EXTRACT BASED PRACTICE WORKSHEET ON ENGLISH STD-X BRIGHT MINDS ACADEMY

But I can get a hair-dye

And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.
(For Anne Gregory)
i. What is the objective of the poet in using conjunction ‘but’ in the given extract?
ii. What is the significance of the argument “But I can get a hair-dye/ And set such colour there, Brown,
or black, or carrot”? What effect will it have on the young men? Answer in about 40 words.
iii. Complete the following suitably.
Anne Gregory despite her young age seems to have clarity of thought because she wants _____.
iv. What kind of atmosphere is created through these lines?
Select the correct option:
1. Defiant 2. Sarcastic 3. Humorous 4. Resigned 5. Hopeful
(A) 1 and 3 (B) 2 and 4 (C) 1 and 5 (D) 3 and 5

My head is full of whispers

which tomorrow will be silent.
Listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward
into the night. Winds rush to meet them.
The moon is broken like a mirror,
its pieces flash now in the crown
of the tallest oak.
(The Trees)
i. Why are tree stumbling forward?
ii. Which word from the poem is similar in meaning to ‘slip’ or ‘loose one’s balance’?
(A) Muddle (B) Rush (C) Stumble (D) Flash
iii. Fill the blank with ONE word.
The poetic device used in the line ‘The moon is broken like a mirror’ is _____.
iv. What sounds have been referred to in the given lines? Answer in about 40 words

She was not convinced. ‘No’, she replied, “there is nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air in
the midst of rich women.” Then her husband cried out, “How stupid we are! Go and find your friend
Madame Forestier and ask her to lend you her jewels.” She uttered a cry of joy. ‘It is true!’ she said. “I
had not thought of that.”
(The Necklace)
i. Why did she need the jewels?
(A) To go to a party of rich people (B) For a photoshoot (C) To get a replica made (D) For wearing
them at home
ii. What did Matilda’s husband suggest her?
iii. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘humiliating’ in the line “there is nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air in the
midst of rich women” indicates that the woman felt _____
(embarrassed/proud) about her appearance.
iv. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel and why is she always unhappy? Answer in about 40 words.
The following Sunday Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the
postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a
man who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office. Lencho showed not the slightest surprise
on seeing the money; such was his confidence - but he became angry when he counted the money. God
could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
(A Letter to God)
i. What was the belief of Lencho?
ii. Why did Lencho go a bit early to the post office the following Sunday? Answer in about 40 words.
iii. What effect does Lencho’s reaction, as described in the lines below, have on his emotions?
“Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence
- but he became angry when he counted the money.”
Choose the most suitable option:
(A) disappoints (B) frustrates (C) amuses (D) encourages
iv. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘confidence’ in the line “Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such
was his confidence” indicates that Lencho was _____ (certain/unsure) about receiving the money.

As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair pushed them both out of the room
and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them. Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics.
She was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits, and that the stranger had somehow caused these
to enter into her furniture.M“My poor mother used to sit in that chair,” she moaned! To think it should
rise up against me now! The feeling among the neighbours was that the trouble was caused by witchcraft.
(Footprints without Feet)
i. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘hysterics’ in the line “Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics”
indicates that Mrs. Hall was _____ (calm/frantic) about the situation.
ii. What effect does the incident, as described in the lines below, have on Mrs. Hall?
“As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair pushed them
both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them.”
Choose the most suitable option:
(A) calms (B) bewilders (C) frightens (D) reassures
iii. Elaborate in about 40 words, with reference to the extract.
Mrs. Hall ‘was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits’ and other people thought so too.
iv. Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘in hysterics’ as given in the extract?
Mrs. Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics.

“It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a
young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first as a
student I wanted freedom only for myself the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read
what I pleased and go where I chose. Later; as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and
honourable freedoms of achieving my potential, of earning my keep, of marrying and having a family-the
freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful life.”
(Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
i. The speaker’s attitude towards his freedom when he was in his boyhood can be summed
up as _____.
(A) being self- centered (B) being naïve (C) being foolish (D) being indifferent to others
ii. How does Nelson Mandela understand the concept of “transitory freedoms”? Answer in about 40
words.
iii. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘illusion’ in the line “my boyhood freedom was an illusion” indicates that Mandela realized his
childhood freedom was _____ (real/false).
iv. If ‘Point of View’ is the narration of a story that can be told from a first, second, or third person’s
point of view, the given extract is told _____.
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda!
(I am Rapunzel, I have not a care; life in a tower is tranquil and rare; I’ll certainly
never let down my bright hair!)
(Amanda!)

i. Fill the blank with ONE word.

The tone of the speaker in the above stanza is annoying and _____.
ii. What is the listener’s reaction to being constantly scolded?
iii. How is Amanda going to be different from Rapunzel?
(A) Rapunzel lived away from her family.
(B) A prince is going to rescue her.
(C) Amanda is going to be in a high tower waiting for her rescuer.
(D) Amanda would never let her hair down.
iv. Comment on the poet’s use of language in these lines.

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless.
Now He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions.
(The Ball Poem)
i. Identify the symbolism used in the given lines of the poem.
ii. What is the significance of the use of the words ‘All his young days into the harbour’ to describe the
loss of the ball in the poem and how does this word choice contribute to the overall mood and tone of the
poem? Answer in about 40 words.
iii. Complete the following suitably.
‘I’ will not intrude on the boy because ‘I’ wants him _____.
iv. What kind of atmosphere is created through these lines?
Select the correct option:
1. Nostalgia 2. Melancholy 3. Indifference 4. Introspection 5. Hopeful
(A) 1 and 4 (B) 2 and 4 (C) 3 and 5 (D) 1 and 5

Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given. 5
A. The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
(Dust of Snow)
i. Complete the following suitably.
The poet was out on the cold snowy day when the dust of snow fell on him and _____.
ii. What is ‘dust of snow’?
iii. The crow and hemlock are usually used as negative references in literature. How is this
different in this poem? Answer in about 40 words.
iv. How does the use of ‘a crow’ and ‘a hemlock tree’ impact this extract?
(A) If forces the beauty of nature
(B) Represents prosperity
(C) Sets a gloomy atmosphere
(D) Tells about happy times

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice
(Fire and Ice)
i. Why does the poet hold with those who favour fire? Answer in about 40 words.
ii. What kind of atmosphere is created through these lines?
Select the correct option:
1. Ominous 2. Detached 3. Passionate 4. Philosophical 5. Hopeful
(A) 1 and 4 (B) 2 and 5 (C) 3 and 5 (D) 1 and 3
iii. Complete the following suitably.
Tone of the poet’s tone in the lines- ‘To say that for destruction ice/Is also great’ is
_____.
iv. What message does the poet want to convey through this poem?

On the day of the inauguration, I was overwhelmed with a sense of history. In the first decade of the
twentieth century, a few years after the bitter Anglo-Boer war and before my own birth, the white skinned
peoples of South Africa patched up their differences and erected a system of racial domination against the
dark-skinned peoples of their own land. The structure they created formed the basis of one of the harshest,
most inhumane, societies the world has ever known.
(Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom)
i. The system of racial domination against the dark-skinned people was called as _____.
(A) the policy of apartheid (B) racial discrimination (C) inhumane system (D) harshest system
ii. Why did the speaker call that structure ‘one of the harshest and the most inhumane’?
Answer in about 40 words.
iii. Fill in the blank with ONE WORD only.
Mandela is filled with _____ in the given extract.
iv. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘overwhelmed’ in the line “I was overwhelmed with a sense of history” indicates that Mandela
felt _____ (deeply moved/indifferent) about the significance of the event.

OOP : I haven’t a clue. I’ve been to seven galaxies, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Maybe they’re
hats. (He opens a book and puts it on his head.) Say, maybe this is a haberdashery!
OMEGA: (bowing low) Perhaps the Great and Mighty Think-Tank will give us the benefit of his thought
on the matter.
THINK-TANK : Elementary, my dear Omega. Hold one of the items up so that I may view it closely.
(Omega holds a book on the palm of herr hand.) Yes, yes, I understand now. Since Earth creatures are
always eating, the place in which you find yourselves is undoubtedly a crude refreshment stand.
OMEGA: (to Iota and Oop) He says we’re in a refreshment stand.
OOP : Well, the Earthlings certainly have a strange diet.
(The Book that Saved the Earth)
i. State any one inference about Oop and his crewmates from the given context.
I’ve been to seven galaxies, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Maybe they’re hats.
ii. What effect does Think-Tank’s conclusion, as described in the lines below, have on the
perception of the Earthlings?
“Yes, yes, I understand now. Since Earth creatures are always eating, the place in which you find
yourselves is undoubtedly a crude refreshment stand.”
Choose the most suitable option:
(A) amazes (B) amuses (C) confuses (D) reassures
iii. Oop says, “Well, the Earthlings certainly have a strange diet.” What was wrong with the diet of human
beings according to the aliens? Elaborate in about 40 words, with reference to the extract.
iv. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘refreshment’ in the line “He says we’re in a refreshment stand” indicates that Think-Tank
believed the place was a _____ (restaurant/library).

The creature that emerged from this sack on to the spacious tiled floor of the Consulate bedroom,
resembled most of all a very small medievally-conceived, dragon. From the head to the tip of the tail he
was coated with symmetrical pointed scales of mud armour, between whose tips was visible soft velvet
fur like that of a chocolate-brown mole. He shook himself and I half expected a cloud of dust, but in fact,
it was not for another month that I managed to remove the last of the mud and see the otter, as it were, in
his true colours.
(Mijbil the Otter)
i. Pick the option that classifies (F) Fact from (O) opinion.
1. I think the otter was caked with mud, initially.
2. I feel he was a fine pet for the author.
3. Oh come on, his fur was like that of a mole.
4. Let’s not forget the otter needed to be cleaned for a month.
(A) F 1 and 3, O 2 and 4
(B) F 2 and 3, O 1 and 4
(C) F 1 and 4, O 2 and 3
(D) F 1 and 2, O 3 and 4
ii. What do these words reveal about the author’s personality? Answer in about 40 words.
‘But in fact, it was not for another month that I managed to remove the last of the mud and see the otter,
as it were, in his true colours.
iii. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘resembled’ in the line “The creature that emerged from this sack... resembled most of all a
very small medievally-conceived, dragon.” indicates that the creature looked _____ (similar/different) to
a dragon.
iv. What is the meaning of the word armour in, ‘From the head to the tip of the tail he was coated with
symmetrical pointed scales of mud armour’?

“It’s me! It’s my Great and Mighty Balloon Brain. The Earthlings have seen me, and they’re after me.
“Had a great fail”.... That means they plan to capture Mars Central Control and me! It’s an invasion of
Mars! Noodle, prepare a space capsule for me. I must escape without delay. Space people, you must leave
Earth at once, but be sure to remove all traces of your visit. The Earthlings must not know that I know”
(The Book that Saved the Earth)
i. State any one inference about the speaker from the given context.
It’s an invasion of Mars!’
ii. What effect does the realization, as described in the lines below, have on the speaker?
“The Earthlings have seen me, and they’re after me. ‘Had a great fail’... That means
they plan to capture Mars Central Control and me! It’s an invasion of Mars!”
Choose the most suitable option:
(A) frightens (B) excites(C) angers (D) confuses
iii. Elaborate in about 40 words the irony in the statement.
“Had a great fail”.... That means they plan to capture Mars Central Control and me!’ with reference to the
extract.
iv. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘invasion’ in the line “It’s an invasion of Mars!” indicates that the speaker felt Mars was under
_____ (attack/protection).

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went.
(The Ball Poem)
i. Fill the blank with ONE word.
The poet establishes the dark mood of the boy and the sad atmosphere that is reflected in the choice of
words : ‘rigid,’ trembling,’ and _____.
ii. What themes are explored by the poet John Berryman in the poem ‘The Ball Poem’?
iii. The boy’s reaction to the loss of the ball shows that _____.
(A) he would never feel happy again
(B) he would never play with another ball
(C) he would ask for a new ball
(D) he was very attached to the lost ball and was very upset about losing it.
iv. Comment on the poet’s use of symbolism in these lines.

(There is a languid, emerald sea,

where the sole inhabitant is mea
mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
(Amanda!)
i. Complete the sentence with the appropriate option.
“There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me”
The poet has used _____ poetic device in the given lines.
(A) Assonance (B) Personification (C) Enjambment (D) Synecdoche
ii. Comment on the imagery that the poet creates in these lines in about 40 words.
iii. Complete the following suitably.
Amanda wants to be away from the noisy and disturbing atmosphere and hence wishes to be _____.
iv. Why is this stanza given within brackets in the poem?

It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
(Fog)
i. Complete the following suitably.
In the given extract, the poet uses the poetic device, enjambment in which one line runs onto another
without_____.
ii. What is the significance of the use of the word “silent” to describe the fog in the poem and how does
this word choice contribute to the overall mood and tone of the poem?
iii. The poet has used the poetic device ‘transferred epithet’ in the third line. What does
the poet wish to emphasize?
(A) The sneaky movement of the fog and those of a cat.
(B) The purring of the fog and the cat.
(C) The fluffiness of the fog and a cat’s fur.
(D) The playfulness of the fog and a cat.
iv. What does the fog observe from its vantage point?

Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda!
(Amanda)

i. Fill the blank with ONE word.

Amanda is not looking at the speaker because she is busy in _____. about her life of peace and joy.
ii. The speaker wants Amanda to look at her to ensure
(A) Amanda can become obedient
(B) stops eating chocolate
(C) Amanda follows the instructions
(D) does not sleep
iii. What does the speaker’s worry about acne show?
iv. Why is Amanda forbidden to eat chocolate? Answer in about 40 words.

Coorg, or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka, is home to evergreen rainforests, spices and coffee
plantations. Evergreen rainforests cover thirty per cent of this district. During the monsoons, it pours
enough to keep many visitors away. The season of joy commences from September and continues till
March. The weather is perfect, with some showers thrown in for good measure. The air breathes of
invigorating coffee. Coffee estates and colonial bungalows stand tucked under tree canopies in prime
corners.
(Glimpses of India)
i. What do you understand by the term colonial bungalow?
(A) The bungalows built in a colony.
(B) A large detached house with more than one storey.
(C) The residential unit for members of the British colonial community.
(D) A low house having only one storey.
ii. What can be inferred from the given line?
“During the monsoons, it pours enough to keep many visitors away”
iii. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘invigorating’ in the line “The air breathes of invigorating coffee” indicates
that the air was _____ (refreshing/stifling) in Coorg.
iv. Which is the best time to visit Coorg? Answer in about 40 words.

Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was rather a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried
to eject him. In revenge Griffin set fire to the house, to get away without being seen he had to remove his
clothes. Thus, it was that he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money and quite
invisible-until he happened to step in some mud and left footprints as he walked!
(Foot Prints with out Feet)

i. The writer says that Griffin was a brilliant scientist. Elaborate in about 40 words with evidence.
ii. What effect does Griffin’s action, as described in the lines below, have on his situation?
“In revenge Griffin set fire to the house, to get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes.
Thus, it was that he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money and quite invisible.”
Choose the most suitable option:
(A) liberates (B) complicates (C) comforts (D) satisfies
iii. State the reason he was wandering on the streets.
iv. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket.
The word ‘revenge’ in the line “In revenge Griffin set fire to the house” indicates that Griffin acted out of
_____ (anger/forgiveness).

He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
(Tiger in the Zoo)
i. According to the extract, the poet wishes for the tiger to be ‘sliding’
through the foliage as this would
(A) assist in keeping the prey unsuspecting of the predator’s sound.
(B) aid in camouflaging the presence of the predator before it rushes in.
(C) help the predator pounce on the prey comfortably without getting tired.
(D) support the predator’s vision as it eyes its prey.
ii. Fill the blank with ONE word.
‘Shadow’ here, refers to the shadow of long _____.
iii. What is the poet trying to convey in the given extract? Answer in about
40 words.
iv. Which word in the extract means the same as ‘fat’?

There is a languid, emerald Sea

where the sole inhabitant is mea
mermaid, drifting blissfully.
(Amanda!)
i. What kind of atmosphere is created through these lines?
Select the correct option:
1. Tranquility
2. Isolation
3. Joy
4. Fantasy
5. Longing
(A) 1 and 4 (B) 2 and 5 (C) 1, 2, and 4 (D) 3 and 5
ii. Complete the following suitably.
The word ‘languid’ implies that the sea _____.
iii. Why is the extract given in paranthesis?
iv. What does Amanda want to be a mermaid? Answer in about 40 words.