ICSE SEMESTER 1 EXAMINATION

SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER

LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
English Paper - 2

Maximum Marks: 40
Time allowed: One hour (inclusive of reading time)
ALL QUESTIONS ARE COMPULSORY.
The marks intended for questions are given in brackets [ ].

Select the correct option for each of the following questions.

Section A
[10×1]

ng le
ar
1. The action of the story, The Little Match Girl, takes place on .
(a) the Thanksgiving Day
ni p
St
(b) the Eve of New Year
or m
(c) Christmas
(d) the New Year

2. The Falling Star referred to in the story The Little Match Girl is a symbol
Sa

of .
(a) Soul ascending to God
(b) the death of a loved one
(c) the wishes coming true
(d) the angels blessing a person.

3. In the poem, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings the poet has directly and metaphorically
compared the struggle of the caged bird to .
(a) the struggle of African-American women for equality
M

(b) the struggle of all the animals in the cages

(c) the struggle of the poet Maya Angelou and all the African-Americans during the
apartheid.
(d) The struggle of the Red Indians to regain their land.

4. The poem ‘The Patriot’ is a critique of .

(a) the patriot’s misdeeds.
(b) the act of hero-worship.

ICSE – SEMESTER -1, ENGLISH PAPER-2 1

 (c) the overvaulting ambition of the speaker.
(d) the ficklemindedness of public.

5. The theme of the story, ‘The Blue Bead’ is .

(a) Nature
(b) Empowerment of women.
(c) Wonders of the world.
(d) Where there is a will, there is a way.

6. At the end of the story, ‘The Blue Bead’, Sibia rejoiced at having .
(a) saved a Gujar woman from a crocodile.
(b) found a blue bead for her necklace.
(c) collected a huge amount of paper grass to sell in the market.
(d) killed the crocodile with her hayfork.

7. Who is the merchant in the play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’?

ng le
ar
(a) Shylock
(b) Bassanio
ni p
St
(c) Antonio
(d) Portia
or m
8. Why does Salarino find the penalty set by Shylock unreasonable?
(a) He cannot comprehend the use of a pound of Antonio’s flesh to anybody.
Sa

(b) He cannot understand how will Shylock get his penalty from Antonio.
(c) He unable to comprehend the consequences of such a penalty.
(d) He is unable to understand how a human being can cause such an injury to another
man in the name of penalty.

9. Which of the following is Not one of the offences of Antonio as enlisted by Shylock?
(a) Has disgraced Shylock
(b) Has taken away his business
(c) Has scorned his nation
(d) Has eloped with his daughter Jessica.
M

10. How does Shylock react to the loss of Antonio’s ship?

(a) He remained indifferent as he was engrossed in his daughter’s act of elopement.
(b) He was shocked at the news.
(c) He felt happy at the prospect of having his revenge as Antonio won’t have money
to pay back his debt.
(d) He became furious on hearing about Antonio’s loss.

2 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
 Section B
I. Read the following extract from The Merchant of Venice (Act 3) and answer the questions
that follow by choosing the most appropriate response from the choices given below:
[ 5 x 1]
Shylock: You knew none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter’s flight.
Salarino: That’s certain : I, for my part, knew the tailor that made the wings she flew withal.
Salanio: And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledged ; and then it is the
complexion of them all to leave the dam.
Shylock: She is damned for it.
Salarino: That’s certain, if the devil may be her judge.

(1) Whose flight is being talked about?

(a) Portia
(b) Nerissa
(c) Jessica

ng le
ar
(d) None of these.

(2) Where has the person reported to be seen?

ni p
St
(a) Genoa
(b) Belmont
or m
(c) Near Portia’s house
(d) Rialto
Sa

(3) With whom did the person flee away?

(a) Lorenzo
(b) Nerissa
(c) Gratiano
(d) Tubal

(4) Which of the following is closest in meaning to ‘fledged’?

(a) ready to fly
(b) ready to leave her mother
(c) ready to build her own nest
M

(d) None of the above.

(5) How does Salarino compare the flown bird to Shylock?

(a) Shylock is contrasted with Jessica as black to white colour.
(b) Shylock is a miser but Jessica is a spendthrift.
(c) Shylock is old, Jessica is like a young bird.
(d) Shylock is reserved whereas Jessica is carefree.

ICSE – SEMESTER -1, ENGLISH PAPER-2 3

II. Read the following extract from Act 3 of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and answer the questions
that follow by choosing the most appropriate response from the choices given below:
[ 5×1]
Shylock: There I have another bad match : a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dare scarce show
his head on the Rialto ; a beggar, that was used to come so smug upon the mart ;
let him look to his bond : he was wont to call me usurer ; Let him look to his
bond : he was wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy ; let him look to his
bond.
Salarino: Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh : what’s that good for?

(1) What is meant by the term prodigal?

(a) A poor man.
(b) One who cannot give the loan back.
(c) A spendthrift.
(d) A cheat.

ng le
ar
2. What is Rialto?
(a) A place where the businessmen gather.
(b) It is the stock exchange.
ni p
St
(c) A place where Antonio hangs around.
or m
(d) A place where Antonio’s ship comes back with the rich cargo.

3. How did Antonio cause loss to Shylock?

(a) By using unfair trade practices.
Sa

(b) By hating Jews.

(c) By lending money without taking interest.
(d) None of the above.

4. How does the bankrupt likely to go into a loss?

(a) By lending money interest free.
(b) Because his ship is wrecked.
(c) By hating the jews.
(d) By overspending the money.
M

5. What is meant by ‘so smug’?

(a) So much of a waster.
(b) So proud.
(c) So much of a spendthrift.
(d) So much self-satisfied.

4 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
III. Read the following extract from the short story, ‘The Little Match Girl’ and answer the
questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate response from the choices given
below: [5 x 1]
So the little girl walked about the streets on her naked feet, which were red and blue with the cold.
In her old apron she carried a great many matches, and she had a packet of them in her hand as well.
Nobody had bought any from her, and no one had given her a single penny all day. She crept along,
shivering and hungry, the picture of misery, poor little thing!
1. Who is referred to as little girl in the extract above?
(a) The protagonist of the story.
(b) The antagonist of the story.
(c) The narrator of the story.
(d) The author of the story.

2. Why was she walking on her naked feet?

(a) She liked walking on her naked feet.

ng le
ar
(b) She was too poor to buy shoes.
(c) She lost her slippers as she ran across the street to save herself from two
fast-driven carriages.
ni p
St
(d) Because her feet were swollen due to cold and could not wear shoes.
or m
3. Why was the girl carrying matches with her?
(a) To keep herself warm while shopping in the market.
(b) She was sent by her father to sell matches to earn money.
Sa

(c) She was asked by her grandmother to get matches from the market.
(d) She wanted to make fire and cook her food.

4. Which of the following is Not the cause for the girl being described as a ‘picture of
misery’?
(a) She was weak and hungry because of cold.
(b) She was poor and motherless.
(c) She had to battle cold and hunger.
(d) She had to walk all alone in the market as told by her mother.
M

5. What was the little girl’s act of selling used as a front of?
(a) For a favour to get money as the girl looked poor and hungry.
(b) For begging as nobody had given her a single penny.
(c) For charity as it was New Year’s Eve and people were going to the church.
(d) As a pretence for helping the little girl.

ICSE – SEMESTER -1, ENGLISH PAPER-2 5

IV. Read the following extract from the short story, ‘The Blue Bead’ and answer the questions
that follow by choosing the most appropriate response from the choices given below:
[5 x 1]
She reached her arm down into a yard of the cold, silk water to get it.”
1. Who is ‘she’ in the above lines?
(a) The gujar woman
(b) The little match girl
(c) Sibia’s mother
(d) Sibia.
2. What does ‘it’ refer to in the above line?
(a) The grass she has collected
(b) Her hayfork
(c) A blue bead
(d) A piece of blue glass

ng le
ar
3. Why was ‘she’ not able to get hold of ‘it’?
(a) Because of refraction.
(b) Because her arm was too small to reach there.
ni p
St
(c) Because the water was too cold.
(d) Because of dispersion.
or m
4. How did ‘she’ plan to use ‘it’?
(a) To make an anklet for herself.
Sa

(b) To make a bracelet for herself.

(c) To make a necklace for her mother.
(d) To make a necklace for herself.
5. How did ‘she’ feal when she got hold of ‘it’?
(a) She was filled with extreme joy.
(b) She remained indifferent.
(c) She was utterly shocked.
(d) She felt extremely tired.

V. Read the following extract from the poem, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ and answer
M

the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate response from the choices
given below: [ 5 x 1]

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and

6 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
 his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

1. Why does the stanza in the extract begin with “But”?

(a) To show the contrast between the free bird and the caged bird.
(b) To show how the freedom of the free bird is restricted.
(c) To show that the free bird is not in reality free.
(d) To show that the movement of the free bird is not possible as its wings have been
clipped.

2. Why has the cage been described as “narrow”?

(a) Due to the huge size of the bird.
(b) Due to the huge walls built around the cage.
(c) The restrictions in the life of the caged bird.
(d) The small size of the cage.

ng le
ar
3. What is meant by the phrase “seldom see through his bars of rage”?
(a) The bird’s vision of freedom is restricted by the bars of iron around it.
ni p
(b) The bird’s vision of freedom is absent as he is caged and thus full of rage.

St
(c) The bird is unable to see because of a disease in its eyes and is thus full of rage.
or m
(d) The bird is unable to see through the bars and it is this helplessness that fills him
with rage.

4. Why does the bird “opens his throat to sing”?

Sa

(a) To express its love for flying in the sky.

(b) To express its rebellion against oppression.
(c) To express its hope to be with his partner in future.
(d) To make others hear his melodious voice.

5. What does the song of the bird portray?

(a) Its desire to see the sky.
(b) Its desire to fly in the sky.
(c) Its hope and inner strength.
M

(d) Its call for unity.

VI. Read the following extract from the poem, ‘The Patriot’ and answer the questions that
follow by choosing the most appropriate response from the choices given below: [ 5 x 1]

There’s nobody on the house-tops now—

Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,

ICSE – SEMESTER -1, ENGLISH PAPER-2 7

 At the Shambles’ Gate—or, better yet,
By the very scaffold’s foot, I trow.

1. What is conveyed by the word ‘now’ in the first line of the extract?
(a) An year ago the house-tops which were buzzing with childrens’ noises were
‘now’ silent.
(b) An year ago the house-tops which were crowded with people cheering the
speaker, now have nobody.
(c) An year ago, the speaker who was welcomed with flowers from house-tops, is
‘now’ being abused from there.
(d) None of the above.

2. Who are the ‘palsied few’?

(a) Few people who are still there to welcome the speaker.
(b) Few people who are unaware about the speaker’s misdeeds.
(c) Few people who have a disease and cannot move from their beds near the

ng le
ar
window.
(d) Few people who are highly intellectual and want to do justice to the speaker.
ni p
3. What is referred to as “the best of the sight”?

St
(a) The sight where the speaker will be handed a verdict.
or m
(b) The sight where the people will punish the speaker.
(c) The sight where the speaker will be executed.
(d) The sight where the speaker will be set free.
Sa

4. Where does the speaker expect the people to be and why?

(a) At the scaffold, to see him die for he has been convicted for his alleged misdeeds
and being taken to the gallows.
(b) At the court, to hear the verdict for his alleged misdeeds.
(c) At the Army Ground, where he will be tied to a cannon and shot for his supposed
misdoings.
(d) At the Slaughter House, where he will slaughtered for allegedly betraying his
countrymen.
M

5. Which of the following statements describe the irony in this extract?

(a) The crowd which welcomed him with overwhelming excitement an year ago
now wants to see him at the gallows.
(b) The crowd which welcomed him with flowers is now just watching him.
(c) The crowd which was ready to offer him the sun is now making him stand under
the sun.
(d) The crowd which treated him like a hero, now wants him to reciprocate their
love and respect.

8 LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
Answer:
Section-A
1. (b) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (d)
6. (a) 7. (c) 8. (a) 9. (d) 10. (c)
Section-B
I. 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. (a) 5. (a)
II. 1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (d)
III. 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (d) 5. (b)
IV. 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (b)
V. 1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (b) 5. (c)
VI. 1. (b) 2. (c) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (a)

ng le
ar
ni p
St
or m
Sa M

ICSE – SEMESTER -1, ENGLISH PAPER-2 9