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PLUS ONE ENGLISH MARCH 2016, (Q. 1 & 2): Read the following lines from the poem ‘Death The Leveller’ and answer, the questions that follow., The garlands wither on you brow;, Then boast no more your mighty deeds!, Upon Death’s purple altar now, See where the victor-victim bleeds;, Question 1., What is meant by “Death’s purple altar”? (1), Answer:, Death’s purple altar is the battleground where the blood of both the victor and the, vanquished (defeated) has fallen. Purple is the colour of blood., Question 2., Explain the message conveyed by the above lines. (3), Answer:, The victories and the boastings you made will slowly fade away. Death is a leveller, and before him the victor and the vanquished, the rich and the poor, the educated, and uneducated, the high and the low are all alike., Question 3., In ‘I will Fly’ you have met a nervous boy from a remote village who asked Dr. A.P.J., Abdul Kalam a question. Imagine that the boy sends a letter to his friend describing, the incident. Here is an excerpt from the letter., Complete it., Meeting Dr. Abdul Kalam was really a wonderful experience. Now, I feel very, confident. He said, “If ……………… you will succeed”. His words ignited my mind. If I, had not attended the meeting I ……….. (2), Answer:, “If you work hard you will succeed.” His words ignited my mind. If I had not attended, the meeting I would have missed the greatest lesson of my life., Question 4., Esther Dyson, in ‘The Cyberspace’, says that there is something in the modern, psyche that loves new frontiers, a liking to make rules instead of following them. Do, you agree with this statement? Express your views in 2 or 3 sentences. (2), Answer:, I agree with the statement that there is something in the modern psyche that loves, new frontiers, a liking to make rules instead of following them. People wonder if there, is place you can go and be yourself without worrying about the neighbours., Cyberspace is such a place. Before it was a playground for computer nerds and, techies. But now all kinds of people, including children use it.

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(Q. 5 to 7) : Read the following excerpt from the story, ‘The Trip of LeHorla’ and, answer the following questions., Suddenly, the people begin to stand back, for the gas is beginning to enter into the, ballon through a long tube of yellow cloth, which lies on the soil, swelling and, undulating like an enormous worm. But another thought, another picture occurs to, every mind. It is thus that nature itself nourishes beings until their birth. The creature, that will rise, soon begins to move, and the attendants of Captain Jovis, as Le Horla, grows larger, spread and put in place the net which covers it, so that the pressure, will be regular and equally distributed at every point., Question 5., What is the ballon compared to? (1), a) tube, b) worm, c) soil, d) picture, Answer:, b) worm, Question 6., The meaning of ‘nourish’ is ………… (1), a) clear, b) rage, c) feed, d) yell, Answer:, c) feed, Question 7., How is the balloon equipped for the ride? (3), Answer:, The balloon is filled with gas. The attendants spread and put in place the net which, covers it so that the pressure will be regular and equally distributed at every point., This is how the balloon is equipped for the ride., Question 8., ‘Gooseberries’ by Anton Chekov presents the life of Ivan Ivanich and Nicholai, Ivanich. Of these two brothers, whom do you like? Write four sentences justifying, your choice. You may begin with I’d prefer/I like/would/I feel etc. (4), Answer:, I like Nicholai better. Happiness in life can be achieved by getting your dreams, realized. Gooseberries may be hard and sour for Ivan but they are sweet and, delicious for Nicholai. Happiness differs from person to person. One man’s meat is, another man’s poison and one man’s religion is another man’s madness.

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There are no common criteria for happiness. Prayer, sacrifice, fasting and, abstinence might make some people happy. But some are happy only when they are, rich and successful. Nicholai may appear foolish to some, but he has fulfilled his, dream and that is why I prefer him to Ivan., Question 9., Read the following information about Albert Einstein and prepare a short profile., Albert Einstein (1879-1955), Born in Germany ………….. from childhood revealed an extraordinary curiosity for, understanding the mysteries of science ………….. took music lessons, playing both, the violin and piano ………….. in 1905, published his most influential research, papers, including the Special Theory of Relativity ………….. in 1921, awarded the, Nobel Prize in Physics ………….. practical applications of Einstein’s theories now, include the development of the television, remote control devices etc. (5), Answer:, Born in Germany in 1879, Albert from early childhood revealed an extraordinary, curiosity for understanding the mysteries of science. As a boy, he took music, lessons, playing both the violin and piano. His special interest was science and he, made many researches and in 1905, he published his most influential research, papers including the Special Theory of Relativity. He continued his researches and in, 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. The practical applications of, Einstein theories now include the development of the television remote control, devices, etc., Question 10., Fill in the blanks in the following passage choosing the appropriate words given in, the box., , Then a monstrous terror seized him ………. (a) ………. his heart stood still. He could, hear nothing ……….. (b) ………. it only lasted a moment. (2), Answer:, a) and, b) but, Question 11., Read the following excerpt and write a precise reducing it to 1/3rd of its length., Mark Twain was once talking to a friend on the subject of courage in men, and spoke, of a man whose name is associated with a book that thas become a classic. “I .knew, him well”, he said, “and I knew him as a brave man. Yet he once did the most, cowardly thing I have ever heard of any man. He was in a shipwreck and, as the ship, was going down, he snatched a lifebelt from a woman passenger and put it on, himself. He was saved and she was drowned. And in spite of that frightful act, I think, he was not a coward. I know there was not a day of his life afterwards when he, would not willingly and in cold blood have given his life to recall that shameful act.”

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In this case, the failure was not in moral courage but in physical courage. He was, demoralized by the peril, and the physical coward came uppermost. If he had had, time to recover his moral balance, he would have died an honourable death. It is not, an uncommon thing for a man to have in him the elements both of the hero and the, coward., The true hero is he who unites the moral with physical courage. The physical, element is the more plentiful. For one man who will count the cost of sacrifice and,, having counted it, pay the price with unflatering heart, there are many who will, answer the sudden call to meet peril with swift defiance. It is inspired by an impulse, that takes men out of themselves, and by a certain spirit of challenge to fate that, every one with a sporting instinct loves to take. (4), Answer:, Mark Twain was once talking to a friend on the subject of courage in men. He then, spoke of a famous man. He was brave. But once he did a very cowardly thing. He, was in a shipwreck. As the ship was going down, he took a lifebelt from a woman, passenger and saved himself, letting the woman die. Even then I think him to be, brave because in this case the failure was in his physical courage and not in moral, courage., He was demoralized by the peril and that is why he behaved in that way. If he had, time to recover his moral balance, he would have died an honourable death., Everyone one of us has elements of both the hero and the coward. The true hero is, the one who unites the moral with physical courage. (140 words), Question 12., Imagine that you visited the village of Namuana to witness the strange ritual of turtle, calling. Draft a live TV report of the event., [Hints: description of the location, spectators, details of the event etc.] (5), Answer:, I am now talking to you from the Fijian village of Namuana. The place is 50 miles by, water from the capital city of Suva. I am here to cover the strange ritual of calling, turtles from the sea. All the maidens of the village of Namuana have assembled, here. They are singing a strange chant. As they chant you can see how the giant, turtles rise one by one on the surface listening to the chant. From the scenes before, you can realize that this is not a fairy tale., It is actually taking place. Fishing for turtles is prohibited here. There is another, interesting sideline to this legend. If any member of the nearby village of Nabukelevu, is present, then the turtles will not rise to the surface and the turtle calling has to be, abandoned. There is a legend behind this turtle calling. Many years ago, in the, Namuana lived a very lovely princess called Tinaicoboga. She was the wife of the, chief of Namuana village. She had a charming daughter called Raudalice., The two women often went fishing on the reefs around their home. Once when they, were fishing, some fishermen from the neighboring village of Nabukelevu came., They caught the two women and tied their hands and feet and threw them into the

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canoe in which they came. The women begged for their lives. But the cruel, fishermen did not show any mercy. But a storm arose and the canoe was tossed, about by big waves., The two Women had turned into turtles. To save their own lives they threw the turtles, into the sea. The women who had changed into turtles lived on in the water of the, bay. It is their descendants today who rise from the water when the maidens of their, own village sing songs to them., Question 13., Rewrite the following conversation between Gupta and the waitress (‘The Price of, Flowers’) in reported speech., Gupta : Do you know the girl who was sitting over there?, Waitress : No, Sir, I do not know her, to speak of I’ve noticed she has lunch here on, Saturdays., Gupta : Doesn’t she come on any other day?, Waitress : I never see her on other days. (4), Answer:, Gupta asked the waitress if she knew the girl who was sitting over there. The, waitress said she did not know much about her except that she came there for lunch, on Saturdays. Gupta then asked her whether she came there on any other day. The, waitress told him that she never saw her on other days., Question 14., Stephen Hawking has overcome his crippling disease to become the ‘supernova’ of, world physics., On the occasion of the release of a book on Stephen Hawking, you are asked to, deliver a speech describing him to the audience. Prepare the script of the speech., (5), Answer:, Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 in Oxford. His parents were not rich., By the time he was 8, he was seriously thinking of becoming a scientist. His father, wanted him to study medicine., At 14, Stephen knew he would study maths and physics. His father discouraged him, from studying maths and so at The age of 17, Stephen went to Oxford to study, natural science and specialize in physics., There is a story to prove that Stephen Hawking was sharp-witted. He had applied to, do a Ph.D. at Cambridge while he was a student at Oxford. He was accepted on, condition that he got ‘First’ from Oxford. But he got only borderline marks between a, first and a second. The examiners called him for an interview and asked him about, his plans. He told the examiners boldly, “If I get a first, I shall go to Cambridge. If I, receive a second, I will remain at Oxford.” They gave him ‘First’ and he went to, Cambridge.

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Shortly after his 2151 birthday, in 1963, tragedy struck him. He contracted, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for which there was no known cure. It caused a gradual, disintegration of the nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain. Soon he overcame, his depression. He married Jane, who was very supportive to him. Stephen Hawking, asked very deep questions. Where did the universe come from? Is it infinite? Does it, have any boundaries? Will it come to an end? If so how? Is there a beginning of, time? Could time run back?, Some people think that Stephen Hawking is in now inferior to Isaac Newton and, Albert Einstein. We can’t make a conclusive statement about this. Only time will, prove the greatness of Stephen Hawking., Question 15., Read the following excerpt from ‘Is Society Dead?’; there are four errors in the, passage. Identify the errors and correct them., What we do get from this? The chance to slip away for a while from everydayness, to, give your lives its own sound tracks, to still the monotony of the commute, to listen, more closely and carefully on music that can lift you up and can keep you go. (4), Answer:, What do we get from this? The chance to slip away for a while from everydayness ,, to give your lives their own sound tracks, to still the monotony of the commute, to, listen more closely and carefully to music that can lift you up and can keep you, going., (Q. 16 to 18): Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow., I had spent the spring of 1912 in Paris studying tropical medicine and making a start, at purchasing the supplies that would be needed for Africa. Although I acquired a, theoretical knowledge of my subject at the beginning of my medical studies, it was, now time to work at it from a practical point of view. This too, was a new experience., Until then, I had engaged only in intellectual labour., How much time and trouble it cost me to get together the instruments, the drugs, the, bandages, and all the other articles needed to equip a hospital, not to mention all the, work we did together to prepare for housekeeping in the primeval forest., (‘Out of My Life and Thought’ by Albert Schweitzer), Question 16., Look at the word underlined and identify the part of speech. (1), Answer:, verb, Question 17., What is referred to as a new experience? Why is it termed so? (2), Answer:

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The new experience is the putting of his theoretical knowledge of tropical medicine, into practical use. It is termed so because it is the first time he is going to use it., Question 18., Describe the arrangements made by Albert Schweitzer to equip a hospital. What trait, of his character is evident from the passage? (3), Answer:, Albert Schweitzer started purchasing the supplies needed for Africa. He needed the, instruments, the drugs, the bandages and all the other articles needed to equip a, hospital. He also had to lend his hand at preparing for house-keeping in a primeval, forest in Africa., From this passage it is evident that he is hardworking, persevering and determined, in his plans. He would go to any extent to. achieve goals., Question 19., Imagine that you conducted a journey by mountain railway from Mettupalayam to the, Nilgiri Hills. Prepare a travel essay based on your train journey. Include descriptions, of physical features, practical issues related to the journey, personal impressions,, etc., The view of the valley was breathtaking and photogenic……….. (6), Answer:, The view of the valley was breathtaking and photogenic. We took our train from, Mettupalayam to Ooty. We left Mettupalayam at 8.00 a.m. The train was moving very, slowly at less than 20 kms an hour. The distance from Mettupalayam to Ooty is some, 50 kms. But the train takes almost 5 hours to cover this distance., During our journey we passed through Hillgrove, Coonoor, Wellington, Aravankadu,, Keeti, Lovedale stations and finally reached Ooty. At the start of the journey for, nearly half an hour the train travelled through a plain area with a lot of trees. The hills, started after that and temperature started falling as we climbed up., There were a few long tunnels but most of the tunnels were short in length. There, were small rivers on either side and there were waterfalls. In the jungle we could see, different animals and birds. Many trees were in blossom which made the jungle look, like a wild garden. There is also a road going from Mettupalayam to Ooty and at, many places, it crosses the railway lines., The scenic beauty of the valley is indescribable. As we were approaching Ooty, both, sides we could see extensive tea estates and pine forests. Many Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films are shot on these locations. I don’t know much about heaven, but here in the valley I felt as if I am having a tour of heaven. We Keralites talk of our, State as ‘God’s Own Country’. I think the area that extends from Mettupalayam to, Ooty can be truly regarded as a part of the Paradise.

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Question 20., Nowadays, our rivers are rapidly getting polluted. Many reasons are cited but seldom, are measures adopted to prevent the pollution of rivers. Write a letter to the editor of, a local newspaper highlighting the gravity of the issue. (6), OR, Imagine that you have read an article published in a local newspaper title, ‘Reading, Empowers the Learning of English’. In response to this article, draft a letter to the, editor of the newspaper expressing your views on the topic., Answer:, a), 17 July 2016, The Editor, The Indian Express, Kochi, Dear Sir,, RIVER POLLUTION, A very serious problem that is facing the people of our State is river pollution. Kerala, has a total of 44 rivers. All except three of them originate in the Western Ghats. 41 of, them flow westward and 3 eastward. The rivers of Kerala are small, in terms of, length, breadth and water discharge. The rivers flow faster, owing to the hilly terrain, and as the short distance between the Western Ghats and the sea., It is a pity that owing to our carelessness all these rivers are highly polluted. In the, good old days we could drink water from these rivers. But now people can’t even, take bath in them because of the heavy pollution. Periyar, Pampa, Bharatapuzha,, Chaliyar, Kabini, Chalakudy, Meenachil, Kallada, Neyyar, Karumali and Kalllayi are, some of the major rivers of Kerala., We pollute them in many ways. We let all our waste flow into the rivers. Industries let, their effluents flow into them. We mine the rivers for sand. Vast amounts of artificial, fertilizers and insecticides we use get into them in the rainy reason. Thus we make, the rivers highly polluted., I think the government should take strict measures against those who pollute the, rivers. The industries must have their own system of waste disposal instead of coolly, pushing their waste into the rivers. People should be made aware of the utility of, rivers and should be forced to obey the anti-pollution laws., (Raj Job)

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OR, b), 17 July 2016, The Editor, The Indian Express, Kochi, Dear Sir,, READING EMPOWERS THE LEARNING OF ENGLISH, I read the article with the above title which appeared in your newspaper last Sunday., I want to make some additions to what the author has said and also give some, comments., When we read we are using our brain in a very active way. Reading is an active, process. The writer does a lot of work. The reader also has to work hard. When we, read a text, we imagine a scene, we understand clearly what the writer is trying to, say and we agree or disagree with him., When we read we learn new vocabulary. If there are too many new words, it means, the text is above our level. But if we find 5 or 6 words on a page, it should be fine., We can easily learn them and see how they are used in context. Often we can guess, the meaning from their context. This knowledge will empower us., When we read, it gives us a good example for writing. Texts that we read show us, various structures and expressions that we can use when we write., When people write, they usually use “correct” English with a proper grammatical, structure. This is not always true when people speak. So, by reading we see and, learn grammatical English naturally. Another advantage is we can read as fast or as, slowly as we like. We can read ten pages in 30 minutes, or take one hour to explore, just one page. It doesn’t matter. The choice is ours. We cannot easily do this when, speaking or listening. This is one of the big advantages of reading., That is why Francis Bacon said, “Reading maketh a full man.”, Question 21., India has faced a number of natural disasters like floods, landslides etc. We may not, be able to avert many of these disasters, but we can definitely mitigate their impact., Prepare an essay on the various stages involved in the effective management of, disasters. (8)

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OR, The latest World Disaster Report suggests that disasters have increased both in, frequency and intensity. Prepare an essay on the increasing rate of natural disasters, in India., Answer:, India is highly prone to disasters. There are many reason’s for this. Geological, formation, Geographical location, the long coastline, snow-clad peaks, high mountain, ranges, perennial rivers, etc. are some of them. Overpopulation and inadequacy of, natural resources add to the problem. India faces many different kinds of disasters., In all regions there are some problems. Some of the major disasters India had in this, century are the Gujarat earthquake (2001), the Mumbai-Gujarat floods (2005), the, tsunami (2004), the Uttarakhand flash-floods and the Hurricane Phailin in coastal, Orissa and AP (2013)., There are direct and indirect impacts of disasters. Some of the impacts are the, damage, destruction and death caused by them. Following the disaster, the lifeline, support systems are damaged. Healthcare and hospitals come under stress., Commercial and economic activities get badly affected. The poorer sections are the, most affected. We can’t prevent natural disasters but we can reduce their impact., Buildings must be properly constructed. At the State level, there has to be a disaster, management committee. At the Centre, there should be a crisis management, committee. The centre can offer support like air dropping, rescuing, searching,, transport of relief goods, rail and ferry services, health personnel and medical, support., The rehabilitation of victims is an integral part of disaster management. There should, be proper coordination among various departments. The rescue teams should have, additional skills, and they should be equipped with the latest technology. If these, things are carried out, the impact of the disasters can be reduced and many lives, saved., Question 22., Read the poem given below and write a note of appreciation., NIGHT, by William Blake, The sun descending in the west,, The evening star does shine;, The birds are silent in their nest,, And I must seek for mine., The moon, like a flower,, In heaven’s high bower,

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With silent delight, Sits and smiles on the night., Farewell, green fields and happy groves,, Where flocks have took delight., Where lambs have nibbled, silent moves The feet of angels bright;, Unseen they pour blessing,, And joy without ceasing,, On each bud and blossom,, And each sleeping bosom., They look in every thoughtless nest,, Where birds are cover’d warm;, They visit caves of every beast,, To keep them all from harm., If they see any weeping That should have been sleeping,, They pour sleep on their head,, And sit down by their bed., Answer:, Night is a poem that describes two contrasting places: Earth, where nature runs wild,, and Heaven, where there is no predation and violence. The first stanza describes a, landscape with “the sun descending,” when the world is settling quietly into night., Night has a positive connotation in this poem because the moon “sits and smiles on, the night,” showing how night is silent and peaceful., This is continued in stanza two, where angels tread where lambs had grazed,, pouring blessings on all. The angels’ duties are described in stanza three. Angels, “visit caves” and “look in their nests and caves,” keeping the birds and animals safe, and giving them sleep when they are sad. Although the angels aim to keep all those, under their care from harm, “wolves and tigers howl for prey” and threaten to ruin the, angels’ efforts., When these predators successfully attack their prey, the prey is received by the, angels in Heaven, greeted with a better life. In Heaven, the lion is not a predator any, more, but a guardian that is dedicated to serving God. He will lie down with the lamb,, “pitying the tender,” and worship the Lord., The poem has 3 stanzas, each stanza with 8 lines. It has fine rhythm and it has, rhyme. The rhyming scheme is ababccdd. There are fine personifications. The moon, is pictured as a queen sitting in her bower and smiling on the night. There is a, beautiful simile where the moon is compared to a flower. We find alliteration in “sits, and smiles” and bud and blossom”. The poem gives a fine message of peace and, calm where angels bring sleep to the suffering and sorrowful and watch them sitting, down by their bed.