Exercise 3 Sample Question Paper 3

Class 9 & 10 - ICSE English Language

Portions covered in this paper:
  • Reading comprehension
  • Letter writing (formal and informal)
  • Descriptive/Argumentative composition
  • Grammar (Tenses, Prepositions, Transformation of sentences, Active and passive voice, Direct and indirect Speech)
  • Exam duration: 2 hours
  • Total marks: 80

Question 1

(Do not spend more than 35 minutes on this question.)

Write a composition (350 - 400 words) on any one of the following: [25]

  1. You had been waiting in the green room of the school play. Describe what you saw and the sounds you heard when you arrived at the place. What were your feelings? Describe how the scene changed once you entered the stage and the play started.
    2. or
  2. “Money is important for happiness.” Express your views either for or against this statement.

Question 2

Select any one of the following: [10]

  1. Write a letter to your mother telling her about the field trip you took from your boarding school.
    2. or
  2. You are the president of the Dance Club at your school. You are conducting an inter-school dance competition in association with Diwali. Write a letter to your neighbouring school inviting them to join the march. Explain the rules and details about the competition in the letter to their Dance Club Coordinator.

Question 3

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow

That year the monsoon rains came early and Rakesh plodded to and from school in raincoat and chappals. Ferns sprang from the trunks of trees, strange-looking lilies came up in the long grass, and even when it wasn’t raining the trees dripped and mist came curling up the valley. The cherry tree grew quickly in this season.

It was about two feet high when a goat entered the garden and ate all the leaves. Only the main stem and two thin branches remained.

‘Never mind,’ said Grandfather, seeing that Rakesh was upset. ‘It will grow again, cherry trees are tough.’

Towards the end of the rainy season new leaves appeared on the tree. Then a woman cutting grass scrambled down the hillside, her scythe swishing through the heavy monsoon foliage. She did not try to avoid the tree: one sweep, and the cherry tree was cut in two.

When Grandfather saw what had happened, he went after the woman and scolded her; but the damage could not be repaired.

‘Maybe it will die now,’ said Rakesh.
‘Maybe,’ said Grandfather.
But the cherry tree had no intention of dying.

By the time summer came round again, it had sent out several new shoots with tender green leaves. Rakesh had grown taller too. He was eight now, a sturdy boy with curly black hair and deep black eyes. ‘Blackberry eyes,’ Grandfather called them.

That monsoon Rakesh went home to his village, to help his father and mother with the planting and ploughing and sowing. He was thinner but stronger when he came back to Grandfather’s house at the end of the rains to find that the cherry tree had grown another foot. It was now up to his chest.

Even when there was rain, Rakesh would sometimes water the tree. He wanted it to know that he was there.

One day he found a bright green praying-mantis perched on a branch, peering at him with bulging eyes. Rakesh let it remain there; it was the cherry tree’s first visitor. The next visitor was a hairy caterpillar, who started making a meal of the leaves.

Rakesh removed it quickly and dropped it on a heap of dry leaves. Come back when you’re a butterfly,’ he said.

Winter came early. The cherry tree bent low with the weight of snow. Field-mice sought shelter on the roof of the cottage. The road from the valley was blocked, and for several days there was no newspaper, and this made Grandfather quite grumpy. His stories began to have unhappy endings.

In February it was Rakesh’s birthday. He was nine – and the tree was four, but almost as tall as Rakesh. One morning, when the sun came out, Grandfather came into the garden to ‘let some warmth get into my bones,’ as he put it.

He stopped in front of the cherry tree, stared at it for a few moments, and then called out, ‘Rakesh! Come and look! Come quickly before it falls!’

Rakesh and Grandfather gazed at the tree as though it had performed a miracle. There was a pale pink blossom at the end of a branch.

The following year there were more blossoms. And suddenly the tree was taller than Rakesh, even though it was less than half his age. And then it was taller than Grandfather, who was older than some of the oak trees.

(The excerpt is taken from the short story A Special Tree by Ruskin Bond)

  1. Give the meaning of the following words: [4]

    1. scramble
    2. intention
    3. tender
    4. gaze

  2. Answer the following questions: [2]

    1. What was the first sign of success for the cherry tree, as noted by Grandfather and Rakesh?
    2. What changes did Rakesh observe in the cherry tree when he returned to Grandfather’s house after the monsoon?
    3. What was the fate of the cherry tree when the woman cutting grass came down the hillside?
    4. What happened to the cherry tree when a goat entered the garden?
    5. How did Rakesh travel to school during the early monsoon rains?

  3. Summarise the relationship between the cherry tree and Rakesh in less than 60 words.[6]

Question 4

  1. Fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. [4]

    A leopard, lithe and sinewy, ______ (drink) at the mountain stream, and then lay down on the grass to bask in the last February sunshine. Its tail ______ (twitch) occasionally and the animal ______ (appear) to be sleeping. At the sound of distant voices it ______ (raise) its head to listen, then _____(stand) up and leapt lightly over the boulders in the stream, _____(disappear) among the trees on the opposite bank. A minute or two later, three children _____(come) walking down the forest path. They were a girl and two boys, and they were singing in their local dialect an old song they _____(learn) from their grandparents.

  2. Fill in each blank with an appropriate word[5]

    1. Rahul’s mother was stung ______ a scorpion.
    2. “Please write _______ what I tell you otherwise you will not remember,” the music teacher said.
    3. The cat was hiding ________ the bed.
    4. Sam’s grandmother found it difficult to climb _______ the steep staircase.
    5. The soldier fought bravely _______ his country.
    6. There is no use crying _______ spilt milk.

  3. Rewrite these sentences from direct to indirect speech[5]

    1. Shallin remarked, ‘I love playing cricket.’
    2. She replied, ‘My favourite colour is blue.’
    3. The boy said, ‘The dog barked loudly.’
    4. She said, 'Let's go to the park!'
    5. He asked, 'Can you help me with my homework?'
    6. The teacher said, 'Please open your books.'
    7. She said, ‘My mother cooks delicious food.’
    8. Roy explained, ‘It is too hot today!’
    9. Shilpa mentioned, ‘I am feeling sick as I did not sleep well last night.’
    10. Rani said, ‘I am going to the library tomorrow.’

  4. Identify the type of the sentence[5]

    1. "I am going to the library this afternoon," said Maria.
    2. "Please help me with my homework," requested Sam.
    3. "Have you seen my new book?" asked Raj.
    4. "We will start the project next week," announced the teacher.
    5. "I cannot believe you did that!" exclaimed Sarah.

  5. Change these into passive voice[5]

    1. The scientist conducted the experiment.
    2. The children solved the difficult puzzle.
    3. The artist painted a beautiful landscape.
    4. The manager approved the new policy.
    5. The kids built a sandcastle on the beach.

  6. Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence.[8]

    1. He was so tired that he couldn't keep his eyes open.

      (Begin: He was too...)

    2. As soon as the teacher entered, the students stood up.

      (Begin: No sooner...)

    3. Unless you work hard, you will not succeed.

      (Begin: If...)

    4. The manager said to the employee, "Submit your report by tomorrow."

      Rewrite using indirect speech:

    5. He is not only a good singer but also a good dancer.

      (Begin: Besides...)

    6. She is too short to reach the top shelf.

      (Begin: She is so)

    7. Despite the heavy rain, the match continued.

      (Begin: Although... )

    8. The book was so interesting that I couldn't put it down.

      (Begin: It was such...)

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