ENGLISH 40 Marks
1. Read the following passage and do the activity that follow.
The poet Basho was born Matsuo Munefusa in 1644. He is considered to be the greatest of the Japanese haiku poets.
Basho took his name from the Japanese term basho‐an, meaning ‘cottage of the plantain tree’ ( a plantain is like a banana ).
This was a simple place where the poet liked to go to be by himself.
Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry that puts great emotion in just a few words. Haiku poems have only three
lines and a total of only 17 syllables. And they are often about nature.
Although he was interested in poetry from a young age, Matsuo wasn’t always a poet. He started out as a samurai warrior in
the service of a local lord. But after his lord’s death in 1666, Matsuo gave up being a warrior and focused on creating poetry. He
moved to Japan’s capital, Tokyo ( at that time called Edo), and soon became well known as a poet and critic.
Basho brought a new style of haiku to Japanese poetry. In the past, it had basically been a hobby and not very serious,
but Basho brought his Buddhist beliefs to his writing. He looked with interest at small things and showed the connections
between all things. His new‐ style haiku compared two separated physical events. In the following haiku, for example, he links
nightfall with the landing of a black crow.
On a withered branch A crow has alighted: Nightfall in autumn.
Basho wrote poems as he traveled around the islands of Japan. He wrote about the sights and landscapes he saw, and
these poems are considered some of his best.
A. Answer the following questions. 5
i) What is the meaning of basho‐an ?
ii) Why did Basho give up being a samurai warrior ?
iii) What is haiku ?
iv) How was his haiku different from traditional one ?
v) What did he write poems about ?
B. Match the words of column ‘A’ with their meaning in column ‘B’. 6x0.5=3
Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
Haiku old capital of Japan
Style a poem of three lines with seventeen syllables
Samurai a kind of banana
Critic a member of a powerful class of warriors
Edo the general way in which sth is done/ presented
Plantain a person who forms and gives judgements
C. Write true or false against each of the following statements. 4x0.5=2
i. The poet was fond of writing poems about plantain trees.
ii. He modified the traditional haiku.
iii. He moved to Edo in order to become a samurai warrior.
iv. Matsuo was born in Edo.
2. Rewrite the following sentences choosing the correct word from the brackets. 20x0.5=10
a. They are fond of ……..coins. ( collecting/ to collect/ collect/ collected)
b. You …….. stand up if you don’t like. ( can/ needn’t/ must/ should)
c. Everybody snores, ………..? ( do they/ doesn’t everybody/ don’t they/does he)
d. He is made ………. clothes. ( washes/ wash/ washing/ to wash)
e. She’d have recognized him, if she …………..him. ( had seen/ saw/ see/ sees
f. Neither of them ……….bingo. ( play/ plays/ playing/ are playing )
g. ‘Parking’. You’re ………. to park your car. ( not allowed/ allowed not/ allowed / allow)
h. Where ……… my scissors ? ( is/ was/ has/ are)
i. Nile is the ………… river in South America. ( longest/ longer/ long/ longing)
j. He is five years junior ……… me. (in/ to/ with/ from)
k. The active form of the sentence: ‘Cockroaches are found nearly every where’ is: (People found cockroaches
nearly everywhere/ Scientists find cockroaches nearly everywhere/ People find cockroaches nearly everywhere/
They found cockroaches nearly everywhere )
l. When Kahlo was 18, she was …….a terrible bus accident. (at/ with/ of/ in)
m. ………. Homeless are people who have nowhere to live. ( The/ A/ Some/An)
n. The new tax fails to distinguish ………... rich and poor. ( among/ between/ without/ against)
o. The direct speech of the sentence: Manu said to Sonu, “Where do you come from ?” is (Manu asked Sonu where
did she come from/ Manu said where she came from/ Manu asked Sonu where she came from/ Manu asked
Sonu where did she come from)
p. Dev plays the piano. He is a ………. ( musician/ piano player/ pianor/ pianist)
q. Would you mind not ………smoke in my face ? ( blowing/ blow/ blowed/ to blow)
r. They got the cook ……… dinner. ( prepare/ to prepare/ prepared/ prepares)
s. I prefer management on …….. one‐to‐one basis.( the / an/ a)
t. Have you any idea ……. ? ( where does he live/ where lives he/ where did he live/ where he lives)
3. Write a letter to a friend sympathizing him/her on his/her failure. 10
4. Write an essay in about 150 words on ‘Aforestation: Need of the Time’. 10
Best of Luck
