CBSE Class 10 English Term 2 Sample Paper
Class – X Exam 2021-22
English – Language and Literature (184)
Time Allowed: 120 minutes
(Maximum Marks: 40)
General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING & GRAMMAR and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part. (08)
SECTION A- READING (10 marks)
1. Read the passage given below.
1. It was evening in the picturesque seaside town of Rameshwaram, on the southern edge of Tamil Nadu. A cool breeze was gently blowing in from the sea. Along with the sound of waves lapping against the shore could be heard the sweet sound of birds circling overhead.
2. Among the children playing on the beach was a boy with wavy hair and dreamy eyes. This youngster was Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam who later became the eleventh President of India. While spending time with his friends, Abdul was attracted by the sound of the birds flying above. He carefully observed that a fledgling perched on a boat was trying to take off. It spread its wings, fluttered briefly and sprang up. The air seemed to give the needed thrust for its take off! The bird soared up into the sky. It steered its pace and course with great ease. How Abdul wished he could fly like those beauties in the air!
3. This passion for flying, aroused by the beautiful birds, later inspired Abdul Kalam to design India’s first rocket which successfully sent a satellite Rohini, into orbit on 18th July 1980. It was called the SLV-3 (Satellite Launch Vehicle). At the time when Abdul was growing up, no one had even dreamt of such a happening. Rameshwaram, where Abdul was bom on 15th October 1931, was a small town with narrow streets lined with old houses made of limestone and brick. The town was famous for its Shiva Temple. Abdul stayed in the house with his father, mother, brothers and sister and led a secure and happy childhood.
4. Abdul’s father, Jainulabdeen was a pious man. He led an austere life without depriving his family of the basic comforts. In this closely knit family, dinner was always a special meal. During dinner they exchanged views on a variety of topics ranging from family matters to spiritual subjects. The main income for Abdul’s family came from ferrying pilgrims across the sea between Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi. Pilgrims visiting Rameshwaram made it a point to visit Dhanushkodi, twenty kilometres away in the sea. Dhanushkodi has religious significance.
5. Ferrying pilgrims fetched good money and the family lived comfortably. However, a devastating cyclone lashed the shores of Rameshwaram and their boat was destroyed. The family lost their only source of livelihood in one swift, tragic stroke. The enterprising young Abdul wanted to help the family through the crisis. He realized that there was demand for tamarind seeds. He decided he would collect them and sell them to a shop near his house. His family wanted him to concentrate on his studies. He said he would study as well as help his family. Reluctantly, everyone agreed. Even while studying or enjoying the evenings with his friends on the beach, he set aside some time to collect tamarind seeds and sell them to a nearby shop. For this he was paid a princely sum of one anna!
6. Besides selling tamarind seeds, he helped his cousin Samsuddin to sell the popular Tamil newspaper Dinamani to earn a little more money. At dawn, several bundles of the newspaper, printed in Madras, were thrown on to the platform of Rameshwaram railway station from passing trains. Trains did not stop at Rameshwaram statiqn during those days of the Second World War as almost all of them were commandeered to transport troops. Abdul, after picking up the bundles marked for his area, rushed and handed them over to Samsuddin, who gave Abdul a small amount for the service he had rendered. There was a great demand for Dinamani because people wanted to know about India’s freedom struggle and the latest developments in the war.
7. This is how Abdul earned his first wages. However, it was the joy of being able to care for his family that Abdul cherished most. Even decades later, he recalls earning his own money for the first time, with immense pleasure and a sense of pride.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given below.
i. What inspired Abdul to design a rocket ?
ii. What was SLV-3 ?
iii. Where did Abdul spend his childhood ?
iv. Why was dinner a special meal in the Kalam’s family?
v. What did Abdul cherish most about the memory of his first earning?
vi. Rewrite the following sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with a word that means the same from
para 5.
At the age of twenty he was gaining his means of supporting one’s existence, especially financially or vocationally
in the streets of Delhi as a vendor of vegetables.
2. Read the case based factual passage given below. 1*5
1. Dried fruits are basically fresh fruits that have been dried. Fruits are dehydrated by conventional sun-drying or other drying techniques. They shrivel up and the pulpy remains are the dry fruits that you enjoy at breakfast or during those mid-meal breaks. As the water content is removed, the fruits become energy-bombs with concentrated nutrients.
2. Some of the most common dry fruits and nuts are raisins, cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, dates, figs, prunes and apricots. Some varieties of dried fruits like mangoes, pineapples, cranberries, etc., are also available in sugar-coated candied versions. Of these, dry fruits devoid of any additives are the best for your body.
3. Walnuts and almonds for the brain, cashews to fight migraine, apricots for healthy eyes and raisins for digestion – these are only a few benefits of dried fruits and nuts. Dry fruits also help the body in the following ways :
4. Loaded with essential nutrients, the benefits of dry fruits and nuts for health cannot be overlooked. Dry fruits increase your nutrient intake as they are rich in potassium, iron, folate, calcium and magnesium. The antioxidants boost your immunity, keeping you healthy and free from diseases and other illnesses.
5. People who include nuts and dried fruits in their diet are well-aware of dry fruits’ benefits for weight loss. When consumed in moderation, they help you reduce weight and stay fit. Those who swear by dry fruits are known to take in lesser fats, sugar and more essential nutrients for proper metabolism.
6. Raisins and prunes are rich in iron and are beneficial for those who are anaemic. Dry fruits are packed with nutrients like Vitamin B, minerals like phosphorous and copper, and unsaturated fats that boost the regeneration of blood cells and haemoglobin in the body. Almonds, figs, pistachios and cashew nuts also give energy and build stamina. Raisins play a significant role in lowering systolic blood pressure. They control cholesterol and reduce inflammatory markers in the body. Almonds contain Vitamin E and mono unsaturated fatty acids that prevent spikes in cholesterol levels and maintain it at a healthy optimum. Brazil nuts keep a check on blood pressure as they are a source of potassium, magnesium and calcium. As you can see, dry fruits and nuts reduce the risk of heart diseases, stroke and heart attacks.
7. Dry fruits are a rich source of beta carotene, an antioxidant that battles anxiety and depression in people. These
antioxidants also improve memory. Dry fruits help to improve sleep and enhance learning and performance.
| Are There Any Side Effects of Eating Dried Fruits? Since dried foods do not contain water, they are packed with concentrated sugar and are high on calories. They also have reduced Vitamin C and lesser antioxidants than fresh fruits. This may pose a threat to our health if not consumed in moderation. Some of the side effects of eating dried fruits are: • The high sugar content increases the risk of diabetes. • Dried fruits with the extra calories can be a major reason for weight gain. • They are also known to augment heart-related issues if consumed in unhealthy quantities. • Sulphites found in dried fruits can cause asthma attacks and also trigger allergies, rashes and stomach cramps in some cases. |
On the basis of your understanding of the Passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given below.
i. How do the fruits become energy-bombs?
ii. Write names of any four of the most common dry fruits.
iii. Why raisins and prunes are beneficial for those who are anaemic?
iv. Why are the dried foods packed with concentrated sugar?
v. Are There Any Side Effects of Eating Dried Fruits? If yes, write any two side effects of eating dry fruits.
vi. What does the author mean by the words ‘swear by’?
SECTION B- WRITING & GRAMMAR (10 Marks)
3. Attempt ANY ONE from i and ii. 5
i. The chart below displays details regarding online activity for seven age groups in six categories. Write an
analysis paragraph for the table provided in not more than 120 words.
ii. You are Kirti/Kalpana. You are the Manager of Modern Computers at Krishna Nagar, Jodhpur. Write a letter
to the Incharge of Goodluck Computers, Vidhyadhar Nagar, Jaipur placing an order for a few laptops like, Dell,
HP, Lenovo, and ASUS for your shop.
4. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Identify the error and write its correction against the correct blank number. Remember to underline the correction. The first one has been done for you. 1*3
| Error | Correction | |
| Most trees has a single woody stem called | E.g. has | Have |
| a trunk whose supports a mass of branches | (a) | |
| carrying leaves. Trees clean an air | (b) | |
| to removing tiny airborne particles. The | (c) | |
| leaves of trees give out oxygen. |
5. Read the following dialogue between Sunita and Neetu and complete the passage that follows. 1*2
| Sunita: Tomorrow is your birthday, what do you want as a gift? Neetu: That is a lovely thought but I don’t want anything. |
Sunita asked Neetu since the next day was her birthday, (a) _____ Neetu replied that (b) _____ but she did not want anything.
SECTION C- LITERATURE (20 Marks)
6. Answer ANY SIX questions in 30-40 words each. 2*6
i. What attractions in Coorg wait to be discovered by tourists?
ii. Why was Kisa Gotami sad? What did she do in her hour of grief?
iii. What is the theme of the poem ‘Amanda’?
iv. How do human beings and animals differ in terms of desire?
v. What did others do when Custard gobbled the pirate?
vi. Do you think M. Loisel had an enjoyable evening at the ball? Give reasons for your answer.
vii. What does the narrator describe as ‘pretty disrespectful treatment’?
7. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120 words each. 4*2
i. Gotami comes to Buddha praying to him to revive her dead son. Buddha asks her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend. Through this simple act, Buddha communicates the most profound truth of life, not only to Gotami but also to the whole mankind. What is the truth that Buddha communicates? What lesson does Gotami learn? What changes would take place in a common man’s life if that truth is understood?
ii. How does Bholi become so confident? What did she do? Explain the role of education in shaping the life of a child with respect to the lesson ‘Bholi’.
iii. Delineate the character sketch of Lomov.