H.S. SUGGESTION –
2019
PROSE
1. THE EYES HAVE IT BY RUSKIN
BOND
*** a. “I am tired of people telling
me I have a pretty face.” – Who said this, to whom and when? What did the
person spoken to reply? 1+1+2+2
b.
“She would forget our brief encounter.” – Who said this and about whom? What is
the ‘brief encounter’ referred to here? Why did the speaker think so? 1+1+2+2
c.
“The man who had entered the
compartment broke into my reverie.” – Whose reverie is referred to here? What
was the reverie about? How did it come to an end? 2+2+2
***d. “Yes, October is the best time.” – Who is the speaker here? Why,
according to speaker, is October the best time in the hills? 1+5
***e. “But
it would stay with me for the rest of the journey.” – Who felt so? What does
‘it’ refer to? Why does the speaker feel so? 1+2+3
f. “Then
I made a mistake.” – What mistake did the speaker make? Why was it a ‘mistake’?
What removed the speaker’s doubt? What did the speaker do then? 1+2+1+2
2.
STRONG ROOTS BY APJ ABDUL KALAM
***a. “Why
don’t you say this to the people who come to you…?” – Who says this and to
whom? What is referred to by the word ‘this’? Why do the people come to the
person spoken to? 1+1+3+1
***b. What
had remained the routine for Abdul Kalam’s father even when he was in his late
sixties? What does Abdul Kalam say about his emulation of his father? 3+3
***c. What
did Kalam say about himself? What kind of a house did he live in? Why did he
say that his childhood was very secure? 2+2+2
d. “I was born into a middle-class Tamil family….”
Who is being referred to as ‘I’? What were the names of his parents? What were
the human qualities of the narrator’s father referred to here? What did the narrator
say about his mother? 1+2+1+2
e. “Our
locality was predominantly Muslim.” – Who is the speaker? How does the speaker
describe the locality? What picture of communal harmony do you find in this
description? 1+3+2
3.
THREE QUESTIONS BY LEO TOLSTOY
**a. How
did the Tsar nurse the wounded man?
***b. “You have
already been answered.” – Who said this, to whom and when? Clarify the
statement with reasons. 1+1+1+3
*c. What were the three questions
that had occurred to the Tsar? Why did he need correct answers to those
questions? What did he do when he was not satisfied with the answers of the
learned men?3+1+2
d. Give a sketch of the
character of the hermit.
***e. Why did the bearded man become an
enemy of the Tsar? What did the man swear and resolve to do? Why did he ask
forgiveness of the Tsar and what did he promise? 1+2+3
4.
THANK YOU, MA’AM BY LANGSTONE HUGHES
***a. “Eat some more, son.”— Who is the speaker? What is
offered by the speaker to the listener? What picture of the speaker’s character
is revealed in this line? 1+1+4
b. “I would teach you right from wrong.” – Who said
this, to whom and when? How did the speaker transform the person spoken to
here? 1+1+1+3
Or,
“You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong.” – Who speaks to
whom? Did the speaker manage to teach what he/she claimed to teach? Give
reasons for your answer. 2+4
***c. Why did Roger not try to run
away later although he had the opportunity to do so?
d. What do you know about Mrs Luella Bates’ home?
***e. Sketch the character of Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones.
POETRY
1.
ON KILLING A TREE BY GIEVE PATEL
*a. How does a tree offer resistance
to its destruction? How does its resistance fail? 3+3
***b. Justify
the title of the poem, ‘On Killing a Tree’.
c. “Modern man, out of his indiscriminate selfishness dares to uproot
Nature and its very soul” – Evaluate this statement with reference to the poem
“On Killing a Tree”. Or, ‘On Killing a Tree’ by Gieve Patel is a telling
commentary on one of the major environmental issues. – Discuss.
2. ASLEEP IN THE VALLEY BY ARTHUR RIMBAUD
a. **Justify the title of the poem, ‘Asleep in the
Valley’.
***b. “A
soldier, very young, lies open-mouthed” – Who is the ‘soldier’ referred to
here? Narrate in your own words how the soldier lies in the valley. 2+4
***c. Do
you consider Rimbaud’s sonnet, ‘Asleep in the Valley’ is an anti-war poem?
Justify your answer.
**d. “In
his side there are two red holes.” – Who is the person referred to here? What
do the ‘two red holes’ signify? What attitude of the poet to war is reflected
here? 1+2+3
3. SONNET 18: SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S
DAY? BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
a. “But thy eternal summer shall not
fade” – Who is the poet? What is meant by ‘thy eternal summer’? How does the
poet suggest that “thy eternal summer” shall never fade? 1+1+4
***b. How does Shakespeare compare
the beauty of his friend to that of a summer’s day in Sonnet 18?
***c. “So long as men can breathe or
eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life
to thee.” – What does the poet mean to say here?
4.
THE POETRY OF EARTH BY JOHN KEATS
***a.
What does Keats mean by ‘the poetry of earth’? Why does he say that this poetry
never ceases?
**b. What
picture of summer is presented in ‘The Poetry of Earth’? How has it been
carried onto the picture of winter? 4+2
DRAMA
1.
THE PROPOSAL BY ANTON CHEKHOV
**a. Why
did Lomov think about taking a decision about getting married? Whom did he want
to marry? Why? 3+1+2
Or, Comment on Lomov’s soliloquy after Chubukov’s
exit for bringing Natalya.
***b.
Describe the character of Chubukov as a senile father.
***c.
Discuss why the marriage proposal is important to all the characters in the
play, ‘The Proposal’.
d. Describe the excavation of family scandals in
‘The Proposal’.
***e. Describe
the quarrel over the hunting dogs?
***f. “If you like, I’ll make you a
present of them.” – Who is the speaker? Who is the person spoken to? What would
the speaker make a present of? Why did the speaker say so? 1+1+1+3.
***g. Give
a pen-picture of social life as depicted in ‘The Proposal’ by Chekhov.
***h. Consider
‘The Proposal’ as a comedy.
**i. Justify the title of the play, ‘The Proposal’ by
Anton Chekhov.
***j. Describe
the first quarrel between Lomov and Natalya.
**k. “She’s like a love-sick cat.” –
Who said this and about whom? Analyse the character of the person, referred to
here, under the light of the statement above. 1+1+4
***l. Sketch
the character of Natalya.
m.
‘Forgive us Ivan Vassilevitch, we were all a little heated.” – Who is the
speaker? Who are referred to by ‘us’? Why were the persons referred to ‘a
little heated’? Why does the speaker ask for forgiveness? 1+1+2+2
WRITING
LETTERS
1.
BUSINESS LETTERS
a. Write a letter to Western Electronics, Kolkata,
requesting for repair or replacement of the personal computer which you had
bought only 3 three months ago as it has developed certain defects.
b. Your company makes steel furniture and a customer
wants to buy some steel chairs. Write a reply to the customer’s enquiry.
Mention the rates, time needed for delivery, delivery cost in your letter.
***c. The
sports teacher of ABC High School placed an order on behalf of the school to
your company for sports goods. There has been a delay in supply. You, being the
Sales Manager, regret and promise immediate delivery through a letter.
***d. Write
a letter to the manager of a ‘Samsung’ outlet for replacement for the
replacement of your newly purchased mobile which has developed some defects.
e. Write a letter to the Sales Manager of Magnus
Computer Apparatus complaining against defective delivery of some goods and
advising to replace them.
***f.
Write a letter to the Manager of a seaside hotel at Puri for booking a room for
5 days. Ask for a sea-facing room, ask about its rent, kind of food served in
the hotel and whether rent-a-car service is available to visit surrounding
places.
***g.
Write a letter to the S.D.O.T of BSNL complaining against excessive telephone
bill and suggest remedial measure to adjust the same.
2. OFFICIAL LETTERS
***a. Write
a letter to the Branch Manager of a bank requesting for the issuance of
duplicate passbook as you have lost your original passbook.
***b.
Write a letter to the Secretary of WBBSE for the issuance of a duplicate
mark-sheet as you have lost the original one.
***c. Write
a letter to the Branch Manager of a bank requesting for opening a Savings
Passbook Account to enjoy some scholarship/stipend that you are eligible to
get.
***d. Write
a letter to the Head of your institution for waiving session fees as you are
too poor to pay the same.
***e.
Write a letter to the Postmaster of your local post office for change of your
address.
***f. Write
a letter to the Branch Manager of a bank requesting for an educational loan on
mortgage of your landed property to continue higher studies.
***g.
Write a letter to the Officer-in-Charge of your local police station for
registering a diary against the theft of your branded mobile phone.
***h. Write
a letter to the civic authority complaining against irregular clearance of
garbage and drains.
i. Write a letter to the Postmaster of your local
post office complaining against delay in delivery of postal materials.
3. EDITORIAL
LETTERS
***a.
Write a letter to the Editor of an English daily expressing your grave concern
about the harmful use of plastic/polythene carry-bags.
***b. Write
a letter to the Editor of an English daily expressing your grave concern about
the increase in road accidents due to indiscriminate use of mobile phones.
***c.
Write a letter to the Editor of an English daily expressing your grave concern
about the indiscriminate felling of trees.
d. Write a letter to the Editor of an English daily
expressing your grave concern about the increase in road accidents due to
reckless driving.
***e.
Write a letter to the Editor of an English daily expressing your grave concern
about the recent spurt on the anti-social activities in your locality.
f. Write a letter to the Editor of an English daily
expressing your grave concern about the indiscriminate use of microphones and
loud speakers
g. Write a letter to the Editor of an English
daily about the increasing health hazards caused by smoking in public places.
h. Write a letter to the Editor of an English
daily within 150 words regarding the bad effect of mobile phone (apps, games,
etc. on the students).
REPORT
a. Write
a report on an exhibition held in your school in about 150 words. Follow these
points:
[Date
- time - occasion - opening - important guest present - things exhibited -
demonstration by students - gathering of visitors]
***b. Write
a report in about 150 words on the Annual Prize giving ceremony of your school.
c. Write report in about 150
words on the publication of a wall magazine in your school, mentioning the way
you planned it, the topics you preferred, the poems and pictures you chose and
the preparations you made for writing the final copy and putting it up on the
wall.
***d. Write a report in about 150 words on a Free
Health Check-up Camp sponsored by the Rotary Club for the slum children. Use
the following points: [Venue of the camp –date and
timings-numbers of participants-doctors present-their advice to the
participants on how to maintain sound health]
***e. Write
a report on how you observed Independence Day in your school in about 150
words. Use the following points: [Date & time – opening
ceremony – flag-hoisting – mass rally – decoration – organisers – president –
guests and invitees – cultural programmes – speeches – closing ceremony]
***f. Write
a report on how you observed Teachers’ Day in your school in about 150 words.
Use the following points: [Date and time – organisers – president
– guests and invitees – cultural programmes – speeches – closing ceremony]
***g. Write
a report on how you organised Annual Sports in your school in about 150 words.
Use the following points: [Date and time – opening ceremony –
various events played – closing ceremony]
***h. Write
a report on how you observed Tree Plantation Day in your school in about 150
words. Use the following points: [Date & time – inaugural
ceremony – chief guest – activity in details – speeches – closing ceremony]
***i. Suppose a teacher of your school has just retired after his precious
service of about 35 years. A farewell meeting has been arranged. Write a report
on it on the basis of the following points. Give a report a headline: [Name
of the school and the retired teacher – president – opening ceremony –
garlanding of the teacher – speeches by teachers and students – heart-touching
speech by the retired teacher – closing speech by the president – your
impression.]
***j. Write a report on a ‘Blood Donation Camp’ organized by Rotary Club in
your locality in 150 words. Use the following points: [Organisers – venue –
arrangements – No. of people donated blood – your comment]
l.
Write a report on a ‘Magic Show’
organized by your school in 150 words. Use the following points:
[Organisers – venue – arrangements – Magic shown – your comment]
***k. Write a report in about 150 words on an educational tour conducted by
your school in which you participated. [Points: Importance of educational
tour – when and where it was organized – escorting teachers – how you learned
and enjoyed]
***l. Write
a report on a Health Awareness Camp recently organised in your schools in which
some doctors of repute took part.
***m. Write report in
about 150 words on traffic control programme “Safe Drive, Save Life” in which
the students of your school participated. Use the following points: [Points: Name of the school – Date, time and place –
Students’ participation – Public response – Your impression]
***o. Write
report in about 150 words on the measures undertaken to ensure health and
safety of the students of your school. Suggest some ways of improvement.
N. B.: The
questions with asterisk (***) marks are very
very important from the examination point of view.
Prepared
by Biswajit Baidya, AT, Chandpara Bani Vidya Bithi (HS) School
