CBSE Class 10 English Reading, Writing, Grammar and Literature Assignment Set 11

Answer: 'Su' means number and 'Doku' means single, so Sudoku means 'single number'.

Teacher's Note:
1. The answer is stated in the first line of the passage.
2. Write the two parts of the word and their meanings.

Answer: The arrangement of the given numbers is symmetrical.

Teacher's Note:
1. Givens are the numbers already placed in the grid.
2. Their symmetrical placement is described in the third paragraph.

Answer: In Sudoku a mistake can be erased and one can begin all over again, but in life a mistake cannot be undone. In life one can only learn a lesson and avoid repeating it.

Teacher's Note:
1. The contrast is given in the last paragraph.
2. Mention both the game and life in your answer.

Answer: Both begin with a given set of things to work from, and both need rules to be followed without upsetting others. Respecting every number or person keeps things fine, and in both, one must stay calm and steadfast when things go wrong.

Teacher's Note:
1. List two or three points from the passage.
2. Link each point to both the game and life.

Answer: Each row, each column and each 3 × 3 box must be filled with the numbers 1 to 9. The correct technique is to eliminate the numbers that do not fit in a particular box rather than guess.

Teacher's Note:
1. The rules are given in the second paragraph.
2. Elimination is the method, not trial and error.

Answer: Sudoku is played on a 9 × 9 grid divided into 3 × 3 boxes. A few numbers (17 to 30) are already given, and the player fills the rest so that every row, column and box contains the numbers 1 to 9.

Teacher's Note:
1. Mention the grid size and the givens.
2. Add the rule for filling the grid.

Answer: Symmetry is maintained by arranging the given numbers symmetrically on the grid.

Teacher's Note:
1. The word symmetrical describes the arrangement of givens.
2. This is linked in the passage to staying poised in difficult times.

Answer: (iii) harass. To antagonise is to make someone hostile or upset; of the options, harass is closest.

Teacher's Note:
1. Choose the option closest to causing hostility.
2. Appease and quell are opposite in sense.

Answer: (i) calmness. Equanimity is mental calmness and composure in difficult situations.

Teacher's Note:
1. The passage links it with faith and poise.
2. Stress and tension are its opposites.

Answer: Untold blessings are hidden in every mistake.

Teacher's Note:
1. The first line of the passage gives the answer.
2. The phrase 'blessing in disguise' means the same.

Answer: We do not worry when children make mistakes because we know they will learn from them, but adults are very hard on themselves when they make mistakes.

Teacher's Note:
1. Compare both groups in your answer.
2. The passage says adults are hard on themselves.

Answer: We gain if we own the mistake, do not blame others and learn from it. Then the pain does not go in vain.

Teacher's Note:
1. Owning the mistake is the first step.
2. The passage says unlearnt mistakes make the pain useless.

Answer: By looking for as many things as possible to be grateful for in the mistake and asking what we have learnt from it, we transform the mistake into a blessing.

Teacher's Note:
1. Gratitude is the key idea.
2. Keeping a gratitude journal is suggested.

Answer: (a) (i) eventually (para 2). (b) (i) unawares (para 4), as in 'caught unawares'.

Teacher's Note:
1. Match the meaning with the context given.
2. Check the paragraph number before choosing.

Answer: (a) (iii) guise, which means an outward appearance that hides the real nature. (b) (ii) diary, since 'gratitude journal' means a personal record.

Teacher's Note:
1. Use the sentence context to pick the right synonym.
2. A 'gratitude journal' is a diary of thankful points.

Answer: 29/8, R.K. Puram
New Delhi
15 June 20XX
The Editor
The National Daily
New Delhi
Subject: Spurious medicines in the market
Sir,
Through the columns of your newspaper I wish to express my deep concern over the report that some drug manufacturers are selling spurious medicines. Such drugs do not cure patients and often worsen their condition, even costing lives. The poor and uninformed are the worst victims. I urge the authorities to conduct regular inspections, cancel the licences of guilty companies and punish them severely. Chemists should also be made accountable for the medicines they sell. Consumers must check the labels and buy only from licensed shops. I hope the authorities will act quickly.
Yours faithfully
Prerna Chadha

Teacher's Note:
1. A letter to the editor has the sender's address, date, editor's address, subject, salutation and complimentary close.
2. Keep the body between 100 and 150 words with concern, effects and suggestions.

Answer: Manager
Sunrise Public School
Jammu
10 June 20XX
The Proprietor
Ajay Stationers
Jammu
Subject: Order for office stationery
Dear Sir,
Kindly supply the following stationery for the school office: 20 reams of A4 paper, 100 files, 50 dozen ball pens (blue and black), 30 registers, 20 staplers with pins and 10 boxes of paper clips. The items should be of good quality and delivered within seven days of this order. Please give the usual trade discount and send the bill along with the goods. Payment will be made by cheque on delivery. Kindly confirm receipt of the order.
Yours faithfully
Aram
Manager

Teacher's Note:
1. A letter placing an order must list items, quantity, delivery time and payment terms.
2. Use a formal tone and a clear subject line.

Answer: Yet on the day of the party, the writer was stuck in a deadline. His publisher wanted the last chapter that evening and he felt tempted to stay at his desk. Then he remembered the shining faces of the children who had written to him. He decided that a promise to children must never be broken, so he completed the chapter by noon, wrapped a copy of his new book and set out. When he reached the house, balloons and laughter filled the lawn. The children cheered and pulled him inside. They asked him questions about his characters and he told them stories until the cake was cut. Each child received a signed book, and the birthday girl whispered that it was her best gift. On the way home the writer realised that the evening had given him a fresh idea for his next story. He smiled, glad that he had kept his word.

Teacher's Note:
1. A story needs a beginning, a turning point and a clear ending with a moral or feeling.
2. Start with the given words and stay within 150 to 200 words.

Answer: (a) did not recognise; (b) had put on; (c) eating; (d) skipping; (e) walking.

Teacher's Note:
1. Use the past tense for the first event and the past perfect for the earlier one.
2. Verbs after 'stop' and 'start' take the -ing form here.

Answer: Before | Missing | After
bicycle | is | punctured
when | a | thorn
tube. | The | puncture
First | of | all
tube | is | taken
and | then | inflated

Teacher's Note:
1. Read the line aloud to find where the sentence is incomplete.
2. The missing words are articles, prepositions or auxiliary verbs.

Answer: (a) Discipline is one of the essentials of life and is of great importance in all spheres of life.
(b) Without it life at home will become miserable.
(c) Farmers fear large-scale displacement from special economic zones.

Teacher's Note:
1. Find the subject and verb first, then arrange the phrases.
2. Read your sentence once to check that it makes sense.

Answer: (i) 'He' is the tiger. (ii) He is in a cage in a zoo. (iii) He is angry, restless and resentful at being imprisoned. (iv) 'Stalking' means walking with long, stiff, angry strides (pacing).

Teacher's Note:
1. The poem is 'A Tiger in the Zoo' by Leslie Norris.
2. The poet contrasts the caged tiger with his free life in the wild.

Answer: (i) The air traffic controller spoke to the pilot (the writer). (ii) The pilot had landed safely after a stormy night flight and thanked the controller for the guidance of another aeroplane. (iii) The writer expected the controller to confirm that there had been a second aeroplane. (iv) The radar showed only his plane, yet a black aeroplane had guided him through the storm, so its identity remained unexplained.

Teacher's Note:
1. These lines are from 'Two Stories about Flying: The Black Aeroplane'.
2. The mystery is never solved in the story.

Answer: The title is ironic. The dog Tricki was not ill and needed no surgery; he was overfed and pampered. The real triumph was Herriot's clever treatment, sending him to the clinic for a simple diet and exercise routine.

Teacher's Note:
1. Irony means the meaning is different from the words.
2. Mention Mrs Pumphrey's pampering in your answer.

Answer: The story shows Lencho's unshakeable faith in God, even after a hailstorm destroys his crop. It also shows the kindness of the postmaster and the post-office staff who help him, and the harshness of Lencho's own judgement about human beings.

Teacher's Note:
1. Lencho trusts God completely but doubts human honesty.
2. The postmaster's kindness is a second theme of the story.

Answer: Griffin is a brilliant scientist who discovers invisibility, but he is selfish, ruthless and bad-tempered. He steals and harms others for his own benefit and refuses to take anyone's help, which finally makes him a fugitive.

Teacher's Note:
1. Mention both his intelligence and his negative traits.
2. He uses his discovery for selfish ends.

Answer: Anne Frank was a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl who hid with her family in a secret annexe in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. She was cheerful, intelligent and observant, and she poured her thoughts into her diary, which she called Kitty. Though confined and afraid, she remained hopeful and believed that people are good at heart. She was deeply affected by the suffering of others and longed for freedom and nature. She was also sensitive and sometimes quarrelled with those around her, which shows that she was a real, growing girl. Her courage and optimism in difficult times make her an inspiration.

Teacher's Note:
1. Use the diary entries for evidence of her traits.
2. Write about both her cheerfulness and her fears.

Answer: Hari Singh is a young thief who befriends the kind and trusting Anil, planning to rob him. Anil teaches him to read and write and treats him with affection, which awakens Hari's conscience. He steals the money but cannot enjoy it, and he is troubled by guilt. In the end he returns the money and leaves Anil's company, ashamed of his deed, while Anil quietly gives him some money and shows his trust. The story shows that a person can be a thief and yet capable of love and gratitude, and that trust can change a heart. Hari's mixed feelings of greed, affection and shame show the complexity of the human mind.

Teacher's Note:
1. The story is a study of conflicting emotions inside one person.
2. Mention Hari's guilt and Anil's trust as turning points.

Answer: The title is suitable because the story revolves around a mysterious visitor who arrives at midnight in Ausable's hotel room. Max, a rival agent, comes to the room at night to get the secret papers kept by Ausable, which makes him the midnight visitor. Ausable cleverly outwits him with a bold trick and Max leaves empty-handed. The title also hints at the suspense and the unexpected twist of the plot, where the outwardly dull Ausable proves to be a brilliant agent. Thus the title builds curiosity and fits the events.

Teacher's Note:
1. A good title reflects the central event and builds suspense.
2. Mention the key actions of Ausable and Max.