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Question
Write down the significance of the following in the context of ‘On to the Summit’:
Red Scarf
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Solution
The red scarf was a gift to Tenzing Norgay from his good friend Lambert, the leader of the Swiss Expedition of 1952. When Tenzing reached the summit of Mount Everest, he placed the red scarf there as a tribute to his friend and as a symbol of their companionship and shared dreams of conquering the mountain.
The scarf reminded Tenzing of their earlier expedition, filled him with energy, hope, and fond memories, and symbolized friendship, gratitude, and the spirit of mountaineering.
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Imagine you are Gitika. Road the following conversation and write a suitable message for your mother in 50-60 words:
Ankita : Hi, didi ! I'm Ankita on the line. Is aunty at home?
Gitika : No, she has gone to visit my grandparents. Is there any problem?
Ankita : No, I just wanted to inform her that we have a special havan tomorrow at 9 a.m. at our place. My mother has specially invited all of you.
Gitika : Okay, Thanks ! I'll inform her and we will definitely come.
A1. Choose two sentences that appropriately mention the theme of the passage :
(1) The extract deals with the writer’s concern over Chaitanya's handicap.
(2) The extract depicts the writer’s proud feelings towards her son’s achievement.
(3) The extract deals with how Chaitanya made the writer see positively towards life.
(4) The extract deals with how the writer helps Chaitanya to buy the bus ticket.
Early in 1997-98, when he returned from state-level inter-school sports, he had two prizes to his credit and a silver medal. He had won his laurels in athletic events and the silver medal in a running race.
When I saw the prizes and read the citation Chaitanya had received, I was stupefied, in total disbelief, then–hugged him, kissed him and cried unabashedly to my heart’s content. That day, I cried for the first time out of joy and a sense of being vindicated. Without practice, he had competed with approximately 1,800 children drawn from various schools all over the state. He was subsequently selected for the marathon race, but he could not participate due to a health problem. “Maybe next year, he would”, I assured myself. And I, as his proud mother, would proudly chronicle his future achievements and success to inspire other - mothers of the world.
Looking back at my own life, I feel that it is the spirit with which we can accept our life gracefully is what
matters ultimately; and it is love that nourishes us. All other things are unimportant. Chaitanya has made me look inwards. His handicap doesn’t disturb me any longer. He and I shall live with it and still be happy. The mental strength which he has given to me is inexhaustible.
One day, as both of us got onto a public transport bus, Chaitanya offered to buy the tickets for us.
“One full, one half ”, he said to the conductor beaming with joy.
Looking at him, I wondered whether he was really only a half? An incomplete person? Was I really full?
Complete in all respects? Why do then normal people feel that they are ‘full’ and others like Chaitanya are ‘half’ or incomplete? Chaitanya’s world is complete in itself, pure and innocent while our lives are full of deceit, jealousies, ill-feelings.
A2. Point out -
Point out two instances where you find Chaitanya's victory over his disability.
A3. Give reasons -
Chaitanya’s silver medal in a running race was very special for the writer, because :
(i) __________________
(ii) __________________
A4. Vocabulary -
Match the pairs of the words in column ‘A’ with their meanings in column ‘B’:
| Column ‘A’ | Column ‘B’ | ||
| (1) | stupefied | (a) | official statement about the special act of courage |
| (2) | chronicle | (b) | record events in the order they happened |
| (3) | vindicated | (c) | surprised or shocked |
| (4) | citation | (d) | justified |
A5. Personal response -
Explain, your views about the ill-treatment the special children receive in society.
A6. Grammar -
Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed :
(i) He had won his laurels in athletic events and the silver medal in a running race.
(Rewrite the sentence using ‘not only...but also’.)
(ii) When I saw the prizes, I was stupefied.
(Rewrite the sentence using ‘No sooner.... than’.)
Point out -
Point out two instances where you find Chaitanya's victory over his disability.
Working in pairs, go through the table below that gives you information about the top women tennis players since 1975. Write a short article for your school magazine comparing and contrasting the players in terms of their duration at the top. Mention some qualities that you think may be responsible for their brief or long stay at the top spot.
Top-Ranked Women Players
I. The roll of honour of women who enjoyed life at the summit since everybody’s favourite player, Chris Evert, took her place in 1975.
| Name | Ranked on | Weeks as No. 1 |
| Maria Sharapova (Russia) | 22 August 2005 | 1 |
| Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) |
October 2004 |
82 |
| Amelie Mauresmo (France) | 13 September 2004 | 5 |
|
Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) |
20 October 2003 | 45 |
| Kim Clijsters (Belgium) | 11 August 2003 | 12 |
| Serena Williams (U.S.) | 8 July 2002 | 57 |
| Venus Williams (U.S.) | 25 February 2002 | 11 |
| Jennifer Capriati (U.S.) | 15 October 2001 | 17 |
| Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) | 12 October 1998 | 82 |
| Martina Hingis (Switzerland) | 31 March 1997 | 209 |
| Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spain) | 6 February 1995 | 12 |
| Monica Seles (U.S.) | 11 March 1991 | 178 |
| Steffi Graf (Germany) | 17 August 1987 | 377 |
| Tracy Austin (U.S.) | 7 April 1980 | 22 |
| Martina Navratilova (U.S.) | 10 July 1978 | 331 |
| Chris Evert (U.S.) | 3 November 1975 | 362 |
What are these bangles for? Why has the poet repeated the word happy in the last line here?
Later, too, the old man uses the expression famous victory? Why?
How was the country affected by the war?
Explain and analyse the use of hyperbole in the poem.
How is he affected by the experience of seeing the daffodils?
What is the symbolic significance of the sun, sky and wind in the first stanza?
The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
Explain with reference to the context.
Thus I entered, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead,
"Paid by the world, what dost thou owe
Me?"....God might question; now instead,
'Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
Which line is a contrast to the welcome he had received.
Thus I entered, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead,
"Paid by the world, what dost thou owe
Me? "....God might question; now instead,
'Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.
Read the above lines and amswer the question that follow.
Can one see the faith of humans in God in the poem?
The eight other runners pulled up on their heels
The ones who had trained for so long to complete
one by one they all turned around and went back to help him
And brought the young boy to his feet.
Then all the nine runners joined hands and continued
The hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk
And a banner above that said (Special Olympics)
Could not have been more on the mark.
That's how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces
Said more than these words ever will.
Read the lines given above and answer the following question:
How did the spectators react to this gesture of the eight contestants?
In “A Horse and Two Goats”, how did Muni feel about his married life?
How does Ray Bradbury develop the mood in “All Summer in a Day”?
What makes Margot different from the other children? Why does this cause the other children dislike Margot?
'Appearances can be deceptive'. Give your views on this topic.
(A) Some of the cakes had been eaten by the boys before the party began.
(B) The boys…………………………
They have to go to bed early every night. They are allowed to stay update on Saturdays.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
For some time Mother had greatly envied us our swimming, both in the daytime and at night, but as she pointed out when we suggested she join us, she was far too old for that sort of thing. Eventually, however, under constant pressure from us, Mother paid a visit into town and returned to the villa coyly bearing a mysterious parcel. Opening this she astonished us all by holding up an extraordinary shapeless garment of black cloth, covered from top to bottom with hundreds of frills and pleats and tucks.
‘Well, what do you think of it?’ Mother asked.
We stared at the odd garment and wondered what it was for.
‘What is it?’ asked Larry at length.
‘It’s a bathing-costume, of course,’ said Mother. “What on earth did you think it was?’ ‘It looks to me like a badly-skinned whale,’ said Larry, peering at it closely.
You can’t possibly wear that, Mother,’ said Margo, horrified, Shy, it looks as though it was made in nineteen-twenty.’
‘What are all those frills and things for?’ asked Larry with interest.
‘Decoration, of course,’ said Mother indignantly.
‘What a jolly idea! Don’t forget to shake the fish out of them when you come out of the water.’
‘Well, I like it, anyway,’ Mother said firmly, wrapping the monstrosity up again, ‘and I’m going to wear it.’
‘You’ll have to be careful you don’t get waterlogged, with all that cloth around you,’ said Leslie seriously.
‘Mother, it’s awful; you can’t wear it,’ said Margo. ‘Why on earth didn’t you get something more up to date?’
‘ When you get to my age, dear, you can’t go around in a two-piece bathing suit… you don’t have the figure for it.’
‘I’d love to know what sort of figure that was designed for,’ remarked Larry.
‘You really are hopeless, Mother,’ said Margo despairingly.
‘But I like it… and I’m not asking you to wear it,’ Mother pointed out angrily.
‘That’s right, you do what you want to do,’ agreed Larry; ‘don’t be put off. It’ll probably suit you very well if you can grow another three or four legs to go with it.’
Mother snorted indignantly and swept upstairs to try on her costume. Presently she called to us to come and see the effect, and we all trooped up to the bedroom. Roger the dog, was the first to enter, and on being greeted by this strange apparition clad in its voluminous black costume rippling with frills, he retreated hurriedly through the door, backward, barking ferociously. It was some time before we could persuade him that it really was Mother, and even then he kept giving her vaguely uncertain looks from the corner of his eye. However, in spite of all opposition, Mother stuck to her tent-like bathing- suit, and in the end we gave up.
In order to celebrate her first entry into the sea we decided to have a moonlight picnic down at the bay, and sent an invitation to Theodore, who was the only stranger that Mother would tolerate on such a great occasion. The day for the great immersion arrived, food and wine were prepared, the boat was cleaned out and filled with cushions and everything was ready when Theodore turned up.
One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
- peering
- ferociously
- immersion
(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
- Why did mother not join the swimming in the beginning?
- Briefly describe her swimming costume.
- What did Larry think it was?
- Which sentence tells you that Margo thought it was old fashioned?
- What was Leslie’s concern?
- Why did mother think it was suitable?
(c)
(i) In not more than 60 words describe what happened after mother went upstairs to try on her costume.
(ii) Give a title to your summary in 3 (c) (i). Give a reason to justify your choice.
Join the following sentence to make one complete sentence without using and, but or so.
Mumbai is densely populated. It is one of the major cities in the country.
Inspite of having high fever the girl came to school...
(Begin: Despite ……………..)
Re-write the following sentence according to the instructions are given. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of the sentence.
Has Alia written to you?
(Begin: Have you……….)
I asked them to provide us________ a guide.
"We have had no rain since January", Ramu said.
(Begin: Ramu said that they .................. )
Answer the following questions with reference to Ray Douglas Bradbury’s short story, ‘All Summer in a Day’:
Why was there so much excitement in the schoolroom that morning? What sets Margot apart from the other children?
Below is a topic for essay writing. Follow the steps listed above to write on these topics.
Human Population Grows Up
The words in the box are all words that describe movement. Use them to fill in the blank in the sentence below.
The birds _______________ at the snake.
1. Given below is a page from a dictionary. Look at it carefully an
(i) find a word which means the same as ghastly. Write down the word and its two meanings.
(ii) find a word meaning a part of the school year.
(iii) find a word that means examination.

2. Now make lists of
(i) all the words on the page (plus any more that you can think of) that begin with terr-
(ii) five words that may follow the last word on the page, that.
(iii) write down your own meaning of the word thank. Then write down the meaning given in the dictionary.
Discuss with your partner and choose the correct alternative.
A system where the government is elected and ruled by people is called - ________________.
Complete the tabular columns to specify Dos and Don’ts associated with the 'Expansion of Ideas'.
| Expansion of Ideas | |
| Dos | Don’ts |
| (i) Begin impressively | (i) Do not go off-track |
| (ii) | (ii) |
| (iii) | (iii) |
| (iv) | (iv) |
Visit a library. Find a school poem. Recite it to your parents.
Write a character sketch of Papa Panov in your own words.
Discuss in pairs and write what your father and mother do for your family.
|
Father |
Mother |
|
|
Write a short essay on your own journey in a boat.
Read the telephonic conversation between Malar and Selvi. Malar needs to leave a message for her father.
| Malar: | Hello, my name is Malar. Could I talk to Mr. Rao, please? I’m his colleague Mr. Vishvanath’s daughter. |
| Selvi: | I’m sorry, my father is out for his morning walk. Do you want to leave a message for him? |
| Malar: | Yes, please. My father had to leave for Madurai all of a sudden since my grandfather is ill. So he won’t be able to come to work for a few days. It would be really nice if your father could inform the office. |
| Selvi: | Don’t worry, I’ll leave the message for my father. |
| Malar: | Thanks a lot. |
| Selvi: | You’re welcome. |
|
This is the message that Selvi left for her father the previous day. Write a similar message based on her conversation with Malar. ______ (Date) 4.30 p.m. (Time) Dear Papa, I have my music class at 5.00 p.m. so I am leaving now. I’ve prepared tea and samosa and kept it in the kitchen. Please come and pick me up at 7 p.m. |
|
Message ______(Date) ______(Time) Dear Papa, _____________________________________________________________ |
Write an article for the following.
The service provided by the conservancy workers in your city is very poor. You find all the street corners dumped with garbage thrown by the residents of the locality. It causes a menace for the public at large. You are Ramya/Rajan of Class X, studying in TM Model School, Dharmapuri. Write an article in about 150-200 words to the editor of The Indian Express, about this and suggest ways by which the situation could be improved.
Work in groups.
- Discuss how your mother cooks rice in your house.
- Write down the ingredients you need like rice and water.
- List the steps in cooking. The words in the recipe above will help you.
- Each person in the group should tell others how rice is cooked in their house.
- Now write down the recipe.
Your mother has written a message for you before going out. Write a message to her after finishing your lunch.

Write about the following in your message.
- You ate lunch______.
- What you liked______ (mention the dish).
- You have cleaned the kitchen ______.
- You are going out to play. ______(mention when you will be back).
______ is your birthday?
Narrate an incident when you have experienced happiness, excitement, surprise. You can use the following clues.
With whom...
When did it happen...
Why...
Where...
Use the option to fill in the blank.
My toys ______broken.
Why didn’t the grandmother feel sentimental when the author went abroad for higher education?
What story did the man standing near the hardware store tell the passing cop?
Summarising is to briefly sum up the various points given in the notes made from the original passage. It is a retrieval of information from the notes made. Hence, while writing it, one need not go back to the original passage but refer only to the notes made. A first draft will help us to write a fair summary.
How did Woman 5 spend her time in the waiting hall?
Why do patients leave the clinic without meeting the dentist?
Write conversation on the following situation.
Between two friends on a picnic they enjoyed recently
Respond to the following advertisements.
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You have been given a small sum of money to buy a gift with for a friend. What gift would you choose (specify) and why would you choose this? Write a letter to your friend telling him/her about the gift and how it will benefit him/her.
Write the full form for the following.
weren’t - ______
Imagine someone has invited your family to a program and you were the only person at home when the invitation was given orally. Write a note (4-5 lines) to pass on the message to the other people in your family. Or, Write an imaginary conversation in which you pass on the message to your parents.
Study the picture given below. Write a story or a description or an account of what it suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture, or you may take suggestions from it; however, there must be a clear connection between the picture and your composition.

What was the very first thing that the children noticed when it stopped raining on Venus in Ray Bradbury's story. 'All Summer in a Day'?
A college degree is needed to succeed in life. Argue for or against this statement.
Prepare a tourist leaflet for a historical place or a hill station using the following points.
- Place
- Special features
- Distance
- How to go there
- Accommodation
- Food
- Climate
Suppose a foreigner comes to visit your place and you have to accompany him for sightseeing. Prepare a dialogue between you and the foreigner.
Gather more information about the following:
- Different types of impairment that limit a person’s activity or make it difficult for him/her to mix with others in society.
- How modern technology can be used to overcome these problems.
Referring closely to any two instances from the Acts studied, show how music is used to influence the course of events/action in the play, Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 200-250 words.


