SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER (2019-20)
ENGLISH- Language and Literature (code 184)
CLASS-X
Time allowed : 3 Hrs Maximum Marks : 80
General Instructions:
1.This Paper is divided into three sections. All questions are compulosry.
2. Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these instructions very carefully and follow them.
3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
Section : A 20 Marks
Read the passage carefully. (12)
Village Fairs
Mahatma Gandhi used to say that if we want to see real India we should go to the village. Similarly, if we want to See the real spirit of’ Indian life, we shall have to go to see villagers celebrating their fairs. Last year I was invited by a friend to see a fair in his village. Though this fair was not an annual affair; last year it assumed more importance and attracted a large number of visitors because one of’ our senior ministers had very kindly consented to inaugurate it. The minister’s consent “as not an unusual thing since it was an election year.
The village was situated at a distance of about ten miles from Delhi. I travelled by cycle and reached my friend’s house at about noon. It was a cloudy day and the countryside looked beautiful. The minister arrived in time. He was preceded and followed by a number of policemen. In the life of villagers visits by such dignitaries are a very unusual affair. Everyone bowed in deep respect and I was wondering whether the atmosphere created by the presence of the minister was in tune with the gay spirit of the fair.
After the ceremonial departure of the minister, villagers seemed to heave a sigh of relief. They came in increasingly large numbers. They were in their colourful best. Men, women and children were very happily advancing towards the Mela grounds near the tomb of a Muslim saint. Many stalls had sprung up. There were toy sellers and sweetmeat sellers. Every child was forcing his parents to buy toys. The toys the sweetmeats were dust laden as every blow of wind laid a fresh coat of dust on them. There were no roads, only dusty pathways led to the stalls and the fairground.
4’. Some distance from the stalls I saw a juggler performing his tricks. The simple-minded villagers watched his tricks with open-mouthed wonder and felt besides themselves with joy at every new trick. Another group of villagers was enjoying the feast of a rope dancer. Children and women were availing themselves of swinging in the air on ropes tied to the trees. Everywhere and in every heart there was joy. The colourful dress of children and women and their songs added to the beauty of the fair.
Near the tomb, I saw about half a dozen Muslim holy men sitting quietly and receiving the homage of’ the simple villagers who gathered there every year to invoke the blessing of the great saint to keep the evil spirits away from their fields. A group of villagers formed a circle danced hand in hand around the tomb. A couple of women also took part in it.
As evening fell, the fair came to an end. 1’he villagers dispersed as easily as they had gathered. There were no traffic jams, no policemen to control mischief-makers and no voluntary agencies to look after the missing children. Everybody in the village knew one another and there was no fear of loneliness. This show of brotherhood among the villagers deserves to be followed by city-dwellers.
I.Answer the following questions briefly : (2*4=8)
1.How did the villagers behave when the minister arrived? Why did they do so?
2. Describe the village fair scene.
3. What were the people doing near the tomb?
4. How was the disposal scene different from those in cities?
Choose the most appropriate option: (1*4=4)
1.Dignitaries visiting a village is an unusual affair because:
(A) They don’t like villagers (B) they are interested in inaugurations only
(C) Village fairs are not frequent (D) their usual Visits are during elections only
2. After the departure of the minister:
( A) the villagers went back to their home (B) the villagers came in large number to the fair
(C)every one bowed in deep respect (D) no one spoke loudly
3. When a village fair comes to an end, there are:
(A) traffic jams (B) policemen (C) no mischief-makers (D) fearful
4.The word from the passage which means the opposite of ‘homage’ is
(A) respect (B) tribute (C) contempt (D) reverence
Read the passage carefully. (8)
INFORMATION
Most people can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of time elapses, however, the number is erased from the memory. How did the information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the short-term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to the STM, also known as the working memory. There is much debate about the capacity and duration of short-term memory. The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful units of information, such as a word or name rather than just a letter or number; Modern theorists suggest that one can increase the capacity of the short-term memory by chunking, or classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long-term storage. When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for an exam, many people engage in “rote rehearsal”. By repeating something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately, this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to disappear. When a pen and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or the dog barks before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he is likely to forget the number instantly. Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an efficient way to pass information from the short term to long-term memory.
(a) After thirty seconds a phone number gets __________
(b) The memories get transferred to the STM when they are __________
(c) The psychologists are not sure about the __________ and __________of the short term memory.
(d) A chunk is a __________
(e) Chunking and classifying can increase __________
(f) A person can remember more information in a short time by __________
(g) The author believes that rote rehearsal is __________
(h) The dog’s bark and the ringing of the doorbell are examples of __________
Section : B 30 Marks
Q.3 Mr. Ravi Saxena is the Sports Instructor of DAV Public School, Kalka. The Principal has asked him to place an order for buying volleyball nets, cricket bats, tennis racquets and tennis balls, footballs and necessary sports accessories. Mr Ravi Saxena places an order with M/s Youth Sports Equipment, Rohini, New Delhi. Write the order letter. (8)
OR
Education is the potential instrument of a person’s mental and moral make-up. The history of civilization bears testimony to the facts that man a wild animal, has built a glorious heritage of culture, art, science, philosophy and religion. Do you think education plays an indispensable role in the growth of the child”? Write an article in not more than 150 words.
Q.4 Once a lion was very hungry. He planned to catch prey. He called a rabbit and said that he wanted to tell him a story. The rabbit was a bit suspicious, but the lion befooled him saying ___________ _. (10)
Q.5. Complete the paragraph given below by filling in the blanks choosing the correct option from those that follow. (4)
Once, in a forest, there (a) _____ (live) a lion and his lioness. One day the lioness (b)_____(give) birth to twins . It was the duty of the lion to bring food. So he (c) ______ (kill) a deer that (d)______ (come) in his way and gave it to the lioness .
(a) (i) living (ii) is living (iii) was living (iv) lived
(b) (i) gave (ii) given (iii) had given (iv) was given
(c) (i) killed (ii) had killed (iii) has killed (iv) was killing
(d) (i) come (ii) came (iii) had come (iv) is coming
Q.6. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correct in your answer sheet against the corrrect blank number.(4)
Incorrect Correct
People of diverse faiths they live (a) _______ _________
together do no spontaneously turn (b) _______ _________
against each other. There is (c) _______ _________
three requisites for communal violent to occur. (d) _______ _________
Q.7 Rearrange the following words and phrases to form a meaningful sentence. The first one has been done as an example
(a) our environment/causing/to/we are/an/ irreparable damage
(b) our citizens/choking/and/our cities/air pollution/ is
(c) entire state/global warming washing/duo to / is/a chilling possibility/ the flooding of
(d) are/ leaving/ we/nothing/next generations / for/the
Section : C 30 Marks
Q.8 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. (1*4=4)
So he wrote to Dr Urquhart for ideas. and back Cattle a stack of suggestions for experiments, The kept Bright busy all lining high school and led to prize projects in the county and inter atonal science taws, tail man ass or, Newt’s response.
(a) What happened ‘‘ Ebright acted up the ‘ideas”?
(b) Why did Bright wine to Dr Urquhart?
(c)Mat initiated Bright in the field at’ scientific research?
OR
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(a) Who do you think is speaking to Amanda?
(b) In which mood is Amanda?
(c) What was Amanda’s posture?
(d) She was instructed not to :
Q.9 Answer any five of the following questions in 30 to 40 words each. (2*5=10)
1.What was the real disease that Tricki was suffering from?
2. Why did Fowler feel let down after meeting Ausable?
3. Why did Anil hire Hari Singh?
4. Describe the scenery that Rajvir saw as soon as the train pulled out of the station
5. The fog comes on like cat feet. How does the poet compare the fog with a cat? What poetic device is used here?
6. Who was Gautam Buddha? When and where was he born?
Q.10 Why do you think Custard, the dragon, was called a coward? How was Custard able to save all his house-mates from the pirate? What values should Belinda have possessed so that Custard too could have been among her favourites? (8)
OR
“The way Chubukov, Natalya and Lomov fought over petty issues is against the behaviour and mannerisms of good neighbours.” Comment. What would you have done to resolve the issue? (if you were in the place of Chubukov)
Q.11 Lisle wished to keep his wife in good humour. Which values of Matilda impress him? (8)
OR
Ebright’s backbone was his mother. How did she contribute to his learning? What kind of work did she find for him even at the dining table? What values did Ebright imbibe from his mother?
