Comprehension and Summary

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 1 mark

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: He came into the room and I saw he looked ill. He was shivering, white-faced, and he walked slowly as though it ached to move. “What’s the matter, Schatz?” “I’ve got a headache. But I’m all right.” But when I came downstairs later he was sitting by the fire, looking very sick. When I put my hand on his forehead I knew he had a fever. The doctor came; took the boy’s temperature. It was a hundred and two. He left three different capsules with instructions for giving them. There was nothing to worry about if the fever stayed below one hundred and four. This was a light epidemic of flu. There was no danger if you avoided pneumonia. (line 10) Back in the room I wrote the boy’s temperature down and made a note of the time to give the various capsules. “Do you want me to read to you?” “If you want to,” he said. His face was very white and there were dark areas under his eyes. I read aloud from Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates; but I could see he was not following me. After a while he said, “You don’t have to stay in here with me, Papa, if it bothers you.” I thought perhaps he was a little lightheaded and went out for a while. Later, they said the boy had refused to let anyone come into the room because they ‘mustn’t get what I have.’ (line 20) I went up to him and found him in exactly the position I had left him, white-faced, the tops of his cheeks flushed, staring still at the foot of the bed. I took his temperature. “What is it?” “Something like a hundred,” I said. It was one hundred and two point four. “It’s nothing to worry about.” “I don’t worry,” he said, “but I can’t keep from thinking.” “Don’t think,” I said. “Just take it easy.” He was evidently holding tight onto himself about something. (line 30) I opened the Pirate book and commenced to read, but I could see he was not following, so I stopped. “About what time do you think I’m going to die?” he asked. “You aren’t going to die. What’s this?” “Oh, yes, I am. I heard him say a hundred and two.” “People don’t die with a fever of one hundred and two. That’s silly.” “I know they do. At school in France the boys told me you can’t live with forty-four degrees.” He had been waiting to die all day, ever since nine o’clock in the morning. “You poor Schatz,” I said. “It’s like miles and kilometers, like how many kilometers we make when we do seventy miles in the car. You aren’t going to die. That’s a different thermometer. On that thermometer thirty-seven is normal. On this kind it’s ninety-eight.” (line 40) “Oh,” he said. But his gaze at the foot of the bed and the hold over himself slowly relaxed. The next day he cried very easily at little things of no importance. [Adapted from: ‘A Day’s Wait’ by Ernest Hemingway] (i) For each word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided: 1. avoided (line 10)

1. steering clear away
2. a huge hole or gap
3. to not include
4. stayed away from

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 1 mark

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: He came into the room and I saw he looked ill. He was shivering, white-faced, and he walked slowly as though it ached to move. “What’s the matter, Schatz?” “I’ve got a headache. But I’m all right.” But when I came downstairs later he was sitting by the fire, looking very sick. When I put my hand on his forehead I knew he had a fever. The doctor came; took the boy’s temperature. It was a hundred and two. He left three different capsules with instructions for giving them. There was nothing to worry about if the fever stayed below one hundred and four. This was a light epidemic of flu. There was no danger if you avoided pneumonia. (line 10) Back in the room I wrote the boy’s temperature down and made a note of the time to give the various capsules. “Do you want me to read to you?” “If you want to,” he said. His face was very white and there were dark areas under his eyes. I read aloud from Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates; but I could see he was not following me. After a while he said, “You don’t have to stay in here with me, Papa, if it bothers you.” I thought perhaps he was a little lightheaded and went out for a while. Later, they said the boy had refused to let anyone come into the room because they ‘mustn’t get what I have.’ (line 20) I went up to him and found him in exactly the position I had left him, white-faced, the tops of his cheeks flushed, staring still at the foot of the bed. I took his temperature. “What is it?” “Something like a hundred,” I said. It was one hundred and two point four. “It’s nothing to worry about.” “I don’t worry,” he said, “but I can’t keep from thinking.” “Don’t think,” I said. “Just take it easy.” He was evidently holding tight onto himself about something. (line 30) I opened the Pirate book and commenced to read, but I could see he was not following, so I stopped. “About what time do you think I’m going to die?” he asked. “You aren’t going to die. What’s this?” “Oh, yes, I am. I heard him say a hundred and two.” “People don’t die with a fever of one hundred and two. That’s silly.” “I know they do. At school in France the boys told me you can’t live with forty-four degrees.” He had been waiting to die all day, ever since nine o’clock in the morning. “You poor Schatz,” I said. “It’s like miles and kilometers, like how many kilometers we make when we do seventy miles in the car. You aren’t going to die. That’s a different thermometer. On that thermometer thirty-seven is normal. On this kind it’s ninety-eight.” (line 40) “Oh,” he said. But his gaze at the foot of the bed and the hold over himself slowly relaxed. The next day he cried very easily at little things of no importance. [Adapted from: ‘A Day’s Wait’ by Ernest Hemingway] (i) For each word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided: 2. following (line 18)

1. running after
2. paying attention
3. distracted
4. one after another

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 2 marks

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: He came into the room and I saw he looked ill. He was shivering, white-faced, and he walked slowly as though it ached to move. “What’s the matter, Schatz?” “I’ve got a headache. But I’m all right.” But when I came downstairs later he was sitting by the fire, looking very sick. When I put my hand on his forehead I knew he had a fever. The doctor came; took the boy’s temperature. It was a hundred and two. He left three different capsules with instructions for giving them. There was nothing to worry about if the fever stayed below one hundred and four. This was a light epidemic of flu. There was no danger if you avoided pneumonia. (line 10) Back in the room I wrote the boy’s temperature down and made a note of the time to give the various capsules. “Do you want me to read to you?” “If you want to,” he said. His face was very white and there were dark areas under his eyes. I read aloud from Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates; but I could see he was not following me. After a while he said, “You don’t have to stay in here with me, Papa, if it bothers you.” I thought perhaps he was a little lightheaded and went out for a while. Later, they said the boy had refused to let anyone come into the room because they ‘mustn’t get what I have.’ (line 20) I went up to him and found him in exactly the position I had left him, white-faced, the tops of his cheeks flushed, staring still at the foot of the bed. I took his temperature. “What is it?” “Something like a hundred,” I said. It was one hundred and two point four. “It’s nothing to worry about.” “I don’t worry,” he said, “but I can’t keep from thinking.” “Don’t think,” I said. “Just take it easy.” He was evidently holding tight onto himself about something. (line 30) I opened the Pirate book and commenced to read, but I could see he was not following, so I stopped. “About what time do you think I’m going to die?” he asked. “You aren’t going to die. What’s this?” “Oh, yes, I am. I heard him say a hundred and two.” “People don’t die with a fever of one hundred and two. That’s silly.” “I know they do. At school in France the boys told me you can’t live with forty-four degrees.” He had been waiting to die all day, ever since nine o’clock in the morning. “You poor Schatz,” I said. “It’s like miles and kilometers, like how many kilometers we make when we do seventy miles in the car. You aren’t going to die. That’s a different thermometer. On that thermometer thirty-seven is normal. On this kind it’s ninety-eight.” (line 40) “Oh,” he said. But his gaze at the foot of the bed and the hold over himself slowly relaxed. The next day he cried very easily at little things of no importance. [Adapted from: ‘A Day’s Wait’ by Ernest Hemingway] (iii) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words. (e) Why do you think Schatz cried over little things of no importance the next day?

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 8 marks

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: He came into the room and I saw he looked ill. He was shivering, white-faced, and he walked slowly as though it ached to move. “What’s the matter, Schatz?” “I’ve got a headache. But I’m all right.” But when I came downstairs later he was sitting by the fire, looking very sick. When I put my hand on his forehead I knew he had a fever. The doctor came; took the boy’s temperature. It was a hundred and two. He left three different capsules with instructions for giving them. There was nothing to worry about if the fever stayed below one hundred and four. This was a light epidemic of flu. There was no danger if you avoided pneumonia. (line 10) Back in the room I wrote the boy’s temperature down and made a note of the time to give the various capsules. “Do you want me to read to you?” “If you want to,” he said. His face was very white and there were dark areas under his eyes. I read aloud from Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates; but I could see he was not following me. After a while he said, “You don’t have to stay in here with me, Papa, if it bothers you.” I thought perhaps he was a little lightheaded and went out for a while. Later, they said the boy had refused to let anyone come into the room because they ‘mustn’t get what I have.’ (line 20) I went up to him and found him in exactly the position I had left him, white-faced, the tops of his cheeks flushed, staring still at the foot of the bed. I took his temperature. “What is it?” “Something like a hundred,” I said. It was one hundred and two point four. “It’s nothing to worry about.” “I don’t worry,” he said, “but I can’t keep from thinking.” “Don’t think,” I said. “Just take it easy.” He was evidently holding tight onto himself about something. (line 30) I opened the Pirate book and commenced to read, but I could see he was not following, so I stopped. “About what time do you think I’m going to die?” he asked. “You aren’t going to die. What’s this?” “Oh, yes, I am. I heard him say a hundred and two.” “People don’t die with a fever of one hundred and two. That’s silly.” “I know they do. At school in France the boys told me you can’t live with forty-four degrees.” He had been waiting to die all day, ever since nine o’clock in the morning. “You poor Schatz,” I said. “It’s like miles and kilometers, like how many kilometers we make when we do seventy miles in the car. You aren’t going to die. That’s a different thermometer. On that thermometer thirty-seven is normal. On this kind it’s ninety-eight.” (line 40) “Oh,” he said. But his gaze at the foot of the bed and the hold over himself slowly relaxed. The next day he cried very easily at little things of no importance. [Adapted from: ‘A Day’s Wait’ by Ernest Hemingway] (iv) In not more than 50 words, explain how the narrator understood why Schatz was upset and how he got rid of his doubts.

ICSE 2026 board paper · 1 mark

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: "This is your teacher today. He's going to show you all sorts of things." With that the headmaster introduced a new teacher. Totto-chan took a good look at him but he wasn't dressed like a teacher at all. He wore a striped cotton jacket and he had a towel hanging around his neck. His trousers were of dyed cotton and were full of patches. Instead of shoes, he wore thick socks, while on his head was a rather dilapidated straw hat. The children were all assembled by the pond at the temple. As she stared at the teacher, Totto-chan thought that she had seen him before. "Where?" she wondered. His kindly face was sunburnt and full of wrinkles. She suddenly remembered! "Aren't you the farmer who works in the field by the stream?" she asked him, delighted. "That's right," said the 'teacher', with a smile wrinkling up his face. "You pass my place every time you go to the village! That's my field. That one over there full of mustard blossoms." "Wow! So you're going to be our teacher today," cried the children excitedly. "No!" said the man, waving his hand in front of his face. "I'm not a teacher! I'm just a farmer. Your headmaster just asked me to do it, that's all." "Oh yes, he is, he's your farming teacher," said the headmaster, standing beside him. "He very kindly agreed to teach you how to plant a field." At an elementary school, anyone who taught the children anything would probably have to have teaching qualifications, but the headmaster didn't worry about things like that. He thought it important for children to learn by actually seeing things done. "Let's begin then," said the farming teacher. The farming teacher told the children to get spades and other tools from the car and started them on weeding. He told them all about weeds: how hardy they were; how some grew faster than crops and hid the sun from them; how weeds were good hiding places for bad insects; and how weeds could be a nuisance by taking all the nourishment from the soil. He taught them one thing after another. And while he talked, his hands never stopped pulling out weeds. The children did the same. Then the teacher showed them how to dig, how to make furrows; how to spread fertilizer; and everything else you had to do to grow things in a field, explaining as he demonstrated. A little snake put its head out and very nearly bit the hand of Ta-chan, one of the older boys, but the farming teacher reassured him, "The snakes here are not poisonous, and they won't hurt you if you don't hurt them." Besides teaching the children how to plant a field, the farming teacher told them interesting things about insects, birds, and butterflies, about the weather, and about all sorts of other things. [Adapted from 'Totto-chan – The Little Girl at the Window' by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi] (i) For each word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided: 1. dilapidated (line 6)

1. faded and yellow
2. new and shining
3. tightly wrapped
4. old and ragged

ICSE 2026 board paper · 1 mark

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: "This is your teacher today. He's going to show you all sorts of things." With that the headmaster introduced a new teacher. Totto-chan took a good look at him but he wasn't dressed like a teacher at all. He wore a striped cotton jacket and he had a towel hanging around his neck. His trousers were of dyed cotton and were full of patches. Instead of shoes, he wore thick socks, while on his head was a rather dilapidated straw hat. The children were all assembled by the pond at the temple. As she stared at the teacher, Totto-chan thought that she had seen him before. "Where?" she wondered. His kindly face was sunburnt and full of wrinkles. She suddenly remembered! "Aren't you the farmer who works in the field by the stream?" she asked him, delighted. "That's right," said the 'teacher', with a smile wrinkling up his face. "You pass my place every time you go to the village! That's my field. That one over there full of mustard blossoms." "Wow! So you're going to be our teacher today," cried the children excitedly. "No!" said the man, waving his hand in front of his face. "I'm not a teacher! I'm just a farmer. Your headmaster just asked me to do it, that's all." "Oh yes, he is, he's your farming teacher," said the headmaster, standing beside him. "He very kindly agreed to teach you how to plant a field." At an elementary school, anyone who taught the children anything would probably have to have teaching qualifications, but the headmaster didn't worry about things like that. He thought it important for children to learn by actually seeing things done. "Let's begin then," said the farming teacher. The farming teacher told the children to get spades and other tools from the car and started them on weeding. He told them all about weeds: how hardy they were; how some grew faster than crops and hid the sun from them; how weeds were good hiding places for bad insects; and how weeds could be a nuisance by taking all the nourishment from the soil. He taught them one thing after another. And while he talked, his hands never stopped pulling out weeds. The children did the same. Then the teacher showed them how to dig, how to make furrows; how to spread fertilizer; and everything else you had to do to grow things in a field, explaining as he demonstrated. A little snake put its head out and very nearly bit the hand of Ta-chan, one of the older boys, but the farming teacher reassured him, "The snakes here are not poisonous, and they won't hurt you if you don't hurt them." Besides teaching the children how to plant a field, the farming teacher told them interesting things about insects, birds, and butterflies, about the weather, and about all sorts of other things. [Adapted from 'Totto-chan – The Little Girl at the Window' by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi] (i) For each word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided: 2. elementary (line 21)

1. primary
2. special
3. secondary
4. village

ICSE 2026 board paper · 2 marks

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: "This is your teacher today. He's going to show you all sorts of things." With that the headmaster introduced a new teacher. Totto-chan took a good look at him but he wasn't dressed like a teacher at all. He wore a striped cotton jacket and he had a towel hanging around his neck. His trousers were of dyed cotton and were full of patches. Instead of shoes, he wore thick socks, while on his head was a rather dilapidated straw hat. The children were all assembled by the pond at the temple. As she stared at the teacher, Totto-chan thought that she had seen him before. "Where?" she wondered. His kindly face was sunburnt and full of wrinkles. She suddenly remembered! "Aren't you the farmer who works in the field by the stream?" she asked him, delighted. "That's right," said the 'teacher', with a smile wrinkling up his face. "You pass my place every time you go to the village! That's my field. That one over there full of mustard blossoms." "Wow! So you're going to be our teacher today," cried the children excitedly. "No!" said the man, waving his hand in front of his face. "I'm not a teacher! I'm just a farmer. Your headmaster just asked me to do it, that's all." "Oh yes, he is, he's your farming teacher," said the headmaster, standing beside him. "He very kindly agreed to teach you how to plant a field." At an elementary school, anyone who taught the children anything would probably have to have teaching qualifications, but the headmaster didn't worry about things like that. He thought it important for children to learn by actually seeing things done. "Let's begin then," said the farming teacher. The farming teacher told the children to get spades and other tools from the car and started them on weeding. He told them all about weeds: how hardy they were; how some grew faster than crops and hid the sun from them; how weeds were good hiding places for bad insects; and how weeds could be a nuisance by taking all the nourishment from the soil. He taught them one thing after another. And while he talked, his hands never stopped pulling out weeds. The children did the same. Then the teacher showed them how to dig, how to make furrows; how to spread fertilizer; and everything else you had to do to grow things in a field, explaining as he demonstrated. A little snake put its head out and very nearly bit the hand of Ta-chan, one of the older boys, but the farming teacher reassured him, "The snakes here are not poisonous, and they won't hurt you if you don't hurt them." Besides teaching the children how to plant a field, the farming teacher told them interesting things about insects, birds, and butterflies, about the weather, and about all sorts of other things. [Adapted from 'Totto-chan – The Little Girl at the Window' by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi] (iii) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words: (d) Why was the headmaster right in inviting the new teacher to take a class?

ICSE 2026 board paper · 8 marks

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: "This is your teacher today. He's going to show you all sorts of things." With that the headmaster introduced a new teacher. Totto-chan took a good look at him but he wasn't dressed like a teacher at all. He wore a striped cotton jacket and he had a towel hanging around his neck. His trousers were of dyed cotton and were full of patches. Instead of shoes, he wore thick socks, while on his head was a rather dilapidated straw hat. The children were all assembled by the pond at the temple. As she stared at the teacher, Totto-chan thought that she had seen him before. "Where?" she wondered. His kindly face was sunburnt and full of wrinkles. She suddenly remembered! "Aren't you the farmer who works in the field by the stream?" she asked him, delighted. "That's right," said the 'teacher', with a smile wrinkling up his face. "You pass my place every time you go to the village! That's my field. That one over there full of mustard blossoms." "Wow! So you're going to be our teacher today," cried the children excitedly. "No!" said the man, waving his hand in front of his face. "I'm not a teacher! I'm just a farmer. Your headmaster just asked me to do it, that's all." "Oh yes, he is, he's your farming teacher," said the headmaster, standing beside him. "He very kindly agreed to teach you how to plant a field." At an elementary school, anyone who taught the children anything would probably have to have teaching qualifications, but the headmaster didn't worry about things like that. He thought it important for children to learn by actually seeing things done. "Let's begin then," said the farming teacher. The farming teacher told the children to get spades and other tools from the car and started them on weeding. He told them all about weeds: how hardy they were; how some grew faster than crops and hid the sun from them; how weeds were good hiding places for bad insects; and how weeds could be a nuisance by taking all the nourishment from the soil. He taught them one thing after another. And while he talked, his hands never stopped pulling out weeds. The children did the same. Then the teacher showed them how to dig, how to make furrows; how to spread fertilizer; and everything else you had to do to grow things in a field, explaining as he demonstrated. A little snake put its head out and very nearly bit the hand of Ta-chan, one of the older boys, but the farming teacher reassured him, "The snakes here are not poisonous, and they won't hurt you if you don't hurt them." Besides teaching the children how to plant a field, the farming teacher told them interesting things about insects, birds, and butterflies, about the weather, and about all sorts of other things. [Adapted from 'Totto-chan – The Little Girl at the Window' by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi] (iv) In not more than 50 words, give an account of what the farmer taught the children that day.