Class 10 English: CBSE Sample Question Paper- (2019-20) - 2 | CBSE Sample Papers For Class 10 PDF Download

SECTION - A

Q.1. Read the following passage carefully:
1. A cataract is the major cause of blindness, which is also caused by damage to the cornea. It occurs more often in old age. As one starts growing old, the lens of the eye hardens loses its transparency and becomes opaque. It obstructs the light rays from entering the eye. 
2. The onset of cataract blurs the vision. Sometimes, the cataract patient sees multiple images instead of a single object image. Because of the gradual development of cataract, the afflicted person loses his/her vision and the world becomes dark to him/her. 
3. The development of cataract is a complex process. However, the following factors can be attributed to its formation. Cataract generally develops in old age but sometimes, children are born with the cataract because of the hereditary defect. Eye injuries too can cause cataract. 
4. People exposed to sun rays for longer periods develop cataract earlier than others. Researchers opine that the smoke inhaled while smoking carries substances internally damaging the eyes. 
5. Ultraviolet radiation, invisible to the human eye, is linked to skin cancer. The victim loses vision and the world becomes dark to him.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions: 
(a) Choose the right option:
Major kind of blindness is caused by damage to ________.
(i) retina 
(ii) ciliary body 
(iii) cornea 
(iv) lens
(b) When does cataract generally occur? 
(c) Why does the lens of the eye become opaque in old age? 
(d) How does one detect cataract in early stages? 
(e) Give any two factors which are responsible for the formation of cataract. 
(f) How does cataract affect its victim ultimately? 
(g) Which type of cancer is caused by ultraviolet radiation? 
(h) Choose the right option:
The word that means ‘that through which light can not pass’ is ______.
(i) transparent 
(ii) opaque 
(iii) translucent 
(iv) coarse
Ans. (a) (iii) cornea
(b) Cataract generally occurs in old age.
(c) In old age, the lens of the eye hardens, loses its transparency and so becomes opaque.
(d) One can detect cataract, in early stages with the help of symptoms such as blurring of the vision and sometimes seeing multiple images.
(e) The two reasons are hereditary defect or injury to the eye.
(f) Smoke inhaled while smoking carries substances which internally damage the eyes.
(g) Skin cancer is caused due to ultraviolet radiation.
(h) (ii) opaque

Q.2. Read the passage given below:
The next morning started as usual as most of us feel refreshed after a good night sleep. The first step of the morning was about crossing the freezing cold stream. The beauty of this stream is the glacier that feeds the water into it is directly in your view. This does not make the walk across a pleasant affair. Here I got my third lesson in the mountains, first being acclimatized before you climb, second being respected the mountains as the weather can flip at any moment while crossing a streaming step on smaller stones or gravel, bigger rocks are slippery and you may fall. So I got a cold dip in the stream. Not a pleasant experience, but Ravi helped me out and getting dry in the dry surroundings with the sun beating down is a pleasant affair at least.
When you have taken a dip in glacier water, it’s strange how you don’t feel cold anymore. As the sun beat down, the layers of warm clothes started to get thinner. Most of the downhill trek was a steep descent. A pleasant walk, as the trees and grasslands started to reappear. By 2 in the afternoon we had reached Chatru (11,000ft) base camp, our last halt before the end.
From Chatru we drove to Chandratal Lake. The drive, 70 km, 4 hours, was via a mostly a dirt road. The halt was not a long one, as we decided to head back as it started to get dark. On the way back we stopped at Chacha Chachi Dhaba. While Ravi enjoyed a plate of rice and dal, most of us had some tea and noodles. Once back, some of us enjoyed the late-night with some music. I, on the other hand, spent some time with Ravi and Amit discussing the way of roads in the highlands. Finally, we retired to bed, and the next morning we drove back to Manali via Rohtang Pass.
During our stay, I came across another interesting person. His daily job was to master the mules. The mules are a lifeline for trekkers, moving luggage across the range. Their master was well versed with the trails in the mountains. He moved across the trail within a day usually and he met many Indian and foreign travellers in the cradle of the mountain. He had been to Hampta Pass more than 10 times this year and was looking forward to going for the Chadar trek in the winters. One thing with people in the mountains is they are warm and welcoming and respect the trust that we place in them.
In the end, the walk across the trail made me realize a lot about myself. In the mountains, you respect each other and learn the basics about your existence. Nature protects you and makes you stronger, but at the same time, she needs you to respect her and help her survive. The mountains are an obsession. Help them live on, so the path you walk can be traced by others as well.
2.1 Answer the following questions:
(a) What were the things that the author found about the mountain stream?
(b) What were the three lessons that the mountains taught the author?
(c) Whom did the author find interesting? Explain why.
(d) What did the trek make the author realise?
Ans. (a) It was beautiful and cold; one had to be careful while crossing it.
(b) to get acclimatize before you climb, respect the mountains as the weather can flip at any moment, be careful while crossing a stream and step on smaller stones or gravel
(c) the person who mastered the mules; he was well versed with the trails in the mountains and met many Indian and foreign travellers in the cradle of the mountain
(d) He realised a lot about himself; to respect each other and learn the basics about your existence; to respect nature and help her survive.
2.2 State whether True or False:
(a) When one takes a dip in glacier water, he is paralyzed.
(b) The mules master well versed with mountain tracks.
Ans. True/False
(a) False
(b) True
2.3 Find the meanings of the words given below with the help of the options that follow:
(a) acclimatized (para 1)
i. predicted
ii. protected
iii. used to
iv. depended on
(b) flip (para 1)
i. increase ii. change iii. worsen iv. improve
Ans. Vocabulary
(a) iii. used to
(b) ii. change

SECTION - B

Q.3.

You are Ramesh Kumar/Radhika Kumari, 12 A, Fort Road, Agra. You read the above advertisement in a local daily. You want to pursue the course in housekeeping.
Write a letter to the Director of the Institute inquiring about the duration of the course, fees and other details. The letter should he in 100-120 words
Ans.
12-A, Fort Road
Agra
ram-sk01@yahoomail. com
10th April, 20.....
To
The Director
Institute of Hotel Management
F-5, Junk Road
New Delhi
Subject: Enquiry about Housekeeping Course
Sir
I have come to know through the advertisement which appeared in The Hindustan Times’ on the 8th of April, stating that there were a few seats available in the Housekeeping course. I wish to enrol myself for the same.
I have completed my class X from Government Boys High School, Pitampura, Delhi, with 70% aggregate marks. Though your website contains information of your Institute and the courses, the admission form is not available on it. Since I live in Agra, I do not want to miss this opportunity, seats being very few, so I would truly appreciate if a scanned copy of the admission form could be sent to me, by e-mail. It would save time as I could fill it up, attach required documents, and come prepared to Delhi, to deposit it personally at the office of the Institute, if need be. Moreover, if my physical presence is not required, I could send it to you by speed post, too.
I would feel truly obliged for helping me.
Thanking you
Yours truly
Ramesh Kumar
OR
Write an article on ‘Importance of Newspapers for Students’ in 100-120 words.
You are Rashmi/Rohan.

Ans. Importance of Newspaper for Students

- by Rashmi

No one can deny, the importance of newspapers for students. It is because of this that special subscriptions of newspapers are printed and given to schools at a nominal price. Students are made to read newspapers in their zero periods and also at their own convenience. Not only do newspapers, make students aware of important national/international happenings but also makes them aware of Government policies. They develop reading habits and increase their vocabulary. Sports news inculcate in them a love for sports. They also contain articles/ letters by them, providing a platform to express themselves, fearlessly. The special subscriptions are well-illustrated, to make reading interesting for school students. Newspapers span a large spectrum of news items, reflecting different opinions, neutrally, enabling students to learn how to think critically. They sow the seeds for nurturing future leaders, and responsible citizens of tomorrow.

Q.4. In 150-200 words write a story based on the input given below:
Two teams- in the playground - whistle blew - match about to begin- the two captains looked tense- suddenly there was a commotion.
OR
A long wait for the bus - people impatient - a large crowd - a lot of confusion - felt the pocket being touched - looked around - caught the hand - and.....
Ans. Some incidents are hard to forget, hast Sunday I along with some of my friends went to see a hockey match between the teams of two local sports clubs- Daredevils and Adventurers. The playground was beautifully spruced up for the occasion. There was a large crowd of spectators. The toss ceremony took place. The two captains looked tense. The whistle blew and the match, as expected, was about to begin.
Suddenly something happened. There was a commotion in the far end of the playground. Some shrieks were heard. The attention of all the spectators got diverted. The players too did not move, as they too were looking at the side of the commotion. I heard some people saying "Run away! Runaway!" Soon people began to rush towards the exits. There was a kind of uncontrolled stampede. A person beside me remarked that it seemed to be a terrorist strike. I reminded him that there was no sound of an explosion.
As I and my friends began to come out of the playground, some persons said that a leopard was seen among the bushes in a corner of the playground. We, too, got scarred and rushed home fast. It was from the next day7s newspaper that I learnt that a person in the leopard's outfit wanted to play a prank which resulted in the commotion and cancellation of the match. The police had arrested the man for outrageous behaviour in a public place. Thank God, no one had been injured or killed.
OR

The local bus service in our city is good on the whole, except for evening hours when a lot of babus come out of their dingy offices to go back to their nests, or for the morning hours from 9 to 10 when they rush to reach their offices in time. Luckily or unluckily I am also one of them.
Last Tuesday I went, as usual, to the Rajinder Nagar bus stand at 8:30 to catch a local.

There was a long queue in wait for bus no, 430, meant for the route to Lajpat Nagar. I

also stood in the queue, which was nothing unusual. To while away the time I started browsing the Net on my cellphone. All of us got alert as a bus on our route appeared. We hoped it would accommodate us. To our chagrin, it rushed past us as if to mock us.
People became impatient: There was a large crowd to wait for another bus, which was expected to arrive in ten minutes or so. Time seemed to crawl as I began to look at my watch every few seconds.
At last, another bus came. It was already crowded, but it did stop, after all. People began to rush towards the doors out of turn. Some persons made protests, but to no avail-1, too, had to jump the queue. There was a lot of confusion and commotion.
I managed to stand on the footboard. Suddenly I felt my rear trouser pocket being touched. I at once looked around and caught the hand of a dark boy, hardly in his teens. I stopped him and alerted others of his being a pickpocket. A lady who was close behind me shouted that she had lost her chain. Everybody began to put the blame on the rogue boy. A constable appeared from nowhere and searched for the boy. The boy was pleading that he was innocent and that he did nothing. He was thoroughly searched. Nothing was found on his person. The lady found her chain lying on the pavement. I felt very guilty and said" sorry" to the boy. The bus moved on as the boy looked at it, teary-eyed, from the pavement. He had no mind to board the humiliating bus.

Q.5. Complete the paragraph given below by filling in the blanks choosing the correct option from those that follow:
Delhi (a) .......... the capital of India. People from all parts (b) ........ .........the country and world come to visit Delhi. There (c) ..... ...........many historical buildings here. Last year I, (d)................. Delhi.
(a) (i) was (ii) is (iii) are (iv) being
(b) (i) of (ii) from (iii) for (iv) at
(c) (i) being (ii) are (iii) been (iv) were
(d) (i) visit (ii) visiting (iii) visited (iv) will visit
Ans. (a) (ii) (b) (i) (c) (ii) (d) (iii)

Q.6. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is an error in each line.
Write the error along with its correction in the space provided. Do any four.

Ans. 

Q.7. Read the conversation given below and complete the paragraph that follows. Write the correct answers in your answer sheet against the correct blank numbers.
Megha: What is the greatest love of your life?
Adventurer: I love scuba diving.
Megha: Can you give some advice to our listeners?
Adventurer: I want to say -we should never take the sea for granted.
Megha asked the Adventurer (a)__________________________ . 
He replied that (b)________________________ . 
Megha further asked (c)________________________ . 
The Adventurer wanted to say (d)________________________ .
Ans. NARRATION - MEGHA AND ADVENTURER
(a) what the greatest love of his life was
(b) that he loved scuba diving.
(c) if he could give some advice to their listeners
(d) that we should never take the sea for granted

SECTION - C

Q.8. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. 
Ques:
(а) Who does ‘he’ stand for?
(b) His name was ___________ .
(i) Gautami 
(ii) Sakyamuni 
(iii) Siddhartha 
(iv) Bodhi
(c) What did ‘he’ study for four years?
(d) The phrase ‘befitted royalty’ means
(i) Clothes specially made for royalty.
(ii) Clothes suitable for a King.
(iii) Life of luxury.
(iv) Life is suitable for a member of a Royal family.
Ans. (a) 'He’ stands for Gautama Buddha.
(b) (iii) Siddhartha
(c) He studied sacred scriptures for four years.
(d) (iv) Life is suitable for a member of a Royal family.
OR
If ever you should go by chance 
To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion ...
Ques:
(а) Where can one find the Asian Lion?
(b) An Asian Lion is a large and ___________ beast.
(i) Brown coloured 
(ii) yellowish-brown coloured 
(iii) yellowish coloured 
(iv) orange coloured
(c) You will come to know it is an Asian Lion when___________.
(i) you are face to face with it
(ii) it roars
(iii) you see a large animal, in the jungle, in the East
(iv) you are dying after it has attacked you.
(d) Identify the poem and the poet.
Ans. (а) We can find the Asian Lion in the jungles, in the East.
(b) (ii) yellowish-brown coloured
(c) (iv) you are dying after it has attacked you
(d) The poem is ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’ and the poet is ‘Carolyn Wells’.

Q.9. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
(a) What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
(b) What happened when the aeroplane was surrounded by black clouds?
(c) How did the children come to know about the baker’s presence?
(d) What experiment was carried out Griffin?
(e) Give a brief about Bholi's childhood.
Ans. PROSE: A LETTER TO GOD
(a) After the destruction caused by hail, Lencho was shattered. He could see a bleak future for him and his family. He was worried about the lack of food for the coming year.
PROSE-TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING: BLACK AEROPLANE
(b) It was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane. The old aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air.
PROSE - GLIMPSES OF INDIA: A BAKER FROM GOA
(c) The baker made his musical entry on the scene with the ’jhang, jhang’ sound of his specially made bamboo staff.
CHAPTER - THE MAKING OF A SCIENTIST
(d) Griffin, the scientist, had carried out an experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible.
CHAPTER-BHOLI
(e) At birth, Bholi was very fair and pretty. But when she was two years old, she had an attack of small-pox. Her entire body was permanently disfigured by deep black pockmarks. She could not speak till she was five

Q.10. "The Diary of Anne Frank' is the work of an insightful mind of a young girl. Explain.
OR
How is Lomov's proposal forgotten in the din of heated arguments twice? How is it finally approved?
Ans. Anne Frank, a thirteen-year-old girl, decides to write and keep a diary. Her diary entries make it clear that she has an insightful mind. She is a keen observer of men and manners and is able to know the truth about them. She loves her parents, for instance, but she is fully aware that they will never be intimate with her. She is unable to confide in them. And she has no friend in whom she could confide. So she decides to treat her diary as a friend and call it 'Kitty'. Then the classroom experience shows that she makes quick judgmental remarks about her class-fellows and teachers. She records vividly the tension felt by students on the day of their results. Then she tells us about her maths teacher. She is punished with extra work for talking too much in the class. The way she writes her essays as punishment reveals how ingenious she is.
OR
Lomov comes to propose to Natalya. He starts his proposal in a circuitous manner. He starts talking about their good relations as neighbours. He says that his Oxen Meadows are near their land. Natalya at once objects to his calling the Oxen Meadows his own. A heated discussion ensues. Natalya's father Chubukov hears the noise and comes there. He takes the side of his daughter. The quarrel increases. He turns Lomov out of his house. Only he knows the purpose of Lomov's visit. When Natalya learns from her father that Lomov came to propose to her, her stand changes. She blames her father for annoying Lomov and forces him to bring Lomov back. The poor father has to give in Lomov comes back. Natalya is sweet and polite, but only for a while. She and Lomov again begin to quarrel over the respective qualities of their pet dogs. Chubukov again joins the fray. Lomov becomes unconscious. Chubukov finally calms down Lomov and Natalya and announces his acceptance of Lomov's proposal. Lomov and Natalya kiss each other but soon start a new quarrel.

Q.11. Answer the following question in 100-120 words:
How did Ebright use determination and perseverance to achieve his aim to become a scientist?
OR
Herriot enjoyed the lavish meal during Tricki’s stay but still, he felt compelled to inform Mrs Pump hrey about the recovery of Tricki. Why did he not keep Tricki for a longer time? Did he feel concerned for Mrs Pumphrey? Did he break the trust of others? Discuss the values he possessed in 100-120 words.
Ans. Even the brightest minds cannot achieve their goals without determination and perseverance. Ebright, as a child, also, exhibited these qualities by collecting all twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown. Not only that, Ebright raised flocks of butterflies in his basement studying their development and tagging them. During school, he pursued laboriously working on projects on butterflies guided by Dr Urquhart. He, along with another student, built a device and discovered that the gold spots on a monarch caterpillar produce a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development. He spent the summer after graduation, at the Army laboratory. In the summer, after his freshman year at college, was able to identify the hormone’s chemical structure leading to the discovery of his cell theory. Needless to say, all this would not have been possible without the complete dedication, focus, determination and last but not the least perseverance.
OR
Herriot enjoyed the lavish meal during Tricki’s stay but still felt compelled to inform Mrs Pumphrey about Tricki’s recovery because he knew Mrs Pumphrey loved Tricki and was concerned about Tricki’s wellbeing. He did not keep Tricki for a longer time because Mrs Pumphrey loved Tricki so much that she could not stay away from him for long. Moreover, he was a veterinary Doctor and could not keep pet animals in his clinic/hospital beyond a certain period. I do not think he broke anyone’s trust because he was acting in Tricki’s interest. He knew Mrs Pumphrey’s blind love for Tricki defied all reasoning and she failed to understand the harmful consequences of overfeeding Tricki. In order to save Tricki’s life, Herriot hid the truth from her and cured Tricki, as promised.