle looked him. (2). The Chairman says that he will took ______ their complaints. (3) The soldiers laid their lives defending their country. (4) Iwas taid_____ for three weeks with a broken leg. (8) This book runs a hundred and fifty pages. (©) The programme ran six hours. (2) The ailing company was taken by the government. (8) He takes his grandfather. (9) Thave an appointment the dentist. (10) The best candidate should be appointed the post. (©) Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with the appropriate form of the verb given in brackets. Da not write the passage, but write the verbs in the correct order. One day a millionaire went to a hotel in New York and___(1) (ask) for the cheapest room they (2) (have). “What (3) (be) the price of the room?” he _____ (4) (ask). The manager (5) (tell) him. “Is that the cheapest room you ___ (6) (have) ?I___._____ (7) (stay) by myself and only ____ (8) (need) a small room.” The manager said, “Why do you choose a poor room like that? Your son always ____ (9) (stay) in our most expensive room.” “Yes,” said the millionaire, “but his father _____ (10) (be) a wealthy man; mine is not.” Answer 3. (a) (1) No other girl in the class is as beautiful as Ashita. (2) Hardly had she reached home, when she'learnt that she had to leave for London. (3) Ramesh asked Rajiv to bring his physics book to school the next day. (4) The boys had eaten some of the cakes beforé the party began. (S) Unless you are ready to come with me, I will not go. (6) It is too much of a wonderful opportunity for us to miss. (7) LitUe did we know that Mr. Francis was retiring and leaving for Ooty. (8) Although he knew the culprit, he refused to admit it. (9) 1am afraid you cannot be admitted to the college without clearing the admission test. (10) Had Rita finished her work earlier, she would have gone to the market. i TE 2 en RS sc B RD Xll 10YearsQuestionPaper.com(b) () After (2) into @)down (4) up ) to (© for (7) over (8) after (9) with (10) to (©) Q) asked (2) had @)is (4) asks (5) tells (6) have (7) will be staying (8) need (9) stays (10) is Question 4. Read the passage given below and answer the questions (a), (b) and (c) that follow : (1) I could hear the syucaking that heralded the evening arrival of the bats. I listened to the noises of the approaching night. Every day my hearing grew sharper. I was learning to filter out whatever I did not need to listen to, and giving no sign that I could hear everything that went on in the house. (2) I could not sleep. The air was heavy and still, the moon hidden behind 5 thick banks of cloud. Lord Otori was sound asleep. I did not want to leave the house I’d comie to love so much, but I seemed to be bringing nothing but trouble to it. Perhaps it would be better for everyone if I just vanished in the night. (3) Now I heard the hiss of hot water as the bath was prepared, the clatter of 10 dishes from the kitchen, the sliding sigh of the cook’s knife, a dog barking two streets away, and the sounds of feet on the wooden bridges on the canals. I knew the sounds of the house, day and night, in sunshine and under the rain. This evening ! realized I was always listening for something more. I was waiting too. For what ? 15 {4) began to wonder if I could get out of the house without setting the dogs barking and arousing the guards. I started consciously listening for the dogs. Usually 1 heard them bark on and off.throughout the night, but I'd leamed to distinguish their.barks and to ignore them. I set my ears for them but heard nothing. Then I started listening for the guards; the sound of a 20 foot on stone or a whispered conversation. Nothing. Sounds that should have been there weré missing from the night’s familiar web. (5) Now I was wide-awake, straining my ears to hear. There came the slightest of sounds, hardly more than a tremor, between the window and the ground. (6) Fora moment I thought it was the earth shaking, as it so often did. Another 25 tiny tremble followed, then another. Someone was climbing up the side of the house. (7) My first instinct was to yell out, but cunning took over. I rose from the mattress and crept silently to Lord Otori’s side. I knelt beside him and whispered in his ear, “Lord Otori, someone is outside.” 30 (8) He woke instantly, and then reached for the sword and knife that lay beside him. I gestured to the window. The faint tremor came again. (9) Lord Otori passed the knife to me and stepped to the wall. 1 moved to the other side of the window. We waited for the assassin to climb in. Os SRE oo anaes NA RD Xll 10YearsQuestionPaper.com