Reoti, Ballia (U.P.) · Affiliated to CBSE · www.gjms.edu.in
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER · Session 2026-27 English (Language & Literature) — Class IX · Level R1
Time Allowed: 3 HoursMaximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
The paper has three sections: A (Reading Skills — 20), B (Writing Skills & Grammar — 30), C (Language through Literature — 30). The remaining 20 marks are Internal Assessment.
All questions are compulsory. Attempt the sections in order and number answers correctly.
Wherever internal choice (OR) is given, attempt any one option.
Word limits must be adhered to; marks are deducted for exceeding them substantially.
Literature questions in Section C are set on the prescribed NCERT textbook Kaveri (Grade 9).
Note for teachers: the two Reading passages and all Writing & Grammar items are ready to use as-is. The three literature extracts in Section C are illustrative placeholders — replace each with the corresponding prose / poem / drama extract from your copy of Kaveri; the question stems and mark split already follow the official 2026-27 R1 design.
SECTION A — Reading Skills 20 marks
1.10 Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
1. Every year, thousands of migratory birds travel astonishing distances to reach the wetlands of India. The bar-tailed godwit, for instance, flies for more than eight days without stopping — a journey of nearly 11,000 kilometres across open ocean. Scientists once believed such feats were impossible; the bird would surely need to rest and feed. Careful tracking with tiny satellite tags proved otherwise.
2. How does a small bird achieve this? Before departure, godwits nearly double their body weight, storing fat as fuel. Remarkably, their bodies also shrink some internal organs they will not need during flight, including parts of the digestive system, to reduce weight. They then wait — sometimes for weeks — for a favourable weather window, reading wind patterns with a precision that still puzzles researchers.
3. This behaviour reminds us that endurance is not only about strength. It is about preparation, timing and the willingness to commit fully once conditions are right. The godwit does not hedge; it either flies or it does not. Perhaps that is a lesson worth carrying beyond the world of birds.
4. Yet these journeys are increasingly at risk. Wetlands along the route are being drained for construction, and warming seas are shifting the winds the birds depend on. Protecting a single stop-over marsh in India may decide whether a bird hatched in the Arctic survives the winter.
On the basis of your reading, answer any ten of the following:
State any one reason scientists earlier believed the godwit's journey was impossible. (1)
How far does the bar-tailed godwit fly without stopping? (1)
Explain how godwits reduce their body weight for the journey, apart from using stored fat. (2)
What does the writer mean by saying the godwit "does not hedge"? (2)
Why is protecting a single Indian marsh described as decisive for the bird's survival? (2)
The passage says endurance is "not only about strength." What three qualities does the writer highlight instead? (2)
Find a word in paragraph 1 that means 'surprising / remarkable'. (1)
Find a word in paragraph 4 that means 'made empty of water'. (1)
What helps the godwit choose the right moment to depart? (1)
Give a suitable title to the passage. (1)
Which human activity mentioned in the passage threatens the wetlands? (1)
2.10 Read the following case-based passage with a chart and answer any ten questions.
A school surveyed 200 students of Class IX about how they spend their time after school on an average weekday. The results were recorded to help the wellness committee plan activities.
Activity
Average hours/day
% who do it daily
Homework & study
2.5
96%
Screen time (phone/TV)
3.1
88%
Outdoor play / sport
0.8
34%
Reading (non-textbook)
0.4
22%
Sleep
7.2
100%
Answer any ten:
On which activity do students spend the most time daily? (1)
What percentage of students play a sport or go outdoors daily? (1)
By how many hours does average screen time exceed outdoor play? (1)
Which activity is done by every single student surveyed? (1)
Doctors recommend at least 8 hours of sleep. By how much do students fall short on average? (2)
State one concern the wellness committee might raise from this data. (2)
Suggest one realistic step to improve the outdoor-play figure. (2)
Why might the "reading" figure worry an English teacher? (1)
What fraction (approx.) of students do not read non-textbook material daily? (1)
Which two activities together take up more than 5 hours a day? (1)
Give the survey a suitable heading. (1)
SECTION B — Writing Skills & Grammar 30 marks
3.4 The following paragraph has errors. Choose the correct option for each blank (editing). Any four.
The library (a) ____ (was / were) closed yesterday. → (i) was (ii) were (iii) is (iv) are
Neither the teacher nor the students (b) ____ present. → (i) was (ii) were (iii) is (iv) has
She has been studying (c) ____ morning. → (i) since (ii) for (iii) from (iv) at
If it rains, we (d) ____ cancel the match. → (i) will (ii) would (iii) shall have (iv) had
Each of the boys (e) ____ a prize. → (i) receive (ii) receives (iii) have received (iv) are receiving
4.3 Rearrange any three to form meaningful sentences.
a warning / the notice / to all / issued / residents / was
should / their homework / before / submit / students / the deadline
never / he / late / for / has / been / school
the elderly / to / we / respect / must / always
5.3 Transform any three as directed.
"I will help you," said Riya to me. (Change to reported speech.)
The mango is too sweet to be sour. (Rewrite using 'so … that'.)
As soon as the bell rang, the students left. (Begin with 'No sooner'.)
He is honest. Everyone knows it. (Combine using a noun clause.)
6.3 You are Aman/Amna, Head Boy/Girl of your school. Write a notice (up to 50 words) for the school board informing students about a Blood Donation Camp to be held next Saturday.
OR
Write an informal invitation (up to 50 words) inviting your cousin to your sister's wedding.
7.5 Write a letter to the Editor of a newspaper (120-150 words) expressing your views on the growing problem of plastic waste in your town, suggesting practical measures. You are Rahul/Ritu, 14 MG Road, Ballia.
OR
Write a formal e-mail (120-150 words) to the Municipal Officer requesting repair of streetlights in your locality, describing the safety risks caused by the outage.
8.5 Write a factual description (120-150 words) of your school's annual science exhibition.
OR
Write a magazine article (120-150 words) on "Why Every Student Should Read Beyond Textbooks."
9.7 Write a descriptive / narrative essay (200-250 words) on any one:
A day that did not go as planned.
The most memorable place I have ever visited.
If I could change one thing about my town.
SECTION C — Language through Literature 30 marks
The extracts below are illustrative. In the actual paper, use the matching prose, poem and drama passages from Kaveri (Grade 9). Question stems and marks follow the R1 design.
10.5 Read the extract (from a prose lesson) and answer.
"I had not realised, until that morning, how much I had taken the old bridge for granted. It had carried our footsteps for generations, and now it stood — half-washed away by the flood — like a tired arm still reaching across the river."
What had the narrator taken for granted? (1)
What has happened to the bridge? (2 — MCQ / objective)
Explain the comparison "like a tired arm." (2)
11.5 Read the poetry extract and answer.
"Do not wait for the storm to pass; learn, instead, to read the wind — for those who wait are always late, and those who move are rarely pinned."
What advice does the poet give in the first two lines? (2 — objective)
Identify and explain the poetic device in "read the wind." (2)
What is the central message of the extract? (1)
12.10 Answer any five in 40-50 words each (from across the prescribed prose, poetry and drama in Kaveri).
How does the writer use a small incident to convey a larger truth in the prescribed prose lesson? (2)
Describe a moment of humour in the prescribed drama extract and its effect. (2)
What image in the prescribed poem stays with you, and why? (2)
How does the main character change from the beginning to the end of the prose lesson? (2)
What conflict drives the drama extract, and how is it resolved? (2)
Comment on the title of any one prescribed poem. (2)
13.5 Answer any one in 120-150 words (extrapolation / across texts).
A character from the prescribed prose lesson writes a diary entry the night after the events. Compose that entry, staying true to the character.
Two characters from different lessons in Kaveri could learn from each other. Imagine a short conversation between them on the theme of courage.
14.5 Answer any one in 120-150 words (theme / plot / character).
"Endurance matters more than talent." Discuss with reference to any one prescribed text.
Analyse how the setting shapes the mood in any one prescribed poem or prose lesson.
— END OF PAPER —
MARKING SCHEMEfor teachers
Section A — Reading
1. Award 1 mark each for any ten. Value points: (a) the bird would need to rest/feed / such non-stop distance seemed impossible; (b) nearly 11,000 km / more than 8 days non-stop; (c) [2] it shrinks/reduces some internal organs it won't need in flight (e.g. parts of the digestive system) to cut weight; (d) [2] it commits fully — it either flies or does not; no half-measures/no hedging; (e) [2] the marsh is a vital stop-over/refuelling point; losing it can mean the bird cannot complete migration/survive winter; (f) [2] preparation, timing, willingness to commit fully; (g) astonishing / remarkable; (h) drained; (i) favourable weather window / wind patterns; (j) e.g. "The Incredible Journey of the Godwit"; (k) draining wetlands for construction. Accept any correctly-supported answer.
2. 1 mark each, any ten: (a) screen time (3.1 h); (b) 34%; (c) 2.3 hours; (d) sleep (100%); (e) [2] 0.8 hours short (8 − 7.2); (f) [2] e.g. excessive screen time / too little exercise / low reading — any reasoned concern; (g) [2] any realistic step — sports period, inter-house matches, screen-free hour; (h) [1] only 22% read daily — poor reading habit; (i) about 78% / roughly four-fifths; (j) homework (2.5) + screen (3.1) = 5.6 h; (k) e.g. "How Class IX Spends After-School Time."
Section B — Writing & Grammar
3. (a) was (b) were (c) since (d) will (e) receives — 1 each, any four = 4.
4. (a) A warning was issued to all residents. (b) Students should submit their homework before the deadline. (c) He has never been late for school. (d) We must always respect the elderly. — 1 each, any three = 3.
5. (a) Riya told me that she would help me. (b) The mango is so sweet that it cannot be sour. (c) No sooner had the bell rung than the students left. (d) Everyone knows that he is honest. — 1 each, any three = 3.
6. Notice: box/heading, "NOTICE", school name, date, event, day/time/venue, purpose, name & designation — content 2 + format 1. OR Invitation: occasion, date/time/venue, warm informal tone — content 2 + expression 1.
7. Letter to Editor: format (sender's address, date, editor's address, subject, salutation, body, closing) 1 + content (problem, effects, 2-3 measures) 2 + fluency/accuracy 2 = 5. E-mail: To/Subject/greeting/body/close format 1 + content 2 + language 2.
10. (a) the old bridge / its importance (1); (b) it has been half-washed away by a flood (2); (c) [2] the bridge, broken yet still spanning the river, is compared to a weary arm still stretching out — suggesting endurance/loss. Accept textbook-accurate answers when real extract is used.
11. (a) [2] do not passively wait for troubles to end; learn to understand/anticipate circumstances and act; (b) [2] metaphor — "read the wind" = interpreting signs/conditions (accept 'imagery'); (c) [1] act with awareness rather than waiting.
12. 2 marks each, any five — award for relevance, textual support, expression. Map to the actual Kaveri texts. Deduct for one-word answers.
13. 120-150 words: staying in character + creativity 3 + language 2 = 5.