English Assignment

Class: IX
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Section A (Reading)
I. READ THE PASSAGE GIVEN BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT
FOLLOW.
Trees are useful to man in three different ways: they provide him with wood and other
products, they give him shade and they help him to prevent drought and floods.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these
services is the most important. In his eagerness to draw quick profit from the trees, he has cut
them down in large numbers, only to find that with them he has lost the best friends he had.
Two thousand years ago, a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships,
with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire but, without its trees, its soil became
hard and poor. When the empire fell to pieces, the home country found itself faced by floods
and starvation.
Everywhere governments realize the importance of a plentiful supply of trees but it is
difficult for them to persuade the villagers to do the same. The villagers want wood to cook
their food and they earn money by making charcoal or selling wood to the townsmen. They
are usually too lazy or too careless to plant and look after new plants. Therefore, unless the
governments have a good system of control or can educate the people, the forests will
gradually disappear.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage answer the following questions as briefly
as possible.
1. List the advantages of trees to man.
2. Which of these advantages have not been realized by man?
3. What was the result of cutting down of trees by a rich and powerful country?
4. Why do the villagers not see the importance of having trees?
5. What can the government do to save trees?
1.2 Fill in the blanks with suitable words/phrases in the following sentences:
1. Trees provide/help man
(a) With wood and other products
(b)
(c)
2. Man has cut down trees in large numbers in his eagerness to draw quick profit and the
result is that he ..had.
3 A rich and powerful country cut down its trees two thousand years ago .
4. The forest will gradually disappear unless the governments ..
the people
1.3 Write the textual words for the following meanings:

1. Want of rain
2. Strong desire
3. Very big kingdom
4. Death for want of food
1.4 Change the following words to Adjectives:
1. Help
2. Profit
3. Unfortunately
4. System
II. READ THE POEM CAREFULLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT
FOLLOW:
LETTER FROM A PARENT
Dear Sir,
I feel I ought to write
About Toms essay-work last night,
Of all the subjects you have set
This seemed the most unwise yet.
Describe your family.. Tom wrote it
So well, I just had to stop it
Being handed in; - so did my wife.
The details of our family life
Are not such a kind, alas,
That I should want them read in class;
We did not wish the High School staff
To read them for a lunch-hour-laugh.
We tore it out. I realize
You may think what we did unwiseBut give it your consideration
And please accept my explanation,
I trust you will not blame my son,
For, after all, the work was done.
Yours truly,
Harold Honeybun
I. Complete the following sentences.
i. The father forbids his son to submit the essay to his father because
___________________________________________________________.
ii. Submitting the essay to the teacher would cause the staff of the school to
___________________________________________________________.
iii. According to the poet the persons to be blamed for Tom not submitting
his essay are ______________________________________________.
iv. Tom, according to his father, should be pardoned because
___________________________________________________________.

II. The series of events in this poem are given in jumbled order below. Rearrange them:
i. Parents feel it unfit to be read in class.
ii. Tom writes the essay.
iii. Parent apologies to the teacher.
iv. Essay contains details of his family life.
v. Tom is asked to write an essay.
III. Find out the opposites of the given words from the poem:
i. Cruel ii. Praise Section C (Grammar)
IV. Choose the correct verb for the sentence.
a). Everyone (is/are) going to the park.
b). Tonight, Ralph and I (is/are) going out.
c). (Is/Are) the jury going to decide on the case tomorrow?
d). Should we watch the news for three (hour/hours) or not?
e). Is anyone (go/goes/going) to the park tomorrow?
f). Johnny, together with his friends, (enjoy/enjoys) going out together.
g). We (want/wants) to go to the movie theater tonight.
h). Either one of us (are/is) going home later.
i). Each person (isnt/arent) going to like the final decision.
j). Here (is/are) my papers that you requested.

Section D( Literature)
V. Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wilderness;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses.
a) What is brambly wilderness?
b) Where does the brook murmur?
c) Where does the brook loiter round?
6. The brook is a source and symbol of life. Justify this statement.
7. For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacles, For
learning there is no age bar. Justify this statement of the grandmother.
8. Describe the role of the narrator in the life of her grandmother?
9. Where was Gulliver lodged and why?
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