Page 1 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
Sample Paper 21
Class X Exam 2023-24
English Language and Literature (184)
Time Allowed : 3 Hrs. Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt question based on specific instructions for each part.
SECTION A - READING SKILLS 20
Reading Comprehension Through Unseen Passages
1. Read the following text. 10
1. Summer vacation offers families dilemmas and opportunities. For too many kids it becomes a period of
intellectual passivity and stalled personal growth. For others-and their parents-it’s a time of overload and
frantic scheduling.
2. “Summer is a great time for parents to build a relationship with their children,” says a renowned child
psychologist. And it’s an opportunity both for the kids to learn and for the family to grow together. To
make this a reality, educators and psychologists point to several simple strategies that parents can start
planning before summer gets under way.
3. “Summer’s a perfect time for kids to take skills they’ve learned in a classroom and use them in new
ways,” notes a well-known educator. Comparing prices in a grocery shop can sharpen children’s mental
maths skills. Taking measurements to build a new tree house or design a simple plaything teaches
geometry. Car trips provide opportunities to study maps and learn geography.
4. Sometimes kids will need a small push in the right direction. Victoria encouraged her seven-year-old
son, Philip, to take part in their local library’s summer reading club. For every book report a child
wrote, he received a raffle ticket. At the end of the summer sports prizes were raffled off. Philip, who’d
painstakingly produced seven book reports won an autographed picture of a hockey star and had his
name in one of his reports printed in the local newspaper. (If that’s not possible, encourage children to
write letters to editors on current affairs, or about school-related issues.) “Philip moaned and groaned
about writing the reports, but in the end, he was happy he put the effort in,” notes his mother. “And his
ability to express himself really improved.”
5. It’s the daily practice of stimulation-intellectual, creative, esteem-building-that parents can give their
children that have the greatest impact,” says an eminent researcher. In an informal study conducted in
1998 other researchers surveyed successful college students about how they spent their free time from
ages five to 12, then compared their activities with those of troubled youngsters. They found that the
successful ones were more likely to play spontaneous games, more involved in household chores and
more likely to engage in playful activities with their parents.
Sample Papers.
6. Truly successful kids, say educators, are those who’ve learnt to budget time to help others-whether it’s
helping an invalid neighbour or preparing their own family’s meals a couple of nights a week. Where
parents fail, say, experts, is in the way such responsibilities are presented.
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Page 2 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
7. For most parents of school-age kids, the largest block of time they’ll have with their children is in the
summer. With a little advance preparation, parents can use the summer to help develop their youngsters
into smarter, more creative, more caring human beings.
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
i. Why does the writer say that ‘Summer vacation offers families dilemmas and opportunities’? Pick out
the odd option that should not be in the list. 1
(a) For many children summer vacation is a long break from intellectual activities.
(b) The personal growth of many children comes to a standstill.
(c) A few parents build meaningful relationships with their children.
(d) Many parents chalk out backbreaking schedules for their kids.
ii. What is the objective of the writer when he says that “the kids need a small push in the right direction”?
Rationalise your response in about 40 words. 2
iii. Complete the sentence appropriately. 1
Experts are of the firm opinion that when it comes to budgeting time, it is _____ in a positive manner
and not the kids.
iv. The passage includes some words that are near synonyms of each other. From the sets (a)-(e) below,
identify two such sets of synonyms. 1
(a) educators and psychologists
(b) moaned and groaned
(c) overload and frantic scheduling
(d) build or design
(e) dilemmas and opportunities
v. Complete the sentence appropriately. 1
The author uses many examples to prove that summer is a perfect time for kids to take skills
they have learnt in a classroom and use them in new ways by _____.
vi. Based on the reading of the passage, examine, in about 40 words, how parents can make the greatest
impact on the lives of their kids. 2
vii. State which of the following is NOT true for troubled youngsters according to experts. 1
(a) They show apathy to household chores.
(b) They don’t play spontaneous games.
(c) They spent their free time from ages five to 12 constructively.
(d) They don’t get involved in playful activities with their parents.
viii. What is the essence of the expert opinion regarding advanced planning of the summer vacation? 1
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Page 3 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
2. Read the following text. 10
1. Times view: Private coaching is a multi-million rupee industry in India. But it is the symptom of a
problem, not the problem itself. Coaching centres merely fill the gap caused by lack of quality teaching
especially in government school, more so in small towns and villages. Only a sincere and sustained
effort to improve education in such schools will alter the picture and prevent this huge drain on the
resources of the families desperately seeking to give their children decent education.
2. Secondary level students topped the number of students taking private coaching with 31% males and
29% female students taking recourse to the method, a recent NSSO survey has shown. The report also
showed that nearly 20% students attending pre-primary and above level (21% of males and 19% of
females) were taking private coaching.
3. Private coaching is a thriving business across the country and according to a 2016 NSSO report more
than 7.1 crore students were taking private coaching or tuition classes in addition to their basic education.
4. Experts attributed the trend of a larger share of students at the secondary level taking recourse to private
coaching to the entrance exams for professional courses such as engineering and medicines.
5. Anil Swarup, former Secretary school education in the ministry of human resource development,
explained the increase of students taking private coaching to the different competitive examinations and
said this was a result of the dichotomy between learning and understanding. (Source : The Times of
India) (243 Words)
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.
i. Complete the following analogy appropriately, based on your understanding of paragraphs 1 and 2. 1
We can say that the dichotomy between learning and understanding widely considered to be the main
reason for the increase in the number of students taking private coaching is comparable with two banks
of a river because _____.
ii. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets, based on your understanding
of paragraph 2. 1
According to the author, private coaching is the symptom of a problem, not the problem itself is _____
(a/an fact/opinion) because it is _____ (a/an subjective judgement/objective detail)
iii. ‘Private coaching is a thriving business across the country’ according to a NSSO report issued in 2016.
Justify the reasons for this trend in about 40 words. 2
iv. Based on the survey results, which two concerns clearly demonstrate the larger problem associated with
the fact that private coaching has become a multi-million-rupee industry in India? 1
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v. In the given table state any one inference that can be drawn from the fact that 11.6% of pre-primary and
16.4 % of primary students need private coaching too. 1
vi. Select the option that correctly displays what ‘dichotomy’ signifies in the passage. (Reference-Paragraph
5). 1
(a) Only (i) (b) Only (iii)
(c) (ii), (iii) and (iv) (d) (i) and (iii)
vii. Infer one benefit and one drawback of mushrooming of private coaching centers in India. Answer in
about 40 words. 2
viii. Below are given the main takeaways from the NSSO report mentioned in the passage about the effect of
private coaching on professional courses on secondary-level students. Which of these is NOT mentioned
explicitly in the report? 1
(a) The lack of good teachers is most felt at the secondary level.
(b) There is a dichotomy between learning and understanding.
(c) They need coaching to qualify for engineering and medical entrance exams.
(d) 27.5 % of the students depends on private coaching at this level.
SECTION B - GRAMMAR & WRITING SKILLS 20
GRAMMAR 10
3. Complete ANY TEN of twelve of the following tasks, as directed. 1 # 10 = 10
i. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the beginning of an article in a blog post on
adolescence. 1
The importance of physical exercise as well as mental health _____ by the modern teenager.
(a) are well understood (b) is well understood
(c) is being understood well (d) will be well understood
ii. Read the conversation between a mother and daughter. Complete the sentence by reporting the daughter’s
reply correctly. 1
Mother enquired, “Aren’t you feeling well? You look pale.”
Saumya said, “I have a terrible headache. It is making me giddy.”
Mother, wondering about her daughter looking pale asked about her well-being to which, the girl replied
that _____.
iii. Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line, from a health magazine. 1
You _____ all that cheese; it isn’t good for you.
(a) shouldn’t be eating (b) ought not be eating
(c) cannot eat (d) need not
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Page 5 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
iv. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line, from a news
report on the UNO. 1
All five permanent members have expressed the right of veto at one time or another.
Option No. Error Correction
(a) have had
(b) the their
(c) of to
(d) another other
v. Complete the given narrative, by filling in the blank with the correct option. 1
Delhi Police _____ the description of a man who was last seen at the Kwality Restaurant which is on
the Parliament Street.
(a) is issued
(b) have issued
(c) had issued
(d) are issuing
vi. Fill in the blank by using the correct word from the options available to you, for the given portion of a
letter: Subject: Inquiry regarding the online course in choreography 1
Refer to your advertisement regarding the online courses in choreography offered by your _____ institute,
I want _____ that I am currently in XII class and preparing for my final exams.
(a) esteemable; to say
(b) reputed; to suggest
(c) esteem; to tell
(d) reputable; to state
vii. Report the dialogue between two friends discussing a recent travel experience. 1
Som : A European tourist whom I met recently, wanted to be a Himalayan monk for the rest of his life.
Ron : Are you referring to that story about you meeting a European tourist with a strange desire?
When Som talked about a European tourist who wanted to be a Himalayan monk for the rest of his life
Ron questioned him _____.
viii. Identify the error in the given sentence from a newspaper article and supply the correction. 1
Mobile phones are being used both in urban and rural areas but the importance of mobile phones between
students has been increasing day by day.
Use the given format for your response
Error Correction
ix. Report the conversation between a young bird and her parent discussing her fears. 1
Young bird : I feel certain that my wings will never support me.
Parent bird : Your wings will believe what you believe in.
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Page 6 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
x. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction. 1
Would you send the mail?
Use the given format for your response.
Error Correction
xi. Select the correct option to the following sentences. 1
The lady looked out the window and said,” Wow! What an awesome view the house has!”
Realtor, “That’s why this property has always commanded the highest rent in these parts.”
When the lady looked out the window and complimented _____ the realtor remarked that _____.
xii. Identify the error on a shop’s hoarding and supply the correction, for the following sales offer. 1
Top barbarians under one roof in your city!
Get the latest haircuts and styles @ 15% discount.
Use the given format for your response.
Error Correction
WRITING 10
Note : All details presented in the questions are imaginary and created for assessment purpose.
4. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5
A. You are Alex/Ronny of 182, Mukherjee Nagar. You want information about German language course at
Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi. Write a letter in 100-120 words to the Director, Foreign Languages,
enquiring about the details of the courses offered by the institution.
O
B. You are Mary Joseph who recently visited Delhi and Gurugram after a few years as a tourist from Goa.
You noticed the marked increase in the number of private vehicles, pollution, and industrial units in
both cities. Alarmed by the rise in health issues owing to these developments, you decide to pen a letter
to the editor of a national daily. Write the letter including some suggestions to reduce the effects of
environmental damage.
5. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5
A. Write a paragraph on the topic ‘Air Pollution’ in 100-120 words. Take the hints from the picture given
below.
Hint : Mobile Sources: Cars, buses, planes, trucks and train.
Stationary Sources : Power Plants, oil refineries, Industrial facilities and factories. Other Sources:
Plastic waste, deforestation, etc.
Continue on next page.....
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Page 7 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
O
B. Mobile phones are being used both in urban and rural areas. But importance of mobile phones among
students has been increasing day by day. Write a paragraph in 100-120 words on the topic ‘Importance
of Mobile Phones in Education’.
Hint : Multiple benefits—teaching aids—improved learning outcomes—increased engagement among
students. Keep students up to date about assignments.
SECTION C - LITERATURE 40
6. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given. 5
A. Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was rather a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried
to eject him. In revenge Griffin set fire to the house, to get away without being seen he had to remove
his clothes. Thus, it was that he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money and quite
invisible-until he happened to step in some mud and left footprints as he walked!
(Foot Prints with out Feet)
i. The writer says that Griffin was a brilliant scientist. Elaborate in about 40 words with evidence. 2
ii. State TRUE or FALSE. 1
None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement - His landlord disliked him and tried to eject
him.
(a) A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon
(b) An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true
(c) A hyperbole - exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
(d) A premise - a proposition that forms the basis of an argument
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Page 8 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
iii. State the reason he was wandering on the streets. 1
iv. Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘a lawless’ in the given sentence from the extract? 1
Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was rather a lawless person.
O
B. Coorg, or Kodagu, the smallest district of Karnataka, is home to evergreen rainforests, spices and coffee
plantations. Evergreen rainforests cover thirty per cent of this district. During the monsoons, it pours
enough to keep many visitors away. The season of joy commences from September and continues till
March. The weather is perfect, with some showers thrown in for good measure. The air breathes of
invigorating coffee. Coffee estates and colonial bungalows stand tucked under tree canopies in prime
corners.
(Glimpses of India)
i. What do you understand by the term colonial bungalow? 1
(a) The bungalows built in a colony.
(b) A large detached house with more than one storey.
(c) The residential unit for members of the British colonial community.
(d) A low house having only one storey.
ii. What can be inferred from the given line? 1
“During the monsoons, it pours enough to keep many visitors away”
iii. Read the following descriptions (a)-(c) and identify which one correctly corresponds to the extract. 1
(a) A debate is a formal discussion on a particular topic, usually with two or more people presenting
different viewpoints and arguments.
(b) A description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make vivid a place, object,
character, or group.
(c) An aside is a brief comment or remark made by a character directly to the audience, which is not
intended to be heard by other characters on stage.
iv. Which is the best time to visit Coorg? Answer in about 40 words. 2
7. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given. 5
A. Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda!
(Amanda)
i. Fill the blank with one word. 1
Amanda is not looking at the speaker because she is busy in _____. about her life of peace and joy.
ii. The speaker wants Amanda to look at her to ensure 1
(a) Amanda can become obedient
(b) stops eating chocolate
(c) Amanda follows the instructions
(d) does not sleep
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Page 9 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
iii. What does the speaker’s worry about acne show? 1
iv. Why is Amanda forbidden to eat chocolate? Answer in about 40 words. 2
O
B. It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
(Fog)
i. In the given extract, the poet uses the poetic device, _____ in which one line runs onto another without
any punctuation mark. 1
ii. What is the significance of the use of the word “silent” to describe the fog in the poem and how does this
word choice contribute to the overall mood and tone of the poem? 1
iii. The poet has used the poetic device ‘transferred epithet’ in the third line. What does the poet wish to
emphasize? 1
(a) The sneaky movement of the fog and those of a cat.
(b) The purring of the fog and the cat.
(c) The fluffiness of the fog and a cat’s fur.
(d) The playfulness of the fog and a cat.
iv. Comment on the poet’s use of language in these lines. 2
8. Answer ANY FOUR of the following five questions, in about 40-50 words. 4 # 3 = 12
i. Lencho writes a letter to God for help. Who actually helps Lencho by giving money? 3
(A Letter to God)
ii. Why does the poet use the image of a ‘hemlock tree’? 3
(Dust of Snow)
iii. Anne believed that paper has more patience than people. Why? 3
(From the Diary of Anne Frank)
iv. Who is the ‘mermaid’ in the poem Amanda? What does ‘she’ wish to do? 3
(Amanda!)
v. Chubukov says to Lomov, “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son.” Is he
sincere in saying so? Give reasons. 3
(The Proposal)
9. Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions, in about 40-50 words. 2#3 = 6
i. Why does Mrs. Pumphery call the doctor? 3
(A Triumph of Surgery)
ii. Why were the two boys surprised to see imprints of a pair of bare feet? 3
(Footprints without Feet)
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Page 10 Sample Paper 21 CBSE X English
iii. Bholi’s father Ramlal was not in favour of sending girls to school. Why? 3
(Bholi)
10. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words. 1#6 = 6
A. The Baker from Goa and an inhabitant of Coorg happen to meet each other and talk about their distinct
traits that make them stand out and keep them shoulders above the rest. Write this conversation as per
your understanding of Glimpses of India. You may begin like this:
Baker : Your attire and your appearance tell me that
Coorgi : Oh! _____.
(Glimpses of India)
O
B. “Human beings, without God’s strength, can’t look beyond outward appearances and physical beauty.”
If you had to use the message of the given quote based on Tor Anne Gregory’ to understand the inner
strength of Valli, as she made efforts to fulfil her wish despite her age in ‘Madam Rides the Bus’, how
will you elaborate it? Also, how it would have been difficult for Valli not to consider her age as an
impediment.
(For Anne Gregory)
11. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words. 1#6 = 6
A. “A man’s vanity is more fragile that you might think.” Analyse in detail with reference to the character
of Matilda in the story The Necklace.
O
B. “Beauty is much more than being skin deep”. Analyze this quote with reference to ‘Bholi’.
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