The Queen's Language

  For many years now, the governments have been promising the eradication of child labour in hazardous industries in India. But the truth is that despite all the rhetoric, no government so far has succeeded in eradicating this evil, nor has been able to ensure compulsory primary education for every Indian child. Between 60 and 100 million children are still at work instead of going to school, and around 10 million are working in hazardous industries. India has the biggest child population of 380 million in the world, plus the largest number of children who are forced to earn a living. We have many laws that ban child labour in hazardous industries. According to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, the employment of children below the age of 14 years, in hazardous occupations, has been strictly banned. But each state has different rules regarding the minimum age of child employment. This makes implementation of these laws difficult. Also, there is no ban on child lab

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow: To an outsider looking in, my life probably looked pretty great. I had what appeared to be a loving family. I lived in a specious home in a safe neighborhood and I attended a great school. But what an outsider couldn't see was the cold atmosphere that permeated my house. My parents and my endless fights included the shouting of hurtful words bitter stares, and at times, unbearable silence. Misunderstandings inevitably led to fights. This particular fight started just like the others. I packed my bag preparing to leave for an overnight retreat for my confirmation class. I crept down the stairs into our kitchen, only to find my parents glaring at me. "What time should I pick you up tomorrow?" my mom demanded impatiently. I told her that I wasn't certain, but that I thought she should pick me up at approximately 8 pm. I quickly gathered that my reply was not the answer she wanted to hear. "So you don't know

 Do as directed and choose the correct options to answer any four of the given five questions.  Q.1. His bodyguards are checking out the bathroom.  (Begin The bathroom ______________)  a. The bathroom is being checked by the bodyguards.  b. The bathroom has been checked by the bodyguard  c. The bathroom was being checked by the bodyguards.  d. The bathroom had been checked by the bodyguards. Q.2. Not many men would be cruel and unjust to a cripple. (Change from negative to affirmative) a) Very less men would be cruel and unjust to a cripple. b) Only a few men would be cruel and unjust to a cripple. c) No one would be cruel and unjust to a cripple. d) Very few men would be cruel and unjust to a cripple. 3. Besides having a salary, he also has a private income. (Use not only….but) a) He not only has a salary but also a private income. b) He had not only a salary but also a private income. c) He has not only a salary but also a private income. d) He has had not only a salary but also a pr

  Alliteration: It is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. e.g. “we will count”, “sudden strangeness”, “stop for one second”, “his hurt hands”, “clean clothes”. Repetition : It is the repetition of phrases in the poem for poetic effect. e.g. “without rush, without engines“. Antithesis: It is  the juxtaposition of opposing or contrasting ideas. e.g. “count to twelve and we will all keep still”. Here counting and keeping still are contrasting activities and are put together. Personification: it is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human things and animals. e.g. “Earth can teach us as when everything“. Metaphor : It is used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike but do have something in common. e.g. “shade” refers to protection. Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence to the next line/stanza. In the poem, many sentences continue to multiple lines. e.g. “Now we will count to twelve  and we will all keep still.”, “For onc

 1 The following passage has not been edited and contains some errors The part with the error has been numbered and underlined. Edit the passage by changing the errors.(1/2 x 8 = 4)   (a) The house was on fire. The fire (b) has now (c) reach the second floor (d) or the flames were licking the ceiling of the storey above. It was a terrible a sight, (e) When the brave firemen climbed up, battling the flames, (f) Till a full two hours, the firemen   (g) succeed in bringing the fire under control and (h) prevent it from spreading to neighbouring houses.   2. Rearrange the following words/phrases into meaningful sentences.(1×2 = 2)  (a) I’ll be having/ my friend/ at a five-star hotel/next week/dinner/with  (b) the man/was dead/the letter/he addressed/to whom/had   3. Transform the following sentences into passive voice.(1×4 = 4)  (a) People are blaming climate change for all the flooding  (b) We have discovered that a mechanical fault caused the problem.  (c) They will have cleared litter f

  1. Rearrange the following words/phrases into meaningful sentences. (1×2 = 2)   (a) communicate with/sign language/we use/impaired/the hearing/to  (b) by Henry Ford/produced/petrol driven/the first/motor car/was   2. Transform the following sentences in other forms as given brackets.  Sense of the sentences must not be changed.  (1×4=4)   (a) David plays the piano – he started when he was seven years old. (use ‘since’)  (b) It’s possible that Shivam will not be here next week, (use ‘might not’)  (c) We’ve got no money, (use ‘any’)  (d) I went out and it was raining, (use ‘when’)  3 The following passage has not been edited.  There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction against the correct blank number. The first one is done as an example.  You are very trusting with my servant.The local  e.g My _________Your  Grain merchant warns me one day.                   a.________         _______  You shall lock up your house when you            b._______       

1 .The following passage has not been edited and contains some errors.  The part where the error is, has been numbered and underlined. Edit the passage by suitably changing the underlined words.(1/2 x 8= 4)  Anybody who (a) do many reading of new fiction (b) will know that (c) quite surprising high proportion of it is about children and, (d) as often, unhappy children. To be quite fair they are not (e) treat with any great brutality, they are not (f) every often beat by their parent or shut up in coal cellars or (g) tell that if they are naughty, they (h) will burn perpetually in hell-fire.   2.Rearrange the following words/phrases into meaningful sentences.(1×2 = 2)   (a)all the books/asked for /I managed to get/that you (b)built for/ wasn’t/ who it was/ the playground / the children / used by   3 .Transform the following sentences into passive voice.(1×4 = 4)   (a)They wanted to throw the garbage.  (b)They still deny women the right to vote in the company. (c)The others told the new

  1 Which of the following idioms might describe...... 2 Read the quotes given below.  Choose the option that might best describe .... 3 Look at the table below. Column A provides instances from the story ‘-------. Column B provides titles of some famous English language poems. Choose the option that correctly match items of Column A with Column B.  4 The simile ‘dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of streets’ indicates that his dream was  --- 5Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.   Statement 1: The author’s father laughed to mock his son’s inability to swim.   Statement 2: The author wanted to swim just to prove to his father that he can swim.    a) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.  b) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.   c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.   d) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.   6 Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.   State

 Meanings of Unfamiliar Words Stepping Stones ---- an action or event that helps one to make progress towards a specified goal. in the palm of his hand ---in full control his mouth a bitter line---   expressing anger        (    bitter  is angry) time and again----again and again paid no heeds---paid no attention under the knife--being operated the rustling of footsteps--the soft sound of footsteps    (rustle  -- make a soft, muffled crackling sound like that caused by the movement of dry leaves ) ought not --must not  badly torn---seriously wounded heedlessly --carelessly  assuage---to relieve, to calm voluble ---talkative breaker---wave that breaks on the shore staggered---  walk unsteadily tended ----taken care of  solemn--- not cheerful or smiling; serious stanch--- stop or restrict (a flow of blood) from a wound. contemptuously--- in a scornful way that shows disdain. timid--- showing a lack of courage or confidence; easily frightened. evidently --obviously, clearly stupor--- a st

  1. What was the General’s plan for the American soldier? ( i)  wanted him to reach safely (ii)  inform his country (iii)  to get him assassinated by some private assassins (iv) to let him stay on 2. At the end of the conversation with the General, Sadao felt  i) rejuvenated and guilt-free.  ii ) conceited and egotistic.  iii) refreshed and self-conscious.  iv ) relieved and guilt-free.   3.“Those scars,” she murmured, lifting her eyes to Sadao.  The ‘scars’ DO NOT indicate   i) torture perpetrated on prisoners of war.  ii) superiority of Japan over America iii) the quest for supremacy in war.  iv) the rumours of torture often heard.  4. Do Sadao and Hana have a moral compass that urges them to save the prisoner’s life? i) true ii)false iii)impossible iv)can't say 5 The meaning of dereliction is i revenge ii duty iii negligence iv diligence 6.  The author has used ‘blood’ as a symbol in the story i true ii false iii can't say iv) not sure   7  fill the blanks Sadao and Hana lo

Multiple Choice Questions  VERY SCORING PROVIDED You read the prescribed textbooks thoroughly Read each poem carefully Know the names of the authors and poets correctly Know the meanings of the unfamiliar words used in the poems and lessons Know the correct FORMATS of the short and long  writing tasks perfectly Know how to read the bar graph and pie charts given in the Case Study Reading Comprehension  You read and comprehend the reading passage carefully. Just work in the right direction and SCORE FULL MARKS. Revision begins on thequeenslanguageblog.blogspot.com soon!! TOMORROW

My Mother at Sixty Six      by Kamala Das   An Elementary School Classroom  in a Slum                             BY   STEPHEN SPENDER  Keeping Quiet     by   Pablo Neruda         The Third Level    by     Jack Finney       The Enemy by  Pearl S. Buc k    The Last Lesson by   Alphonse Daudet Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood by  Anees Jung             Deep Water  by William Douglas