ICSE ENGLISH

a) Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage. [3]
(Should not be valued if more than one meaning is given)
a. Barely= hardly, just, scarcely etc
b. Charge = expense, cost, fee etc
c. Chain = sequence, series, succession, etc
b) Answer the following question briefly in your own words. [10]

a. Where was the glass jelly jar? What did it contain?
o Hidden in the closet.
o Contained the girl’s (Tess’s) savings.
b. What were the efforts made by Tess to attract the attention of the pharmacist?
o waited patiently.
o twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise.
o cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound.
o took a quarter from her jar and clanged it on the glass counter.
c. Who was the man from Chicago?
o Dr. Carlton Armstrong,
o a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery.
d. What miracle did the man from Chicago perform?
Dr. Carlton performed the surgery on Tess’s brother free of cost and saved the boy’s life.
e. What was the cost of the miracle?
One dollar and eleven cents….plus the faith of a little child.
c) Summary: Rough Draft
Tess’s brother ill. Parents cannot afford the surgery. Only a miracle can save him. Tess innocent, takes her little savings to the pharmacy to buy a miracle. Pharmacist’s brother Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a neuro surgeon, present at the time, amused and sympathetic, asks her to take him to her home. Performs the surgery free. Tess’s mummy and Daddy happy at this miracle. Wonders its cost? One dollar eleven cents and an innocent loving faith of a child. (77 words)
d) ‘A Miracle’ or any other suitable caption with justification.

Question 2
Rewrite the following as directed. [10]
a) The old man was too sick to walk. ( Remove: too)
The old man was so sick that he could not walk.
b) Asher asked his sister “Will you not accompany me to the party tomorrow?” ( Use: if)
Asher asked his sister if she would/would not accompany him to the party the next day/the day after.
c) Besides making a promise, she kept it. (Begin: She)
She kept her promise.
She not only made a promise but also kept it.
d) He was immensely talented, yet he failed because of his laziness. (use: Despite)
Despite his immense talent/ being immensely talented, he failed because of his laziness.
e) As soon as the police rounded up his thugs, the leader vanished. (Use: no sooner)
No sooner did the police round up/ had rounded up his thugs than the leader vanished.
f) Is he known to the manager? (End: him)
Does the manager know him? Is the manager known to him?
g) The Kid is one of the most popular novels today. ( Change into positive degree)
Very few novels today are as popular as The Kid.
h) The minister promised to look into the matter. (Use: investigate)
The minister promised to investigate the matter
i) The Principal asked the children to study regularly. ( Change the narration)
The Principal said, “Children, study well.”
j) Read the answers carefully and correct the mistakes if any. ( Use: ‘go’ instead of ‘read’)
Go through the answers carefully and correct the mistakes if any.
Question 3
Fill in the blanks with appropriate preposition: [5]
1. You have to put across your ideas clearly.
2. It goes against my principles to flatter somebody.
3. The minister is busy, can you call back later?
4. We could tell he was itching for a fight.
5. The T.V. signals interfered with the mobile reception.