Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 1 (A Triumph of Surgery)

Q1- Why Mrs. Pumphrey is worried about Tricki?

Ans- Mrs. Pumphrey was worried because Tricki would not eat anything and was even refusing its favourite
dishes. It was just lying around on the rug and panting.

2- Why Mrs. Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?
Ans- Mrs. Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was actually “a triumph of surgery” because just in
two weeks Tricki had recovered completely. Tricki was transformed into a hard-muscled animal.

Q3- Do you think Tricki was happy to go home?

Ans- Yes, Tricki was happy to go home. It jumped right from the narrator’s arms and went to Mrs.
Pumphrey.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 2 (The Thief’s Story)

Q1- Why Hari Singh thought that Anil’s job was queer?
Ans- Anil uses to contribute to magazines. He wrote for a living and didn’t earn much that's why it was
difficult for Hari Singh to understand his profession.

Q2- In what way the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Ans- As per the thief, on discovering the theft, Anil’s face would show a slight touch of sadness. The
sadness would not be actually for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust

Q3- Do you think that Anil realizes that he has been robbed?
Ans- Yes, Anil had actually realized that he had been robbed. He came to know this because all the notes
were wet and damp from the rain.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 3 (The Midnight Visitor)

Q1- Who is Fowler? Mention his first authentic thrill of the day?
Ans- Fowler was a writer by profession and he had come to meet Ausable. Fowler’s first authentic thrill of
the day was when he saw a man in Ausable’s room pointing a pistol towards Ausable and himself.

Q2- How Ausable says he got in?

Ans- According to Ausable, he thought Max had got into the room through the way of the balcony. He said
that it was happening the second time in a month that somebody had got into his room this way.

Q3- How Ausable manages to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room? Looking back
at his detailed description of it. What do you think makes it a convincing story?
Ans- Ausable created a convincing story regarding the presence of a balcony by saying that twice in a
month somebody had entered his room through the balcony. He further explains to Max that his room was
earlier a part of a larger unit and the balcony was with the adjoining room. His convincing manner of
description made Max believed that there was indeed a balcony under his window.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 4 (A Question of Trust)

Q1- What Horace Danby likes to collect?
Ans- Horace Danby likes to collect expensive and rare books.

Q2- Who do you think is the real culprit in the story?

Ans- The actual and real culprit was the woman who pretended that she is a member of the family living at
Shotover Grange. She tricked Horace and made him believe her. She cleverly takes away all the jewels that
were kept in the safe.

Q3- Did you start suspecting, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby
took her to be?
Ans- Yes, it was clearly suspected before the end of the story that the lady was not the person Horace
Danby thought she is. She was very calm about seeing Horace which was very strange. And it was quite
clear when she did not call the police, and instead asked Horace to take out all the jewels from the safe.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 5 (Footprints Without Feet)

Q1- How did the invisible man become visible?
Ans- Griffin was entirely invisible until stepped in some mud and the mud caused him to leave footprints as
he walked. His footprints were then seen by two boys. They followed him as long as the prints were visible.
On getting rid of the boys, he went into a big London store to put on some warm clothes. Once the store
was shut, he got dressed. He put on shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat which made him visible to
the people who came to work at the store the next day.

Q2- Why Mrs. Hall finds the scientist eccentric?

Ans- Mrs. Hall finds the scientist eccentric because he had an uncommon appearance and in spite of Mrs.
Hall’s attempts to be friendly, he was responding in a cold manner.

Q3- In what way do you assess Griffin as a scientist?

Ans- Griffin was a scientist as he had discovered how to make the human body transparent. Though an
achievement, he misused this discovery for personal gains and ended up hurting others.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 6 (The Making of a Scientist)

Q1- What way did a book become a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life?
Ans- The book names ‘The Travels of Monarch X’ brings a turning point in his life. This book was about how
monarch butterflies migrated to Central America which opened up the world of science to the eager young
butterfly collector and bought a turning point in Richard’s life.

Q2- How one can become a scientist, an economist, a historian…? Does it simply mean reading many books
on the subject? Does it also involve observing, thinking and doing experiments?
Ans- Answer this question as per your own understanding and perspective.

Q3- How did Richard Ebright’s mother help him?

Ans- Richard Ebright’s mother encouraged his interest in learning. She took him on various trips, bought
him telescopes, microscopes, and other types of equipment.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 7 (The Necklace)

Q1- What kind of a person is Mme Loisel and why she is always unhappy?
Ans- Mme Loisel was a pretty young lady who was born in a family of clerks. She felt that she was born to
experience all the delicacies and luxuries. But instead, she had to live a simple and economical life which
she completely disliked.
Q2- What fresh problem was disturbing Mme Loisel?
Ans- After buying a pretty dress, Mme Loisel was bothered as she had no jewel to adorn herself with.

Q3- Ostentation and vanity most of the times land people in trouble. Matilda is an apt example of this.
Explain.
Ans- Matilda always longed for the life of luxury and wealth. She immersed herself in the life of glamour.
She borrowed a necklace when invited to a party. She loses the necklace and pays heavily. She and her
husband worked day and night to pay for the necklace. It is always good to be satisfied with what you
have.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 8 (The Hack Driver)

Q1- Why the lawyer is sent to New Mullion? What does he think about the place?
Ans- The lawyer was sent to New Mullion in order to serve the summons on Oliver Lutkins. He was needed
as a witness in a law case. The lawyer had expected the place to be a sweet and simple country village.

Q2- “I agreed that it was pretty disrespectful treatment. We did, however, search the house. Since it was
only one storey high, Bill went round it, peering in at all the windows. We examined the barn and stable.”
a. Who does ‘I’ refer to
Ans- Sinclair Lewis
b. What was Bill’s profession?
Ans- Hack Driver
c. The disrespectful treatment faced by the speaker was
Ans- Oliver’s mother shouted at them and threatened them with an iron.
d.The phrase ‘peering in at all windows’ here means
Ans- It means looking inside and trying to find something.

Q3- Does the summons is served by the narrator that day?

Ans- No, the summon is not served by the narrator that day.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 9 (Bholi)

Q1- Bholi was a neglected child. Discuss.
Ans- Bholi did not have new clothes as no one took care of them. Her parents sent her to school as they
thought there was very little chance of her getting married.

Q2- Why made Bholi’s father worried about her?

Ans- Bholi’s father was worried because she had neither intelligence nor good looks. He wondered if he
would find a suitable groom for her.

Q3- Bholi had quite a lot of apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel that she was going
to a much better place than her home?
Ans- Bholi felt that her school was a much better place than her home because she got the treatment that
she had never experienced before.

Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 10 (The Book that Saved the Earth)
Q1- Why the twentieth century was called the ‘Era of the Book’?
Ans- The twentieth century was known as the ‘Era of the Book’ because at that time there were books
about everything, covering anteaters to Zulus. These books punctuated, illustrated, educated and even
decorated.

Q2- Do you think books are being replaced by electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?
Ans- The answer to this question needs your own perspective of ad analysis. The response can vary from
person to person.

Q3- Noodle avoids to offend Think − Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How he manages
to do that?
Ans- Whenever Noodle had to say something contrary to what Think-Tank said, he presented his thoughts
by referring to them as being of no particular importance. In this way, he corrected Think-Tank’s errors
without making him actually feel that he was being corrected.

Chapter 1- Letter to God)

Q1- Did Lencho tries to find out who had sent him the money? Why/Why not?

Ans- No, Lencho did not try to find out who sent the money to him. Because he thought that it would be only God
who would send him the money. It signifies his strong faith in God.

Q2- Two kinds of conflicts are shown in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves.
Explain how these conflicts are illustrated?

Ans- The conflict between humans and nature is shown through hailstorm which destroys Lencho’s crops. The
violence of nature through rain shows the conflict between the two.

Q3- Who does Lencho have complete faith in?

Ans- Lencho had complete faith only in God. Many of his statements from the prose indicate that.

Q4- Why the postmaster send the money to Lencho? Explain why does he sign the letter ‘God’?

Ans- The postmaster sent the money to Lencho so that his faith in God will remain alive.

Q1- Why Lencho said that raindrops were like ‘new coins’?

Ans- Lencho compared the raindrops to ‘new coins’ because his crops were all ready for harvest but they needed a
good downpour. After which he would be able to sell the harvest and earn money.

Q2- What Lencho hoped for?

Ans- Lencho only hoped for rains as a good shower was the only thing that his field needed.

Q3- What way the rain changed and What happened to Lencho’s fields?

Ans- With rain suddenly, a strong wind began to blow and very large hailstones began to fall. Lencho’s fields were
destroyed because the hail rained on the valley for an hour. The corn was completely destroyed.

Q4- What was Lencho feeling when the hail stopped?

Ans- Once the hail was stopped, Lencho was filled with sadness. He mentioned that there would be no corn that year
and they would go hungry.
Q5- Lencho had complete faith in God but lacked faith in humanity. Explain with reference to ‘A Letter to God’

Ans- Lencho had written a letter to god explaining that his crops are ruined on the farm. He asked God to give him
100 pesos. But when he received the letter he found only 70 pesos in it assuming that the people working in the post
office had taken his 30 pesos. But he didn’t know that the postmaster himself collects money and gives to Lencho.
This shows that Lencho had lost faith in humanity but had complete faith in God.

Q6- Did Lencho tries to find out who had sent him the money? Why/Why not?

Ans- No, Lencho did not try to find out who sent the money to him. Because he thought that it would be only God
who would send him the money. It signifies his strong faith in God.

Q7- Why the postmaster send the money to Lencho? Explain why does he sign the letter ‘God’?

Ans- The postmaster sent the money to Lencho so that his faith in God will remain alive.

Q8- Who does Lencho suspected has taken the rest of the money? Discuss the irony in the situation? (Remember
that the irony is an unexpected aspect of any situation. An ironic situation is strange because it is the complete
opposite of what is expected.)

Ans- Lencho suspected that the people from the post office had taken his money. The irony in this situation is that
the people he thought took his money were the ones who were contributing and sending him the money.

Q9- Who does Lencho have complete faith in?

Ans- Lencho had complete faith only in God. Many of his statements from the prose indicate that.

Q10- Two kinds of conflicts are shown in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves.
Explain how these conflicts are illustrated?

Ans- The conflict between humans and nature is shown through hailstorm which destroys Lencho’s crops. The
violence of nature through rain shows the conflict between the two.

Chapter 2- Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom)

Q1- What ideals were set by Nelson Mandela for the future of South Africa?

Ans- Mandela pledged to liberate all South Africans from suffering, deprivation, poverty, gender, and other
discrimination. He set high hopes for South Africa where no one will ever face any form of discrimination again.

Q2- Why such a large number of international leaders attended the inauguration? In what way it signified the
triumph?

Ans- South Africa was in the grips of apartheid before Nelson Mandela became the President. The country was
declared an outlaw by other nations. Nelson Mandela abolished apartheid and rebuilt the diplomatic relations with
other countries. To celebrate this historic moment in South Africa, many International leaders attended the
inauguration and celebrated the victory of peace.

Q3- What Mandela means when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before
him?
Ans- Through this statement, Mandela means that he can identify with the sacrifices of all those noble and
courageous men who contributed and fought for the collective freedom of the African people.

Q4- Nelson Mandela mentions‘Twin Obligations’. Explain

Ans- The twin obligations that Mandela speaks is the obligations to his parents, his wife and children, his family; and
other obligation is towards his country, his people and his community.

Q1- For what Mandela thank the international leaders for?

Ans- Mandela was feeling honored to be the host to the world nations because it was not long ago when the South
Africans were considered outlaws. He thanked the International leaders who came and witnessed his work as
President.

Q2- Where the ceremonies took place? Mention any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone?

Ans- The ceremonies were held in sandstone amphitheater which was formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Q3- What ideals were set by Nelson Mandela for the future of South Africa?

Ans- Mandela pledged to liberate all South Africans from suffering, deprivation, poverty, gender, and other
discrimination. He set high hopes for South Africa where no one will ever face any form of discrimination again.

Q4- What Mandela means when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before
him?

Ans- Through this statement, Mandela means that he can identify with the sacrifices of all those noble and
courageous men who contributed and fought for the collective freedom of the African people.

Q5- Why such a large number of international leaders attended the inauguration? In what way it signified the
triumph?

Ans- South Africa was in the grips of apartheid before Nelson Mandela became the President. The country was
declared an outlaw by other nations. Nelson Mandela abolished apartheid and rebuilt the diplomatic relations with
other countries. To celebrate this historic moment in South Africa, many International leaders attended the
inauguration and celebrated the victory of peace.

Q6- Explain in what way Mandela’s ‘Hunger For Freedom’ changed his life?

Ans- Mandela early in his youth realized that not only his but the freedom of all blacks were curtailed. The desire of
living in a non-racial society changed him into a virtuous and self-sacrificing man. To fulfill this purpose, he joined the
African National Congress which changed him from a frightened young man into a bold man.

Q7- Discuss how Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

Ans- At an early age, Mandela thought that he was born free. He believed that he was free as long as he obeyed his
father and abided by the customs of his tribe. But he slowly understood that it is not just him who's freedom is
compromised but the freedom of all the blacks. After realizing this, he leads the path of Hunger For Freedom.

Q8- Nelson Mandela mentions‘Twin Obligations’. Explain

Ans- The twin obligations that Mandela speaks is the obligations to his parents, his wife and children, his family; and
other obligation is towards his country, his people and his community.

Q9- Does“depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? In what way Mandela illustrate this?
Ans- It is true that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”. Mandela believed that the decades of
oppression and brutality had an unintended effect of creating many African patriots. Thus, he believed that the
greatest wealth of South Africa is its people.

Q10- At the beginning of his speech, Mandela states “an extraordinary human disaster”. What did he mean by this?
What is the “glorious … human achievement” he mentions at the end?

Ans- Nelson Mandela mentions ‘extraordinary human’ at the beginning of his speech referring to the inhuman
practice of apartheid. At the end of his speech, the ‘glorious human achievement’ that he spoke of refers to the
establishment of the first democratic and non-racial government in South Africa.

Important Questions of Chapter 3- Two Stories About Flying

Q1- “The sight of the food maddened him.” What this statement suggests? What made the young seagull to finally
fly?

Ans- The young seagull was very hungry and it was this hunger that ultimately made it fly. Not being able to control
its hunger, it dived at the food which was in its mother’s beak and his hunger overpowered his fear of the sea. The
natural reaction of its body was only to fly.

Q2- “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why do you think the seagull’s father and mother threaten him
and cajole him to fly?

Ans- The young seagull was afraid to fly and take its first flight. Even after seeing its brothers and sisters flying, and
its parents helping them, it could not gather the courage to fly. This was the reason its father and mother were
calling to it shrilly and scolding it.

Q3- Describe in detail the narrator’s experience as he flew the Aeroplane into the storm.

Ans- Once the narrator flew in the storm, everything went black. Along with with the compass, the other
instruments, including the radio, were also dead. The narrator saw another Aeroplane and its pilot waved at him in
the dark clouds. The narrator was happy to find help in that situation.

Q4- Why the narrator says, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?

Ans- The narrator was happy to walk away from old Dakota because of the horrible experience that he had in the
storm.

Important Questions of Chapter 4- From the Diary of Anne Frank

Q1- Was Anne correct when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old
girl?

Ans- No, Anne was not correct when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-
year-old girl. Her diary was translated and published under the name ‘The Diary of a young girl’ which is still a
popular read all around the world.

Q2- Why Mr. Keesing use to call Anne ‘an incorrigible chatterbox’?

Ans- He called her an ‘incorrigible chatterbox’ because of her habit of talking in the class, which annoyed him a lot.

Q3- What Anne writes in her first essay?

Ans- In her first essay which was titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne planned on coming up with valid arguments that proves
the necessity of talking and why is it important.
Q3- Why Anne needed to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?

Ans- Anne provided a brief sketch of her life otherwise no one had understood her story. She treated Kitty as an
insider as it was her best friend.

Q4- Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr. Keesing unpredictable? How?

Ans- Anne felt that the teachers were the most unpredictable. Mr. Keesing can be considered unpredictable because
he seemed to be annoyed with the constant talking habit of Anne but gave her only an essay to write as punishment.

Important Questions of Chapter 5- The Hundred Dresses- 1

Q1- In what way Wanda feel about the dresses game? Why does she say that she has a hundred dresses?

Ans- Wanda did not show any feelings regarding the game, however, it is most likely that she was deeply hurt. It
might be one of the reasons why her family left the place and moved to the city.

She says she has a hundred dresses because she had only dressed to wear to school and probably it was her fantasy
to possess a hundred dresses. The other children would have laughed at her maybe that's why she exaggerated.

Q2- What does Miss Mason think of Wanda’s drawings? What do the children think of them? How do you know?

Ans- Miss Mason mentioned that Room Thirteen should be proud of Wanda because she had drawn one hundred
beautiful dresses with unique designs and style.

The children of the class also admired the drawings. They all whistled and admired at the drawings of Wanda.

Q3- In What way Wanda is seen differently by the other girls? How do they treat her?

Ans- Wanda was different from all the other girls as she did not have any friends. She came to school alone and also
went home alone. She wore a blue faded dress because of which all the other girls use to tease her and ask her how
many dresses she has.

Q4- Why Maddie stand by and not do anything? In what way she is different from Peggy? (Was Peggy’s friendship
important to Maddie? Why? Which lines in the text tell you this?)

Ans- Maddie never did anything as she was afraid that she would be the next target of the children. She herself was
poor. She was different from Peggy as Peggy was a rich girl. They both were best friends and it seemed as if she was
in awe of Peggy.

Important Questions of Chapter 6- The Hundred Dresses- 2

Q1-Was Maddie right in thinking that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing?

Ans- Yes, Maddie was right in thinking that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s teasing. A person who sees something
wrong happening and doesn’t act on it is as much an offender as the person committing the offense.

Q2- What reason can you think of because of which Wanda’s family moved to a different city? Do you think life there
was going to be different for their family?

faced ridicule and mockery because of their long and different names. Life could still be difficult for them as they
could be teased about various other things in the other city as well.

Q3- What important decision Maddie made? Why did she have to think hard to do so?
Ans- The important decision that Maddie made was that she would never stand by. If she ever heard anybody
picking on someone, she will say something. She will not let anyone make fun of anyone’s look or because they had
strange names, she would speak up. She was feeling guilty for not saying anything when everybody else was teasing
Wanda. This guilt made this decision so hard.

Q4- Do you think Wanda realized that the girls were teasing her? Why or Why not?

Ans- Wanda was aware that the girls were teasing her and making fun of her dress and her financial situation. That’s
why she exaggerated having a hundred dresses.

Important Questions of Chapter 7- Glimpses of India

Q1-How is bread an important part of life in Goa?

Ans- Bread is an important part of Goan life as they are part of the food for every occasion or event. Sweetbreads
are given as marriage gifts as well. The love of bread in Goa can be known through the success of a bakery as a
profitable profession.

Q2- Where is Coorg situated?

Ans- Coorg is a small district of Karnataka. It is located midway between Mysore and Mangalore.

Q3- Discuss the story about the Kodavu people’s descent?

Ans- As per the author, the people of Coorg are possible of Greek or Arabic descent. A part of Alexander’s army
moved south along the coast, they settled there and married amongst the locals. Their culture is pretty evident
through marriage, religious rights which are very distinct from the Hindu tradition.

Q4- What makes the elders in Goa nostalgic?

Ans- The good old Portuguese days, the Portuguese, and the loaves of bread makes the elders of Goa nostalgic.

Important Questions of Chapter 8- Mijbil the Otter

Q1- What are the things that we come to know about otters from this text?

Ans- Otters are from a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines. Maxwell’s otter was of a race that
was previously unknown to science. It was named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter.

Q2- Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

Ans- Maxwell’s otter was from a race that was previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists
Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter.

Important Questions of Chapter 9- Madam Rides the Bus

Q1- Valli shows extraordinary courage by traveling on the bus all alone. Discuss

how ability and courage are essential to fulfill one’s dream.

Ans- It shows true courage to fulfill one’s dreams. The same way Valli showed courage by traveling on the bus all
alone.

CBSE Class 10 English Language and Literature Marking Scheme for Sample Paper 2020
Q2- Why the conductor refers to Valli as ‘madam’?

Ans- When the conductor offered to help her get on the bus, Valli said confidently that she could get on by herself.
She did not act like a child, but as a grown-up girl, that's why the conductor called her ‘madam’.

Important Questions of Chapter 10- The Sermon at Benares

Q1- Life is full of trials and tribulations which anyone can overcome through his or her own efforts. Explain this with
reference to Kisa Gotami’s Life.

Ans- Kisa Gotami's story speaks of mortal human beings who must face death and suffering. It is a lesson that is
about overcoming personal tragedies and moving on in life.

Q2- When Kisa Gotami's son dies, she goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

Ans- When Kisa Gotami’s son passes away, she goes from house to house asking for medicine that can cure her child.
No, she does not get any medicine because her child was already dead and no medicine can have brought him back
to life.

Important Questions of Chapter 11- The Proposal

Q1- What does Chubukov suspect at first that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later mentions “And I’ve
always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Give reasons for your answer from the play

Ans- Chubukov suspected at first that Lomov had come to borrow money. He was not at all sincere when he told
Lomov that he was like his own son and he had always loved him.

Q2- Chubukov says of Natalya: “... as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would you
agree? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans- Chubukov considered Lomov as a good marriage prospect for his daughter. When Lomov shows doubt,
Chubukov told Lomov that Natalya was in love with him. It seemed like she was more in love with her dogs, lands,
and meadows than to Lomov.