ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SECTION-A (READING)
1 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
Our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically about those good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese and their loaves of bread. Those eaters of loaves might have vanished but the makers are still there. We still have amongst us the mixers, the molders and those who bake the loaves. Those age old, time-tested furnaces still exist. The fire in the furnaces has not yet been extinguished. The thud and jingle of the traditional baker‟s bamboo, heralding his arrival in the morning, can still be heard in some places. May be the father is not alive but the son still carries on the family profession. These bakers are, even today, known as „pader‟ in Goa.
During our childhood in Goa, the baker used to be our friend, companion and guide. He used to come at least twice a day. Once, when he set out in the morning on his selling round, and then again, when he returned after emptying his huge basket. The jingling thud of his bamboo woke us up from sleep and we ran to meet and greet him. Why was it so? Was it for the love of the loaf? Not at all. The lowest were bought by some Paskine or Bastine, the maid- servant of the house! What we longed for were those bread-bangles which we chose carefully. Sometimes it was sweet bread of special make.
The baker made his musical entry on the scene with the „jhang, jhang‟ sound of his specially made bamboo staff. One hand supported the basket on his head and the other banged the bamboo on the ground. He would greet the lady of the house with “Good morning” and then placed his basket on the vertical bamboo. We kids would be pushed aside with a mild rebuke and loaves would be delivered to the servant. But we would not give up. We would climb a bench or the parapet and peep in to the basket, somehow. I can still recall the typical fragrance of those loaves. Loaves for the elders and the bangles for the children.
1.1 Read the questions given below and write the answers briefly:
1 Why our elders are often heard reminiscing nostalgically?
2 What is said about the makers and eaters of loaves?
3 What heralded the arrival of baker in the morning?
4 What was the position of baker in Goa during narrator‟s childhood?
5 Was it the love of the loaf that made children run and greet the baker? How do you know?
6 How does the baker make his musical entry on the scene?
7 How could the children peep into the basket?
8 What does the narrator still recall about those loaves?
2 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
Our freedom was won with great struggle and sacrifice after centuries of servitude to foreign rule, and it is important that those of us who belong to the post-independent generation should not fall into the error of taking our freedom for granted. The maintenance and strengthening of freedom even more onerous than its attainment.
In any nation the youth necessarily forms the vanguard in most spheres of activity, and it is essential that at this critical juncture its power must be mobilized further to strengthen our integrity and our capacity to resist aggression. What is required is an immense burst of idealism and energy in our youth, who must be deeply committed to the task of safeguarding this great nation of ours founded on the twin ideals of secularism and democracy. In particular, our young men and women studying in schools, colleges and universities have special responsibility, for while they are no longer children they have yet not got fully involved in the routine of adult life. They constitute an immense reservoir of strength which, if properly channelized, can prove to be a source of great power to the nation. Indeed it is this young Indians who will soon be called upon to provide leadership in all walks of national life, and they must train themselves to fulfill their future responsibilities with distinction.
I would like to address a few words in particular to our young men and women. If they are to be effective in the service of the nation, it is essential that they must fit themselves in every way for this task. The building up of a vast and pulsating democratic nation is no mean undertaking and a mere desire to be of service is not enough; it must be accompanied by the ability to do so effectively.
There are several distinct dimensions in which our youth must equip itself. The first is the physical. Building a great democracy and defending it from predatory aggressors requires a young generation that is physically strong, with muscles of iron and nerves of steel and for this must equip itself by undertaking physical training and developing physical fitness to the maximum extent possible.
2.1 Answer the following questions briefly
1 Why should we not take our freedom for granted?
2 How can the youth be mobilized for strengthening the nation?
3 Why is a mere desire of service not enough?
4 How can we defend our democracy from predatory aggressors?
2.2 Find words in the above passage which convey the same meaning as the following:
1 Slavery ( para 1)
2 Leader (para 2)
2.3 Answer the questions in a word or two:
1 The generation after the independence is termed in the passage as……….
2 Great nation of ours founded on the twin ideals of………………….
Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 9 English Question Paper Set K
