Ahsec Class 11 Alternative English Solved Question Paper - 2017| ASSEB BOARD
2017
ALTERNATIVE ENGLISH
Full Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 30
Time: 3 hours
The figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions
UNIT – I
(Reading an Unseen Passage
and a Poem)
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
When summer came, the sun hit Madras with a ferocity that made
people flee the city. Rich people went away to the hill stations like
Kodaikanal and Ootacamund. For me the retreat would be where my parents lived.
My father was the headmaster of a government high school at Chennapatna in
Mysore State which could be reached by a night’s journey on one train to
Bangalore, and then on by another one, a slow puffing train which passed
through a rocky landscape. My grandmother generally escorted me to Chennapatna
when my school closed for summer, but she wasted nearly three weeks of my
vacation in preparation for the trip. Her particular preoccupation at this time
was the making of various sun-dried edibles out of rice and pulses, which would
be fried and used as a side dish all through the year. She would also soak
certain green legumes in salt water and sun-dry them for use out of season all
through the year. All this was an elaborate ceremony, planned weeks ahead from
February, when the air was a little damp. “In about ten days after the Shiva
Rathri festival, there will be no mist and in must get things ready”, she would
say cataloguing several items of preparation; first shopping for the spices and
pulses. Fortunately, we had a cooperative consumer store occupying a whole wing
of our home, which we could reach by a side door beyond the bathroom. Actually
our house was one big unit which my grandmother had partitioned and rented out
to different offices and stores and families, keeping only a kitchen, living
room and my uncle’s upstairs room, for our own use. I did not realise at that
time how much she depended on the rents for our survival. (Para 1)
My grandmother would select a quiet afternoon for visiting the store
with her indent. When In returned home from school the floor would be strewn
with gunny sacks and paper parcels. Somehow the sight of it filled me with
delight. But when my uncle came home from college and noticed this activity, he
frowned and made unpleasant comments, which upset my grandmother. She would retort
hotly, and my uncle would say something more pointed in reply. I never made out
what they said or argued about, although I watched and studied their faces
keenly by turns, and tried to read a meaning. I only understood when she
mentioned ‘Gnana’, which was my mother’s name. My grandmother would say, “Can’t
go barehanded, I have to give Gnana something. She can’t prepare anything
herself; she is so sick and week.” My uncle was a devoted brother to my mother
and would not carry his objections further but, murmuring something vaguely,
would disappear up the staircase. (Para 2)
My grandmother would soon have a battalion of helpers around the
house, pounding and sifting and grinding and mixing and kneading on a large
scale-her helpers were her friends, admirers, tenants, and paid servants. The
house resounded with a variety of orchestration-the iron clad pounder crushing,
the swish of winnows, the ceaseless roar of the grinding stone, and the chatter
of people over it all. Grandmother would have pulled out great rolls of palmyra
mats and spread them out on the terrace. Differently shaped edibles would issue
from little brass hand-pressers, and be set on the mats, and left there to dry
in the blazing sun; she allotted the task by turns to the younger members of
her following to watch with stick in hand for crows and to drive them off. When
my turn came, I sat in a strip of shade all afternoon and scared away the crows
by screaming at them, and was rewarded with an anna at the end of the day.
Apart from the money, I rewarded myself, in the course of my watch, by peeling
the half-dry stuff of the mat and eating it raw till I felt ill. My uncle
ignored the turmoil in the house, averted his head, and preferred to make no
comment whenever he passed the terrace; but my grandmother fried some of her
product for him at the end of the day, and he relished it when I carried a
plate to his room. (Para 3)
Eventually jars and containers would be filled and stored away for
distribution at the appropriate time to various members of the family living
far and near. My mother’s share would be particularly heavy. “Poor thing, so
many child-births, so sickly, can’t do a thing for herself”, my grandmother
would keep saying to her friends. “She needs more help than anyone else. She’s helpless
if I don’t help.” (Para 4)
My grandmother’s preoccupations were several and concerned a great
many others. She was a key figure in the lives of many. She was versatile and
helpful. She was also a match-maker; she pored over horoscopes and gave advice
and used her influence to get marriages settled. I always picture her with a little spade or
pruning sheers in hand, for all her spare moments were spent in the garden. She
would carry on discussions on vital matters with her friends while her hands were
busy trimming off unwanted branches. Some days, mostly in the evening, someone
would be brought in howling with pain from a scorpion bite. Granny would first
tell the person to remain quiet; then she would go to the backyard and pluck
the leaves of a weed growing on an untended wall, crush it between her fingers,
squeeze its juice on the spot where the scorpion had stung, and then make the
sufferer also chew the bitter leaves. If the victim made a wry face, she would
remark, “This leaf is Sanjeevini, mentioned in the Ramayana. It can save you
even from the venom of the darkest cobra. Don’t make that face. Go on, swallow
it.” (Para 5)
a) State True or False: 1/2x4=2
i. The writer belongs to a rich family. False
ii. The grandmother used Sanjeevini to make edibles. False
iii. The writer’s uncle was jealous of the writer’s mother. False
iv. The grandmother depended on the rents she received from her tenants
for her survival. True
b)
What were the mats on
which the edibles were spread out to dry made of? 1
Ans:- The mat was made from palm trees.
c) Where was the grocery shop from which the
grandmother bought her provisions located? 1
Ans:- The grocery store (Cooperative
Consumer Store) was located in a part of their house, accessible through a side
door outside the bathroom.
d)
With what did the
grandmother make the edibles she prepared at home? 1
Ans:- She prepared meals from rice and lentils,
and also used some green beans soaked in salt water.
e) Where did the writer’s father stay? 1
Ans:- The author's father lived as the
headmaster of a government high school in Chennapatna, Mysore State.
f) Why was the grandmother partial towards the
writer’s mother? 2
Ans:- Grandmother was partial to the
author's mother because she was very sick and frail, had given birth to several
children, and could not do anything for herself, so she needed more help.
g) List any four preoccupations of the writer’s
grandmother. 2
Ans:- Grandmother had four preoccupations:-
(i) Preparing sun-dried foods for the entire year.
(ii) Soaking and drying green beans for off-season use.
(iii) Managing rental housing and tenant management.
(iv) Working as a matchmaker, reading horoscopes, and helping
arrange marriages.
2. Read the poem given below and on the
basis of your reading, answer the questions that follow:
The
Shepherd
How sweet is the Shepherd’s
sweet lot!
From the morn to
the evening he strays;
He shall follow
his sheep all the day,
And his tongue
shall be filled with praise.
For he hears the
lamb’s innocent call,
And he hears the
ewe’s tender reply;
He is watchful
while they are in peace,
For they know when
their Shepherd is nigh.
a) Why does the poet consider the Shepherd’s
lot sweet? 2
Ans:- The poet considers the shepherd's
fate sweet because he roams freely from dawn to dusk, tending his sheep all
day, and experiencing a life filled with praise and fellowship with his flock.
b)
Mention some of the
sounds that the Shepherd hears. 1
Ans:- The shepherd hears the lamb's
innocent call and the sheep's loving response.
c) What makes the sheep feel at peace? 1
Ans:- The sheep feel peace because they
know their Shepherd is nearby, carefully protecting them.
d)
What does the Shepherd’s
tongue speak of? 1
Ans:- The shepherd's tongue is full of
(or is full of) praise.
UNIT
– II
(Poetry and Prose)
3. Answer either (a) or (b):
a) For oft, when on my couch
I lie
In vacant or in
pensive mood,
They flash upon
that inward eye
Which is the bliss
of solitude;
i. Who is the ‘I’ referred to in the above lines? 1
Ans:- "I" refers to the poet,
William Wordsworth, as the speaker is reflecting on a past experience.
ii. Who are the ‘they’ referred to in the above lines? 1
Ans:- "They" are the daffodils
the poet saw earlier, dancing by the lake in a joyous scene.
Or
What does ‘inward eye’ mean?
1
Ans:- "Inner Eye" refers to
the poet's imagination or memory, where stored images rekindle emotions.
iii. Why is the poet in a ‘vacant’ and ‘pensive’ mode? 3
Ans:- The poet lies on his sofa in a
"vacant" mood, feeling empty or worthless, without thoughts, or
"pensive," lost in thought. This state occurs in quiet, solitary
moments indoors, separated from his active memories outside. This brings back
memories of past joys, reflecting the ever-present emotional power of nature.
Or
Describe the scene that flashes through the poet’s inward eye. 3
Ans:- Flashes flash through his mind as
many bright golden daffodils flutter and dance beneath the trees, beside a
sparkling lake. The flowers stretch far along the creek, nodding their heads in
the breeze, outshining even the sparkle of the waves. This vibrant, golden
sight fills his heart with joy, and compels him to dance along with them.
b)
For he suddenly smote on
the door, even
Louder, and lifted
his head:-
“Tell them I came,
and no one answered,
That I kept my
word,” he said.
i. Who is the ‘he’ mentioned in the above lines? 1
Ans:- "He" is the Traveler, a
lone visitor who arrives at a deserted house at night. He knocks repeatedly but
receives no response.
ii. Why did he smote on the door ‘even louder’?
Ans:- When his first knock went
unanswered and the house fell silent, he knocked even louder on the door in
frustration and anxiety. This second, more forceful attempt shows his growing
desperation to receive a response before leaving.
Or
Who is the ‘them’ referred to in the above lines? 1
Ans:- "Them" refers to the
mysterious, hear-like or ghost-like inhabitants of the house who remain silent
and unresponsive even when the Traveler calls. They imply that they exist as
shadows but never show themselves.
iii. Why do you think the ‘I’ had visited the place? Was he able to
achieve his purpose? 3
Ans:- "I" (the Traveler) came
to fulfill an old promise or "keep my word," perhaps to return in
accordance with a promise made to someone connected to the house. He failed to
achieve his goal, as no one responded, allowing him to leave without being
recognized after describing his attempt.
Or
Describe in your own words the place where ‘I’ goes to meet
‘them’. 3
Ans:- The place is a solitary, high-rise
house set on a dark forest path under a starry sky, with a horse grazing nearby
in the deep silence. It feels otherworldly and lonely, with shady trees all
around and a strange atmosphere that only adds to the Traveler's loneliness.
4. Answer any one of the following
questions in about 80 words: 5
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