ICSE 10th English Language Sample Paper 03 Page 1

Sample Paper 03
ICSE Class X 2024-25
English Language
English Paper - 1
Time: 2 Hours Max. Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. Answer to this Paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
2. You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes.
3. This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.
4. The time given at the head of this Paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.
5. Attempt all five questions
6. The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].
7. You are advised to spend not more than 30 minutes in answering Question 1 and 20 minutes in
answering Question 2.

QUESTION 1.
(Do not spend more than 30 minutes on this question.)
Write a composition (300-350 words) on any one of the following. [20]

(i) Write an original short story starting with the words ‘If only I had told the truth _____.

(ii) ‘Brain drain is adversely affecting India’s development.’

Express your views for or against this statement.

(iii) Your house is near a river. Everyday, you see people using sail boats to go across or riding for fun. You got
an opportunity to learn how to sail using a sail boat. Narrate your experience.

(iv) During summer holidays, your family had planned to visit your grandfather’s place which is in Himachal
Pradesh. Your father decided to travel by road in his own car. Describe the journey and your experience
during it.

(v) Study the picture given below Write a story or a description or an account of what the picture suggests to
you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take suggestions from it but
there must be a clear connection between the picture and your composition.

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QUESTION 2.
(Do not spend more than 20 minutes on it.)
Select any one of the following. [10]

(i) You are Priyansh Sharma, a resident of 89, Sector 5, Sector RK Puram, New Delhi. You are interested in
joining the course in Communication Skills advertised by the Elite School of Language, South Extension–II.
Write a letter of enquiry for the same. (100-120 words)

(ii) Write a letter to your friend, Sunil who has recently lost his job, sympathising with him and encouraging to
have better times in future. You are Anmol.

QUESTION 3.

(i) You are Akhilesh/Anamika of Class XII, Swami Vivekanand Public School. Being an Activity Coordinator,
draft a notice to all the other Activity Council members to discuss and plan the activities for 25th December
(Christmas Day) celebrations. [5]

(ii) Write an e-mail to the Principal of a neighbouring school requesting him/her to send a team of teachers to
judge the interclass talent search. [5]

QUESTION 4.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Apollo Hospital group has installed the world’s most advanced Cyberknife robotic radio surgery system at
the Cancer Speciality Centre in Chennai, India. Although it meant a substantial cost for the hospital, Apollo
decided to go ahead with the project due to the new-found enthusiasm for robotics in India.
From the Chandrayaan-I project for sending robots to the Moon to biomedical engineering and the auto
industry, India has been using robotics on a wide scale.
In an increasingly technology-driven country, robotics has fast assumed significance not only for industrial
applications, but also for using in various day-to-day human activities. According to the Oxford Dictionary,
robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition,
manufacture and application of robots.
The word robotics was derived from the word robot. It was first used in print by Isaac Asimov, in his science
fiction story ‘Liar!’ published in May 1941, in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction. Today, it is a
confluence of science using the continuing advancements of mechanical engineering, material science, sensor
fabrication, manufacturing techniques and advanced algorithms.
Presently, robotics is at the pinnacle of technical development. Though robotics in India is at a nascent
stage, industrial automation in India has opened up a huge potential for robotics. Innovation coupled with
consolidated research and development has catapulted India’s scientific position in robotic technology to a
very high level. Analysts claim that the Indian manufacturing industry has been growing at an average rate
of 10 percent to 12 percent per year and the global market for robots is projected to rise by an average of
4.2 percent, while in India, the industry is expected to grow at a rate 2.5 times that of the global average.
In medicine, the importance of robotics has been growing. Robotic surgery is a new and exciting emerging
technology that holds significant promise. Robots are increasingly being used in a variety of clinical and
surgical settings for increasing surgical accuracy and decreasing operating times. Often they create better
healthcare outcomes than standard current approaches. Robotic technology will have a tremendous social
and cultural impact on the future of healthcare. In providing healthcare, robots are expected to augment

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traditional treatment, resulting in humans and robots working side by side. It has been proven that
robotic systems have benefited our society in many ways. For instance, some robots have helped children
with developmental disabilities, others have improved the health status of people where as with different
deficiencies. People who have experienced therapy robots in their lives have commented that robots brought
confidence in their lives as well as solved problems related to health.
The other fact is that in some industrial countries robots are helping children with deficiencies to develop
faster and have positively influenced their behaviour.
Experts predict that by 2020, robots will become more intelligent and irreplaceable as they would perform
most household chores such as laundry and home maintenance.
They would provide valuable services for children and elderly people. Thus, in the future, robots promise to
play an important role in our lives.

(i) For each word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the options provided.
[2]
1. significance (line 7)
(a) something trivial
(b) importance
(c) something that is unimportant
(d) something that is minute
2. pinnacle (line 17)
(a) nadir
(b) trough
(c) zenith
(d) highest point

(ii) Which word in the passage means the opposite of the word ‘surplus’ ? [1]
(a) augment
(b) catapulted
(c) deficiencies
(d) disabilities

(iii) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.

(a) Why are robots being increasingly used in clinical surgeries? [2]
(b) What is the current scientific position of India in robotic technology? [2]
(c) In which sectors has India been using robotics? [2]
(d) What does ‘robotics’ mean? [2]
(e) Which word or phrase in the passage denotes that setting up a radio surgery system was an expensive
deal for Apollo Hospital group? [1]

(iv) Describe in your own words the present scenario of robotic technology in India and its growing influence in
medicine. Do not exceed 50 words. [8]

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QUESTION 5.

(i) Fill in each of the numbered blanks with correct form of the words given in brackets. Do not copy the
passage but write in correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space. [4]
Example :
Coffee is a beverage .......... (0) (drink) by many past generations of people.
Answer : (0) drunk
What most people do not realise is that coffee is .......... (1) (make) from beans .......... (2) (pick) from trees.
Coffee trees .......... (3) (grow) either from seeds or cuttings. These trees will begin to .......... (4)
(bear) crops when they are about four years old.
Workers on coffee plantations have to pick the beans by hand. After the beans .......... (5) (gather), they are
.......... (6) (roast) at high temperatures. This process .......... (7) (give) them their fragrance.
The best coffee is made from freshly .......... (8) (grind) beans. There are many different ways of preparing
coffee. Coffee can be served either with or without milk.

(ii) Fill in each blank with an appropriate word. [4]

(a) An old feud existed _____ the two families.
(b) He travelled seventy miles _____ two hours.
(c) I saw him felling a big tree _____ a hatchet.
(d) I slept _____ nine o’clock.
(e) I commenced work _____ 1st May.
(f) I received this message _____ 7 o’clock in the morning.
(g) We walked _____ the end of the street.
(h) The child has been missing _____ yesterday.

(iii) Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using and, but or so. Choose the
correct option. [4]
1. I’ve never been to the US. I have friends and relatives there.
(a) I’ve never been to the US despite of having friends and relatives there.
(b) I’ve never been to the US while I have friends and relatives there.
(c) I’ve never been to the US in spite of having friends and relatives there.
(d) I’ve never been to the US after having friends and relatives there.

2. He is a reckless driver. He hasn’t had any accidents.

(a) Even though he is a reckless driver, yet he hasn’t had any accidents.
(b) Though he is a reckless driver, he hasn’t had any accidents.
(c) He is a reckless driver; moreover, he hasn’t had any accidents.
(d) He is a reckless driver; therefore, he hasn’t had any accidents.

3. Alice seems to be quite intelligent. She often gets poor grades.

(a) Alice seems to be quite intelligent; otherwise, she often gets poor grades.
(b) Alice seems quite intelligent; therefore, she often gets poor grades.
(c) Alice seems quite intelligent; nonetheless, she often gets poor grades.
(d) Though Alice seems quite intelligent, but she often gets poor grades.

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4. This restaurant has some of the best chefs in the town. Their service is excellent.
(a) This restaurant has some of the best chefs in the town; moreover, their service is excellent.
(b) This restaurant has some of the best chefs in the town; however, their service is excellent.
(c) Even if this restaurant has some of the best chefs in the town, their service is excellent.
(d) This restaurant has some of the best chefs in the town because their service is excellent.

(iv) Choose the correct option to rewrite the following according to instructions given after each sentence. [8]
1. Her attitude often annoys me.
[Rewrite using : annoyance]
(a) Her attitude often leads her to annoyance.
(b) Annoyance is often caused to her.
(c) Annoyance is the effect of her attitude.
(d) Her attitude is often the cause of my annoyance.

2. This horse is better trained than yours.

[Begin : Your......]
(a) Your horse is not as well trained as that.
(b) Your horse is not as well trained as this.
(c) Your is not as well trained as this horse.
(d) Your horse is not well trained as that horse.

3. “Please teach me to cycle,” she asked her brother.

[Rewrite in indirect form......]
(a) She requested her brother to teach her to cycle.
(b) She made a request to her brother to teach her cycle.
(c) She requested her brother to please teach her to cycle.
(d) She made a request to her brother to please teach her cycle.

4. It wasn’t necessary to meet me at the airport yesterday.

[Use : needn’t]
(a) It needn’t to meet me at the airport yesterday.
(b) You needn’t have met me at the airport yesterday.
(c) You needn’t necessary to meet me at the airport yesterday.
(d) It needn’t necessarily meet me at the airport yesterday.

5. The peasants regarded him as a thief and called him a villain.

[End : .........the peasants]
(a) He was regarded as a thief and called a villain by the peasants.
(b) He is regarded as a thief and called a villain by the peasants.
(c) He was being regarded as a thief and called a villain by the peasants.
(d) He was being regarded as a thief and was being called a villain by the peasants.

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6. The children will sit out in the garden if the weather is cool.
[Begin : The children won’t........]
(a) The children won’t sit out in the garden if the weather is cool.
(b) The children won’t be sitting out in the garden unless the weather was hot.
(c) The children won’t sit out in the garden if the weather is hot.
(d) None of the above

7. It was unkind of you to talk to her like that.

[Use : not]
(a) It was unkind of you to not talk to her like that.
(b) You should not have not talked to her like that.
(c) You should not have talked to her like that.
(d) It was not unkind of you to talk to her like that.

8. The thief ran so fast that the police could not catch him.
[Rewrite using : too]
(a) The thief ran too fast that he could not be caught.
(b) The thief ran too fast that the police couldn’t catch him.
(c) The thief ran too fast to be caught by the police.
(d) The thief ran too fast to have the police catch him.

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