English (Second Language) — Full Q&A Paper (Seen + Unseen + Answers)

ENGLISH (Second Language) — FULL QUESTION & ANSWER
ABTA MADHYAMIK TEST PAPERS 2025-26 — Seen, Poem, Unseen, Grammar & Writing (Complete)

SECTION-A: READING COMPREHENSION (SEEN)

Passage (Runaway Kite):

It is always lovely on the Big Half Moon in summer. When it is fine, the harbour is blue and calm, with little wind and ripples. Every summer, we had some hobby. The last summer before Dick and Mim came we were crazy about kites. A boy on the mainland showed Claude how to make them. Back on the island we made plenty of kites. Claude would go around to the other side of the island and we would play shipwrecked mariners signaling to each other with kites.

We had a kite that was big and covered with lovely red paper. We pasted gold tinsel stars all over it and had written our names full in it: Claude Leete and Philipa Leete, Big Half Moon lighthouse.

One day there was a grand wind for kite-flying. I am not sure how it happened, but as I was bringing the kite from the house, I tripped and fell over the rocks. My elbow went clear through the kite, making a big hole.

We had to hurry to fix the kite if we wanted to send it up before the wind fell. We rushed into the lighthouse to get some paper. We knew there was no more red paper. We took the first thing that came handy—an old letter lying on the bookcase in the sitting room. We patched the kite up with the letter, a sheet on each side and dried it by the fire. We started out, and up went the kite like a bird. The wind was glorious and it soared. All at once snap! And there was Claude, standing with a bit of cord in his hand, looking foolish. Our kite had sailed away over to the mainland.

A. Choose the correct alternative:

(i) During the summer the sea in the harbour was — (d) calm.
(ii) In summer Claude and his sister would play — (d) shipwrecked mariners.
(iii) Claude learnt the art of making kite from — (b) a boy on the mainland.
(iv) The narrator of the above text is — (a) Philipa.
(v) The above text is taken from the prose named — (b) Our Runaway Kite.

B. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

(i) The narrator and Claude were crazy about kites in the last summer before Dick and Mimi came ( because a boy on the mainland showed Claude how to make them and they made plenty of kites).
(ii) The kite soared because the wind was glorious
(iii) Claude and the narrator mended the kite with an old letter (a sheet on each side) and dried it by the fire.

C. Write 'T' for True and 'F' for False statements. Give supporting quote:

(i) The visitors were crazy about kites. — False.

Supporting quote: “The last summer before Dick and Mim came we were crazy about kites.” (It was 'we', not 'visitors'.)
(ii) The names of Claude and Philippa were written on the kite. — True.

Supporting quote: “We had written our names full in it: Claude Leete and Philipa Leete, Big Half Moon lighthouse.”

Poem (Excerpt)

Passage (excerpt):

To grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall

The snail sticks close, nor fears to fall
As if he grew there, house and all Together.

Within that house secure he hides
When danger imminent betides
Of weather.

Give but his horns the slightest touch,
His self-collecting pow'r is such,
He shrinks into his house with much Displeasure.

Where'er he dwells, he dwells alone,
Except himself has chattels none
Well satisfied to be his own Whole treasure.

A. Choose the correct alternatives:

(i) The snail sticks to things — (b) tightly.
(ii) The house of the snail is made of — (d) hard shell.
(iii) Apparently the snail is — (b) selfish (he lives alone and keeps to his own treasure).
(iv) The snail hides — (a) in his house.

B. Short answers:

(i) About the snail's house: It is a closely held, protective house (a hard shell) in which the snail lives and which he can retreat into when danger threatens.
(ii) Reaction to danger: If touched or when danger is imminent the snail quickly withdraws into his shell (house) for protection.

READING COMPREHENSION (UNSEEN)

Passage (Zeenat the Tigress — adapted from The Telegraph, 30 Dec 2024):

Khatra, 30 Dec-2024 : The three-year-old tigress, Zeenat was captured by foresters in Bankura, 280 km as the crow flies from Odisha's Similipat Tiger Reserve whose confines she had escaped on December 5.

Over the next three-and-a-half weeks, she would have covered hundreds of kilometres zigzagging through the forests of Odisha, Jharkhand and Bengal, often close to human habitation, as scores of foresters spent sleepless nights.

She was successfully darted and tranquillised in the Banpukri forest of Bankura at 3:56 pm on Sunday.

S. Kuhandaivel, chief conservator of forests (western circle) lauded "the relentless efforts" foresters had made since the big cat entered Bengal on December 20. "Zeenat will be observed for the next 24 hour's at Alopur Zoo", he said.

Similipal field director Pradip Chand Gogineni, who was in Bankura during the tranquillising operation, said, the tigress was likely to be sent back to Similipal after the observation period at Alipur Zoo.

After entering Bengal via the Belpahari forests of Jhargram, Zeenat had travelled from one district to another.

"We were very careful about her safety as she started roaming near human habitations. We had to catch her unharmed," said a senior official who had been involved in the rescue operation since the day one.

"We had a bitter memory from 2018, when villagers killed a roaming tiger in Lalgarh, Jhargram. Now we are relieved."

Through her 24-day Odyssey, Zeenat had smartly sidestepped all the foresters' baits in the form of goat and buffalo. Multiple measures were taken to dart her after she entered Purulia on December 22, foresters said.

Zeenat had been brought to Similipal on November 14 from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharastra as a part of a drive to strengthen the gene pool in the Odisha reserve.

(Adapted from a report Published in 'The Telegraph' dated 30 December, 2024)

A. Tick the correct answer:

(i) The tigress, Zeenat, fled from Similipal Tiger Reserve on — (c) December 5, 2024.
(ii) The tigress was captured in the forests of — (d) Banpukri, Bankura.
(iii) The age of Zeenat is — (a) three years.
(iv) "The non-stop efforts to capture Zeenat started from" — (d) December 20, 2024 (since the big cat entered Bengal on Dec 20 and relentless efforts were made thereafter).
(v) Before escaping from Similipal Tiger Reserve Zeenat stayed there for about — (c) three weeks (she was brought on Nov 14 and escaped on Dec 5).
(vi) Zeenat entered the forests of Purulia on — (b) December 22, 2024.

B. True / False (with supporting quote):

(i) The strayed tigress Zeenat travelled through the forests of two states. — False.

Supporting quote: "...zigzagging through the forests of Odisha, Jharkhand and Bengal..." (three states).
(ii) Once a roaming tiger was killed by the villagers in Lalgarh in 2018. — True.

Supporting quote: "We had a bitter memory from 2018, when villagers killed a roaming tiger in Lalgarh, Jhargram."
(iii) Zeenat entered West Bengal through the Belpahari forests of Jhargram. — True.

Supporting quote: "After entering Bengal via the Belpahari forests of Jhargram..."

C. Answer the following questions:

(i) How did the tigress travel through the forests of different states?
Answer: Zeenat covered hundreds of kilometres over a period of about three-and-a-half weeks, zigzagging through forests of Odisha, Jharkhand and Bengal, often moving close to human habitations.
(ii) What did the foresters do to capture the strayed tigress?
Answer: Foresters used multiple measures — they set baits (goat and buffalo), used tactical operations over many days, and finally darted and tranquillised her to capture her unharmed; she was then taken for observation at Alipur Zoo.
(iii) Who is S. Kuhandaivel and what did he praise?
Answer: S. Kuhandaivel is the Chief Conservator of Forests (Western Circle). He lauded "the relentless efforts" the foresters had made to capture Zeenat since she entered Bengal on Dec 20.
(iv) From where was the tigress Zeenat brought to Similipal Tiger Reserve and why?
Answer: Zeenat had been brought to Similipal on November 14 from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra as part of a drive to strengthen the gene pool in the Odisha reserve.

SECTION-B: GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY

4. Fill in the blanks (choose correct alternatives):

Swami Samuel stood at the entrance to his class.
He was teaching arithmetic.
Samuel hoped Swami would not scold him severely. (contextual phrasing)

5A. Fill in the blanks (articles/prepositions):

When the family sits down to tea, the cat puts in an appearance to get his share.

5B. Do as directed:

(i) "Mother serves breakfast at 8 o'clock every day." — Change voice:
Breakfast is served by mother at 8 o'clock every day.
(ii) "What has he done, father?" asked Swaminathan. — Change mode of narration:
Swaminathan asked his father what he had done.
(iii) "He knew it." — Noun form of 'knew':
knowledge (He had the knowledge.)

5C. Phrasal verbs (replace underlined):

(i) Dengue has spread in the town. — break out (Dengue has broken out in the town.)
(ii) The robbers escaped with the booty. — get away (The robbers got away with the booty.)
(iii) The prizes will be distributed after the match. — give away (The prizes will be given away after the match.)

(List given: set out, give away, break out, get away — 'set out' is extra.)

6. Meanings (from Unseen passage):

(i) making calmer or sleepy by means of a drug — tranquillising / sedating.
(ii) an area with a clear boundary — reserve (as in Tiger Reserve).
(iii) a long eventful and adventurous journey — odyssey.
(iv) a basic unit of heredity passed from parent to child — gene.

SECTION-C: WRITING (Sample Answers)

7. Report: "Tree Protection Day" (sample report — 10 marks)

Report for School Magazine

Date & Time: July 20, 2025, 9:00 a.m. — 12:00 noon
Place: School ground and nearby neighbourhood roads
Organiser: Eco-Club & School Management Committee

The school observed "Tree Protection Day" on July 20 with great enthusiasm. Preparation began a week earlier: students created banners and placards, the gardening club prepared saplings, and the local municipal office provided tools and permission for a short rally. At 9 a.m. students of classes VI to XII assembled in the school ground where the Head of Institution inaugurated the programme by releasing biodegradable balloons and addressing the gathering on the importance of trees.

A rally was taken out through the adjacent neighbourhood carrying placards: "Save Trees, Save Life," "Plant More, Cut Less." At the community meeting that followed, guardians were invited and urged to take immediate action whenever they witnessed illegal tree-felling. Members of the School Management Committee spoke about community responsibility and local laws protecting trees. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks and a short recitation of the poem "My Own True Family," which reinforced the message that trees are part of our extended family.

Over 120 saplings were planted, and the school decided to monitor their growth. The event ended with refreshments and a pledge signed by guardians and students to report tree-felling and to nurture planted saplings.

8. Story (about 100 words) — "The Farmer and the Bridge"

On a stormy night a farmer rode his horse towards the village when suddenly the horse refused to move forward. Frustrated, the farmer flogged the horse, but it still would not budge. At dawn, he walked forward and found the bridge ahead had collapsed in the raging river — the horse had sensed danger. Filled with regret, the farmer realised his harshness and vowed never to punish an animal without cause. The ruined bridge taught him compassion and carefulness.

9. Letter to the Editor (response to Question No.3 — about tigers and villagers)

The Editor

The Statesman

Kolkata-700001

Sir,

I write in response to the report (The Telegraph, 30 Dec 2024) on the strayed tigress Zeenat and the human–wildlife tensions around Similipal. The episode shows both the vulnerability of large predators and the precarious position of villagers living near forests. Rapid urbanisation, habitat fragmentation and the pressures of development often push wildlife to stray into human-dominated areas. In this case, translocation of animals (Zeenat was brought from Tadoba to strengthen gene pool) is well intentioned, but without contiguous corridors and greater community engagement such measures remain incomplete.

Strengthening the gene pool was needed to enhance genetic diversity in Similipal and reduce inbreeding risks. Bringing individuals from other reserves can help, but only if habitat health and prey base are secure. If corridors are blocked, human settlements expand, and natural prey declines, relocated animals may wander, increasing risk to both humans and wildlife.

Therefore, the solution must be holistic: (1) protect and restore forest corridors; (2) involve local communities in conservation, offering alternatives and compensation; (3) improve rapid-response teams that can safely capture and relocate strayed animals; (4) public awareness campaigns to reduce retaliatory killings. The foresters’ careful efforts to capture Zeenat unharmed are commendable; however, long-term measures are essential to prevent recurrence.

Yours faithfully,
[Your Name],
Class/Designation (if student — name of school)

PKG WAY

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