ICSE English Literature Specimen Paper 2023 with Solutions(/ Answer Key)
Part A: Question Paper
Part B: Answer Key
Part A: Question Paper:-
Part B: Answer Key:- (Scroll Below the next section on other important links)
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Section A
(Attempt all questions from this Section.)
Question 1:
Read the following questions and choose the most appropriate response from the choices given below (Please do not copy the question - simply write out in correct serial order the appropriate word or phrase.)
(i) What did the Little Match girl see when she struck the second match?
(a) A beautiful candle lit Christmas Tree
(b) Her grandmother who loved her dearly
(c) Bright stars shooting across the sky
(d) A stuffed goose waddling towards her
Answer. (d) A stuffed goose waddling towards her .
(ii) What is the caged bird in Maya Angelou's poem blinded by?
(a) Her narrow cage
(b) Her rage
(c) The sun's orange rays
(d) Her fears of the unknown
Answer: (b) Her rage
(iii) In the poem that Margot wrote, (in Bradbury's story, 'All Summer in a Day'), she compares the sun to a...
(a) penny
(b) clock
(c) flower
(d) lemon
Answer: (c) flower
(iv) Which of the following statements is NOT true of Sibia?
(a) She had long golden hair
(b) She had to work hard from her early years
(c) She was twelve years old
(d) She had no money to buy glass beads at the bazaar
Answer: (a) She had long golden hair
(v) Which of the following lines from the poem, 'Nine Gold Medals' tells us that the poem describes an international sporting event?
(a) The athletes had come from so many countries
(b) And nine young athletes stood there determined
(c) The eight other athletes stopped in their tracks
(d) To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze
Answer: (a) The athletes had come from so many countries
(vi) Jesse Owens says that Hitler had kept him (Luz Long) 'under wraps. What does the phrase 'under wraps' mean?
(a) Wrapped in a blanket
(b) Gift wrapped
(c) A carefully concealed secret
(d) Beneath a wrapper
Answer: (c) A carefully concealed secret
(vii) What makes the central character in Browning's poem, 'The Patriot' feel sad and bitter?
(a) The welcome he received
(b) The fickle mindedness of his followers
(c) Getting wet in the rain
(d) The flags on the church spire
Answer: (b) The fickle mindedness of his followers
(viii) Joe Thompson was a
(a) barber
(b) carpenter
(c) gardener
(d) wheelwright
Answer: (d) wheelwright
(ix) What did Abou Ben Adhem see in his bedroom when he awoke one night?
(a) A fairy writing in a book of gold
(b) An angel sitting on his bed
(c) A fairy sitting on his bed
(d) An angel writing in a book of gold
Answer: (d) An angel writing in a book of gold
(x) What sight fills the poet Wordsworth's heart with joy?
(a) A field of daffodils
(b) The stars in the Milky Way
(c) The dancing waves
(d) The lonely cloud
Answer: (a) A field of daffodils
(xi) When Shylock speaks of Jessica's elopement he exclaims, 'My own flesh and blood to rebel!' What feeling do his words convey?
(a) pride
(b) envy
(c) betrayal
(d) remorse
Answer: (c) betrayal
(xii) What rare quality of Bassanio's helps him choose the right casket?
(a) His honesty and integrity
(b) His desperate need for money
(c) His dislike of gold and silver
(d) His ability to look beyond outward appearances
Answer. (d) His ability to look beyond outward appearances
(xiii) "My deeds upon my head! I crave the law. The penalty and forfeit of my bond." Who says these words and to whom?
(a) Portia to Antonio
(b) Shylock to Portio
(c) Bassanio to Portia
(d) Antonio to Shylock
Answer: (b) Shylock to Portia
(xiv) Which of the following words best describes Antonio's attitude during the trial?
(a) jealous
(b) angry
(c) generous
(d) resigned
Answer: (d) resigned
(xv) Why does a quarrel breaks out between Nerissa and Gratiano in the final Act of 'The Merchant of Venice'?
(a) Gratiano admits that he had given away the ring which Nerissa had given to him.
(b) Nerissa admits that she had accompanied Portia to Venice disguised as a lawyer's clerk.
(c) Gratiano is annoyed with Nerissa for giving away his ring to a stranger in Venice.
(d) Nerissa is angry with Gratiano for leaving for Venice on the very day they were married.
Answer: (a) Gratiano admits that he had given away the ring which Nerissa had given to him.
(xvi) How does Lorenzo recognize Portia even before he sees her when the two young women return from Venice?
(a) by the clothes she wears.
(b) by the sound of her voice.
(c) by the perfume she uses.
(d) by her touch.
Answer: (b) by the sound of her voice.
Section B
DRAMA
(The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)
Question 2:
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
SHYLOCK:
To bait fish withal. If it will feed nothing
else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scored my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies- and what's his reason? I am a Jew.
(i) Who is "He"?
What does Shylock Want from him?
What does Shylock mean by 'to bait fish withal'?
(ii) Explain in your own words any three ways in which 'He' had wronged Shylock.
(iii) According to Shylock, in what ways did Jews resemble Christians?
(iv) How does Shylock use Christian example to justify his desire for revenge?
(v) The given extract reveals two distinct emotions that Shylock experiences. What are they? Give one reason to justify each of these emotions.
Answers Key Points:-
(i) Antonio or the merchant of Venice
A pound of flesh/revenge
To use as bait to catch fish/ use the flesh to catch fish/ use for fishing/ nobody should question him/sarcastic/satisfy his thirst for revenge
(ii) He hath disgraced me (Shylock) / hindered me (Shylock) half a million laughed at my (Shylock's) losses / mocked at my (Shylock's) gains / scorned my (Shylock's) nation / thwarted my (Shylock's) bargains / cooled my (Shylock's) friends / heated mine Shylock's) enemies
(iii) laugh when tickled, die when poisoned, seek revenge when wronged
(iv) When a Jew wrongs a Christian, the Jew is humiliated in revenge. Therefore, following the example set by Christians if a Christian were to wrong a Jew, then it is appropriate that the Jew take Christian.
(v) caused by humiliating treatment at the hands of Christians.
caused by insensitivity, unfair treatment of Jews by Christians
Question 3: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Portia: The quality of mercy is not strained: It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath; it is twice blessed:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
(i) Where does this scene take place? Why Is Portia here? Why does Bassanio not recognise her?
(ii) To what is mercy compared in these lines? Why is mercy said to be 'twice blessed'?
(iii) Explain the lines:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
(iv) Later in her speech Portia mentions a scepter. What is a scepter? How, according to Portia, is mercy above the 'sceptered sway'?
(v) To whom are these words addressed? What does the person say in response to Portia's words? Portia is seen as the dramatic heroine of the play. Using references from the text mention any two aspects of her character that appeal to you most.
Answer Key Points:-
(i) The scene takes place in the court of justice in Venice. Portia and Nerissa, disguised as lawyer and clerk, were there in the courtroom to defend Antonio against Shylock's inhuman claim to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio's body for forfeiting a bond which he had signed as a guarantee for the repayment of a loan of three thousand ducats. The husbands of Portia and Nerissa would not recognise them when they would see them because they will be dressed like young men, one a Doctor of Law and the other as his clerk
(ii) Portia compares mercy to the gentle rain from heaven. It blesses the person who shows mercy by way of getting happiness in the generous act, and the one who is at the receiving end also benefits from the act. Mercy looks better in a king than his crown. Portia says that the person who grants mercy is equally blessed as the one who receives it.
(iii) This is because mercy is a characteristic of God, and the person who grants it is acting with the spirit and majesty of God. Thus, mercy is twice blessed: it blesses the one who gets the merciful treatment and the one who grants it.
(iv) Scepters is the insignia of kingship. It represents power. The line "But mercy is above this sceptered sway" means that the king's scepter is the emblem of his worldly power. It is the symbol of fear which kingship inspires in others. But mercy is higher and greater than the worldly authority which is symbolized by rod.
(v) The given extract reveals have two distinct emotion that Shylock experience The first is of hatred and other is the love for his nation.
Shylock want to take revenge from Antonio due to insulting him many time while shylock loves
his country. he is primed because Antonio has disgrace him many time and hated his nation very much.
Section C
Question 4: Read the extract from Ray Bradbury's short story, 'All Summer in a Day' given below and answer the questions that follow:
The girl standing in the open, held out her hand
"Oh look, look," she said, trembling.
They came slowly to look at her opened palm.
In the center of it, cupped and huge, was a single raindrop. She began to cry. looking at it. They glanced quietly at the sun.
"Oh. Oh"
(i) How old were 'they'? Where were they living? What had they been doing until the girl called their attention to the raindrop?
(ii) Mention any three ways in which their lives on this planet differed from life on earth.
(ii) Why does the girl begin to cry when she looks at the raindrop?
(iv) Describe the dramatic change in the weather immediately after the raindrop fell.
(v) What feelings do 'they' experience at the end of the story? What had they done earlier that made them feel this way?
Answers:-
(i) The narrator was twelve and his brother fourteen year old and they lived in a small village.
(ii) The everyday life on this planet differs from life on Earth because it is continuously raining on Venus for seven years due to the dense clouds. The Sun is visible only once in seven years, and that also only for an hour or two. The people there lived underground because of the water on the ground everywhere.
(iii) The girls started wailing when she felt a raindrop in her cupped hands. And looking at that raindrop she started crying since she could realise the end of their brief summer in their life.
They realised that it would start raining again. Soon the sun faded away behind the stir of mist.
Their smiles had vanished as a cold wind began to blow.
(iv) After rain drop fell weather change dramatically, the sun faded behind the mist and a cold wind started with a bloom of thunder and lightning began while sky became dark as mid night. after that the sound of heavy downpour resumed and its sound like vast avalanche.
(v)At the end of story Children felt guilty themselves. They have locked the Margot in the closest out of jealously and not allowed to her to see the sun. Such made them feel these way.
Question 5: Read the following extract from Hans Christian Anderson's story, 'The Little Match Girl' and answer the questions given below:
So the little girl walked about the streets on her naked feet, which were red and blue with cold. In her old apron she carried a great many matches and she had a packet of them in her hand as well.
(i) Who was 'she? What can you conclude about her condition from the above description?
(ii) What time of the year was it? Why did she not want to go home?
(iii) What did she use the matches for? What happened when she lit the first match?
(iv) Whom did she love dearly? What did she say when this person appeared before her?
(v) What happened to the little girl at the end of the story? Would you consider this a happy ending or a sad one? Give one reason for your answer.
Answers:-
(i) She' is the little girl who was afraid of her father and who had been out on the streets trying to sell the matchsticks.
She is bare feeted in the brutal cold as she has lost her oversized footwear while crossing street. She is forced and threatened to sell matchsticks by her father. Little girl, Kezia was scared because she was not able to sell any matchsticks that night. If she went home without any money, she would be beaten by her father.
(ii) New Year's Eve on a particularly cold day. 'Most terribly cold it was; it snowed and was nearly quite dark. The girl did not dare to go home because she was not able to sell any of the matches. It was the Christmas eve and she didn't receive any money. She was also afraid of her father who would beat her for this. She decided not to go home.
(iii) She was trying to sell matches to earn money as she belongs to a poor family. When she lighted the first match it seemed to give a warm, bright light, like a little candle. It was really a wonderful light. It seemed to the little girl that she was sitting by a large iron stove, with polished brass feet and a brass ornament.
(iv) She loved her grandmother dearly. When her grandmother appeared before her, she requested her to take her with her. This was because she feared that her grandmother would disappear as soon as the match burns out.
(v) Though the ending of the story is sad, it proves happy for the little girl as she finally gets to be with her beloved late grandmother, away from hunger, poverty and grief.
Section D
POETRY
(Treasure Trove - A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)
Question 6: Read the following extract from the poem 'Abou Ben Adem' by Leigh Hunt and
answer the questions that follow:
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
(i) What did Abou Ben Adhem see when woke from a deep sleep one night?
(ii) What did Abou Ben Adhem ask the angel? What was the angel's response?
(iii) What did Abou request the angel to do when he learnt that his name did not appear among the names of those who loved the Lord? What does this reveal to us of Abou Ben Adhem's character?
(iv) When and how did the angel appear to Abou Ben Adhem again? What did the angel show Abou this time?
(v) What does the poet mean by 'May his tribe increase!? Why do you think he says this? What is the central message of the poem?
Answers:-
(i) One night when Adhem was awakened from a deep dream of peace, he saw that his room was filled with moonlight making it appear rich and bright like a lily in bloom. He also saw an angel writing something in a book of gold. A deep dream of peace shows his meditative state of mind.
(ii) He asked the angel what he wrote. The angel replied that he was writing the names of those who loved God, but Abou's name was not there. Abou requested the angel to write his name in the list of those who loved their fellowmen. The next night the angel come again and showed Abou the names of those whom God had blessed.
(iii) Abou requested the angel to write his name as one who loved his fellowmen. The angel did so and vanished.
(iv) The next night the angel come again and showed Abou the names of those whom God had blessed. Abou was surprised to see that his name was written on top. In these lines the poet tells us that one night Abou Ben Adhem awoke from a peaceful dream and saw an angel in his room.
(v) The phrase, 'may his tribe increase,' means that may the number of good people like Abou Ben Adhem increase in this selfish and wicked world. The narrator wants more and more people like ben adhem. He want people to love his fellowmen just like ben adhem does. The narrator. through his poem has shown great respect and admiration to abou ben adhem.
Question 7: Read the extract from David Roth's poem, 'Nine Gold Medals' given below and answer the questions that follow:
And the banner above and nine smiling faces
Said more than these words ever will
Said more than these words ever will.
(i) What was 'special' about the athletes who were participating in this Sports Meet? What special quality of theirs does the poem celebrate?
(ii) Which race was the highlight of the day? How many athletes participated in this race? What was the signal that the athletes waited for?
(iii) How does the poet describe the state of mind of the athletes as they lined up for the race? Who won the race?
(iv) If you had to give this poem an alternate title, what would you call it? Give reasons for your answer.
(v) Give a brief account of what happened after the youngest athlete fell to the ground. Why do
you think the author use the word 'strange' to describe the behaviour of the athletes?
Answers:-
(i) In the poem 'Nine Gold Medals', poet David Roth has highlighted the display of emotions of nine runners who participated in the Special Olympics. The athletes had come to participate in the 'Special Olympics' meant for differently-abled persons. They were determined to win the hundred-yard race. The poem celebrates the human quality of true sportsmanship and empathy for the fallen athlete.
(ii) The last event of the day was the hundred-metre race. Nine young athletes were participating in this event. They were well-poised, waiting for the pistol shot as a starting signal of the special Olympics. Halfway through the race the youngest athlete stumbled and fell down on the tracks.
(iii) The poet says that he is sure that what he witnessed was true as he was telling the readers about the incident. The runner who fell down uttered a moaning cry of frustration and sadness.
He had fallen in the race and his dream of winning the race was shattered.
(iv) I would give an alternative title for the poem lines composed in a wood on a windy day as " The winds of the breeze" because here the narrator of the poem is trying to explain on how the whether on that day looked like which is windy caused by the breeze and how the wind from the breeze effected the environment around her like the grass, the trees, the earth and the ocean.
Basically the narrator is talking about the winds of the breeze.
(v) The youngest athlete dreamt of winning a medal in the Special Olympics. However, when he fell down on his knees to the ground, he felt all of his dreams and efforts of winning the medal were shattered and his hopes were dashed. He had trained hard but did not get the opportunity to show his talent.
Nine gold medals summary encourages human compassion and cooperation. It draws inspiration from the nine differently-abled athletes in a Special Olympic event. Further, it is about a race which takes place between these runners.
**If you found this useful, do check the 2023 specimen papers of other subjects along with their Solutions by clicking here: https://novakidhs.blogspot.com/p/icse-specimen-papers-2023-with.html
** For Questions and Answers, Solved Test Papers , Previous Years paper scanner and much more curated study materials on all the subjects of the ICSE syllabus, click here 👇
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