ICSE Board Question Paper
Subject – English
Class – X (2008)
Q 1: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:-
Titinius: What, Pindar us! Where art thou, Pindar us?
Messala: Seek him, Titinius, whilst I go to meet
The noble Brutus, thrusting this report
Into his ears; I may say thrusting it;
For piercing steel, and darts envenomed
Shall be as welcome to the ears of Brutus
As tidings of this sight.
Titinius: Hie You, Messala,
And I will seek for Pindarus the while
"Exit Messala"
i. Where are the Speakers? Who is Pindarius? What report does Messala wish to convey to Brutus? 3
ii. Earlier in this scene, where does Cassius send Titinius? Why? 3
iii. What does Cassius then ask Pindarus to do? What reason does he give for doing so? 3
iv. What report does Pindarus convey to Cassius that upsets him? What mood does he fall into? Was he right in blaming himself? Give a reason to justify your answer. 3
v. Immediately following this extract what two noble gestures does Titinius perform? At the end of the scene, what
arrangements does Brutus make for Cassius? What reason does he give for doing so? 4
Q 2: 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 An humble heart.
[/kneeling/]
i. Where are the speakers? What does 'puissant' mean? Explain:
'Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat an humble heart'. 3
ii. At the start of the scene what reply does the soothsayer give when Caesar says, 'The Ides of March are come'? What was Caesar's attitude then? Give a reason for your answer. 3
iii. What specific duties have been allotted by the conspirators to Trebonius and Casca? Why does Cassius become nervous when Popilius Lena speaks to him as they enter? 3
iv. Who else had a petition for Caesar? How did Caesar respond to his pleas that his was a suit that 'touches Caesar nearer'? What characteristic of Caesar is seen in his reply? 3
v. Shortly after this Caesar is stabbed to death by the conspirators.
At this point in the play what are your feelings for
(a) Caesar and
(b) the conspirators. Give one reason each to support your answer. 4
The Winslow Boy : Terence Rattigan
Q 3: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:-
Arthur: I propose to settle on her one-sixth of my total capital which, worked out to the final fraction, is exactly eight
hundred and thirty-three pounds six shillings and eight pence. But let us deal in round figures and say eight hundred and
fifty pounds.
John: I call that very generous, sir.
i. Where are the speakers? What 'arrangement' is Arthur talking about? What goes wrong with this 'arrangement' later in the play? 3
ii. What are the various illnesses that Arthur suffers from and how does it affect him? 3
iii. What does Arthur do now by way of celebration? Who is the family solicitor who joins them? What had he been, at one time? 3
iv. Later in the scene, Catherine speaks out against the authorities of the Naval College at Osbome. Why is she so indignant? 3
v. Arthur Winslow is a good father who wants the best for his children Dickie and Catherine. Give two examples each from the play to prove this statement true. 4
Q 4: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:-
Sir Robert: Whatever the contents of that letter or whatever has happened to make you lose heart, I insist that we continue the fight -
Arthur: Insist? We? It is my fight - my fight alone - and it is for me alone to judge when the time has come to give up.
Sir Robert: [/violently/] But why give up? Why? In Heaven's name,man, why?
Arthur: [/slowly/] I have made many sacrifices for this case' Some of them I had no right to make, but I made them none the less. But there is a limit and I have reached it. I am sorry, Sir Robert. More sorry, perhaps than you are, but the Winslow case is now closed.
i. Who is Sir Robert? What fight does he wish to continue? Why does Catherine not approve of him? 3
ii. Sir Robert refers to a letter. Who had written the letter and what are its contents? 3
iii. Arthur says that he has made many sacrifices. What sacrifices did he have to make? Later Catherine learns that Sir Robert also made a big, personal sacrifice in taking up the Winslow case. What was this sacrifice and who told her about it? 3
iv. Catherine works for the W.S.A. What does W.S.A stand for? After initially doing voluntary and unpaid work for the W.S.A she asks for a salary. What is Arthur's reaction when he hears the amount they are going to give her? At the end of this Act, Arthur passes on the decision of continuing the case to Catherine. When Sir Robert asks her what are his instructions, what does she reply? 3
v. How is the Winslow case finally resolved? 4
SECTION B - POETRY
Whispers of Immortality
Q 5: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:-
One can sleep what will trouble
This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is.
Were he not gone,
The woodchuck could say whether it's like his
Long sleep, as I describe its coming on,
Or just some human sleep
"After Apple-Picking' by Robert Frost"
i. Why does the narrator feel that his sleep will be troubled? What indicates that the task he has in hand has not yet been completed? 3
ii. Why does the narrator wish to discontinue his work? Describe his day's activities. 3
iii. What is a woodchuck? How does the narrator contrast human sleep and the woodchuck's sleep? What underlying meaning is he
trying to convey through this comparison? 3
iv. What kind of dream does he expect to have? Mention one example the poet gives that appeals to the reader's sense of
hearing. Other than tiredness what other sensation does he feel at the end of the work he is involved in? 3
v. Why does he cherish the fruit he has in hand? What happens to the fruits that fall? What is its significance? What message is he trying to convey to the reader? 4
Q 6: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:-
"Stately and slow and shoulder high
In the sight of all Jodhpore
The dead went down by the rose-red steps
Upheld by bearers four.
When dawn relit the lamp of grief
Within the burning East
There came a word to Pertab Singh
The soft word of the priest."
"A Ballad of Sir Pertab Singh by Sir Henry Newbolt"
i. Who is Pertab Singh? Who is referred to as 'the dead' in the extract? State clearly how Pertab Singh and 'the dead' developed a deep friendship. 3
ii. Who are 'the bearers four'? What request had been made to Pertab Singh earlier in this context? What does Pertab Singh say in reply to this request? 3
iii. What trait in the character of Pertab Singh is revealed in his reply? Explain the lines ''When dawn relit the lamp of grief within the burning East' so as to bring out its significance as used here. 3
iv. What are the consequences that Pertab has to face for the action mentioned in the first two lines of the extract? In what way is the deed terrible to (a) the priest and (b) Pertab Singh? 3
v. How does Pertab Singh describe the "immortal" caste at the end of the poem? Explain in detail. Give a reason why you like the poem. 4
SECTION C - PROSE
"An Anthology of Short Stories"
Q 7: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:-
Suddenly, he could go no more. He set his burden down with great gentleness and sank upon the ground, his head sunk between his knees, his eyes closed, panting desperately. Starved as he was, a little blood rose in dark patches on his cheeks. A ragged vendor selling hot noodles set his stand near, and shouted his trade cry, and the light from the stand
fell on the old man's drooping figure. A man passing stopped and muttered, looking at him...".
i. Who does the 'he' in the first line refer to? Why is he here? Describe the people with whom he has come. 3
ii. Why doesn't he have the energy to go on? What burden is he carrying? What has happened to the rest of his family? 3
iii. What does the passer-by mutter to himself? What does 'he' plan to do with what he receives? What does it reveal about 'his' philosophy? 3
iv. Why is the seller of noodles unable to understand 'his' action? What complaint does 'he' make against the rest of the people 'he' came with? In what way are they a contrast to the person referred to in the above extract? 3
v. How do the people of the town treat these people who have come? Why do they do so? Mention one aspect of Chinese life that the author brings out in this story. Do you think that the title is appropriate? Justify your answer with an example from the story. 4
Q 8 : 'One night, when he arrived as usual at his spot, he found a babbling crowd at the corner where he normally sat.' From this point narrate what happens in 'The Martyr's Corner' that brings about a decline in Rama's fortunes. Comment on the appropriateness of the title of the story. 16
"The Village by the Sea: Anita Desai"
Q 9: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:-
Mr. de Silva drove at great speed as if he too were afraid he might not get Lila's mother to the hospital in time, and, in a short while, they were driving up the wide, quiet road to the hospital.
Here, Lila began to feel so helpless that she would not have known what to do if Mr. de Silva had not been with her and helped her.
i. What is wrong with Lila's mother? What treatment does the "magic man" of the village give her? How does Mrs. de Silva offer to help now? 3
ii. In what way does Lila propose to repay the de Silva's if they help her take her mother to the hospital? Explain clearly how Mr. de Silva helps them at the hospital. 3
iii. Why do they have to leave Lila's mother at the hospital? What is Lila's initial reaction to the suggestion? What makes her change her mind later? 3
iv. What unexpected thing does Lila's father do on learning that his wife is hospitalised? What nagging worry clouds her mind on the return journey in the car? How does Mr. de Silva's words dispel her fears and bring a ray of hope to her disturbed mind? 3
v. Where is Hari at this time? Describe the first eventful day he spent in that place. 4
Q l0: One night when the heat in the Sri Krishna Eating House became unbearable, the old watchmaker, Mr. Panwallah, suggested that Hari go and sleep in the park. Give a detailed description of Hari's experience in the Park that night. 16
"Three Men in a Boat : Jerome K. Jerome"
Q 11: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: -
I remember a friend of mine buying a couple of cheeses at Liverpool. Splendid cheeses they were, ripe and mellow, and with a two hundred horse-power scent about them that might have been warranted to carry three miles, and knock a man over at two hundred yards. I was in Liverpool at the time, and my friend said that if I didn't mind he would get me to take them back with me to London, as he should not be coming up for a day or two himself; and he did not think the cheeses ought to be kept much longer. 'Oh, with pleasure, dear boy,' I replied,'with pleasure.'
i. How does the horse react when the wind caries a whiff from the cheeses to his nostrils? Who restrain him when they arrive at the station and how? 3
ii. After the author gets into a carriage with seven other people, they start to leave, being unable to tolerate the strong smell of the cheeses. What do the stout lady and the solemn-looking man who looked like an undertaker say when they are leaving the carriage? What is the black gentleman's response when only he and the author remain? 3
iii. When the author took the cheeses to his friend's Tom's house, his wife sniffed around for an instant and said, 'What is it? Tell me the worst.' What does she mean? What instructions had Tom sent to his wife about how to keep the cheeses? 3
iv. What does the author tell Tom's wife when she asks him if he would mind keeping the cheeses till her husband returns? 3
v. What are the different ways in which Tom tries to get rid of the cheeses? 4
Q 12: Packing is one of those many things I feel I know more about than any other person living' says the author. Give a detailed account, with reference to the author's observation, to bring out the humour involving the author, George, Harris and Montmorency. 16