Sample Question Paper-8

ENGLISH – Language and Literature (Code 087)

Class X – Session 2019-20

Time allowed: 3 Hours. Maximum Marks : 80

General Instructions:
1. This paper is divided into three sections: A, B and C. All questions are compulsory.
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
Reading [20 Marks]
Q 1. Read the passage carefully. [8]
The Sahara sets a standard for dry land. It’s the world’s largest desert. Relative humidity can drop into the
low single digits. There are places where it rains only about once a century. There are people who reach the
end of their lives without ever seeing water come from the sky. Yet beneath the Sahara are vast quifers of
fresh water, enough liquid to fill a small sea. It is fossil water, a treasure laid down in prehistoric times,
some of it possibly a million years old. Just 6,000 years ago, the Sahara was a much different place. It was
green. Prehistoric rock art in the Sahara shows something surprising: hippopotamuses, which need year
round water.
We don’t have much evidence of a tropical paradise out there, but we had something perfeedy livable,, says
Jennifer Smith, a geologist at Washington University in St. Louis. At times when the Northern Hemisphere
tilts sharply towards the sun and the planet makes its closest approach, the increased blast of sunlight during
the North’s summer months can cause the African monsoon (which currently occurs between the Equator
and roughly [1]78 N latitude) to shift to the North as it did [1]0,000 years ago, inundating North Africa.
Around 5,000 years ago the monsoon shifted dramatically southward again. The prehistoric inhabitants of
the Sahara discovered that their relatively green surroundings were undergoing something worse than a
drought (and perhaps they migrated towards the Nile Valley, where Egyptian culture began to flourish at
round the same time).
As the land dried out and vegetation decreased, the soil lost its ability to hold water when it did rain. Fewer
clouds formed from evaporation. When it rained, the water washed away and evaporated quickly. There was
a kind of runaway drying effect. By 4,000 years ago the Sahara had become what it is today. No one knows
how human-driven climate change may alter the Sahara in the future. It’s something scientists can ponder
while sipping bottled fossil water pumped from underground. It’s the best water in Egypt. Giegengack said-
clean, refreshing mineral water. If you want to drink something good, try the ancient buried treasure of the
Sahara.
Answer:
Difficult Words
Beneath-under Prehistoric-ancient Tilts-slant, incline
Evaporation-disappearance Ponder-think about Buried-hidden
Q. On the basis of your reading of the passage given above, answer the following questions. [8 x 1 = 8]
a. What is unbelievable about some places in the Sahara?
b. What does the presence of hippopotamuses in Sahara tell us about the region?
c. What did prehistoric inhabitants of Sahara discover?
d. What happened years ago when it rained in the Sahara?
e. What happened when the land slowly dried out?
f. Remains of plants and animals turned into rock are called:
(i) stone (ii) gems
(iii) anthracite (iv) fossils
g. Scientists who study the layer of the earth are called
(i) geologists (ii) physists
(iii) astronomers (iv) ornithologists
h. evaporation’ means the process of becoming
i. Say whether (true) or (false) :
(i) North’s summer months can cause the African monsoon.
(ii) Fossil water comes from heavy rains.
Answer:
a. There are places in Sahara where rains only about once a century. There are people who reach the end of
their lives without even seeing water come from the sky. [1]
b. The presence of hippopotamuses in Sahara tell us that it was green in prehistoric times. [1]
c. The prehistoric inhabitants of the Sahara discovered that their relatively green surroundings were
undergoing something worse than a drought. [1]
d. When it rained, the water washed away and evaporated quickly. [1]
e. Vegetation decreased, the soil lost its ability to hold water. Fewer clouds formed from evaporation and the
rain water evaporated quickly. [1]
f. (i) fossils [1]
g. (i) geologists [1]
h. vapour [1]
i. (i) true
(ii) false: fossil water is pumped out from underground. [1]
Q 2. Read the passage Carefully [12]
1. During our growing up years, we as children were taught- both at home and 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 taught us
about ethics and morality- what is good and what is bad. I also learnt to be respectful towards my parents
who made my life comfortable with their hard work, love and care, and my teachers who guided me to
become a good student and a responsible citizen.
2. Much later in life, I realised that though we learn 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 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 worshipped. The message that we
get is to save our environment and 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 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. Filled with greed, we are destroying nature. As a
result, we face natural disasters like drought, flood and landslides. We don't know that nature is angry with
us.
6. However, it is never too late to learn. If we learn to respect nature, the quality of our life will improve.
A. Answer any four of the following questions briefly: [2 x 4 = 8]
(a) What are we taught in our childhood and growing years?
(b) Why should we respect our parents and teachers?
(c) What message do we get when we worship nature?
(d) How does a river face an obstacle that comes in its way?
(e) What does a flowing river teach us?
B. Choose the meanings of the words given below with the help of the options that follow: (any four) [l
x 4 = 4]
(i) Guided
(a) answered (b) advised (c) fought (d) polished
(ii) Explore
(a) search (b) frequent (c) describe (d) request
(iii) Valuable
(a) proper (b) desirable (c) available (d) useful
(iv) Harmony
(a) beauty (b) friendship (c) discomfort (d) honesty
(v) Ethics
(a) conduct (b) deed (c) action (d) moral philosophy
Answer:
(A)
(a) In our childhood and growing up years, we are taught to worship the photos and idols of the gods of our
respective religions and also read the holy books like the Bhagwad Gita, the Bible and the Quran.
(b) We should respect our parents as they make our lives comfortable with their hard work, love and care;
and teachers guide us to make us good students and responsible citizens.
(c) By worshipping nature, we get the message to save our environment and maintain ecological balance.
People are taught to live in harmony with nature and recognise that there is God in all aspects of nature.
(d) A river 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.
(e) A flowing river teaches us to be progressive in life and keep the fighting spirit alive.
(B) (i) (b) advised (Any four) [2 x 4 = 8]
(ii) (a) search
(iii) (d) useful
(iv) (b) friendship
(v) (d) moral philosophy (Any four) [1 x 4 = 4]

Section – B
Writing and Grammar [30 Marks]
Q 3. You are Ram/Ram. Write an article in about 100-150 words on ‘The role of rag pickers in saving
the urban environment’.
OR
Write a letter to M/s Riddhi Publishing House, Rewari, complaining that the books sent by them were not
those you had ordered for ask for replacement. You are Shalini Arora, of Kamla Nagar, New Delhi. [100-
150 words].
Answer:
The role of rag-pickers in saving the urban environment
By Rani
Rag-pickers play a major role in saving the urban environment. None really pays any attention to contribute
towards society. They collect the garbage and further segregate it. This is a major health concern for them as
it contains all sorts of germs. Due to their unawareness and no education, they are left with nothing but only
this to do. The garbage that they collect has fine glass pieces which many a time injure them. But to earn their
livelihood, they have to bear all sorts of pains and injuries. They collect the house garbage and segregate the
articles that can be recycled and sell them to earn their livelihood. The remaining is disposed off. Rag Pickers
are the backbone of a neat and beautiful metropolis. The green workers manage the entire trash of urban
locales around the globe. However, their contribution to the city’s waste management remains unrecognized.
Virtually, in the absence of rag-pickers, our surroundings will be a dumping ground of garbage. They are the
unsung saviors of our environment. The 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) are the most accepted universal
recommendation to save the environment. These are the only workers who help our society to be on track to
follow these recommendations.
OR
394, Main Road,
Kamala Nagar,
New Delhi.
1st October [2]0 xx
To
The Manager,
M/s Ridhi Publishing House,
Rewari.
Sub: Replacement of books
Respected Sir/Madam,
On 28th September-2016 I bought a book set [Order No. 00036] to be delivered to Kamala Nagar. New
Delhi.
To my disappointment, I have received the wrong set of books. They are not the books I had ordered. I am
highly worried as they books are needed urgently.
I hope you resolve the problem at the earliest. I would appreciate if you could deliver the correct set of
books and take back the wrong set delivered. Please let me know as soon as possible what action you
propose to take to redress my problem. I am sure my problem can be addressed within 10 days of your
receiving this letter.
I look forward to a prompt action from you side.
Enclosed are the relevant documents i.e. copies of the transaction document and the receipt.
I look forward to your cooperation and will wait until the aforementioned time before seeking help from
government agencies. Please feel free to contact me at the above address or by phone at 09971XXXXX.
Yours Sincerely,
Shalini Arora
Q 4. Complete the following story- (150-200 words) [10]
It was a Sunday afternoon. We had gone for a picnic to a park. Suddenly, I found that my seven year old
sister was missing from the group. We went in search of her in the woods and
OR
Complete the following story- (150-200 Words)
A jackal falls into a dyer's tub __________ gets coloured yellow __________ an idea __________
announces himself king of forest __________ animal respect __________ jackal insults them __________
worried animals __________ hold a meeting __________ starts howling __________ identified
__________ cannot resist __________ truth comes out __________ animals kill him.
Answer:
It was a Sunday afternoon. We had gone for a picnic to a park. Suddenly, I found that my seven year old
sister was missing from the group. We went in search of her in the woods and found her nowhere. We
shouted her name at the maximum pitch but to no avail. My mother started weeping after calling her name.
Our voice echoed and returned to us. We became very afraid and prayed to God to help us in finding her.
Suddenly, we heard the trumpet of elephants. It made us sure of some mishappenings with her. After a few
moments, we saw an elephant running inside the forest. My brother advised us to follow the beast. We did
so. What we saw there was beyond any explanation. As we followed that elephant, we saw the animal filling
its trunk with water from a pond in that forest. Without making any noise and holding our breath, we waited
for its next action. Then the elephant . hurriedly went to a place and sprinkled all that water on somebody
and aired with its large ears. And to our surprise and terror, it was none other than my sister who was lying
there unconscious.
As soon as water was sprinkled over her face, she became conscious and sat up. On seeing all of us, she
came running to us. When we asked her how had she reached there, she told that outside the picnic spot, she
had seen that elephant. As all of us were busy in merry-making, she quietly came out and gave some
eatables to that animal. Then it became friendly with her. She sat on its back and reached there. But on
hearing its trumpet in the woods, she realized that she had been separated from the group and fainted out of
fear. We felt ourselves lucky to meet the angel in that beast. [10]
OR
Title -1 mark
Content - 4 marks
Expression - 5 marks
 Coherence and relevance of ideas – [2 marks]
 Accuracy, appropriate words and spellings - 2Yz marks
Suggested Value Points:
Hints given in the question. [CBSE Marking Scheme, 2016]
Detailed Answer:
Once upon a time there lived a jackal who strayed into a city in search of food. He was hungry and being
chased by a group of dogs. He accidentally entered house of a dyer and fell into a tub of yellow dye. He was
stained yellow from head to toe. When he escaped from the house back into the forest, all animals were
surprised at his appearance and could not place his identity. Taking advantage of the situation, he announced
himself the king of the jungle. All animals started respecting him. The animals would hunt food and bring it
to him. Then he would distribute the food as he wished. Often he insulted the animals for trivial matters.
Soon, he was leading a life of luxury.
But the other animals, specially the jackals, were worried. As the jackals were rebuked the most by their
king. So they all decided to hold a meeting. All the jackals started howling to their glory. Unable to control
his natural instinct, the self proclaimed king showed his natural voice and howled at the top of his voice.
Hearing this howl, the animal realised that they had been fooled by a jackal and killed it instantly.
Moral: Excess of greed is harmful.
Commonly Made Error:
 Student do not write the story in past tense. Mostly the tenses used are incorrect.
Answering Tip
 A lot of practice is required to have a command over tenses. Student must ensure and revise the story
to check that they have used the appropriate tenses.
Q 5. Complete the paragraph given below by filling in the blanks choosing the correct option from
those that follow. [4 x 1 = 4]
a. three men opened the iron almirah and took out the cash and jewellery and put them into the bag that they
b, carried with them. Then they took a few more things like clothes, sarees, etc., c. got ready to go. To their
surprise, the police was standing in d. the door when they were going out of the house. They caught red
handed.
a. (i) it (ii) the (iii) but (iv) of
b. (i) has (ii) have (iii) had (iv) was
c. (i) to (ii) for (iii) to (iv) and
d. (i) back (ii) front of (iii) over (iv) beside
e. (i) was (ii) will (iii) were (iv) are
Answer:
a. (ii) The
b. (iii) had
c. (iv) and
d. (ii) front of
e. (iii) were
Q 6. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect
word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct blank number. [4]
Missing
Before Word After
The king pretended to a thief and he knew e.g. to be a
where the keys the treasury were kept. (a) ________ ________ ________
While the diamonds shared, the honest (b) ________ ________ ________
thief felt pity for the king was losing (c) ________ ________ ________
everything. He asked his companion leave (d) ________ ________ ________
a diamond behind safe. (e) ________ ________ ________
Answer:
Before Missing Word After
(a) keys of the
(b) diamonds were shared
(c) king who was
(d) companion to leave
(e) behind in safe (Any four) [1 x 4 = 4]
Q 7. Rearrange the following sets of words and phrases to form meaningful sentences. [4 x 1 = 4]
a. junior / a / was / Mahendra / film / in / a / supervisor
b. job / to keep / His / was / an eye / activities / on the / at / work / site / the
c. a bachelor, / As‘/was / he / he had / always / asset, / his / his / cook, / with / him / Iswaran
d. his / was / and / for / he / hard / work / known / honesty
e. used / entertain / to / and / his / was / constant / Ishwaran / companion / Mahendra
Answer:
a. Mahendra was a junior supervisor in a firm.
b. His job was to keep an eye on the activities at the work site.
c. As he was a bachelor, he always had his asset, his cook, Iswaran with him.
d. He was known for his hard work and honesty.
e. Ishwaran used to entertain Mahendra and was his constant companion.

Section – C
Literature Textbooks [30 marks]
Q 8. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
There was no answer. The radio was dead too. I had no radio, no compass, and I could not see where I was. I
was lost in The storm. Then, in the black clouds quite near me, I saw another aeroplane. It had no lights on
its wings, but I could see it flying next to me through the storm. I could see the pilot’s face turned towards
me. I was very glad to see another person. He lifted one hand and waved. [1 x 4 = 4]
(a) Whom does ‘He’ refer to?
(b) What was dead and could not answer? [30 Marks]
(i) compass (ii) radio
(iii) aeroplane (iv) wings of aeroplane
(c) Which word in the passage means 'an instrument to find direction'?
(i) amplifier (ii) speedometer
(iii) compass (iv) radio
(d) The writer was ________ to see another person.
OR
The following Sunday, Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the
postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man
who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office. Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on
seeing the money; such was his confidence - but he became angry when he counted the money. God could
not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested. [1 x 4 = 4]
(a) Was Lencho surprised on seeing the money?
(i) a little (ii) not at all
 (iii) very much (iv) a sort of
(b) Lencho didn't get 100 pesos from God, it was only
(i) Eighty pesos (ii) Fifty pesos
(iii) Seventy pesos (iv) Sixty pesos
(c) Lencho's belief in God was .
(i) strong (ii) weak
(iii) somewhat strong (iv) very weak
(d) Who handed the letter to Lencho?
(i) The Post master (ii) The Clerk
(iii) The Postman (iv) Stranger
Answer:
(a) The other pilot
(b) (ii)radio
(c) (iii) compass
(d) glad [1 x 4 = 4]
OR
(a) (ii) not at all
(b) (iii) Seventy pesos
(c) (i)strong
(d) (iii) The Postman
Q 9. Answer any five of the following questions in 30 to 40 words each. [5 x 2 = 10]
a. How did the pilot of Dakota describe the black clouds? What did he decide to do then?
b. At which place has the ball been lost? What impact did it have on the boy?
c. What type of person is Think-Tank?
d. Why Bholi felt frightened at the idea of being taken to school? Give two reasons.
e. How did the Loisel react when they realised that the necklace had been lost?
f. Why did the thief return to his master even when he could have escaped?
Answer:
a. The author could see nothing through the black clouds. They looked like the black mountains standing in
front of him across the skv. Inside the clouds everything was suddenly black. He decided to take his
aeroplane through the clouds.
b. When the boy was near the harbor, suddenly the ball bounced and went into the water and he lost his ball.
After losing the ball, he first became very upset but later he realised that everything gets lost one day.
c. Think-Tank is intelligent and a very proud person. He wishes to be addressed with great salutations as
powerful, intelligent. His consulting the mirror for listening to the praise is true reflection of his pride. He is
also proud of belonging to a handsome race. He thinks that he is always right and also poses as such.
d. Bholi was frightened at the idea of being taken to school because:
(i) She had no idea of what a school is.
(ii) She had earlier seen a cow being taken out of the house to be sold.
e. As soon as they realised that the necklace had been lost, their short-lived happiness turned into shock of
the worst nightmare. Matilda cried out in despair. Loisel. Who was already half undressed, arose in dismay
and went immediately on foot in search of necklace. [2]
f. The thief returned to his master because he realized what a good person his master was besides his master
was the only person he knew well. His master had trusted him completely and he now did not want to lose
that trust. The thief also wanted to continue his learning to write whole sentences from his master. [2]
Q 10. Answer any one of the following in 100 -150 words: [8]
From the beginning to the end of the lesson the black aeroplane is a mystery. How? 100 -150 words
OR
What deep meaning does the poem 'Fire and Ice' carry in it? 100 -150 words
Answer:
The narrator started his journey with old Dakota —088. At that time, the sky was clear. But suddenly, he
found himself in the midst of black clouds. There was zero visibility, everything was black, He couldn’t find
any way to escape. To his shock, the compass and the radio were dead. He was lost in the storm. All of a
sudden, the narrator saw a black aeroplane and was helped by the other pilot. For half an hour he was flying
behind that plane like an obedient child. There was only enough fuel in the tank to fly for five or ten minutes
when suddenly he saw two rows of lights. It was a runway in front of him. He safely landed at the airport.
He went to the control centre to ask who the other pilot was. To his horror, his was the only flight that could
be seen on the radar. Who was the other pilot on the stranse black aeroplane flying in the storm, without
lights, remained a mystery till the end. [8]
OR
The poet has compared fire to the dark side of humanity i.e., hatredness and lust. According to the poet lust
is a greater evil. Desire or lust is the cause of war. Hatred is also harmful. So the poem ‘Fire and Ice’
represents the two evils hatred and lust which lead to the destruction of the world. According to the poet fire
stands for desire, greed and avarice. The more you try to satisfy them, the more they grow. There is no end
to it. They spread rapidly like fire and ruin your whole life. On the other hand, ‘ice’ according to the poet,
stands for hatred, coldness and rigidity. One becomes insensitive and indifferent towards the feelings of
others. One becomes selfish and sometimes cruel also. The poet says that both fire and ice are growing with
such a rapid speed that the world would soon perish either way, in fire or in ice.
Commonly Made Error
 Sometimes students fail to understand the symbolic meaning of Fire and Ice and write the summary I
of the poem.
Answering Tips
  Do not merely read a poem but also try to understand the poem. They should try to understand the
poet’s purpose in the poem.
 Students should learn how the poet’s use of vocabulary or imagery adds to the effect of the poem.
 Develop a personal response to a poem.
Q 11. Answer the following question in [100-150 words].
To participate in the competition is more necessary than to win a prize. Explain this statement in the light of
Enright’s participation at the county science fair. [100-150 words]
OR
Who is a veterinary surgeon? What kind of person is the narrator in the lesson ‘A Triumph of Surgery’? Do
you think he did his job well? [100-150 words]
Answer:
We all know that winning is a desire of every human being. Everyone wants to be a winner and wants a
winning place. We human beings have different competitions at different levels of our life and we want to
be a winner in these competitions. But it does not happen all the time. When we enter any competition, we
feel a great zeal. We do try our very best to get the first position there. However if we fail or don’t get there,
we get upset. Great thinkers have said that participation in these competitions is more important than
winning the competitions. The same is proved in the case of Enright’s success. Enright participated in the
Science Fair and lost. He had shown slides of frog tissues. He realised that he should have done some real
experiments to be a winner. If he hadn’t participated in that competition, the result would have been
different. Enright was always eager to participate in completions and work hard for it. Eventually he won
many prestigious prizes. [8]
OR
A veterinary surgeon is a certified Doctor who can treat a wide variety of animal species. They look into the
health care needs of animals including pets.hvestock.zoo and laboratory animals. The narrator Tames
Herriot. was a British veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinary
surgeon to write a series of books each consisting of stories about animals and their owners. He is a man
who is full of wisdom and compassion. He is a great lover of animals. He has a sound knowledge about
animals and their needs. He is an honest man as he does not unnecessarily operate upon Tricky. He guides
and warns Mrs. Pumphrev that she should start keeping a strict check on Trick’s diet and his exercise
schedule. He is genuinely concerned about Tricky and goes out of his way to give the correct advice to Mr.
Pumphrey. He is tactful as he is successful in convincing Mrs. Pumphrev to get Tricky to the hospital. His
common sense is proved by the simple fact that he just changes the eating and exercise schedule of Tricky
and the dog recovers from his problems. He does not unnecessarily administer medicines on Tricky it would
not help the dog. He is helpful and believes in team work. When Mrs. Pumphrey sends eggs, wines and
brandy in excess, he shares it with all the people at his hospital. He is also sensitive towards Mrs.
Pumphrev’s feeling as he decides to return Tricki although he could have made some excuse and keep him
back at his place so that they could enjoy the delicacies sent by Mrs. Pumphrey. In all. Mr. Herriot is not
only a competent vet but also a good human being. [8]