This MCQ module is based on: Reading Comprehension I — Diary of Lena Mukhina (Siege of Leningrad)
TOPIC 4 OF 9
Reading Comprehension I — Diary of Lena Mukhina (Siege of Leningrad)
🎓 Class 10
English
CBSE
Theory
Ch 4 — Unit 4 — From the Diary of Anne Frank
⏱ ~20 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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[myaischool_lt_english_assessment grade_level="class_10" difficulty="intermediate"]
Let's Begin — Unit 4: From the Diary of Anne Frank
This unit connects to the First Flight chapter on Anne Frank's diary and extends to Lena Mukhina's diary (Siege of Leningrad) and Daniel Defoe's 'A Journal of the Plague Year'.
Discussion: The World Wars caused immense human suffering. How might you relate to Anne Frank's feelings of alienation and isolation? Have you ever felt cut off from the world or misunderstood by those around you?
Vocabulary Warm-up: Predict meanings of: siege, appalling, apathy, aftermath, inclement
siege A military blockade of a city or fortress to compel surrender
appalling Causing shock and horror; extremely bad
apathy Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern; indifference
aftermath The consequences following a significant unpleasant event
inclement (of weather) unpleasantly cold or wet; harsh
Key Vocabulary — Diary of Lena Mukhina / Plague Year
siege
noun
A military operation in which forces surround a city to cut off supplies and compel surrender. The Siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days.
appalling
adjective
Causing shock or dismay; horrifyingly bad. The appalling hunger of the siege reduced bread rations to 125 grams per day.
apathy
noun
Complete lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern — a dangerous mental state that sets in after prolonged suffering.
discourse
noun
Written or spoken communication or discussion. In Defoe's text, news spread through ordinary discourse — word of mouth.
plague
noun
A contagious bacterial disease causing death. Defoe's journal describes the Great Plague of London (1665).
tokens (of sickness)
phrase
Visible signs or symptoms of disease found on the bodies of the dead.
Reading Comprehension I — Diary of Lena Mukhina (Siege of Leningrad)
Comprehension Questions — Lena Mukhina's Foreword
Q1. Infer the meaning of the following expressions:
(a) to feel the breath of war: there were indications that war was going to start soon (done)
(b) appalling hunger and cold: ___
(c) start of the siege: ___
(d) blockade grams: ___
(b) appalling hunger and cold: ___
(c) start of the siege: ___
(d) blockade grams: ___
(b) appalling hunger and cold = extreme, horrifying, almost unbearable levels of starvation and freezing temperatures that shocked the conscience.
(c) start of the siege = the beginning of the German military encirclement of Leningrad, when the city was cut off from the rest of Russia (September 1941).
(d) blockade grams = the tiny official ration of bread (125g for non-workers, 250g for workers) allowed during the blockade — a measure so small it barely sustained life.
(c) start of the siege = the beginning of the German military encirclement of Leningrad, when the city was cut off from the rest of Russia (September 1941).
(d) blockade grams = the tiny official ration of bread (125g for non-workers, 250g for workers) allowed during the blockade — a measure so small it barely sustained life.
Q2. List words from the passage related to war (e.g., 'bombardment').
War-related words from the passage: bombardment, air raids, artillery, bomb shelters, siege, shells, blockade, rations, hunger, death, destruction. Notice how the passage uses both military terms (bombardment, artillery) and civilian survival terms (rations, shelters) — reflecting the total impact of war on everyday life.
Q3(a). Who were the captives as stated in the passage?
The citizens of Leningrad were the captives — not prisoners of war, but civilians trapped inside their own city by the German military encirclement. They could neither leave nor receive supplies.
Q3(b). Why did the people under siege welcome bad weather?
The Leningraders welcomed inclement (harsh) weather because reduced visibility made it harder for German bombers to target the city accurately. Clouds and fog offered protection from aerial bombing, even if not from artillery fire.
Q4. Tick the correct answer: 'when it was still possible to buy food without ration cards in ordinary shops and canteens were no more than a distant memory' means:
(d) — The phrase uses nostalgia to convey how drastically life had changed. The casual freedom to buy food without paperwork now seemed like something from a dream — a "distant memory" from before the siege began.
Reading Comprehension II — A Journal of the Plague Year (Daniel Defoe)
Comprehension — Daniel Defoe's 18th-Century English
Q1. Find words/phrases from the text that seem different from modern English and suggest modern equivalents.
| 18th-Century Usage | Modern Equivalent |
| whence | from where / where from |
| whither | to which place / where |
| It mattered not | It did not matter |
| gotten some vent in the discourse | spread through conversation |
| weekly bill of mortality | weekly death report / mortality register |
Q2(a). What is being talked about in the first paragraph of Defoe's journal?
The first paragraph describes how, in September 1664, the narrator heard in ordinary conversation that the plague had returned to Holland. There was uncertainty about the plague's origin — some said Italy, others said the Levant, brought by a Turkish trade fleet. The narrator notes that all agreed it had reached Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Q2(b). How was news about important events circulated in those days?
There were no printed newspapers at that time. News was gathered from letters of merchants who corresponded with people abroad, and was then spread by word of mouth only. This meant news spread slowly and unevenly, unlike today's instant mass communication.
Q3. 'The weekly bill of mortality' means:
(d) — The Bills of Mortality were official weekly publications listing deaths by cause in London parishes. They were a crucial public health tool of the era — the 17th-century equivalent of disease surveillance reports. Defoe uses them as evidence of the plague's official confirmation.
Grammar Visualisation — Contracted Forms (Contractions)
Grammar Workshop — Idiomatic Expressions from Anne Frank
Idiomatic expressions have meanings that differ from the literal meanings of the words. They are common in informal English. Anne Frank's diary uses several idiomatic expressions. Learn them in context.
quaking in one's boots
To tremble with fear or nervousness
"Our entire class is quaking in its boots." — Anne Frank, describing fear of an exam.
not to lose heart
To not become discouraged; to maintain hope
"Until then we keep telling each other not to lose heart." — Persisting despite difficult circumstances.
all's fair in love and war
In certain situations (love, conflict), any method to achieve one's goal is acceptable
"He used every trick he knew — all's fair in love and war, he said."
icing on the cake
An extra benefit added to something already good
"Winning the award was wonderful, but meeting the author was the icing on the cake."
chalk and cheese
Completely different; having nothing in common
"The two sisters were chalk and cheese — one quiet, the other always performing."
breaking the ice
Starting a conversation or activity to ease tension in a new situation
"The teacher used a fun game to break the ice on the first day of class."
Exercise: Contractions — Fill in the blanks
(a) You should not eat so much. You ________ eat so much.
shouldn't — should + not = shouldn't
(b) They have written the story. ________ written the story.
They've — they + have = they've
(c) Let us go watch a movie. ________ go watch a movie.
Let's — let + us = let's
(d) He did not play tennis. He ________ play tennis.
didn't — did + not = didn't
(e) I could not find my friend. I ________ find my friend.
couldn't — could + not = couldn't
(f) Here is your bag. ________ your bag.
Here's — here + is = here's
(g) I would guide him. ________ guide him.
I'd — I + would = I'd
(h) They are not rich. They ________ rich.
aren't — are + not = aren't
Grammar — Phrasal Verbs in Context
Use the correct form of the phrasal verbs: go out, break down, look for, check out, find out. Change tense where required.
Suhasini wanted to _____ with her mother to the book shop. Her mother came back very late. She said that her car _____ on the way. She had to _____ a mechanic. She _____ several apps for roadside assistance but then _____ that her internet was not working.
Suhasini wanted to go out with her mother to the book shop. Her mother came back very late. She said that her car broke down on the way. She had to look for a mechanic. She checked out several apps for roadside assistance but then found out that her internet was not working.
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Extract-Based Practice — Lena Mukhina's Diary
"People's initial curiosity in the aftermath of the first bomb attacks soon gave way to fear and then, in conditions of appalling hunger and cold, to apathy. Leningraders welcomed inclement weather for the reduced visibility it brought."
Q1. Trace the emotional journey of Leningraders as described in this extract.
L2 Understand
The extract traces a three-stage emotional progression: curiosity → fear → apathy. Initially, people were curious about the bombs — a natural human response to something new and alarming. As the attacks continued and suffering intensified, curiosity transformed into fear. Finally, with prolonged hunger and cold, even fear gave way to apathy — a numbing indifference that is often the human psyche's last defence against unbearable conditions.
Q2. Why is 'apathy' described as the final emotional state? What does it suggest about the human mind under extreme suffering?
L4 Analyse
Apathy is the mind's way of protecting itself from pain it can no longer process. When suffering exceeds a threshold, the emotional system shuts down — not out of indifference but out of exhaustion. The Leningraders stopped feeling fear because the fear itself had become too constant to sustain. This is a clinically recognised response to chronic trauma. The detail that they welcomed bad weather — an inverted relationship with nature — shows how completely their normal perceptions had been overturned by the siege.
Q3. Compare Lena Mukhina's diary with Anne Frank's diary. What do they have in common? (5 marks)
L5 Evaluate
Both diaries are first-person accounts of young women trapped by World War II. Both record the experience of fear, isolation, and the disruption of normal life by forces beyond their control. Both use the diary as a means of maintaining their sense of self and humanity in dehumanising circumstances. However, Anne Frank's diary is more personal and introspective, focusing on identity, relationships, and inner life; Lena Mukhina's diary is more focused on the collective experience of the siege — hunger, bombardment, survival. Together, they show that war's truest cost is measured not in military statistics but in the shattered inner lives of ordinary people.
Editing Exercise — Max Müller Quote
Find errors in each line and write the correct form.
| Incorrect | Error Type | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| If I was asked under what sky | Conditional mood — 'was' incorrect | were |
| has most fully developed some for its choicest gifts | Wrong preposition: 'for' → 'of' | some of |
| and has find solutions of some of them | has + V3 (past participle needed) | has found |
| well deserve the attention even of them who | 'them' → wrong pronoun | those |
| I should pointed to India | Modal 'should' + base form | should point |
| if I were to ask me from what literature | Reflexive pronoun error | myself |
| we who has been nurtured | Subject-verb agreement: 'who' refers to 'we' | have been |
| the corrective which is most want | Wrong word form: 'want' → 'wanted/needed' | most wanted / most needed |
| in fact most truly human a life | Word order error with article | a most truly human life |
Writing Task — Report Writing (120–150 words)
Write a report on any one: conservation of environment, plantation of trees, waste disposal, water harvesting, or the cleanliness drive under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in your locality.
Report Writing Format (CBSE Standard)
Heading: [Title of Report] — in capitalsBy-line: Reported by [Name], Date
Opening: What event/initiative? Where? When? Who was involved?
Body: Details — activities, participants, outcomes, quotes
Conclusion: Impact, significance, future plans
No first-person ('I') — write in third person. Past tense throughout.
Model Report — Swachh Bharat Drive
CLEANLINESS DRIVE HELD AT GOVERNMENT HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOLReported by Priya Nair, 14 April 2026
A cleanliness drive under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was organised at Government Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram, on Saturday, 12 April. The event, attended by over 200 students, teachers, and local residents, aimed at raising awareness about waste segregation and maintaining public spaces.
Students were divided into teams and assigned sections of the school campus and the adjacent park. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste was collected and segregated. The school principal, speaking on the occasion, urged students to carry the message of cleanliness to their homes and neighbourhoods. Local municipal workers conducted a brief demonstration on composting organic waste.
The initiative was widely appreciated, with participants pledging to maintain cleanliness as a daily habit rather than a one-day event.
Fun Fact — Tongue Twister"I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop." Say it five times fast! Tongue twisters help with articulation and pronunciation practice — they train the tongue muscles to move precisely between similar sounds (s, sh, s).
Fun Fact — Comma in LettersA comma is used in the opening and closing of a letter: "Dear Rashmi," and "Love, Rekha" — this is standard epistolary format used in both formal and informal letter writing in CBSE.
FAQ
What is Words and Expressions 2 — Unit 4: From the Diary of Anne Fra about?
Words and Expressions 2 — Unit 4: From the Diary of Anne Fra is a lesson from the NCERT English textbook covering important literary and language concepts with vocabulary, literary devices, and exercises.
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Key vocabulary words from Words and Expressions 2 — Unit 4: From the Diary of Anne Fra are highlighted with contextual meanings and usage examples throughout the lesson.
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Words and Expressions 2 — Unit 4: From the Diary of Anne Fra uses various literary devices including imagery, symbolism, and figurative language identified with coloured tags.
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Exercises include extract-based comprehension questions, grammar workshops, vocabulary activities, and writing tasks with model answers.
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Words and Expressions 2 — Unit 4: From the Diary of Anne Fra includes CBSE-format questions and model answers following Bloom's Taxonomy levels L1-L6.
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