ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (Code No.

184)
CLASS-X

Time allowed: 3 Hrs. Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:
1. 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
2. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and
LITERATURE. 3. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section A: READING SKILLS 20 Marks

Read the passage given below. 10 M

I. Nature is our mother, our first teacher. The greatest lesson that she teaches us is to
maintain an equilibrium in life. We learn to maintain composure through our joys, sorrows
and fears. In fact, there are a thousand lessons that nature can teach us, provided we look
for them.

2. With time, a sapling grows into a full-grown tree; something so tiny and delicate develops
into a strong tree capable of supporting others. No matter how tall it grows, how much it
may flourish, or how many animals and birds it may support, its roots are firmly buried from
where it once rose. That’s a lesson - to keep ourselves grounded, respect and embrace our
roots, and give something back to those humble beginnings that nurtured us into who we
are.

3. Then there is the message of peaceful coexistence. ‘I am because we are.’ Nature

provides every creature a chance to exist. However, the existence of one creature or being
depends on the existence of the other. The tiger eats the antelope; without the antelope,
the tiger wouldn’t survive. Likewise, without tigers, the over-abundance of antelopes would
cause them to starve to death.

4. I wonder if you have noticed that when birds or squirrels see a predator, they give out an
alarm call to their fellow creatures, of the lurking danger. They put themselves in danger to
save the lives of others. Many animals, like the salmon, usually die after they spawn, but this
doesn’t stop them. One life extinguished for the betterment of others is a small price to pay.

5. The snow melts in the warmth of spring to give birth to fresh green leaves. In autumn
these leaves age into shades of gold only to be buried in the cold grave of winter. Change is
inevitable; the sooner we embrace this, the better it is for us. We must also understand that
even in pain there is growth. If you cut a hole in the tree, it will grow around it. No matter
what may come in its way, a river will continue to flow. Similarly, no matter what grief may
break your heart, nature teaches us that life goes on.

6 . Keep in mind life isn’t about making lists and trying to be one step ahead of others. Life is
to live. Take a break-stop being a workaholic, and smell the roses, do whatever makes you
feel happy and most of all spend some time with nature to pick up invaluable lessons.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below. 1x10

1. According to the author, what, from the following, is the greatest lesson being taught by
nature?

A. balanced in our emotions.

B. partial to joys in life.
C. afraid of unhappiness.
D. indifferent to fears.

2. Select the option that suitably completes the dialogue with reference to paragraph II.

Jai: I’ve done well for myself in this school. I’m the best they have. I can get admission
anywhere. This is my moment! Sid: Congratulations! Just remember, we should
……………………………………

.A. become strong despite our weakness.

B. be kind and supportive towards everyone.
C. respect the origins from where we have grown.
D. nurture ourselves well from the beginning.

3. Choose the option that best conveys the message in - ‘I am because we are.’
A. Tigers are dependent on antelope
B. Antelope are dependent on tigers
C. Humans are dependent on animals
D. Everyone is dependent on each other

4. What qualities do the birds and squirrels display when they warn others of possible
danger? Choose one option from the following:
A. Observation skills and alertness.
B. Tendency to get easily frightened.
C. Selfless assistance to help others.
D. Determination to protect themselves.

5. Select the option with the underlined words that can suitably replace lurking (paragraph
IV).

A. The policeman pulled up the person who was wandering aimlessly through the city.
 B. The thief knew that remaining hidden was the best strategy to avoid being caught.
C. The policeman was caught on camera while pouncing with force, to grab the fleeing
culprit.
D. The thief was walking boldly into the house thinking it was devoid of residents

6. Which of the following is shown by the changing of seasons?

A. The beauty of nature. B. Nature’s creativity. C. All seasons are equal. D. Nothing lasts
forever.

7. What does the writer advise, in paragraph VI?

A. Indulging in competition with others.
B. Making priority lists.
C. Taking life seriously.
D. Having free time for ourselves.

8. Select the qualities from paragraph III, that the author wants us to imbibe. Being-
(1) acceptive (2) passionate (3) emotional (4) resilient (5) perceptive

A. (2), (4) and (5)

B. (1), (3) and (4)
C. (1), (4) and (5)
D. (3), (4) and (5)

9. synonyms of dumbstruck (choose from Para-4)

a. Wonder b. Predator c. creature d. Betterment

10. Antonyms of Scanty ( choose from Para 3)

a. Abundance b. Antelopes c. Co existence d. Dearth

II. Read the following excerpt from a case study . 10M

(1) The white tiger is an offspring of Bengal tiger, which has the necessary gene for white
colouring. It has beautiful black stripes on a white coat. This species of animal has blue eyes
and a pink nose.

(2) A pure white tiger is totally white without any stripe, which is due to the presence of
double recessive allele in the genetic code. It happens only in the Bengal tiger subspecies,
and only one in 10,000 births can have it naturally. White tigers are rarely seen in the wild,
and only twelve of them have been spotted in India since last one-hundred years. Tigers
have a life-span of 10-15 years. They are solitary animals, and are fond of hunting at night.
Their diet consists of any animals that they can catch, and can eat up to 40 pounds of meat
at one time. After such a big meal, they usually remain away for several days from food.
 (3) They are slow runners, but good swimmers. They are poor climbers and cannot climb a
tree easily. They live in an area ranging from 10 to 30 square miles depending upon the
availability of prey, water and shelter. Habitat loss, poaching and expansion of human
population have together contributed to their becoming endangered. They are widely
hunted for their body parts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines.
(4) Genetic inbreeding is another reason for their endangerment. Due to shortage in their
number, this species of animal has been subjected to inbreeding. It has resulted in high
mortality rates and severe disabilities. About 80 percent of the white tiger cubs are born
with serious birth defects related to inbreeding, and they soon die-off.

(5) The critical condition of this animal has attracted the attention of conservationists
worldwide. World Wildlife Federation (WWF), defenders of wildlife, and many other wildlife
organisations are working with the support of the government for the cause of protecting
them from becoming extinct. Once they become extinct, it will not be possible to bring them
back to life.

1. Select the appropriate title for this paragraph.

a. Sustainable tourism b. A tiger in the zoo C. National Animal d. None

2. Why is there no stripe on the pure white tiger?

3. Which factors have led to the tiger species fall in the category of endangered species?

4. Why are the tigers hunted?

5. The word which means the same as 'illegal hunting' in para 3 is _____________.

a. poaching b. Endangered c. Habitat d. Expansion

6. What does the visual given about depict about the number of tigers?

7. What does the visual(Image) given about depict about the number of tigers?
8. What is the average of increasing no. of tigers in the image given ?
9. What has contributed to the change in the number of tigers from 2006 to 2018?
10.Synonyms of ‘scarcity’(Choose from para-4)

a. Inbreeding b. die-off c. Shortage d. Severe

SECTION B –GRAMMAR

III. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option . Attempt ANY TEN (out of 12)of the following
questions. 10M

i. If he works hard he ______________ pass. 

a) will
b) shall
c) will be
d) shall be

ii. She ……..the post office on her way to school every day.
(A) is passing
(B) has been passing
(C) passes
(D) passed

iii. Sunil shared some information, with Tariq, about a holiday at sea. Report Tariq’s question.
(Reported speech)

Did you enjoy travelling by sea?

iv. Select the correct option to complete the narration of the dialogue between Latha and
her father.

Father: Why ask so many questions, Latha?

Latha: I believe that if you don’t know the answer, keep asking till you do!

Father asked Latha the reason for the many questions she was asking.
Latha exclaimed good-humouredly that in event of not knowing the answer one should .

A. keep asking till one does.

B. kept asking till one does.
C. keep asking till one do.
D. kept on to ask till one do.
v. Identify the error in the given sentence and write correct word.

A Nun walked in the streets of Kolkata.

It can happen only at India.

use the given format for your response

Error Correction

vi. The company ________ go bankrupt if they don't find a lot of money quickly!
a. Should b. Might c. Will not d. shouldn’t

vii. I think that sign means we ________ enter the building. Look, there's a security guard
too.
a. Must not b. Will not c. have to d. Might not

viii. The teacher said, “The wind is a renewable energy source.”

i.The teacher said that the wind was a renewable energy source.
ii. The teacher said that the wind is a renewable energy source.
iii. The teacher told that the wind is a renewable energy source.
iv. The teacher tells that the wind was a renewable energy source.

ix. Identify the error in the Letter to Editor and supply the correction, for the following :

Mr. Sir/Madam

Through the column of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw your attention.
Use the given format for your response

Error correction

X. Identify the error in the given sentence and write correct word.
Virat kohli is a best cricketer in India.
Use the given format for your response

Error Correction

XI. complete the narration of the dialogue between Electrician and Mohan .

Electrician: When did your electricity go?

Mohan: It is not working since evening.

The electrician asked Mohan when his electricity had gone. Mohan replied that.……………………

XII. Each country is responsible for keep……………………for peace in the region.

a. Work b. Works c. Working d. Worked

SECTION B –CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS 10M

IV. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5M

A. You are Uma Dayal /Sonam , the Captain of Mount Litera Zee school , Barh, Patna. You
have recently noticed several posters around your school premises conveying a hazardous
message:

Earn 1 Crore with in one month .

Wonderful opportunity for Graduate students!
Laxmi chit fund

Write a letter to the Editor of The Times of India , Patna in not more than 120 words,
drawing attention towards harm caused by such advertising. Propose the intiative not to
pay attention on such advertisement and dis advantage of such lucrative advertisement.

Or
B. You are Abhijit Kumar , a resident of # 412, Gokul Dham Apartments, patel Marg,
Mumbai. Three students of grade 10 from your school took part in rescue operation, when
a Bus Rammed into a Mini Bus. They saved so many people by sending them hospital on
time. You think that their work deserves appreciation and recognition. Write a letter to the
President of the RWA, seeking recommendation for these youth, to be nominated for
‘Serving Citizens’ Award’. Suggest other ways such acts of kindness could be recognised and
awarded in the future.
V. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
A. The given pie-chart shows the popular international brands of shoes and their respective
shares in the high-end shoe-market in India in the year 2020. Study the chart carefully and
write an analytical paragraph in about 120 words giving the general trends and other
necessary details. Don’t forget to compare the segments where relevant.

OR

B. Read the following excerpt from an online post of a website on educational practices. Kids
who appreciate how much effort, time and care goes into growing food will understand how
important farmers are, and why it's important to take care of our Earth. In the world of
today, gardening needs to be given more importance than sports, music and dance in all
schools because it creates environmental stewards and outdoor learning laboratories that
help the child and community for years to come.
Write a paragraph in 100-120 words to analyse the given argument.
You could think about what alternative explanations might weaken the given conclusion and
include rationale / evidence that would strengthen / counter the given argument.
 SECTION C - LITERATURE 40 M

VI. Reference to the Context 10 M

1. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5M

A. “Tell me another!” scoffed Pranjol. “We have an Indian legend too. Bodhidharma, an
ancient Buddhist ascetic, cut off his eyelids because he felt sleepy during meditations. Ten
tea plants grew out of the eyelids. The leaves of these plants when put in hot water and
drunk, banished sleep.” “Tea was first drunk in China,’’ Rajvir added, ‘‘as far back as 2700
B.C.! In fact, words such as tea, chai and chini are from the Chinese. Tea came to Europe
only in the sixteenth century and was drunk more as medicine than as beverage.”

I. The main idea of this extract is

a) Tea as a popular beverage in Europe and how it spread.
b) Origin of tea in India and why it became popular in Europe.
c) Importance of India in popularising tea and influencing Europe.
d) Indian legend on tea and how it travelled from China to Europe.

II. Which country has invented Tea ?

III. Why do you think Pranjol ‘scoffed’?

a) He was upset with the legend Rajvir shared.
b) He was mocking Rajvir for his lack of knowledge. c) He was amused and tickled at what
Rajvir shared.
d) He was impressed with what Rajvir had shared.

IV. How according to Rajvir does the world know about the discovery of tea?

A. Historical places B. Traditional tales C. Authentic anecdotes D. Popular publications

V. Based on this extract, how do you think Rajvir felt while narrating?
a) i) excited ii) agitated
b) i) hysterical ii) nervous
c) i) nervous ii) agitated
d) i) enthusiastic ii) passionate
 OR

B. For the first twenty-four hours Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly; he was simply aloof
and indifferent, choosing to sleep on the floor as far from my bed as possible. The second
night Mijbil came on to my bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of my
knees until the servant brought tea in the morning, and during the day he began to lose his
apathy and take a keen, much too keen, interest in his surroundings. I made a body-belt for
him and took him on a lead to the bathroom, where for half an hour he went wild with joy
in the water, plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub
underwater, and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo.

i. Select the option that correctly puts the following events in correct order.

1. Maxwell planned to take Mijbil to the bathroom.

2. Mijbil slept at a significant distance from Maxwell’s bed.
3. Mijbil immensely enjoyed playing in water.
4. Mijbil slept in much closer vicinity of the author as opposed to the previous night.

a) 1, 3, 4, 2 b) 3, 1, 2, 4 c) 2, 4, 1, 3 d) 4, 3, 1, 2

ii. Who is the author of “Mijbil the Otter”?

A) Gavin Maxwell
B) Roald Dahl
C) Paulo Coehlo
D) Arup Kumar Dutta
iii. What is the meaning of apathy?
a) absence of interest
b) the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
c) unfriendly
d) rude
iv. In the beginning, the Otter was _____.
A) friendly
B) hostile
C) aloof and indifferent
D) sad
v. Choose the option that correctly describes a body-belt in the given context as explained
by the four people given below.
a) A body-belt is a device especially made for swimmers and scuba divers, which helps them
breathe under water.
b) Body-belts basically resemble the waist belts and keep our body upright, in a standing
position.
c) Body-belts are used for restraining while doing certain activities, in order to prevent hurt.
d) A body-belt is an accessory used by body builders for weight training as a measure
against muscle and bone injuries.

VII. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given . 5M

All night the roots work

to disengage themselves from the cracks
in the veranda floor.
The leaves strain toward the glass
small twigs stiff with exertion
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof
like newly discharged patients
half-dazed, moving
to the clinic doors.

I. Choose the option listing the image that the poem metaphorically represents.
ii. Choose the image that represents the main object of the extract literally.

iii. The extract talks about trees breaking out of confined spaces. This is a reference to
women

a) shifting away from their domestic confines.

b) seeking revenge for their age-old oppressions.
c) realizing the difference between friends and enemies.
d) focusing on their family and home.

iv.’ like newly discharged patient’. Name the poetic device used in this sentence.

a. Metaphor b. Refrain c. Simile d. Anaphora

v. Name the poet of ‘The Trees’.

OR

B. Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,

And the little grey 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.

i. Who is the poet of the poem “The tale of Custard the Dragon”?
A) Carl Sandburg
B) Ogden Nash
C) Carolyn Wells
D) Walt Whitman

ii.  Who is described as the most timid of all?

A) kitten
B) mouse
C) dragon
D) dog

iii. Name the poetic device used in the line “And the little yellow dog was sharp as mustard”

A) Oxymoron
B) metaphor
C) Assonance
D) Simile

iv. Write the Rhyme scheme of above stanza.

v. synonyms of Timid…….

VIII. Answer ANY FOUR of the following in about 40-50 words each. 4*3=12

i. “The young seagull was alone on his ledge.” How far do you think this condition was by his
choice?
ii. The poem The Tale of Custard, The Dragon is a light-hearted ballad with a powerful
message. If the poem was written in any other style, do you think it would have created the
same effect on readers? Justify your response with reason(s).
iii. If you were to advise Valli on the two things she ought to take with her if she were
travelling alone for the first time, what woud they be and why?
iv. Without the assistance of the airhostess, the narrator could not have transported Mijbil
from Basra to London safely. Comment.
v. The poet uses trees as a symbol for women breaking patriarchal notions. Do you agree?
Why/Why not?

IX. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each. 2*3=6

i. The neighbours suspected Griffin of burglary in Priest’s house.. State why this was OR was
not justified
ii. “A Question of Trust” is a story about the robbery of the robber. Expound.
iii. Discuss, briefly, the reasons owing to which Fowler was interested in meeting Ausable.
x. Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words 1*6=6

Scientists contribute to make the world a better place. Griffin is an antithesis to this
statement. Justify. (Footprints without feet)
Or

“The most successful people work smart, not hard” Justify the quote with reference to “A
Question of Trust”.

xi. . Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words 1*6=6

There is not a dull moment when pets are around. Explain how this holds true in case of
“Mijbil the Otter”.
Or

Valli was sensitive, but at the same time she was fearless and quite determined.
Describe the character sketch of Valli.