Take advantage of thorough notes, solved papers, and key questions to improve your CBSE 10th Class English (Lang and Lit) study. With the help of this useful resource, improve your academic performance.
Time allowed: 3 Hours Maximum Marks: 80
SECTION – A
Reading Skills [20]
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : [8]
(1) Keep your watch accurate. For some people, moving up the time on their watch will help them get up earlier. For others, they will remember that the time on the watch is wrong and will disregard it altogether. It may be helpful to set your watch just two minutes ahead instead of five or ten.
(2) Keepa clock, phone, computer or anything that displays time in each room of your house. One of the easiest ways to run late is simply by not realising that the time is passing as quickly as it is.
(3) Set all your clocks and watches to the same time. Don’t be an optimist. Things usually take longer than what you’d expect, even without major delays. If you have a dinner appointment at 7:30 P.M., don’t think you can work till 7 P.M., then take a bath, dress and reach on time. Realistically, calculate the time you will take at each step and then add 10 minutes more to allow for unexpected delays, or you cannot get to your job in time.
(4) Wake up when you are supposed to wake up. Don’t hit the snooze button, keep on lying in bed, and watch TV at the very start of your day. Maybe try even setting your clock 10 minutes earlier than you need. If you have difficulty with this, move your alarm clock to somewhere away from your bed; that way, you have to get up to turn it off. Commit yourself to being 15 minutes early for everything. If you have to reach your place of work at 8:00, don’t even tell yourself this. Just tell yourself (and everyone else who listens-but don’t annoy them or make them think that they are late or early!) “I have to be at work at 7.45”. If you do this, you will be on time even with little unforeseen delays. You will be on time even with a traffic jam.
1.1 Complete the following statements using words/phrases from the passage. Attempt any eight. [1 x 8 = 8]
(a) Some people believe that if …………… it will help them be earlier.
Ans. they move up the time on their watch,
(b) Many others know ……………. they disregard it altogether.
Ans. that the time on the watch is wrong so
(c) Keep ……………. in each room.
Ans. a clock, phone, computer or anything that displays time
(d) One of the things that can be done is …………….. of five or ten minutes.
Ans. to set watch just two minutes ahead instead
(e) Many a time we do not realise that …………….. .
Ans. the time is passing as quickly as it is
(f) Instead of pressing the snooze button ……………… .
Ans. wake up when you are supposed to wake up
(g) If you have difficulty in getting up ………………. .
Ans. early then try to set your clock ten minutes earlier.
(h) It is a good habit to …………….. somewhere away from your bed.
Ans. move your alarm clock to
(i) It is good to commit yourself …………….. for every thing.
Ans. to being 15 minutes earlier
2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: [12]
(1) Music is perhaps the most popular and widely practised form of Fine Arts, transcending all kinds of cultural and linguistic barriers. Any form of fine art is difficult to master and almost impossible to perfect and music is no exception.
(2) Nature, it is learnt, has blessed almost two-thirds of the human race with musical ability of some sort. Music has the power to bring out the deepest emotions. It can make one cry or bring a smile on one’s face. n fact it is a magic medicine and many seek refuge in it when they are depressed or stressed. It is this intimacy that makes us listen to music or even hum or sing sometimes. This singing, or realistically speaking, expressing one’s emotion musically sometimes takes a serious turn. This desire to show musical expression in public then becomes a serious business profession. And from here the musical journey begins.
(3) This desire to sing before an audience is innocent and beautiful and indeed it is perfectly alright to have such a genuine desire. But it is also important to understand that, singing is an intricate art – a highly refined one at that, which requires systematic, prolonged and strict training, to be acceptable. This is an aspect we forget in our keen desire to reach the stage and perform. It is almost like preparing a formal meal for some specially invited guests, without even having learnt and trained in the basics of cooking. This is why we have more noise and less music nowadays.
(4) These days almost everyone sings and it does not stop here. Most of us want to become professional singers, Result : a complete disregard for and ignorance of the training part, as the need is never felt to go through one and the urge to get to the stage and perform overcomes even a little desire to learn, if any. If at all, somewhere along the way one feels the need to gain some knowledge and training, it leads to hurried shortcuts and half-hearted attempts, best described as ‘Crash Courses’.
(5) It is observed that those who have attained the so called partial success, suddenly feel that they lack the required knowledge and are not learned enough. But it is too late by then. It should be understood here that the stage or a performance brings in a different mindset within the artist. It is always recommended and rightly said, that while on stage, cover the mistakes and weaknesses if any, and get along. But the contrary is true when it comes to acquiring knowledge and during the learning process. While under training, the student is expected to make mistakes but then rectify those mistakes under the supervision and guidance of the teacher. Therefore, it is good to make mistakes and then be corrected during the process of learning as this subsequently makes one flawless and educated. This is a different mindset. And these two mindsets discussed above, (those of a performer and that of a student) cannot co-exist.
2.1. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words each: [2 x 4 = 8]
(a) The desire to sing in public overcomes the need to train. Elaborate.
Ans. The desire to sing in public is innocent and beautiful and indeed it is perfectly alright to have such a genuine desire. Most of us want to become professional singers with complete disregard for and ignorance of the training part. This is an aspect that we forget in our keen desire to reach the stage and perform which in turn, overcomes the desire to learn.
(b) How can we say that music is a magic medicine?
Ans. Music has the power to bring out the deepest emotions. It is a magic medicine as it can make one cry or bring smile on one’s face and many seek refuge in it when they are depressed or stressed.
(c) What is best described as ‘Crash Courses’?
Ans. If one feels the need to gain some knowledge and training to become a professional singer, it leads to hurried shortcuts and half-hearted attempts, best described as ‘Crash Courses’.
(d) What should be the mindset of a student of music?
Ans. While under training, the student is expected to make mistakes but then rectify those mistakes under the supervision and guidance of the teacher. Therefore, it is good to make mistakes and then correct them during the process of learning as this subsequently makes one flawless and educated. This should be the mindset of the student of music.
(e) Why is singing a refined and intricate art?
Ans. Singing is a refined and intricate art because it requires systematic, prolonged and strict training to be acceptable. We forget this aspect in our keen desire to reach the stage and perform. It is like preparing a formal meal for some specially invited guests without even having learnt and trained in the basics of cooking. That is why we have more noise and less music nowadays.
2.2 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer any four of the following: [1 x 5 = 5]
(a) Almost …………… of human population is blessed with musical ability of some sort.
(i) two-thirds – Ans.
(ii) one-third
(iii) half
(iv) one-fifth
(b) Any form of ……………… is difficult to master.
(i) visual art
(ii) audio-visual art
(iii) fine arts – Ans.
(iv) design art
(c) Transcending’ in para 1 means.
(i) drown under
(ii) rise above – Ans.
(iii) surrender
(iv) fail
(d) ‘Refuge’ in para 2 means.
(i) shelter from rain
(ii) shelter from storm
(iii) shelter from unhappiness – Ans.
(iv) shelter from sun
(e) ‘Partial’ in para 5 means.
(i) unfair
(ii) incomplete – Ans.
(iii) whole
(iv) total
SECTION – B
(WRITING AND GRAMMAR) 30
3. As a health conscious person, you have noticed an advertisement in a newspaper on yoga classes in your neighbourhood. Write a letter in 100-120 words to the organizer, Yoga for Public, R.K. Puram, New Delhi requesting him/her to send you information about the duration of the course and other relevant details. You Shweta/Srikar of 13, R.K. Puram, New Delhi. [8]
OR
You have noticed that the number of vehicles is steadily increasing in your city. There are long traffic jams causing a lot of inconvenience to the road users. Write an article in 100- 200 words on the topic, Problem of Traffic Jams in Metropolitan Cities. Your are Renu/Rajan.
Ans.
13, R.K. Puram,
New Delhi
14th April, 20XX
The Organizer,
Yoga for Public,
R.K. Puram,
New Delhi
Sub: Inquiry about the Yoga Classes
Sir,
With reference to your advertisement in Patrika Times’ dated 12th April, 20XX, I have come to know that you are organizing yoga classes near my locality. It’s a good initiative and also highly appreciable because yoga helps detox the body and de-stress the mind. It also maintains balance between physical and mental health of a person. Sparing some time for yoga helps in getting relief from stress. As I am a health conscious person and know that yoga helps in curing many diseases in today’s deskbound lifestyle, I wish to join the classes. But prior to joining the classes, I would like you to furnish me the following necessary details:
- Duration of the course
- Timings
- Fee structure
- Mode of payment
- Instructor
- Class duration
It will be highly appreciated if the above details are provided to me at the earliest.
Thanking You
Yours Faithfully
Shweta/Srikar
OR
PROBLEM OF TRAFFIC JAMS IN METROPOLITAN CITIES
By Renu/Rajan
The country’s automobile industry has been growing rapidly with the increase in per capita income, the consequence of which is excessive load on roads due to steadily increasing number of vehicles in the metropolitan cities. Traffic jams occur when vehicles in large numbers come to a standstill for any reason for a certain period of time. There is not a single day when the roads in the metro cities are without chaos. Another reason for the traffic congestion is the overgrowing population as well as the increase in the number of private, public and commercial vehicles. It occurs mostly during peak hours when people commute to or fro from their workplaces and hence, they face inconvenience. It is an absolute wastage of their productive time. Distances have also increased in a way. Where it used to take only few minutes to cover certain distances earlier, now takes hours to cover the same. People get stranded in their vehicles for hours and get late for their offices, business meetings or any other appointments. Heavy traffic creates problems not only for the vehicle drivers but also for pedestrians. Pedestrians find it difficult to walk on the sideways meant for them. Traffic congestion has become a menace for the injured or seriously ill patients who sometimes die on their way due to traffic jams. There are also chances of road mishaps as vehicles move in close proximity to each other.
It is therefore, necessary to start an awareness campaign to lighten the burden on roads and to take various measures to control traffic jams in metro cities.
4. Complete the story in 200-250 words, which begins as the following, providing an appropriate title also. [10]
Mukesh, the grocer, was very greedy. He would mix stones in pulses and coloured sand in spices and sell them to the poor villagers. The villagers complained to him but he turned a deaf ear to them, as his was the only grocery store in the village. The villagers, then decided ………………
OR
It was 10 P.M. I was alone at home. Suddenly I heard a knock on the door ………………
Ans. TIT FOR TAT
Mukesh, the grocer, was very greedy. He would mix stones in pulses and coloured sand in spices and sell them to the poor villagers. The villagers complained to him but he turned a deaf ear to them, as his was the only grocery store in the village. The villagers, then decided to teach him a lesson. They all gathered and went to the king to make a complaint against him. On hearing this the king became very angry and ordered his courtiers to summon him to the court. When Mukesh was brought to the court, the king rebuked him saying, “You have been cheating the innocent villagers for the past so many months and for this, you will be punished”. The grocer was frightened and asked for forgiveness. The king gave him the relaxation of choosing his punishment. The king asked him either to get ready to go beaten a thousand times or eat one hundred onions at a time. The grocer became happy thinking it to be an easy punishment and chose to eat onions. But having eaten only 20 onions, tears rolled down his eyes and he asked to be beaten. When guards started lashing him and the count reached to 50, Mukesh cried with pain and knelt down before the king feeling extremely sorry for his deeds. He promised not to cheat anyone in future. The king released him on a warning and Mukesh lived the life of an honest person thereafter.
Moral – ‘Greed leads to grief’
OR
THE SCARY NIGHT
It was 10 P.M. I was alone at home. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I expected no one at that hour of time as all my family members had gone to attend a close family wedding whereas I was supposed to stay at home due to my board exams. Repeated knocking at the door scared me to death. A chill went down my spine. Suddenly, the lights went off and this only worsened my fear. Then I saw some shadows outside the window. My heartbeat increased as it was dense dark outside, and I couldn’t imagine in my wildest thoughts who could be there. I geared up, gathered courage and reached the window. Slowly I pulled the curtains and looked outside but the shadow was not clear at all and it was not a single shadow but four or five shadows. This was enough for me to believe that some scoundrels were there at the door. I looked for my cricket bat, held it tightly and reached for the main door of the living room. Although it was cold winter, I was still down with sweat. With a sudden jerk, I opened the door and lifted my bat to hit but I was surprised to see that it was my family members who had come early because of me. I felt relieved and embraced my mother tightly. That night I slept with my parents, holding my mother’s hand. It was really a scary night!
Moral – ‘Do not loose courage even in the worst situation.’
5. Fill in the blanks in the paragraph given below by choosing the most appropriate options from the ones that follow. Attempt any four. Write the answers in your answer sheet against the correct blank numbers. [1 x 4 = 4]
The caves of Ajanta and Ellora ….(a)…. the magnificent works of sculpture. Whoever ….(b)…. there ….(c)…. spell bound. Thousands ….(d)…. tourists visit these places every year. One can stay ….(e)…. the guest houses.
(a) (i) is
(ii) are – Ans.
(iii) was
(iv) were
(b) (i) go
(ii) going
(iii) goes – Ans.
(iv) went
(c) (i) becomes – Ans.
(ii) became
(iii) becoming
(iv) has become
(d) (i) for
(ii) of – Ans.
(iii) from
(iv) at
(e) (i) on
(ii) over
(iii) upon
(iv) in – Ans.
6. In the following paragraph, one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along with the word that comes before and the word that comes after it against the correct blank number. The first one has been done for you. Attempt any four [1 x 4 = 4]
Word Missing Word
before word after
The tiny island of Rameswaram South e.g. Rameswaram in South
India is one of the four Dhams According to legend (a) ………… ………. ….………
it was rom here that Lord Rama the (b) ………… ……… ………….
help of Hanuman and Sugnev and his monkey
force built a stone bridge anka just 24 (c) ………… ……….. ………….
kilometers away. The main attraction of island (d) ………… ……….. ………….
is the Ramanathaswamy Temple is a (e) ………… ……….. ………….
magnificent examples of Dravidian architecture.
Ans. Word Missing Word
(a) to a legend
(b) Rama with the
(c) bridge to Lanka
(d) of the island
(e) Temple which is
7. Rearrange any four or the following groups of word/phrases to make meaningful sentences. [1 x 4 = 4]
(a) of mankind/reading is/one of/pleasures/the greatest
Ans. Reading is one of the greatest pleasures of mankind.
(b) we/enjoy/the/much more/borrowed ones/our own books/reading/than
Ans. We enjoy reading our own books much more than the borrowed ones.
(c) book/care/must be/with/a borrowed/treated
Ans. A borrowed book must be treated with care.
(d) book/afraid of/you should/writing notes on/not be/ your own
Ans. You should not be afraid of writing notes on your own book.
(e) should begin/one/a private library/one’s youth/building/in
Ans. One should begin building a private library in one’s youth.
SECTION – C
(LITERATURE) 30
8. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : [1 x 4 = 4]
The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. Monthly accounts used to be recorded on some wall in pencil. Baking was indeed a profitable profession in the old days. The baker and his family never starved. He, his family and his servant always looked happy and prosperous. Their plump physique was an open testimony to this. Even today any person with a jackfruit-like physical appearance is easily compared to a baker.
(a) Where did the baker record his accounts?
Ans. The baker recorded his accounts on some wall in pencil.
(b) Why did the baker and his family never starve?
Ans. The baker and his family never starved because baking was a profitable profession in the old days.
(c) Which word in the extract is a synonym of ‘rich’?
Ans. The synonym of the word ‘rich is prosperous.
(d) How can a baker be identified in Goa?
Ans. A baker can be identified in Goa if he has a jackfruit-like physical appearance.
OR
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink.
And the little gray mouse, she called him Blink.
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
(a) Name the poem and its poet.
Ans. The name of the poem is”The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ and the poet is Ogden Nash.
(b) What is the colour of Belinda’s dog?
Ans. The colour of the Belinda’s dog is yellow.
(c) What were the kitten and the mouse called?
Ans. The kitten was called ‘Ink’ and the mouse was called ‘Blink’.
(d) Which word in the stanza is the antonym of ‘dull’?
Ans. Antonym of the word ‘dull’ is sharp.
9. Answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words each. [2 x 4 = 8]
(a) Why did Lencho write a letter to God?
Ans. Lencho’s crops were destroyed by a hailstorm. He had put all his money in farming and therefore, he was left with no money then. But he had strong faith in God that God would definitely solve his problem. So, he wrote a letter to God asking for 100 pesos so that he and his family wouldn’t starve.
(b) How did Chubukov react when Lomov asked for the hand of his daughter in marriage?
Ans. Chubukov was extremely cheerful and excited when Lomov asked for the hand of his daughter in marriage. He embraced and kissed Lomov on his forehead and shed tears of joy. He exclaimed with happiness that it was his heartfelt desire. He was of the opinion that Lomnov would turn out to be the perfect match for his daughter, so he showered his blessings upon Lomov after hearing this.
(c) How did Ebright’s mother help him to becoming a scientist?
Ans. Ebright’s mother motivated him to learn. She was his only childhood friend and a companion. She used to take him on trips, buy scientific equipment like microscopes, telescopes, cameras, etc., and help him in many ways. She introduced him to Dr. Fredrick A. Urquhart of the University of Toronto, Canada. She found many interesting things for him to learn.
(d) Why does Anil not hand Hari Singh over to the police?
Ans. Anil does not hand Hari Singh over to the police because he realizes that beyond his identity as a thief, Hari Singh is a good person and has learnt a lesson. Anil understands that Hari Singh has changed now otherwise he wouldn’t have put the stolen money back in its place. Anil has a humble nature so he wants to give Hari Singh a chance and forgives him for stealing money.
10. Answer the following questions in 100-120 words [8]
Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend of the Loisels. Elaborate.
OR
Why did Gotami go to the Buddha? What lesson did he teach her?
Ans. Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend of Loisels. Mme Forestier played a crucial role in the story. She helped Matilda when Matilda needed her genuinely. Matilda was blessed with a beautiful physique but she lacked the lavish lifestyle she yearned for. Therefore, she was discontented with her life. Although Mme Forestier treated her kindly, Matilda was jealous of Mme Forestier because of her wealth. Once, Matilda had to attend a fancy party so she borrowed a diamond necklace from Mme Forestier. Forestier was immediately ready to lend Matilda the necklace. In fact, she displayed the entire array of her jewels in front of her and asked her to choose from them. She didn’t show any urgency to get back the necklace and when Matilda returned the necklace, Mme Forestier didn’t even inspect it and instead, honestly revealed that the necklace that she gave to Matilda was fake. It shows her honest nature. She also felt bad when Matilda suffered unnecessarily to pay for a replacement necklace. Thus, she proved to be her genuine friend.
OR
Kisa Gotami was a young woman who belonged to a wealthy family. She was married to a merchant. When her one-year old child fell ill and died, she was grief stricken and couldn’t bear his death. She took her dead child in her arms and went door to door begging everyone to tell the way to get her child back to life. Nobody helped her and instead thought her to be crazy but she didn’t give up. Then she came across a Buddhist who suggested her to meet Buddha as only he could help him. That’s why Gotami want to Buddha.
Buddha taught her the lesson of life and truth. When she told Buddha the whole story, he listened to it with patience and asked her to collect mustard seeds from a house where no one had ever died. She went from house to house but she couldn’t find a single house where no one had ever died. Ultimately, she understood what Buddha had been trying to explain her that suffering is inevitable and in this way, she realized that death is the ultimate truth and one has to meet his destined end one day, no one can avoid it. So, she took her child away and became Buddha’s follower.
11. Answer the following question in 200 – 250 words : [10]
Justify the title, ‘The Diary of A Young Girl’.
Ans. We get an interesting idea of Anne from the extract entitled “From the Diary of Anne Frank”. First, she revealed what led her to choose writing in her diary; she said she had no friends. But she corrected herself and said, though she was surrounded by many close people, good friends, and loving parents, she could not express her thoughts, or innermost feelings with them and they seemed distant. This is because Anne was an introverted girl who was not very vocal about her feelings to everyone. She preferred writing those down rather than telling them to someone because she believed paper is more patient than people. Anne was an emotional individual as she named her diary and treated it as a living friend of flesh and bones, with affection. But the most striking part of her character was that, according to one of her entries in the diary, she was punished in class for being a “chatterbox”. Though it seems unlikely of an introvert, it might be that she just talked of ordinary random affairs around her with her friends. But no one had access to know about her true feelings, emotions, and observations. That was revealed in her diary, Kitty. Anne was a selective, sensitive, and humorous person who was quite mature than her age.