DEHRADUN PUBLIC SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT ( ) SUBJECT- ENGLISH CLASS- X Writing Section A. Article

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1 DEHRADUN PUBLIC SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT ( ) SUBJECT- ENGLISH CLASS- X Writing Section A. Article 1. Each year witnesses soaring cut-offs for university admissions. Many a deserving student is left without a seat causing frustration. Write an article for a local daily in about 120 words highlighting the plight of students and suggest measures that the Government could take to provide enough avenues for the youth. You are Amit/Anita. 2. Incidents of picking pockets and petty thefts have been on the rise in public transport systems. As a concerned citizen, write an article in about 120 words to make people aware of this phenomenon, advise exercise of caution and suggest measures that police and citizens could take to curb this menace. Give your article a suitable title. You are Amit/Anita. B. Story Writing 3. Write a short story in words on the basis of the hints provided : The doorbell rang. Sunil opened the door. At first he could not recognise the tall and welldressed man who stood before him. Then the man spoke and all of a sudden. 4. Write a short story in words on the basis of the hints provided : Arvind was distracted. He couldn t concentrate in the class. The incident which had happened that morning had shattered him. C. Letter to Editor 5. You were one among a group of students who represented your state in a national youth exchange programme. It was an eye-opener which made you realise the spirit of unity in diversity. Taking ideas from the MCB unit on National Integration along with your own ideas, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper in words on the importance of National Integration. You are Maya/Mohan, 4 Rampur Road, Bareilly. 6. You had visited Antarctica and had an opportunity to see the polar ice caps melting and realised that the threat of global warming is very real. Taking ideas from the MCB unit on Environment along with your own ideas, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper expressing your views what we can do to preserve the environment. You are Rama/Ram. D. Formal letter of Enquiry 7. You are Ashwin/Meena of C-23, Chitra Park, Jaipur. Write a letter to M/S Saraswati House (Pvt) LTD., Daryaganj, New Delhi asking for the catalogue of books, terms and conditions of supply and mode of payment etc. 8. You are John/Urmila, the Tour Incharge of Grant Public School, Agra. During the summer break, you are planning to organize a tour to a place of historical importance. Write a letter to The National Travel agency, Agra enquiring about the charges, facilities and all the other necessary details. Page 1 of 8

2 E. Formal letter of Placing order 9. You are Apoorva, Hostel warden of Wisdom Public school, New Delhi. Write a letter to the Sales Manager of Bharat Electronics Limited, New Delhi placing an order for a few fans, microwave ovens and geysers that you wish to purchase for the hostel specifying details. Also ask for the discount permissible on the purchase. 10. You are Apoorva, Librarian of Wisdom Public school, New Delhi. Write a letter to the Sales Manager of Bharat Publications Limited, New Delhi placing an order for the books that you wish to purchase for your school library. Also ask for the discount permissible on the purchase. F. Formal letter of Complaint 11. Write a letter to L.G. Electronics, Delhi, requesting for repair or replacement of the L.G. T.V. set which you had bought from them only 2 months ago as it has developed certain defects. You are Pawan / Priya of Daryaganj, Delhi. 12. Write a letter to the Standard Book Co., Cannanore, complaining about the poor quality of books supplied to your library. You are Mohan/Mohini, Librarian of Lajpat Rai Secondary School, Mumbai. Literature Fiction 1 Two Gentlemen of Verona 1. How can you say that the two boys were willing workers? 2. Why were the boys in deserted squre at night? What character traits do they exhibit? 3. Do you think the boys looked after Lucia willingly? Give reasons for your answer. 1. Appearances are deceptive. Discuss with reference to the two boys. 1. Give pen-portraits of two brothers, Nicola and Jacopo highlighting their main traits and virtues in your own words. How does their selfless sacrifice and devotion to their cause give a new hope to humanity? Fiction 2 Mrs. Packletide s Tiger 1. Why did Mrs. Packletide want to kill a tiger? 2. Why does Mrs. Packletide decide to give a party in Loona Bimberton s honour? 3. What did the villagers to help Mrs. Packletide realize her ambition to kill a tiger? 1. The incidental expenses are so heavy, she confides to inquiring friends. Why? 1. Mrs. Packletide lived a life of false pride. Pride always has a fall. Elaborate. Fiction 3 The Letter 1. How did the post office people behave with Ali? 2. Ali exhausted the patience but not his faith. Explain. 3. What were Ali s old ways and when did his life take anew turn? Page 2 of 8

3 1. As he waits endlessly for the news of his daughter and knows that his end is approaching near, Ali reflects on the journey of his life and his apprehensions. Describe Ali s feelings in your words. 1. Do you agree that a person is able to feel others pain and agony when he herself has to pass through painful times as only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. Explain. Fiction 4 A Shady Plot 1. Why did John s wife get angry with him? What did she decide to do? 2. What made the writer believe that he was good at writing ghost stories? 3. Why did the ghost of Helen come to see John Hallock? 1. How does Helen s appearance in the party make Lavinia get rid of her superstitious belief in Ouija Boards? 1. Describe Lavinia and other manipulators of the Ouija board and their party. How did the Ouija board party affect the domestic life of John and Lavinia? Fiction 5 Patol Babu, Film Star 1. How did Patol Babu lose his job in Calcutta? 2. What was the role offered to Patol Babu? 3. Why does Patol Babu s wife tell him that he is counting his chickens before they re hatched? 1. Patience and hard work go a long way in achieving your goals. How does Patol Babu win the admiration of the director through a very small role? Write in words. 1. Who was Mr. Pakrashi and how did he instill the value of being true to one s work in Patol Babu? Fiction 6 Virtually True 1. Why couldn t Michael help Sebastian the first time? 2. How did Sebastian Shultz request Michael to help him? 3. Why was Michael shocked when he read the name Sebastian Shultz in a newspaper? 1. Describe the sequence of events that led to Sebastian Shultz s miraculous recovery. How did Sebastian enter Michael s game? 1. Imagine you are Michael. Write a diary entry describing your spirit of fellow feeling with which you finally rescued Sebastian. Page 3 of 8

4 Poetry 1 The Frog and the Nightingale 1. Next night when the nightingale Shook her head and twitched her tail, Closed an eye and puffed a wing. She was startled by a croak. i) How did the audience react to her song the previous night? ii) The line II and III tell us that the nightingale. iii) Why did the frog startle the nightingale by a croak? 2. And the crass cacophony Blared out from the sumac tree At whose foot the frog each night Minstrelled on till morning light. i) Crass Cacophony refers to. ii) What was the response of the bog creatures to the singing of the frog? iii) Minstrelled means. 1. What message does the poet wish to give in the poem The Frog and thenightingale? 2. Why does the nightingale call the frog a Mozart in disguise? 3. What advice did the frog give to the nightingale? 1. Do you think that the nightingale was a stupid bird? Why/Why not? Explain with instances from th poem. 1. The frog who was not at all talented ruled in the end and the nightingale who possessed the fineness and versatility of voice died. Explain the irony of the statement, highlighting the values the frog should have possessed. Poetry 2 Mirror 1. I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. I am not cruel only truthful. i) Why does the mirror say I am silver and exact? ii) What is meant by preconceptions? iii) Why does the mirror say I am not cruel? 2. I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers Faces and darkness separate us Over and over i) I and it are. ii) What does the poet mean by a part of my heart. Page 4 of 8

5 iii) What does the poet mean by but it flickers? 1. How is the mirror exact? 2. Why does the woman turn to the liars like the candles and the moon? 3. Why has the mirror been called the The eye of a little god? 1. Describe the theme of the poem Mirror. 1. Like the mirror that only shows the truth and nothing but the truth we humans also try and cultivate this quality and try to speak the truth. Do you think it is possible for you to practice being truthful in all circumstances? Poetry 3 Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments 1. When wasteful war shall statues overturn, And broil root out the work of masonary. i) Why has the war been called wasteful? ii) What does the word broil mean here? iii) Work of masonary means. 2. Nor Mars his sword nor war s quick fire shall burn The living record of your memory. i) What would be the result of war? ii) What does the line The living record of your memory mean? 1. What message does the poem give? 2. What does the poet mean by ending doom? 3. Why is the time called sluttish in the poem? 1. Bring out the sum and substance of the poem. 1. Describe a sonnet and how does Shakespeare develop the theme of his friend s praise as a living record of his memory in the sonnet using various poetic devices? Poetry and art outlive wars, tumults and ravages of time. Do you agree with the statement? Poetry 4 Ozymandias 1. And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed; i) What does the expression wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command tell? ii) What passions still survive? iii) Whose hand mocked them? Page 5 of 8

6 2. Nothing beside remains rund the decay Of wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, boundless and bare The lone and level stands stretch far away. i) What does the expression wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command mean? ii) boundless and bare. What is the poetic device used in this phrase? iii) Who is the speaker of these lines? 1. What message does the poem, Ozymandias convey? 2. What words were written on the pedestal of the broken statue? What did they show? 3. Who does the shattered visage in the poem, Ozymandias belong to and why is it half sunk? 4. How can we say that the sculptor was a master artist? (Ozymandias) 1. What is the setting of the poem Ozymandias? 1. Bring out the irony in the words, My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair! as inscribed on the pedestal of the statue. What lesson does this irony teach us? Poetry 5 The Rime of Ancient Mariner 1. He holds him with his skinny hand, There was a ship, quoth he. (i) Who does He refer to in the above extract? (ii) What do we know about the speaker s feelings? (iii) Why is his hand called skinny? 2. In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perched for vespers nine. i) Who perched for vespers nine? What does it mean? ii) Which poetic device is used here? 1. Why was the Albatross considered as a Christian Soul? 2. Why did the mariners blame the ancient mariner for their plight? 3. Why did the mariners hang the dead albatross around the ancient mariner s neck? 1. Give some examples of the use of supernatural in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. 1. You are one of the crew. After the mariner kills the albatross, you have to suffer and there is no hope of survival. Write a diary entry of your feelings of regret and remorse. Poetry 6 Snake 1. And immediately I regretted it. I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act! I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education. Page 6 of 8

7 (a) What was the mean act? (b) Why did the poet despise himself? (c) What does the word accursed mean in the above context? 2. Was it humility, to feel so honoured? I felt so honoured. And yet those voices: (a) Why did the poet feel honoured? (b) Which voices are referred to in these lines? (c) What does humility in the first line mean? 1. Why did the poet throw the log at the snake? 2. Why did the narrator allow the snake to quench his thirst first? 3. What is the poet s dual attitude towards the snake? 1. Whenever we act against the voice of our conscience, the result is suffering. Explain with reference to the poet s action against the snake and its consequences. 1. Keeping in mind the poem, Snake, write out a speech for the morning assembly on the topic Snake- a beautiful creation of God, an object of our love, not hatred. Drama 1 The Dear Departed 1. Yes, but he did not go into the town. He met Mr. Tattersall down that street, and the went off. i) Why did the grandfather need to go to the town? ii) Why did the grandfather not go to the town? iii) Where did the grandfather actually go? 2. Well we ll think about it after tea and then we ll look through his bits of things and make a list of them. There s all the furniture in his room. i) What would they think about after tea? ii) Why do they want to make a list of things? iii) What do these lines reflect about the speakers character? 1. What do you come to know about the character of Mr. Slater in the play? 2. What reason does Amelia give for not getting another doctor to examine Mr. Merryweather? 3. What purpose does the bureau serve in the play? 1. Do you think the title Dear Departed is apt for the play? 1. The play The Dear Departed brings out the negative qualities of human such as greed and avarice. These are qualities that we as humans need to shun. Do you agree? If yes, how do you think we can ensure that we do not become victims to such qualities? Drama 2 Julius Caesar Page 7 of 8

8 1. Good countrymen, let me depart alone, And, for my sake, stay here with Antony : (i) Identify the speaker of the above lines. (ii) When and where were the above lines spoken? (iii) Bring out the irony in the above extract. 2. O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! (a) By whom have the above lines been spoken? (b) Why is the speaker meek with the butchers? (c) Write the antonym of the word, gentle. 1. How did Decius Brutus interpret Calpurnia s dream? 2. How did nature foretell Caesar s death? 3. Why did Julius Caesar deny the repeal of banishment of Publius Cimber? 4. Describe the superstitions which scared Calpurnia? 1. Caesar s murder is rightly avenged by Antony. Comment. 1. Mark Antony, with the help of his oratory, succeeded in winning the mob over to his side. This led to the downfall of the conspirators. Write in words, how with the power of words he could effect a change in his listeners. Novel 1. What were Helen s memories of Radcliffe? 2. How important was the presence of Miss Anne Sullivan in Helen s life? 3. Attempt a character sketch of Mr. Gilman as a teacher. 4. It was her determination that helped Helen Keller get admission to Radcliffe College. Comment. 5. Describe the progress made by Helen Keller during the two years she spent at Wright- Humason School for the Deaf in New York City. 6. How important was the presence of Miss Anne Sullivan in Helen s life? 7. Helen s contact with Dr. Bell raised her perception and understanding of the world. Comment. 8. Helen did not confine herself to acquiring knowledge, but also enjoyed herself by taking part in outdoor activities. Elaborate. 9. Which traits of Helen s character appeal to you most? Give a reasoned answer. 10. Draw a pen portrait of Martha Washington. NOTE- Also practice the exercises of Editing, Omission, Sentence Reordering, Gap filling and Sentence Transformation. Page 8 of 8