Please refer to Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 2 Set C with solutions below. The following CBSE Sample Paper for Class 10 English has been prepared as per the latest pattern and examination guidelines issued by CBSE. By practicing the English Sample Paper for Class 10 students will be able to improve their understanding of the subject and get more marks.
CBSE Class 10 English Sample Paper for Term 2
Section A (Reading)
1. Read the passage given below:
(1) During our growing up years, we as children have been taught–both at home and also school—to worship the photos and idols of the Gods of our respective religions. When we grew a little older, we were told to read holy books like the Bhagwad Gita, the Bible and the Quran; we were told that there are a lot of life lessons to be learnt from these holy books. We were then introduced to stories from our mythologies which have taught us about ethics and morality—what is good and what is bad. I also learnt to be respectful towards my parents who have made my life comfortable with their hard work and love and care, and my teachers who have guided me to become a good student and also a responsible citizen.
(2) Much later in life, I realised that though we have learnt much from our holy books, there is a lot to learn from our surroundings. This realisation dawned upon me when I learnt to enquire and to explore. Everything around us—the sun, the moon, the stars, rain, rivers, stones, rocks, birds, plants and animals—teach us many valuable life lessons.
(3) No wonder that besides the scriptures in many cultures, nature is also actively worshipped. The message that we get is to save our environment and to maintain ecological balance. People are taught to live in harmony with nature and recognise that there is God in all aspects of nature.
(4) Nature is a great teacher. A river never stops flowing. If it finds an obstacle in its way in the form of a heavy rock, the river water fights to remove it from its path or finds an alternative path to move ahead. This teaches us to be progressive in life, and to keep the fighting spirit alive.
(5) Snakes are worshipped as they eat insects in the field that can hurt our crops, thus protecting the grains for us. In fact, whatever we worship is our helper and makes our lives easy for us. There are many such examples in nature, but we are not ready to learn a lesson yet. Overcome with greed, we are destroying the nature. As a result, we face natural disasters like drought, flood and landslides. We don’t know that nature is angry with us. However, it is never too late to learn. If we learn to respect nature, the quality of our life will definitely improve.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given below:
(i) What are we taught as children?
Ans. When we were children, we were taught to worship the photos and idols of the Gods of our respective religions.
(ii) Why should we respect our parents?
Ans. We should respect our parents as they work hard to make our life comfortable
(iii) What message do we get from the scriptures?
Ans. From the scriptures, we learn to save our environment and to maintain ecological balance.
(iv) What does the rivers teach us?
Ans. The rivers teach us to be progressive in life.
(v) What does nature teach us?
Ans. Nature teaches us valuable life lessons. It teaches us to save our environment and maintain ecological balance.
(vi) Rewrite the following sentence by replacing the underlined word that means the same from lines 3-10. The mythological stories have taught us a lot about righteousness.
Ans. The mythological stories have taught us a lot about morality.
2. Read the following excerpt from a case study based on the effect of coffee on health.
If you are addicted to coffee and doctors warn you to quit the habit, don’t worry and just keep relishing the beverage, because it is not that bad after all! In fact, according to a new study, the steaming cup of Java can beat fruits and vegetables as the primary source of antioxidants. Some studies state that coffee is the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet, and both caffeinated and decaf versions appear to provide similar antioxidant levels.
Antioxidants, in general, have been linked to a number of potential health benefits, including protection against heart diseases and cancer, but Vinson, a dietician said that their benefits ultimately depend on how they are absorbed and utilised in the body. The research says that coffee outranks popular antioxidant sources like tea, milk, chocolate and cranberries. Of all the foods and beverages studied, dates actually have the most antioxidants based solely on the serving size, but since dates are not consumed anywhere near the level of coffee, the drink comes as the top source of antioxidants, Vinson said.
Besides keeping you alert and awake, coffee has been linked to an increasing number of potential health benefits, including protection against liver and colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, according to some recently published studies. The researchers, however, advise that one should consume coffee in moderation, because it can make you jittery and cause stomach pains.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given below.
(i) Who is Vinson in the paragraph?
Ans. Vinson, in the paragraph, is a dietician.
(ii) Which food or beverage has most antioxidants?
Ans. Of all the foods and beverages studied, dates actually have the most antioxidants.
(iii) What is the doctors warning for coffee addicts? Why?
Ans. Doctors warn coffee addicts to quit the habit as it is bad for health.
(iv) List some of the health benefits linked with coffee.
Ans. Besides keeping one alert and awake, coffee protects against liver and colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
(v) Why is it advisable to consume coffee in moderation?
Ans. It is advisable to consume coffee in moderation, because it can make one jittery and cause stomach pains.
(vi) Which type of coffee has minimum caffeine per cup?
Ans. Decaf instant has minimum caffeine per cup.
Section B (Writing and Grammar)
3. Attempt ANY ONE from (i) and (ii).
(i) You are Ankita Dua of Bhopal. You have come across an advertisement of a coaching center that prepares students for the Pre-Medical Test. Write a letter to the Director of the institute asking for information that you require before you decide to join it.
(ii) A survey was conducted in a town where the views of people were collected on cigarette smoking. Given below is a pie-chart showing the results of the survey. Write a paragraph in about 120-200 words interpreting the data.
Ans. (i) G.T. Colony,
Bhopal
15th October, 20XX
The Director
XYZ Institute
Bhopal
Subject : Enquiry Regarding Coaching Classes
Sir
This is with reference to your advertisement in ‘The Hindu’ dated October 10, 20XX. I am preparing for the Pre-Medical Test. I am interested in joining your institute, but before I do so, I would like the following information.
I would like to know the duration and the timings of the course. What is the fee structure and the mode of payment? I would also like to know the strength of each batch and the success rate of your institute. Do you offer any discount to students who have excelled in academics? I would be grateful if you could give me a prompt response so that I can take timely decision to join your institute.
Yours sincerely
Ankit Dua
(ii)
Smoking: A hazard to health
The above pie chart shows the result of the views of people where a survey was conducted whether smoking should be banned or not. There were only a few people i.e., 5% who were of the view that no restrictions should be imposed on cigarette smoking. Almost one fifth, 20% of the people opined that it should be banned at all public places so that passive smoking can also be taken care of. As many as 30% people were of the view that cigarette smoking should be banned but only at shopping malls or big stores. But there was another 45% of opinion i.e., majority of the people showed an interest in imposing blanket ban on cigarette, as it is hazardous to health. Overall, people are aware that smoking is injurious to health so it should be banned but everyone has different views.
4. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction against the correct blank number in your answer sheet. Remember to underline the correction.
After his speech, his father flick open
the basket lid and play the pipe again
where upon the snake springed out.
Ans. Error Correction
(a) flick flicked
(b) play played
(c) springed sprang
5. Read the conversation between principal and a student given below and complete the passage that follows:
The Principal asked the student (a) ____________. The student replied (b) ____________. The Principal was concerned and asked what would happen to his studies. The student replied that he would study hard to complete them.
Ans. (a) why he had been absent the previous week
(b) that he had been absent because he had not been well
Section C (Literature)
6. Answer ANY SIX questions in 30-40 words each.
(i) This is Calvin, a character from a comic strip created by Bill Watterson. Do you think this might be something Amanda would say? Why/ why not? Give reasons.
Ans. According to me, Amanda would definitely say this. She is a teenager. Like other teens, she loves freedom, she wants to have her own kind of life in her imaginary world. Her world is not the world of harsh realities but it is an imaginary world of fairies and mermaids. She finds solace in roaming around. And is not at all ready to accept the reality. She craves to live in a lonely tower peacefully like Rapunzel.
(ii) Elucidate any one quality that Siddhartha demonstrated when he gave up his status and family. Explain your choice.
Ans. The sudden decision to renounce the world, his family and princehood, shows Siddhartha was a strong-willed and determined man. He had the courage to take such a difficult decision.
(iii) The usage of words like ‘realio trulio’ in The Tale of Custard the Dragon creates a wonderful poetic effect. How?
Ans. The poet Ogden Nash is remembered for his ‘non-sense poetry’. The poem is full of rhyming words like ‘realio trulio’ which create wonderful rhyme in the poem.
(iv) The poet has an exaggerated and idealized perception of the animal life. Do you agree? Why/Why not?
Ans. I don’t think that the poet has exaggerated and idealized the perception of animal life because all the points mentioned by him in the poem are true about the animals. He has not fabricated any of it. For example: The animals never sweat and whine about their condition. That is so true and real.
(v) The book, ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ ignited Richard’s curiosity in butterflies further. Do you think sometimes, people or things around us can act as catalysts to shape our lives? Explain how.
Ans. Richard was bored with butterflies so his mother bought him a book “The travels of Monarch X” to read and enjoy himself. After reading a book, he studied the migration of butterflies and it opened the world of science for him. Truly, some people can be a source of inspiration to us because they play the role of catalyst to ignite our inner fire to reach our goal in life.
(vi) Justify the poet’s allusion to Rapunzel in ‘Amanda’.
Ans. Rapunzel was a beautiful girl who lived with a witch who would constantly keep a check on her and had several rules to be followed. Amanda, like Rapunzel, feels caged by the restrictions imposed on her. She desires to live a peaceful life in isolation like Rapunzel lived in a tower. But on the other hand, she clarified also that she would not let her hair down for anyone in order to not to interrupt her peaceful life.
(vii) Who was Oliver Lutkins? How did he try to befool the young lawyer?
Ans. Oliver Lutkins was a middle-aged person from New Mullion town. He was the prime witness in a law case. When the lawyer was sent to his town to serve the summons, he fooled him by befriending him as a hack driver who was willing to help him. He took him all around the town, but they were unable to find Lutkins.
7. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120 words each.
(i) Imagine you are Bholi and you have been invited by a girl’s secondary school in another village to address a group of students about being independent, fearless and breaking stereotypes. Write that speech.
Ans. Hello Students!
It is an honour for me to be amongst you people and speak of my life experiences. Today, I teach in my village school. I am a senior teacher teaching senior classes. But it was not so with me in my initial years. While growing up I was a very hesitant and nervous child who even could not face people. I was so shy to meet anyone. I stammered and due to my ugly looks felt so low in confidence that I thought I would not be able to do anything in life. Even my parents thought so about me. But one fine day, I landed in a school and my life changed after this. I started studying and education brought lot of changes in me. It made me what I am today, a woman of substance whom everyone loves. So believe in your abilities and let life take it’s own course.
Love you all!
Take care!
Have a good day.
(ii) Describe the character of the Hack Driver.
Ans. Oliver Lutkins was about forty years of age, he was red-faced, cheerful and thick about the middle. Oliver Lutkins (Hack Driver) comes across as a clever person who has little consideration for others and exploits their gullibility to his convenience. He cheats the lawyer on the pretext of helping him in locating Lutkins and thereby, extracts money from him in an unfair manner.
The fact that he laughs at him the following day when the lawyer delivers him the summon, shows that he lacks scruples and is remorseless. He seems to have little respect for law as he has disobeyed the earlier summons.
But the narrator also depicts him as a person with a sense of humour that almost forgives his tricks as a practical joke.
(iii) Describe the journey of Siddhartha Gautama becoming the Buddha.
Ans. Gautam Buddha was a prince. His parents had named him Siddhartha. He had been shielded from the sufferings of the world. At the age of twenty five he saw a sick man, an aged man and a dead man. He also saw an ascetic begging for alms. These sights moved him so much that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed. He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he received enlightenment after seven days. He renamed the tree as the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom). He himself came to be known as the Buddha (The Awakened or the Enlightened).
The Buddha preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, the most holy dipping place on the River Ganges. The Sermon was preserved. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom about one’s inscrutable kind of suffering.
