ICSE Class 10 Sample Paper 2027 Literature in English

FOR ICSE CLASS 10 EXAM PREPARATION

ICSE Class 10 2027
Sample Paper ·
Literature in English
EXAM YEAR TYPE SUBJECT

ICSE Class 10 2027 Sample Paper Literature in English

Notes · Sample Papers · Previous Year Papers · Mock Tests

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ICSE 2027 EXAMINATION
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c. o SPECIMEN QUESTION PAPER s e m
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ag LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
(ENGLISH PAPER – 2)

Maximum Marks: 80

Time allowed: Two hours

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. the paper provided separately.
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Answers to this paper must be written on
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awrite during the first 15 minutes.
You will not be allowedlto
a g
This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.

The time given at the head of this paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.

The paper has four Sections.

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m Section A is compulsory – All questions in Section A must be answered.
c.Youo must attempt one question from each of the Sections B, C and D and oneseother
m question from .co
s em g l a
la any Section of your choice.
a
ag The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].

Instruction for the Supervising Examiner

Kindly read aloud the Instructions given above to all the candidates present in the Examination
Hall.
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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 1 of 12

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NOTE:

The Specimen Question Paper in the subject provides a realistic
format of the Board Examination Question Paper and should be used
as a practice tool. The questions for the Board Examination can be set
from any part of the syllabus. However, the format of the Board
Examination Question Paper will remain the same as that of the
Specimen Question Paper.

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 2 of 12

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m
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se SECTION A (40 Marks)
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(Attempt all questions from this Section.)

Question 1

Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options. [16]

(Do not copy the question, write the correct answers only.)

(i) What does Antony describe as, ‘thou bleeding piece of earth,’?
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(a) Caesar’s robe that was stained with his blood
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(b) The blood-soaked spot on which Caesar lies
a
(c) glThe bloodied pedestal on which Caesar fell
a
(d) Caesar’s lifeless body covered in blood [Understanding]

(ii) When Brutus says, ‘ambition’s debt is paid’, he means that:

(a) Caesar’s greed for power and position had resulted in his death.

(b) Caesar had left seventy-five drachmas for every citizen of Rome.
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(c)
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Mark Antony would be permitted to speak at Caesar’s funeral.

s em
la and soon after complains that
(d) the conspirators would be punished for assassinating Caesar. [Understanding]

(iii) a
Brutus scolds Cassius for takinggbribes
Cassius has not given him money. This shows that Brutus is
__________.

(a) hypocritical

(b) jealous

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(c) miserly
m (d) vengeful
.co s em[Understanding]
s em (iv) g a
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When Antony says, ‘He must be taught, and train’d, and bid go

ag A barren-spirited fellow;’ he refers to __________.

(a) Octavius

(b) Lucilius

(c) Lucius
[Recall]
(d) Lepidus
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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 3 of 12

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(v) Which words best describe the death of Cinna the poet?

(a) tragic and unnecessary

(b) jealous and selfish

(c) accidental and unintentional

(d) justified and essential [Analysis]

(vi) Which of the following words best describes Cassius’s state of mind
when he says:

‘Come, Antony, and young Octavius, come,
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius,’

(a) anxious

(b) regretful

(c) fearful
[Analysis]
(d) frustrated

(vii) In the poem, ‘Haunted Houses’, what does the speaker see at his
fireside that the stranger cannot?

(a) The speaker only sees what is physically present.

(b) The stranger can see the spirits while the speaker cannot.

(c) The speaker sees both the present and the past.

(d) The stranger sees both the present and the future. [Understanding]

(viii) In the poem, ‘The Glove and the Lions’, which words best describe the
lady’s action?

1. scornful
2. provocative
3. challenging

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 1 and 3
[Analysis]
(d) 1, 2 and 3

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 4 of 12

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m
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ag Great Trees
(ix) Select the option that shows the correct relationship between
Statements I and II from Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘When
Fall’:

Statement I: When great trees fall, the world is left permanently
unstable.

Statement II: In the poem, the natural world is depicted as reacting
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with fear and uncertainty when great trees fall.
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(a)
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Both the statements are true.
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(b) Both the statements are false.

(c) g Statement I is true, but statement II is false.
a
(d) Statement I is false, but statement II is true.
[Understanding]

(x) The poem, ‘A Considerable Speck’, expresses Frost’s ___________.

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(a) love for the little organism

(b) respect for intelligent life
e m
la s
g
(c) indifference to the tiny creature
a
(d) anger at the mite’s escape [Understanding]

(xi) Which of the given options contains the figure of speech that appears
in the following line from the poem, ‘The Power of Music’?
m
m ‘And in the sky the feathered fly turn turtle while
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a
They’re winging,’
s e g l
g la (a) ‘You’re one month on in the middle of May’ a
a (b) ‘Rainbow-tinted circles of light’

(c) ‘I wander’d lonely as a cloud’

(d) ‘I babble on the pebbles.’ [Application]

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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 5 of 12

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(xii) In the short story, ‘With the Photographer’, the narrator asks the
photographer,

‘Is it me?’ because he ___________.

(a) is delighted with the photographer’s skill

(b) looks very handsome in the photograph

(c) is unable to recognise his own face

(d) is ashamed of how he looks in the picture [Understanding]

(xiii) Choose the option that lists the sequence of events from Alphonse
Daudet’s short story, ‘The Last Lesson’:
1. Embarrassed and frightened, he entered his class expecting
to be scolded.

2. On reaching his school, he found that it was unexpectedly
quiet.

3. Instead, M. Hamel smiled at him and told him to go to his
place.

4. Franz ran past the town hall and the crowd in front of the
bulletin board on his way to school.

(a) 2, 1, 3, 4

(b) 1, 3, 4, 2

(c) 3, 1, 4, 2

(d) 4, 2, 1, 3 [Understanding]

(xiv) Which aspect of our world today makes it most similar to Leonard
Mead’s world in ‘The Pedestrian’?

(a) isolation and alienation

(b) low crime rate

(c) no night traffic
[Analysis]
(d) Utopian society

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 6 of 12

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m
m .co
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m At the end of the story, ‘The Girl Who Can’, Adjoa thinks,as
se (xv)
a g l
‘But that’s how I was feeling and thinking all along’

This suggests that Adjoa had known that ____________.

(a) she would win the cup for best all-round junior athlete

(b) Nana had always been right about her legs

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(c) her legs were useful for more than child-bearing
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(d)
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Maami was right about the importance of education [Understanding]
s e m
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(xvi) In thela
g short story, ‘The Elevator’, which of the following does Martin’s ag
a NOT do when Martin expresses his fear of the elevator?
father

(a) He dismisses Martin’s concerns.

(b) He encourages Martin to use the stairs.

(c) He tells Martin to grow up and be brave.

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(d) He watches TV and ignores Martin’s fear. [Understanding]

. c
SECTION eBm
s
(40 Marks)

g laquestions from this Section.)
(Answer one or more
a DRAMA
(Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)

Question 2

Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 3, Scene 2, given below, and answer

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the questions that follow:
m Antony: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
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s e I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
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a The evil that men do lives after them,

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious;

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 7 of 12

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And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–

For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men–

Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

(i) What does Antony say he is there for? [3]

What does he say he is not there for? [Understanding
& Analysis]
What does this tell you about him?

(ii) Mention any two of the conditions that Brutus had laid down before [3]
allowing Antony to speak to the citizens of Rome. Why do you think [Recall &
he laid down these conditions? Analysis]

(iii) List any two arguments that Antony uses immediately after he speaks [3]
these lines to prove conclusively that Julius Caesar was not ambitious. [Recall &
What impact do his words have on the listening Romans? Understanding]

(iv) Which one argument of Antony’s do you think had the greatest impact [3]
on his listeners? Give reasons to support your answer. [Evaluation &
Understanding]

(v) Explain the following lines: [4]
‘The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones;’
How can these lines be applied to Brutus and Caesar? [Comprehension
& Analysis]
Question 3

Read the extract from ‘Julius Caesar’ Act 5, Scene 1, given below, and answer
the questions that follow:

Cassius: Then, if we lose this battle,

You are contented to be led in triumph

Through the streets of Rome?

Brutus: No, Cassius, no: think not, thou noble Roman,

That ever Brutus will go bound to Rome;

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 8 of 12

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m He bears too great a mind. But this same day as
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Must end that work the ides of March begun;

And whether we shall meet again I know not.

Therefore our everlasting farewell take:

Forever, and forever, farewell, Cassius.

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If we do meet again, why, we shall smile;
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If not, why then, this parting was well made.
s e m
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a ag
(i) Why does Brutus say, ‘No, Cassius, no’? [3]
g l [Understanding]
a conditions may force Brutus to go bound to Rome?
What

Brutus says, ‘And whether we shall meet again I know not.’ What do [Analysis]
these words imply?

(ii) Explain the following lines in your own words: [3]

‘Therefore our everlasting farewell take:
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Forever, and forever, farewell, Cassius.’

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How do these words hint at the manner of Cassius and Brutus’
[Understanding]
death?
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(iii) How does Brutus die? [3]

How does his manner of dying contradict the philosophy by which he [Recall &
had lived his life? Analysis]

(iv) At the end of the play, Antony calls Brutus, ‘the noblest Roman of [3]
them all’. Why does he say this? What does this reveal of Antony’s
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character? [Understanding
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em (v) as
l was
& Analysis]

las g
What strange occurrence had Cassius observed when his army [4]

g marching from Sardis to Philippi? What impact did he a
a experience have on him?
admit the
[Understanding]

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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 9 of 12

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SECTION C
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)

PROSE - SHORT STORIES
(Treasure Chest – A Collection of Short Stories and Poems)

Question 4

Read the following extract from William Sleator’s short story, ‘The Elevator’ and answer the
questions that follow:

‘Martin felt nervous when he got back to the building after school.
But why should he be afraid of an old lady? He felt ashamed of
himself. He pressed the button and stepped into the elevator, hoping
that it would not stop, but it stopped on the third floor. Martin
watched the door slide open …’

(i) Why was Martin afraid of using this particular elevator? What does [3]
this tell us about him? [Recall &
Analysis]
(ii) Describe the person who entered the elevator when the door slid open. [3]
How did this person make Martin feel? [Recall]

(iii) ‘He felt ashamed of himself.’ Why did Martin feel this way? How was [3]
his response shaped by his father’s opinion of him? [Analysis]

(iv) How does the story end? [3]
Bring out the element of horror in the ending of the story. [Recall &
Analysis]
(v) Why was Martin nervous when his father got out of the lift on the [4]
ninth floor?
Give two words to describe the ending of the story. [Understanding
& Analysis]
Question 5
Read the following extract from Alphonse Daudet’s short story, ‘The Last
Lesson’, and answer the questions that follow:

“My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has
come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and
Lorraine. The new master comes tomorrow. This is your last French
lesson. I want you to be very attentive.”

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 10 of 12

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se What a thunder-clap these words were to me!
g la
a town-hall!
Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put up at the

(i) Who was M. Hamel? Which one of his character traits as a teacher do [3]
you find most appealing? [Recall &
Evaluation]
(ii) Who else was present in the classroom on that day besides M. Hamel [3]
and the students? What feelings do you think these persons
[Recall &
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experienced as they sat in the classroom?
m Analysis]
(iii) .co
What felt different to Franz when he arrived late for school that
s e m [3]
morning?em l a
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[Understanding]
(iv)
ag is Franz’s biggest regret about school? What aspects of his
What [3]
character do you relate to? [Understanding
& Evaluation]
(v) What feeling does the expression ‘thunder-clap’ suggest? Use the [4]
expression in a sentence of your own with the same meaning as it

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appears in the passage. Mention one important lesson M. Hamel

c. o
[Understanding,
taught his students during his ‘last French lesson’? Give a reason for

em
Application &
your choice.
las Creativity]

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SECTION D
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)
POETRY
(Treasure Chest – A Collection of Short Stories and Poems)

Question 6
o m
Readmthe following extract from Leigh Hunt’s poem, ‘The Glove and the Lions’ .c
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em a
and answer the questions that follow:
s g l
g la And truly ‘twas a gallant thing to see that crowning
a
show,

a Valour and love, and a king above, and the royal beasts below.

(i) Describe the scene at the beginning of the poem. [3]
[Recall]
(ii) “Leigh Hunt uses vivid sound and visual images to describe the [3]
contest between the royal beasts in the pit.” Justify the statement with
close reference to the text. [Analysis]
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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 11 of 12

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(iii) Who was the ‘beauteous lively dame’ mentioned in the poem? What [3]
did she do? Why did she do this? [Understanding
& Analysis]
(iv) When King Francis exclaims, 'rightly done!’, what action of Count de [3]
Lorge does he applaud? Why do you think the Count behaved the way [Understanding
he did? Give a reason for your response. & Analysis]

(v) Explain, in your own words, what the poet means by ‘smiling lips’ and [4]
‘sharp bright eyes’ when he describes de Lorge’s beloved. If you had [Understanding,
to give the poem a title of your own, what would it be? Give one Creativity &
Evaluation]
reason to justify your choice.

Question 7
Read the following extract from Robert Frost’s poem, ‘A Considerable Speck’
and answer the questions that follow:
This was no dust speck by my breathing blown,

But unmistakably a living mite

With inclinations it could call its own.

(i) What did the narrator first imagine the ‘speck’ to be? What does his [3]
use of the words ‘speck’ and ‘mite’ tell us about it? [Recall &
Understanding]
(ii) What was the narrator doing when he spotted the speck? Which two [3]
words from the poem helped you come to this conclusion? [Recall]

(iii) What made him realise that he was dealing with ‘an intelligence’? [3]
[Understanding
& Analysis]
(iv) What actions of the mite led the narrator to conclude that the mite had [3]
feet? [Understanding]

(v) Describe the narrator’s initial response to the speck. What did he [4]
eventually decide to do about it? Why does he make this decision? [Understanding
Give one word to describe the tone of the poem. & Analysis]

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 12 of 12

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se ICSE 2027 SPECIMENgl
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DRAFT MARKING SCHEME – LITERATURE IN ENGLISH (ENGLISH PAPER 2)

Question 1 [16]
(i) (d) Caesar’s lifeless body covered in blood
(ii) (a) Caesar’s greed for power and position had resulted in his death.
(iii) (a) hypocritical
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(iv) (d)
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Lepidus m m .co
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(v)
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(a) tragic
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(d)as frustrated g
(vi)
g l a
(vii) a (c) The speaker sees both the present and the past.
(viii) (b) 2 and 3
(ix) (d) Statement I is false, but statement II is true.
(x) (b) respect for intelligent life
(xi) (a) ‘You’re one month on in the middle of May’

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.co
(xii) (c) is unable to recognise his own face

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(xiii) (d) 4, 2, 1, 3
(xiv) (a)
la
isolation and alienations
(xv) g
a more than child-bearing
(c) her legs were useful for
(xvi) (b) He encourages Martin to use the stairs.

Question 2
The answers provided are indicative only. Any other correct and relevant answers,
supported by appropriate reasoning where applicable, should also be accepted.
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(i) -What does Antony say he is there for?
• to bury Caesar
e m
e m las
las -What does he say he is not there for?
ag
ag • NOT to praise Caesar
-What does this tell you about him?
• manipulative / deceptive

(ii) -Conditions laid down by Brutus: [2+1]
• Brutus would speak first
• Antony would say he was speaking with the permission of the
conspirators
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• Antony would not blame the conspirators
s e m
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la ag
T27 012 – SPECIMEN 1 of 8

ag For more Question Papers, Sample Papers, Notes & Syllabus visit Page 13 of 20

• Antony should speak well of Caesar
• Antony would speak from the same pulpit as Brutus
(Any two)
- Personal response Question: Please accept any plausible response along
the lines of:
• Anxious that Antony might influence the crowd
• Cassius had warned him against allowing Antony to speak
• Brutus was being cautious

(iii) -Two arguments that Antony uses: [2+1]
• Caesar brought many captives to Rome (their ransoms filled the
general coffer)
• Caesar wept with the poor
• Caesar refused the crown thrice (at the feast of Lupercal)
(Any two)
-Impact:
• Convinced by Antony’s words that Caesar was not ambitious / stirred
to rage against the conspirators

(iv) Personal response Question: Please accept any plausible response along [1+2]
the lines of:
• Caesar wept
• Caesar refused the crown
• Ransoms filled the general coffer
• Caesar’s robe
• Caesar’s mutilated body
• Caesar’s will
(Any one)
Any two reasons to support your answer. Justifications must match
reasons.

(v) -Explanation: [1+1]
• People remember only our wrongdoings
• And forget our good deeds after we die
-How can these lines be applied to Brutus and Caesar? [1+1]
• After Brutus’ death, he is remembered for having betrayed his friend
/ disloyalty
• Caesar is remembered for his ambition and greed

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 2 of 8

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Question 3
(i) -Why Brutus says, ‘No, Cassius, no’. [1]
• When Cassius asks him if he is willing to go bound to Rome, Brutus
responds vehemently in these words – to communicate that he would
never allow himself to be taken through the streets of Rome as
captive.
- Conditions that may force Brutus to go bound to Rome. [1]
m
m
• If they lose the battle / If Brutus were taken captive
.co
m .co
-What do these words imply? [1]
s e m
s e g l a
g l a
• Implies uncertainty about the outcome of the battle / resigned to his
a
a
fate / either may die in battle

(ii) -Explanation of lines: [1]
• Implies the possibility of death and defeat
How do these words hint at the manner of Cassius and Brutus’ death- [2]
• Hints at their defeat
• That they will not meet again
m
.co
• Their tragic deaths

em
(Any two)

l as
(iii) -How does Brutus die?
ag [1+2]
• Takes his own life / Runs on his sword held by Strato
-Contradiction:
• Brutus had believed in the Stoic philosophy which accepts suffering
and joy with equanimity
• but Brutus was unwilling to accept the humiliation of defeat at the
hands of the Second Triumvirate and kills himself
m
om .co
c. (iv) em
-Reason: [2+1]

e m • Brutus was the only conspirator who participated in the assassination
las
las of Caesar without envy of Caesar
ag
ag • Motivated by the common good of Rome
• Elements of Nature perfectly balanced in Brutus
• Nature would proclaim that Brutus was an ideal man

-What does this reveal of Antony’s character?
• Noble - acknowledges greatness even in an enemy
• Values honour

m .
(Any one)

.co s e m
s em l a
la ag
T27 012 – SPECIMEN 3 of 8

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(v) -strange occurrence: [2+2]
• Two eagles had accompanied them from Sardis to Philippi
• They had fled that morning
• Replaced by scavenging birds - ravens, crows, kites
(Any two)
-Impact:
• Cassius had followed the Epicurean philosophy and not believed in
omens
• Now he admits to partly believing in portents/ superstitions

Question 4
(i) -Why was Martin afraid of using this particular elevator? [2+1]
• Poorly lit
• Dirty walls
• Very small
• Felt claustrophobic / trapped
• Doors closed quickly
• Shuddered when it moved
• Afraid it would fall
(Any two)
-What does this tell us about him?
Personal Response Question. Accept plausible responses on the lines of -
lacking in confidence/ anxious/ insecure etc.
(Any one)

(ii) -Describe the person who entered the elevator when the door slid open. [2+1]
• Fat lady / in green overcoat / piggish face / tiny / sharp / blue eyes /
large fleshy cheeks / no chin / mass of neck
(Any two)
-How did this person make Martin feel?
• Terrified / felt threatened by her presence / nervous
(Any one)

(iii) -Why did Martin feel this way? [1+2]
• Ashamed of being labelled a coward / that he should be afraid of an
old lady
-How was his response shaped by his father’s opinion of him?
• His father always humiliated him
• expected he would behave like a ‘man’
• Wanted him to act like a grown-up
• Thought Martin was meek / weak / timid / cowardly
(Any two)
T27 012 – SPECIMEN 4 of 8

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m .co s em
se g la
a
(iv) -How does the story end? [2+1]
• Martin on crutches alone with the fat lady in the elevator
• Trapped / cannot escape
• Elevator door closes
• She smiles and says ‘Hello Martin’
(Any two)
-Bring out the element of horror in the ending.

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.co
• Martin trapped with the lady in the elevator / suspense / sinister
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.co m
smile / Calls him by name though they have never met

m
(Any one)
s e
s e g l a
(v)
l a
-Why was Martin nervous when his father got out of the lift on the ninth
a
[2+2]
agfloor?
• Martin had broken his leg / Was on crutches
• Knew he would not be able to escape if the lady entered the elevator
-Give two words to describe the ending of the story.
Personal Response Question. Accept plausible responses on the lines of-
• Cliff-hanger
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• Open-ended
• Horrifying
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• Suspenseful
l as
ag
(Any two)
Question 5
(i) -Who was M. Hamel? [2+1]
• Teacher at the village school
• Taught French
-Which one of his character traits as a teacher do you find most appealing?

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.co
Personal response Question: Please accept any plausible response
m
c. o(ii) s e m
m
-Who else was present in the classroom on that day besides M. Hamel and [1+2]

s e the students?
g la
g la • a
a
The elderly village folk
-What feelings do you think these persons experienced as they sat in the
classroom?
• Felt deep respect for M. Hamel’s services to the village
• Ashamed of not having given enough importance to their language
• Regret at having neglected education
(Any two)
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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 5 of 8

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(iii) -What felt different to Franz when he arrived late for school that morning? [3]
• Everyone was quiet
• Students all seated
• The usual bustle was missing
(iv) -What is Franz’s biggest regret about school? [1+2]
• Not having learnt French when he had the chance / now he would
never learn any more
-What aspects of his character do you relate to?
Personal response Question: Please accept any plausible response along
the lines of – typical boy; finding lessons boring / inattentive etc.
(Any two)

(v) -What feeling does the expression ‘thunder-clap’ suggest?
[1]
• Shocked/stunned etc.
-Use the expression in a sentence of your own with the same meaning as
[1]
it appears in the passage.
• Personal response - grammatically correct sentence using the same
meaning as in the passage
-One important lesson M. Hamel taught his students during his ‘last [1]
French lesson’
• To learn to love one’s language
• Importance of knowing one’s mother tongue
• Patriotism
• Language is the key to freedom for enslaved people (Any 1)
-Give a reason for your choice.
• Personal response- justification must match response
[1]

Question 6
(i) Scene at the beginning of the poem- [3]
• King Francis, nobles, ladies seated together
• Watching the lions fight in pit
• Count de Lorge sighing for his beloved

(ii) • Visual images: Laughing jaws / glared / gave blows like beams / [3]
rolled on one another / bloody foam whisked through the air
• Sound images: Lions roared / stifled roar / thunderous smother

(iii) -Who was the ‘beauteous lively dame’ mentioned in the poem? [1+1+1]
• De Lorge’s beloved / girl / girlfriend / lady love / lover
T27 012 – SPECIMEN 6 of 8

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-What did she do?
• Dropped her glove into the lions’ pit
-Why did she do this?
• Seeing the opportunity to test de Lorge’s love / to win attention-
admiration for herself / to attain glory / vanity
• She overheard the King say, ‘Faith, gentlemen, we’re better here than
there.’
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(Any one)
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(iv) -Action of Count de Lorge [1+1+1]

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• Flinging / throwing the glove
g • in the lady’s face / at the lady a
a -Why do you think the Count behaved the way he did? (Any one)

Personal response: Please accept any plausible justification such as-
• Disillusioned / no longer finds her attractive / sees through her vanity
/ cunning motive / realised that this was not true love / angry with her
(Any one)
-Give a reason for your response
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Personal response: Please accept any plausible reasons such as-

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• To humiliate / shame her
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(Any one)

(v) -‘smiling lips’ and ‘sharp bright eyes’ – [1+1]
• Artificial / fake smile / expressionless
• Shrewd / cunning, sharp eyes
-If you had to give the poem a title of your own, what would it be? Give [1+1]
one reason to justify your choice.
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a (i) -What did the narrator first imagine the ‘speck’ to be? [1]
• A dust particle
-What does his use of the words ‘speck’ and ‘mite’ tell us about it?
• Size = Little / tiny / small [1+1]
• Insignificant/ unimportant/ Living creature

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T27 012 – SPECIMEN 7 of 8

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(ii) -What was the narrator doing when he spotted the speck? [1]
• Writing [1+1]
-Which two words from the poem helped you come to this conclusion?
• Paper / ink / manuscript / pen
(Any two)
(iii) What made him realise that he was dealing with ‘an intelligence’? [3]
Response to stimulus:
• paused suspicious of his pen / raced wildly / loathing for the smell /
taste of ink / ran terrified / crept cunningly / faltered / cowered /
desperate to survive.
(Any three)

(iv) Movement: Ran (with terror) / raced / Crept / Faltered / tried to get away / [3]
escape death / turned to flee
(Any three)

(v) -narrator’s initial response: [1+1+1
• He wanted to stop it with his pen / drop of ink +1]
-What did he eventually decide to do about it?
• Let it lie there, till it slept
-Why does he make this decision?
• respect for intelligent life / it was harmless / not evil / had a mind of
its own / Sensitive to life forms no matter how small / Appreciates
intelligence / Respect for life
(Any one)
-Give one word to describe the tone of the poem.
• Personal Response along the lines of: Philosophical / reflective /
meditative or their equivalent.

T27 012 – SPECIMEN 8 of 8

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