Introduction:
A Story is a narration of a set of fictions event used to convey a moral message.
Format:
- Context—use phrases like—’Once upon a time…………’Long long ago………..
- Introduction of characters through dialogue/narration.
- Plot—description of an event/accident.
- Climax—end of the story.
Marking Scheme
Content : 6 marks
Fluency : 2 mark
Accuracy : 2 mark
Under content, credit should be given for the candidates creativity in presenting ideas.
Question 1.
‘Enjoying a cup of tea while sitting on my balcony on a Sunday morning, suddenly I felt a deep pain in my chest. I thought that this was the last moment of my life. I wanted to call my daughter, my husband and everybody to say the final Good Bye, but couldn’t do so ….’
Imagine what happened after this. Did the family know what happened or did the woman die unnoticed ? Explain what were the plans and aspirations of the woman at the last moment of her life. Write an imaginary story with a suitable tide in 150-200 words. (Board 2014 Set QUD9VQW) (10 marks)
Answer:
A Dreadful Experience
Enjoying a cup of tea while sitting on my balcony on a Sunday morning, suddenly, I felt a deep pain in my chest. I thought that this was the last moment of my life. I wanted to call my daughter, my husband and everybody to say the final Good Bye, but couldn’t do so. I was thinking of their life without me. I was just worried what would happen to them if I collapsed. I just prayed, “O God! Give me some more time.” I thought about my daughter who was in the first year of her college life I had always thought of giving her a wonderful life in which she had all her dreams fulfilled. Then my thoughts shifted towards my husband who wouldn’t be able to lead his life without me. He was so used to me around him all the time. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind ‘You have to live. You can’t die like this. Get up. Do something,’ I tried to call my family again but it was as if I was dumb. No words came out of my mouth. I knew 1 should not lose my wits. I must do something to keep going until my family noticed me. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the mobile phone on the table nearby. I picked it up and dialed 102.1 don’t remember what happened after that when I awoke I found myself in a hospital room, with a team of doctors bending over me and watching me. Later, I was told that I had been carried in an ambulance to a multi-specialty hospital at the nick of time. Delay would have been fatal for me. I was happy. I could still see this wonderful world. I immediately decided to give my best to my family as life is short-lived.
Question 2.
Seema decided to write a story for her school magazine, but after some time, she could not complete the story as she had to go out for some urgent work. Complete the story on the basis of the beginning given below using 200–250 words. “An old man had two daughters. He loved both of them. Once he asked them…”
Answer:
Salt and Sugar
An old man had two daughters. He loved both of them. Once he asked them,
“What is the sweetest thing in the world?”
“Sugar,” said the older girl.
“Salt,” said the younger girl.
The old man thought the younger daughter was mocking him. He said, “If salt is sweeter than sugar, you had better find another home where the cooking is more to your taste.” And he pushed her out of the house.
It was a beautiful summer night. The pretty maiden sat singing in the forest near her father’s cottage when a young prince, who had lost his way hunting came to her. Struck by her beauty and gaiety, he fell in love with her and took her to his palace and married her.
The bride invited her father to the wedding banquet without telling him who she was. All the dishes were prepared without salt. The guests began to murmur.
“Oh”, said the bride’s father, “salt is truly the sweetest thing in the world. But when my daughter said so, I threw her out of the house. If only I could see her again and tell her how sorry I was!”
Drawing the veil from her face, the happy girl went to him and hugged him. Then properly salted dishes were brought in and all the guests ate their fill.
Question 3.
Write a story in about 150-200 words on the basis of the given outlines:
The illiterate boy……… caught for pick pocketing…….sent to juvenile prison………forced to do lessons………becomes sullen rebellious ……..watches French comic film on T.V. during recreation hour……..fascinated with the language……….requested coaching classes………a French tourist guide today. (NCT 2014) (10 marks)
Answer:
Man—The Master of his own Destiny
Raju was a little boy who was born in a poor family. He wanted to get education but his financial condition did not allow him to do so. He remained illiterate and so did not have any means of earning. He took to pickpocketing and small thievery. One day, he was caught red-handed for pick-pocketing. Since he was only thirteen, he was sent to juvenile prison where he was forced to do lessons. He had no interest in them and the compelling behaviour of the prison-people made him sullen and rebellious. It was only during the recreation hour that he seemed to be his normal self. One day he watched a French comic film on T.V. He was fascinated with the French language and wanted to learn it. He requested the prison authorities for coaching classes in French. They agreed to his proposal as they were themselves interested to make him learn something so as to be self-dependent. Raju showed a keen interest in learning the language and in a very short period, had acquired a mastery over the language. Raju was set free after two years. He had already decided to use the French language as his means of earning. He became a French tourist guide and started leading an honourable life. He forgot all about his past and is happy these days for the sudden but positive turn in his life. He has set an example for others that man is a master of his own destiny.
Question 4.
Write a story in 150-200 words beginning with the following line and give it a suitable title. (Board 2014, Set 8L1922Q) (10 marks)
Night before the zonal debate competition …. Everyone was fast asleep, while I was practicing… suddenly.
Answer:
A Terrible Collision
Night before the zonal debate competition, I was practicing my part till late night. Everyone was fast asleep. Even I was planning to sleep. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. I jumped out of my bed and rushed out to see the cause of that sound. The sight outside was ghastly. Two cars had collided with each other because of dense fog. The occupants of both the cars were screaming and shouting for help. Other people had also come out of their houses after hearing the sound. In a flash of second, everyone started helping the injured. There were four young men in one car who were returning after attending a party while a family was there in the other car. The drivers of both the cars were badly injured. I called up the ambulance service and the police as well. Within no time, the ambulance reached there. It was a tough job taking the passengers out of the front seat as they had got stuck in their seats due to the collision. Many helping hands come forward and finally all the passengers of both cars were taken out. They were shifted to a nearby hospital. Two people had not received serious injuries so they were asked to inform their family members about the accident. One man from the crowd informed the authorities to send a crane as the cars had blocked the road as well. It took almost one hour for all this. Then I went inside but I could not practice more due to the terrific scenes flashing in my mind. The only good thing was that nobody had lost his life and were safe.
Question 5.
Begin your story with the given line and give a suitable title in 200–250 words.
| How foolish I was to have believed that young woman…… |
Answer:
The innocent victim!
How foolish I was to have believed that young woman! I saw her first near Lala Motiram’s shop. She was standing there calmly, head held high but eyes searching for something.
I would not have noticed, had my bike not punctured at exactly the same spot. She looked worried. I went up to her and asked her if she had any problem. She was quiet. I coaxed her and eventually, she told me that she had come for an interview for our city. She slept off in the bus and had woken up suddenly at the stop. In the rush, she had forgotten one of her bags in the bus and that bag had her wallet in it. I told her not to worry and told her that the bus would be back at that stop by 4 p.m.
I also assured her that the people here are honest and whoever finds it would return the wallet. She seemed relaxed and started to move. However, I felt bad for her and offered her some money. She seemed indignant and I had to coax her to take it. I gave her my card and said, ‘Take it as a loan. You can return it when you get your wallet.’ Saying this I gave her 250 rupees and went off, happy at helping someone in need. I never heard again from the lady. I had almost forgotten the incident until I saw her again. She was there, at the same spot. This time talking to Mr. Shah, one of my neighbors.
I was angry but decided to act wisely. I walked up to them and wished Mr Shah. The young woman seemed terrified seeing me. I asked her if she had found her wallet. She understood that her game was up and started apologising. We threatened her with dire consequences if she is seen around again. Mr Shah thanked me for saving him and his money that he had withdrawn to pay his wife’s hospital bill.
I smiled and went off thinking about how foolish I was to have believed that young women.
Question 6.
It was raining heavily, the street lights had gone off and I was returning…………. Complete the story in about 150-200 words, providing an appropriate title to it. (Board Term-12012, Set EC2,034)
Answer:
It was raining heavily, the street lights had gone off and I was returning home after watching the late-night show of a movie. Suddenly, I heard a sound behind me. I looked back but no one was there. I started walking again. Again I heard a sound. This time I was sine I’d heard a cry of pain. I took my cell-phone and switched on the torch-light and started flashing it around. I noticed the sound was coming from the left side. I was frightened but I took courage and went towards the sound what I saw made me have goosebumps. A man was lying in a pool of blood and his leg was crushed under a huge tree. On asking, he told me that he had stopped under the tree and was waiting for the rain to stop when suddenly out of the dark two men came on a bike. They robbed him of his valuables. When he cried for help they shoot him. As if it was not enough, a storm started blowing. As it was an old tree it could not stand against the raging storm. It got uprooted and his leg was crushed under it. I immediately called the ambulance because I could not lift that tree up. The ambulance arrived within no time. The people came and helped the man through that painful experience. They lifted the tree with lots of labour, put the man in the ambulance and took him to the hospital.
I felt happy and contented that I had saved a life.
Question 7.
Write a short story in about 150-200 words by continuing the following story: “I jumped out of the bed at midnight…………………..” (Board Term-12012, Set EC2,050) (5 marks)
Answer:
An Unwelcome Visitor at Midnight
‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ means that guests and visitors must always be welcomed because they are like God. This statement becomes a bit inappropriate in certain situations when we are unaware of our guest.
Here is a story which describes it clearly.
I jumped out of the bed at midnight when I heard noise of the opening of a door. I was scared and wanted to tell this to my father. But instead, I walked quietly to the terrace from where the noise had been coming. I saw the shadow of a man.
I realised that it could be no other than a robber. So, I ran to my father’s room to inform him. My father came out with me. Since, it was midnight and very dark, we decided to take a torch and a dog with us. Then we all climbed up to the terrace to catch hold of the robber but by the time we reached there he was already gone. My father said that he must have gone away after listening to the barking of the dog. But we all were amazed because the door was still locked the same way as it had been before. The best part was that everything near the terrace was on its right place. All’s well that end’s well. The robber wasn’t able to take away anything because of our presence of mind and alertness.
But one thing that surprises me most is that whether it was really a robber or someone else, because I have only seen a shadow, the door was locked and nothing had been stolen.
Question 8:
Taking help of the following points together with your own ideas, write a story in about 150-200 words. Give a suitable title to the story.
An old rich lady becomes blind — calls in a doctor — agrees to pay large fee if cured, but nothing if not — her eyes bandaged–doctor removes something everyday – eyes cured — doctor asks for payment — lady refuses to pay — says cure not complete — doctor takes the matter to court-judge asks why she does not pay — she says sight not restored – she cannot see her furniture — judge decides the case in her favour – Moral. (Board Term-12012, Set 61) (10 marks)
Answer:
The Dishonest Doctor
Once upon a time there was an old rich lady who became blind. She called in a doctor who after examining her told her that her eye-sight could be restored, but would charge a high sum for it. The lady agreed on the condition that she would pay the fee only if she got cured but she would not pay anything if she did not get her vision back. The doctor started her treatment. He bandaged her eyes and applied some medicine to her eyes. The doctor was a dishonest man. He saw many valuable things and costly furniture in the house. He planned to steal them. Since, the lady was blind, he started removing something or the other everyday from the house without the knowledge of the lady. At last the day came when the lady got cured. The doctor asked for his payment but the lady refused to pay saying that her cure was not complete. The doctor took the lady to the court. The court asked the lady the reason for not paying the fees. The lady said that her sight was not restored as she could not see the furniture in her house. The judge understood the whole matter. He found the doctor guilty. The case was decided in favour of the old lady and the doctor was punished.
Moral: Dishonesty never pays.
Question 9.
Last night you heard a noise in your room. You opened your eyes and………….Write a story in about 150 words about what happened then.
Answer:
Unfoiled Robbery Attempt
It was very hot last night. I had slept with the windows open. At around 2 p.m. I heard a noise in my room. I tried to look around and got a faint glimpse of a man entering through the open window. I felt afraid. The man entered with a torch in his hand. With the help of torch light, he located the cupboard in my room. Walking stealthily he moved towards it. I gathered my courage and told myself to do something. Suddenly, an idea struck my mind as I could not make any noise to make the thief aware of my presence. I gave a missed call through my cell phone to my parents who were sleeping in the next room. My father, a bit perplexed, came to my room. The moment he opened the door, the thief tried to run away. By that time I’d made up my mind to hit him with the water-bottle lying near my bed. The target was quite close. He jumped but the bottle hit him badly and he fell down. We caught him and handed him over to the police in die morning.
Question 10.
Write an original story in about 150-200 words beginning:
As I opened the window I saw……………………… (Board Term-II 2012, Set 16)
Answer:
Strange Friend
I was reading a book when I looked up. As I opened the window I saw an unusual looking face. I was astonished. I got up from the chair and opened the window. To my surprise, it was an alien. Probably he was left behind by some UFO. I thought of enquiring it from him so, I gave him a friendly smile. Gathering his courage, the alien entered my room. He was looking strangely at all the things in the room. I tried to converse with him but he could not understand me. I made some pictures on a paper but all in vain. There was no communication between us.
He was looking a bit nervous and was looking all around as if trying to find something. Suddenly, it clicked me that he was hungry. I asked him in sign language whether he wanted to have something and he shook his head. Now, I realised that we could communicate through sign language. He made some vague signs as if he was trying to tell me something. Then he got up and stood near the window. He was looking at the sky. Suddenly, I noticed a smile on his face. I looked out and saw some flashes of light in the sky. He made some strange sounds and started jumping. The light came nearer and stopped at a distance. I realised it was a space-ship. The alien rushed out through the window towards the space-ship. There was a loud noise when the space-ship started taking off. I didn’t want my friend to go so early. I tried to stop him and then there was a loud thud. My eyes opened and I realised it was all a dream.
Question 11.
Write a story in 150–200 words based on the input given below:
| Uday’s dream – do something brave–win recognition far and wide–be famous in the world–one fine day, he saw this opportunity when ……… |
OR
| The parent-teacher meeting was scheduled for tomorrow – scared of informing them – had been scolded for missing school – no way out–cooked a story… |
Answer:
Dream Big
4. Uday was the son of Late Lieutenant Ramakant Mishra. His father had died in the Kargil war. Uday adored his father and always wished to do something brave. Unlike his father, he did not wish to join the army. He wanted to do something for the country by becoming a scientist. He knew this was the way to win recognition far and wide. He was good in his studies and was planning to write the IAS exam also. He also wanted to become a politician. But then he knew he could not become all of them, so he focused on becoming famous in the world.
But then he did not want to earn fame at the cost of others. It had to be in an honest way. One fine day, he saw this opportunity. He had gone to visit his maternal aunt in the village. After the death of his uncle, his aunt lived alone with his cousin. He was very fond of his aunt and cousin and often visited them. Since it was summer when he visited them, they all planned to sleep on the terrace. Suddenly at night, he heard a loud thumping sound.
Thinking it to be a thief, he rushed down silently. He saw a group of thugs trying to break open Lala Haridas’s almirah. Everyone in the village knew that he kept his valuables in there. Lala Haridas and his family were out of town. Uday suddenly thought of a plan. He knew what he had to do. Uday rushed home and dialed the number of the nearest police station and informed them about the thugs. He knew it would take some time for them to come.
So he went and pressed the bell of Lala Haridas’s house. All the noise stopped. After five minutes, the noise started again. Uday went home and brought some chilli powder and his cricket bat. He went and pressed the bell again. The thugs were really angry. They peeped through the keyhole and saw Uday standing there. Thinking that he was a little boy, they opened the door. Without giving them any chance, Uday threw the chilli powder in their eyes and started beating them.
Hearing the noise, his aunt came along with a few neighbours. Uday had bolted the door from outside. Finally the police also came. The police praised Uday’s bravery. Someone rang up Lala Haridas who rushed to ise. Hearing the whole story, he offered Uday 2000/– as reward. Uday refused, He knew in his heart that he had got his reward. He also knew now what he wanted to be after growing up–a police officer.
OR
Forgiveness: a great virtue
It was late at night. Rahul was wondering what to tell his parents. The parent-teacher meeting was scheduled for tomorrow. But he was scared of informing them. He had forgotten to finish his homework and therefore bunked school. He had played in the park the whole time and returned home only in the evening. He had been scolded for missing school. There was no way out. His father was very strict and his mother would also get angry if she came to know.
His teacher was sure to inform his parents. He decided to cook up a story. By night he thought of a story, mustered up the courage, and after dinner went to his parents’ bedroom. He knocked on the door lightly. His parents asked him to come inside. He went inside, opened his mouth to speak, but then no words came out. He decided to try once again but the same thing happened. Finally, he tried a third time but failed again. Tears started rolling down his eyes.
Concerned, his mother rushed to him and asked him why he was crying. Slowly Rahul told his parents the full incident. His parents were angry at first but then when they saw that Rahul was feeling really guilty and was apologetic, they pardoned him. Rahul promised to be regular in going to school and in doing his homework every day. Since that day Rahul’s grades began improving, everyone was amazed, but then no one knew the real reason.
