CBSE Class 9 English Communicative Sample Paper Set B

TAJ MAHAL 

It is as though he did not leave a single sliver of marble unturned. To give India the brand no one else has or could, before or after him. Yes, Shahjahan would go down as a miracle worker among brand architects. For the Taj was born eternal.

Imagine its first glimpse, its inaugural release! without a launch conference, without sirens or anthems, without security and VIP enclosures or the fanfare of surprise revelation. A mourning emperor would not need or want that. Nor would the Taj.

Every human being born in this world should see the Taj at Agra, India, atleast once. It is not too much to ask. Ask any lover, any aesthete, or just plain anyone who has set eyes on this vision.

It‘s not the gasp of marble in stunning symmetry, or the enticing inlay, or the magically unerring proportions; It‘s the sheer unreality of it ..... marble marvel so magnificent, radiating myriad attractions on a moonlit night and permeating the fragrance of love immortal. Right there, in front of your eyes, the epitome of love, the pristine glory of our nation stands majestic and impeccable.... pure white in colour standing for purity of love. An irresistible temptation, one can never feel contented after seeing the Taj twice or thrice. And every Indian has at some point said to himself ―Thank God, it‘s ours, it‘s India‘s‖

No Indian, indeed no viewer, can ever be blase about it. Rather more than other wonders of the world, it is a brand because it is built on emotion, drenched in it. Canny, that monarch was, wouldn‘t you say? Every spin – off of the Taj has paid off, the hotels are as celebrated as the tea.

Creative sods, each one of us perish in the hope of more and caring investment in the brand that we agonise over. Shahjahan held back no investment . Not the untold fortune. Nor the twenty - two whole years. Not any amount of restraint in using the choicest, rarest talent; nor any dearth of expert international outsourcing! He himself survived every other campaign but greyed and died in this one.

It is a cherished, preferred logo even in theme weddings for it is the purest symbol of LOVE.

Love is a greater brand idea than any other. It lives, touches, includes, well.......everyone.

(i) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the questions that follow:

(a) What does the writer want everyone in the world to do?

(b) A mourning emperor would not need or want that. What all would he not want?

(c) How is the Taj so unique?

(d) What does every Indian feel when he looks at the Taj?

(e) Why is Shahjahan a better architect than other trained professionals?

(f) How is the Taj an irresistible temptation?

(ii) Complete the paragraph using appropriate words:

Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal in fond memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It took ___(a) ____long years to build this marble marvel. It has become one of the wonders of modern world because it is built on ___(b) ___. This love symbol‘s name is the brand name of ___(c)___and tea. It is a much preferred ___(d) ____ even in theme weddings.

(iii) Find words in the passage which mean the same as:

(a) flawless, without faults (para 4) -

(b) lack of something (para 6) -

Q2.Read the following passage carefully:

The cross cultural spread of English is unprecedented in other ways. It is more widely used than any of the other colonial languages like French, Portuguese or Spanish. It even has a wider use than some of the languages associated with international non-western religious traditions, like Arabic or Sanskrit. In countries like India and Nigeria English is used at all levels of society: in local English, language newspapers and broadcasting, in publicadministration, in university education, in major industries, the courts and the civil service. Indeed with nearly 200 languages, India needs English to unify the country. Professor Lal a champion of Indian English who runs a well known writers‘ workshop claims that in simple numerical terms, in a country of 840 million,‘ more Indians speak English and write English than in England itself.. You know what Malcolm Muggeridge said; ‗The last Englishman left will be an Indian‘.

Complete the following statements by choosing the most appropriate options from the ones given below:

(1) The way English is spreading is ____________.

(a) normal

(b) quite uncertain (

c) absolutely unusual

(d) unpredictable

(2) The use of English is ____________.

(a) as frequent as that of other colonial languages

(b) less frequent than than ofother colonial languages

(c) more frequent than that of other colonial languages  

(d) hardly as much as that of other colonial languages

(3) In India and Nigeria, English ____________.

(a) has a general use

(b) is used only in the streets

(c) is used by newspapers and the people who read it

(d) in courts and civil service

(4) India ____________.

(a) has fewer English speakers than Great Britain

(b) has 840 different languages

(c) has more English speakers than Great Britain

(d) will be the last to have English as its language

Please refer to attached file for CBSE Class 9 English Communicative Sample Paper Set B