ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (CODE NO.

184)

SAMPLE PAPER (CLASS X 2017-18)

TIME – 3 HOURS MAXIMUM MARKS- 80

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

I. The question paper is divided into three sections:

SECTION A : Reading 20 MARKS

SECTION B : Writing and Grammar 30 MARKS
SECTION C : Literature 30 MARKS
II. All questions are compulsory.
III. You may attempt any section at a time.
IV. All questions of that particular section must be attempted in the correct order.

SECTION – A

READING – 20 marks

Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Science is not only beautiful but it is also the fulcrum on which the strong crowbar of
national missions, security and our future can rest, allowing modest investments to lift
huge loads. This fulcrum must be strong and correctly placed, but today it is poorly
positioned and not strong enough.
2. Many citizens say scientists must engage and solve our problems. Scientists respond that
this could happen if there is more investment in education and research and less
bureaucracy. But such debates generate more heat than light. In an imperfect society, one
component cannot demand perfection from another as a prerequisite for action. Each
needs to help the other to improve.
3. Whether it is the rejuvenation of rivers, sanitation or dealing with plastic waste, there are
many ongoing State programmes where the involvement of scientists must increase. Such
involvement in national priorities happened in the West during World War II. Today,
rescuing our environment and health should be seen by scientists as a battle where our
best needs to pay attention.
4. So by principally relying on the admirable inventiveness and innovation of the West to
fuel the needs of a large and diverse country such as ours, we have had economic growth.
This approach has had negative consequences on our environment, economy, people, and
security.
 5. It is never easy to invest in „future -science‟. Of the 100 potential game-changers in
science, only 10 may succeed. Risk is integral to investment, but we are in a better
position today to assess and have significant resources to invest.

So what needs to be done?

6. First, our university students must get opportunities for learning as well as problem
solving. Second, India‟s senior scientists must lead and be part of all national missions to
ensure their success within the stipulated time frame. Third, each ministry must create a
„science-for-the-future‟ division in collaboration with the ministry of science and
technology.

(Adapted from www.hindustantimes/epaper/comments/dated-Feb 1, 2018, K Vijayaraghavan is

secretary, department of biotechnology, ministry of science and technology)

1.1 Attempt any eight of the following questions on the basis of the passage you have read
(1X8=8Marks)
i. What is science, according to the passage, para-1?
ii. What kind of fulcrum should science be? (Para-1)
iii. What do citizens want from scientists? (Para-2)
iv. What do scientists want from society? (Para-2)
v. In what kind of programmes should scientists be involved? (Para-3)
vi. How should the scientists see issues like rescue of our environment? (Para-3)
vii. What is the success rate of the game-changers in science? (Para-5)
viii. State any one possible solution by which we can involve science in solving the
problems of our country? (Para-6)
ix. Give one word for „original, creative and new idea‟. (Para-4)

Q2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

What makes someone good at their job? Talent or skill?

1. According to research by Stanford professor Carol Dweck and her colleagues many
people believe that people‟s performance reflects either their innate talent for that activity
or the amount of work they have done to acquire a skill.
2. In reality, of course, any performance reflects a combination of talent and skill. You can
improve on just about any task with a lot of practice, though if your goal is to be the
absolute best in the world at something it is also helpful to have some talent for it.
3. In order to put in the hard work to acquire a skill, you need to believe that the activity
really is a skill you can learn. When you believe the activity is a talent then you don‟t
bother to work hard at it, because you attribute any limitations in your performance to
your lack of talent.
4. Rethinking Creativity As A Skill
This way of thinking about talents and skills is particularly important when it comes to thinking
about creativity. But for mental skills like creativity, few people know enough about the way
their minds work to be able to treat it like a skill.As a result, most people tend to look at those
people who develop creative ideas consistently with a kind of reverence. And people who do
seem blessed with a talent for creativity live in fear that talent will run out some day and they
will be just like everybody else.

5. In order to enhance your creativity, here are three things you can do to practice.

First, become an explainer. In order to maximize the quality of your knowledge, you have to
develop the habit to explain things back to yourself. Think about what happens when you sit
down to watch a TED talk.

Second, practice openness. One of the five core personality dimensions is openness. It reflects
how much you are motivated to consider new ideas, concepts, and experiences.

Third, keep asking new questions. A third critical aspect of creativity is to remember that any
idea you have is something that you pulled out of your memory. How do you get information
from memory? All you do is ask your memory a question, and it pulls out information related to
that question. Allow each of these perspectives to bring new information to mind that might help
you solve the problem you face.

(Adapted from www.fastcompany.com, article by Art Markman, PhD is a professor of

Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas)

2.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following questions in
about 30-40 words each. (2X4=8 Marks)

i. According to the passage, what does people‟s performance reflect?

ii. How is performance a combination of talent and skill?
iii. Why is it good to believe that every activity is a skill?
iv. Why are creative people looked at with reverence?
v. How asking questions is helpful in fostering creativity?

2.2 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following: (1X4=4)

i. You can improve on just about any task with ______________ .

a. a lot of food.
b. a little humour.
c. a lot of practice.
d. great expectations.

ii. If you want to be best at something, you need to have some:

a. talent for it.
 b. fruit for it.
c. thought of it.
d. time for it.

iii. A good explainer, explains things to ____________ .

a. No one.
b. Leaders.
c. Yourself.
d. People.

iv. One of the five core personality dimensions is ___________ .

a. Happiness.
b. Openness.
c. Oneness.
d. None.
v. Give a word from the passage, that means same as „inborn‟______ .
a. Acquired
b. Learnt
c. Innate
d. None

SECTION-B

WRITING AND GRAMMAR - 30 marks

Q3. You areDhruv/Dhriti of Ramesh Nagar, Delhi. You had recently bought a Samsung mobile
phone from Zambo Electronics, Naraina, Delhi. The hand set is continuously giving you trouble.
Write a letter of complaint explaining your plight and asking for a replacement/refund. (100-150
words) 8 Marks

OR

Look at the given visual input. You are Saumya/Sambit of Seemapuri and you travel to and fro
everyday over the Wazirabad bridge. You come across the dirty banks of Yamuna river and find
it annoying and irritating that people have turned it into a drain of sorts. Write a letter to the
Editor, The Hindustan times, Delhi, sharing your concern as well as probable solutions.(110
words, 8 marks)
Q4. Develop a short story with the help of the given visual. Give a suitable title to your story.
(150-200) 10 marks

A.

OR
B. Develop a story based on the given starting line.

It was Sunday morning, but my alarm rang at the usual 5 a.m.…I went back to sleep...suddenly
remembered…. I had found an old treasure map in the store room on Friday….called
friends….(150-200 words) 10 marks

Q5. Fill in any four of the blanks choosing the most appropriate option from the ones given in
the box. Write the answers in your answer-sheet against the correct blank numbers.
(1X4=4marks)

The old man looked at the orphan (1)____________had come to work for him five
years ago. Drenched(2)_____________ the skin, dressed in tatters,
he (3)____________for shelter during a furious monsoon storm, and had
stayed (4) ______________to work for the old master craftsman.
He (5)_____________tall and strong.

1. (a) which (b) whose (c) who (d) whom

2. (a) at (b) to (c) for (d) of

3. (a) had begged (b) has begged (c) begged (d) begging

4. (a) in (b) at (c) for (d) on

5. (a) had grown (b) grew (c) has been grown (d) grows

Q6. In the following passage one word has not been edited in each line. Write the incorrect word
along with the correct word in the space provided. Do any four(4 marks)

Incorrect Correct

Thousands of bats emerge e.g. emerge emerged

from under the bridge. It were (a) ________________ ______________

a amazing sight. I learnt a (b) ________________ _______________

few fact about these creatures. The (c) ________________ _______________

baby bats is known as pups. Each (d) ________________ _______________

mother bat only delivers one pups. (e) ________________ _______________

Q7. Rearrange any four of the following words or phrases to make meaningful sentences.
(4marks)

i. monsoons /June or July/come around/every year

ii. dictionary to/we use/ of new words/find meanings
iii. That something/will go/ I feel/wrong
iv. After/had begun/ the wicket fell/ the match
v. Well/ends well/all is/that

SECTION-C

LITERATURE - 30 marks

Q8. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow. (1x4=4marks)

A. One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post office, went to
hisboss laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in his career as a
postman had he known that address .The postmaster –a fat, amiable fellow also broke
out laughing, but almost immediately he turned serious and tapping the letter on his
desk,commented, “ What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this
letter. Starting up a correspondence with God.”

Questions:

i. What made the postman laugh heartily?

ii. How has the author described the post master in the above extract?
iii. What did the postmaster wish for?
iv. Which word in the passage also means „friendly‟?

OR

B. Belinda paled,and she cried Help!Help!

But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,

Ink trickled down to the bottom of the house hold,

And little mouse Blink strategically mouse-holed.

Questions:

i. Why did Belinda cry for help?

 ii. Who was Mustard?
iii. How did Blink react?
iv. What does „yelp‟ imply in the given lines?

Q9.Answer any fourof the following questions in 30-40 words each. (2x4=8 Marks)

i. Describe the oath –taking ceremony of Nelson Mandela.

ii. How was the confusion over “Oxen” meadows settled?
iii. „Hobbies play a very important role in one‟s life‟. Elaborate this with reference to “The
MakingOf a Scientist”.
iv. What is a famous Indian legend regarding tea?
v. Why does Maxwell observe that the airhostess “was the very queen of her kind”? Why
does she say – „it would be better if you resumed your seat, and I will find the animal and
bring it to you‟.

Q10.Attempt any onequestion in (100-120) words. (8Marks)

A. Do you think over-pampering by Mrs. Pumphery was the main reason for Tricki‟s
ailment? Explain how excess of everything is bad.
OR
B. Trees stretch out their branches, break barriers and struggle hard to move out in open in
their natural environments. Analyze the efforts in the light of poem „The Trees‟ that one
puts in to break away captivity and strive for freedom.

Q11. (A) Answer the following questions in about 200-250 words(10 marks)
a. Why was Helen withdrawn from the Gilman School? How
was her education pursued further?
OR
b. How did people along with Bishop Brooks contribute to
Helen‟s happiness?

OR

Q11. (B) Answer the following questions in about 200-250 words(10 marks)

a. Anne Frank loved her father a lot. She once wrote a letter to him
regarding her relationship with Peter. What does it reveal about her
character?
OR
b. Anne was so witty, clever and wise in presenting her views on the
subject. It is seen in her statement “There is no smoke without fire”.
What does Anne Frank want to refer to by this statement? Explain.