Write a composition on the following.
Narrate a humorous experience of how a new tech gadget that you had purchased gave you more trouble than it was worth.
Word limit: 450
No answer yet.
ISC English Language 2025 Competency Focused Questions (CFQ) with Answers
All 50 questions of the ISC English Language 2025 Competency Focused Questions (CFQ), in printed order, in full. Tap "Show answer" under a question to see its answer.
Write a composition on the following.
Write a composition on Sunshine.
Word limit: 450
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Write a composition on the following.
Make an original short story that begins with the following words:
‘Walking through the crowd, she saw…’
Word limit: 450
No answer yet.
Write a composition on the following.
Describe your experience of a school excursion to a place of historical interest. Give an account of some of the sights and sounds, your interactions with your classmates, your feelings, and your learning from the trip.
Word limit: 450
No answer yet.
Write a composition on the following.
All school examinations should be open-book. Express your views either FOR or AGAINST the given statement.
Word limit: 450
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Write a composition on the following.
‘Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds, cannot change anything’. Present your reflections on this statement.
Word limit: 450
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Write the piece described below, within the word limit given.
Recently you read an interesting fictional book. Write a review of it, using the guidelines given below:
Name of the book and author - a brief outline of the story - main characters - setting - the best feature of the work of fiction - impact on readers.
No answer yet.
Write the piece described below, within the word limit given.
Your teacher has asked you to write a report on your annual sports day for the school magazine. Write the report in about 250 words using the guidelines below:
Date and venue of the event– march past and opening ceremony–athletic events–displays–chief guest’s speech–prize distribution and closing ceremony.
Word limit: 250
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Write the piece described below, within the word limit given.
As the Literary Secretary of your school, you have been given the responsibility of starting a book club. Write a proposal in not more than 150 words, outlining the steps you will undertake to establish this club successfully.
Word limit: 150
No answer yet.
Write the piece described below, within the word limit given.
As the Head Boy/ Head Girl of your school, you would like to organise an interclass dance competition. Write the proposal in not more than 150 words, outlining the steps you will undertake to make this competition a success.
Word limit: 150
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Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
[1] Kenny Merchant- that wasn’t his real name, but then, little was real about Kenny. He had selected Harrods on a quiet Monday morning as the venue for the first part of his operation.
[2] He was dressed in a pinstriped suit, white shirt and a Guards tie. The door was held open for him by a commissionaire who on spotting the tie immediately saluted him. The same commissionaire had not saluted him on any of his several visits during the previous week, but to be fair, he had been dressed then in a shiny, well-worn suit and open-necked shirt. But last week had only been for reconnaissance; today he planned to be arrested.
Although Harrods has over a hundred thousand customers a week, the quietest period is always between ten and eleven on a Monday morning. Kenny knew every detail about the great store.
[3] He knew where all the CCTV cameras were placed, and could recognise any of the security guards at thirty paces. He even knew the name of the assistant who would be serving him that morning, although Mr Parker had no idea that he had been selected as a tiny cog in Kenny’s well-oiled machine.
[4] When Kenny appeared at the jewellery department that morning, Mr Parker was briefing a young assistant on the changes he required to the shelf display.
“Good morning, sir,” said Mr Parker, turning to face his first customer of the day. “How can I help you?”
“I was looking for a pair of silver cufflinks,” Kenny said, in the clipped tones he hoped made him sound like a Guards officer.
Mr Parker proceeded to place on the counter a box of silver cufflinks.
Kenny already knew the pair he wanted, as he had picked them out the previous Saturday afternoon.
“What about those?” he asked, pointing to the top shelf.
[5] As the shop assistant turned away, Kenny checked the TV surveillance camera and took a pace to the right, to be sure that they could see him more clearly.
Mr Parker reached up to remove the cufflinks and Kenny slid the chosen pair off the counter and slipped them into his jacket pocket.
He saw a security guard moving swiftly towards him. He asked him to accompany him.
“I have never been so insulted in my life,” said Kenny.
[6] About half an hour later the police arrived and Kenny was driven to the Horseferry Road Magistrates’ Court.
The charge was read out and he pleaded guilty.
“Is there anything else you would like me to take into consideration before I pass a sentence?” Asked the magistrate.
“Yes, sir,” said Kenny. “I stole a watch from Selfridges last week. I would like to return it.”
The judge nodded and looking at the defendant’s address ordered that a constable should accompany Mr Merchant home to retrieve the stolen merchandise.
“Oh, my God,” said the young constable as he opened the door to Kenny’s apartment. The place was full of expensive jewellery, paintings, objects d’art and antique furniture.
[7] “What is your game, laddie? I don’t believe any of it belongs to you.” Asked Chief Inspector Travis after he had been called by the constable.
“Then you will have to prove it, because if you fail to do so, the law assumes that it belongs to me. The only thing I admit stealing, and am returning, is one watch. Timex Masterpiece, value forty-four pounds, stolen from Selfridges and that being the case, I will be able to dispose of it as I wish,” replied Kenny.
[8] Kenny was in the dock and charged with the theft of goods to the value of twenty-four thousand pounds.
The police made an inventory of everything and spent the next six months trying to trace the owners of the treasure trove. But despite advertising in all the recognised journals and even showing the goods on Crimewatch over 80 percent of the items remained unclaimed.
Kenny pleaded guilty to the indictment, aware that when the police gave evidence, they would be unable to mention any of the goods that had remained unclaimed. In fact, the police had to return the property that they were unable to prove had been stolen.
Adapted from: Crime Pays
By Jeffrey Archer
11[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The diplomat made a commendable effort to get back the stolen artefact of the nation from the foreign country.
12[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The sailors were careful to see that goods to be sold and bought were not damaged because of the harsh weather.
13[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
He looked trim and tidy in his new outfit.
14[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
His service was required only as a small connector to reach the main culprit.
15[1.0]
Operation (Paragraph 1)
- (a)There were certain restrictions on the operation of market forces.
- (b)They wondered if the well-known store was still in operation.
- (c)She has never felt better since her by-pass operation.
- (d)After several espionage operations, the spy retired to a life of anonymity.
16[1.0]
Fair (Paragraph 2)
- (a)In all fairness, the film was not up to our expectations.
- (b)To be fair, the old man did not recognise his friend as it had been years since they had met.
- (c)The fairground was crowded and lively.
- (d)Sukhi marvelled at all the beautiful and bright bangles at the fair.
17[1.0]
Suit (Paragraph 2)
- (a)They won't let men into the gym without a jogging suit and sneakers.
- (b)Customers will be offered solutions that best suit their needs.
- (c)She decided to wear a grey suit to the business meeting that morning.
- (d)He can be very helpful but only when it suits him.
18[1.0]
Counter (Paragraph 5)
- (a)My grandmother dislikes people putting dirty shopping bags on her kitchen counter.
- (b)I tried to argue but my mother countered that I would have to be eighteen to drive a car.
- (c)You can get computers to help the counters count the votes.
- (d)Businesses would like to see new laws to counter late payments of debts.
19[2.0]
How does the writer indicate right at the beginning that Kenny Merchant was up to no good?
20[2.0]
Why do you think Kenny chose the quietest period for his plan?
21[2.0]
‘The same commissionaire had not saluted him on any of his several visits during the previous week…’ Why did this happen? What does this tell you about people in general?
22[2.0]
How do you think Kenny knew every detail about Harrods?
23[2.0]
What was Kenny’s purpose in ensuring that the surveillance cameras caught him in their frame?
24[2.0]
Mr Parker is described as a ‘tiny cog in Kenny’s well-oiled machine’. Explain the meaning of this phrase.
25[2.0]
Why did Kenny plead guilty to the accusation/indictment?
26[8.0]
Using material from Paragraphs 2 to 5, write in not more than 100 words, Kenny’s meticulous planning in his bid to be arrested at Harrod.
Word limit: 100
No answer yet.
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
(1) I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
(2) And I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days. I should divide the period into three parts. On the first day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and companionship have made my life worth living.
(3) I do not know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through that ‘window of the soul’, the eye. I can only ‘see’ through my fingertips the outline of a face I know my friends from the feel of their faces.
(4) How much easier, how much more satisfying it is for you who can see to grasp quickly the essential qualities of another person by watching the subtleties of expression, that quiver of a muscle, the flutter of a hand.
(5) Oh, the things I should see if I had the power of sight for just three days!
(6) The first day would be a busy one. I should call to me all my dear friends and look long into their faces, imprinting upon my mind the outward evidence of the beauty that is within them. I should like to see the books which have been read to me, and which have revealed to me the deepest channels of human life. And I should like to look into the loyal, trusting eyes of my dogs, the little Scottie and the stalwart Great Dane. In the afternoon I should take a long walk in the woods and intoxicate my eyes on the beauties of the world of nature. And I should pray for the glory of a colourful sunset. That night, I think, I should not be able to sleep.
(7) The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with which the sun awakens the sleeping Earth.
(8) My next stop would be the Museum of Art. So, on this, my second day, I should try to probe into the soul of man through his art. The things I knew through touch I should now see.
(9) The evening of my second day I should spend at a theatre or at the movies. How I should like to see the fascinating figure of Hamlet, or the gusty Falstaff amid colourful Elizabethan trappings!
(10) The following morning, I shall spend in the workaday world, amid the haunts of men going about the business of life. The city becomes my destination. First, I stand at a busy corner, merely looking at people, trying by sight of them to understand something of their daily lives. I see smiles, and I am happy. I see serious determination, and I am proud. I see suffering, and I am compassionate. I stroll down Fifth Avenue in New York City. I throw my eyes out of focus, so that I see no particular object but only a seething kaleidoscope of colour. Always my eyes are open wide to all the sights of both happiness and misery so that I may probe deep and add to my understanding of how people work and live.
(11) My third day of sight is drawing to an end. At midnight, the permanent night would close in on me again. Naturally in those three short days, I should not have seen all I wanted to see.
(12) I am, however, sure that if you faced that fate, you would use your eyes as never before. Make the most of every sense; glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you through the several means of contact that nature provides. But of all the senses, I am sure that sight must be the most delightful.
Adapted from: Three days to see
By Hellen Keller
27[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The contribution was absolutely necessary for the survival of the family.
28[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The unbelievable magic that happened in their lives is beyond imagination.
29[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The rooftop gave a complete view of every direction of the landscape.
30[1.0]
Parts (Paragraph 2)
- (a)Parting is such sweet sorrow.
- (b)The two parts look similar to the rest of the diagram.
- (c)There are always tears when she parts from her mother.
- (d)Part of the fault lies in your behaviour.
31[1.0]
Sense (Paragraph 12)
- (a)I sensed tension in the room.
- (b)My hearing is sharper than the other senses.
- (c)There is no sense in repeating the task.
- (d)A dog’s sense of smell is ten times stronger than a human’s.
32[1.0]
Haunts (Paragraph 10)
- (a)They say that a ghost haunts this mansion.
- (b)The ice cream parlour is our favourite haunt.
- (c)She has a haunted look about her.
- (d)Gardens and meadows are the usual haunts of poets.
33[2.0]
Why do you think Helen Keller would not be able to sleep on the day after receiving her sight?
34[2.0]
What evidence is provided in the passage that Helen Keller harboured an attitude of gratitude?
35[2.0]
Why do you think she says she is sure that sight must be the most delightful of all the senses?
36[2.0]
According to Helen Keller, why would it be a blessing if all human beings became blind and deaf for a few days?
37[2.0]
What difference would sight make to her with regard to her friends?
38[2.0]
What do you understand about Helen Keller’s character from the advice she gives to people who have the gift of sight?
39[2.0]
What does the phrase ‘subtleties of expression’ mean in the context of this passage? Why does Helen Keller wish to see them?
40[8.0]
Using material from Paragraphs 6 to 9, write in not more than 100 words, what would Helen Keller like to do for the first two days if she were to gain sight.
Word limit: 100
No answer yet.
Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
As soon as he stepped into the house, Shane’s father scolded him for being late.
(Begin: Hardly ..………… )
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
Although the odds were overwhelming, the crew of the ship navigated the globe.
(Begin: Despite……)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
“Why did Hercules set out to complete these daunting tasks?”, said the teacher to Tom.
(Begin: The teacher……..)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
They rushed to the airport so that they do not miss the flight.
(Use: …………………Lest………………………)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
Had it not been for your help, he would have failed.
(Begin: But ……….)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
I have no knowledge whatsoever about artificial intelligence.
(Use:…………….know……………..)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
No sooner does the child wake up than she calls for her mother.
(Begin: Barely……..)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
Scarcely did he leave when his friends came looking for him.
(Begin: As soon as…….)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
The veena is said to be the oldest stringed instrument in India.
(Use:…….. as old as…………..)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
As soon as the boys spot the coach, they hide.
(Begin: No sooner………….)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
As soon as the bell rang, my mother rushed to check who was calling.
(Use: …………than……………….)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
The accused was too gentle to have committed the crime.
(Use:………..so…………..that…….)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
Beena is a good dancer as well as a great singer.
(Use: ………………..but also…………….)
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Complete sentence II so that it means the same as sentence I.
As soon as the discussion ended, the director left the room.
(Begin: No sooner…………….)
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The soldiers fought out when attacked by the enemies.
We should have the courage to fight with our rights.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The tickets for the new Avengers movie were sold away within a few hours.
The chef was eager to sell out the last of the cakes.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The grandmother promised to bring about the children well.
The new principal said he would bring on many changes.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
Although she faced a tragedy, we are sure she will get off it soon.
At the end of the year, we all want to get out from the hustle and bustle of the city.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
Be sure to put out your lifejacket before you get onboard.
She refused to put on with their antics any more.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
She was let away with a warning as her actions were not deliberate.
The rain did not let on so they were forced to cancel the plan for a picnic.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
When he got his birthday cake, he blew off all the candles on it.
They had to take shelter for the night till the storm blew away.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
She always brought on the best in her students.
The guests were cautioned not to bring about the sensitive topic.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
Their plans fell off due to disagreements in the team.
They have not spoken to each other since they fallen away many years ago.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The boy takes over his father in every way.
I took on swimming quicker than my parents thought I would.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The lyrics had been put for music.
His indifferent attitude has put us in.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The disgraced minister fell for power.
New Year’s Day falls in a Tuesday this year.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The candidate’s name was struck away the rolls on his request.
I was struck with the startling resemblance between the mother and the daughter.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The judge was bowled away by the talent of the students at the fest.
The player was declared bowled over by the umpire.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
Maanya was able to deal away the delicate situation.
Mr Lakhmani deals with antiques and curios.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
Vansh keeps putting on going to the dentist.
They offered to put us in for the night when we visited their city.
No answer yet.
Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
It is a good idea to back on your files onto a memory stick.
He lost confidence and backed off of the deal at the last minute.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
It was cloudy since morning but the sun finally broke over the clouds at noon.
The burglars broke through the store after midnight.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
It is time to fight with street crime.
He was hurt while trying to fight away the robbers.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The doctors think that she will pull away.
No one expected him to pull on a trick like that.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
The coach called away the training session due to heavy rain.
We decided to call out our aunt who lived in a nearby city.
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Fill in the blank with a suitable word.
While looking through the old album, I came to a funny picture of mine.
The food in this restaurant is so good that we will surely come up for more.
No answer yet.
Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
Clashes between generations are nothing new. In the 1950s, rock ‘n’ roll was berated as immoral, and fifty years later, hip-hop has had much the same treatment.
The exact same thing (1) ___________ (happen) in ancient Rome over two thousand years ago.
During the Second Punic War, when Hannibal had nearly (2) _______ (lead) the Carthaginians to victory over the Roman Republic, A young man, Scipio Africanus (3) ________ (step) in to save the day. He was, without doubt, a military genius, but his personal habits (4) _______ (earn) him the disrespect of the Roman Senate’s venerable older members.
The Roman historian Livy records that young Scipio (5) _____ (have) long “flowing” hair, quite different from the usual Roman fashion of shaved scalps. This (6) ____ (be) semi-scandalous in Rome.
Later, when Scipio (7) ________ (propose) to (8) ______(invade) Carthage, his hairstyle and dress sense (9) ______ (hold) against him by an elder statesman and general, Fabius Maximus. However, much we idolise ancient Rome, it is worth (10)__________ (remember) that they too had serious inter-generational clashes over things as minor as fashion.
No answer yet.
Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
It was midnight and a train was______ (1) (race) to its destination with a howl in the silence of the night. A man _______ (2) (sleep) with his head on the side window of the train.
Suddenly, he ______ (3) (wake) up from his sleep. He jumped from his seat and pulled the chain_____(4) (hang) just over his head.
The train moved for some more distance and _______(5) (stop) suddenly. The employees and other passengers on the train rushed to the compartment to know what ______(6) (happen)
"There is a crack in the rail a few meters from here !!! If the train____(7) (go) over it, there is surely going to be a mishap," the man said quietly.
"In this dark night, how ____(8) (do) you see the crack which is far in front ?” someone asked.
He said that he ______(9) (hear) the vibrating sound from the track change so drastically that he recognised it was due to the crack in the railway line. The man who _____(10) (save) many lives that night was none other than the best engineer that India has ever produced, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya or Sir M.Visvesvaraya.
No answer yet.