15) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.

Certain words are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions. A fisherman, enfeebled with age, could no longer go out to sea so he began fishing in the river. Every morning he would go down to the river and sit there fishing the whole day long. In the evening he would sell whatever he had caught, buy food for himself and go home. It was a hard life for an old man. One hot afternoon while he was trying to keep awake and bemoaning his fate, a large bird with silvery feathers alighted on a rock near him. It was Kaha, the heavenly bird. "Have you no one to care for you, grandpa?.. asked the bird. "Not a soul." "You should not be doing such work at your age," said the bird. "From now on I will bring you a big fish every evening. You can sell it and live in comfort." True to her word, the bird began to drop a large fish at his doorstep every evening. All that the fisherman had to do was take it to the market and sell it. As big fish were in great demand, he was soon rolling in money. He bought a cottage near the sea, with a garden around it and engaged a servant to cook for him. His wife had died some years earlier. He had decided to marry again and began to look for a suitable woman. One day he heard the royal courtier make an announcement. Our king has news of a great bird called Kaha," said the courtier. "Whoever can give information about this bird and help catch it, will be rewarded with half the gold in the royal treasury and half the kingdom!" The fisherman was sorely tempted by the reward. Half the kingdom would make him a prince! "Why does the king want the bird ?" he asked. "He has lost his sight," explained the courtier. "A wise man has advised him to bathe his eyes with the blood of Kaha. Do you know where she can be found? .. "No ... 1 mean ... no, no ..;" Torn between greed and his sense of gratitude to the bird, the fisherman could not give a coherent reply. The courtier, sensing that he knew someting about the bird, informed the king. The king had him brought to the palace. "If you have information about the bird, tell me," urged the king. "I will reward you handsomely and if you help catch her, I will personally crown you king of half my domain." "I will get the bird for you,"cried the fisherman, suddenly making up his mind. "But Kaha is strong. I will need help." The king sent a dozen soldiers with him. That evening when the bird came with the fish, the fisherman called out to her to wait. "You drop the fish and go and I never get a chance to thank you for all that you've done for me," he said. "Today I have laid out a feast for you inside. Please alight and come in." Kaha was reluctant to accept the invitation but the fisherman pleaded so earnestly that she finally gave in, and alighted. The moment she was on the ground, the fisherman grabbed one of her legs and shouted to the soldiers hiding in his house to come out. They rushed to his aid but their combined effort could not keep Kaha down. She rose into the air with the fisherman still clinging onto her leg. By the time he realised he was being carried away, the fisherman was too high in the air to let go. He hung on grimly, and neither he nor Kaha were ever seen again. 11. Why was the king desperately looking for Kaha the bird? (1) The king wanted a pet bird. (2) A wise man advised the king to capture the bird for good luck. (3) Kaha was the only heavenly bird with silvery feathers. (4) The king was blind and required Kaha's blood for his eyes. 12. Why did the bird volunteer to bring fish for the old man? (1) The old man was inexperienced at fishing (2) The bird took pity on the old man and wanted to help him (3) The bird had caught more fish than required (4) The bird wanted to make the old man rich 13. What led the courtier to sense that the fisherman might know something about Kaha ? (1) The courtier had observed Kaha alight at the fisherman's house every evening (2) The courtier had seen the fisherman talk to Kaha (3) The fisherman fumbled when asked about Kaha (4) Word went around that the fisherman was in contact with Kaha 14. Which of the following cannot be said about the royal courtier? (1) He was a very observant man.(2) He was jealous of the old fisherman. (3) He had informed the king about the fisherman. (1) Only (1) (2) Only (2) (3) Only (3) (4) Only (1) and (3) 15. What could be an appropriate title for the story? (1) A Fish a Day (2) The Lonely fisherman (3) Kaha the Silvery feathered bird (4) The Ungrateful old fisherman Directions-(Q.16 to 20) Read the following passage and answer the questions given after itEvery afternoon, on their way back from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant's garden. It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that bore rich fruit. The birds would sit on the trees and sing sweetly to the children playing below. One day the Giant came back. He had been on a long tour and was now determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden and was outrageous. "What are you doing here?" He shouted in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

"I will not allow anybody to play in my garden but myself" said the Giant. And so, he built a high wall around it, and put up a notice-board that read TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSE- CUTED. He was a very selfish Giant. The poor children h&d now, nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, Bank Clerk 2011/37 but the road was very dusty and full of stones, and they did not like it. On their way back from school, they used to wander around the high wall and remember the good times. Then came spring, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children and the trees forgot to blossom. The only people who were pleased were the snow and the frost. "Spring has forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the year round." I cannot understand why the spring is so late in coming," said the selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden, "I hope there will be a change in the weather." But the spring never came, nor did the summer. The autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. "He was too selfish," she said. So it was always winter there. One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard the birds singing. "I believe the spring has come at last," said the Giant, and he jumped out of bed and looked out. He saw the most wonderful sight. Through the little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting on the branches of the trees. On every tree there was a child. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely scene however, in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all around it crying bitterly. The Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have been '" he said, "now I know why spring would not come here. I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's play-ground for ever and ever." He was really sorry for what he had done. 16. Why was the Giant outraged when he got back from his holiday? (1) He had a bad journey back home. (2) He saw the children playing in the garden (3) His castle was disorderly and not maintained (4) It was still winter in his garden 17. What did the Giant do to keep the children away from his garden? (1) He built a high wall around the garden (2) He displayed a message on a notice board (3) He threatened to complain to their parents (4) Only (1) and (2) 18. "Spring has forgotten this garden." They cried. Who is the author referring to? (1) The children (2) The snow and the frost (3) The autumn trees (4) The spring 19. Why did the autumn trees refuse to bear fruit? (1) The snow and the winter took over (2) The Giant was enjoying the winter in his garden (3) It was one way of keeping the children away (4) The Giant refused to change his behavior. 20. What does the author compare the flowers in the garden to? (1) Stars (2) Pearls (3) Soft grass (4) Frost