WEEKLY PRACTICE PAPER -1 FOR CBSE IX

SECTION – A (READING)

1. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions in brief.

SUDOKU

Su means number and Doku means single. The game of Sudoku has many similarities with the game of life. Sudoku is a puzzle game designed for a single player, much like a crossword puzzle. The puzzle itself is nothing more than a grid of little boxes called “cells”. They are stacked nine high and nine wide, making 81 cells total.

The roots of the Sudoku puzzle are in the Switzerland. Leonhard Euler created “carre latin” in the 18th century which is similar to a Sudoku puzzle. The first real Sudoku was published in 1979 and was invented by Howard Gams, an American architect. The real world wide popularity started in Japan in 1986 after it was published and given the name Sudoku by Nikoli.

In life, too, you start with a given set of notions and then work from there on. In Sudoku, you need to follow a set of rules to build up the grid, filling each row, column and box with numbers ranging from one to nine, so much like in life where you have to go on your way without hurting anyone else. Respect every number (person), and things would be fine.

While playing, you never think of the end (the result); you just keep working on the numbers and the final result (fruits of action) comes on its own. Extremely difficult puzzles may take hours. Similarly, to achieve desired results in life may take years. The game of Sudoku and the game of life are best played in calm but in a focused state.

Everything has to go together in a Sudoku grid: the rows, columns and squares. Exactly as in life. Your duties towards your family, teachers, society and country all go on simultaneously. In Sudoku, the arrangement of the given numbers is symmetrical. This is instructive in life, on how to maintain steadfast faith, poise and equanimity despite situations when everything turns topsy- turvy.

There is a subtle difference between the two as well. Make a mistake and you can erase it and begin all over again in Sudoku. Not so in life. You can learn a lesson through it, and avoid making the same mistake in future.

Answer the following questions:

1. What is Sudoku?
2. How has the writer compared the numbers in Sudoku to life?
3. What is the similarity between Sudoku and Life?
4. How do we achieve the desired result?
5. What is meant by ’instructive ’? (Para 4)
6. What is meant by ’equanimity’? (Para 4)
7. Find the word opposite in meaning to ’obvious ’. (Para 5)
8. Find the word opposite in meaning to ’ruffled ’. (Para 3)

SECTION – B (GRAMMAR)

2. Read the passage given below and fill in the blanks by choosing the most appropriate word from the given options:

When India got Independence from the British, most things associated with

(a)…………… British were done away with, but some of (b)……………. pretty letter¬boxes managed to survive. These letter-boxes have (c)………. nostalgic aura about them. Some are over 150 years old. Now they all bear the logo of the Indian Postal Services.

(a) (i) and                    (ii) an              (iii) a                (iv) the

(b) (i) an                      (ii) the             (iii) but            (iv) an

(c) (i) a                         (ii) an              (iii) the            (iv) nor

3. In the following passage one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along with the word that comes before and the word that comes after it.

                                                                                               Before             Missing        After

Festivals gifting go hand in hand while                    (a)

Its fun be inundated with beautiful gifts,                 (b)

giving to others equally satisfying, and more          (c)

So when gifts are appropriate                                     (d)

4. Rearrange the following words or phrases into meaningful sentences:

e.g.: bravery/greatness/on one’s/depends.

Greatness depends on one’s bravery.

(a) is a / whoever / great soul / is / man / brave / of

(b) end of / is to / the / life / true / never / know / ends / that / life.

(c) the fear itself / life / the / we / to fear / only / have / thing / is

SECTION – C (WRITING)

5. Write an article in 100 – 200 words on “Be concerned and save the planet”. Small steps initiated at the school level can help in reducing Global Warming. Teaching children to be responsible is actually a stape towards conservation of the environment.

6. Read the opening line and weave a story around it in 150 to 200 words: I was traveling in a train ..