CBSE Board

Class X Science
Board Paper - 2008
Time: 2½ hrs Total Marks: 60

General Instructions:

1. The question paper comprises of two Sections, A and B. You are to attempt both the
Sections.
2. All questions are compulsory.
3. There is no overall choice. However, internal choice has been provided in some
questions. Only one option in such questions is to be attempted.
4. All questions of Section A and all questions of Section B are to be attempted
separately.
5. Questions number 1 to 6 in Section A and 17 to 19 in Section B are short answer
questions. These questions carry one mark each.
6. Questions number 7 to 10 in Section A and 20 to 24 in Section B are short answer
questions and carry two marks each.
7. Questions numbers 11 to 14 in Section A and 25 and 26 in Section B are also short
answer questions and carry three marks each.
8. Question numbers 15 and 16 in Section A and 27 in Section B are long answer
questions and carry five marks each.

SECTION-A
Q1. Balance the following chemical equation:

Fe  s  H2O  g  Fe3O4 s  H2 g

Q2. Why is respiration considered an exothermic process?

Q3. How does the flow of acid rain water into a river make the survival of aquatic life in
the river difficult?

Q4. Draw the following diagram in your answer-book and show the formation of image
of the object, AB with the help of suitable rays.
Q5. Why is a series arrangement not used for connecting domestic electrical appliances
in a circuit?

Q6. Out of 60 W and 40 W lamps, which one has a higher electrical resistance when in
use?

Q7. Write the chemical formula for washing soda. How may it be obtained from baking
soda? Name an industrial use of washing soda other than washing clothes.

Q8. Give an example of a decomposition reaction. Describe an activity to illustrate such a

reaction by heating.

Q9. Draw ray diagrams to represent the nature, position and relative size of the image
formed by a convex lens for the object placed:

a) at 2F1.
b) between F1 and the optical centre O of lens.

Q10. What is meant by the term, 'magnetic field'? Why does a compass needle show
deflection when brought near a bar magnet?

Q11.

a) Why are covalent compounds generally poor conductors of electricity?

b) Name the following compound:

c) Name the gas evolved when ethanoic acid is added to sodium carbonate. How would
you prove the presence of this gas?

Q12.

a) What are amphoteric oxides? Choose the amphoteric oxides from amongst the
following oxides:
Na2O, ZnO, Al2O3, CO2, H2O
b) Why is it that non-metals do not displace hydrogen from dilute acids?
Q13. Two lamps, one rated 60 W at 220 V and the other 40 W at 220 V, are connected in
parallel to the electric supply at 220 V.

a) Draw a circuit diagram to show the connections.

b) Calculate the current drawn from the electric supply.
c) Calculate the total energy consumed by the two lamps together when they
operate for one hour.

Q14.

a) Distinguish between the terms 'overloading' and 'short-circuiting' as used in

domestic circuits.
b) Why are the coils of electric toasters made of an alloy rather than a pure metal?

Q15. On the basis of Mendeleev's Periodic Table given below, answer the questions that
follow the table:
(a) Name the element which is in

i) 1st group and 3rd period.

ii) 7th group and 2nd period.

(b) Suggest the formula for the following:

i) Oxide of nitrogen
ii) Hydride of oxygen

(c) In group VIII of the Periodic Table, why does cobalt with atomic mass 58.93
appear before nickel having atomic mass 58.71?

(d) Beside gallium, which two other elements have since been discovered for which
Mendeleev had left gaps in his Periodic Table?

(e) Using atomic masses of Li, Na and K, find the average atomic mass of Li and K
and compare it with the atomic mass of Na. State the conclusion drawn from this
activity.

OR

a) Why do we classify elements?

b) What were the two criteria used by Mendeleev in creating his Periodic Table?
c) Why did Mendeleev leave some gaps in his Periodic Table?
d) In Mendeleev's Periodic Table, why was there no mention of Noble gases like
Helium, Neon and Argon?
e) Would you place the two isotopes of chlorine, Cl-35 and Cl-37 in different
slots because of their different atomic masses or in the same slot because
their chemical properties are the same? Justify your answer.

Q16.

a) What is meant by dispersion of white light? Describe the formation of

rainbow in the sky with the help of a diagram.
b) What is hypermetropia? Draw ray diagrams to show the image formation of
an object by:
i) Hypermetropic eye
ii) Correction made with a suitable lens for hypermetropic eye.

OR
(a) Give reasons for the following:

i) Colour of the clear sky is blue.

ii) The sun can be seen about two minutes before actual sunrise.
iii) We cannot see an object clearly if it is placed very close to the eyes.

(b) What is Presbyopia? Write two causes of this defect.

SECTION-B

Q17. Which one of the following is a renewable resource?

Natural gas, Petroleum, Ground water, Coal

Q18. What is the effect of DNA copying which is not perfectly accurate on the
reproduction process?

Q19. How do autotrophs obtain CO2 and N2 to make their food?

Q20. List any four characteristics of biogas on account of which it is considered an ideal
fuel.

Q21. Discus one limitation each for the extracting of energy from:

a) Winds
b) Tides

Q22. Write one function each of the following components of the transport system in
human beings:

a) Blood vessels
b) Blood platelets
c) Lymph
d) Heart

Q23. Name one sexually transmitted disease each caused due to bacterial infection and
viral infection. How can these be prevented?
Q24. What are fossils? What do they tell about the process of evolution?

Q25. How is ozone formed in the upper atmosphere? Why is damage to ozone layer a
cause of concern to us? What causes this damage?

Q26. How are oxygen and carbon dioxide transported in human beings? How are lungs
designed to maximise the area for exchange of gases?

Q27. (a) Draw the structure of a neuron and label the following on it:

Nucleus, Dendrite, Cell body and Axon

(b) Name the part of neuron:

i) Where information is acquired.

ii) Through which information travels as an electrical impulse.

OR

(a) What is (i) photoropism and (ii) geotropism? With labelled diagrams describe an
activity to show that light and gravity change the direction that plant parts grow in.

(b) Mention the role of each of the following plant hormones:

i) Auxin
ii) Abscisic acid
 CBSE Board
Class X Science
Board Paper – 2008
Solution
Time: 2½ hrs Total Marks: 60

SECTION-A

Ans1. 3Fe(s) + 4H2O(l)  Fe3O4  s + 4H2(g)

Ans2. Respiration is called an exothermic reaction because during respiration,

breaking down of glucose / food in the presence of oxygen occurs with
release of energy.

Ans3. When acid rain water flows into the rivers, it lowers the pH of river
water making the survival of aquatic life difficult.

Ans4.

Ans5. A series arrangement is not used for connecting domestic electrical

appliances in a circuit because:

i) Same current flows through each device, but different devices

need current of different values to operate.
ii) If one device in a series circuit is defective, current is cut off.
iii) Total resistance of the circuit increases, so current flowing is
reduced.
iv) Selective operation of devices is not possible.
Ans6. 40 W lamp

Ans7. Washing soda: Na2CO3. 10H2O

It is obtained by heating baking soda.


2NaHCO3 
 Na2CO3  H2O  CO2
Na2CO3  10H2O 
 Na2CO3.10H2O

Uses: It is used in the manufacture of glass, soap and paper.

Ans8.

CaCO3 
 CaO  CO2
 or any other example 

Activity:

Take 2 g of ferrous sulphate crystals in a dry test tube. Heat this test
tube over the flame for some time. On heating, green color of the
crystals changes into dark brown and a gas with characteristic smell of
burning sulphur is obtained.
Ans9.

(a)

(b)

Ans10. Magnetic field - The region around a magnet in which force of the
magnet can be experienced. A compass needle is a small bar magnet so it
experiences the force of the other bar magnet when brought near it and
deflects.
Ans11.

a) Covalent compounds do not provide ions in aqueous solutions hence

they do not conduct electricity.
b) Propanone / acetone
c) CO2 gas is obtained when ethanoic acid is reacted with sodium
carbonate. Presence of the gas can be tested by passing the gas through
lime water. Carbon dioxide gas turns lime water milky.

Ans12.

a) Amphoteric oxides are metal oxides which show both basic as well as
acidic behavior.
ZnO, Al2O3
b) Non metals cannot lose electrons to H + to form H2 gas because non-
metals are electron-acceptors hence they do not react with dilute acids.

Ans13.

(a)

(b)
P
I
V
60W 3
I1   A
220V 11
40W 2
I2   A
220V 11
3 2 5
I  I1  I2    A  0.45A
11 11 11
(c) E  P  t
  40 W  60 W   1 h  100 wh or 0.1 kwh
Ans14.

a) Short circuiting - When neutral and live wire come in direct contact.
Overloading - When too many appliances are connected to a single
socket drawing much more current or power than permissible.
b) Resistivity of an alloy is higher than its constituent metal and alloys do
not oxidize as easily as constituent metal at high temperature. That is
why the coils of electric toasters are made of an alloy rather than a pure
metal.

Ans15.

(a)

i) Sodium
ii) Fluorine

(b)

i) N2O5
ii) H2O / OH2

(c) In group VIII of the Periodic Table, cobalt appears before nickel so that
elements with similar chemical properties may fall in the same group.

(d) Scandium (Sc) and Germanium (Ge)

(e) Atomic mass of lithium = 7

Atomic mass of potassium = 39

So, average of atomic mass = (7 + 39)/2 = 23

Atomic mass of sodium = 23 i.e. both are same hence we can conclude that
atomic mass of the middle element is the average of the other two elements.

OR
(a) We classify elements to systematize the study of elements and make the
understanding of properties of elements and compounds simpler.

(b) Criteria used by Mendeleev:

i) Atomic mass
ii) Properties of hydrides and oxides of elements.

(c) Mendeleev left some gaps in his Periodic Table to leave scope of search for
the yet undiscovered elements.

(d) In Mendeleev's Periodic Table, there was no mention of noble gases since
they had not been discovered by that time.

(e) The two isotopes of chlorine, Cl-35 and Cl-37 will be placed in the same
slot because their chemical properties are same.
Ans16.

(a) Dispersion - The splitting of white light into its constituent colours.

Rainbow formation (figure)

Water droplets in air refract and disperse the incident sunlight. Then,
reflect it internally and finally refract it again when it comes out of the
droplet. Due to the dispersion of light and internal reflection, different
colours of sunlight reach the observer's eye and are visible in the form of a
rainbow.

(b) Hypermetropia - The defect of vision due to which a person clearly sees
distant objects but cannot clearly see nearby objects.

(i)

(ii)
 OR

(a)

i) Due to scattering of light

ii) Due to atmospheric refraction
iii) At the near point of eye, curvature of eye lens is maximum and focal
length is minimum. If object is placed nearer than it, eye lens cannot
adjust its curvature.

(b) Presbyopia - The defect of vision in which the eye is unable to see nearby
as well as far off objects clearly.

Causes:

- weakening of ciliary muscles

- diminishing flexibility of the eye lens

SECTION-B

Ans17.Ground water.

Ans18. Imperfect DNA copying in the reproduction process leads to variations

or evolution.

Ans19. CO2 is obtained from the environment and N2 is obtained from the soil
and environment.

Ans20. Biogas is considered as an ideal fuel because of the following:

(i) High Calorific Value

(ii) Produces no smoke on burning

(iii) Burns smoothly (without explosion)

(iv) No residue on combustion.

Ans21.

(a) From wind:

(i) Wind energy cannot be harnessed at places where wind does not blow at a
minimum speed of 15 km/h.

(ii) Wind is not a dependable source as sometimes air is still and at other times
there are storms.

(One point only)

(b) From tides:

(i) There are only few sites suitable for building tidal dams.

(ii) The rise and fall of sea water during high and low tides are not enough to
generate electricity on a large scale.

(One point only)

Ans22.

(a) Blood Vessels: Transport of blood.

(b) Blood Platelets: Clotting of blood.

(c) Lymph: Carries digested fats.

(d) Heart: Helps to circulate blood in the whole body by acting as a pump.

Ans23.

(i) Bacterial: Gonorrhea or syphilis.

Viral: Warts or AIDS.

(ii) These can be prevented by the use of condoms.

Ans24. Fossils are the remains or traces of animals and plants of the past on
rocks.

Fossils give information about evolutionary relationships between different

species.

Ans25.

i) UV rays in the atmosphere split some molecular oxygen (O 2) into free

oxygen (O) atoms.
ii) These atoms combine with molecular oxygen to form O 3.

OR
UV rays
O2  OO
O  O2 
 O3

Damage to ozone layer will allow UV rays to reach on the surface of earth
causing skin cancer, cataract and damage to crops.

Release of chlorofluoro carbons in the atmosphere which are used as

refrigerants or in fire extinguishers damages the ozone layer.

Ans26.

(i) Respiratory pigment haemoglobin takes up O 2 from the air in the lungs and
carries it to tissues.

(ii) CO2 is being transported from various tissues into the alveoli by blood and
is released during exhalation.

Within the lungs, the trachea divides into smaller and smaller tubes which
finally terminate in balloon like structures called alveoli. These alveoli
increase the surface area for the exchange of gases.
Ans27.

(a)

i) Information is acquired through dendrite.

ii) From the dendrite to the cell body and then along the axon to it's
end.

OR

(a)

i) Phototropism: The movement of a plant or it's part in response to

light is called phototropism.
ii) Geotropism: The movement of a plant or it's part in response to
gravity is called geotropism.

Activity to show that light and gravity change the direction that plant part
grows in:

i. Fill a conical flask with water.

ii. Cover the neck of the flask with a wire mesh.
iii. Keep two or three freshly germinated bean seeds on the wire
mesh.
iv. Take a cardboard box which is open from one side.
v. Keep the flask in the box in such a manner that the open side of
the box faces light coming from a window.
vi. After two or three days, you will notice that the shoots bend
towards light and roots away from light.
(b)

i) Auxin: - It promotes growth and cell elongation.

ii) Abscisic acid: It inhibits growth and causes wilting of leaves.