ISC (Arts) इयत्ता १२ - CISCE Question Bank Solutions for English Language

I could hear the squeaking that heralded the evening arrival of the bats. I listened to the noises of the approaching night. Every day my hearing grew sharper. I was learning to filter out whatever I did not need to listen to, and giving no sign that I could hear everything that went on in the house.

I could not sleep. The air was heavy and still, the moon hidden behind thick banks of cloud. Lord Otori was sound asleep. I did not want to leave the house I'd come to love so much, but I seemed to be bringing nothing but trouble to it. Perhaps it would be better for everyone if I just vanished in the night.    [5]

 
Now I heard the hiss of hot water as the bath was prepared, the clatter of dishes from the kitchen, the sliding sigh of the cook's knife, a dog barking two streets away, and the sounds of feet on the wooden bridges on the canals. I knew the sounds of the house, day and night, in the sunshine and under the rain. This evening I realized I was always listening for something more. I was waiting too. For what?        [10]

I began to wonder if I could get out of the house without setting the dogs barking and arousing the guards. I started consciously listening to the dogs. Usually, I heard them bark on and off throughout the night, but I'd learned to distinguish their barks and to ignore them. I set my ears for them but heard nothing. Then I started listening for the guards: the sound of a foot on stone or a whispered conversation. Nothing. Sounds that should have been there been missing from the night's familiar web.        [20]

Now I was wide-awake, straining my ears to hear. There came the slightest of sounds, hardly more than a tremor, between the window and the ground.    

For a moment I thought it was the earth-shaking, as it so often did. Another tiny tremble followed, then another. Someone was climbing up the side of the house        [25]

My first instinct was to yell out, but cunning took over. I rose from the mattress and crept silently to Lord Otori's side. I knelt beside him and whispered in his ear, "Lord Otori, someone is, outside."      [30]

He woke instantly and then reached for the sword and knife that lay beside him. I gestured to the window. The faint tremor came again.

Lord Otori passed the knife to me and stepped to the wall. I moved to the other side of the window. We waited for the assassin to climb in.

Step by step he came up the wall, stealthy and unhurried as if he had all the time in the world. We waited for him with the same patience.    [35]

He paused on the sill to take out the knife he planned to use on us and then stepped inside. Lord Otori took him in a stranglehold. The intruder wriggled backwards. I leaped at him, and the three of us fell into the garden like a flurry of fighting cats.  [40]

The man fell first, across the stream, striking his head on a boulder. Lord Otori landed on his feet. My fall was broken by one of the shrubs. The intruder groaned, tried to rise, but slipped back into the water.

"Get a light," Lord Otori said.

I ran to the house, took a light that still burned in one of the candle stands and carried it back to the garden.    [45]

The assassin had died without regaining consciousness. It turned out he had a poison pellet in his mouth and had crushed it as he tell. He was dressed in black, with no marking on his clothes. I held the light over him. There was nothing to tell us who he was.    [50]

(i) Given below are four words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage:
(1) Coming near 
( 2 ) Disappeared suddenly
(3) Awakening from sleep
(4) Moved slowly and gradually 

(ii) For each of the words given below, write a sentence of at least ten words using the same word unchanged in form, but with a different  meaning from that which it carries in the passage:
(1) Bats ( line 1 )
( 2 ) Sign ( line 4 )
( 3 ) Banks (  line 6 )
( 4 )  Back ( line 43 )

What could the narrator hear as he was lying down?

Why couldn't the narrator sleep?

When did he realise that there was something wrong? 

How did the narrator and Lord Otori overpower the intruder?

Describe the incident of the assassination attempt that took place during the night, in not more than 100 words (Paragraphs 4 to 15). Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalized. You will be required to:

(i) List your ideas clearly in point form. [6]
(ii) In about 100 words, write your points in the form of a connecting passage. [6]

Write a composition in approximately 350 – 400 words on the following subjects:

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)

You have recently shifted to a new city. Describe the area where you live, your next-door neighbours, the difficulties you faced while shifting and why you like/dislike the place.

Write a composition in approximately 350 – 400 words on the following subject:

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)

Narrate an incident from your own experience when you helped someone to prepare a meal.
Explain what you did and what you gained from this experience.

Write a composition in approximately 350 – 400 words on the following subject:

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)

International sports promote friendship between nations.
Argue FOR or AGAINST the given statement.

Write a composition in approximately 350 – 400 words on the following subject:

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)

Lockdown.

Write a composition in approximately 350 – 400 words on the following subject:

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)

Online education during the pandemic has been a blessing in disguise.
Give your views on the above statement.

Write a composition in approximately 350 – 400 words on the following subject:

(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)

Write an original short story entitled: ‘The Missed Call’.

You have recently watched an interesting film. Write a review of this film, in about 200 – 250 words, based on the points given below.

Name of the film and its director – actors in the film – type of film – plot – quality of direction/acting – cinematography/costumes/sets – reaction of audiences – recommended/not recommended

You had to cycle home through the town on the day of a festival. Describe the sights, the sounds and the mood of the people around you. What were your feelings at the end of the ride?

Life is a series of choices that we make every day. Narrate an incident when you had to make a difficult choice. Elaborate on the positive impact it had on you.

A college degree is needed to succeed in life. Argue for or against this statement.

Write a composition on humor.

One cannot always get what one wants and sometimes it is for the best. Present your reflections on this statement.

Write an original short story that begins with the following words:

My mother stopped suddenly at the doorway and stared in amazement at ..........

You are the editor of your school magazine. You want to bring about awareness among the students on the topic -Noise Pollution: A threat to all life forms. Write an article in about 300 words based on the following points:

Causes of noise pollution - effects on humans - effects on other living creatures - measures to reduce noise pollution - role of authorities - conclusion.