CBSE Class 9 English Communicative Sample Paper Set 50

Q1. Read the following passage carefully: 

1. As the day for the swearing -in- July 25, 2002 neared, Dr. Kalam began preparing for it. His tailors at Karol Bagh, received an order for four closed-collar Jodhpur suits in his favourite colours, black, navy blue, steel grey and beige.

2. His unconventional hairstyle had been a topic of conversation. His hair stylist Javed Habib opined that it suited a rocket scientist, but snipped a few inches to suit a president.

3. The countdown for the function had started. Among those Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had personally invited to attend the swearing -in ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament House, were 34 people from Rameswaram, including his elder brother, Meeralabha.

4. Travelling to New Delhi, in the train, Meeralabha kept counting the beads of his rosary. For P.V.L. Sastri, a 24 year old temple priest, it was one of the greatest moments in his life because he was carrying special offerings from the Rameswaram temple for Dr. Kalam.

5. At the New Delhi railway station, the Kalam family attracted the attention of a large number of curious onlookers and the media. Dr. Kalam remained untouched by the excitement of the masses and the media attention. The day of the ceremony started like any other day with the regular 5 km walk at the Asiad village, his home in New Delhi. He had a shower, ate a light South Indian breakfast consisting of „idli‟ „sambhar‟ and buttermilk. Then dressed immaculately in a Jodhpur suit. he stepped out to acknowledge the greetings of the crowd gathered outside.  And, there were hordes of cameramen and TV crew members who focussed on him as he drove to Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was accompanied by the outgoing President K.R. Narayanan.

6. Among the galaxy of invitees were the Prime Minister and the entire cabinet, Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, opposition leaders, industrialists, former Presidents, Dr. Kalam‟s colleagues from the science fraternity and 100 school children including Snehal Thakkar who was the inspiration of his book „Ignited Minds‟. In order to accommodate the large number of invitees, the swearing - in ceremony was held at the Central Hall for the first time.

7. Watched by television viewers across the country, 70-year- old Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was sworn - in by the Chief Justice of India B.N. Kripal as the 11th President of India. A 21 - gun salute boomed in the background. He was now the country‟s first citizen and supreme commander of the Armed Forces. In keeping with Dr. Kalam‟s motto of doing things speedily, the ceremony started before the scheduled time of 10 a.m. and lasted just an hour and 18 minutes. In his brief speech after taking the oath, the new President quoted the first lines from a „kriti‟ of the legendary music composer Thyagaraja. He stressed the need for “a collective vision” to tackle the challenges faced by the country. He then quoted a line from Kabir‟s poem which said: “what you want to do tomorrow, do it today, and what you want to do today, do it now.” The ceremony ended with the National Anthem.

I. Fill in the blanks suitabaly

(1) Dr. Abdul Kalam was sworn-in as the President of India on __________ by __________.

(2) Expand APJ in APJ Abdul Kalam __________.

(3) Being the President of India, he became __________ and __________ of the Armed Forces.

(4) 34 people from Rameswaram, including his _____ and _____were invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony

(5) Dr. Kalam succeeded __________ to become the __________President of India.