CBSE Class 10 English Letters, Grammar and Literature Assignment Set 14

Answer: 29/8, R.K. Puram
New Delhi
[Date]

The Editor
[National daily]
New Delhi

Subject: Outbreak of dengue and need for awareness

Sir,
I wish to draw public attention through your newspaper to the outbreak of dengue in our locality. Many residents are suffering from high fever and joint pains, and the number of cases is rising each day. Dengue spreads through the bite of the Aedes mosquito, which breeds in clean, stagnant water in coolers, flower pots, tyres and rooftop tanks.
People should not let water collect around their homes, should empty coolers weekly, cover water tanks, use nets and repellents and wear full-sleeved clothes. Anyone with a fever should consult a doctor at once. The municipal authorities should fog the area regularly.
Yours faithfully
Prerna Chadha

Teacher's Note:
1. State the problem, its cause and then the precautions.
2. Mention what the authorities can do.

Answer: 343, Old Fort Road
Pathankot
[Date]

The Proprietor
Steel House
Pathankot

Subject: Order for steel utensils

Sir,
I am moving into my new house next month and wish to buy a set of steel utensils from your shop. Kindly supply the following goods: 1. one dozen dinner plates; 2. one dozen steel bowls; 3. six large cooking pots with lids; 4. two pressure cookers (5 litre); 5. one set of steel water jugs and glasses.
Please send them with the bill and let me know the total cost and the discount for the bulk order. I shall pay by cheque on delivery. The goods should reach me within a week, and be of good quality and well packed.
Yours faithfully
Abu Malik

Teacher's Note:
1. An order letter lists items, quantity and terms of delivery and payment.
2. Use the numbered list for clarity.

Answer: (a) ran. The accident is a completed past event, so simple past is used.

Teacher's Note:
1. Yesterday points to past simple.
2. Pick the simple form.

Answer: (b) was crossing. The action of crossing was in progress when the bus hit him.

Teacher's Note:
1. Use past continuous for a background action.
2. The accident interrupted the crossing.

Answer: (b) was injured. The boy received the injury, so the passive is required.

Teacher's Note:
1. The boy did not injure anything.
2. Use the passive.

Answer: (b) was rushed. He was taken to the hospital by others, so the passive is used.

Teacher's Note:
1. Match the passive of the previous blank.
2. Both verbs share the subject.

Answer: (a) on → in (a change in its policy). (b) for → to (decided to restrict). (c) pilgrimages → pilgrims (people who travel).

Teacher's Note:
1. Check prepositions and word choice.
2. Pilgrimage is the journey, pilgrim is the person.

Answer: (a) Corvus [is] learning. (b) in [the] morning. (c) but [in] the evening. (d) mango [tree] in.

Teacher's Note:
1. Check helping verbs, articles and prepositions.
2. Read each line aloud.

Answer: Possible answers: Two / a / a / a / an / a / no. Full text: Two children were hurt in a road accident when a school bus collided with a truck while trying to save an elderly man. There was a doctor nearby but there were no nurses.

Teacher's Note:
1. Use an before a vowel sound.
2. Choose a quantity word that fits the sense.

Answer: (c) in a cage. The few steps of his cage show that he is confined.

Teacher's Note:
1. Look at the second line.
2. The cage limits his movement.

Answer: (a) his movement is restricted. The cage is small and restricts his movement.

Teacher's Note:
1. Link to the previous answer.
2. He has no choice.

Answer: (d) both (b) and (c). The tiger is silently angry because he cannot escape.

Teacher's Note:
1. Quiet shows control; rage shows anger.
2. He is helpless.

Answer: (d) both (a) and (c). He is confined in a cage and feels helpless about it.

Teacher's Note:
1. The poem is about captivity.
2. Choose the option with two causes.

Answer: Fowler, a young writer, expected Ausable to be a glamorous, dashing secret agent with a thrilling life. He was disappointed to find a stout, ordinary man in a dull hotel room.

Teacher's Note:
1. Contrast his expectation with the reality.
2. Mention romantic ideas about spies.

Answer: Hari Singh was a young thief who stole Anil's money. But he was also a human being with feelings: he was moved by Anil's trust, wanted to learn to read and write, and felt guilty enough to decide to give up stealing.

Teacher's Note:
1. Show both sides of Hari's nature.
2. Mention his change of heart.

Answer: Maxwell, a writer, got the otter in Iraq. Wilfred Thesiger, an explorer, had presented him with a baby otter from the marshes, and Maxwell took him to England and named him Mijbil.

Teacher's Note:
1. Name the person who gave it.
2. Mention the marshes.

Answer: Bholi was the youngest child of her family and had pockmarks on her face after smallpox. She was also a stammerer and was thought to be dull, so her parents ignored her. She was given no education and no love, and her marriage was settled with the first man who would accept her.

Teacher's Note:
1. List her disadvantages.
2. Show how the family neglected her.

Answer: In 'The Trees' Adrienne Rich uses the image of trees moving out of the house to show nature's desire for freedom. The trees are uprooted from the confinement of a house where they stand as potted plants and rush towards the forest, the moon and the night. The poet shows that nature has its own place, and that humans interfere with it by building houses. The trees' roots, hands and leaves reach out for freedom as well as life. The poet suggests that we should respect nature, give it space to grow, and live in harmony instead of confining and exploiting it. If we try to control nature, it will break out and find its own way.

Teacher's Note:
1. Describe the central image of the poem.
2. Close with the lesson of harmony.

Answer: Yes, I agree. The young seagull was afraid of flying. His brothers and sisters had flown, but he stayed on the ledge, scared of falling. His parents coaxed and threatened him, but he did not move. His fear and lack of confidence kept him from learning. When hunger forced him and his mother tempted him with food, he took the plunge, spread his wings and found that he could fly. His fear was only in his mind. The story shows that confidence and courage are needed to learn, and trying is the only way to find our strengths.

Teacher's Note:
1. Say that you agree and give evidence from the story.
2. End with the moral.

Answer: Matilda was a pretty woman who was unhappy with her humble life. She wanted to appear rich and to impress others at a ball. For this she borrowed an expensive necklace from her friend Madame Forestier. She lost it and, out of vanity and pride, did not confess it. She bought a replacement worth thirty-six thousand francs with borrowed money and spent ten years in poverty to repay the debt. Her youth and beauty were lost. At the end she learnt that the necklace was made of paste and was worth little. Her ostentation and vanity brought her ruin.

Teacher's Note:
1. Show the link between her vanity and the loss.
2. End with the irony of the necklace.

Answer: Valli is an eight-year-old girl who is curious, brave and independent. She loves watching the bus from her window and longs to ride it, so she plans her own bus journey and goes alone. She thinks of herself as grown up and is amazed when she is called a child. She speaks up for herself in front of the conductor and the passengers, and she is determined to carry out her plan and pay the fare herself. Her courage, quick thinking and enterprise make her an admirable child.

Teacher's Note:
1. Describe her traits and support each with an incident.
2. Keep to the word limit.