Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 English Communicative with Solutions Set 7 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 English Communicative Set 7 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]
I. Read the following passage. (12 m)
1. I got posted in Srinagar in the 1980s. Its rugged mountains, gushing rivers and vast meadows reminded me of the landscapes of my native place – the Jibhi Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Unlike Srinagar that saw numerous tourists, Jibhi Valley remained clouded in anonymity. That’s when the seed of starting tourism in Jibhi was planted. I decided to leave my service in the Indian Army and follow the urge to return home.
2. We had two houses – a family house and a traditional house, which we often rented out. I pleaded with my father to ask the tenant to vacate the house so that I could convert it into a guesthouse. When my family finally relented, I renovated the house keeping its originality intact, just adding windows for sunlight.
3. I still remember the summer of 1992 when I put a signboard outside my first guesthouse in Jibhi Valley! The village residents, however, were sceptical about my success. My business kept growing but it took years for tourism to take off in Jibhi Valley. Things changed significantly after 2008 when the government launched a homestay scheme. People built homestays and with rapid tourism growth, the region also changed rapidly. Villages turned into towns with many concrete buildings. Local businesses and tourists continued putting a burden on nature.
4. Then, with the 2020-21 pandemic and lockdown, tourism came to a complete standstill in Jibhi Valley. Local people, who were employed at over a hundred homestays and guesthouses, returned to their villages. Some went back to farming, some took up pottery and some got involved in government work schemes. Now, all ardently hope that normalcy and tourism will return to the valley soon. In a way, the pandemic has given us an opportunity to introspect, go back to our roots and look for sustainable solutions.
5. For me, tourism has been my greatest teacher. It brought people from many countries and all states of India to my guesthouse. It gave me exposure to different cultures and countless opportunities to learn new things. Most people who stayed at my guesthouse became my repeat clients and good friends. When I look back, I feel proud, yet humbled at the thought that I was not only able to fulfill my dream despite all the challenges, but also to play a role in establishing tourism in the beautiful valley that I call home.
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
(i) The writer mentions looking for sustainable solutions. He refers to the need for sustainable solutions because he realises that (1)
(a) even though all natural ecosystems are essential pillars of resilience, we need to focus on using their resources to address the economic needs of mankind, as a priority.
(b) the exposures to pandemics are a reality and a big threat to the countries across the world.
(c) for an economic recovery to be durable and resilient, a turn to ‘business as usual’ and environmentally destructive investment patterns and activities must be avoided.
(d) there is an increasing urgency in the climate movement and the need for collaborative action for the future.
Answer:
(c) for an economic recovery to be durable and resilient, a turn to ‘business as usual’ and environmentally destructive investment patterns and activities must be avoided.
(ii) Give a reason (in 30-40 words) for the skepticism faced by the author from the village people. (2)
Answer:
The village people were skeptical of the author’s attempt at making Jibhi Valley a place for tourism because they did not hope that any person would prefer visiting their home town.
(iii) What was the writer reminded of in Srinagar? (1)
(a) Home in the Jibhi Valley
(b) Landscape of the Jibhi Valley
(c) Family in the Jibhi Valley
(d) None of these
Answer:
(b) Landscape of the Jibhi Valley
(iv) What does the author feel at the end of the passage? (1)
Answer:
The author feels pride at realising that he had fulfilled his dream and made his home town a popular tourist destination.
(v) How does the scenic beauty of Srinagar makes the writer feel? Answer in 30 – 40 words (2)
Answer:
The writer’s initial thoughts of Srinagar and its scenic beauty fills him with nostalgia about his native place.
(vi) The word is used in the passage in place of ‘doubtful’. (1)
Answer:
skeptical
(vii) Why did tourism become stagnant in the Jibhi Valley? (1)
(a) The valley had no attractions
(b) The 2020-21 pandemic and the eventual lockdown
(c) The writer had no idea of what needed to be done
(d) Everyone there wanted to go back to their day job
Answer:
(b) The 2020 – 21 pandemic and the eventual lockdown
(viii) Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
Jibhi valley was different from Srinagar ……………………
Answer:
the latter was a popular tourist destination while Jibhi Valley was not.
(ix) Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
………………….. bought a change in Jibhi Valley.
Answer:
Homsestays
(x) State whether the given assertion is True or False. (1)
The narrator left the Indian Army to convert his home town Jibhi Valley in Himachal Pradesh into a tourist destination.
Answer:
True
Question 2.
Read the passage carefully.
1. India’s average temperature has already increased by around 0.7 degrees Celsius during the 1901-2018 period due to Greenhouse gas emissions and by the end of 2100 it is expected to rise by approximately 4.4 degrees Celsius warns the first-ever climate change assessment report by the Indian government.
2. The report Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region prepared by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) warned that the rapid changes in the temperature would mean increasing stress on India’s “natural ecosystems, agricultural output and freshwater resources, while also causing escalating damage to infrastructure.” This ultimately means a serious impact on the country’s biodiversity, food, water, energy security and public health.
3. It said that several regions in India are global biodiversity hotspots with numerous endemic species of plants and animals and with the “climate changing more rapidly than usual, they may face increasing threats on account of these changes.”
4. The MoES report cautioned that by the end of 2100, the “frequency of summer (April-June) heat waves over India is projected to be 3 to 4 times higher” and the “average duration of heat-wave events is also projected to approximately double.” According to the report, the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of the Tropical Indian Ocean has also risen by one degree Celsius, on average, during 1951-2015.
5. The rise in temperature is playing havoc with India’s rainfall which is significant for ‘India’s agriculture sector. The report noted that the summer monsoon precipitation (June to September) over India has declined by around six per cent from 1951 to 2015, with notable decreases over the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Western Ghats. It stressed that the overall decrease of seasonal summer monsoon rainfall during the last 6-7 decades has led to an increased propensity for droughts in India.
6. “In particular, areas over Central India, South-West coast, Southern peninsula and North-Eastern India have experienced more than two droughts per decade. The area affected by drought has also increased by 1.3 per cent per decade over the same period. Climate model projections indicate a high likelihood of an increase in the frequency, intensity and area under drought conditions in India by the end of the twenty-first century,” said the MoES report.
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
(i) Infer 3 reasons for the following, based on information in Paragraph 1. (2)
India’s average temperature has already increased by around 0.7 degrees Celsius during the 1901 – 2018 period.
Answer:
Greenhouse gas emission, destruction of the natural ecosystems, and over-exploitation of natural resources are the reasons for the rising in temperature of around 0.7 degrees Celsius during the 1901- 2018 period.
(ii) Select the appropriate option to fill in the blanks. (1)
From Paragraph 5 we can infer that the ……………… in temperature has wreaked havoc on the rainfall pattern. The overall of seasonal summer monsoon rainfall during the last 6 – 7 decades has led to an increased tendency of droughts.
1. decrease
2. sufficient
3. exaggerated
4. elaborate
5. significant
6. rise
Codes
(a) 6 and 1
(b) 2 and 4
(c) 3 and 2
(d) 1 and 6
Answer:
(c) 3 and 2
(iii) List any two social and economic impacts of climate change. (2)
Answer:
The two social and economic impacts of climate change are
(a) Less capacity to work
(b) Increase in carpooling
(iv) Select the correct option to fill in the blank and compelete the following analogy: (1)
Rainfall : Monsoon : : : Summer
(a) Heatwave
(b) Temperature
(c) Endemic
(d) Drought
Answer:
(a) Heat wave
(v) List any one point how the temperature rise will affect the summer heat waves. (1)
Answer:
The rise in temperature will increase the frequency and duration of the heat waves.
(vi) Complete the following sentence appropriately: (1)
As per reports, an overall decrease in seasonal summer monsoon rainfall has lead to ………………
Answer:
an increased tendency for droughts
(vii) What will be the titles of the Paragraphs 1 – 3 appropriately. (1)
Answer:
Effect of greenhouse gases, Loss of biodiversity, Stress on ecosystems.
(viii) Select the chart that appropriately represents the drought trend with climate in India from the year 1951 to 2015, as per Paragraph 5. (1)
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4
Answer:
(a) Option 1
Section – B
Writing Skills [22 Marks]
Question 3.
Write an email to the Principal of your school requesting him for concession in fee. (3) You may copy the given template to write your email.
From : | |
To : | |
Cc : | |
Date : | |
Subject : | |
Answer:
From : [email protected]
To : [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Date : 10th April, 20XX
Subject: Request for fee-concession
Respected Sir/Ma’am,
This is to inform you that I am PQR of Class X of your school. I have written this mail to request a fee concession as the financial condition of my family is not good. My father is the only earning member in the family and recently had to be hospitalised due to an accident. So, I will be unable to pay my school fees.
Therefore, I request you to grant me full concession in school fees. I will be highly obliged to you.
Thanking you
Yours obediently
PQR
Question 4.
Describe a gift you have received that was important to you, in not more than 100 words. (4)
Answer:
One of the best gifts I have ever received was given to me by my uncle. I got a laptop which I had desperately needed for the school studies. This laptop was a black colour thin laptop with 16-inch display. It weighed less than a kilo and I can easily carry it in my bag. I often use it in my bed as well as on my study table. The laptop has all the facilities that I would need. It has a great graphic card and good processor to support my graphic designing learning. Plus, it also has an inbuilt cam that allows me to attend some of my classes online.
A good thing about my laptop is that it allows me to watch movies online without leaving the comfort of my home. Further, it has a really good sound quality which brings me joy as I love listening to music. Moreover, the laptop was quite handy for me. I could search the internet, get help for my studies and learn many new things from my laptop. From the utilitarian point of view, this was a very useful device for many years to me.
Question 5.
A. Big and lavish Indian weddings have become a common sight. And with that we are used to the large scale wastage of food in a country that hosts one of the biggest armies of starving people in the world. Write a letter to the editor of a local daily on the colossal wastage of food in the lavish Indian weddings based on MCB Unit: 4 Environment. You are Surbhi. (120 words) (7)
Answer:
14-A, Civil Lines
New Delhi
27th October, 20XX
The Editor The Times of India New Delhi
Subject Wastage of Food in the Big Fat Indian Weddings
Sir/Ma’am
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the common masses to the wastage of food that happens in Indian weddings. It is not unknown to us that weddings in India have become more extravagant in the recent years. It is strange how Indians spend their life’s j savings on their weddings. One of the main features of the lavish wedding is the various types of food one can find there. Today, no wedding is complete without different cuisines offered to the guests.
It is quite shocking that on one hand, India is a host to one of the biggest armies of starving people in the world, on the other, we witness a large scale wastage of food.
Such wastage can be monitored if the size of the servings is limited. Moreover, the host should be responsible to give the caterers, the exact number of expected guest list. Moreover, the guests should confirm their presence so that the food is prepared accordingly and there is no wastage. Further, the leftover food can be distributed to the poor in order to avoid the wastage.
I hope my letter would awaken the people and they would try to minimise the wastage in future.
Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Surbhi
OR
B. Write a letter to the principal of your school to request him/her to introduce co curricular . activities at regular intervals. Write a letter in not more than 120 words using ideas from MCB Unit 2 : Education.
Answer:
To
The Principal
PQR College
Delhi
Subject Request for arrangement of co curricular activities at regular intervals
Sir/Ma’am
This is to inform you that I, am PQR a student of your prestigious school. The purpose of writing this letter is to request you to arrange co curricular activities at regular intervals.
While I agree that education should be our primary focus in the college, it is also not wrong to point out that too much focus on academics has made many students stressed. Plaving nothing to entertain us during the college hours makes our day dull and boring and after some point, all studies become ineffective. Hence, I request you to introduce some co-curricular activities at regular time intervals so that we can refresh our minds and then study effectively.
Kindly understand and oblidge.
Hoping for a positive response.
Yours obediently
PQR
(Student)
Question 6.
A. Write an article on how we can make India a carefree and enjoyable place for women where they can go wherever they like to without any fear of being stared at, molested or discriminated against, in about 150 words. Use the given clues, along with your own ideas and those you have gathered from Unit 6 : National Integration. (8)
- Women are suppressed
- Issue of women’s safety
- Safety issue at home as well as workplace
- Need of strict laws
Answer:
Make India Safe for Women
by XYZ
“Thy name is integrity and strength” These are very powerful words that give a woman her due position in the society. But, she is suppressed and put down while man poses to be the powerful gender. Since, the past 20 years women security has become a bigger question in India than it was before. Why aren’t Indian females safe? Who is responsible for their safety? How should their safety be assured?
In an era when women are trying to shatter the gender barriers created by the society and when they are proving themselves as strong independent individuals, concerns about women’s safety still persists as a massive agenda. Concerns about safety restrict the activity of women who have to strategise everything from timings, how to walk, how to dress or commute etc. When we talk about women’s safety, the present situation frightens us. Women are often stared at, molested and discriminated against not only outside the house, but also in their workplaces and homes. It is the responsibility of the government and each one of us as a part of a society to strive for a safer world for women.
Effective implementation of strict laws protecting women’s’ rights is the need of the hour. Offenders must be socially boycotted and severely punished to deter future crimes against women. Another imperative step is teaching self-defense techniques to women and girls at schools, colleges, offices and residential colonies. Until the mental attitude of the society towards women changes, India cannot be a carefree and enjoyable place for them.
OR
B. Now-a-days, students attend coaching classes early in the morning or after school hours. You feel that this trend makes them tired, affects their health and so their grades. Write an article to make the students understand how this is not very helpful in improving their grades and is a waste of their precious time, in about 150 words. You are Ram /Rani. Use the given clues along with your own ideas and those you have gathered from Unit 2 : Education.
- Trend of coaching classes
- Lack of proper guidance by schools and parents
- 111 effects of continously studying in coaching classes
- No time for recreation or physical activities
Answer:
Waste of Student’s Precious Time
by Ram
In this fast-paced competitive world, coaching classes has become more of a trend which most students follow. The desire among students to excel has made the students run after this trend of attending coaching classes and focusing their complete attention to studies. Parents are often helpless since they are unable to provide proper guidance when it comes to studies. They find sending their children to coaching centres more convenient than devoting time to them.
Now-a-days, students attend coaching classes early in the morning or after school hours. This trend makes them tired, sleepy and distracted in school. In addition to the homework given in school, students also have to finish homework given to them at the coaching centre. As a result, children have to cut down their time for recreation and physical activities. Too much studies and no play not only affect the health of the children, but their grades as well.
Both, students and their parents, must understand that coaching classes are not helpful in any way. Instead, they are a waste of their time and money. Students should be responsible for their own studies and grades. Even if their scores aren’t high, students should not be criticised or pressurised for it. They must i.e taught to develop their attention and retention powers so that the children are able to easily grasp the concepts taught in class and remember them for a long time. Only then students will be able to achieve better grades, that too without the help of coaching centres.
Section – C
Grammar Skills [10 Marks]
Question 7.
Complete the tasks A – C, as directed.
A. Fill the blanks (i) – (iii) with the appropriate option from those given in brackets. (3)
The train (i) …………….. (arrive/arrived/will arrive) in Mumbai at three o’clock. Vicky got off (ii) ……………. (a/the/No article) train and (iii) …………….. (hurry/hurrying/hurried) across the platform. He gave his ticket to the TT by the gate and ran out.
Answer:
(i) arrived
(ii) the
(iii) hurriedd
B. In 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) have is organising
(b) between from
(c) into in
(d) invite invites
C. Do as directed.
(i) Rearrange the following jumbled words/ phrases in the given information to create a meaningful sentence. (1)
vast space/a multitude of/about/wandering/stars/is/in the
A few of them form groups but the majority are solitary. They travel through a very spacious universe.
Answer:
A multitude of stars is wandering about in the vast space.
(ii) Read the conversation given below and complete the passage that follows. Attempt any four. (1 + 1)
Traveller : Can you tell me the way to the nearest inn?
Peasant: Yes. Do you want one in which you can spend the night?
Traveller : No, I only want a meal.
The traveller asked the peasant (a) ……………… The peasant replied that he could, and asked (b) ……………. The traveller answered that he did not wish to stay there, but only wanted a meal.
Answer:
(a) if he could tell him the way to the nearest inn
(b) whether he wanted one in which he could spend the night.
Section – D
Literature Textbook [26 Marks]
Question 8.
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions briefly for ANY TWO extracts of the three given. (4 + 4 = 8)
A. “And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work’ em woe.
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze to blow.” (The Rime of The Ancient Mariner)
(i) What do you mean by the word ‘hellish’ ? (1)
Answer:
The word ‘hellish’ means extremely bad and cruel.
(ii) What was the hellish thing? (1)
Answer:
The hellish thing mentioned in the extract is the killing of the albatross by the mariner.
(iii) Which literary device is used in the last line? (1)
Answer:
Alliteration is used in the last line.
(iv) What had the bird done? (1)
Answer:
The bird had caused the breeze to blow in favour of the Mariner and other shipmates/sailors.
B. Mrs. Slater : That was a near thing. Open the door, Victoria. Now Henry, get your coat on (she helps him)
Henry : Did we knock much plaster off the wall?
Mrs. Slater : Never mind the plaster. Do I look all right ? (straightening her hair in the glass).
Just watch Elizabeth’s face when sees we’re all in half-mourning. (The Dear Departed)
(i) In the extract what does, ‘a near thing’ mean? (1)
Answer:
‘Near thing’ in the extract means that Mrs. and Mr. Slater have just managed to settle everything before Mr. and Mrs. Jordan would enter.
(ii) Why was Henry asked to wear his coat? (1)
Answer:
Mrs. Slater wanted her husband Henry to wear his coat so that the visitors would think that he was ready and waiting for them.
(iii) Victoria was asked to open the door for whom? Why had the visitors come? (1)
Answer:
Victoria was asked to open the door for Mr. and Mrs. Jordan. The visitors had come as they had received the information about Mrs. Jordan’s father’s death.
(iv) What had been happening just before the speaker said the words given in the extract? (1)
Answer:
Just before the speaker said the above words, the speaker and her husband Mr. Slater had shifted grand father’s bureau to their room so that they could pretend that the bureau was their own.
C. ‘You think I’ll be all right for the part?’ Patol Babu asked with great diffidence. Naresh Dutt cast an appraising look at Patol Babu and gave a nod. ‘Oh yes’, he said. There is no doubt about that. By the way, the shooting takes place tomorrow morning. ‘Tomorrow? Sunday?’ (Patol Babu : Film Star)
(i) Who is Naresh Babu? (1)
Answer:
Naresh Babu is the brother-in-law of Nishikant Ghosh, the neighbour of Patol Babu. He is a member of a film production team.
(ii) For what did he give a nod? What do you mean by appraising look? (1)
Answer:
He gave a nod of approval for casting Patol babu for the said role. ‘Appraising look’ means to take a close look, scrutinise or assess carefully for gauging somebody or something.
(iii) Where did the shooting take place? (1)
Answer:
The shooting took place near Faraday House.
(iv) Who says he does not have a doubt? Why did he say so? (1)
Answer:
Naresh Dutt says he does not have any doubt about casting Patol babu. He says this in response to the question made by Patol with regard to him being right for the role.
Question 9.
Answer Any Five of the following six questions in about 30-40 words each. (5 × 2 = 10)
(i) Why did Ali go daily to the Post Office early in the morning? (The Letter) (2)
Answer:
Ali regularly went to the Post Office early in the morning with the hope of receiving a letter from his only daughter Miriam. She was married and had left his house five years ago. She had not come even once to meet Ali. So, Ali expected a letter from her.
(ii) In his sonnet, Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments what does the poet say about the vanity of rich men? (2)
Answer:
The poet says that rich men try to get their statues erected and monuments made so that they would be remembered forever, but none of these survive the ravages of time and the men are forgotten.
(iii) Why did the news of the ‘Miracle Recovery’ shock Michael? (Virtually True) (2)
Answer:
Michael was shocked after reading the ‘Miracle Recovery’ story because the name of the person who recovered was Sebastian Shultz whom he thought he knew. He had been playing his games with a person with the same name and thought everything was real.
(iv) Why did Calpurnia try to prevent Caesar from going to the Senate House? Did she succeed in her attempt? (Julius Caesar) (2)
Answer:
Calpurnia prevented Caesar from going to the Senate House because she feared something miserable would happen to him. She felt this because of her dream in which she saw Caesar’s statue with many spots, from which blood was oozing out.
No, she did not succeed because Decius Brutus very cunningly convinced Caesar to go to the Senate House.
(v) What impression do you form of the sculptor through his work? (Ozymandias) (2)
Answer:
The colossal statue of Ozymandias gives a clear indication of the sculptor’s skill. He had very beautifully carved out every detail of the king’s face. Even when the statue was lying in ruins, one could not easily make out the arrogant expression on it.
(vi) State one aspect that might have led the narrator to think that the boys must be saving to emigrate to America. (Two Gentlemen of Verona) (2)
Answer:
The narrator thinks that the boys must be saving to emigrate to America because the boys did a lot of work. They not only sold fruits and newspaper but also worked as shoeshine boys, tourist guides and errand boys.
Question 10.
Answer Any One of the following two questions in about 150 words. (8)
A. “The incidental expenses are so heavy”, she confides to enquiring friends.
Later on, Mrs. Packletide understands that trying to display a false brave image is certainly not right and can cause more harm than inviting attention and praise. Write about the values you imbibe from what is given above. (Mrs. Packletide’s tiger)
Answer:
The story of Mrs. Packletide’s tiger is a very apt depiction about how things can backfire if we try to portray ourselves as someone we are not. Mrs. Packletide incurred huge losses in her bid to outshine her arch rival. One can easily interpret that actions driven by envy are bound to take us on paths on which we are sure to get harmed. Mrs. Packletide was really jealous of Loona Bimberton but in order to outshine her, she has to bear huge losses as her paid companion blackmailed her to buy her a cottage in order to keep quiet about the real hunting of the tiger. Therefore, Mrs. Packletide lost a large amount of money but get almost nothing in return.
So, we can easily understand that we should not portray what we are not. We should always display our true identities and characters so that we could become better human beings.
OR
B. Relationships are dependent upon trust. However, small misunderstandings, if not cleared soon, destroy the best of relationships. John’s marriage was on the verge of a dreadful end. What mistakes did Hallock make in their relationship? (A Shady Plot)
Answer:
It is absolutely true that relationships are built upon trust. The stronger the concrete of trust, the stronger the building of relationship. But trust is a two way street. In A true relationship, there should be no hidden secrets. We can see the validity of this statement in the lesson ‘A Shady Plot’. In the story, John and Lavinia’s relationship suffers due to the presence of secrets. Mr. Hallock made two mistakes which led to sourness in their relationship.
First, Hallock tried to conceal facts from Lavinia. She was his wife and had every right to know what the real story was. Secondly, Lavinia doubted her husband and considered him a cheater without going into the detail of things. Her trust was overcome by jealousy. Things would not have been in such a mess if John had told Lavinia the truth and if Lavinia would have trusted her husband enough to find the real truth before deciding to leave him.