Answer of Madhyamik English Examination 2023 : Madhyamik English Question Paper 2023

ENGLISH (SECOND LANGUAGE) | RAY & MARTIN PRASHNA BICHITRA

[QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS & SOLUTIONS]

Section – A

Reading Comprehension (Seen)

1. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :

Some days after the funeral, a special train took Gandhiji's ashes to Allahabad. The compartment was decked with flowers. People on the train sang "bhajans". People did not weep anymore for they could feel Gandhiji's presence amid the flowers and the songs. At every station sorrowful crowds filled the platform. Amid song and prayer the train reached Allahabad. The ashes were immersed in the Ganges where a huge crowd had gathered at the bank. Afterwards we all went back to Delhi.

Back in Delhi, I felt at sea. I had not directly walked with Gandhiji, gone to prison at his call or made any sacrifice for my country. My sisters and I, and other young people like me, had been merely onlookers. But still I felt at sea. I felt I had grown up within a magic circle. With Bapu's passing away, I felt the magic circle had vanished, leaving me unprotected.

With an effort I roused myself, I asked myself — had Bapu lived and died for nothing? How could I so easily lose courage when he was no longer there? My values were not so weak. Millions of people would have been ordinary folk but for Bapu. He brought them out of indifference and awakened them to one another's suffering. What if now Bapu is gone? We were still there, young, strong and proud to bear his banner before us.

A. Write the correct alternative to complete the following sentences : 1×5=5

(a) After the funeral Gandhiji's ashes were taken to —

(i) Delhi, (ii) Allahabad, (iii) Kolkata, (iv) Patna.

Ans: (ii) Allahabad

(b) People who were on the train with the ashes did not weep but —

(i) offered prayer, (ii) sang songs, (iii) expressed sorrow, (iv) sang "bhajans".

Ans: (iv) sang "bhajans"

(i) felt at a loss, (ii) visited the sea, (iii) felt very sad, (iv) felt very generous.

Ans: (i) felt at a loss/ felt helpless

(d) Like many other young Indians, the narrator and her sister had been —

(i) Gandhiji's companions in prison, (ii) co-workers of Gandhiji, (iii) mere observers of Gandhiji's work, (iv) making sacrifices for Gandhiji.

Ans: (iii) mere observers of Gandhiji's work [merely onlookers]

(e) After Gandhiji's death, the narrator wanted to —

(i) lose motivation, (ii) remain courageous, (iii) turn indifferent, (iv) weaken values.

Ans: (ii) remain courageous

B. Complete the following sentences with information from the text : 1×3=3

(i) At the time of immersion of Gandhiji's ashes ...

Ans: (i) At the time of immersion of Gandhiji's ashes a huge crowd had gathered at the bank of the Ganges.

(ii) When Gandhiji passed away, the magic circle ...

Ans: (ii) When Gandhiji passed away, the magic circle had vanished, leaving the narrator unprotected.

(iii) Even if Bapu was gone ...

Ans: (iii) Even if Bapu was gone the young, strong and proud Indians were still there to bear his banner before them.

C. Fill in the chart with information from the text : 2×2=4

Statement: People stopped weeping for Gandhiji.

Ans: Reason: They could feel Gandhiji's presence amid the flowers and the songs.

Statement: Millions of people were transformed from ordinary folk and awakened to one another's suffering.

Ans: Reason: Gandhiji brought ordinary folk out of indifference.

2. Read the poem and answer the questions that follow :

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gull's crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

A. Tick the right answer : 1×4=4

(a) The colour associated with the mist and dawn in the poem is —

(i) white, (ii) blue, (iii) grey, (iv) black.

Ans: (iii) grey

(b) The call that the poet cannot deny, is the call of the —

(i) white clouds, (ii) running tides, (iii) lonely sea, (iv) grey mist.

Ans: (ii) running tides

(i) vagabond, (ii) warrior, (iii) gypsy, (iv) sailor.

Ans: (i) vagabond

(d) The intensity of the poet's desire to go on a voyage is expressed by —

(i) repeating the same phrase "I must go down...", (ii) describing the sea voyage in details, (iii) comparing the voyager's life with gypsies, (iv) referring to the running tide and flying clouds.

Ans: (i) repeating the same phrase "I must go down..."

B. Answer the following questions : 2×2=4

(i) Which word in the poem tells you that this is not going to be the first voyage of the poet ? Why does the poet ask for a star ?

Ans: The word "again" tells us that this is not going to be the poet's first voyage.

The poet asks for a star to steer his ship and guide his navigation across the vast ocean.

(ii) What does the poet ask for at the end of his journey ?

Ans: At the end of his journey ("when the long trick's over"), the poet asks for a quiet sleep and a sweet dream, along with a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover.

Reading Comprehension (Unseen)

3. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow :

More than 3,500 hectares of mangrove plantation have been done in the Sunderbans by the forest department in order to protect the delta from soil erosion as well as storms and cyclones. Large swathes of mangroves had got damaged in the Sunderbans when cyclone Amphan struck. Other factors like cutting down forests to make way for pisciculture ponds and farming fields have also played a part in this.

According to a senior officer of the forest department, many tens of thousands of migrant labourers returned to the mangrove delta during the Covid-induced lockdown. Many of them took to an alternate livelihood. Some started farming and fishing in local ponds on a small scale and to make way for these large swathes of mangroves had been cut down leaving the area exposed to the vagaries of storms as well as soil erosion. The forest department had roped in the help of joint forest management committees and local women to plant mangrove saplings. According to an estimate, by the end of 2022 around 17.5 lakh saplings will be planted.

Milan Mondal, the divisional forest officer of South 24-Parganas, said their efforts were paying off as the villagers themselves have realised the importance of the mangrove cover after the Sunderbans was lashed with back to back cyclones, including Amphan and Yaas. In areas like Lothian Island, G Plot and Frasergunj, mangrove saplings have been planted on as many as 230 acres. The forest department has also managed to generate employment for more than 12,500 villagers.

— Adapted from an article published in The Telegraph dated 25th July 2022

A. Tick the right answer : 1×6=6

(i) An initiative for mangrove plantation has taken place in the Sunderbans by the —

(a) irrigation department, (b) forest department, (c) agriculture department, (d) pisciculture department.

Ans: (b) forest department

(ii) Mangrove plantation initiative aimed at protecting Sunderbans from storms and —

(a) human greed, (b) Amphan, (c) pisciculture ponds, (d) soil erosion.

Ans: (d) soil erosion

(iii) The area covered with mangrove under this initiative measures less than —

Ans: (a) 4000 hectares [More than 3,500 hectares]

(iv) The number of cyclones named in this passage is —

(a) three, (b) one, (c) two, (d) many.

Ans: (c) two [Amphan and Yaas]

(v) The collaborators helping forest department in this initiative are —

(a) local farmers and local women, (b) forest management committees and local women, (c) local farmers and local fishermen, (d) all the villagers and forest management committees.

Ans: (b) forest management committees and local women

(vi) An appropriate title for the passage would be —

(a) An endeavour to protect mangroves, (b) A bid to protect mangroves in Sunderbans, (c) Planting mangroves to protect the Sunderbans, (d) Plantation of mangroves for protection of life.

Ans: (c) Planting mangroves to protect the Sunderbans

B. Each of the following statements is either 'True' or 'False'. Write 'T' for 'True' and 'F' for 'False' in the boxes on the right-hand side. Also pick out suitable line(s) or phrase(s) from the passage in support of your answers : (1+1)×3=6

(i) Cyclone Amphan damaged large areas of mangroves in the Sunderbans.

Ans: [True (T)]

Supporting sentence: "Large swathes of mangroves had got damaged in the Sunderbans when cyclone Amphan struck."

(ii) Cyclones are the only cause of the damage of the mangroves in the Sunderbans.

Ans: [False (F)]

Supporting sentence: "Other factors like cutting down forests to make way for pisciculture ponds and farming fields have also played a part in this."

(iii) Planting mangrove saplings has generated employment for many villagers.

Ans: [True (T)]

Supporting sentence: "The forest department has also managed to generate employment for more than 12,500 villagers."

C. Answer the following questions : 2×4=8

(i) How many migrant labourers returned to the Sunderbans during Covid-induced lockdown and what alternative livelihood did they take in ?

Ans: Many tens of thousands of migrant labourers returned to the Sunderbans during the Covid-induced lockdown. Many of them took up farming and fishing in local ponds on a small scale as alternative livelihoods.

(ii) What were the impacts of migrant labourers' alternative livelihood on Sunderban's nature ?

Ans: To make way for small-scale farming fields and pisciculture ponds, large swathes of mangroves were cut down, leaving the delta dangerously exposed to soil erosion and the vagaries of storms.

(iii) Name two areas of Sunderbans where mangrove saplings have been planted.

Ans: Two areas of the Sunderbans where mangrove saplings have been planted are Lothian Island and Frasergunj (or G Plot).

(iv) Who is Milan Mondal ? What did he say about the effect of their effort on the villagers of the area ?

Ans: Milan Mondal is the Divisional Forest Officer of South 24-Parganas. He said their efforts were paying off because the villagers themselves had realized the crucial importance of the mangrove cover after the delta was battered by back-to-back cyclones like Amphan and Yaas.

Section – B

Grammar and Vocabulary

4. Write the correct alternatives to fill in the blanks : 1×3=3

The Tortoise set out to collect all the wisdom in the world, and as he ____________ (has been gathering / gathered / had gathered) each piece he put it into a large gourd. This took a long time, and when Tortoise thought he ____________ (had collected / collected / collect) all there was, he ____________ (decides / had decided / decided) to hide the gourd on top of a tree.

Ans: gathered ; had collected ; decided

"The Tortoise set out to collect all the wisdom in the world, and as he gathered each piece he put it into a large gourd. This took a long time, and when Tortoise thought he had collected all there was, he decided to hide the gourd on top of a tree."

5. Do as directed :

A. Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions : 1×3=3

Life had not been smooth sailing ________ Sudha. In 1981, ________ car she was travelling met with an accident and her right leg had to be amputated below the knee. She walked around ________ crutches.

Ans: for ; the ; on

"Life had not been smooth sailing for Sudha. In 1981, the car she was travelling met with an accident and her right leg had to be amputated below the knee. She walked around on crutches."

B. Rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given in brackets : 1×3=3

(i) People on the train sang "Bhajans". (Change the voice)

Ans: "Bhajans" were sung by people on the train.

(ii) Samuel said, "Swaminathan, where is your homework ?" (Change into indirect speech)

Ans: Samuel asked Swaminathan where his homework was.

(iii) He put it in an envelope and sealed it. (Turn into a simple sentence)

Ans: Putting it in an envelope, he sealed it. (or) Having put it in an envelope, he sealed it.

C. Choose the correct phrasal verbs from the list given below to replace the words underlined. Write the correct phrasal verbs in the boxes on the right-hand side changing the form where necessary. There is one extra phrasal verb in the list : 1×3=3

[ List: call up, make up, call on, give up ]

(i) Sahana visited you last night to invite you to her birthday party.

Ans: called on

(ii) Solving the puzzle was so difficult that I stopped trying.

Ans: gave up

(iii) The man created a story to avoid punishment.

Ans: made up

6. Given below are the meanings of four words which you will find in the passage in Question No. 3. Find the words and write them in the appropriate boxes on the right-hand side : 2×4=8

(i) loss

Ans: erosion [or damage]

(ii) unprotected

Ans: exposed

(iii) a person who moves from one place to another

Ans: migrant

(iv) work

Ans: employment [or livelihood]

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Answer of Madhyamik English Examination 2023 : Madhyamik English Question Paper 2023

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