Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 English Communicative with Solutions Set 4 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 English Communicative Set 4 with Solutions
Time : 3 hrs
Max. Marks : 80
General Instructions:
- 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
- The Question Paper contains Four sections-Reading Skills, Writing Skills, Grammar and Literature Textbook.
- Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
Section – A
Reading Skills [22 Marks]
Question 1.
Read the following passage.
1. I saw ‘Jaws’, the popular shark movie, the summer it came out, in 1975 and became paranoid about sharks. Though I kept swimming after Jaws, it was always with the vague fear that a shark’s teeth could tug on my leg at any moment. Never mind that there’d been only two shark bites since 1900 on the Connecticut coast, where I lived.
2. So, when I got this assignment for the National Geographic magazine, I decided to accept and do what I’d never wanted to do: swim with the sharks. I had to go to a place in the Bahamas known as Tiger Beach and dive with tiger sharks, the species responsible for more recorded attacks on humans than any shark except the great white. It was to be my first dive after getting certified-which meant it would be my first dive anywhere other than a swimming pool or a quarry-and without a diver’s cage. Most people who got wind of this plan thought I was either very brave or very stupid.
3. But I just wanted to puncture an illusion. The people who know sharks intimately tend to be the least afraid of them, and no one gets closer to sharks than divers. The divers who run operations at Tiger Beach speak lovingly of the tiger sharks the way people talk about their children or their pets. In their eyes, these sharks aren’t man-eaters any more than dogs are.
4. The business of puncturing illusions is never just black and white. My fellow divers had hundreds of dives under their belt and on the two-hour boat ride to the site in the morning of our first dive, they kept saying things like, ‘Seriously, I really can’t believe this is your first dive.’ All this was okay with me until I reached the bottom and immediately had to fend off the first tiger shark, I had ever laid eyes on. However, when I watched the other divers feeding them fish and steering them gently, it became easy to see the sharks in a very benign light.
5. I think it would be unfair not to mention that though tiger sharks are apex predators. They act as a crucial balancing force in ocean ecosystems, constraining the numbers of animals like sea turtles and limit their behaviour by preventing them from overgrazing the sea grass beds. Furthermore, tiger sharks love warm water, they eat almost anything, have a huge litter and are the hardiest shark species. If the planet and its oceans continue to warm, some species will be winners and others will be losers and tiger sharks are likely to be winners. (443 words)
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above:
(i) What does the use of the phrase ‘benign light’ suggest in the context of the writer’s viewpoint about the tiger sharks? (1)
(a) Friendly nature of sharks
(b) Baseless fear of sharks
(c) Incorrect quality associated with sharks
(d) All of these
Answer:
(d) All of these
(ii) Cite a point in evidence, from the text, to suggest that the writer’s post-Jaws fear was not justified. (2)
Answer:
The writer’s fear of sharks, after watching the movie Jaws, was a bit irrational and somewhat not justified as it is stated in the text that there were only two shark attacks reported from 1900 till after 1975. So, it was highly unlikely that he had to fear Sharks.
(iii) People thought the writer was ‘either brave or very stupid’. Why did some people think that he was’very stupid’? (1)
Answer:
Some people thought that the author was very stupid because he side-lined the popular notion that tiger sharks are dangerous and was risking his life. He was walking into obvious danger without the required expertise and could be bitten by the sharks.
(iv) Which one of the following traits of the writer is evident from lines 5-10? (1)
(a) Bold
(b) Adventurous
(c) Experimental
(d) All of these
Answer:
(d) All of these
(v) Why does the writer say that people who know sharks intimately tend to be least afraid of them? (2)
Answer:
The writer says that the people who know sharks intimately tend to be least afraid of them because they find them to be harmless. They found that the sharks feed on the food they offer and seem to be as docile as pets.
(vi) Substitute the underlined word/phrase in the sentence with a word/phrase from the passage which means the same. (1)
Some academicians think that reward, as a form of discipline, is a simple right or wrong issue.
Answer:
Black and white
(vii) What do the tiger sharks love?
(a) Eating turtles
(b) Harming people who bother them
(c) Warm water
(d) Sea grass
Answer:
(c) Warm water
(viii) Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
The author of the given passage, wants the reader to …………………….
Answer:
not fear sharks and understand the ecosystem
(ix) Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
The writer decides to swim with the sharks because ………………….
Answer:
he wanted to puncture the illusion that sharks are vicious man-eating animals.
(x) State whether the given assertion is True or False. (1)
Tiger sharks can be called apex predators because tiger sharks restrict the number of sea turtles by feeding on them and act as a balancing force in the ecosystem.
Answer:
True
Question 2.
Read the following passage. (10 m)
1. Festivals are synonymous with celebration, ceremony and joy. However, festivals bring to for the flip side of celebrations – pollution – air, water, soil and noise. This led to the need of assessing the awareness level among people about ecological pollution during festivals. So, a study was conducted by scholars of an esteemed university in India. This study was titled Awareness Towards Impact of Festivals on Ecology.
2. There were two main objectives of the study. The first one was to assess the awareness level among people about ecological protection during festivities. Exploring solutions to bring awareness about celebrating festivals without harming ecology was the second objective. The method used to collect data was a simple questionnaire containing 6 1 questions, shared with 50 respondents across four selected districts of a state in the Southern region of India.
3. The research began by understanding the socio-economic conditions of the respondents before sharing the questionnaire. Once the responses were received, the data collected was tabulated (Table 1), for analysis.
Table-1: Awareness level among respondents
Questions | YES% | NO% | CAN’T SAY% |
1. Do you feel that bursting crackers is a must during festivities? | 46 | 54 | 0 |
2. Do you think most people abuse environmental resources during celebration of festivals? | 72 | 28 | 0 |
3. Do you think that celebrations and festivities result in uniting people? | 64 | 32 | 4 |
4. Do you enjoy bursting crackers for amusement? | 68 | 32 | 0 |
5. Do you feel pressured to burst crackers during festivals as an expectation of your social status? | 82 | 12 | 6 |
6. Are you aware of waste segregation and disposal guidelines for better ecology? | 56 | 40 | 4 |
4. The study recommended the imposition of strict rules and regulations as opposed to a total ban on all festive activities which have a drastic impact on our environment. The researchers believed that such measures would help in harnessing some ill-effects that add to the growing pollution and suggested further studies be taken up across the country to assess awareness about ecological degradation.
5. The observations made in the study pointed to the environmental groups and eco-clubs fighting a losing battle due to city traffic issues, disposal of plastics, garbage dumping and all sorts of ecological degradation. The researchers stressed that the need of the hour is increasing awareness among people to reduce ecological pollution which can be facilitated by celebrating all festivals in an eco-friendly manner. (291 words)
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
(i) What was the objective of the study mentioned in the passage? (2)
Answer:
The objective of the study mentioned in the passage is to assess how much people knew about ecological protection during festivals and to find ways to bring awareness to people about celebrating festival without harming ecology.
(ii) According to the study, what percentage of people do not enjoy bursting crackers? (1)
(a) More than half
(b) Less than half
(c) A thendred percent
(d) Only adults
Answer:
(b) Less than half
(iii) Justify the researcher’s recommendation for limiting the drastic impact of festival pollution on the environment with reference to lines 16 – 21. (1)
Answer:
The researcher’s recommendation suggests bringing strict rules to ensure a decrease in pollution during festivals. It is much better than the alternative which is to impose a complete ban as it will not only make the people aware about the problems but also increase the chance of a revolt against the ban. Hence, strict rules along with some freedom are a better option.
(iv) According to the passage, festival is synonymous with ……………… (1)
(a) celebration
(b) ceremony
(c) joy
(d) All of these
Answer:
(d) All of these
(v) Even though a larger number of people say ‘no’ to bursting crackers than those who say ‘yes’, festival pollution persists. How does evidence from table 1 support this statement? (2)
Answer:
The table states that a large percentage of people abuse environmental resources to celebrate festivals. As a result, they fail to see its effect on the environment.
(vi) Complete the sentence given below. (1)
The eco-clubs are losing the battle because ……………..
Answer:
of city traffic issue, plastic disposal and garbage dumping
(vii) Comment on the significance of the second objective of the study with reference to lines 7 – 12. (1)
Answer:
The lines mentions exploration of solutions to bring about awareness about celebrating festivals without harming the environment as the second objective of the study. It is significant because we need to know what steps can be taken to deal with the issue and what should be avoided to fix the problem of increase in pollution during festivals.
(viii) Which of the following was NOT recommended by the study? (1)
(a) Imposition of strict rules
(b) A total ban on festive activities
(c) Punishment for the violators of the regulations
(d) Both (a) and (c)
Answer:
(b) A total ban on festive activities
Section – B
Writing Skills [22 Marks]
Question 3.
Write an e-mail to the principal of your school requesting them for a change in section. Invent necessary details and also mention the reason. (3)
You may copy the given template to write your email.
From : | |
To : | |
Cc : | |
Date : | |
Subject: | |
Answer:
From : [email protected]
To : [email protected]
Date : 10th April 20XX
Subject: Application for Change of Section
Respected Sir/Ma’am
Respectfully, I would like to inform you that I am Gaurav Sinha, a student of Class X-B in your school. I request you to change my section from B to A. The reason for this request is that all of my old friends are in another section and I am facing adjustment problems with my new classmates. Also, I am not feeling comfortable in this section.
I hope you will consider my request as soon as possible.
Yours obediently
Gaurav Sinha
Class X-B
Roll No. 23
Question 4.
Write a descriptive paragraph, in not more then clues given below.
- Introduction
- Early life and education
- His achievements
- Awards and honours
- Professional carrer and works
Answer:
Rabindranath Tagore was an outstanding poet, philosopher, playwright, dramatist, composer, social reformer and a talented painter. He was born at Jorasanka, Kolkata on 7th May 1861. His father’s name was Devendranath Tagore. His mother’s name was Sarala Devi. He started writing poems in his childhood. Rabindranath wrote many poems, short stories, essays, dramas, novels and songs. He was also a great composer. He composed the national anthem of our country, Jana Gana Mana. His important works are Gitanjali, Ghare Baire, RabindraSangeet, Amar Sonar Bangla, etc. He was the first Indian to win the noble prize in 1913 for ‘Gitanjali’. Tagore was also very fond of drawing and painting. He drew several sketches doodles and paintings. He died on 7th August 1941. Rabindranath tagore will remain in our hearts forever.
Question 5.
A. The Union Minister has flagged off a fleet of electric Vehicles, an eco-friendly mode of – public transport. Taking tips from the unit ‘Science’ in the MCB write a letter to the editor in about 20 words of a national newspaper on this issue to highlight the point that Electric Vehicles (EVs) are energy efficient and environment friendly. You are Vineet/ Vineeta. (7)
Answer:
B – 65, Lake Road
Chennai – 600086
3rd March, 20XX
The Editor
The Hindu
Chennai
Subject Electric Vehicles – Promise for the Future
Sir/Ma’am
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I want to highlight the fact that the need to reduce air pollution along with the availability of new advanced batteries has allowed Electric Vehicles (EVs) to appear as a clean alternative to internal combustion vehicles. Electric drive systems are virtually non-polluting and extremely energy efficient. While internal combustion vehicles can convert about 20% of the chemical energy in gasoline into useful work, 75% or more of the energy from a battery has productive power in an electric vehicle.
Numerous vehicles including three wheelers, cars and scooters on the road contribute to heavy air and noise pollution. Use of electric vehicles can also help us in saving foreign exchange worth crores and will also substantially reduce healthcare costs.
Therefore, people should try to use electricity-run vehicles which are energy efficient and environment friendly.
Thanking you
Yours truly
Vineet
OR
B. Write an application to the librarian of your college informing him that you have lost the book issued to you last week.
Answer:
The Librarian
SPICC College
Kanpur, UP
12th December, 20XX
Subject information about lost of the issued book
Respected Sir/Ma’am
This is to inform you that I am XYZ, a student of Class Xth D. I have written this letter to tell you that I got a I book issued from the library last week and it was to be returned tomorrow on 13th December. However, unfortunately, I have lost the book. I apologise for the same and request you to let me know the price of the book so that I may make the payment to compensate it.
Kindly understand and oblidge
Thanking you
Yours obediently
XYZ
Question 6.
A. While reading about new places and searching for them online has its merits, the advantages of actually travelling to various destinations far exceed them. Write an article for the magazine ‘Travel Times’, evaluating both these options. You may use the clues given below along with your own ideas and those you may have gathered from Unit 5 : Travel and Tourism : (8)
Clues
- Builds confidence
- Make friends and memories
- Experience new cultures
- Expands knowledge
Answer:
Travelling in 20**
by XYZ
Travelling is a great thing, it refreshes our minds and makes us aware of other places and cultures. Some people do screen travelling these days. By ‘screen travelling1,1 mean that they discover the new places on their personal computers, laptops, tabs, mobiles, etc. By doing this, they get to know a lot about the places without actually visiting them. Such a travel educates them about new places and their cultures, histories, etc. They also get to know about the experience of other travellers.
However, travelling to a place physically is a unique experience. It builds our confidence by exposing us to new experiences. We get an opportunity to meet new people and make friends. We also get to make memories in this process by clicking pictures, creating blogs, videos, etc. Travelling widens our horizons by exposing us to different languages, cultures, festivals, etc. We get to know about the demography of a country through travelling.
So, all in all travelling physically to a place is much more entertaining than screen travelling. We must try to travel new places whenever we get time to rejuvenate our body and mind.
OR
B. Teachers are regarded as nation builders. They are responsible for developing the character of students and transforming them into responsible citizens. Write an article on the topic, ‘Role of the Teacher in Society’. Use the given clues along with the ideas that you have gathered from Unit 2 : Education.
Clues
- Key role in growth
- Nation builders
- Develop character and transform children
- Support system
- Role models
Answer::
Role of Teacher in the Society
by XYZ
Teachers plays a key role in the growth of the society. Teachers are regarded as nation builders. They are responsible for not only educating the children but also for developing their character and transforming them into responsible citizens.
The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow and teachers are those significant individuals that make a child ready for their future. Teachers act as a support system that is lacking elsewhere in students’ lives. They help them shape opinions and form ideas about societies, life and personal goals. This expands students’ limits and push their creativity.
Teacher’s role in society is both valuable and significant. They are the ultimate role models for students. They are able to see each child’s strengths and weaknesses and provide better guidance. They are the gurus who build our character while inculcating discipline in students. Teachers have a major contribution to society’s development and upliftment. They teach the students the right values of life and the difference between right and wrong. Thus, teachers are truly backbone of the society who make the students realise best of their abilities.
Section – C
Grammar Skills [10 Marks]
Question 7.
Complete the task A – C, as directed.
A. Fill the blanks (i) – (iii) with the appropriate option from those in brackets. (3)
Humans have always (i) ………………. (think/thought/thinking) of the moon as living being. In earlier times, it was seen that it had always been changing. As it was the brightest point in the dark sky, humans watched and wondered why it (ii) ……………….. (change/was changing/changed) Humans (iii) ………………. (was/had/were) always afraid of the dark, so the bright light was both welcome and mysterious.
Answer:
(i) thought
(ii) was changing
(iii) were
B. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction against the correct blank number. The first one has been done as an example. (4)
Answer:
Incorrect Correct
(a) this it
(b) scatter scattered
(e) broad breadth
(d) castle castles
C. Do as directed.
(i) Rearrange the following jumbled words/phrases in the given story to create a meaningful sentence. (1)
a/time/upon/there/a/was/merchant/once/rich
He was coming back from a fair. He had a large sum of money with him. The merchant as well as his money got wet. He had to hurry up home to dry his money.
Answer:
Once upon a time there was a rich merchant.
(ii) Report the dialogue to complete the paragraph given below. (1 + 1)
Mom : Tomorrow is Diwali, so I am going to the market. Do you want anything?
Shreya : Shall I come along, mom?
Mom : No Shreya, I want you to do some cleaning.
Mom told her daughter Shreya that (a) ………………. she also asked Shreya (b) ……………… Shreya asked if she could come along with her, to this Mom replied in negative and added that she wanted her to do the cleaning.
Answer:
(ii) (a) it was Diwali the next day so she was going to the market.
(b) if she wanted anything from the market.
Section – D
Literature Textbook [26 Marks]
Question 8.
A. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions briefly, for ANY TWO extracts of the three given. (4 + 4 = 8)
Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command. (Ozymandias)
(i) What lay near the trunkless legs of stone? (1)
Answer:
Near the trunkless legs of stone lay therpartially buried broken face of the statue.
(ii) Describe the expression on the face of the visage. (1)
Answer:
On the face of the visage, the traveller could see the expression of a frown, wrinkled lip and a sneer of cold command.
(iii) What does’sneer of cold command’mean? (1)
Answer:
The expression ‘sneer of cold command’ means the facial expression of scorn or hostility.
(iv) What do you mean by ‘shattered’? (1)
Answer:
The word ‘shattered’ means ‘to be broken into pieces’.
B. After all, Dad always says about the memory of the computer. It can never forget, Michael. Nothing ever gets lost.
But even if it was possible that Sebastian’s memory had been stored on disk, how had it ended up on my computer?
Scrolling down the article I found a possible explanation. (Virtually True)
(i) Who is ‘I’ in the given extract? (1)
Answer:
In the given extract, ‘I’ is Michael Dawson.
(ii) Which article is mentioned here? (1)
Answer:
The article referred to here is the newspaper article describing the recovery of Sebastian Shultz from a coma.
(iii) What do you mean by ‘scrolling?’ (1)
Answer:
The word scrolling refers to the action of moving displayed text or graphics up or down.
(iv) What has happened to Sebastian Shultz? (1)
Answer:
Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a motorway accident and had gone into a coma.
C. Mrs. Slater : yes, he’s gone. He was seventy-two a fortnight last Sunday. (She sniffs back a tear. Mrs. Jordan sits on the left of the table. Mrs. Slater on the right. Henry in the armchair. Ben on the sofa with Victoria near him.)
Ben : (chirpily) “Now, Amelia, you mustn’t give way. We’ve all got to die some time or difficult situations.
(i) Explain the phrase, ‘give way’. (1)
Answer:
The phrase ‘give way’ means to show emotions of sorrow.
(ii) What prompts the speaker Lo say these words? (1)
Answer:
The speaker, Ben, says these words to get his sister-in-law Mrs. Slater to stop crying at the death of her father.
(iii) What does he mean when he says ‘It might have been worse’? (1)
Answer:
Through the given words, the speaker says that the grandfather died peacefully in his sleep If he would have died suffering from an illness or any other cause, it would have died a painful death.
(iv) What does it reveal about the speaker’s character? (1)
Answer:
The given lïnes show that the speaker. Mr. Jordan, seems to know how to present himself in difficult situations.
Question 9.
Answer Any Five of the following six questions in about 30-40 words each. (5 × 2 = 10)
(i) Who was Miss Mebbin? Was she really devoted to Mrs. Packeltide? How did she behave during the tiger shooting? (Mrs. packletide’s Tiger) (2)
Answer:
Miss Mebbin was Mrs. Packeltide’s paid companion. She charged money for sitting with her while Mrs. Packeltide hunted the tiger. She was not at all sincere to Mrs. Packeltide and behaved very . arrogantly during the tiger hunting.
(ii) Why was the postmaster bewildered? (The Letter) (2)
Answer:
When Laxmi Das told the postmaster that Ali had died three months ago, the postmaster was bewildered. It was because earlier that morning he had seen Ali and met him. After listening to Laxmi Das, he was sure that he must have seen Ali’s ghost.
(iii) Why was the grandfather so keen on changing his will? (The Dear Departed) (2)
Answer:
Grandfather was keen on changing his will because he realised that none of the daughters was keen to keep him and considered him to be a burden on them. Moreover, they wanted to grab his belongings and proceeded with the division of his belongings, assuming him to be dead.
(iv) Why did the albatross follow the ship and how did the sailors treat it? (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner) (2)
Answer:
The Albatross followed the ship due to the warm hospitality offered by the sailors. The sailors offered food and company to the albatross. It ate good food as well as played with the sailors. The sailors treated the albatross very well and welcomed it like a Christian soul.
(v) Why was Decius more successful than Calpurnia in persuading Caesar? (2)
Answer:
Decius was more successful than Calpurnia in persuading Caesar as he appealed to Caesar’s vanity by telling him that the senators want to crown him. In contrast, Calpurnia only talks about her dreams. It seems that Caesar did not believe in superstitions and his vanity overcomes all persuasions by Calpurnia.
(vi) The two boys were of great help to the narrator while he stayed in the town. How? (Two Gentleman of Verona) (2)
Answer:
The boys were of great help to the narrator while he stayed in the town. They provided him and his companion with American cigarettes, booked them seats for the opera and told them about the names of good restaurants in the city. They would also run errands for them, and guided them around Verona.
Question 10.
Answer Any One of the following two questions in about 150 words. (8)
“It is not the magnitude of the work but the way it is peformed that makes it significant or insignificant”. Discuss in the light of the story Patol Babu, Film Star.
Answer:
The magnitude of any work should not be determined by how big or small a piece of work is. A work should be measured for its dedication, hard work and sincerity. Patol Babu’s dialogue speaking is a perfect example of it. Only a monosyllabic word ‘Oh’ was given to Patol Babu to speak. It was a small and insignificant role but it proves to be a litmus test for his acting skills.
Patol Babu rehearsed his dialogue over and over again. He practised saying his single word ‘dialogue’ in many fascinating ways. As a result, when he performed his part and uttered the word with so much anguish and surprise, he transformed this insignificant narrative into a very important part of the film. Not only the director but the actors were also very impressed by his performance. Patol Babu proved that no work or role is small or petty. The way it is performed makes it significant or insignificant.
OR
Inspite of having a melodious voice and being a crowd puller, the nightingale turns out to be a loser and dies. How far is she responsible for her own downfall? (The Frog and The Nightingale)
Answer:
It is true that in spite of having a melodious voice and being a crowd puller, the nightingale turns out to be a loser and dies. The nightingale had a melodious voice. Her voice attracted all the creatures of the bog towards her. They admired her song and always demanded her to sing more and more. Inspite of this, the nightingale turns out to be a loser and dies. Her lack of confidence and servile attitude led her to believe the crafty frog. She fell in the frog’s trap and met with a tragic end. This teaches us that one should have faith in oneself and should not blindly believe what others say.
The nightingale was gullible creature who believed the frog to be a great authority in music. She did not use her own intelligence and could not see through the frog’s crafty ways. She should have used her common sense that she is being appreciated by others for her melodious voice and a lot of creatures come to hear her song. The nightingale is solely responsible for her own downfall as she trusted the frog and allowed herself to be fooled by him.