2019 Solved English Question Paper

 

SSLC ENGLISH – 2019

SECTION – C (PROSE & POETRY)

 

7. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:

a)   He started, made a short run, and stopped, and looked over his shoulder. “There, Sir!” I timidly explained. “Also Georgiana. That’s my mother.”

          Ans: These lines are an extract from the story ‘Great Expectations’ written by Charles Dickens.

i)            ‘He’ is referred to the convict here. When the convict asked Pip where his mother was, Pip pointed to the direction where his mother’s tombstone laid. The convict acted in such a manner because he felt that Pip’s mother was around. So he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

ii)           Pip pointed out timidly to his mother’s tomb.

iii)         The boy, Pip said ‘Also Georgiana’ and not just Georgiana because those were the words inscribed on his mother’s tombstone.

b)   “Hark at the wind!”

i)            The above words were spoken by Mr. White.

ii)           When Mr. White spoke the above words, the persons who were with him in the room were his wife, Mrs. White and their son, Herbert White.

iii)         Mr. White uttered these words in utmost frustration as he was losing the game of chess from Herbert.

c)   “Great Caesar, now what have I done!”

i)            These words were spoken by Elaine.

ii)           The speaker had been speaking over the telephone to Ella Tupper.

iii)         The particular situation was resolved when they again received a call from Jessica, a friend of Mrs. Pringle, who said that she would not be able to attend the dinner with her husband due to heavy blizzard. This made the number of guests back to fourteen which earlier was sixteen because the Tupper family was bringing two extra guests with them.

 

9.

a)   Why has Mr. Trelawney hired the captain, the ship and the crew?

Ans: Mr. Trelawney has hired Captain Smollett, the ship, “Hispaniola‟ and the crew because he was planning for a treasure hunt to an unknown island. It was quite obvious that in order to accomplish this huge task, he needed more men and experienced officers who could guide them on their journey and help overcome predicaments.

b)    Why did Mr. Harper send Mrs. Pringle flowers?

Ans:  Mr. Harper has sent flowers for Mrs. Pringle as a mark of apology because he was unable to attend the dinner party organized by Mrs. Pringle.

c)   What name was the baby of King Brahmadatta given? Why?

Ans: King Brahmadatta was given the name, ‘The Prince of the Five Weapons’ by the Brahmans.

The Brahmans had predicted that the baby would be famous and renowned for his skills with the five weapons. They also predicted that the baby would be the chief man in all India.

d)   Why and how did the prince rebuke the Old Lords Montague and Capulet?

Ans: The Prince rebuked the Old Lords Montague and Capulet for their irrational enmities and showed them what a bane heaven had laid upon such offences that the two families had to pay such a heavy price by losing their children. Their enmity led to the death of their children

10.

What does the convict tell Pip about his companion and why?

Ans: The convict threatened Pip with dire consequences to bring a file and some food for him in the churchyard the following day. He informed Pip that he was not alone in the graveyard but had a companion with him who was hiding somewhere in that place, and that his companions was more vicious that the convict, who considered himself an angel. His companions had a peculiar way of getting at a boy and his heart and liver. A boy may lock his door, hide himself in the bed or may draw the clothes over his head but it was impossible to escape from his companion who would in one or the other way get at his liver and heart by ripping him off. Therefore, the convict advised Pip to be obedient and bring him the file and food and in this way he would keep Pip off his dangerous companion.

He told this to Pip in order to get the file from Pip’s brother-in-law and also in case if Pip changed his mind and did not return, the threatening would definitely make him frighten and he would bring the two items that the convict told him to bring.

 

Why was the Prince sent to Takkasila? Narrate what he did there for which he received the five weapons.

Ans: When the Prince had attained the age of sixteen, the king sent him to a renowned teacher in Takkasila so that he could complete his education

          The Prince lived in the teacher’s house. He was kept busy. He served his teacher and did chores everyday and learned from his teacher at night. He learned to use the five weapons and became stronger, faster and more precise. Gradually his hard work improved his skills and his skills improved his confidence. He was calm and in control of this feelings. He learned the disadvantage of the five kinds of wickedness and the profit of the five kinds of virtue. His mind was now filled with knowledge which grew inside him and reflected on his face.

 

12. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

a)   Gathered like pearls in their alien graves

Silent they sleep by the Persian waves

i)            The graves are called “alien” by the poet because the heroic soldiers who fought in the war are now lying buried in their graves in foreign countries.

ii)           The heroic soldiers who fought in the war with the utmost valor and zeal and are now lying buried in their graves in foreign countries. The soldiers are compared to pearls because the choice of such comparison highlights the qualities of her sons as the poet sees it. Mother India considers the soldiers very precious like pearls.

iii)         The expression “silent they sleep” implies that the heroic soldiers lie lifeless in the foreign countries. In other words, the soldiers have died and become martyrs.

 

b)   That now am caught beneath great buildings,

Stricken with noise, confused with light.

i)            The poet is in the city surrounded by noises, crowds, buildings and lights.

ii)           The poet feels exasperated and trapped amidst great buildings, and is confused with lights.

iii)         The poet feels that way because she is fed up of the din of the city life and longs for the sea.

 

c)   Full well they laugh’d, with counterfeited glee,

At all his jokes, for many a joke had he;

i)            The students in the village school laughed.

ii)           The village schoolmaster had many a jokes.

iii)         The students laughed with “counterfeited glee” because they were frightened of being reprimanded by their teacher if they did not laugh at his jokes.

13. Answer the following question in 80–100 words:

Life would not be possible if we did not all have hope. How does the poet bring out the message of hope and faith in the poem, Life?

Ans: In the poem, ‘Life’, Charlotte Bronte tells us to view life optimistically as happiness and sorrows are part of our lives. We must be hopeful and courageous and face all the difficulties that we may encounter. In other words, the theme of the poem is focusing on life’s meaning, expressing that life has both upsides and downfalls to it. Throughout the poem, Charlotte Bronte describes a negative feeling, and the positive that could come out of it. The poet further states that though death takes our beloved ones away from us we must overcome this grief with courage and acknowledge the fact that death is inevitable and universal.

 

How does William Wordsworth show that the song sung by the Solitary Reaper was really enchanting and beautiful?

Ans: In the beginning of the poem, “The Solitary Reaper”, the poet hears the highland girl singing alone as she was cutting and binding grain. He stands there and asks the passers-by to listen carefully, because the whole valley is filled to overflowing with the sound of her singing. The people around are invited to either stop and listen to her sad song or to gently pass by, so as not to disturb her. The speaker says that he stood and listened to the song of the reaper as she continued to work in the valley. The melody of the reaper’s song has created such impression in the mind of the poet that he has become mesmerized. He even compares the famous song birds like the nightingale and the cuckoo and says that the melody of the two birds combined cannot produce such mesmerizing effect as alone the melody of the reaper can. As he moved on and began climbing the hills surrounding the valley, he carried the memory of her song with him, long after he could actually hear it.

 

SECTION – D (OLIVER TWIST)

 

15. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:

a)   A meeting was held and the boys drew lots to decide who should walk up to the master after supper to ask for more.

i)            A second bowl of porridge was going to be asked for by Oliver. The master of the poorhouse served each boy with one bowl of porridge which was never enough to satisfy their hunger. So the boys had a meeting and decided by drawing lots that one of the boys would dare to ask for a second bowl of porridge.

ii)           The lot to ask for more porridge fell on Oliver.

iii)         When Oliver asked for a second bowl of porridge the master became extremely furious and aimed a blow at Oliver’s head, seized him by the arms and shouted for the beadle. The board held a meeting and the Chairman exclaimed in anger at Oliver’s audacity to ask for more. A member of the board shouted that the boy should be hanged. Oliver was locked up and made to spend the night alone. Next morning a notice was put up outside the gate offering five pounds to anyone who would take Oliver from the poorhouse.

 

 

 

b)   ‘‘I won’t be ten minutes, sir!” said Oliver eagerly and set off on his errand.

i)            Mr. Brownlow sent Oliver to deliver a parcel of books and five pounds to pay the bookseller. This was the errand.

ii)           Mr. Grimwig, a friend of Mr. Brownlow suspected Oliver and his background. So he distrusted him. However, Mr. Brownlow believed in Oliver. Mr. Grimwig, who doubted Oliver’s honesty, asked Mr. Brownlow to give Oliver the responsibility to deliver the parcel and money. It was because of this reason that Mr. Brownlow sent Oliver in order to prove Mr. Grimwig wrong.

iii)         No, Oliver did not return. It would be precise to say that Oliver could not return. When Oliver went out on his errand and on his way to the bookstall, he was startled by a cry. A young woman flung her arms tightly around Oliver calling him her brother. Oliver, who did not know the woman was astonished at such a behaviour. The woman, called Nancy, continuously cried and pleaded Oliver to return home with her. She addressed the passers-by telling them that Oliver was her brother and that had run away from and joined a gang of thieves thereby breaking his mother’s heart.  The passers-by, too, supported Nancy and scolded the boy from being away from his home and family.

Just then a man called Bill Sikes came out of a nearby shop with his dog. He took hold of Oliver and pulled him along. Oliver cried for help and denied all that was told by Nancy to the people around. However, no one came for his rescue. Both Nancy and Bill Sikes kidnapped Oliver and took him into a low room which was built in a small backyard. Thus, Oliver could not return back to Mr. Brownlow.

 

 

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