SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER

ANNUAL EXAMINATION – 2023-2024

Class : IX Duration: 3 Hrs

Subject : ENGLISH Max. Marks: 80

General Instructions: The

question paper is divided into three sections:
Section A: Reading 20 marks
Section B: Grammar and Creative Writing skills 20 marks
Section C: Language through Literature 40 marks

Section A-Reading
Q1. Read the passage carefully:
1. Cancer has emerged as the second-leading cause of death globally after
cardiovascular diseases. Proportion of deaths due to cancer around the world
increased from 12% in 1990 to 15% in 2013 while the number of new cases almost
doubled in India during the period.
2. In India, deaths from the disease have increased by 60%, according to the latest report
‘Global Burden of Cancer-2013’, released worldwide on Friday.
3. “Even if we adjust for the rise in population in India over this period, the new cancer
cases have increased by 30% per unit population and deaths have risen by 10%, “says
Lalit Dodona, coauthor of the study and professor at the public health foundation of
India and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
4. In 2013, there were 14.9 million new cancer registered globally, whereas 8.2 million
people died due to the disease. The report is based on a global study of 28 cancer
groups in 188 countries by a consortium of international researchers from University
of Washington an Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation.
5. The report suggests that new cases of virtually all types of cancer are rising in countries
globally – regardless of income-but the death rates from cancer are falling in many
countries primarily due to its prevention and treatment. However, it says there is a
threat of increasing incidence in developing countries due to ill -equipped health
systems.
6. While incidence of breast cancer is highest in India as well as globally, most number
of cancer deaths in India are caused due to stomach cancer, which is globally the
second most common reason for death.

A. On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions: (5m)

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 a) Cancer is next only to _________ diseases resulting in deaths, worldwide.
b) The report __________ claimed that cancer deaths in India have risen by 60%.
c) The death rates from cancer in many countries are coming down mainly due to
_________ and treatment.
d) The developing countries have failed to control the death rate due to __________.
e) All types of cancer are on an increase regardless of ___________.

B. Answer the given questions with the help of the given options: (5m)

a) The developing countries have failed to control death rate due to cancer for lack of__
(i) suitable human resources (ii) the right knowledge to curb it
(iii) well-equipped health systems (iv) their uncontrolled population
b) The incidence of ______ is the highest in India as well as globally.
(i) heart disease (ii) kidney problem (iii) breast cancer (iv) mouth cancer
c) Most number of cancer deaths in India are caused by ------- .
(i) mouth cancer (ii) brain tumour (iii) stomach cancer (iv) kidney cancer
d) There is a threat of increasing incidence of cancer in developing countries due to ------
(i) ill-equipped health systems (ii) tobacco intake
(iii) delay in detection (iv) unqualified doctors
e) The synonym of the word phrase ‘come out’ in first paragraph is ------ .
i) emit (ii) emerge (iii) emanate (iv) drop

Q2. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: (10m)
1.One of my most significant research findings isolated the impacts of fossil fuel soot on
global warming. Soot itself is the particle that comes from the combustion of diesel, jet fuel,
etc. One particular type is called black carbon — the dark, smoky soot that emerges, for
instance, from a diesel vehicle. The other kind is called brown carbon, which is brownish
or grey pollution. Our research examined the effects of these on the global climate.
Through computer modelling, it emerged that soot is the second leading cause of global
warming after carbon dioxide — a stronger factor than methane. Another important finding
was that soot severely affects people’s health — 90% air pollution-related losses of life
worldwide, affecting seven million people, are due to such particles. Our data therefore
shows that controlling soot is not only beneficial from a climate perspective, but also for
human health.
2. We then examined the benefits of transitioning to renewable energy for climate and
human health. We found that in terms of air pollution, all energy — used in electricity,
transportation, industry and building — accounts for 90% air pollution and 70% global
warming emissions. By transitioning to renewables, you make up these losses.

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 3. Although we’ve seen improvements in the US from the 1950s-1960s, America still
bears 70,000-80,000 air pollution-related losses of life annually. India has a serious
problem with this — and it isn’t even always linked to large-scale industrial processes. India
has a huge amount of indoor burning of biofuels for heating and cooking. That causes
outdoor and indoor air pollution, resulting in millions of premature mortalities annually.
Worldwide, about 20% of these losses are children under the age of five years.

4. The only way to stop this kind of loss is to phase out fossil fuels. The transition paths
we’ve designed have significant bonuses — these are much greater than any of the energy
costs of implementing these systems. There is actually no longer even a cost barrier or an
economic reason to delay transitioning — wind and solar power are the cheapest forms of
electricity virtually anywhere in the world now. Delays in transitioning to renewables are
not technical or economic. They are social and political — you have an existing
infrastructure which pays itself off. Hence, there is little incentive in many places to change
existing technologies. Also, for every transition to renewables, there remains a huge
backlog of infrastructure that hasn’t been retired. We need to speed up the retirements of
old fossil fuel plants — and the philosophical transition governments must make.
On the basis of the reading of the passage, answer the following questions as directed.
a) Based on your understanding of the passage, choose statement that is NOT CORRECT.
i. The gases like carbon dioxide and methane, etc. are not released by fossil fuels.
ii. Exciting possibilities for better environment may emerge if baskets of renewables
are mixed together.
iii. The spread of soot severely affects human health. iv. Controlling soot is
beneficial from a climate perspective as well as for human health.
b) Transitioning to renewable energy will save the global climate and will __________.
c) The phasing out of fossil fuels is important because they create high emissions from______
d) In 2016, loss of human lives due to fossil fuels was highest in ____________.

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e) ------ is the second leading cause of global warming after carbon dioxide.
f) India has a huge amount of indoor burning of -------- for heating and cooking.
g) Pick out the option that lists CORRECT STATEMENTS according to the passage.
1.Smoking soot is more dangerous to health than brownish soot.
2.The large scale industrial processes cause a lot of air pollution.
3. A lot of global warming in India is because of indoor burning of biofuels.
4.Trasitioning is a very lengthy technological process and is not possible in many countries.
i) 1 and 3 ii)3 and 4 iii)2 and 3 iv)2 and 4
h) How is soot produced?
i) Find out a word from para 2, which means the same as ‘release’.
j) Find in para 4 a word that means the opposite of ‘minor’.
Section B : Grammar & Creative Writing skills
Q.3. ANSWER ANY TWO: (2x5=10m)
A. Fill in the blanks by choosing the most appropriate option:
Chennai was (a)----first Indian city to have suburban rail established in 1930. Chennai is
well connected by (b)------------- train network. In spite of this history, Chennai(c)-----not
boast of a strong train culture. The problem lies not in the infrastructure(d)------in access to
these stations. Effective transportation (e)----the basis of a successful city.
a) (i) a (ii) the (iii) an (iv) few
b) (i) its (ii) many (iii) their (iv) some
c) (i) did (ii) do (iii) does (iv) will
d) (i) and (ii) but (iii) for (iv) to
e) (i) remain (ii) remained (iii) remaining (iv) remains
B. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Find the
error, and write it along with its correction.

Error Correction
Everyone have a mental picture (a) --------- -------------
of a volcano. One appearance it (b) -------- ------------
- look like a cone-shaped mountain. (c) --------- -----------
-- But in the top of the cone is (d) --------- ----------
-- rather flatter than hollow. (e) ---------- ----------
---
C. Read the given conversation and complete the following passage.
Manu: Mohit, where are you going?
Mohit : I am going to the market to do some shopping for my mother.
Manu: What do you have to buy?
Mohit: I have to buy a loaf of bread and some fruit.

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 Manu met Mohit walking on the road and (a)-----------. Mohit replied that(b)----------- to do
some shopping (c) -----------. Manu then inquired (d) ---------- to which Mohit replied that
(e)-------- .

Q.4. Write a descriptive paragraph on ‘My Best Friend’ in about 100-120 words based on
the following cues: (5m)
Input: name—where he lives—parents/ family---nature---qualities---habits---behaviour
towards others---your feeling about him.
OR
Your school organized a free eye camp for the students of your school during summer
vacation. Well known eye specialists were invited on this occasion. Write a descriptive
paragraph of this camp in about 100-120 words.
Q5. Write a diary entry in about 100- 120 words based on the given cues, “Technology helps
us connect with the world but separates us from our family and friends”. Virtual worlds
have taken us away from our near and dear ones. (5m)
OR
Write a story starting with the following line in 100-120 words. Give a suitable title.
As soon as Mama and Papa left and I locked the door, the phone rang T rrinng……...

Section C: Language through Literature

Q6. Read the given extracts and answer ANY ONE the following questions: (5m)

A. So hack and chop

But this alone won’t do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal And
from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will expand again
To former size.
a) Hacking and chopping will not cause much harm to the tree as it will:
i) Give it wounds that will heal soon ii) Do no harm to its roots.
iii) Have no effect on tree. iv) Do little harm to the tree.

b) ‘bleeding bark’ implies:

i) Blood coming out of bark. ii)The wounded bark.
iii)The bark that causes bleeding. iv)A kind of bark.
c) ‘miniature boughs’ are:

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 i) The tiny form of branches. ii)The branches of a tree named
miniature. iii) A kind of bough.
iv) The twigs.
d) What will happen to the bleeding bark?
e) Explain a poetic device used in the above given stanza. OR

B. She had a scarlet cap on her head,

And that was left the same;
But all the rest of her clothes were burned
Black as a coal in the flame.
a) She here refers to the ------------ .
i) selfish woman ii) bird iii) saint iv) kind lady b)

‘left the same’ implies:

i) remained there ii) kept there ii) taken away iv) made scarlet
c)The rest of her clothes were:
i) Burnt ii) Torn iii) Destroyed iv) Taken away
d) How does the woodpecker get its food?
e) Explain a poetic device used in the above given extract?

Q7. Read the given extracts and answer ANY ONE the following questions: (5m)
A. Though Maria Sharapova speaks with a pronounced American accent; she proudly
parades her Russian nationality. Clearing all doubts, she says, “I’m Russian. It’s true
that the US is a big part of my life. But I have Russian citizenship. My blood is totally
Russian. I will play the Olympics for Russia if they want me.”
a) Maria Sharapova parades her Russian nationality by:
i) Saying her blood is totally Russian.
ii)Speaking in Russian language. iii) Wearing Russian costumes. iv) Singing
Russian songs
b) About U.S.A. she says:
i) It is much advanced and developed. ii) It is a big part of her life. iii) It has great
sports institutions. iv) It encouraged good players and trains them to reach the
top.
c) She would like to play the Olympics for:
i) U.S.A. ii)Russia iii) England iv) Any country that pays the most.

d) The noun form of ‘pronounced’ is:

i)Pronounce ii) Pronouncing iii) Pronunciation iv) Pronounceable
e) Which feelings of Maria get reflected in these lines?

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 OR
B. Johnsy woke up next morning. In a feeble voice she asked Sue to draw the curtains.
Sue was nervous. She drew back the curtains very reluctantly.
a) When Johnsy woke up next morning, what did she ask Sue to do?
i) She asked Sue to draw the curtains. ii)She asked to tell a short story
iii) She asked her to write a poem on nature. iv)She asked to go to the
garden.
b) What did Johnsy want to see outside the window?
i) Johnsy wanted to see whether the rain was still falling.
ii) She wanted to see if any person was standing there.
iii) She wanted to see if the last leaf of the tree survived.
iv) Johnsy wanted to see if there was any chance to survive.
c) Why was Sue reluctant?
i)Sue was nervous about the survival of Johnsy.
ii)She was nervous about Johnsy’s departure for home.
iii)Sue was nervous about the falling of the last leaf of the ivy creeper.
iv)She was nervous for her own survival after Johnsy’s death.
d) How was Johnsy’s life saved?
i) Sue told Johnsy not to believe in superstitions.
ii) Sue motivated her by telling moral values about ivy leaves.
iii) Behrman painted a leaf on the ivy creeper. iv)Sue painted a leaf on the ivy
creeper which looked so real.

e) The synonym for ‘weak’ is:

i)Feeble ii)Reluctantly iii)Nervous iv)Drew back
Q8. Answer ANY FOUR of the following questions in 40-50 words: (4x3=12m)
a) Why did Margie have problem in Geography?
b) Which places was Bismillah Khan particularly fond of and why?
c) How does Innisfree provide a lively atmosphere?
d) How did the flute seller sell his flutes in the lesson ‘Kathmandu’.
e) What message does the poem ‘No Men Are Foreign’ convey?
Q9. Answer ANY TWO out of the following questions in 40-50 words: (2x3=6m)

a) What is the final decision taken by the king and his minister after hearing the story of
the rich merchant?
b) Describe the condition of the author’s house after the tragic fire.
c) What was the condition of the child after being lost in the fair?

Q10. Answer any one of the following questions in about 100 words. (6m)

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 a) What qualities of Santosh’s character impress you most? How important are these
qualities to realize one’s dreams?
OR

b) The poem ‘Wind’ deals with an important truth of life. What is the advice of the poet?
How can you benefit by following the advice of the poet?
Q11. Answer any one of the following questions in about 100 words. (6m)

a) God asked the Angel to bring lead heart and the dead bird to his garden of
paradise.
How are you inspired by the lesson ‘The Happy Prince’?
OR

b) ‘What can you do? You ask what you can do?’ Cried Sergei, coming close to him,
“Work! That’s what you can do! You must work!”

With respect to the above extract from the story ‘The Beggar’, discuss the
importance of work in a person’s life.

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