KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA SANGATHAN, CHANDIGARH REGION

PRE-BOARD EXAMINATION 2024-25

Class: X Maximum Marks: 80
Subject: English Language and Literature (184) Time Allowed: 3 Hrs.

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 (20 Marks)

Q1. Read the following text and answer the questions that follow: (10 M)
1. A black vulture (Coragyps atratus) is a carrion feeder that pilots and air traffic specialists have long
considered a collision threat, given both its size and flight behaviour. Of Brazil’s animal-aircraft incidents
in 2020, eight percent involved black vultures. Even discounting the danger, they pose to aircrafts,
vultures are widely seen as harbingers of death and decay. Yet, they play an important role in the human-
built environment.
2. These carrion-eaters fly in committees and when they are not airborne, camp out on large stands of refuse,
packed together like feather-clad beggars. With their sooty plumage and crusty skin, black vultures fit
right in with their rank surroundings. Boasting a wingspan of around five feet and the ability to fly at
speeds surpassing Usain Bolt in his prime, they are mostly habituated to the many collectors, sifters, and
other (bipedal) scavengers who spend quality time at the dump. Gazing, waiting-they will make their
move when the time is right.
3. A trash mound is essentially a rookery and nursery for a bird that evolved to eat the flesh of the dead
and dying but now thrives on the abundance of trash. Here, where human-coordinated management is
absent, vultures are efficient managers of waste.
4. For each story of a potential airline collision resulting from the birds, they cycle millions of tons of
nutrients and other material through the food web, eating dog faeces and fish bones with equal gusto.
The average Brazilian household throws away 353g of trash per day; the average black vulture consumes
140g a day. Not all household waste is edible-although Coragyps atratus does seem to have an affection
for gobbling up shreds of plastic grocery bags. Their powerful stomach acid breaks down harmful
pathogens of cholera, brucellosis, and anthrax too.
5. As the planet seems to be roiled in flames and losing biodiversity at a rapid clip, vultures are as
opportunistic as ever, with their populations growing in both South and North America which makes
continued conflict with humans inevitable.
6. Solid waste is typically strewn about communities in rural Latin America. The vultures have taken
care of everything; the city has no hope of taking care of itself.” In this light, the vultures’ general
unsightliness, and perhaps the occasional aircraft collision, is a small price to pay. “They’re the best
thing that ever happened to the Amazon town,” says a conservationist.
 Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.

i. Why does the writer say that vultures are harbingers of death and decay? 1
(a) They are responsible for animal-aircraft incidents in Brazil.
(b) They collide with aircrafts and feed on dead flesh.
(c) They are responsible for animal-aircraft incidents everywhere in the world.
(d) They are carrion feeders.
ii. Based on your reading of the text, explain why the writer says that Coragyps atratus thrives on the
abundance of human-made piles of trash. Rationalise your response in about 40 words. 2

iii. Which outstanding trait of the black vultures the writer wishes to project, with reference to the following
statement? 1
Not all household waste is edible-although ‘Coragyps atratus’ does seem to have an affection for gobbling
up shreds of plastic grocery bags.

iv. The passage includes some word pairs that denote consecutive stages in a process for example, moulding
and baking a bread. From the sets (a)-(e) below, identify two sets of words that do not correspond to this
relation. 1
(a) South and North America
(b) dead and dying
(c) rookery and nursery
(d) death and decay
(e) pilots and air traffic specialists

v. Complete the sentence appropriately. 1

The writer compares the black vultures with Usain Bolt because .

vi. Based on the reading of the passage, examine, in about 40 words, that the black vultures despite their
general unsightliness are highly social birds. 2

vii. “They’re (the black vultures) the best thing that ever happened to the Amazon town,” says a conservationist
in Paragraph 6. The options given below provide enough evidence to substantiate this claim except one.
Choose the correct option. 1
(a) They take care of waste management better than humans.
(b) They consume even plastics.
(c) They protect humans from the spread of harmful pathogens.
(d) They single-handedly keep rural Latin America spick and span.

viii. Complete the statement. 1

Despite the fact that the growing populations of black vultures in both South and North America have
sharpened the conflict with humans, they are a blessing for mankind because they consume even non-
edible waste like….
 Q2. Read the following text and answer the questions that follow: (10 M )
1. India is a country of many languages. The constitution recognises 22 languages officially, but over 121
unique languages have been identified in the country.
2. T
o preserve and encourage the literary function of language, the government introduced 'classical
languages' in 2004. According to the Ministry of Culture, a classical language is one that is at least 1,500
years old and has ancient, valuable literature recorded in it. Further, such a language is original and not
derived from another language. Based on 4 of 13 these guidelines, six languages have been classified as
classical languages: Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia.
3.
The following graph shows the percentage of Indian people whose mother tongue is a classical language.

This is as per data collected by the census of 2011. The census was not conducted in 2021 due to the
pandemic.

4. A
ccording to the graph, around 6.7% of the Indian population are native speakers of Telugu, whereas
Sanskrit has been identified as a mother tongue by only 0.002% of the population, which is around 24,821
people. Malayalam has the second lowest number of native speakers, making up about 2.9% of Indians.
5. T
he 2011 census data also noted that a majority of the native speakers reside in the area that their mother
tongue originated from. For example, 93% of Kannada speakers live in Karnataka. Similarly, 93% of
Malayalam speakers live in Kerala.
6.
Balancing preservation of culture and inclusivity is a delicate equation for a heterogeneous country like
India. With growing awareness, concepts like 'classical languages' may help us achieve harmony.

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above 10

i.
Which of these pieces of information can be confirmed by reading the
passage?
 (I) the number of people in India who speak Tamil
(II) where the majority of native Sanskrit speakers live
(III) the reason Malayalam is considered a classical language
(IV) when the idea of classical languages was introduced in India
A. Only (I)
B. Only (IV)
C. Only (I) and (II)
D. Only (III) and (IV) 1

ii.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets.
Based on the passage, the ___________((functional/historical) value of a language is of utmost importance
while_____________(preserving/categorising) it as a classical language. 1

iii.
Imagine that a committee was formed to ensure that classical languages have more native speakers by
the time the next census is conducted.
Answer the following question to help the committee achieve its objective. 1
Which classical language needs its attention most urgently and why?

iv.
State an example from the passage that shows that India is a 'heterogeneous country'. Answer in one
sentence.
1
v. Why has the writer stated the following line in the passage? Give a reason. The census was not
conducted in 2021 due to the pandemic. 1

vi.
Complete the sentence based on information from the passage. 1

If Tamil originated from Tamil Nadu, we can infer that __________ of the native Tamil speakers would be
living in Tamil Nadu.

vii Which of these hypothetical situations would help India achieve harmony?

Justify your answer in about 40 words. 2

A. if
the majority of Indians who speak a classical language are settled Abroad.
B. if
more languages from remote and tribal areas of India are identified as classical languages 6 of 13
C. if
 the percentage of Indians who are native Telugu speakers increases to more than 10 percent.

viii. Which of these sentences uses 'delicate' in the same way as paragraph (6) does? 1

A. She looked beautiful in the dress with the delicate floral pattern.
B. He was frequently admitted to the hospital due to his delicate health.
C. This discussion will require careful consideration as it is a delicate matter.
D. Please handle these delicate items carefully during transportation as they break easily.
ix. How many languages have been classified as classical languages?

SECTION B - GRAMMAR & WRITING SKILLS (20 Marks)

GRAMMAR (10 M)
Q3. Complete ANY TEN of twelve of the following tasks, as directed. (1 x 10 = 10)
i. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the sentence. 1
The director had come out of the office before I .
(a) arrived (b) arrive
(c) was arrived (d) had arrived

ii. Read the conversation between a father and his son. Complete the sentence by reporting son’s reply
correctly. 1
Father : How was the paper?
Son : It was easy.

The father asked his son how the paper had been. Son replied that .

iii. Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line. 1
I doubt, if it be of any use telephoning them so late.

(a) would (b) could

(c) should (d) might

iv. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line : 1
A pleasure in being outdoors is fundamental for human happiness.

Option No. Error Correction

(a) Being be
(b) A The
(c) Is are
(d) In of
v. Complete the given sentence, by filling in the blank with the correct option : 1
When he died, Ramanujan behind 3 notebooks.
(a) was leaving (b) had left
(c) left (d) leaves

vi. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket. 1
The furniture in his house (look) impressive.

vii. Report the dialogue between Anita and Seema, by completing the narration. 1
Anita : Do you know how to swim?
Seema : Yes I know. I have learnt it during this summer vacation.

Anita asked Seema ........... .Then Seema replied in affirmative and also added that she had learnt it during
the summer vacation.
 viii. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction. 1
The movie, including all the previews, take about two hours to watch.

Use the given format for your response.

Error Correction

ix. Transform the following direct speech into reported speech: 1

He said to us, “Why are you all sitting about there doing nothing?”
x. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction. 1
You may be hungry after all that walking.

Use the given format for your response.

Error Correction

xi. Select the correct option to complete the narration of the dialogue between electrician and Mohan. 1
Electrician: When did your electricity go?
Mohan: It is not working since evening.

The electrician asked Mohan when his electricity had gone. Mohan replied that .
xii. Identify the error and supply the correction for the following sentence : 1
Countries near on equator are some warmer than countries farther to the North and South.

Use the given format for your response.

Error Correction

CREATIVE WRITING SKILL (10 M)

Q4. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5

A. You are Aman/Amita, Blue Bells Public School, Delhi. Write a letter to UK Publishers, Pratap Vihar,
Delhi to place an order for English to Hindi, encyclopedia, fiction books etc. for your school library.
Request them for a catalogue, discount offered and other necessary details.

Or
You are Ranjan/Rajani of 25, Civil Road, Damoh, Bihar. You feel concerned at the gradual decay of historical
monuments in India in general and in Bihar in particular. Write a letter to the Editor of The Times of India describing the
decay and degeneration that the historical monuments are facing in your state and also suggest some steps to maintain
them properl
Q5. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5

A. The bar graph given below contains data related to the people’s opinion about their consideration for the
most important factor for success. Write an analytical paragraph in 100-120 words after observing the
graph carefully and analysing ; highlight the main features and make suitable comparisons
The Most Important Factor for Success

Or
B. The following pie charts show the percentage of students taking admission in different faculties of XYZ
University over a certain period of time. Write an analytical paragraph on your understanding of the
given data.

SECTION C : LITERATURE (40 Marks)

Q6. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given. 5
A. “Richard would always give that extra effort, Mr. Weiherer said. What pleased me was, here was this
person who put in three or four hours at night doing debate research besides doing all his research with
butterflies and his other interests. ‘Richard was competitive,’ Mr. Weiherer continued, ‘but not in a bad
sense’. He explained, “Richard wasn’t interested in winning for winning’s sake or winning to get a prize.
Rather, he was winning because he wanted to do the best job he could. For the right reasons, he wants to
be the best.”
(The Making of a Scientist)
i. Why did Mr. Weiherer consider Richard to be a hard worker? 1
 ii. State TRUE or FALSE. 1
Only option (d) correctly corresponds to the extract.
(a) A review
(b) An interview
(c) An analysis
(d) A comment

iii. Why did Mr. Weiherer call Richard a true winner? Answer in about 40 words. 2

iv. Why was Richard trying to win? 1

Or
B. That evening, after I’d finished the rest of my homework, the note about the essay caught my eye. I
began thinking about the subject while chewing the tip of my fountain pen. Anyone could ramble on and
leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove
the necessity of talking.
(From The Diary of Anne Frank)
i. According to the passage and the story, Anne was 1
(a) thinking about what to write in the essay
(b) angry with Mr Keesing
(c) too tired to write the essay
(d) unable to write the essay
ii. What does she (Anne Frank) write in her essay? Answer in about 40 words. 2

iii. Read the following descriptions (a) to (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 soliloquy is a speech given by a character alone on stage, which reveals their innermost thoughts
and feelings to the audience.
(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. What is integral to writing her essay according to Anne? 1

Q7. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given. 5
A. An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions.
(The Ball Poem)
 i. Complete the sentence appropriately. 1
The mood of the boy in the extract is .
ii. What literary device has been used by the usage of ‘ball’ in the poem? 1
iii. Which ultimate grief has fixed the boy? 1
iv. A ball is an easily available, inexpensive thing. Then, why is the boy so sad to lose it? Answer in about
40 words. 2

Or
B. He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
(A Tiger In the Zoo)

i. According to the extract, the poet wishes for the tiger to be ‘sliding’ through the foliage as this would 1
(a) assist in keeping the prey unsuspecting of the predator’s sound.
(b) aid in camouflaging the presence of the predator before it rushes in.
(c) help the predator pounce on the prey comfortably without getting tired.
(d) support the predator’s vision as it eyes its prey.
ii. What would the tiger do in the forest? Answer in about 40 words. 2
iii. ‘Shadow’ here, refers to the shadow of . 1
iv. It is clear that metaphor is the poetic device used for ‘pads of velvet’. Give evidence. 1

Q8. Answer ANY FOUR of the following five questions, in about 40-50 words. (4 x 3 = 12)
i. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? (Mijbil The Otter) 3
ii. What is the greatest wealth of a country according to Nelson Mandela? 3
(Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
iii. Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem ‘Amanda’ by Robin Klein. 3

iv. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details? 3
(Madam Rides The Bus)
v. Kisa Gautami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for?
Does she get it? Why not?’. 3
(The Sermon at Benares)

Q9. Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions, in about 40-50 words. 2x 3 = 6

i. H
ow do Mr. and Mme Loisel replace the necklace? 3
(The Necklace)
ii. W
hat did Griffin, the scientist, do to escape after setting the fire to his landlord’s house? 3
(Footprints Without Feet)
iii. W
hy does the marriage of Bholi not take place? 3
(Bholi)
Q10. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words. 1x 6 = 6

A. Rajvir felt too excited on reaching Assam while Pranjol showed least interest in his excitement. What
could be the reason behind this ? Do you think it is appropriate on Pranjol’s part to react like this? Justify
you answer with reason.
(Glimpses of India)
Or
B. Humour is the best medicine for every ailment in life. Is the poem humorous? Give reasons for your
answer.
(How to Tell Wild Animals)

Q11. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words. 1x 6 = 6

A. Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought up his plan for getting rid of Max? Do
you think he had worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning? Or did he make up a plan taking
advantage of events as they happened?
(The Midnight Visitor)
Or
B. What was Horace Danby’s hobby? How did he manage to fulfill it?
(A Question Of Trust )

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