GUJARAT PUBLIC SCHOOL, ATLADARA

DATE: 24/08/2024 PERIODIC TEST- II (2024-2025) MARKS: 40

CLASS: IX SUBJECT: ENGLISH (184) TIME: 1:30Hr.
General Instructions:
1. This question paper contains THREE sections– READING, WRITING and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the correct question number in your
answer sheet to indicate the option/s being attempted.
3. Section A - Reading Skills carries 10 marks.
4. Section B - Creative Writing and Grammar Skills carries 10 marks.
5. Section C - Literature carries 20 marks.
SECTION – A (READING SKILLS)

Q.1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (10)

1. They were being pulled slowly forwards. Their captors, whose shadowy shapes Haroun started to be
able to make out as his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, were drawing the Web along by
invisible but powerful super-strings of some sort. Forward to what, though? Here Haroun’s imagination
failed him. All he could see in his mind’s eye was a huge black hole, yawning at him like a great mouth,
and sucking him slowly in.

2. ‘Up the creek, pretty pickle, had our chips,’ Iff disconsolately reed. Butt the Hoopoe was in an equally
cheerless state of mind. ‘To Khattam-Shud we go, all neatly wrapped and tied up like a present!’ the
Hoopoe wailed without moving its beak. ‘Then it’s zap, bam, phutt, finito for us all. There he sits at the
heart of darkness—at the bottom of a black hole, so they say—and he eats light, eats it, raw with his
bare hands, and lets none of it escape. —He eats words, too. —And he can be in two places at one time,
and there is no getting away. Woe is us! Alas, alack-a-day! Hai-hai-hai! ‘You’re a fine pair of
companions and no mistake,’ Haroun said as light-heartedly as he couldmanage.

3. To Butt the Hoopoe he added, ‘Some machine! You swallow every spooky story you hear, even the ones
you find in other people’s minds. That black hole, for example: I was thinking about that, and you just
pinched it and then let it frighten you. Honestly, Hoopoe, pull yourself together.’ ‘How to pull myself,
together or anywhere else,’ Butt the Hoopoe lamented without moving its beak, ‘when other persons,
Chupwala persons, are pulling me wherever they desire?’ ‘Look down,’ Iff broke in. ‘Look down at the
Ocean.’

4. The thick, dark poison was everywhere now, obliterating the colours of the Streams of Story, which
Haroun could no longer tell apart. A cold, clammy feeling rose up from the water, which was near
freezing point, ‘as cold as death’, Haroun found himself thinking. Iff’s grief began to overflow. ‘It’s our
own fault,’ he wept. ‘We are the Guardians of the Ocean, and we didn’t guard it. Look at the Ocean, look
at it! The oldest stories ever made, and look at them now. We let them rot, we abandoned them, long
before this poisoning. We lost touch with our beginnings, with our roots, our Wellspring, our Source.
Boring, we said, not in demand, surplus to requirements. And now, look, just look! No colour, no life, no
nothing. Spoilt!’

5. How this sight would have horrified Mali, Haroun thought; perhaps Mali most of all. But of the Floating
Gardener there was still no trace. ‘Probably trussed up like us in another Web of Night,’ Haroun guessed.
‘But O, what wouldn’t I give to see his gnarled old root-body running along besideus now, and to hear that
soft flowery voice speaking such rough and infrequent words.’ The poisoned waters lapped at Butt the
Hoopoe’s sides—and then splashed suddenly higher, as the Web of Night was brought to an abrupt halt.

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Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:

A. Multiple Choice Questions (5)

1. What imagery does Haroun visualize when he thinks about what lies ahead?
a) A bright, welcoming light
b) A dark forest with no end
c) A huge black hole, yawning like a great mouth
d) A dense fog with no visibility

2. According to the excerpt, what does Khattam-Shud supposedly consume?

a) Water and fire
b) Light and words
c) Dreams and hopes
d) Stories and memories

3. What does the thick, dark poison in the Ocean symbolize in the passage?
a) The decay of creativity and imagination
b) The triumph of good over evil
c) The purity of untold stories
d) The rebirth of new tales

4. How does Haroun react to Butt the Hoopoe's pessimism?

a) He becomes frightened and gives up hope
b) He tries to lighten the mood and stay optimistic
c) He ignores the Hoopoe and focuses on his thoughts
d) He agrees with the Hoopoe's gloomy outlook

5. What happens when Iff’s slipper falls into the Ocean?

a) It floats away without any damage
b) It dissolves instantly upon contact with the water
c) It changes color due to the poison
d) It is swallowed by a mysterious creature

B. Answer in one or two lines (1x5=5)

6. What does Butt the Hoopoe mean by "He eats words, too"?

7. Explain the significance of the Web of Night in the context of the passage.

8. What does Haroun’s imagination failing him suggest about his mental state?

9. How does Iff describe the Guardians' failure in their duty?

10. Why is Haroun horrified yet impressed by the poison’s effect on Iff’s slipper?

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 SECTION – B (GRAMMAR & WRITING SKILLS)

Q. 2. Choose the correct determiner to complete each sentence. (2)

1. Could you pass me ___ salt, please?

(a) a (b) the (c) some

2. ___ of the students have submitted their homework.

(a) Each (b) Any (c) All

Q.3. Choose the correct modal verb to complete each sentence. (3)

1. You ___ always wear a helmet while riding a bike.

(a) must (b) can (c) may

2. ___ I borrow your notes for the math class?

(a) Should (b) Might (c) Could

3. You ___ speak loudly in the library. It’s against the rules.

(a) shouldn’t (b) wouldn’t (c) couldn’t

Q. 4. Write: In your Diary or a Paragraph (5)

A. Paragraph Writing: Standing Up Against Peer Pressure

You’re in a situation where your group of friends is pressuring you to do something you know is
wrong, but going against them might mean losing their friendship. In your diary, describe the dilemma
of choosing between fitting in and staying true to your values. Explore how your sense of innocence is
being challenged, how you weigh the ethics of the situation, and what this experience is teaching you
about life and making tough choices.

OR

B. Diary Writing: The Buffering and the Boredom

Imagine you’ve had a long day at school and finally get some time to relax and watch your favorite show
online or chat with friends. But just when you’re about to enjoy yourself, the internet starts buffering, or
worse, it stops working entirely. In your diary, write about the frustration and irritation you feel in that
moment. Reflect on how important the internet has become in your daily life, and how it affects your
mood when it doesn’t work as expected.

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 SECTION – C (LITERATURE)

Q.5. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow. (5)
And I shall have some peace there, for
peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning
to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon
a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings. (The Lake of Isle Innisfree)

1. What does the speaker hope to find at the Lake Isle of Innisfree?
2. According to the excerpt, what time of day is described as having "a purple glow".
3. Which bird is mentioned in the excerpt, and what time of day is it associated with?
4. In the excerpt, what sound is described as being heard in the morning?
5. What is the name of the poet? Where is this poet from?

Q.6. Answer the following questions (ANY THREE) in 40-50 words. (3X3=9)

1. Identify and analyze the use of imagery in the line "a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start."
(Rain on the Roof)
2. What prompts Kezia to make a pin-cushion for her father, and what happens as a result?
(The Little Girl)
3. How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
(A Truly Beautiful Mind)
4. Explain how the setting of the Lake Isle of Innisfree contributes to the poem's theme of escape and
tranquility.
(The Lake of Isle Innisfree)

Q. 7. Answer the following questions (ANY ONE) in 100-150 words. (6X1=6)

1. Why is it important not to follow the authority blindly and question it for better understanding? Answer
with reference to A. K. Ramanujan’s (In the Kingdom of Fools).

OR

2. Discuss the significance of Mahendra’s reaction to Iswaran’s ghost story at the end of the narrative.
What does this reveal about the power of storytelling and its impact on even the most rational minds?
(Iswaran The Storyteller)

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