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Question
Read the passage given below and answer the questions (i), (ii) and (iii) that follow:
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(1) |
Something happens to cats after we have enjoyed a delicious meal. Call it a feline sugar hit or a rush of good feelings. Abandoning our usually sedentary nature, we transform into crazy beasts who thunder down corridors, spring from one piece of furniture to another, or pounce from behind half-closed doors to attack the shoelaces of unsuspecting passersby. It is as though we are temporarily possessed. |
5 |
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(2) |
That, at least, is my excuse, dear reader - and the only explanation I can offer for my entirely unplanned global TV debut. |
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(3) |
To be fair, I had no way of knowing that my master was receiving visitors that particular afternoon. Nor that he was being interviewed live, let alone by one of America’s most famous journalists. |
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(4) |
All I knew was that, a few minutes after gorging myself on a favourite treat of creamy pudding, I felt that sudden, primal explosion of energy. I made my way back to the suite of rooms that I shared with my master and felt an overpowering compulsion to do something completely mad. I wanted to run like a furious jungle cat, at that particular moment. |
15 |
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(5) |
Bursting through the door of the room in which my master received visitors, I tore up the carpet as I raced towards the sofa opposite where he was sitting. I ripped its fabric as I scrambled up its side like a savage creature clawing its way up a perilous cliff. Then with a final, frenzied burst, I launched myself off one arm of the sofa, leaping towards the other. |
20 |
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(6) |
It was only at this point that I realised the sofa was occupied by the journalist. She was halfway through a sentence, and my abrupt appearance caught my master's guest completely by surprise. |
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(7) |
You know, when something truly unexpected happens, time can seem to slow down. Well, that’s how it was. As I flew past the woman's face, her expression turned from one of calm engagement to that of total surprise. |
25 |
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(8) |
I As she pushed back in her seat to avoid me, the shock on her face could not have been more evident. |
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(9) |
But, dear reader, she was not more shaken than me. I had not been expecting anyone on the sofa, let alone a TV celebrity, nor one who was mid-interview. As I headed towards the opposite end of the sofa, for the first time I observed the lighting, the cameras and the crew watching the action from the shadows. By the time I landed on the other arm of the sofa, all the energy that had propelled me was gone. |
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35 |
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(10) |
I was, no longer, a furious jungle cat. |
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(11) |
The journalist looked at me. I looked at her. Both of us were taking in what had just happened. I was also conscious of the cameras still rolling as well as many pairs of eyes watching me at that moment. My moment of global glory. |
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Adapted from: The Dalai Lama's Cat Omnibus |
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(i)
- Given below are three words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage: [3]
- inactive
- eating in a greedy manner
- dangerous
- 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]
- thunder (line 3)
- spring (line 3)
- past (line 26)
(ii) Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:
- What is the usual nature of the narrator's kind? How is it differently presented in the passage? [2]
- What did the 'favourite treat of creamy pudding' do to the narrator? [2]
- Describe the actions of the narrator after bursting into the visitors' room. [2]
- How did the journalist react when the narrator 'flew past' her face? [2]
(iii) Summarise how the narrator became a global celebrity (paragraphs 4 to 11). You are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words. Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. [6]
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Solution
(i)
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- sedentary
- gorging
- perilous
- The distant rumble of thunder foreshadowed the arrival of a heavy storm.
- The family eagerly awaited spring, when flowers would start blooming across their garden.
- She always felt nostalgic when looking back at her childhood past.
(ii)
- The passage illustrates that felines, after a satisfying meal, exhibit heightened energy and playfulness, discarding their usual sedentary habits for spontaneous and unfamiliar behavior, almost as if they were under the influence of an intoxicating substance, akin to a human being.
- He experienced a burst of intense energy, desiring to engage in something daring and sprint wildly, much like a jungle cat.
- Initially, he shredded the carpet using his claws, followed by tearing the fabric of the sofa. Not content with that, he jumped from one arm of the sofa to another.
- The lady journalist's initially calm expression transformed into one of surprise. She moved her chair back to distance herself from him, her face now displaying a shocked expression.
(iii) After enjoying a preferred treat, the narrator is suddenly filled with energy and rushes into the room where his owner is being interviewed live by a renowned American journalist. Unaware that the sofa is already occupied, the cat damages the carpet and climbs the sofa, tearing its fabric. This unexpected behaviour startles the journalist, who moves back to avoid the cat, and the cameras capture this unplanned event. Both the journalist and the cat exchange glances, processing the surprising turn of events. In a moment of unforeseen fame, the cat unintentionally becomes a global celebrity.
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One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
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(iii) Which sentence tells you that Bipin Babu will uncomfortable?
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(v)What does Bipin Babu regret?
(vi) What is Bipin Babu's feelings at the end of the passage?
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(ii) Give a title to your summary in 3(c) (i), Give a reason to justify your choice.
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(ii) Soapy had been to prison several times. _____
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(iv) Soapy hated to answer questions of a personal nature. ______
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Change the following sentences in the story to reported speech. The first one has been done for you.
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his …………….. in his criminal activities.
Read the passage given below and answer the questions (i), (ii) and (iii) that follow:
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(1) |
The Police Superintendent is walking across the market square followed by a constable. Suddenly he hears a loua shout, "So you bite, you damned brute? Lads, don't let the dog go! Biting is prohibited nowadays!" There is the sound of 'yelping and the Superintendent sees a dog running out of a timber-yard. A man runs after it and tries to seize the dog by its hind legs'. Sleepy countenances protrude from the shops and soon a crowd gathers. |
5 |
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(2) |
"It looks like a row, your honour", says the constable. The Superintendent turns to his left and strides towards the crowd. He sees the aforementioned man standing close by the gate of the timber-yard, holding his right hand in the air and displaying a bleeding finger to the crowd. He was the town's goldsmith. The culprit who has caused the sensation, a white puppy with a sharp muzzle and a yellow patch on its back, is sitting on the ground. "What's it all about?", the Superintendent inquires, pushing his way through the crowd, "Who was it that shouted?" |
10 |
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(3) |
The goldsmith answers, "I was walking along here not interfering with anyone when this low brute, for no rhyme or reason, bit my finger. I am a working man. Mine is fine work. I must have damages, for I shan't be able to use this finger for a week." |
15 |
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(4) |
"I won't let this pass! Find out whose dog it is and draw up a report!", the Superintendent commands the constable. |
20 |
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(5) |
"I fancy it's General Zhigalov's dog", says someone in the crowd. Suddenly indignant, the Superintendent turns to the goldsmith and asks, "There's one thing I can't make out. How it could have bitten you? Surely it couldn't reach your finger. It's a little dog, and you are a great hulking fellow! You must have scratched your finger with a nail, and then the idea struck you to get damages for it. I know your sort!" |
25 |
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(6) |
"No, that's not the General's dog", says the constable, with profound conviction, "the General has valuable dogs, and goodness knows what this is! No coat, no shape, a low creature." The Superintendent says, "You have been injured, goldsmith and we can't let the matter drop. You must be compensated for the damage." |
30 |
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(7) |
"It is the General's, that's certain!", says a voice in the crowd. "Oh! Constable, take the dog to the General's and inquire there. Say I found it and sent it. And tell them not to let it out into the street. A dog is a delicate animal. And you, you goldsmith, put your hand down. It's your own fault." On seeing the General's cook approaching, the Superintendent asks him, "Is it one of yours?" "We have never had one like this", says the cook. "There's no need to waste time asking", decides the Superintendent, "it's a stray dog. Chase it away!" |
35 |
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(8) |
"It's not our dog", the cook goes on, "it belongs to the General's brother who arrived the other day." "Is his Excellency's brother here? Delighted to hear if', says the Superintendent, and his whole face beams with an ecstatic smile, "it's not a bad pup. A lively creature, indeed. Come, why are you shivering, you nice little pup?" |
40 |
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(9) |
The cook calls the dog and walks away from the timber-yard. |
45 |
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(10) |
The crowd laughs at the goldsmith. |
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Adapted from : A Chameleon by Anton Chekov |
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-
- Given below are three words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage: [3]
- faces
- walks purposefully
- precious
- For each of the words given below, choose the sentence that uses the same word unchanged in form, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the passage: [3]
- row (line 7)
- We sat in a row at the back of the room.
- The vegetables were planted in neat rows.
- A row has broken out amongst the vendors.
- The fisherman rowed us back to the shore.
- left (line 8)
- I instructed the driver to take a left turn at the intersection.
- The bank is situated to the left of the library.
- They left the house at six o'clock in the morning to reach the airport on time.
- He's giving away money left, right and centre.
- fancy (line 21)
- He fancies himself as a serious actor.
- I was foot-loose and fancy-free in those days.
- He had some fanciful notion about crossing the Atlantic in a barrel.
- He sells poor goods, but charges fancy prices.
- row (line 7)
- Given below are three words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage: [3]
- Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:
- How does power play an important role in the Superintendent's decisions? [2]
- Why does the goldsmith ask for damages? [2]
- Who does the dog belong to? How do we know it? [2]
- Trace the Superintendent's reactions from the time the initial voice in the crowd is heard till the cook takes the dog away (paragraphs 5 to 9). You are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words. Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. [8]
What role does Ariel play in Act IV of the play, The Tempest?
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| Caesar: | Are we all ready? What is now amiss, That Caesar and his Senate must redress? |
| Metellus: | Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Caesar, Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat A humble heart, .... [He kneels] |
- Where are the speakers?
What does ‘puissant’ mean?
Explain: ‘Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat a humble heart’. [3] - At the beginning of the scene, Caesar says, ‘The Ides of March are come.’
Why do you think Caesar said this?
What does the Soothsayer say in response? [3] - What specific duties do the conspirators allot to Trebonius and Casca?
Why does Cassius become nervous when Popilius Lena speaks to him as they enter? [3] - What does Artemidorus want of Caesar?
How does Caesar respond to his plea? [3] - Shortly after this exchange, Caesar is stabbed to death by the conspirators. Whom do you sympathise with — Julius Caesar or the conspirators? Give reasons for your choice. [4]
