9th English Half Yearly 2025 original question with official key
Class:
9 COMMON HALF
YEARLY EXAMINATION 2025-26
Time: 3.00 Hours ENGLISH
Maximum Marks: 100
General
Instructions:
1. All questions are
compulsory.
2. Marks are indicated
against each section.
PART
- I
Choose
the most appropriate option. 1x14=14
Choose
the appropriate synonym for the underlined word.
1.
He did not look very prosperous.
a)
poor b) flourishing c) well d) popular
2.
Winning the one-rupee coin used to give me immense satisfaction.
a)
small b) great c) less d) little
3.
She was tired of pruning rose bushes.
a)
trimming b) enlarging c) extending d) expanding
Choose
the appropriate antonym for the underlined word.
4. I’d be completely exhausted by the end of it all.
a)
tired b) dull c) pale d) energetic
5. Amy is really scared.
a)
frightened b) calm c) fearful d) nervous
6. Water is the common of liquids.
a)
uncommon b) accurate c) perfect d)
painful
7. Choose the correct preposition: Vimal generally goes to his workplace ---
bus.
a)
by b) among c) between d)
under
8. Choose the correct modal verb: When she was eighteen, she --- run fast.
a)
can b) could c) may d)
must
9. Choose the correct abbreviation of RAM
a)
Read Only Memory a) Read Access
Memory c) Rapid Accurate Memory d) Random Access Memory
10. The plural form of ‘leaf’ is: a) leafs
b) leaves c) leaves
11. The correct full form of 'they've' is: a)
they b) they have c) they have not d) they would
12. Form a derivative by adding the right prefix to the word ‘appear’. a) mis b)
dis c) co d) in
13. Complete the sentence: --- fire, break the
glass to escape.
a)
In case of b) In case c) In case with d) Instead of
14.
Fill in the blank with appropria te
degrees of comparison: Mango is ___ than Pineapple.
a)
sweet b) sweeter c) sweetest d) more sweeter
PART
- II
Section
– I
Answer
any THREE of the following questions in a sentence or two. 3x2=6
15. What did the visitor hide in the jackfruit tree? (OR) How did the
grandfather get the Iron Cross?
16. Why was Sachin asked to change the school? (OR) What acted as a safety
valve for him?
17. What did Pongo consider as evidence against the narrator?
18. What, according to C.V. Raman, is the real elixir of life?
Section
- II
Read
the following poetic lines and answer any THREE of the questions that follow. 3x2=6
19.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to
keep..."
a) How does the poet describe the woods?
b) Whom does 'I' refer to?
20.
"I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath; my wrath did
end."
a) Whom does 'I' refer to?
b) How did the poet's anger come to an end?
21.
"Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping
Like impetuous youth."
a) Where does the rose grow?
b) Which stage of man is compared here?
22.
"And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves."
a) What does the phrase 'leprous hide' mean?
b) What comes out of it?
PART
- III
Section
- I
Answer
any THREE of the following. 3x2=6
23.
Rewrite the sentence in the superlative degree: The Nile is longer than any other river in
the world.
24.
Identify and underline the phrase in the sentence: Texting on his phone, the man swerved into a
ditch.
25.
Punctuate the following sentence correctly:
tom what on earth is that cat
26.
Write the gerund or infinitive form of the verb: ______ (Walk) is a healthy habit.
27.
Rearrange the words to make a meaningful sentence.
a)
dull / and / Tom / depressed / was
Section
– II
28. You are at the point marked 'X'. A stranger asks
you to direct him to the school. Write three clear instructions to help him. 1x2=2
PART
- IV Section - I
Answer
any TWO of the following in a paragraph. 2x5=10
29.
Narrate in your own words the hardships Sachin Tendulkar underwent to become a
great cricketer.
30.
Describe the clever strategy followed by Clem Jones to deceive Pongo.
31.
How does C.V. Raman show that water is the "elixir of life"? Explain.
32.
Elaborate the rescue operation undertaken by Mr. Peters in the lesson 'Old Man
River'.
Section
- II
Answer
any TWO of the following. 2x5=10
33.
How did the poet's anger with his friend end? How was it different from his
anger with his foe?
34.
How did the spider flatter the fly with his cunning words? What happens if we
fall prey to flattery?
35.
Read the stanza and answer the questions.
"He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake."
a) Pick out the rhyming words.
b) Identify the rhyme scheme.
c) What is the figure of speech used in "downy flake"?
d) Pick out the alliterated words in the first line.
36.
Paraphrase the following stanza in your own words.
"Bright you sparkle on your way;
O'er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play."
Section
- III (Supplementary Reader) (1x5=5 Marks)
Answer
any ONE of the following.
37.
Rearrange the following sentences about Tom Sawyer and the painkiller in
the correct order.
a)
Since all her methods failed, finally she gave him a painkiller.
b)
So Aunt Polly tried different types of remedies on him.
c)
The painkiller triggered adverse reactions on Peter the cat.
d)
Tom was dull and depressed.
e)
But Tom gave that painkiller to the cat Peter.
38.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
Here
we are. Welcome to my humble roadside tea shop. Make yourself comfortable on
this wooden bench.
It looks rickety but it will hold your
weight. My name, sir? I am called Brij. I am seventeen years old. I started
this tea shop two years ago. Before
that, I worked in a roadside shop outside Panipat. The heat, the crowd,
the pollution—it was all too much. I had
saved most of my earnings. I came back and with a little help I started
this shop. By the grace of God, it
provides me a decent enough livelihood.
Questions:
a) What
looked rickety?
b) How old is Brij?
c) When did he start his tea shop?
d) Where did he work before starting his own shop?
e) How did he start his own shop?
Section
- IV
Answer
any FOUR of the following. 4x5=20
39. Prepare an attractive
advertisement using the hints below.
Fruits and Vegetables - Organic, fresh from farms - Free home delivery - 63,
MRC Road, Salem.
40. Write a letter to your
friend describing the joy of celebrating festivals in a village.
41. You are the Head Boy/Head
Girl of your school. Write a notice for the school notice board informing
students about a 'Fancy Fete' to be organized on the 10th of next month.
42. Look at the picture (of
children playing in a green park/clean environment) and express your views on
it in a paragraph of five sentences.
43. Make notes or write a
summary of the following passage:
"Water is the basis of all life. Every animal or plant contains a
substantial proportion of free or combined water in its body, and no kind of
physiological activity is possible in which the fluid does not play an
essential part. Water is, of course, necessary for animal life, while moisture
in the soil is equally imperative for the life and growth of plants and trees
though the quantity necessary varies enormously with the species. The
conservation and utilization of water is thus fundamental for human welfare.
Apart from artesian water the ultimate source in all cases is rain or snowfall.
Much of Indian agriculture depends on seasonal rainfall and is therefore very
sensitive to any failure or irregularity of the same."
44. Identify and correct the
errors in the following sentences.
a) One of the girl is my relative.
b) Mathematics are an interesting subject.
c) I met an European.
d) What is the time in your watch?
e) Neither Rahim nor his friends was injured.
Section
- V
45. Quote from Memory: 1x5=5
From: River, river, little river! ...
To: ... like impetuous youth.
PART
- V
46.
Answer any ONE of the following. 1x8=8
(a)
An honest couple - dog - luck - envious neighbours - borrowed dog - didn't
bring luck - killed - buried - pine tree - dream - mortar - treasure -
neighbours borrowed - burnt - ashes - sprinkled - withered tree blossomed -
prince - rewarded - wicked punished.
(b)
Little Cyclone - grizzly cub - Alaska - mother fired at - cubs ran - one
captured - New York Zoo - courage - faced other bears - earned respect.
47.
Answer any ONE of the following. 1x8=8
(a) Read
the following paragraph and answer the questions given below:
"Books are the greatest treasure of mankind. The habit of reading them is
a source of pleasure. He, who is in the habit of reading books should buy books
for himself. He should start collecting books in his youth. The books collected
and arranged properly in a room not only decorate the room but also make the
presence of their authors felt. Books contain eternal truths and are better
friends than those of flesh and blood as they not only entertain but also guide
us."
Questions:
i) What is described as the greatest treasure of mankind?
ii) When should one start collecting books?
iii) What do books contain in them?
iv) Mention any two benefits of reading books.
OR
(b)
Read the following poem and answer the questions given below:
Read the following poem and answer the questions given below:
"If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley – but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush, if you can’t be a tree.
If you can’t be a bush, be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make;
If you can’t be a Muskie, then just be a bass –
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can’t all be captains, we’ve got to be crew,
There’s something for all of us here.
There’s big work to do and there’s lesser to do
And the task we must do is the near.
If you can’t be a highway, then just be a trail,
If you can’t be the sun, be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or you fail –
Be the best of whatever you are!"
Questions:
a) Where does the poet say the best scrub should grow?
b) What can make a highway traveller happier?
c) According to the poet, does size matter in winning or failing? Give a
reason.
d) What is the underlying theme of the poem?
