First Flight :
- A Letter to God: Frequently used for comparing Lencho’s faith with other characters like Nelson Mandela.
- Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom: Often appears in 6-mark comparative questions or as an extract for 5 marks.
- Glimpses of India: Particularly “A Baker from Goa” and “Tea from Assam” are repeated in short 3-mark questions.
- The Sermon at Benares: A common source for 3-mark analytical questions regarding grief and mortality.
- Madam Rides the Bus: Valli’s character traits (fearlessness and determination) are a recurring theme for 6-mark long answers.
- Amanda!: Repeatedly used to explore the theme of a child’s imagination versus parental control.
- The Tale of Custard the Dragon: Often asked in the context of humor or character description.
- A Tiger in the Zoo: Frequently appears as a 5-mark extract focusing on the contrast between confinement and freedom.
Footprints Without Feet (Supplementary):
- Bholi: Consistently used for 6-mark character evolution questions (timid to confident).
- The Thief’s Story: Focuses on Hari Singh’s moral awakening and his relationship with Anil.
- The Making of a Scientist: Often highlights the role of Richard’s mother in his success
“Competency-Based” pattern :
- Comparative Analysis (6 Marks): The board increasingly asks you to compare characters from two different chapters. For example, comparing the reactions of Lencho and Nelson Mandela to challenges.
- Character Evolution (6 Marks): Questions focusing on how a character changes through the story (e.g., Bholi or Hari Singh) are very common.
- Justification Questions (3 Marks): You are often asked to “Justify” a statement or a theme, such as “Grief is a measure of love” in the context of Buddha’s sermon.
- Extract-Based Objective Questions (1 Mark): These now focus heavily on inference and vocabulary (finding synonyms/antonyms like ‘persist’ or ‘repercussion’) rather than direct retrieval from the text