ENGLISH LITERATURE

Mock Test E01: English–II

Date: 8 December, 2024
Recommended Time: 2 hours Max. Marks: 80
Answers to this paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes.
This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.
The time given at the head of this paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.
The paper has four Sections.
Section A is compulsory – All questions in Section A must be answered.
You must attempt one question from each of the Section B, C and D and one other question from any
Section of your choice
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].

SECTION A
(Attempt all questions from this Section.)
Question 1
Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options. [16]
(Do not copy the question, write the correct answers only)
i) Where was Caesar put to death?
a) On a street in Rome b) On the battleground of Philippi
c) At the foot of Pompey’s statue d) In Brutus’ orchard

ii) Who asks permission to speak at Caesar’s funeral?

a) Brutus b) Antony c) Cassius d) Octavius

iii) Why does Brutus say he would rather “coin his heart” than “wring from the hard hands of
peasants their vile trash”? Act 4 Sc 3
a) Because he is a skilled craftsman and enjoys making coins
b) Because he believes in the value of honest work and earning money ethically
c) Because he is in love with a woman named Heart and wants to impress her
d) Because he is planning to counterfeit coins to make money

iv) Cassius has changed his mind about the doctrine of Epicurus regarding which of the
following? Act 5 Sc 1
a) Superstitions b) Ghosts
c) Republicanism d) Omens and Premonitions

v) According to Casius how has Brutus done wrong to him? Act 4 Sc 3

a) By calling him a trusthworthy of Caesar
b) By condemning Lucius Pela for taking bribes
c) By brushing aside his letters in defence of Lucius Pela
d) Both (b) and (c)

vi) According to Cassius, how would the people describe the group of Caesar’s murderers in
future? Act 3 Sc 1
a) Liberators of their country b) Butchers who slayed Caesar
c) Savage of the first order d) Noble men of Rome

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vii) Which of the given options contains the figure of speech that appears in the following line
from Leight Hunt’s poem ‘The Glove and the Lions’ : ‘Ramped and roared the lions’ :
a) ‘Your eyes are like the diamond bright,’
b) ‘Suddenly the black night showed its teeth in a flash of lighting.’
c) ‘Rich gifts of raiment or grain or gold?’
d) ‘Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.’

viii) Which of the following is NOT an effect of Bhishma Lochan Sharma’s powerful singing in
Sukumar Ray’s poem ‘The power of Music’?
a) The sky weeps tears b) The trees shake and crash
c) The people retire amazed d) The turtles whine and stare

ix) Select the option that shows the correct relationship between (1) and (2) from Ama Ata
Aidoo’s story, The Girl Who Can’
Statement 1: ‘But Adoja has legs’ Nana would insist. ‘Except they are too thin and too long for a
woman’.
Statement 2: Thin legs can also be useful. That even though some legs don’t have much meat
on them, to carry hips they can run.
a) 1 is the cause for 2 b) 1 is an example of 2
c) 1 is independent of 2 d) 1 is a contradiction of 2

x) What a thunder-clap these words were to me !

The expression ‘thunder-clap’ in the line from ‘The Last Lesson’ means
a) Loud but not clear b) Loud and clear
c) Startling and unexpected d) Unpleasant

xi) What is the state of our minds after the passing of great souls?
a) They are enlightened and filled with wisdom b) They fall away and become ignorant
c) They become calm and peaceful d) They become more creative

xii) How is Mr. Mead different from the other citizens?

a) He goes out for walks instead of staying indoors.
b) He does not own a television
c) He has an active and imaginative mind.
d) All of the above

xiii) Which figure of speech is used in the line: ‘They bit, they glared, gave blows like beams
.
a) metaphor b) symbol c) simile d) oxymoron

xiv) ‘It seemed too tiny to have room for feet’

Identify the sentence which uses ‘room’ as used in the poem ‘A Considerable Speck’-
a) We need two rooms with twin beds.
b) Please shift the boxes to the store room.
c) The house is full, there is no room for more people.
d) We are looking for an apartment with an attached servant room.

xv) Why did the Count throw the glove without love?
a) he was tired b) he realised that she did not love him
c) he was in a hurry d) the glove was dirty

xvi) Which extended metaphor is used in the poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’?
a) the deaths of great men b) the falling of great trees
c) nature d) big and small animals

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SECTION B
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)
DRAMA
(Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare)
Question 2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Caesar: Are we all ready? What is now amiss,
That Caesar and his Senate must redress?
Metellus: Most high, most mighty, and most puissant Caesar,
Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat
A humble heart, ----- [He kneels]

i) Where are the speakers?

What does 'puissant' mean?
Explain: 'Metellus Cimber throws before thy seat a humble heart '. [3]

ii) At the beginning of the scene, Caesar says, 'The Ides of March are come. '
Why do you think Caesar said this?
What does the Soothsayer say in response? [3]

iii) What specific duties do the conspirators allot to Trebonius and Casca?
Why does Cassius become nervous when Popilius Lena speaks to him as they enter? [3]

iv) What does Artemidorus want of Caesar?

How does Caesar respond to his plea? [3]

v) Shortly after this exchange, Caesar is stabbed to death by the conspirators. Whom do
you sympathise with - Julius Caesar or the conspirators? Give reasons for your choice.[4]

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Brutus : Be patient till the last.
Romans, countrymen, and lovers! hear me for my cause;
and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine
honour, and have respect to mine honour, that you may
believe. Censure me in your wisdom, and awake your
senses, that you may the better judge.

i) Where is Brutus? Whom does he request to be patient and on what occasion is this
speech made? What was the purpose of the speech? [3]

ii) How important was honour for Brutus? Give one example to justify your answer. In what
way did his commitment to honour lead him to the present crisis? [3]

iii) “Hear me for my cause.” What was his cause? Were his motives genuine? How can you
justify your answer? [3]

iv) What was the reaction of his listeners in the beginning as well as at the end of the scene?
How did the change in their attitude come about? [3]

v) Give the meaning of “Censure me in your wisdom.” Who passed censure on him? In what
way has this changed the course of action in the play? [4]

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SECTION C
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)
PROSE-SHORT STORIES
(Treasure Chest - A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)
Question 4
Read the following extract from ‘The Girl Who Can’ and answer the questions given
below:
How, ‘After one’s only daughter had insisted on marrying a man like that, you still have to thank
your God that the biggest problem you got later was having a grand daughter with spindly legs
that are too long for a woman, and too thin to be of any use.

i) What is Nana lamenting about? [3]

ii) What kind of man did Maami marry? Was it a happy marriage? [3]

iii) What evil of the society does the passage refer to? [3]

iv) Why is Nana not happy with Adjoa’s legs? [3]

v) What is Nana’s idea of a perfect woman? [4]

Question 5
Read the extract from ‘The Pedestrian’, and answer the questions given below:
Mr. Leonard Mead would pause, cock his head, listen, look and march on, his feet making no
noise on the lumpy walk. For long ago he had wisely changed to sneakers when strolling at
night, because the dogs in intermittent squads would parallel his journey with barkings if he wore
hard heels, and lights might click on and faces appear and an entire street be startled by the
passing of a lone figure, himself, in the early November evening.

i) What is the significance of Mr. Leonard Mead’s love for walking in the deserted streets of
the city? [3]

ii) What time did Mr. Mead typically return home? What does it suggest ? [3]

iii) What did Mr. Mead encounter during his walks? [3]

iv) “The cement was vanishing under flowers and grass.” Explain. [3]

v) What shoes did Mr. Mead wear previously while strolling at night? What did he change to
later? Why? [4]

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SECTION D
(Answer one or more questions from this Section.)
POETRY
(Treasure Chest – A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)
Question 6
Read the following extract from the poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’ and answer the
questions that follow:
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
As reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.

i) How has the poet compared the world of nature with the human world earlier in the
context? [3]

ii) What happens when someone emotionally attached to us departs forever? [3]

iii) How is our mind affected by great soul? [3]

iv) In what state of mind are we thrown when great souls die? [3]

v) Explain the reference to ‘the ignorance of dark, cold caves’. [4]

Question 7
Read the following extract from ‘The Power of Music’ and answer the questions that
follow:
They whine and stare with feel in air or wonder
quite confounded.
The fishes dived below the lake in frantic search for silence,
The very trees collapse and shake - you hear the crash a mile hence –
And in the sky the feathered fly turn turtle while
they're winging,

i) Who is ‘they’ referred to in the above extract? [3]

ii) What do they do and why? [3]

iii) How do the fishes behave? [3]

iv) How do the birds and the people behave or react? [3]

v) What happens to bullock – carts and horses? [4]

What do you think the poet is trying to convey about the power of music through this
poem?

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