1. Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. During the reign of Emperor Akbar hundreds of years ago, Birbal, his wittiest courtier, enjoyed a formidable reputation. This made Akbar’s brother-in-law extremely jealous of Birbal. He convinced the emperor to dispense with Birbal’s services and appoint him in his place. He assured Akbar that he would be more efficient and capable than Birbal. Before Akbar could make-a-decision, this news reached Birbal. Birbal resigned and left the palace that very day. Akbar’s brother-in-law was made the minister in place of Birbal. Doubtful of his capabilities, Akbar decided to test the new minister. Handing him three hundred gold coins, he said, “Spend these gold coins in such a way that I get a hundred gold coins here in this life, a hundred gold coins in the other world, and another hundred gold coins neither here nor there.” The minister was utterly confused. He spent sleepless nights worrying about how to fulfil the emperor’s command, which felt like a hopeless puzzle to him. After a good three nights of anxiety, he sought Birbal’s help. Birbal said, “Just give me the gold coins. I will handle the rest.” The next day, Birbal set out to solve this great puzzle. He noticed a rich merchant celebrating his son’s wedding. Birbal bowed to him courteously, saying, “Emperor Akbar sends you his good wishes and blessings for the wedding of your son,” and gifted him a hundred coins. Honoured at the gesture, the merchant bade Birbal farewell with several expensive gifts and a bag of gold coins as a return gift for the king. As he walked on, Birbal entered a slum. There he bought food and clothing in exchange for a hundred gold coins and distributed them among the poor in the name of the emperor. When he came back to town, he organised a classical music concert on which he spent another hundred gold coins. The next day Birbal entered Akbar’s durbar and announced that he had done all that the king had asked his brother-in-law to do. Curious, the emperor asked him to explain how he
(a) Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words. (3 marks) i. Name the three characters in the story. ii. Why did Akbar’s brother-in-law convince Akbar to make him the minister in place of Birbal? iii. How did Birbal use a hundred gold coins the second time?
(b) What challenge did the emperor give his brother-in-law after he became the minister? Do you think the brother-in-law handled it well? Write why or why not in 60–80 words. (2 marks) Section B: Writing & Grammar
2. Imagine you are the Djinn who was in-charge of all the deserts. How would you feel if the Horse, the Dog, and the Ox complained to you about the Camel who sits idle all day? What would you do to get the Camel to change his ways? Write an empathetic response in about 125 words. (6 marks)
3. Fill in the blanks with the pronoun that agrees with the antecedent. (2 marks)
a) Both the cats followed ______________ owner around the house.
b) I took some rice out of ______________ container and put it into the cooker.
c) The committee members should each explain ______________ reasons for the passing of the resolution.
d) You are not allowed to leave ______________ belongings unattended.
4. Underline the incorrectly used indefinite pronouns in the following sentences and replace them with the correct ones. (2 marks)
a) Has something seen Heena’s sweater? She is looking for it.
b) I have tried anything that I could to change her.
c) I have never been nowhere until now.
d) I didn’t ask nobody any questions.
Answers
Explanation:
When a centrifugal pump overheats, it not only can damage internal components but also could cause severe burns and injuries to anyone servicing the pump. ... Also, always allow an overheated pump to cool to air temperature before removing the cover plate, gauge port plug, or fill port cap
During the reign of Emperor Akbar hundreds of years ago, Birbal, his wittiest courtier, enjoyed a formidable reputation. This made Akbar’s brother-in-law extremely jealous of Birbal. He convinced the emperor to dispense with Birbal’s services and appoint him in his place. He assured Akbar that he would be more efficient and capable than Birbal. Before Akbar could make-a-decision, this news reached Birbal. Birbal resigned and left the palace that very day.
Akbar’s brother-in-law was made the minister in place of Birbal. Doubtful of his capabilities, Akbar decided to test the new minister. Handing him three hundred gold coins, he said, “Spend these gold coins in such a way that I get a hundred gold coins here in this life, a hundred gold coins in the other world, and another hundred gold coins neither here nor there.”
The minister was utterly confused. He spent sleepless nights worrying about how to fulfil the emperor’s command, which felt like a hopeless puzzle to him. After a good three nights of anxiety, he sought Birbal’s help. Birbal said, “Just give me the gold coins. I will handle the rest.”
The next day, Birbal set out to solve this great puzzle. He noticed a rich merchant celebrating his son’s wedding. Birbal bowed to him courteously, saying, “Emperor Akbar sends you his good wishes and blessings for the wedding of your son,” and gifted him a hundred coins. Honoured at the gesture, the merchant bade Birbal farewell with several expensive gifts and a bag of gold coins as a return gift for the king.
As he walked on, Birbal entered a slum. There he bought food and clothing in exchange for a hundred gold coins and distributed them among the poor in the name of the emperor. When he came back to town, he organised a classical music concert on which he spent another hundred gold coins
. The next day Birbal entered Akbar’s durbar and announced that he had done all that the king had asked his brother-in-law to do. Curious, the emperor asked him to explain how he had done it. Birbal repeated all the events that had occurred and then said, “The money I gave to the merchant for the wedding of his son — you have got back while on this earth. The money I spent on buying food and clothing for the poor — you will get it in the other world. The money I spent on the musical concert — you will get neither here nor there.” At this, Akbar’s brother-in-law realised why Birbal was the minister before him. He gracefully relinquished the position and Birbal became the emperor’s minister again.
Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words.
Name the three characters in the story.