INDIAN SCHOOL AL WADI AL KABIR CLASS : VII Revision Worksheet –POST MID-TERM(2017-18) Reading: QI) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: The earth is losing its forests. Presently, trees cover about 30 percent of the earth's surface, but they are being destroyed at an alarming rate, especially in the tropics. Timber harvesting is a major reason for the destruction of the forests. Trees are used for building houses, making furniture, and providing pulp for paper products, such as newspapers and magazines. At least 40 hectares of rainforest are being felled every minute, mostly in order to extract the valuable timber. Another way that man is destroying the world's forests is by burning them down. In the Amazon, for example, rainforests are being burnt down at a rate of 20 hectares a minutes. The main reason for this is to clear the land for farming. Farmers in rainforest countries are often poor and cannot afford to buy land. Instead, these farmers clear rainforest h land to raise their animals or grow their crops. Because tropical rainforest soil is so poor in nutrients, framers cannot reuse the same land year after year. In the following years, farmers just clear more land, destroying the forest piece by piece. Already more than 30 tropical countries have reached a critical level of forest destruction and one-time exporters of timber such as Nigeria and Thailand now have to import timber for their domestic needs. Should we get all excited and worried about the loss of the forests ? Yes, we should. Healthy trees are a vital part of the environment, and keep the entire balance of the atmosphere agreeable to all life forms. Forests are catchment areas for rainwater, holding the rainwater in the leaves of the trees, so that it will not sink so quickly into the earth's crust. Furthermore, the forests help maintain the water cycles in the area. The masses of cloud that provide the rain are formed over the moist forests. Thus, the destruction of forests may also lead to a reduction in rainfall over the area, resulting in drought. Forests also protect and feed the earth's fragile mantle of soil. Tees curb soil erosion. Without the tree cover, the land is totally exposed to the agents of erosion, such as strong winds and heavy rainfall. The strong winds blow away the top layers of the soil and he flowing water carries it away into the rivers, lakes or sea. Consequently, the once fertile land is converted into a barren wasteland. In addition, denuded hill slopes are vulnerable to landslides, which can be catastrophic disasters, resulting in the loss of homes and lives. Apart from preventing soil erosion and landslides, forests, with their abundant supply of leaves, give compost back to the land, thus helping it to remain fertile. the leaves of the trees and the droppings of the birds, animals and insects which live in them, fall to the ground, where they decay and replenish the soil with mulch, minerals and manure. Forests are rich in flora and fauna. The rainforests are home to over half of the entire species of the world, which are being destroyed with the rainforests; and some of those species that are killed will never return again. Plants and creatures are god's gift to us and they serve mankind, each in its own way. For example, plants are the source of our clothes; and the rubber used for tyres comes from trees. Plants are also the source of sugar, coffee, tea, rice, wheat and many delicious and nutritious fruit. In addition, most of the medicines that have been used by men are derived from plants and animals. Most of the Chinese medicines, for example, such as ginseng and ginkgo, are herb- based. An example from the realm of modern Western medicine is the drug 'vincristine'. This drug, which is derived from a jungle plant, is used in the treatment of leukemia. Many of those species that have not yet been discovered may very likely cure cancer, AIDS, and many of the other diseases and virus-based illnesses of today. In fact, one research scientist in the field of botany has concluded that in Costa Rica's forests alone, 15 percent of the plant species may have the potential as a treatment for cancer. What potential life-saving medicines are we losing each day as the forests are being destroyed ? Apart from all this, let us keep in mind the most basic function of trees, which is that they provide oxygen. All living creatures need to breathe oxygen in order to stay alive. A treeless planet will be an airless and, therefore, a dead one.

(a) State two main ways that forests are being destroyed. ( paragraph 1-2 ) (b) What is the main purpose for the burning of the trees in the forests of the Amazon ? ( paragraph 2) (C)What point is the writer trying to show in mentioning the fact that Nigeria and Thailand have to import timber ? ( paragraph 3) (d) Explain why the destruction of forests may lead to drought. (e) Find a word in this paragraph which means "very important".( paragraph 4) (f) Why is soil erosion a greater problem in areas that have been cleared of forests ? (g)What is 'vincristine' ?

Q2) Read this poem and answer the questions that follow: The Echoing Green The sun does arise, And made happy the skies; The merry bells ring, To welcome the Spring; The birds of the bush, Sing louder around To the bells’ cheerful sound, While our sports shall be seen.

On the Echoing Green. Old John, with white hair, Does laugh away care, Sitting under the oak, Among the old folk, They laugh at our play, And soon they all say; ‘Such, such were joys When we all, girls and boys, In our youth- time were seen On the Echoing Green.’

Till the little ones, weary, No more can be merry; The sun does descend, And our sports have an end. Round the laps of their mothers Many sisters and brother, Like birds are in their nest, Are ready for rest, And sport no more seen On the darkening Green. -William Blake i) Find the four words which express joy in the first stanza. ii) Name four nouns (from the first stanza) that are associated with expressions of joy you have given in Question(i) iii) Find words in the poem which mean: a) resounding b) tired iv) How does the ‘Sun’ link the first stanza to the last? v) Mention the rhyme scheme of the poem? vii) Tick the right answer:- a) The poem describes changes in season. b) The poem describes the passage of time in life. c) The poem describes change through passage of time on a day. Grammar: Q3) Pick out the non-finite verbs in the following text.

Q4) Identify the finite and non-finite verbs in the following sentences.

1. I like to play with my puppy. 2. She works hard to pass the test. 3. Smoking is prohibited in the kitchen. 4. He went to the city to find work. 5. The boy saved the cat from the dogs. 6. The teacher asked the students to submit their assignments before they go home. 7. I have finished my dinner. 8. The nurse is dressing the wounds of the patient. 9. My mother bakes tasty cookies. 10. He wants to launch a business. 11. A florist is a person who arranges flowers artistically. 12. The doctor is attending to the patient.

Q5) Change the following sentences from DIRECT to INDIRECT SPEECH. a) “I will not give you a single penny,” said the old man to the beggar. b) Radha said, “The servant came back at noon.”. c) “My sister is writing a letter,” said the child. d) He said, “ I have eaten my breakfast.” e)The teacher said, “Honesty is the best policy.” f) “Even David liked the cake very much,” said he. g)Father said, “ We consider him a great cook.” h) The officer said, “The army rescued the victims of the landslide.” i) “She has already given three performances last month,” said Rohini to her mother. j) The teacher said, “Students must complete the work by tomorrow.

Writing: Q6) Write a letter to the editor of The Herald, expressing your views about water conservation- preserving the most indispensible resource. Give some practical solutions. Do not forget to mention that real solution lies in protecting the sources of water and conserving it by recycling the water and by rain harvesting. Q7)-You have noticed many stray animals on the road during the busy hours of the day. Write a letter to the editor of a leading newspaper about the nuisance created by the stray animals. Sign your name as Kriti/ Krishnan Q8) Write an article on the topic ‘Books and Reading’, in about 150 words.

Literature: Q9)Reference to context 1. ‘Such men as thou are England’s boast’ a. Who said these words to whom? b. Why does the speaker call the other person’ England boast’? c. Do you think the person was fit for the title? 2. ‘He will beat me if I say so’. a. Who is speaking to whom? b. Who is ‘he’ ? Why would he beat the speaker? c. Could ‘he’ have actually beaten the speaker? 3. ‘The face began to get firmer hold of me. It grew more and more real and remarkable’. a. What is referred to as ‘ the face ‘ here? b. When did the face begin to get a firmer hold of the speaker? c. Why does the speaker call the face ‘remarkable’? Q10) Answer the following questions in a sentence. 1. What did the narrator find on the wall of his room? 2. How did the River Dee help the miller? 3.Who was Samuel? 4. Why did his parents name him Tansen? 5.What are the sounds that the poet can hear in the poem Stopping by the woods? 6.What did Swami’s father give for the headmaster? 7.How did the River Dee help the Miller? Q 11) Answer the following briefly: 1. Why was Swami shouting in the class? 2.What are the sounds that the poet can hear in the poem Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening’? 3. Why and where did the narrator look for the man? 4. What happened to Tansen as he continued to sing the raga? How was he saved? 5.What happened to the face on the wall ? 6.Describe the Miller and why was the Miller happy and content. 7. What effect did Tansen’s music have on nature ? Who were his parents ?