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The short story ‘The Story-Teller’ by H.H. Munro is set in a train. We get introduced to a family of four, comprising an aunt with her two nieces and a nephew. The only other occupant is a bachelor. The story humorously refers to the difficulty of the aunt in keeping the children occupied and in ensuring that they do not disturb the other passengers. She is unable to answer their questions convincingly and hence, offers to narrate a story. But, even as a storyteller she fails as the children bombard her with questions.

It is at this point that the bachelor observes aloud that the aunt did not seem to be a good storyteller. The aunt retorts that it is difficult to narrate stories that are both understandable and entertaining to children. She also challenges the stranger to come up with an effective story.

The bachelor accepts the challenge and begins with a story. Though the story has the conventional beginning of a good girl named Bertha, it catches the attention of the children when the bachelor, while answering a question, remarks that the girl is not as pretty as the little girls in the compartment. He further amuses them by describing the girl as being horribly good. Never had the children come across an oxymoron such as ‘horribly good’.

The bachelor tells the children that the Prince of the country honours Bertha for being good by permitting her to walk in his park once a week. When the children want to know whether there are sheep in the park and are answered in the negative, they want to know the reason. The aunt is secretly happy thinking that the bachelor too would find it impossible to answer the ‘why’ questions.

But the bachelor exhibits his power of imagination by saying that there are no sheep or clock as the prince’s mother had a dream that the prince would meet his end because of a sheep or a clock. When the tricky question is asked whether the prince actually died because of either of the two, the bachelor uses his wit to avoid an inappropriate answer by saying that the prince is still alive and hence the question cannot be answered.

The bachelor exhibits his power of description while talking about the pigs, the fish and the wolf. The bachelor perhaps appeals to the children because he makes fun of Bertha in a subtle manner. We see that Bertha is elated at the opportunity of being in the park, but is disappointed that she cannot give further proof of her goodness by not touching the flowers in the park as there are no flowers.

The bachelor explains the absence of flowers by adding that the pigs in the park had eaten them all. The bachelor’s explanation that the prince had chosen pigs over flowers amuses the children as it is an unusual choice. The bachelor also gives an unexpected twist to the story by showing that Bertha meets with a tragic end because of her goodness.

A wolf comes to the park and spots Bertha because of her pinafore which is spotlessly white and is able to locate her in the thick bushes because of the sound made by the three medals that she had won for obedience, good conduct and punctuality. The good girl’s reward for goodness turns out to be the cause of her death.

The story, which is termed improper by the aunt, is highly appreciated by the children. The bachelor wryly responds to the aunt by saying that he was at least able to keep the children occupied for ten minutes. The chosen piece does not explicitly answer the question whether children need to be given morality in the form of stories- or whether it is acceptable for stories to uphold the value of entertainment alone. However, the piece clearly shows that storytelling is an art and children cannot be given silly answers to the questions that they raise.

b) Both assertion and reason are correct but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion. 

1. A) The man from the sea

2. A) Dr.Sadao

3. A) He was hit by a rod

4. C) The blood drained out

a) Both assertion and reason are correct and reason is the correct explanation of assertion. 

Correct answer is: A. F-1,3,4; O-2

1. A) Dr.Sadao and his wife

2. A) The white man

3. D) None of the above

4. A) The mist hid him

Correct answer is: D. Uncertain, yet hopeful about the possibility.

i. c) He feels sorry for M. Hamel as it was his last French lesson.

ii. c) M. Hamel often sent students to water his flowers, and gave a holiday when he wanted to go fishing.

iii. a) As a mark of respect for the French master

iv. d) They left their country

Correct option is D) wonderful

1. C) he was on the third level

2. B) glimpsed

3. D) he could lead an idyllic life there

4. C) tranquil

Correct option is D) narrow

(a) The Earth teaches us how new life springs from dead remains, and how there is life under apparent stillness. 

(b) The poet wants to achieve peace by counting upto twelve. He wants us to introspect in a moment of silence. 

(c) Keeping quiet doesn’t mean just not speaking. It means that we should avoid all activities which hurt nature and, in turn, hurt us. 

(d) The Earth is always alive, even when everything else seems to be dead. There is always some activity going on in nature beneath its apparent stillness. 

OR

(a) The Earth teaches us how new life springs from dead remains. It gives us lessons about sustaining and resurrecting life. 

(b) The poet is initiating an exercise in meditation. When he counts upto twelve, the meditator puts away all digressions and experiences bliss. He wants all meditators to experience that bliss.

(c) Keeping quiet will help us introspect, reflect and experience silence and peace. This will in turn help us find solutions to our problems. 

(d) Though the Earth appears still, there are so many changes that keep occurring beneath its surface. A seed that seems dead germinates under the Earth and a new life springs from it.

1. B) it is a medium of escape

2. C) his friend would not have agreed to it.

3. A) the information booth was wooden

4. D) both (i) and (iii)

1. B) Their world is limited to the window of the classroom.

2. D) It is full of despair and despondency.

3. A) Stephen Spender

4. C) Future of slum children is unclear

(a) The poet wants us to keep quiet in the hope that the moment of tranquillity might help us in finding the answers to our problems.

(b) The poet wants us to be silent and motionless for one second. 

(c) The poet means that we should be in a state of total stillness with no physical activity at all. 

(d) This moment of stillness can provide us physical and mental rest, during which our mind will be at peace. We can analyse our actions and their consequences and avoid rash or thoughtless behaviour.

1.B) after heading for the subway

2.D) it is easy to get lost in the Grand Central

3. B) colliding

4. B) because of its consistent extension

1.A) There is no wide scope available for the slum children' future growth.

2. a) They are away from the books.

3. A) Literacy aspect of books that these slim children don't understand

4. C) repetition

1. d) The world of poverty of the slum children & the prosperity of the rich.

2. a) happiness, richness, well- being and beauty

3. d) dull and dim class with weak children.

4. A) maps are drawn on the orders of powerful people or conquerors expanding their territories.

Frank, member of a Germanic-speaking people who invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. Dominating present-day northern France, Belgium, and western Germany, the Franks established the most powerful Christian kingdom of early medieval western Europe.

1. A) allegory

2. D) “You need help, my raving friend. You are way too invested in this crazy thought!”

3. D) ‘Keep growing’ as the station keeps renovating and expanding

4. B) tentative

1. A) 12 seconds

2. C) any language

3. B) Weapons and fighting with arms

4. A) To introspect

1. C) the non-existence of a third level

2. C) we see something as we wish to see it

3. B) to hear that her husband was not happy.

4. A) anxiety

1. C) Unusual

2. C) Alliteration

3. A) one would get time to self-introspect ones's own activities

4. A) to build a feeling of universal brotherhood

Manjula Nayak’s bestselling book features her real-life sister, Malini, who was a victim of meningomyelocele which made her undertake a series of operations, reducing her existence to misery. We find some glimpses of Malini of how she was more intelligent, more attractive and vivacious than the author herself and a very sensitive person. It was as if “she radiated life from the wheelchair to which she was confined.” It was Malini herself who shifted with Manjula in Jayanagar and adjusted herself beautifully to the smaller house.

1. A) Whales are attacked for Luxury & commercial purpose

2. C) The man will have time to introspect on himself

3. B) Whales are attacked for Commercial purpose

4. B) Fisherman and salt

1. D) Pablo Neruda

2. A) I have no association or deal death

3. A) Be productive that gives us happiness

4. A) Self-introspection on ones' own activity

1. A) green war, wars with gas & war with fire

2. A) no survivors will be left to celebrate the victory

3. A) proving that they are right in their action

4. C) The people are quiet and not bothered about others' lives

(a) The ‘children’ referred to here are the poor children living in the slum. 

(b) Their world comprises of the dull and unpleasant classroom and its windows, amongst the dirty surroundings of the slum 

(c) The children of the slum are emaciated and poverty-stricken, as against the other children who are healthy and have all the comforts and luxuries of life. The life of the slum children is filled with darkness and hopelessness. 

(d) The future of these children is dark and uncertain. So, the speaker says that it is painted with a fog.

(a) The poet is talking about the map which depicts only the world of the rich and the important, the world that comprises civilised domes, bells, flowers and the scenic beauty of nature. 

(b) “These windows” refers to the windows of the school classroom where the slum children are sitting. “Their world” refers to the world of the poverty-stricken slum dwellers. It has narrow lanes, small congested houses, foggy skies and dim classrooms. 

(c) The future of the slum children is dark and uncertain. They have no hopes for their future. 

(d) Their future is painted with a fog as it is not clear. They are not welleducated, and there is no one to guide them.

(a) ‘Them’ here refers to the poor, emaciated children of the slum. 

(b) They are tempted by all the beautiful things of the world, the luxuries and the lifestyle that the rich enjoy. The are tempted to steal as they cannot possess these otherwise. 

(c) The children of the slum live amidst dirty surroundings in cramped houses which are dark and unpleasant. The poet is not happy with the way these children are compelled to live. 

(d) “From fog to endless night” means that from morning till night the poor children of the slum have a miserable existence; they suffer from morning to night everyday.

1. d. All of these

2. c. Dingy congested shacks

3. b. Stephen spender

4. d. A world which poet desires for these slum children

1. A) social injustice and class inequalities

2 D) has an inherited disability

3. C) is ill and exhausted

4 C) a paper seeming boy

1 A) of her mother’s declining health

2 D) Both (A) and (B)

3. D) all of the above

4 A) Losing her mother

Correct option is D) unbelievable

Correct option is B) contribution

Correct option is C) paid no attention to

Correct option is B) away

Correct option is A) made

Correct option is D) has been

Correct option is B) produces / don’t know

The list of subjects on which central government has power to frame the laws is called Union List. 

Ex : Defence, External Affairs, Currency.

America and Russia.

Of the  Dr S Radhakrishnan had served as Indian Ambassador to the erstwhile Soviet Union.

b) Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct but the Reason is not thecorrect explanation of the Assertion.

Chief Secretary is the head of the Secretariat in every state. He is in charge of the administrative setup. His authority includes all departments of the Secretariat. By reason of his experience and standing, he is able to ease out difficulties and frictions to give general guidance to other officers.

Thus he gives leadership to the administrative setup of the state. He maintains rapport between the State government and the Union government and other State government.

Functions: 

The Chief Secretary performs the following functions:

1. He is the Principal Adviser to the Chief Minister. 

2. He acts as the Cabinet Secretary and attends cabinet meetings. 

3. He exercises general supervision and control over the entire Secretariat. 

4. He looks after all matters beyond the purview of other secretaries.

5. As chief of all the secretaries, he presides over a large number of committees and is a member of many others. 

6. He is the secretary by rotation, of the zonal council of which the state is a member. 

7. He has control over the staff attached to the ministers. 

8. He is the bridge between that State and Central or other state Governments. 

9. He receives confidential communication from the Government of India and conveys them to the Chief Minister.

As the head of the administrative Machinery, Chief of the Civil Services, Mentor and conscience keeper of civil services, he plays a significant role in the state administration.

(b) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion.

The most important principle of Indian foreign policy is non- alignment. It means detachment from any military bloc and solving all international problems through mutual co-operation and peaceful methods. After the II World War, the world was divided into two military blocs, one led by USA and another by USSR. Many countries of the world became the allies of these two military blocs.

But India was not aligned to any of the military blocs. India was the first country to speak of non alignment and major contributor to the emergence of Non-Align Movement. India, Yugoslavia, Indonesia, Egypt, and Ghana were the original supporters of the movement.