SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER (2022-23)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (Code No. 184)

CLASS-X
Time allowed: 3 Hrs. Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
2. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and LITERATURE.
3. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section A: READING SKILLS 20 Marks

I Read the passage given below. 10

1 Subhash Chandra Bose passed through quarters inhabited by Englishmen and also met a large
number of them in the tram cars. The British using these cars were purposely rude and offensive to
Indians in various ways. The sensitive mind of Subhash revolted against such insulting and rude
behavior of the British. On many occasions, there was an exchange of hot words between him and
misbehaving British. Majority of the students of the Presidency College, where he studied, were
free thinkers. The college continued to be a storm centre and was looked upon by the British
Government “as a hotbed of sedition, rendezvous of revolutionaries” and was frequently searched
by the police.

2 The first two years of his life were greatly influenced by the group, which styled itself as the
neo-Vivekananda group and Subhash developed intellectually during this period. The
group
generally followed the teachings of Rama Krishna and Vivekananda with special emphasis on social
service as means of spiritual development and was non-aligned to a revolutionary group. The
shock of the Great World War roused his political consciousness. He graduated at the age of 22 and
enrolled himself for the postgraduate with experimental psychology as a special subject.
3 His father, however, wanted him to go to England to appear for the Indian Civil Services. In spite
of his mental reservations, Subhash took it as a challenge. In England, he was greatly impressed
with the freedom allowed to students at Cambridge. Every student behaved in a dignified manner.
Notwithstanding his preoccupation with his studies, he displayed his public spirit and fearlessness
throughout his stay in England. He and K. L. Gouba were selected by the Indian Majlis, to
represent the British Government the difficulties the Indian students encountered for admission to
the University Officers’ Training Corps.

4 Though he took a harsh view of the British high handedness and racial arrogance, he did admire
their qualities which exacted him. He himself behaved there in a dignified way and was of the
view that Indians who go abroad, must consider themselves to be unofficial ambassadors of the
country, who should uphold their country’s prestige. He was quite serious in purpose and
disliked anybody wasting time on trivialities.

(364
words)
Adapted—
https://www.thefreshreads.com/unseen-passage-subhash-chandra-bose/

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below. 1x10

I What did Subhas Chandra Bose revolt against? (Paragraph-1) 1

A. Insulting and rude behaviour of the British,

B. Insulting and rude behaviour of his parents,
C. Polite and soft behaviour of the British,
D. Insulting and rude behaviour of the Zamindars.
ii Which trait of Subhas Chandra Bose gets reflected while he protested against 1
the misbehavior of the British? (Paragraph-1)
A. Fluent English speaking skill,
B. Sensitivity,
C. Procrastination,
D. Shyness.
iii Why did Subhas’s father want him to go to England? (Passage-3) 1
A. To explore the country,
B. To revolt against the British,
C. To sit for ICS examination,
D. To study at Oxford University.

iv Select the option that displays what the writer projects, with reference to 1
the following:
“He displayed his public spirit and fearlessness throughout his stay in
England.” (Paragraph-3)
A. Doubt
B. Denial
C. Conviction
D. Appreciation.

V Choose the relationship between the Assertion (A) & Reason (R) mentioned 1
below: (Passage-3)
Assertion: There was an exchange of hot words between Subhas and
misbehaving British.
Reason: The British were rude to the Indians, which was intolerable to the
sensitive mind of Subhas.

A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true BUT R is not the correct explanation of A.
C. A is true, R is false.
D. A is false, R is true.
vi The author points out rightly that, “The first two years of his life were 1
greatly influenced by the group” – (Paragraph-2)
State one sentence regarding the ‘group’ from the passage.

vii Based on your reading of the text, state two points describing the formation of 1
Subas Chandra Bose’s socio-political views: (Passage-2)

i) .
ii) .

viii The writer states that, “the college continued to be a storm centre.” 1
(Passage-1) Which college is being talked about and what ignited the storm
there?

ix 1
State two qualities/factors of the British that made Subhas revolt? (Passage-4)

x How did Subhas Chandra Bose become ‘unofficial ambassadors of the country’ 1
in England? (Passage-4)

A. By getting appointed by the British government,

B. By becoming Indian Majlis at Cambridge,
C. By becoming a rich businessman,
D. By being elected by the Indian National Congress.
II Read the passage given below. 10

1 Tourists to Jammu and Kashmir have another attraction – a floating post office on the Dal
Lake in Srinagar, the first in the country. ‘Floating Post Office, Dal Lake – claimed to be the only
one such post office in the world – is built on an intricately carved maroon houseboat,
fastened on the western edge of the Dal Lake.
2 This post office lets you avail of all the regular postal services available in the country while being
afloat. The seal used on everything posted from the Floating Post Office is unique – along with
the date and address. It bears the design of a boatman rowing a Shikara on the Dal Lake. The
special feature of this post office is that letters posted from here carry a special design which has
the picturesque scenery of Dal Lake and Srinagar city. These pictures reach wherever these letters
are posted to and hence promote Kashmir as a tourist destination across the world.

3 This is actually a heritage post office that has existed since British times. It was called the Nehru
Park Post Office before 2011. But after that the chief postmaster John Samuel renamed it as
‘Floating Post Office’. The post office’s houseboat has two small rooms – one serves as the office
and the other a small museum that traces the philatelic history of the state postal department. It
has a shop that sells postage stamps and other products. But for the locals, the Floating Post office
is more than an object of fascination. Rupees 1-2 crore is deposited per month in the Floating Post
Office by communities living in and around Dal Lake. The lake has several islets that are home to
more than 50,000 people.

(283
words)
Adapted –
https://www.thefreshreads.com/unseen-passage-dal-lake/

i Floating Post office is fastened on which edge of the Dal 1

Lake? (Passage-1)

A. Eastern
B. Northern
C. Western
D. Southern
ii Select the appropriate option to fill in the blanks. 1

The floating post office was entitled with to the tourists.

1. Creativity
2. Boring
3. Money-earning unit
4. Curiosity
5. Attraction

A. 1, 4 & 5
B. 1, 2 & 4
C. 3, 4 & 5
D. 2, 3 & 4

iii Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/ phrase from paragraph 1: 1

Travel: Traveller :: Tour: .

(Clue: Just like a traveller travels, so goes for a tour.)

iv Select the correct option: 1

The monthly deposits per month in Floating Post office is– (Passage-3)
A. Rupees 1-2 lakh
B. Rupees 2-4 crore
C. Rupees 4-6 crore
D. Rupees 1-2 crore
 v Dal lake is situated in– (Passage-1) 1
A. Jammu and Kashmir
B. Himachal Pradesh
C. Panjab
D. Arunachal Pradesh

For the Visually Impaired Candidates

“...claimed to be the only one such post office in the world”- On what basis is
the post office said to be only in the entire world?

vi Point out the aspect why & how the seal used on everything posted from the 1
Floating Post Office is unique. (Passage-2)

vii “It bears the design of a boatman rowing a Shikara on the Dal Lake”- 1
Substitute the word ‘Shikara’ with ONE PHRASE similar in meaning, in the above
sentence from paragraph 2:

A. A heavy plane,
B. A wooden boat,
C. A wooden hotel,
D. A concrete boat.

viii List down the structural base of the Shikara on which the floating post office 1
is located.

ix State the supposting observation on the below comment from passage-3. 1

“The Floating Post office is more than an object of fascination for the
locals.”
x Select the option which is informatically & chronologically true from 1
Passage-3:

A. The floating Post office was called the Nehru Park Post Office before 2011.
B. The floating Post office was called the Indira Park Post Office before 2011.
C. The floating Post office was called the Nehru Park Post Office before 2001.
D. The floating Post office was anonymous before 2011.

III SECTION B –GRAMMAR

Attempt ANY TEN of the following questions. 10

i Change into indirect speech: 1

God said, “Let there be light.”

ii Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions: 1

One of the goats entered the forest bravely. (in/into/on)

iii Fill in the blanks in the paragraph with suitable modals: 1

My grandmother walk in the morning ten years ago.

A. must
B. should
C. will
D. used to

iv Fill in the blanks with the correct use of tense. 1

Dear Raja, Thank you for your letter which I

(receive) last week. It was really good to hear from you.

A. Received
B. Was receiving
C. Shall receive
D. Receive

v Change the voice: 1

He likes to be called ‘Sir’.

vi Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket: 1
If wishes horses, beggars would ride. (be)
vii The sentence against the following question has a portion bold. There are four 1
alternatives for the bold portion. Select the option which best describes the bold
portion with correct English.
“The last one of this long procession of silent men and women was a little wizened
old man.
A. Shrunken and worn,
B. Healthy and wealthy,
C. Strong and brave,
D. Well-behaved and well-dressed.

viii Fill in the blanks with appropriate conjunctions: 1

Wait the rain stops.

A. After,
B. And,
C. As,
D. Until

ix Join the pair of sentences by using noun clauses: 1

The Bridge will give away. The engineers are afraid.

x Find the missing word and indicate its position by writing the word 1
that comes before and after it.
My sister is a teacher lives with me in Kolkata.
xi Choose the proper group verb for the bold word in below 1

sentence: Please extinguish the light.

A. Go out,
B. Put off,
C. Put out,
D. Give away.

xii Rewrite the sentence by transforming the form of the Parts of Speech as directed: 1

You will help me.

(Use the noun form of ‘help’)

IV SECTION B –CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS 10

All the names and addresses used in the questions are fictitious. Resemblance, if any, is purely coincidental.

1. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5

A.
You are Tripti, Head Girl of Guru Nanak Girls Sr. Sec. School, Kanpur. Write a letter to
Dimple Caterers, Motijheel, Kanpur to find out the rate for conducting the XII
standard farewell party, enquiring about catering charges per head, service charges
and advance to be paid.

OR

B. Park Lane, Chanakyapuram, Mysore is proud of having four reputed public schools
in close Karan proximity to each other. In the morning and afternoon, there is a
heavy traffic along the road and hundreds of students are put to a lot of
inconvenience.
Write a letter in 120-150 words to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic)
describing the problem. Suggest a few measures to regulate the traffic. You are
Karuna Shetty/Karan Kumar, Principal, Sunrise Global School.
2. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5

A. The given line graph provides information about changes

in birth and death rates in New Zealand between 1901
and 2101. Write an analytical paragraph summarizing
the information and make comparisons where relevant
in about 100-120 words.

OR
B.
The given pie chart shows the proportion of people from different households living
in a state of poverty in the UK in the year 2002. Write an analytical paragraph based
upon the information provided in about 100-120 words.

SECTION C - LITERATURE 40

V Reference to the Context 10

1 Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5

1.A The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on his ledge that faced
the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous
nightfall.
He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one
leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other,
and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. He saw his
two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into
their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his
mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the
plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a piece of
fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock. The
sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scrapping
his beak now and again to whet it.
(His First Flight)
i. “He felt the heat”- Who’s referred to here as ‘he’? 1

I. The young seagull,

II. The young seagull’s brother,
III. The young seagull’s sister,
IV. The young seagull’s mother,

ii. “The sun was now ascending the sky”- What does the expression reflect 1
upon?

I. The sun was about to set off,

II. The sky was about to be full of clouds,
III. The day was starting off,
IV. The seagull was learning to fly.

iii. 1
What did the seagull see his brother and sister doing?

I. Playing with his parents,

II. Lying on the plateau dozing,
III. Having breakfast happily,
IV. Flying high in the sky.
 iv. Fill in the blank: 1
The sight of maddened the young seagull.

I. Sunshine,
II. Sea-shore,
III. Rain,
IV. Food.

v. Select the option that displays the reason why the other family members of the 1
young seagull were ignoring him:

I. To leave him in the forest,

II. To avoid storms in the sea,
III. To let him have a sound sleep,
IV. To let him fly on his own.

OR

1.B With the opening of that sack began a phase of my life that has not yet ended, and
may, for all I know, not end before I do. It is, in effect, a thraldom to otters, an
otter fixation, that I have since found to be shared by most other people, who
have ever owned one.
The creature that emerged from this sack on to the spacious tiled floor of the
Consulate bedroom resembled most of all a very small, medievally-conceived,
dragon. From the head to the tip of the tail he was coated with symmetrical pointed
scales of mud armour, between whose tips was visible a soft velvet fur like that of a
chocolate-brown mole. He shook himself, and I half expected a cloud of dust, but in
fact it was not for another month that I managed to remove the last of the mud
and see the otter, as it were, in his true colours.
(Mijbil the Otter)
i. “With the opening of that sack began a phase of my life”- What was there in the sack? 1

I. Gold coins,
II. A pet cat,
III. An otter,
IV. A letter from his wife.

ii. Complete the analogy: 1

Pigeon: Bird :: Otter: .

I. Bird,
II. Fruit,
III. Flower,
IV. Animal.

iii. The author has compared the otter with- 1

I. A very small, medievally-conceived, dragon

II. A big healthy rat,
III. A very big dinosaur,
IV. A huge whale.

iv. “That has not yet ended, and may, for all I know, not end before I do.”- What is 1
being told about?

I. The phase of the poet’s life with the otter,

II. The food items for the lunch,
III. The conference at London,
IV. The phase of the poet’s life with the bulldog,

Page 11 of 15
v. The otter appeared to be in its true color after- 1

I. Getting touch of sunlight,

II. Removing the last of the mud,
III. Washing in water properly,
IV. Getting out of the sack.

2 Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5

2.A Belinda lived in a little white house,

With a little black kitten and a little grey
mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red
wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Now the name of the little black kitten was

Ink, And the little grey mouse, she called him
Blink, And the little yellow dog was sharp as
Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

(The Tale of Custard The Dragon)

i. 1
Belinda lived in a house which was-

I. Little black
II. Large white,
III. Little white,
IV. Large black.

ii. How many total animals lived with Belinda? 1

I. Six,
II. Seven,
III. Eight,
IV. Nine.
iii. 1
Which of the following animals nourished by Belinda was/were ‘little’?

I. Kitten,
II. Mouse,
III. Dog,
IV. All of the above.

iv. Ink was the name of- 1

I. The little black kitten,
II. The little grey mouse,
III. The little yellow dog,
IV. The little red wagon.

v. Why did Belinda call the dragon ‘Custard’? 1

I. The dragon liked the dish custard,

II. The dragon was a coward,
III. The dragon was brave enough,
IV. The dragon was little.

OR

2.B 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. Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and
ink. On the public writing-table, he started to write, with much wrinkling of his brow,
caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. When he finished, he went
 to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with
a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to
open it. It said: “God: Of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me.
Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through the mail
because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”

(A Letter to God)

i. Why did Lencho come on the following Sunday to the post office? 1

I. To ask if there was a letter for him,

II. To invite the officials to his home,
III. To deliver a letter to God,
IV. To take shelter during the storm outside.

ii. Replace the word in bold with one of the options: 1

“While the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed
a good deed, looked on from his office.”-

I. Exploration,
II. Conviction,
III. Consignment,
IV. Satisfaction.

iii. How may we come to know that Lencho was over-confident regarding the response 1
from God?
I. He showed no surprise on seeing the money,
II. He was eager to meet God,
III. He was congratulating the officials of the post office,
IV. He was surprised to see the money sent to him.
iv. When did Lencho become angry? 1

I. When he was refused to send any mail to God,

II. When he was beaten by the postmaster,
III. When he saw the less amount of money,
IV. When he was given a single dish of food.

v “But don’t send it to me through the mail because”- What was the reason behind 1
this comment of Lencho?

I. He was ashamed to encounter with post office employees,

II. He thought the employees to be a bunch of crooks,
III. He forgot the way to the post office,
IV. He was humiliated by the officials.

VI Answer ANY FOUR of the following in about 40-50 words each. 4 x 3=12

i. State the findings of Valli when she entered her house after the 3
ride from the bus?
(Madam Rides the Bus)

ii. The principle ‘forgive and forget’ helps a lot in maintaining cordial relations with our 3
neighbours. Do you think Chubukov conveys this message in the play “The
Proposal’.
(The Proposal)
iii. “Simple moment proves to be very significant and saves the rest of the poet's 3
day from being wasted.” –
Explain the statement on the basis of the poem ‘Dust of Snow”.
(Dust of Snow)

iv. Give one reason why ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is more a fable than a ballad. 3

v. “Freedom is a birth right. It is the most beautiful gift of god. It is valuable for all 3
human beings as well as for creatures,” –
 Discuss with reference to the poem “A Tiger in the Zoo.”.
(A Tiger in the Zoo)

VII Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each. 2 x 3=6

i. Note down the intention of Mrs Pumphrey to bring Tricki back to normal health? 3
Was she successful?
(The Triumph of Surgery)

ii. How can it be evident that Ausable showed great presence of mind in situations of 3
danger and surprise?
(The Midnight Visitor)

iii. Mention any two Ebright contributions to the world of science. 3

(The Making of a Scientist)

VIII Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 1 x 6=6

i. “Not enough can be said to show how important a baker can be for a village”. – 6
How were the services of the baker required on various occasions?
(Glimpses of India)

OR

ii. How important is the learning of “epistemology of loss” for the boy, following 6
the poetry “The Ball Poem”?

IX Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 1 x 6=6

i. ‘Money cannot make a man as much as education can’. – 6

Elucidate this statement following the story “The Thief’s Story”?
(The Thief’s Story)
 ii. Our sins never go unpunished. Horace Danby ultimately had to go to prison. This 6
shows that in spite of planning a crime intelligently and carefully a criminal can’t
escape the law— Explain / discuss.
(A Question of Trust)

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answer Keys Hints:

Section-A:

I.i- A I.i- C
I.ii- B I.ii- A
I.iii- C I.iv- A
I.iv- D I.v- A
I.v- A I.vii- B
I.x- B I.x- A

Section-B:

Section-C:

2.A) 2.B)
i)- III i)- I
ii)- II ii)-IV
iii)- IV iii)- I
iv)- I iv)- III
v)-II v)- II