DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL, CHANDRASEKARPUR , BHUBANESWAR
CLASS IX English
REVISION MATERIAL (Reading comprehension passages)
Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: 10
1. Su means number and Doku means single. The game of Sudoku has many similarities with the game of life.
Sudoku is a puzzle game designed for a single player, much like a crossword puzzle. The puzzle itself is nothing
more than a grid of little boxes called “cells”. They are stacked nine high and nine wide, making 81 cells total.
2. The roots of the Sudoku puzzle are in the Switzerland. Leonhard Euler created “carre latin” in the 18th
century which is similar to a Sudoku puzzle. The first real Sudoku was published in 1979 and was invented by
Howard Gams, an American architect. The real world wide popularity started in Japan in 1986 after it was
published and given the name Sudoku by Nikoli
3. In life, too, you start with a given set of notions and then work from there on. In Sudoku, you need to follow
a set of rules to build up the grid, filling each row, column and box with numbers ranging from one to nine, so
much like in life where you have to go on your way without hurting anyone else. Respect every number
(person), and things would be fine.
4 While playing, you never think of the end (the result); you just keep working on the numbers and the final
result (fruits of action) comes on its own. Extremely difficult puzzles may take hours. Similarly, to achieve
desired results in life may take years. The game of Sudoku and the game of life are best played in calm but in a
focused state
5. Everything has to go together in a Sudoku grid: the rows, columns and squares. Exactly as in life. Your duties
towards your family, teachers, society and country all go on simultaneously. In Sudoku, the arrangement of the
given numbers is symmetrical. This is instructive in life, on how to maintain steadfast faith, poise and
equanimity despite situations when everything turns topsy- turvy.
6. There is a subtle difference between the two as well. Make a mistake and you can erase it and begin all over
again in Sudoku. Not so in life. You can learn a lesson through it, and avoid making the same mistake in future.
I. Answer the Following questions:
a. Sudoku is a puzzle game and nothing more than _______________ (1)
b. The game of Sudoku has many similarities with the game of life. Elaborate with reference to the
passage. (2)
c. Study the two statements labelled as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Point out if: (1)
Assertion : Extremely difficult puzzles may take hours.
Reason : InThe game of Sudoku is best played in calm and focused mind.
i. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A:
ii. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A:
iii. A is true, but R is false
iv. A is false, but R is true:
d. Show how Sudoku differs in a way from life. (2)
e. State True or False fir the statement given: (1)
In Sudoku, the arrangement of the given numbers is asymmetrical.
f. Fill in the blank by appropriately stating the effect. (1)
Cause Effect
The arrangement of
numbers in sudoku is
instructive in life.
g. What does the writer mean by saying ‘Respect every number (person), and things would be fine.’
(1)
h. Find the word in the passage that means ‘Self control’. (1)
Q 2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: 10
1. Every moment of life is precious. Time is the essence of life. It is the wealth given to us by Nature. Everyday
all of us get 24 hours; nothing less, nothing more. Now, it is up to us how we use it. People who know how to
make the best use of every moment easily open the doors of success in their lives and those who misuse time
get failures one after the other. There is a saying that, ‘‘Spent time and spent words cannot come back.’’
Everybody is tied by the limits of time; even God respects the boundaries of time.
2. Work wins appreciation only when it gets completed in a requisite time frame. Beyond the time allotted, work
loses all its utility however good may have been its quality. Just as falling of rains after the crops have dried up
have no use; likewise, when the time is past the deadline, the work loses its importance and value. When iron is
hot it can be cast into whichever shape we want. Once it gets cold nothing can be made out of it, however, much
we may beat the same.
3. In the same way, a person who has learnt to wisely use his time and has understood how to cast himself
according to the need of the time has actually learnt the true mantra of life. Shakespeare wrote in one of his
plays, ‘‘I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.’’ It is true that a person who wastes even a little bit of time
loses wonderful opportunities that he could have otherwise availed of by utilizing that time. All the great leaders
have one thing in common. They wisely utilize every moment of their time. When other people are busy in
wasting time in laziness, great men are busy in making plans for the future. There is no person in history who
wasted his time and still managed to achieve greatness.
4. Therefore, there is great need to manage time wisely. ‘‘Careful Time Management’’ refers to careful planning
of time and sincere execution of this plan. This is the only mantra to attain success in any endeavour. A simple
change in outlook and some modification in one’s daily routine can result in a big jump forward towards greater
achievements.
I. Answer the following:
a. What kind of work loses its utility? (1)
b. The true mantra of life is ________________ (1)
c. What is needed for careful time management? (2(
d. Study the two statements labelled as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Point out if: (1)
Assertion : person who has learnt to wisely use his time and has understood how to cast himself according to
the need of the time has actually learnt the true mantra of life.
Reason : There is great need to manage time wisely.
i. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A:
ii. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A:
iii. A is true, but R is false
iv. A is false, but R is true:
e. Fill in the blank with proper Cause that suits the Effect
Cause Effect
A person loses
wonderful
opportunities
f. State True or False (1)
Work wins appreciation only when it gets completed in a requisite time frame
g. Which kind of people open the doors of success ?
h. Find the word from the passage which means the same as refinement.
Q.3 Read the following passage carefully : 10
1.Without specialized equipment, humans would be lost in these deep-sea habitats, so how do fish make it seem
so easy ? Much of this is due to a biological phenomenon known as electroreception the ability to perceive and
act upon electrical stimuli as part of the overall senses. This ability is only found in aquatic and amphibious
species because water is an efficient conductor of electricity.
2.One fascinating use of electroreception has been observed between the weakly electric fish. When two such
electric fish meet in the ocean using the same frequency, each fish will then shift the frequency of its discharge
so that they are transmitting on different frequencies. Doing so prevents their electroreception faculties from
becoming jammed.
3.Electroreception can also play an important role in animal defences. Rays are one such example. Young ray
embryos develop inside egg cases that are attached to the sea bed. The embryos keep their tails in constant
motion to pump water and allow them to breathe through the egg’s casing. If the embryo’s electroreceptors
detect the presence of a predatory fish in the vicinity, however, the embryo stops moving (and in doing so,
ceases transmitting electric currents) until the predator has moved on.
4.Many people fear swimming in the ocean because of sharks. Sharks hunt with extraordinary precision. They
initially lock on to their prey through a keen sense of smell. As the shark reaches in proximity of its prey, it
tunes into electrical signals that ensure a precise strike on its target; this sense is so strong that the shark even
attacks blind by letting its eyes recede for protection. In areas where shark attacks on humans are likely to
occur, scientists are exploring ways to create artificial electroreceptors. These would disorient the sharks and
repel them from swimming beaches.
Answer the following questions, based on the above passage:
1.Infer the advantage that aquatic or amphibious species have over human beings. Answer in about 40 words. 2
2. A possible use for electroreception that will benefit humans is to: 1
(i)use water as it is an efficient conductor of electricity.
(ii)act on electrical stimuli.
(iii)change electrical frequency to prevent it from being jammed.
(iv)jam electrical frequencies.
3. Explain in about 40 words the use of electroreception between the weakly electric fish. 2
4. Identify a young ray embryo from the following: 1
(i)It fears electric signals. (ii)It keeps its tail in constant motion.
(iii)It stations itself on land. (iv)It disorients sharks.
5. Complete the sentence appropriately. 1
A shark hunts with accuracy because ………………… .
6.Why does a shark recede its eyes when it attacks? 1
7. In areas where shark attacks on humans are likely to occur, scientists: 1
(i)suggest putting barriers. (ii)are exploring ways to create artificial electroreceptors.
(iii)suggest blinding them. (iii)are exploring ways to warn swimmers.
State True or False. 1
The title-‘Understanding Electroreception and its Uses’ is Significant for Human Beings’ is appropriate for this
passage.
Question 4.
A. Fill in 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. We decided to travel by car and _______ (1)
(leave) the house early. We ____ (2) (be) on the road for two hours, when our car _____ (3) (hit) a stone
that _____ (4) (lie) in the middle of the road. The car ____ (5) (go) off the road but we ____ (6) (escape)
with minor injuries. Had we _____ (7) (travel) faster, we ______ (8) (involve) in a serious accident. The
mishap _____(9) (delay) us but did not _____ (10) (damp) our enthusiasm.
B. I ____________ (1) (realize) that I _________ (2) (know) one of the two men by sight, and I ______ (3)
(spend) a few seconds thinking why he ____________ (4) (seek) me out on a Sunday afternoon. During
this pause, three small boys _______ (5) (walk) up the passage from the house behind me, __________
(6) (thread) a way around me and the two men outside, and silently ___________ (7) (climb) like cats
up into a tree in the middle of the lawn outside. There, the three figures ______________ (8) (rest),
_________________ (9) (become) immobile, _____________ (10) (lie) on their stomachs, deep in a
secret game.
