CLASS TEST

Section A : Reading

Q1 Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
1 Nicolas Chorier is a professional photographer, specialist, for the last 15
years, in Kite Aerial Photography, the only real eco-friendly aerial photography.
He uses a kite to hoist his camera into the skies and clicks photographs while
the camera dangles precariously in mid-air.

2 As a teenager, Nicholas had two passions – photography and kite flying.
During a trip to India to make a photo report on kite making, he learnt about
this unique style of photography. Fascinated, he literally tied his two hobbies
together for a living. Nicholas learnt to make strong kites modelled on the
Japanese kites, Rokkaku that could endure harsh winds. A novice in his chosen
field, he then set out to train himself.

3 Today, he is one of the most well–known kite aerial photographers in the
world. The technique is to tie a cradle containing the photography equipment
to the string of the kite and then fly it, thus launching the camera into the air.
From the ground, Nicholas manipulates the angles of the camera with a
remote. An air–to–ground video link enables him to see the view from the kite’s
vantage point. Once satisfied with the frame, he clicks a picture. However, the
job does have its pitfalls too. Once, his kite disappeared in the Yamuna river,
with his expensive camera in tow.

4 He has used the technique in the fields of agronomy research, archaeology,
tourism, national heritage surveys and wildlife documentaries. Each of these
applications led him to devise tailor-made hardware and photographic
techniques, with the result that he is now a master of the art form. Chorier has
shot extensively all over the world, in places as diverse as India, Brazil, Malaysia,
Laos and Uzbekistan. His pictures on the Nagaur Fort were part of a report that
received the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award for architectural
conservation. Documentaries on him have been screened on French television,
and he has had several exhibitions of his work worldwide, including one across
India.

5 He is especially fond of India, having made a couple of trips and taken many
spectacular photos. “India is too vast and beautiful a country to be captured
through the lenses in one life” he says. He recently released a book, Kite’s Eye
View: India between Earth and Sky. Though it includes photographs of the oft
taken sites like the Taj Mahal, it shows them from a totally different perspective.

1.1 Attempt any 8 of the following questions on the basis of the passage you have
read.

i. What does Nicolas Chorier specialize in?
Nicolas Chorier is a professional photographer, who specialises in Kite
Aerial Photography.

Paragraph no:1

ii. What are Nicolas’s two passions?
Nicolas's two passions are photography and kite flying.

Paragraph no:2

iii. How does Nicolas take aerial photographs?
Nicholas takes aerial photographs by tying a cradle containing the camera
to the string of a kite and flying it, manipulates the angles of the camera
with a remote and uses air to ground video link to see the view and then
clicks the picture.

Paragraph no:3

iv. What is Rokkaku?
Rokkaku is a name for strong Japanese kites that can endure harsh winds.

Paragraph no:2

v. In which fields did Nicolas Chorier use aerial photography?
He has used the technique in the fields of agronomy research,
archaeology, tourism, national heritage surveys and wildlife
documentaries

Paragraph no:4

vi. Why is Nicolas Chorier fond of India?
Nicolas Chorier is fond of India because according to him India is too vast
and beautiful a country to be captured through the lenses in one life.

Paragraph no:5

vii. Which award did he receive for his Nagaur Fort picture?
He received the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award for architectural
conservation for his Nagaur Fort picture.

Paragraph no:4

viii. What risks do aerial photographers face?
Aerial photographers face the risk of losing their expensive camera or
other photographic equipment.

Paragraph no:3

ix. Which word in paragraph no:1 means the same as ‘dangerously’?
precariously

Section B :Writing and Grammar

Q2 You are Manish/ Manisha Singh of 15, Vasant Vihar, Jaipur. You and your

friends wish to travel to Coorg, Ooty and Kodaikanal in South India.Write a letter of enquiry in about 100/120 words to the Manager, Holiday Fun,a company that organizes tours to places of interest in India and overseas.Give him/her the details such as number of people travelling, number of days,type of accommodation preferred..., etc.Ask him/ her to give you the best plan and the cost per person

Q3 Fill in any 4 blanks by choosing the most appropriate options from the ones
given below. Write the answer in your answer sheet against the correct blank
numbers.


The young Royal Tigers team was stated to perform well in the matches but
unfortunately it (a)_______
There has been a lot of (b)______about why the team didn’t do well in the
Champions Trophy.
The coach claimed that it had (c)______
because of lack of (d)______
The young players are however full of (e)_______for the next tournament.
(a) (i) wasn’t (ii) hasn’t (iii) hadn’t (iv) isn’t
(b) (i) speculation (ii)speculate (iii)speculating (iv) speculator
(c) (i) has done (ii) done so (iii) have done (iv) do so
(d) (i) experiencing (ii) experienced (iii) experience (iv) experience able
(e) (i)enthusiast (ii)enthusiastically (iii)enthusiasts (iv)enthusiasm

Q4 In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Write the
missing word in any 4 sentences of the given paragraph, along with the word
that comes before and the word that comes after it in the space provided.

Q5 Attempt any 4 of the following. Rearrange the given word clusters to make
meaningful sentences.

(a) Passengers / all/ the /the/ safety/ rescue ship/ brought back / to/ from/ the/
team sinking.
The rescue team brought back all the passengers to safety from the
sinking boat.
(b) of the/ team members /crowd / waved / the/ their hands / the /cheers / to
acknowledge
The team members waved their hands to acknowledge the cheers of
the crowd.
(c) the boat /overloading/ between/ had capsized /the two islands /due to
/midway
the boat had capsized due to overloading midway between the two
islands.
(d) a few / knew / only / passengers / to swim / how
Only a few passengers knew how to swim.
Section C : Literature

Q6 Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

a) And somehow I had always been able to dig one up for him, so I’d begun to
get a bit cocky as to my ability’.

(i) Who is referred to as ‘him’?
Jenkins, the publisher of a magazine is referred to as ‘him’.
(ii) What was the speaker able to dig up for him?
In the past, whenever Jenkins wanted the narrator to write a ghost
story for his magazine, the narrator was able to provide one for him.
Although, writing ghost stories was not his forte.
(iii) What other job did the writer do?
John Hallock was a writer and also worked as a book keeper for a
lumber company.
(iv) Give the antonym of ‘ability’
inability


(b) ‘With sloping masts and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow
Still treads the shadow of his foe,
And forward bends his head,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
The southward aye we fled.’


(i) Who is the pursuer (foe) and who is being pursued here?
The storm is described as an enemy who is very powerful. The ship is
personified as someone running away from his enemy who is pursuing
him.
(ii) Explain: ‘Still treads the shadow of his foe.’
This line means to walk in the shadow of your enemy and not getting
away from him. Here it refers to the ship being unable to get out of the
storm.
(iii) In which direction did the ship flee? Where did the ship reach after the
storm?
The storm pushed them towards the South Pole.
The ship reached the land of mist and snow after being hit by the
storm.
(iv) Give the synonym of ‘pursued’
chased

Q7 Answer the following in 30-40 words. 

(a) What surprising revelation is made by the ghost? Why did the writer not

believe her?
The writer was greatly surprised to discover that all the good plots of
ghost stories had been supplied to him by the ghost ‘Helen’. The writer
disbelieved her because he had never really seen her before. But the
ghost said that she had sat on his shoulders and suggested the plots
for his stories.

(b) What is the poet trying to convey through the poem – ‘The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner’?
The poem highlights how a thoughtless and impulsive action can lead
to guilt, repentance and a lifetime of penance. Human beings should
respect all of God’s creation and all of His creatures.
The ancient mariner travels the world to tell his tale to strangers
because he commits a sin.

Q8 Answer the following in 100-120 words. 

(a) How did the narrator get rid of the Ouija board?
At the Ouija board party, the narrator’s wife and her friends learnt that
someone by the name of Helen was calling for John Hallock. So, the
narrator’s wife decided to leave the narrator to go to her
grandmother’s house. The next morning, she came with her bags to tell
him that she was leaving. A short while later, their housekeeper,
Gladolia came to inform them that she would not work in a place with
Ouija boards. Lavinia suggested that she could use them for kindling
wood but Gladolia refused to touch them.The narrator then offered to
gladly burn them.

(b) Describe the hardships that the sailors had to undergo when the ship was
stuck in the silent sea.
When the ship was stuck in the silent sea, there was no breeze, no
movement or sound. The ship stood motionless, as still as a painting.
The only sound was heard when sailors spoke. The red hot sun was
right above the mast. There was water everywhere but not a drop to
drink. This went on for days. The sea was rotting and slimy creatures
were seen crawling about on the surface .Night fires were seen dancing

around. Water changed colours like the witch’s oils. The sailors were
being haunted by the spirit of the albatross in their dreams. Their
throats were so parched that they were unable to speak.

Q9 Answer the following question in 200-250 words. 

(a) What was Mr.Anagnos’ attitude towards Helen in the “The Frost King’
episode?
Why did Helen feel compelled to give an account of the ‘Frost King’
episode?
Mr.Anagnos turned a deaf ear to the pleadings of love and innocence
by Helen because he thought he had been deceived. He suspected that
Miss Sullivan and Helen had deliberately stolen the bright thoughts of
another and imposed them on him to win his admiration. He put Helen
before a court of investigation. Later, Mr.Anagnos made a statement
that he believed Helen was innocent and he had cast his vote in favour
of Helen in the court of investigation .Two years later he retracted his
favourable judgement.
The ‘Frost King’ episode was one cloud in her childhood's bright sky.
Joy deserted her heart and for a long, long time she lived in doubt,
anxiety and fear. Books lost their charm for her, and even later the
thought of those dreadful days chilled her heart. In order to make the
matter clear, she felt compelled to relate the facts connected with this
episode togive justice to her teacher and to herself. She trusted and
hoped and persevered to not let the bitter memory of ‘The Frost King’
trammel her efforts in writing.