PODAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (CBSE)
Question Bank
Cycle Test – 2 (2016-17)
Std: VI Subject: English


I. Read the following passage carefully.

Chameleons may look grumpy and their skin may feel bumpy, but scientists can’t take their eyes off them. Why? Because chameleons are such interesting lizards. Not only do chameleons have an amazing talent for changing colours, they also have one of the fastest and most powerful tongues in the animal kingdom. When a chameleon is hungry, it sits still on a tree branch. With one eye it looks back over its shoulder, and with the other eye it checks the branches ahead. When it finds something tasty, such as a cricket, the lizard fixes both eyes on it. Then the chameleon opens a gap in its mouth and slap! In one-fiftieth of a second, the lizard’s tongue shoots out, catches the prey, and snaps back into the mouth. Chameleons can perform this amazing trick because they have an extraordinary tongue. It is not short like ours. It is about one and a half times as long as the chameleon’s body. The chameleons move their tongues so fast due to powerful muscles. Two strong muscles inside the tongue move it in and out of the mouth. One of these muscles makes the tongue shoot out of the chameleon’s mouth with lightning speed. And when the other muscle contracts, it brings the tongue back into the mouth. Two things give the tongue its super grip. The first is a sticky kind of mucus, that covers the tongue. The second is a rough surface. The chameleon’s tongue has a lot of tiny bumps, pits, and ridges. A rough tongue, covered in sticky mucus, can easily grab the crickets and flies that small chameleons eat.

1. Now answer the following questions:
a. How do the chameleons look?
b. Why can’t scientists take their eyes off chameleons?
c. How can the tongue of a chameleon move so fast?
d. Which two things give the chameleon’s tongue its super grip?
e. How does a chameleon use its eyes?
f. How is a chameleon’s tongue different from our tongue?
g. Describe the tongue of a chameleon.
h. Which amazing trick can a chameleon perform?

II. Read the following passage carefully.

These days, it is not unusual to see people listening to music or using their electronic gadgets while crossing busy roads or travelling on public transport, regardless of the risks involved. The other day, an electrician had come to our house to fix something. We told him in detail what needed to be done. But after he left, I found that the man had done almost nothing. It later turned out that he could not hear our directions clearly because he had an earphone on. Hundreds of such earphone addicts commute by the Delhi Metro everyday. While one should not grudge anyone their moments of privacy or their love for music, the fact is ‘iPod oblivion’ can sometimes be very dangerous. Recently, I was travelling on the Delhi Metro. Since the train was approaching the last station, there weren’t too many passengers. In our compartment, other than me, there were only two women sitting on the other side of the aisle. And then suddenly, I spotted a bag. The bomb scare lasted for several minutes. Then suddenly, a youth emerged from nowhere and picked up the bag. When we tried to stop him, he looked at us, surprised. Then he took off his earpieces, lifted the bag, and told us that the bag belonged to him and that he was going to get off at the next station. We were stunned but recovered in time to ask him where he was all this while? His answer: he was in the compartment, leaning against the door totally immersed in the music. He had no clue about what was going on around him. When he got off, earplugs in his hand, we could hear strains of the song.

2.1 Answer the questions in brief:
a. Why didn’t the electrician carry out the work properly?
b. Why were the people in the train doubtful about the bag?
c. Why were the passengers stunned?

2.2 Find the meanings of the words given below with the help of the options that follow:

a. regardless (para1)
(i) inspite of 3
(ii) almost
(iii) with regards
(iv)disrespect

b. commute (para 2)
(i) someone who is mute
(ii) to travel
(iii)friend
(iv)to sell something

c. clue (para 4)
(i) suspicion
(ii) trace
(iii) knowledge
(iv)hint

d. immersed(para 4)
(i) scattered
(ii) deeply involved
(iii) watching
(iv)listening

III. Writing: 

1. Given below is some data on Abhinav Bindra, an ace shooter who brought credit to India by bagging the first ever individual gold medal in Beijing Olympics in 2008. Use the information to write his biographical sketch in about 80 words.

 Birth: 28th September, 1983 – Dehradun

 Education: Doon School, Dehradun till STD 8th, Chandigarh XII, BBA from Colorado University

 Achievements: 2000 – youngest Indian contributer at the Olympic games, 2001 – Bronze medal in Munich world cup, 2002 – Gold medal in Manchester Commonwealth Games, 2008 – Gold medal in Air rifle shooting in Beijing Olympic

 Awards: 2000 – Arjun award, 2009 – Padma Bhushan

2. Aman was caught by the traffic police inspector for breaking the rules of traffic. Report the dialogues between the Police inspector and Aman in a suitable way.

3. A picnic or an excursion is an enjoyable experience, especially if something exciting takes place. Describe such an occasion.

4. You are Vivek. You have received a telephone call for your friend Rajesh from one of his clients, Mr. Satish, that the meeting fixed for the 5th has 4 been postponed to 10th February at 9 am at his chamber. He added that he should also carry his laptop.

5. You have just celebrated teacher’s day in school. Write a letter to your friend in another city about the things you did on that day to make your teacher’s feel special.

IV. Grammar 

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate determiner:
Determiners
1. _________ children are looking at the stars.
 a. This
b. That
c. Those
 d. Each

2. Rajiv found ________ ripe mangoes in the orchard.
a. many
b. one
c. few
d. lots

3. __________ of us must contribute for the class magazine.
a. Every
b. Little
c. Those
d. Each

4. They gave me a __________ space to sit.
a. some
b. little
c. many
d. few

5. __________ is the book I wanted is.
a. those
b. that
c. a few
d. twelve

Fill in the blanks:
Subject-Verb Agreement
1. Sam along with his friends ______ visiting the museum today. (is / are)
2. Neither of my two suitcases __________ adequate for this trip. (are/is)
3. The jury ____________ their seats in the courtroom. (take/ takes)
4. Some of the grain ____________ gone bad. (has/was)
5. Kumar and his brother Rahul ___________ traveling across the country next summer. (is/ are)

Fill in the blanks:
Nouns -Workers/Professions
1. One who rides horses in races is called a ___________.
a. jockey
b. rider
c. driver
d. mercenary

2. One who foretells things by the stars, planets etc. is called a _________.
a. ambassador
b. archaeologist
c. astrologer
d. astronomer

3. One who sells sweets and pastries is called a _________.
a. astrologer
b. astronomer
c. confectioner
d. curator

4. A person incharge of a museum is called a _________.
a. confectioner
b. curator
c. drover
d. hawker

5. One who studies heavenly bodies is called a _________.
a. archaeologist
 b. astrologer
c. astronomer
d. confectioner

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate idiom from the brackets. [cat was out of the bag, made ducks and drakes, a piece of cake, as fit as a fiddle, tie a bell to the cat’s neck]
Idioms

1. Despite his old age, he is ________________________.
2. The foolish young man soon __________________ of the vast property his father left him.
3. Mom didn't want me to know what my birthday present was but the ______________________ because I saw her hide it in the closet.
4. Scoring an A grade in the unit test was _______________________ for Faruk.
5. Raman and Gita wanted to go for a movie, but argued that who would ask permission from mother and _________________________.

Identify the correct form of adjective forms:
Adjectives – Formation and Comparison
angry a. angerful b. angerfully c. angry d. angrily
study a. stud b. studying c. studiously d. studious
trouble a. troubling b. troublesome c. troublesomely d. troublingly
invent a. inventor b. invention c. inventive d. inventively
length a. lengthen b. lengthy c. lengthwise d. long

Give one word for:
Nouns - One Word for many
1. a disease affecting many people at the same time.
a. curriculum
b. dormitory
c. epidemic
d. foreigner

2. a person who journeys on foot/by walking
a. mane
b. pedestrian
c. pitch
d. spectators

3. boys and girls between ages of 12 to19
a. pitch
b. spectators
c. teenagers
d. veteran

4. the long hair on the neck of a lion or horse
a. monotonous
b. nostalgia
c. omniscient
d. mane
5. a course of study in a school, college or university
a. author
b. barrack
c. curriculum
d. dormitory

Identify the finite and non-finite verbs in the sentences given below:
Verbs
1. He gave me a chair to sit.
2. They got the roof repaired.
3. I want to buy some clothes.
4. Barking dogs seldom bite.
5. He was wearing a torn shirt.

Identify the type of the underlined pronoun.
Pronouns – Rev
1. For whom did you buy the flowers?
2. They want to know who did that!
3. Somebody must have taken my sandwich.
4. Mr. Deora, who is the Principal of our school, walked into the classroom.
5. Mohit mowed all of the grass by himself.

Complete the sentences using the plural form of the words given in the brackets. Nouns – Rev
1. Give some milk to these cute ________________.(puppy)
2. The ground is covered with dry __________________. (leaf)
3. Sanya has brown ________. (hair)
4. The two __________ erupted at the same time. (volcano)
5. The ____________ did their best to gather sensitive information. (spy)

V. Literature
1. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Ubuntu - An African Concept of Humanity

“Gradually I started making friends. Ntokozo…my first best friend in South Africa! He introduced me to the ‘True African Culture’ and the proud feeling of being an African. He was loving, confident and open-minded.”
a. Who was the writer’s first best friend in South Africa?
b. What is the ‘True African Culture’ that the writer was introduced to?
c. Identify the word which means ‘to be sure of’.

2. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
The World in a Wall

I found them to be pleasant, unassuming creatures with, on the whole, the most charming habits. Provided you did nothing silly or clumsy (like putting your 8 hand on one) the scorpions treated you with respect, their one desire being to get away and hide as quickly as possible.
a. What was the one desire of the scorpions?
b. What would happen if you did something silly to the scorpions?
c. Find the word which is an antonym for ‘unpleasant’.

3. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow. The Flower School Mother, I really think the flowers go to school underground. They do their lessons with doors shut, and if they want to come out to play before it is time, their master makes them stand in a corner.
a. Why does the master make the flowers stand in a corner?
b. Name and explain the figure of speech in the first line of the stanza.
c. Write the word which is an antonym for ‘open’.

4. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow. You are old, Father William “In my youth,” said the sage, as he shook his grey locks, “I kept all my limbs very supple By the use of this ointment - one shilling the box - Allow me to sell you a couple?”
a. How did Father William keep his limbs supple?
b. Identify the rhyme scheme of the stanza. Give any one pair of rhyming words.
c. Explain the line “I kept all my limbs very supple.”

VI. Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words each.
1. Ubuntu - An African Concept of Humanity

a. Why were the kindergarten years hectic for Apoorv?
b. What was Apoorv’s aim in talking about the Africans to the class?
c. What happened when one day Apoorv was playing soccer on the school playground?
d. What did Apoorv learn about Africa?
e. What happened when Apoorv said the word ‘Ubuntu’? How did he convince his classmates to listen to him?

2. The World in a Wall
a. How does the writer describe the scorpions?
b. Justify the title, ‘The World in a Wall’.
c. How did the female scorpion react as soon as she was released from the 9 match box?
d. What activities of the scorpions did the writer see during the night?
e. Describe the hunters and the hunted that lived on the wall.

3. The Flower School
a. What does the poet mean by saying that the flowers dance upon the grass in wild glee?
b. What is the importance of mother portrayed in the poem?
c. What do you understand from these lines? ‘Of course, I can guess to whom they raise their arms; they have their mother as I have my own.’
d. ‘The flowers have a very strict system of schooling’. Justify.
e. How does the poet reflect the imagination of a child in the poem ‘The Flower School’?

4. You are old, Father William
a. What unusual things can the old man do in spite of his age?
b. What is the message of the poem ‘You are old, Father William’?
c. Why did the father want to kick the son down the stairs?
d. Explain the lines: Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose - What made you so awfully clever?”
e. Name and explain the figure of speech in the following line: ‘Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak’

VII. Answer the following questions in about 80 -100 words.
 The Swiss Family Robinson
1. In the novel ‘The Swiss Family Robinson’, the narrator and his eldest son go on a voyage. How did the narrator guide his son through the voyage?
2. In the novel ‘The Swiss Family Robinson’, how did the narrator’s family’s react on seeing the monkey.
3. In the novel ‘The Swiss Family Robinson’, describe the commotion that took place at night.

Error Identification I.

 The following sentences have not been edited. There is one error in each sentence against which a blank has been given. Write the incorrect word and correction in your answer sheet against the correct blank number as given in the example. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied.

1. Each of the children are allowed one extracurricular activity.
2. Give the beggar few food.
3. 1. The poet and the musician is dead.
4. Mr. Gupta is a widow.
5. To what did you give the note?
6. The man with all the birds live on my street.
7. She was feeling so restfull that she couldn’t sleep at night.
8. I have a friend who mother works at a bank.
9. Are the news on at five or six?
10. I blamed myselves for my failure.
11. People in the West doesn’t know much about us.
12. Ten miles are a long distance.
13. Last year we visited Shimla that is perhaps the best hill station in India.
14. The joker provided us with lots of entertainer.
15. Either my sister or my brother have my English textbook.
16. Disforestation is the action or the process of clearing the forests.
17. If people can control their stress, it can play a beneficial role in our lives.
18. The Australia team has won the match.
19. Her reason for leaving her home were not clear.
20. Suraj is a spinster.

Error Identification I.

The following sentences have not been edited. There is one error in each sentence against which a blank has been given. Write the incorrect word and correction in your answer sheet against the correct blank number as given in the example. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied.

1. A sleeping room with many beds is called a hanger.
2. Vaibhav have dancing on the stage now.
3. Life is not a bed of thorns.
4. He is most humble than his friend.
5. What school do you prefer?
6. My mother wears an archer while working in the kitchen.
7. I always keep any money in my wallet for emergencies.
8. The person in charge of a museum is called a drover.
9. There aren't much students in the classroom.
10. He is the richer among all three men.
11. A course of study in a school, college or university is called topic.
12. The one who knows or sees everything is called a spectator.
 13. A mason carves on stone.
14. Ruhi is an adoring baby.
15. This book is thicker.
16. Karan has acheived great success.
17. Karan would like to be an astronomer as he is interested in ancient buildings and relics.
18. This is the easier sum.
19. The news was announced out of the red.
20. I like many of her songs, but not some of them are good.

You are old Father William

1. Answer the following questions.

a) Enlist the amazing things that the old man can do in spite of his age.

(student specific)

b) How does father react to the son’s criticism of standing on his head?

The father replies that when he was younger, he thought he might hurt his

brain if he stood upright but now he knows that he has no brain so he does it

repeatedly.

c)What causes the young man to admire father William’s steady eye?

Father William could balance an eel on his nose.

d) How did the old man keep his bones supple?

He used an ointment that was priced at one shilling for a box.

e) What is the theme of the poem?

The poem is a parody in which the writer humorously describes the

generation gap between a veteran/ an experienced person and his

supercilious, arrogant, pompous and haughty son. In this poem, the son is

very age-obsessed because he keeps reminding his father how old he is. The

son repeatedly tells the father that he is old and asks him why he does the

things that the son does now. But according to the father his age is not a

matter at all.

f) Why does the father stop answering the son’s question?

The father realizes his limits here. He has prepared his son with the basic

knowledge he needs, and knows that the son now needs to face the

competitive world on his own and learn more through his own experiences.

Hence, he stops answering, and dismisses further queries in a humorous way,

saying “Be off, or I'll kick you down the stairs”. The son has to now face the

outside world soon, voluntarily, before he is forced out so late, that it ruins his

life. The father draws a parallel between this logic, and the two ways of going

down the stairs – walking voluntarily down them, or being pushed down

painfully.

2. a) Select words from the box that describe Father William

agile normal senile eccentric foolish irritable unusual quick witted

b) Select words that best describe the young man

considerate annoying impolite inquisitive meddlesome concerned

c) Develop a character description for the father and the son in "You Are

Old, Father William’.

The son is taking his youthfulness as a weapon the father reacts with his age

where the son gets defeat at the end. The father proves that even at his age,

he is more robust and vivacious than his son. This is because he had to work

hard, and fight for his rights, which is also why he is living a comfortably

prosperous life today. It is true the fact that the father is quite plump but he is

still buoyant and live. Who is the most effective speaker? Father or son? Give

reasons. (student specific)

3. Explain the message and meaning of the following lines from the poem

a) ‘In my youth,’ said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,

‘I kept all my limbs very supple

By the use of this ointment - one shilling the box - Allow me to sell you a couple?’

Shaking his grey locks he tells the value of money. By saying ‘One shilling a

box', he shows that although they couldn’t afford much, they managed to

fulfill their needs to the best extent with what they had, and learned to save

money.

b) and argued each case with my wife;

And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,

Has lasted the rest of my life.’

‘with my wife’ here symbolizes the whole society. He fought for his rights He

struggled for good causes, and this strengthened his personality, with the

strength of the jaw representing his strength to bear hardships. And as he

says, this strong personality ‘has lasted the rest of my life'. Balancing an eel in

the 7th stanza represents the strong concentration and determination which

the father possesses. . Moreover the son's arrogance slowly turns into

reverence for his father's various virtues and his tone changes from disdainful,

to inquisitive.

The World in a wall

Vocabulary Words:

 ancient: very old

 moss: a small flowerless green plant which lacks true roots

 intricate: very complicated or detailed

 revealed: cause or allow to be seen

 peer: look closely

 languidly: drooping from exhaustion

 barged: moved forcefully

 tessellated: decorated with mosaics

 blotched: covered with spots

 withered: dried up

 rotund: large and plump

 inhabitants: a person or animal that lives in or occupies a place

 enormous: huge

 gesture: action

 clumsy: awkward in movement or in handling things

 assault: a physical attack

 distressing: causing anxiety

 glimpses: partial view

 courtship: the behaviour of animals aimed at attracting a mate

 entwined: wind or twisted together

 forbidden: not allowed

 dawdling: move slowly and idly

 impending: about to happen

 doom: terrible fate

 protest: expressing disapproval of or objection to something

 implore: beg someone earnestly or desperately to do something

 prudent: showing care and thought for the future




Answers to Textual Questions:

1. Complete the sentences:

a) hunters: the toads and the geckos; the hunted: the crane-flies, moths and

beetles

b) the last glow worm dragged his frosty emerald lantern to bed

c) the scorpion

d) a mass of tiny babies; mother’s back

e) roar of fright; Lugaretzia

2. Find another word:

1) pandemonium

2) slaughtered

3) labyrinth

4) siesta

5) surreptitiously

3. Answer the following questions:

a) because the moment he would switch on the torch, the partners would

stop, pause for a moment and then, seeing that the author is not going to

extinguish the light, they would turn round and walk away firmly

b) she was agitated and a trifle annoyed at being shut up in a matchbox for

so long so she hoisted herself out of the box with great rapidity

c) since no one had bothered to explain things to him, Roger was under the

mistaken impression that the family were being attacked, and that it was

his duty to defend them. As Lugaretzia was the only stranger in the room,

he came to the logical conclusion that she must be the responsible party,

so he bit her

d) Student specific.



Answers to Textual Questions:

1. Complete the sentences:

a) hunters: the toads and the geckos; the hunted: the crane-flies, moths and

beetles

b) the last glow worm dragged his frosty emerald lantern to bed

c) the scorpion

d) a mass of tiny babies; mother’s back

e) roar of fright; Lugaretzia

2. Find another word:

1) pandemonium

2) slaughtered

3) labyrinth

4) siesta

5) surreptitiously

3. Answer the following questions:

a) because the moment he would switch on the torch, the partners would

stop, pause for a moment and then, seeing that the author is not going to

extinguish the light, they would turn round and walk away firmly

b) she was agitated and a trifle annoyed at being shut up in a matchbox for

so long so she hoisted herself out of the box with great rapidity

c) since no one had bothered to explain things to him, Roger was under the

mistaken impression that the family were being attacked, and that it was

his duty to defend them. As Lugaretzia was the only stranger in the room,

he came to the logical conclusion that she must be the responsible party,

so he bit her

d) Student specific.

THE FLOWER SCHOOL

Answers to textual questions:

1. a) blossom

b) to reach out to their mother in the sky

c) in closed rooms

2. a) The branches, the leaves and the thunder clouds celebrate the holidays

by clashing together in the forest, by rustling and by clapping their giant

hands respectively.

b) They do their lessons with doors shut, and if they want to

come out to play before it is time,

their master makes them stand in a corner.

c) Here the poet has presented an analogy, between offshoots of flower

plants preparing underground before they come out and the way

children get typically schooled - behind the doors shut - apparently

preparing their lessons but longing from within for freedom to reach their

mother or to play in a field - disciplined by a master who asks them to

stand in a corner if they come out to play early.

UBUNTU

Vocabulary

 orator: a public speaker

 chirped: spoke in a happy voice

 horror: an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust

 unpleasant: bad, not very good

 weird: strange, unknown

 interrupted: to stop in between the act

 culture: the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or

society

 glimpses: see or perceive briefly or partially

 awesome: extraordinary

 respond: do something as a reaction to someone or something

 thrilled: to have a sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure

 multiracial: made up of or relating to people of many races

 nervous: easily alarmed

 hectic: tiring

 adapting: to adjust to new surroundings

 accent: a distinctive way of pronouncing a language

 confident: feeling or showing certainty about something

 injured: harmed, damaged or impaired

 impressed: feeling or admiration and respect

 preoccupied: engross the mind

 opportunities: a time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do

something

 discrimination: bias, differentiation

 ignorance: lack of knowledge or information

 thunderous: a loud noise

 applause: approval or praise expressed by clapping

Answers to textual questions:

1. a) you open your heart to understand the world around you.

b) they were going to have the ‘Orator of the year – 2013’ competition

c) they had never heard of Ubuntu

2. a) Apoorv wanted his classmates to know that Africa is much more

than just jungles and wildlife. It’s a wonderful culture with loving, caring

and open-minded people.

b) The people in Africa made Apoorv nervous because they were

robust and strong.

c) From his stay in Africa, Apoorv learnt more and more about Africans.

His experiences in South Africa gave him many opportunities to realize

that we are all children of this Mother Earth and we are equal. His stay

there gave him great confidence to socialize with all kinds of people

as he also began believing in Ubuntu like his African friends.

3. a) disheartening b) soccer field c) togetherness