Class 9 Sample Paper 2023 English

Class 9 English Sample Paper 2023

PRACTICE QUESTION PAPER (2022-23)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

ANNUAL EXAMINATION-CLASS- IX

Time allowed: 3 Hrs. Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
2. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and LITERATURE.
3. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section A: READING SKILLS 20
Marks
I Read the passage given below. 10

It is rare to find someone with good technical and communication skills. You can get far ahead of
your colleagues if you combine the two early in your career. People will judge, evaluate, promote
1 or block you based on your communication skills. Since habits form by repeating both good and
bad forms of communication, learn to observe great communicators and adopt their styles and
traits— in written and verbal forms. The art of listening and learning from each and every
interaction is another secret recipe. Develop the subconscious habit of listening to yourself as you
speak and know when to pause.

Learning what not to say is probably more important than learning what to say. As your career
develops, you will realize that the wise speak less. Speak when you have value to add, else refrain.
2 Poorly constructed emails with grammatical errors are acceptable between friends, but they should
be seriously avoided while communicating formally with your seniors. Avoid any communication in
an emotional state when you might say things you will regret later. One unnecessary word uttered at
the wrong time or place can ruin a relationship, career or even your life. Such is the power of words.
If such a thing happens, you should immediately apologize; else it may haunt you for life.

Another problem to overcome is speaking too fast. Since our minds are working faster than our
speech, we are inclined to speak fast. This does not necessarily mean that the person hearing it will
3 get it any faster. On the contrary, it is always the reverse. So slow down, and think before you
speak. ‘‘When I get ready to speak to people,’’ Abraham Lincoln said, ‘‘I spend two-third of the
time thinking what they want to hear and one-third thinking what I want to say.’’ Adding humour
and wit is also essential. But realize that not all jokes are funny and observe certain boundaries.
Never say anything that could offend. Remember you are not a comedian who must offend as many

people as you can to be witty.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below. 1x10
i According to the writer on what basis does people judge, evaluate, promote or block 1
you? (Paragraph 1)

A. On the basis of your body language
B. On the basis of your socio – economic status
C. On the basis of your communication skills.
D. On the basis of your inter-personal relationships

ii Select the option that corresponds to the following relation below: 1

The better your communication skills are —the greater your acceptability

A. The more you exercise—the lesser your illness
B. The higher the stamina—the lower the food intake
C. The smaller the vehicle—the bigger the advantage
D. The heavier the violation—the higher the penalty.

iii Select the option that displays what the writer projects, with reference to the 1
following:

If such a thing happens, you should immediately apologize, else it may haunt you for life.

A. doubt
B. caution.
C. conviction
D. denial

iv Complete the following with a phrase from paragraph 2. 1
Opinion Reason
Their meaning crystallizes perceptions that shape our
beliefs, drive our behavior, and ultimately, create our
world.

v According to the writer, what is the secret recipe to develop good communication 1
skills? (Paragraph 1)

vi Based on your reading of the text, list 2 reasons why the writer says that 1
“Learning what not to say is probably more important than learning what to
say”. (Paragraph 2)

1)
2)

1
vii Why should you be careful when you tend to be humorous?

viii The writer says, “Since our minds are working faster than our speech, we are inclined to 1
speak fast. This does not necessarily mean that the person hearing it will get it any
faster.” (Paragraph 3)

What actually happens when we speak too fast?

A. The person hearing it will get it faster
B. The speaker wins an argument by speaking fast
C. The person hearing it has difficulty understanding it.
D. The speaker has the unique ability to translate his thoughts into words

ix Supply 1 point to justify the following: 1

“I spend two-third of the time thinking what they want to hear and one-third thinking
what I want to say”

x Why should we never cross the boundary while trying to be funny? 1

A. Because that can be unsatisfying for the speaker
B. Because that can make people uncomfortable
C. Because crossing boundaries can incur penalties
D. Because that could offend people.

II Read the passage given below. 10

Both water and energy are integral parts of the human body. By weight, about 60% of an adult’s
human body is water and dehydration is one of the biggest single killers of children in the modern
world. Life without water is unthinkable. The human body needs its daily intake of food to meet its
1 energy requirements, which according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations is about 1,800 kcal per day. Life without energy is equally unthinkable.

2

The energy that we take in through food again depends, amongst other things, on the water for
agriculture, and often that water is pumped with electrical or other forms of energy. The
interdependence of energy and water is evident.

3
The world at large seeks both water and energy security. The Worldwatch Institute estimates that
about 1.1 billion people (one–fifth of the world population) live in areas of physical water scarcity
and another 1.6 billion are facing economic water shortage (when existing water sources cannot be
used because of a lack of investment in water-related infrastructure). We will probably have a world
population of 9 billion by 2050 and this will put further stress on the water sourcing and supply
systems. Here again the connection between energy and water is evident: globally about 70% of
water consumption is for the agricultural sector. No water, no food, no energy.

4 Actions needed on the waterfront include a reduction in water usage for agriculture: pump
efficiencies, drip irrigation instead of flood irrigation, change in crop patterns, recycling of water,
extensive rainwater harvesting programmes, stoppage of run–offs and water pollution.
We need to remind ourselves that the fossil-based energy that we rely on so much for almost
everything we do is stored solar energy. And while the sun took over 150 million years to store its
energy in the form of fossil fuels, we are busy discharging that huge solar battery in a matter of a
few hundred years.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.

i Infer one reason for the following, based on information in paragraph 1. 1

Biggest single killers of children in the modern world.

ii Select the appropriate option to fill in the blanks. 1

From paragraph 2, The interdependence of …………and…………….. is evident.

1. food
2. stress
3. energy.
4. pollution
5. water.

A. 1 & 3
B. 2 & 4
C. 3 & 5
D. 1 & 4

iii Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/ phrase from paragraph 1: 1

water: dehydration:: : starvation
(Clue: Just like water shortage causes dehydration , similarly shortage causes
starvation)

iv Select the correct option to complete the following sentence: 1

1.6 billion are facing economic water shortage means that :_________
(Paragraph 3)

A. existing water sources cannot be used because of a lack of interest in water-related
infrastructure
B. existing water sources cannot be used because of a lack of investment in water-related
infrastructure
C. we need to invest in the repair of water-related infrastructure
D. existing water resources need to be replaced with new water resources.

v By weight, an adult human body contains about ………………………..water. 1

A. 60%
B. 65%
C. 70%
D. 75%

vi Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option. 1

______________will put further stress on the water sourcing and supply systems by
2050.
A. Degradation of water resources
B. Lack of water resources
C. Increase in world population.
D. Decrease in world population
vii Substitute the word ‘shortage’ with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in the following, 1
sentence from paragraph 3:

In the Third World land shortage among the poor is due to skewed ownership, not an
overload of people
viii List any 2 actions needed on the waterfront as mentioned in Para 4. 1

ix Globally, what percentage of water consumption is for the agricultural sector?

x Select the option that titles paragraphs 1, 3 and 4 appropriately, with 1
reference to information in the text.

1.Water and Energy 1. Life without water 1. The human body 1. Dehydration
3. Interdependence 3. World population 3. Stress on Water Sources 3. Managing Water resources
of Energy and Water

4. Conserving Energy 4. Solar Energy 4. Fossil based Energy 4. Rainwater Harvesting

(A) (B) (C) (D)

II SECTION B –GRAMMAR

Attempt ANY TEN of the following questions. 10
i Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete an online update. 1

The air pollution control comment by an activist ___on social media yesterday.

A. explode
B. exploded
C. is explode
D. will be exploded

ii Read the conversation between a teacher and her student. Complete the sentence 1
by reporting the student’s reply correctly.

Teacher: Do you have somebody at home to guide you
with studies?
Student: Yes, my elder sister helps me out.

The teacher, while trying to figure out her student’s low grades, asked if he had
anybody to guide him at home, to which, the student affirmed _____.
iii Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line, from a 1
mental health magazine.

A person with a fragile ego …………….. take anything you say personally.

A. must
B. should
C. would.
D. ought to

iv Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the 1
following line, from a news report:
In India, a death toll due to road accident has increased drastically.

Option no. error correction
A. a the
B. to for
C. has have

D. increased increase

v Complete the given sentence, by filling in the blank with the correct option: 1

There is going to be a bus strike. Everyone ……………… for auto
rickshaws and rickshaws next week.

A. will looked
B. should look
C. will be looking
D. look
vi Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket, for the 1
given portion of a letter:

Subject: Request for transfer

Dear Sir
This is to respectfully ______(submit) that my husband has been transferred to Pune.
Therefore, I humbly request you to transfer me to Pune as well.

vii Report the dialogue between a father and his son, by completing the sentence: 1

Father: What do you like the most about your mother?
Son: She is always there to help us in difficulty.

In response to the question about his mother, son says that
.
viii Identify the error in the given sentence, from a science journal and supply the 1
correction.

Comment on papers in Science should add a dimension to the research and not merely be
a summary of the experiments describe in the paper.
Use the given format for your response.
ERROR CORRECTION

ix Aarushi shared some information, with Aftab, about a car she recently 1
bought. Report Aftab’s’s question.

Is the car new or second-hand?
x Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option, to complete the slogan 1
about Road Safety.

THE BEST DRIVERS ARE AWARE THAT THEY ______ BE BEWARE

A. WILL
B. MAY
C. MUST
D. CAN

xi Select the correct option to complete the narration of the dialogue between 1
Raman and Tanu.

Raman: I’m really looking forward to the class picnic tomorrow.
Tanu: Yes, after a long time we will be meeting our friends and teachers.

Raman told Tanu that he was really looking forward________________. Tanu agreed that
after a long time they will be meeting their friends and teachers.

A. for the class picnic the very next day.
B. to the class picnic tomorrow.
C. to the class picnic the next day.
D. to the class picnic the very next day.

xii Identify the error on a notice board of a school about celebration of Annual Day and 1
supply the correction:

The School Annual Day can be celebrated on 15th November – 2022, 10 a.m. onwards.
This day will be celebrated as our Silver Jubilee and so special cultural show is being
organized.

error correction

IV SECTION B –CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS 10

All the names and addresses used in the questions are fictitious. Resemblance, if any, is purely
coincidental.
1. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5
A. Childhood is the time when adequate nutrition is very
essential for healthy growth. Improper diet in this age
may result in heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and
diabetes later on. Based on the following picture in a

newspaper showing the difference between healthy and
unhealthy food items for children, write a descriptive paragraph on Healthy Life-Style for
Children in about 100-120 words.

OR

B. Your best friend helped you in the time of need before your exam. Write a descriptive
paragraph on ‘My Best Friend’ in about 100-120 words based on the following cues.

Input : name – where he lives – parents/ family – nature – qualities – habits – behaviour
towards others – your feeling about him/her – How he/she helped you – gratitude towards
him/her.

5

2. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B givenbelow.

A. You are Neha/Namit. Today is your birthday and your father has gifted you a laptop. You
are very happy to own it as you wanted to have it for a long time. Before going to bed you
intend to share your joy with your diary. Write a diary entry in 100-120 words expressing
your feeling.

OR

B.
Write a story in 100 to 120 words with the help of the given outline. Also, give a
suitable title for the story.

A young man in a very rich family was very worried about his obesity. His weight was
increasing with the passage of time. He got it treated by many doctors but no one was
able to solve his problem. Everyone would prescribe medicine and advise to eat them for
months ………….

SECTION C -
LITERATURE 40
V Reference to the Context 10
1 Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 1x5=5

1.A The girl was given the name ‘Santosh’, which means contentment. But Santosh was not
always content with her place in a traditional way of life. She began living life on her own
terms from the start. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred
shorts. Looking back, she says now, “From the very beginning I was quite determined that
if I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me.”
(Reach for the Top)
i. What does the word ‘Santosh’ mean? 1

A. Excitement.
B. Satisfaction.
C. Happiness.
D. Submission.

1
ii. Was Santosh content with her place in a traditional way of life? Give one reason.

iii. Fill in the blank with ONE WORD only. 1

Santosh’s __________ trait is exhibited when she preferred to wear shorts when other
girls wore traditional Indian dresses.

iv. “She began living life on her own terms from the start” 1
What does this statement mean?

A. She made her own rules to live by
B. She became rebellious and was thrown out
C. She renounced everything and made new rules
D. She started living life king size

v. What quality of Santosh is mentioned here? 1
A. She changed herself according to the people.
B. She was a happy go lucky person.
C. She had traditional beliefs.
D. She was determined

OR

1.B The doctor said “Johnsy, it seems, has made up her mind that she is not going to get well.
If she doesn’t want to live, medicines will not help her.”

Sue tried her best to make Johnsy take an interest in things around her. She talked about
clothes and fashions, but Johnsy did not respond. Johnsy continued to lie still on her bed.

Sue brought her drawing-board into Johnsy’s room and started painting. To take
Johnsy’s mind off her illness, she whistled while working.
(The Last Leaf)

i. What exactly had happened to Johnsy? 1
A. She had met an accident.
B. She suffered from paralysis and could not move.
C. She was suffering from Pneumonia.
D. She was suffering from clinical depression.

ii. Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the text 1

Happy: Healthy:: Gloomy: _______

1
iii. Why did the doctor say, “If she doesn’t want to live, medicines will not help her.”

Because -
A. Johnsy had lost all hope to get better.
B. Johnsy’s illness could not be treated with medicines.
C. The doctor was not interested in treating Johnsy .
D. Sue was not helping Johnsy to get better.

1
iv. According to the extract, what was Sue trying to do by talking about clothes and
fashion and starting painting in front of Johnsy?

1. To distract Johnsy
2. To make Johnsy interested in painting
3. To motivate Johnsy to get better
4. To be more friendly with Johnsy

Select the correct option.

A. 1 & 3
B. 2 & 4
C. Only 3
D. Only 4

v. List any two things that Sue did to make Johnsy take an interest in things around 1
her :
i)
ii)

2 Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 1x5=5
2.A No, The root is to be pulled out —
Out of the anchoring earth;
It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out — snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave,
And the strength of the tree exposed
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden
For years inside the earth.
(On Killing a Tree)

1
i. The root of the tree is to be pulled out of the anchoring earth.

Replace the underlined word with a word similar in meaning.

ii. How does the earth give protection to the tree? 1

A. It anchors the tree and keeps it firmly standing.
B. It provides soil to the tree
C. It provides air to the tree
D. It provides space to the tree to grow

iii. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE: 1

To kill a tree, it has to be pulled out entirely from the earth.

iv. Select the appropriate option to complete the sentence, according to the extract. 1

The idea that the tree is like a living being and not easy to kill is :

A. unnatural
B. scary
C. thoughtful
D. interesting

v. According to the extract, what is the most sensitive source of the tree? 1

A. The roots
B. The leaves
C. The stems
D. The bark

OR

2.B And being faint with fasting,
For the day was almost done,
He asked her,
from her store of cakes,
To give him a single one.
So she made a very little cake,
But as it baking lay,
She looked at it, and thought it seemed
Too large to give away.
(A Legend of The Northland)
i. Who is ‘he’ in the extract? 1

A. The poet
B. The woodpecker
C. Saint Peter
D. The beggar

ii. According to the extract, why was Saint Peter about to faint? 1

1
iii. How did the woman provoke Saint Peter?

A. By cursing Saint Peter
B. By not giving any cake to Saint Peter
C. By giving a burnt cake to Saint Peter
D. By not listening to preaching of Saint Peter
1
iv. Complete the analogy about the old lady.
large: small :: : generous
1
v What thought occurred to the woman while the cake was being baked?

A. That she should bake something else for Saint Peter
B. That she should make another cake
C. That the cake was too big to give away
D. That the cake was too small to give away

VI Answer ANY FOUR of the following in about 40-50 words each. 4*3=12
i. What were the skills developed by Santosh to become a good mountaineer? 3

(Reach for the Top)

ii. “fed by peaceful harvests, by war’s long winter starv’d” 3
Explain why does the poet call harvests ‘peaceful’ and war as ‘winter’?

(No Men Are Foreign)
iii. What made the atmosphere in and around the Pashupatinath temple full of ‘febrile 3
confusion’? Explain
(Kathmandu)

iv. What is the actual realization of the poet as mentioned in the poem, ‘A Slumber Did my 3
Spirit Seal’?

v. How did Gerrard convince the Intruder that his plan would fail? Explain 3
(If I Were You)

VII Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each. 2*3=6
i. Why did the writer feel awkward during his first year of high school? Explain 3
(A House is Not a Home)

ii. Did Lushkoff become a beggar by circumstance or by choice? What reasons does he 3
give Sergei for lying?
(The Beggar)
iii. Why did the courtiers call the prince the ‘Happy Prince’? Was he really happy? What 3
does he see all around him?

(The Happy Prince)
VIII Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 1*6=6
i. Describe the incident at Kalam’s school days when a new teacher shifted him to the 6
back row. What followed this incident?
Teachers can either ‘make’ or ‘break’ their students’ lives. Cite incidents from “My
Childhood” to prove the truth of this statement

OR

6
ii. Hatred, jealousy and misdeeds are the dangerous pollutants of our own Earth. Discuss
with reference to the poem “No Men are Foreign”. How does the poet reminds us of the
many ways in which we are all the same?

IX Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 1*6=6
i. Johnsy could not get better despite the efforts made by the doctor and her friend Sue’s 6
assistance and help. Discuss and elaborate the negative feelings that keep one ailing and
also discuss the values which remove such feelings and infuse a person with a desire to
live.

OR

ii. “My cat was back and so was I”
6
Why does the author say so? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is
also back? Explain in the context of the chapter “A House is not a Home”