A Reading: My Childhood 

Practice.. Practice... Practice... 

I. Read the following
   One day when I was in the fifth standard at the Rameswaram Elementary School, a new teacher came to our class. I used to wear a cap which marked me as a Muslim, and I always sat in the front row next to Ramanadha Sastry, who wore the sacred thread. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest's son sitting with a Muslim boy. In accordance with our social ranking as the new teacher saw it, I was asked to go and sit on the back bench. I felt very sad, and so did Ramanadha Sastry. He looked utterly downcast as I shifted to my seat in the last row. The image of him weeping when I shifted to the last row left a lasting impression on me.
   After school, we went home and told our respective parents about the incident. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher, and in our presence, told the teacher that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communical intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He bluntly asked the teacher to either apologize or quite the school and the island. Not only did the teacher regret his behaviour but the strong sense of conviction Lakshmana Sastry conveyed ultimately reformed this young teacher.
         

   Now, choose the correct answer from the options and write in your answer script.   

4 × 1 = 4

1. Features of the above text that the passage is an excerpt of
     (a) a story                             (b) an autobiography
     (c) a biography                     (c) a report
2. Who does 'I' in the passage refer to?
     (a) Ramanadha Sastry         (b) Laxmana Sastry
     (c) The New teacher            (d) Abdul Kalam
3. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu ... the underlined phrase means...
     (a) could not understand     (b) could not imagine
     (c) could not tolerate           (d) could not visualize
4. 'Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher' to
     (a) Give a warning               (b) Praise
     (c) congratulate                   (d) make him realise his mistake
 

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences  3 × 2 = 6
 

5. 'I felt very sad...' Why did the speaker feel sad?
6. Do you support Lakshmana Sastry's reaction on the teacher? Why/ Why not?
7. Mention the social inequalities often observed by you in your locality.
 

II. In the passage given below some words are missing. Choose the correct word from the given options and write them in your answer sheet.
   One day he invited me to his home for a meal. His wife was horrified ..... (1) the idea of a muslim boy being invited to dine in her ritually pure kitchen. She refused to serve me in her kitchen. Sivasubramania Iyer was not perturbed nor did he get angry with his wife ... (2) instead,served me with his own hands and sat down beside me to eat his meal. His wife watched us from behind the kitchen door. I wondered ..... (3) she had observed any difference in the way I ate rice, drank water or cleaned the floor after the meal ..... (4) I was leaving his house, Sivasubramania Iyer invited me to join him for dinner again the next weekend. Observing my hesitation, he told not to get upset, saying, once you decide to change the system ..... (5) problems have to be confronted

1. (a) by           (b) with                (c) for                 (d) at
2. (a) nor         (b) and                  (c) but                (d) if
3. (a) what       (b) why                (c) whether      (d) when
4. (a) when       (b) then               (c) there           (d) that
5. (a) that         (b) which            (c) such             (d) these
 

KEY

I. 1-b; 2-d; 3-c; 4-d.
5. The new teacher could not stomach a Hindu priest's son sitting with a muslim boy and Kalam was asked to go and sit on the back bench. So the speaker feel sad.
6. Yes, make him realise his mistake
7. Opportunities are not equal/ discrimination
II. 1-d; 2-c; 3-c; 4-a; 5-c.