Click here to see Part 1 of the Question paper:

B) Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format:

All the World’s a Stage

All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnance, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Sicking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.- William Shakespeare.

1. The title and the poet of the poem
2. Rhyme scheme
3. Figure of speech
4. Central idea/theme

Answer :-   The poem ‘All the World’s a Stage’ is by William Shakespeare. It is taken from Shakespeare’s play ‘As you like it’. It is a monologue by one of the characters in the play.   The poem is written in blank verse i.e. there is no rhyme scheme, but there is a steady rhythm of five beats in each line. There are many figures of speech, like Simile, Alliteration and Repetition, but the one that stands out is Metaphor. In the lines ‘All the world’s a stage, And all men and women are merely players’, there is an implied comparison between two different things.   In this poem, Shakespeare compares life to a stage. He has divided life into seven stages, each having its own varied qualities and features. The theme of the poem is the cycle of life. It tells us how one starts out as an infant, helpless, without understanding, and ends the same way, without being aware of what is happening around him/her.

Section IV: Non-Textual Passage).

(Reading Skills, Vocabulary, Grammar and Summary)

Q.4 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities:

A1. Complete the web:

The food of fossa.

Answer :- 1. wild pigs 2. fish 3. lemurs. 4. birds/mice

Madagascar is not famous only for its lemurs, though the animated films might give you that impression! The island nation off the east coast of Africa is home to interesting endemic carnivores, too. One of them is the Fossa. Though it is the largest carnivore on the island, the fossa’s habits in the wild are little known since it is so elusive.Madagascar’s top predator looks like a mix of a monkey, a cat and a weasel! A rich golden brown colour with a whitish belly, a fossa has paws with claws like a cat, a 65-70-cm-long thin tail like a monkey and small rounded ears like a weasel! Its tail measures about the same as its sinuous, low-slung body.Earlier, scientists thought that it was a nocturnal hunter because it was so rarely spotted. However, recent studies have shown that fossas hunt and sleep at any time of the day. It is a superb ambush hunter and eats small and medium-sized prey such as fish, birds, mice and wild pigs. However, its main food is lemurs.Fossas are equally at home on tall trees and on the ground. The long tail helps them to maintain their balance on narrow branches. Retractable claws and flexible ankle joints enable them to climb down tree trunks head first!The den is made in an old termite mound, the hollow of a tree or a rock crevice. There are two to six pups to a litter and they are born toothless and with white fur. They are dependent on the mother till they are eight months old.

A2. Describe the physical appearance of fossa.

Answer :- The fossa is a large carnivore and looks like a mix of a monkey, a cat and a weasel. It has a rich golden brown colour, a white belly, claws like a cat, a thin tail like a monkey and small rounded ears like a weasel. It has a sinuous, low-slung body, with retractable claws and flexible ankle joints.

A3. Vocabulary:

Find out the words from the passage and write them in the boxes provided:

(i) Animals feeding on other animals.

Answer :- carnivores

(ii) Turning and twisting while moving.

Answer :- sinuous

(iii) Awake and active at night.

Answer :- nocturnal

(iv) Surprise attack from a hidden position.

Answer :- ambush

A4. Grammar:

(i) The animals are solitary and silent. (Use not only but also.)

Answer :- The animals are not only solitary but also silent.

(ii) However, recent studies have shown that fossas hunt and sleep at any time of the day.(Find any two determiners.)

Answer :- determiners – any, the

A5. Describe any other mix breed animal or bird you are aware of.

ANSWER :- The mixed breed animal that I know of is the mule. A mule is the offspring of a donkey and a horse. It is bigger than a donkey but smaller than a horse. Mules can withstand severe hardships and work under extremely difficult conditions. They are called ‘beasts of burden’ and used for transporting goods, as they are very patient and sure-footed. ( Open Ended Question).

(B) Read the passage given in question :

4 (A) and write a summary of it in a paragraph. Suggest a suitable title.

ANSWER :- Topic – Madagascar’s Fossa

   The Fossa is the largest carnivore on the island of Madagascar. In looks, it is a mix of a monkey, a cat and a weasel. The fossa is not a nocturnal hunter as was thought before, but can hunt and sleep at any time of the day. It is a great ambush hunter and its main food is lemurs. Blessed with a sinuous and flexible body, it can live in the trees as well as on the ground. It makes its den in a variety of places. It gives birth to two to six pups at a time, and they depend on their mother till they are eight months old.

SECTION V : WRITING SKILLS

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