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CBSE Class 10 English Question Paper 2015 (Outside Delhi) with Solutions
Time Allowed: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
Read the instructions very carefully and strictly follow them:
The Question Paper is divided into three Sections:
Section A – Reading Skills 20 Marks
Section B – Writing Skills with Grammar 30 Marks
Section C – Literature Textbook and Supplementary Reading Text 30 Marks
General Instructions:
- All questions are compulsory.
- You may attempt any Section at a time.
- All questions of that particular Section must be attempted in the correct order.
Section A – Reading 20 Marks
Question 1.
Read the passage given below carefully:
Healthy eating at home prepares kids mentally and physically for their day. Creating a healthy home environment by offering kids nutritious options for meals and snacks, is very important. But just eating healthy at home is not always enough. Educating families about why healthy eating is vital instills lifelong healthy behaviours kids can rely on. Eating right does not mean having to give up good food. One of the best ways to teach kids better eating habits is including them in the process. Kids should help choose healthy foods at the grocery store and be a helping hand when cooking nutritious meals in the kitchen. Cooking with kids can help picky eaters learn to like more foods and help build a unique family cookbook with healthy homemade recipes.
Physical activity should be made a part of a family’s healthy lifestyle. Less than sixty per cent of adults are physically active and this trend is being passed on to our next generation. Parents are the healthy role models kids need to develop the active habits that decrease risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. There is nothing more important than giving kids the gift of wellness. The results will last a lifetime.
1.1 Answer the following questions: 2 × 4 = 8
(a) How can lifelong healthy behaviour in kids be developed?
Answer:
Lifelong healthy behaviour can be developed in kids by eating healthy at home as well as educating families about why healthy eating is vital.
(b) How can better eating habits be taught to kids?
Answer:
Kids can be taught better eating habits by including them in the process of cooking. Kids should help choose healthy food at the grocery store and participate in the cooking of nutritious meals in the kitchen.
(c) How is cooking with kids helpful?
Answer:
Cooking with kids helps picky eaters learn to like more foods and also helps build a unique family cookbook with healthy recipes.
(d) Why should parents be a role model for kids to develop active habits?
Answer:
Parents should be the healthy role models for kids to develop physically active habits as these decrease the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.
1.2 Find meanings of the words given below with the help of the options that follow: 4
(a) The word ‘vital’ means ……………….. .
(i) elastic
(ii) efficient
(iii) expensive
(iv) essential
Answer:
(iv) essential
(b) The word ‘obesity’ means ………………… .
(i) very tall
(ii) very short
(iii) overweight
(iv) underweight
Answer:
(iii) overweight
(c) The word ‘grocery’ means …………………… .
(i) items of food
(ii) items of gold
(iii) items of cleaning
(iv) items of exercise
Answer:
(i) items of food
(d) The word ‘unique’ means …………………… .
(i) very common
(ii) one of its kind
(iii) affordable
(iv) highly priced
Answer:
(ii) one of its kind
Question 2.
Read the passage given below:
1. As we know, human wants are unlimited, but the means to satisfy them are limited. Therefore, all our wants cannot be fulfilled. In order to maximise satisfaction, every consumer exercises choice, as to which goods should be consumed and in what quantity. An economic problem is basically a problem of choice.
REASONS FOR ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
2. Scarcity of Resources. Resources (i.e., land, labour, capital, etc.) are limited in relation to their demand and economy cannot produce all what people want. It is the basic reason for existence of economic problems in all economies. Scarcity is universal and applies to all individuals, organisations and countries. There would have been no problem, if resources were not scarce.
3. Unlimited Human Wants. Human wants are never ending, i.e., they can never be fully satisfied. As soon as one want is satisfied, another new want emerges. Wants of the people are unlimited and keep on multiplying and cannot be satisfied due to limited resources. Human wants also differ in priorities, i.e., all wants are not of equal intensity. For every individual, some wants are more important and urgent as compared to others. Due to this reason, people allocate their resources in order of preference to satisfy some of their wants. If all human wants had been of equal importance, then it would have become impossible to make choices.
4. Alternate Uses. Resources are not only scarce, but they can also be put to various uses. It makes choice among resources more important. For example, petrol is used not only in vehicles, but also for running machines, generators, etc. As a result, economy has to make choice between the alternative uses of the given resources.
Resources vs. Human Wants
Features of Resources:
(i) They are scarce, i.e., their supply is limited in relation to demand.
(ii) They have alternative uses.
Features of Human wants:
(i) They are unlimited, i.e., they can never be fully satisfied.
(ii) They differ in priorities.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer any eight questions from the twelve that follow:
(a) An economic problem is a problem of:
(i) wants
(ii) choice
(iii) satisfaction
(iv) limited resources
Answer:
(ii) choice
(b) Limited resources do not include:
(i) land
(ii) labour
(iii) capital
(iv) goods
Answer:
(iv) goods
(c) If resources were not scarce:
(i) problems would rise.
(ii) organisations would flourish.
(iii) there would be no problem.
(iv) individuals would be unhappy.
Answer:
(iii) there would be no problem.
(d) The word ‘fulfilled’ in Para 1 DOES NOT mean:
(i) gratified
(ii) accomplished
(iii) realised
(iv) mitigate
Answer:
(iv) mitigate
(e) Wants of people:
(i) are unending
(ii) are limited
(iii) do not get satisfied
(iv) constant
Answer:
(i) are unending
(f) People allocate their resources in order of prefernce because of:
(i) equal intensity
(ii) difference in priorities
(iii) urgency
(iv) limited wants
Answer:
(ii) difference in priorities
(g) It would not be possible to make choices:
(i) if goods were not urgently needed.
(ii) if human wants have equal value.
(iii) if human wants had unequal value.
(iv) none of the above.
Answer:
(ii) if human wants have equal value.
(h) The word ‘universal’ in Para 2 means the same as:
(i) uncommon
(ii) widespread
(iii) particular
(iv) specific
Answer:
(ii) widespread
(i) Petrol is used for:
(i) vehicles
(ii) running machines
(iii) generators
(iv) all the above
Answer:
(iv) all the above
(j) Choose the option that lists the statement that is NOT TRUE:
(i) humans have limited wants.
(ii) an economic problem is a problem of choice.
(iii) there would be no problem, if resources were not scarce.
(iv) humans wants are unlimited.
Answer:
(i) humans have limited wants.
(k) The features of human wants does not include:
(i) They are not limited.
(ii) It is not easy to satisfy them.
(iii) They can be prioritised.
(iv) They keep on dividing.
Answer:
(iv) They keep on dividing.
(l) The word ‘alternative’ in Para 4 DOES NOT mean the same as:
(i) another
(ii) substitute
(iii) second
(iv) Primary
Answer:
(iv) Primary
Section B – Writing Skills with Grammar 30 marks
Question 3.
Recently a serious quarrel took place in a colony in Delhi due to the use of loudspeakers at a public place and caused disharmony among the people. Write a letter in 100 – 150 words to the Editor of The Hindustan Times expressing your concern over the unpleasant incident, highlighting the fact that the loudspeakers cause noise pollution and discord, suggesting that the unauthorized use of loudspeakers at public places should be banned. You are Anajana/Arjun, F-112 Kailash Colony, Delhi. 10
F-112 Kailash Colony
Delhi
3 rd July , 20××
The Editor
The Hindustan Times
New Delhi
Subject: Loudspeakers cause noise pollution and discord
Sir,
Through the medium of your esteemed newspaper I wish to express my concern over a serious quarrel that took place in my colony due to the use of loudspeakers at a public place. Our neighbours were so angry at the party organisers for using loudspeakers that they got into a physical fight with them and the police had to be called to resolve the issue. It is most unfortunate that the unpleasant incident has caused disharmony among the people. Besides leading to discord the loudspeakers also cause noise pollution. The large number of workshops, offices, shops and ever increasing traffic are already the main sources of noise pollution in public places. The nuisance further caused by loud speakers increases mental stress and intolerance among people.
The concerned authorities should ban the unauthorized use of loudspeakers at public places. Even if permission for use of loudspeakers is granted, it should be time bound.
I hope you will publish my letter in your reputed newspaper so that the concerned authorities can take necessary steps to tackle this situation.
Yours sincerely
Anjana/Arjun
Or
You are Ambica/Mohit, Librarian, High Scope Public School, Hauz Khas, Delhi. Write a letter to Jindal Publishers, Pratap Vihar, Delhi to place an order for English to Hindi dictionaries, Illustrated children’s encyclopedia, fiction books etc. for your school library. Request them for a catalogue, discount offered, mode of payment and time taken for delivery. (100 – 120 words).
Answer:
High Scope Public School
Hauz Khas, Delhi
23
rd
March, 20××
Jindal Publishers
Pratap Vihar
Delhi
Subject: Placing order for books for our school library
Sir,
We would like to inform you that your offer to supply books to our library has been accepted by the management of our school. We are herewith placing our first order and request you to send a catalogue, also mention the discounts clearly available on the purchase. The payment for these books will be made by an account payee cheque immediately after we receive the books.
| Name of books | Quantity |
| English to Hindi dictionaries | 5 copies |
| Britannica-Illustrated children’s encyclopedia | 5 copies |
| Nancy Drew Series – by Carolyn Keene | 2 sets |
| St. Claire’s Book Series | 2 sets |
| Harry Potter Series-by J.K. Rowling | 2 sets |
Awaiting an early response and delivery of the a the books are properly packed to avoid any creasing or damages. Hoping to receive the order without any delay.
Yours sincerely
Ambica/Mohit
(Librarian)
Question 4.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100 – 120 words.
[A] The chart below is a survey conducted in the public and government schools of Agra. It depicts the activities that teenagers aged 13 – 19 years are involved in during their leisure time. Write a paragraph analyzing the given data.
Answer:
The present day teenagers are highly tech-savvy, they are addicted to gadgets like phones, TV and computers etc. They do not spend their leisure time in playing constructive indoor games like chess, monopoly, Scrabble etc. and outdoor activities like cycling swimming, football and other games that are beneficial for their health and overall mental and physical growth.
This is evident from the given bar graph wherein a survey conducted in the public and government school of Agra depicts the activities that teenagers aged 13-19 years are involved in during their leisure time, 9% children of government school and more than 20% from public schools have their own cell phones, Henceforth major amount of time is spend chatting between messaging and talking on phone. A lot of teenagers 13 – 19 years spend their time watching TV or surfing the net. They are mostly busy in technology driven activities.
[B] Read the following excerpt from an article that appeared in a local daily.
Beauty pageants promote an ideal of female beauty to which a minority of women can realistically aspire, but they can add pressure to many young girls to conform to certain standards of beauty. Write a paragraph to analyse the given argument. You could think about what alternative explanations might weaken the given conclusion and include rational evidence that would strengthen/counter the given argument.8
Answer:
One cannot deny the fact that beauty pageants promote an ideal of female beauty and many girls have utilised this platform to gain fame and recognition. But these beauty pageants can add undue pressure on many young girls to conform to the set standards of beauty. Moreover, these contests promote a eurocentric standard of beauty and not many girls can relate to these set standards. These pageants are two sides of the same coin. While it is a lucrative platform for many young girls who aspire to reach there, they are also severely criticised for not looking a certain way.
Question 5.
Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with the help of given options: 1 × 4 = 4
There is a general belief (a) ………….. students that (b) ………… who write long sentences get (c) …………. marks in (d) ………… exams.
Answer:
Question 6.
The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line against which a blank has been given. Write the incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct blank number as given in the example. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied. 1 × 4 = 4
Answer:
(a) encourages ….. encourage
(b) by …. on
(c) is …. are
(d) we …. they
Question 7.
Rearrange the following words and phrases into meaningful sentences. One has been done for you as an example. 1 × 4 = 4
For example: person / physically / a / was / Kitty / handicapped / Kitty was a physically handicapped person.
(a) sat up / wheelchair / in a / battery driven / every evening, / she /
(b) drove / an / she / her wheelchair / to/ apple orchard /
(c) very happy / with apples / the trees / she was / to see / laden /
(d) one apple / gardener / every day / her / gave / to eat / The /
Answer:
(a) Every evening, she sat up in a battery driven wheelchair.
(b) She drove her wheel chair to an apple orchard.
(c) She was very happy to see the trees laden with apples.
(d) The gardener gave her one apple to eat every day.
Section C – Literature Text & Supplementary Reading Text 30 Marks
Question 8.
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow: 1 × 4 = 4
I finished my poem, and it was beautiful! It was about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings who were bitten to death by the father because they quacked too much. Luckily, Mr Keesing took the joke the right way. He read the poem to the class, adding his own comments, and to several other classes as well. Since then I’ve Mr Keesing’s always making jokes these days.
(a) Why does Anne say that the poem was beautiful?
Answer:
Anne says that the poem was beautiful because it was unique and well written.
(b) How did Mr. Keesing react to it?
Answer:
Mr. Keesing reacted to it most positively by taking the joke in the right way.
(c) What changes came in Mr. Keesing’s behaviour towards Anne after he had read the poem?
Answer:
Mr Keesing’s behaviour towards Anne changed after he had read the poem. He allowed her to talk and didn’t assign any extra home work to her.
(d) Which word in the passage means the same as ‘given a particular job to somebody’?
Answer:
The word ‘assigned’ means the same as ‘given a particular job to somebody’.
Or
(a) What do the leaves do?
Answer:
The leaves are straining themselves towards the glass.
(b) What are boughs compared to?
Answer:
The boughs are compared to newly discharged patients who move out of the clinic doors in a half-dazed state of mind.
(c) Why is all this activity taking place?
Answer:
All this activity is taking place because the trees are moving into the forest.
(d) What is the figure of speech in Tike newly discharged patients’?
Answer:
Figure of speech is ‘simile’.
Question 9.
Answer the following questions in 30-40 ivords each. 2 × 5 = 10
(a) The poeple of Coorg have a tradition of courage and bravery. How has it been recognised in Modern India?
(b) Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does it tell you about her?
(c) What compulsive habits had Mijbil developed?
(d) Why was Matilda always unhappy?
(e) Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable? Why was he disillusioned
Answer:
(a) The Coorgi people’s tradition for valour and bravery has been recognised in modern
India by honouring the Coorg Regiment as the most decorated in the Indian Army. Also the first chief of the Indian army, General Cariappa was a Coorgi and even now Kodavus are the only people in India permitted to carry firearms without a licence.
(b) Valli did not want to go to the stall and have a drink as she did not have enough money, she only had thirty paise for her return ticket. Valli is a very firm and decisive girl. She is very young and sure of how she has to spend the little money she has.
(c) Mijbil quickly developed certain compulsive habits on walks in the London streets, like the rituals of children who on their way to and from school must place their feet squarely on the centre of each paving block, must touch every seventh upright of the iron railings. On his way back home, Mijbil would tug the author to the wall of a primary school, jump on to it, and gallop the full length of its thirty yards.
(d) Matilda was a pretty young lady born by an error of destiny into a family of clerks. Since she had no dowry and no hopes of being married to a rich man, she got married to a clerk. She suffered and was always unhappy because she felt she was born for luxuries whereas in reality she was poor.
(e) Fowler was a very young and romantic writer. He wanted to meet Ausable, the secret agent to learn how Ausable tackled with some exciting events. He was disillusioned because he thought Ausable was an unfit secret agent on account of his fat body and American accent.
Question 10.
How do you usually understand the human attribute of ‘selfishness’? In the light of this do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief’?
Answer:
Selfishness is usually regarded as an undesirable human trait. It is when a person can only think of his own feelings ,uncaring about others. Selfishness is preoccupation with I, me, and myself. Kisa Gotami was not in a position to think about other people’s grief. It is natural to feel sad over death of near and dear ones. But most people carry on their next responsibility of performing proper last rites of the dead. People seldom carry a dead body in the hope of some miracle happening to that. The family and the society always comes to be with those in hours of grief. But later on the life goes on. But Kisa Gotami was so engrossed in her sorrow that she forgot to think about live members of her family and society.
Or
Chekov has used humour and exaggeration in the play to comment on courtship in his times. Illustrate with examples from the lesson, ‘The Proposal’. Also mention the values, you think, any healthy relationship requires.
Answer:
The play ‘The Proposal’ is all about Lomov’s marriage proposal to Chubukov’s daughter, Natalya. Chekov has used stereotypes such as Lomov, a physically weak and mentally unstable man, the shrew Natalya, who is an excellent housekeeper but also stupid and quarrelsome and her hypocrite father, Chubukov to create humour. Exaggerated actions with little common sense are shown in the play for instance, Lomov who gulps down water, puts his hand over her heart, runs to the door and staggers out.
The change of feelings from cordiality to hurling of insults, Lomov calling Chubukov a ‘Swindle’ and his returning insult to Lomov terming him ‘intriguer’. There is no serious issue of dispute between Lomov and Natalaya. They quarrel over the petty issue of the ownership of the Oxen Meadows, to a trivial matter like the superiority of their respective dogs. Elements of exaggeration and absurdity mar the relationship involving love and romance. For any healthy relationship to bloom and last, mutual respect and understanding are important. The relationship has to be constantly watered with love, trust and sincerity.
Question 11.
Answer the following questions in about 100 – 150 words. 8
“The Thief’s Story” is a study of the complexities of the human mind. Elaborate with instances from the story.
Answer:
“The Thief’s Story” is indeed a study of the complexities of the human mind. More than often a man himself fails to understand his own mind. The human mind is rather vulnerable to outside influences. The young boy, Hari Singh, who is a thief, picks up a job with Anil with the sole intention of robbing him. Even though he was only fifteen years old, he was fairly experienced and successful in his job. He was very eager to learn to read and write because he knew that once he could write, there would be no limit to what he could achieve. He was very grateful to Anil and quite liked working for him. He found it difficult to rob him since Anil was also the most trusting person he had ever met. He could not bring himself to cheat him. But when he does get an opportunity to rob him, he does so and then makes a retreat. He cannot cheat Anil who has been quite good and kind to him. Anil seems to him the fulfillment of his hope. He feels, with Anil he can learn, lead an honest life and finally become a big man.
Or
‘A mothers role is very important in shaping the future of her child’. Explain how Richard Ebright’s mother helped him.
Answer:
Ebright’s mother was a very sincere lady who worked very hard to educate and guide her son. She encouraged his interest in learning when he was a child. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras, mounting materials and other such equipment. Almost every evening she found work for him by which he would learn things since Ebright was very keen to learn. After Ebright’s father died, he became the centre of his mother’s life and she, in turn, did all she could to enhance his learning prowess by many methods which went on to make him a renowned scientist. She also got Ebright a children’s book called “The Travels of Monarch X”, which opened the world of science to him.