Advertisements
Advertisements
What event were the children in Ray Bradbury’s story, ‘All Summer in a Day’ eagerly awaiting?
Concept: Reading
How old was Margot when she first arrived on his distant planet?
Concept: Reading
What made Jesse Owens one of the best remembered athletes of all time?
Concept: Reading
“You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed.” Who said these words and to whom?
Concept: Reading
Antonio says that trying to reason with Shylock was like ______.
- standing on the beach and ordering the waves to wash away the sands.
- reasoning with a ewe which was crying out in distress at the loss of her lamb.
- trying to soften a rock.
- commanding the pine trees on the mountain side to remain quiet and motionless when battered by strong winds.
Concept: Reading
Which of the following characters can be described as quick-witted, daring and loyal?
Concept: Reading
Name the young lovers whose lives ended tragically because of a misunderstanding caused by the appearance of a lion.
Concept: Reading
What special ‘deed of gift’ does Jessica give to Lorenzo at the end of the play?
Concept: Reading
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| Portia: The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath : it is twice blessed : It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown: |
- Where does this scene take place? Why Is Portia here? [2]
- To what is mercy compared in these lines? [2]
- Why does Portia call mercy ‘twice blessed’?
Explain the lines:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
the throned monarch better than his crown: [3] - Later in her speech Portia mentions a sceptre. What is a sceptre?
How, according to Portia, is mercy above the ‘sceptred sway’? [3]
Concept: Reading
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| GRATIANO: O learned judge! – Mark, Jew: a learned judge! SHYLOCK: I take this offer, then; pay the bond thrice, And let the Christian go. |
- Why does Shylock suddenly decide to accept this offer? [2]
- Who has made this offer? Who stops Shylock from accepting this offer? [2]
- Shylock decides to leave the court without even receiving the principal amount. What other crime is he accused of? What further punishment does he face for this crime? [3]
- Later in this scene, how does the Duke show that he is merciful? What does Shylock say in response to the Duke’s act of mercy? [3]
Concept: Reading
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| He gave her a shove. But she did not move, rather she let herself be moved only by him and nothing else. They edged away from her; they would not look at her. She felt them go away. |
- Who is ‘she’? On which planet is this story set? [2]
- Mention any two ways in which life on this planet differs from life on earth. [2]
- Who are ‘they’? Why did ‘they’ not come to her aid when William shoved her? [3]
- What do ‘they’ do to her at the end of the story? Why did they behave in this manner? [3]
Concept: Reading
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for a foul. |
- When and where is this narrative set? [2]
- What reason does the narrator Jesse Owens give for the heightened nationalistic feelings at this time? [2]
- In which event had Owens been confident of winning a gold medal? Why? [3]
- What had made Owens angry enough to make mistakes? Name Owens’ rival who approached him at this point. [3]
Concept: Reading
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said, "What writest thou?" |
- To whom did Ben Adhem address these words? Mention the context in which he said this. [2]
- What was the ‘presence’ doing in Ben Adhem’s room? What did the presence say in response to Ben Adhem’s question? [2]
- What did Abou ben Adhem say after this exchange? How did the presence respond to his words? [3]
- Describe the events of the following night. [3]
Concept: Reading
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| Portia: | ... Lorenzo, I commit into your hands The husbandry and manage of my house Until my lord's return: for mine own part, I have toward heaven breathed a secret vow To live in prayer and contemplation, Only attended by Nerissa here, Until her husband and my lord's return. |
- Who does Portia refer to as 'my lord'?
Where is her lord?
Why had he left in such haste? [3] - What does Portia ask Lorenzo to do? Why does she make this request? [3]
- Explain, in your own words, the ‘secret vow’ that Portia speaks of. [3]
- What instruction does Portia give to her servant, a little later in the scene? [3]
- What do we learn about Portia’s real intention from her conversation with Nerissa?
Which Portia do you prefer- the modest Portia of the Casket scene or the businesslike Portia we meet in this scene?
Give one reason for your response. [4]
Concept: Reading
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
| Shylock: | Shall I not have barely my principal'? |
| Portia: | Thou shalt have nothing but forfeiture. To be so taken at thy peril, Jew. |
- What is the 'principal' that Shylock asks for?
Why does Portia refuse to give it to him? [3] - What is the 'forfeiture' they are referring to?
What danger ('peril') would Shylock be in if he took the forfeiture? [3] - What further hold does the law of Venice have on Shylock? [3]
- What concession does Antonio offer to Shylock?
On what condition does he make this offer? [3] - Why is Shylock in a hurry to leave the courtroom after the trial?
How far can Shylock be blamed for the outcome of the trial?
Give one reason for your response. [4]
Concept: Reading
Read the following extract from T.S. Arthur's short story. 'An Angel in Disguise' and answer the questions that follow:
| "What is to be done with the children?' That was the chief questions now. The dead mother would go underground and be forever beyond all care or concern of the villagers. But the children must not be left to starve. |
- Describe the way in which the children's mother died.
What are the factors that led to her death? [3] - How do the people of the village treat the woman before her death?
How does their manner change after she dies?
What does their behaviour tell us about human nature? [3] - Name the woman's three children.
State one fact about each of them that the author mentions at the very beginning of the story. [3] - What happens to each of the children after the mother's funeral? [3]
- Which of the three children can be considered the 'Angel in Disguise'?
What does the term 'disguise' refer to in the context of this story?
How does the child's arrival transform the home she enters? [4]
Concept: Reading
Read the following extract from Ray Bradbury's short story, 'All Summer in a Day' and answer the questions that follow:
|
"Margot" They stood as if someone had driven them like so many stakes into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other's glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down. |
- Who is Margot?
How does the author describe her? [3] - Who are 'They'?
Where do they live?
Mention any one reality of the planet on which they live. [3] - What two words would you use to describe what the children were experiencing in the above extract?
Why does the mention of Margot's name affect them in this way? [3] - What event had the children awaited eagerly that day?
What made this event special?
Why did this event mean so much to Margot in particular? [3] - What is the central theme of Bradbury's story, 'All Summer in a Day'?
What important lesson have the children learnt from this experience?
Why do you suppose the story is said to end on a note of hope? [4]
Concept: Reading
Read the following extract from William Wordsworth's poem, 'Daffodils' and answer the questions that follow:
|
When all at once I saw a crowd |
- Wordsworth uses the words, 'wondered' and 'lonely' to describe himself in the opening lines of the poem.
What mood do these words convey?
What let to a change in his mood? [3] - How does Wordsworth describe the sight that met his eyes?
Give a brief description of what the poet saw. [3] - To what does the poet compare this sight?
How is this comparison appropriate? [3] - What does the poet mean when he says, 'Ten thousand saw I at a glance'?
Find two other words in the given extract that create the impression of large numbers. [3] - What immediate effect did this sight have on Wordsworth?
How did it affect him in the long-term?
What does this poem tell us about Wordsworth's attitude to Nature? [4]
Concept: Reading
Read the following extract from Maya Angelou's poem, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' and answer the questions that follow:
|
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams |
- How does Angelou describe the state of the free bird in the opening lines of the poem? [3]
- Give a brief description of the caged bird's physical and mental condition. [3]
- Explain the phrase, 'grave of dreams' in your own words.
What does the caged bird sing about? [3] - The 'free bird' and the 'caged bird' in the poem represent different groups of people. Name them.
Name any one group of people that you would call 'caged birds' in today's world. [3] - What does the title of the poem, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings', tell us about Maya Angelou's life?
Mention two ways in which the world of the caged bird differs from that of the free bird. [4]
Concept: Reading
Where does Portia say that she and Narissa will stay until their husbands return?
Concept: Reading
