Reviewing CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English with Solutions and CBSE Class 10 English Question Paper 2017 (Outside Delhi) can help students develop effective time management strategies.
CBSE Class 10 English Question Paper 2017 (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:
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 learnt 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. Some libraries offer free summer reading programmes for children.
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 and 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 doses 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 researches 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. Troubled youngsters spent far less time on chores or family games and more time on their own, planted in front of the TV or a video game.
6. Often, when parents are drawing up their summer plans, their focus is on entertaining and enriching their children. But experts agree that a summer built completely around a child’s self-fulfillment won’t help a youngster mature into a high thinking, caring member of his family or community. 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. Too often, they’re trotted out as punishments instead of challenges. To make matters worse, parents often nag the child about the task, rather than simply setting a completion deadline and allowing the youngster to decide when and how he will meet it.
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.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions briefly: 2 × 4 = 8
(a) How can parents give the kids a special summer vacation?
Answer:
Parents can give the kids a special summer by:
(i) building a relationship with their children
(ii) stimulating them intellectually, creatively and by building their esteem.
(b) In what new ways can kids use the skills they learn in the classroom during the summer? Mention any two.
Answer:
During the summer vacations, kids can use skills they learn in the classroom in new ways. They can compare prices in grocery shops and sharpen their mental maths skills. They can take car trips to study maps and learn geography.
(c) What advantages did Philip have on writing the book reports?
Answer:
The advantages Philip had on writing the book reports were –
(i) he won an autographed picture of a hockey star
(ii) he had his name and one of his reports printed in the local newspaper.
(d) Why should a summer vacation not be built completely around a child’s fulfillment?
Answer:
A summer vacation should not be built around a child’s fulfillment because just focussing on entertainment does not help a youngster mature into a high thinking, caring member of his family or community. A successful kid is one who budgets time to help others.
1.2 Choose the most appropriate meaning of the given word from the options provided: 4
(a) The word ‘frantic’ means ………………… .
(i) well planned
(ii) done quickly/not organised
(iii) meticulous
(iv) fearless
Answer:
(ii) done quickly/not organised
(b) The word ‘strategies’ means ………………. .
(i) plans
(ii) layers
(iii) rules
(iv) schedules
Answer:
(i) plans
(c) The word ‘moaned’ means ………………….. .
(i) to look at the moon
(ii) to feel happy
(iii) to shout loudly
(iv) to make a low cry
Answer:
(iv) to make a low cry
(d) The word ‘stimulation’ means …………………. .
(i) to stop
(ii) to aggravate
(iii) to excite or invigorate
(iv) to put an end to
Answer:
(iii) to excite or invigorate
Question 2.
Read the passage given below.
The UN’s 2017 International Year tells that sustainable tourism is an important tool for development, most importantly in poor communities and countries. Today sustainability – environmental, social, and economic – is increasingly recognised as the bench-mark for all tourism business. As noted by the UN World Tourism Organisation, 57% of international tourist arrivals will be in emerging economies, by 2030. The various ‘Tourism Terms’ are defined as follows:
| Category | Definition |
| Ecotourism | Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, socially and economically sustains the well-being of local people, and creates knowledge and understanding through interpretation and education of all involved (including staff, travelers and community residents). |
| Ethical Tourism | Tourism in a destination where ethical issues are the key driver, e.g., social injustice, human rights, animal welfare or the environment. |
| Geotourism | Tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place – its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture and wellbeing of its residents. |
| Pro-poor Tourism | Tourism that results in increased net benefit for the poor people in a destination. |
| Responsible Tourism | Tourism that maximizes the benefits to local communities, minimizes negative social or environmental impacts, and helps local people conserve fragile cultures and habitats or species. |
| Sustainable Tourism | Tourism that leads to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential eological processes, biological diversity, and life-support systems. |
Based on data collected by a survey by Travel Bureau, the following market profile of an ecotourist was constructed:
Age: 35-54 years old, although age varied with activity and other factors such as cost.
Gender: 50% female and 50% male, although clear differences based on activity were found.
Education: 82% were college graduates, a shift in interest in ecotourism from those who have high levels of education to those with less education was also found, indicating an expansion into mainstream markets.
Household composition: No major differences were found between general tourists and experienced ecotourists.**
Party composition: A majority (60%) of experienced ecotourism respondents stated they prefer to travel as a couple, with only 15% stating they preferred to travel with their families, and 13% preferring to travel alone.
Trip duration: The largest group of experienced ecotourists -(50%) preferred trips lasting 8-14 days.
Expenditure: Experienced ecotourists were willing to spend more than general tourists, the largest group (26%).
Important elements of trip: Experienced ecotourists top three responses were – (a) wilderness setting, (b) wildlife viewing, (c) hiking/trekking.
Motivations for taking next trip: Experienced ecotourists top two responses were – (a) enjoy scenery/nature, (b) new experiences/places.
** experienced ecotourists = Tourists that had been on at least one “ecotourism” oriented trip.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage attempt any eight questions from the twelve that follow. 1 x 8 = 8
(a) In the line ” ……………… recognised as the benchmark”, the word “benchmark” DOES NOT refer to
(i) a basis for something.
(ii) the criterion required.
(iii) the ability to launch something new.
(iv) a standard point of reference.
Answer:
(iii) the ability to launch something new.
(b) The World Tourism Organisation of the UN, in an observation, shared that
(i) emerging economies of the world will gain 57% of their annual profits from Inter-national tourists.
(ii) countries with upcoming economies shall see maximum tourist footfall from all over the world in the next decade.
(iii) a large number of international tourists in 2030 will be from developing countries.
(iv) barely any tourist in the next decade shall travel from an economically strong nation to a weak one.
Answer:
(ii) countries with upcoming economies shall see maximum tourist footfall from all over the world in the next decade.
(c) One of the elements that is important to ecotourists on trip is:
(i) wild and untouched surroundings.
(ii) cultural exchange.
(iii) car and bus rides.
(iv) Fully furnished flats.
Answer:
(i) wild and untouched surroundings.
(d) Choose the option that lists the correct answers for the following:
1. Asha Mathew, an NRI, loves animals and wishes to travel to places that safeguard their rights and inculcate awareness of their rights. What kind of tourist is she?
2. Gurdeep Singh from UK is an environmental scientist and has always chosen to travel to places that are examples of a symbiotic relationship between man and nature. What kind of tourist is he?
(i) (1) is an ecotourist and (2) is a geotourist.
(ii) (1) is an ethical tourist and (2) is a geotourist.
(iii) (1) is a sustainable tourist and (2) is a pro-poor tourist.
(iv) (1) is a geotourist and (2) is a responsible tourist.
Answer:
(ii) (1) is an ethical tourist and (2) is a geotourist.
(e) Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the inherent qualities of geotourism.
1. showcases adventure sports
2. promotes landscape appreciations
3. promises luxurious travel
4. includes being environmentally responsible
5. believes in commercializing forests
6. initiates donations for the underprivileged
(i) 1 and 2
(ii) 5 and 6
(iii) 2 and 4
(iv) 3 and 5
Answer:
(iii) 2 and 4
(f) In the market profile of an ecotourist, the information on gender indicates that:
(i) female ecotourists were more than the male ecotourists.
(ii) the activity preferences were varied in females and males.
(iii) the choice of things to do on a trip were quite similar for both the genders.
(iv) male ecotourists were frequent travellers.
Answer:
(ii) the activity preferences were varied in females and males.
(g) The education aspect in the market profile of the ecotourist revealed that
(i) mainstream market trends were popular with undergraduates.
(ii) ecotourists were only those who had basic education.
(iii) mainstream markets were popular tourist destinations for educated ecotourists.
(iv) ecotourism was no more limited to the small group of highly educated travellers.
Answer:
(iv) ecotourism was no more limited to the small group of highly educated travellers.
(h) According to the survey conducted by the Travel Bureau, the total percentage of experienced ecotourists who DID NOT prefer to travel alone was:
(i) 60%
(ii) 75%
(iii) 15%
(iv) 13%
Answer:
(ii) 75%
(i) According to the survey, one of the most powerful driving forces leading experienced ecotourism to invest in new trips was
(i) setting up work stations in new places.
(ii) the chance to go camping in the wild.
(iii) competing with other ecotourists as frequent travellers.
(iv) the opportunity to travel to new places.
Answer:
(iv) the opportunity to travel to new places.
(j) Choose the option that lists statement that is NOT TRUE.
(i) Economically backward countries will benefit from sustainable tourism.
(ii) The tourism business currently recognizes sustainability as an important factor.
(iii) Emerging economies will receive negligible international tourists in the near future.
(iv) The sustainability factor in tourism is a significant means for development.
Answer:
(iii) Emerging economies will receive negligible international tourists in the near future.
(k) The survey clearly showed that the age range of ecotourists:
(i) remained the same for the choice of tourist – attractions to visit.
(ii) changed with the monetary requirements for the trip.
(iii) fluctuated due to male-female ratio.
(iv) was constant across various features of the trip.
Answer:
(ii) changed with the monetary requirements for the trip.
(l) Who isn’t an experienced ecotourist?
(i) The person who has travelled as an ecotourist once earlier.
(ii) The person who is yet to travel even once as an ecotourist.
(iii) The person who is a regular ecotourism enthusiast and traveller.
(iv) The person who is not regularly travelling on ecotourism trips.
Answer:
(ii) The person who is yet to travel even once as an ecotourist.
Section B – Writing Skills with Grammar 30 Marks
Question 3.
You are Tabassum/Tarun, a resident of Satya Nagar Colony, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. You have noticed that some residents of your colony are repeatedly flouting quarantine rules laid out during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Write a letter to the SHO of the local Police Station, drawing attention towards the same. Explain how such acts impact the health of the community and request immediate intervention and strict action. 10
Or,
Write a letter in 100 – 150 words to the Manager, Furniture World, Chennai, complaining about the poor quality ot office furniture you recently purchased from them. Give details of the nature of complaint, date of purchase, details of invoice, etc. and seek immediate repair/replacement. You are Mr. S.Reddy, Principal, P.S. Public School, Chennai. 10
Answer:
Satya Nagar Colony
Bhubaneshwar
Orissa
5 th July, 20xx
The SHO
Satya Nagar Police Station
Bhubaneshwar
Subject: Flouting of quarantine rules by residents.
Sir
Through the medium of this letter I would like to bring to your notice that some residents of our colony are repeatedly flouting quarantine rules that have been laid out during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is indeed unfortunate how these people conveniently choose to ignore their own safety and also endanger others due to their casual attitude. I would like to request you to take strict action against these offenders since our Residents Welfare Association has turned a blind eye to this problem.
I feel heavy fines should be imposed on people who do not wear masks or maintain social distancing. These unprecedented times require us to follow certain rules for our own safety as well as that of others.
I hope you will take up this matter seriously and immediately intervene to ensure that COVID-19 pandemic rules are not taken lightly.
Yours sincerely
Tabassum/Tarun
Or
P.S. Public School
Chennai
7 th March, 20xx
The Manager
Furniture World
Chennai
Subject: Letter of Complaint against poor quality of office furniture
Sir
We had purchased office furniture from your showroom on 17th January vide Invoice No. FWC/2051.1 am sorry to say that most of these items sent by you are of poor quality and very non-durable. Not even two months have passed and the chairs are already creaking as the springs used in them are of inferior quality. The wood on the tables too has started chipping off at different places. Four of the seven wooden almirahs are defective as their handles are loose and they are not even stable. It is most disgusting that a reputed shop like yours has been unable to maintain the quality of its products. I would request you to have this faulty lot replaced by a new one, with the best quality at the earliest and would appreciate if you initiated action in this matter fast.
Yours sincerely
S. Reddy (Principal)
Question 4.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100 – 120 words.
[A] The chart below displays data about the number of digital devices purchased in Rishunagar across the years 2015 – 2019. Write a paragraph analyzing the given data. 8
Or,
[B] Read the following excerpt from an article that appeared in the magazine section of a local daily:
The ban on single-use plastic is impractical. The purpose of articles like bags and packaging is ultimately to make human life easier. Plastic articles do this well, so they shouldn’t be banned.
Write a paragraph to analyse the given argument.
You could think about what alternative explanations might weaken the given conclusion and include rationale/evidence that would strengthen/counter the given argument. 8
Answer:
[A] This bar chart displays data about the number of digital devices purchased in Rishunagar across the years 2015 – 2019. In 2015, around 35,000 computers were bought and the smartphones count was about 42,000. These figures sharply rose in 2016, where a little less than 60,000 computers were purchased but the smartphones tally went up by almost 20,000. It is interesting to note that the number of computers that were bought in 2017 exceeded the number of smartphones bought in that year by almost 10,000. This figure dropped in 2018; wherein the number of computers bought decreased by about 25,000 and the smartphones figures dropped by just about 10,000. The year 2019 again witnessed a steep hike in the purchase of both digital devices almost 90,000 thousand computers and over 1 lakh smartphones were bought.
Or
A straw for our cold drinks, a plastic bag to carry our things or a candy wrapper, all these appear quite harmless and we might question the practicality of banning single use plastic. But let us not forget that all these plastic items come with a steep environment price that we cannot afford to pay, nor can we afford to prioritise our convenience over the long term negative impacts of single use plastic items. Of the various problems that plague the world, the plague of single use plastics seems to be the most pervasive. As inhabitants of a planet that is slowly but surely getting choked by the plastic. We need to get really serious about doing away with the plastic, specially single use plastics.
Question 5.
Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with the help of the given options: 1 × 4 = 4
During (a) ……………… hottest part of the year, many of (b) ……………… city streets seem to be on fire (c) ……………… masses of Gulmohar flowers. This (d) ……………… one of the most beautiful trees.
Answer:
(a) (ii) the
(b) (iv) our
(c) (iii) with
(d) (i) is
Question 6.
The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the error and its correction as shown in the example. 1 × 4 = 4
Answer:
(a) over … on
(b) knew … know
(c) their … his
(d) the … a
Question 7.
Rearrange the following words / phrases to form meaningful sentences. 1 × 4 = 4
The first one has been done as an example.
poverty / the village people / from / most / suffer / of/
Most of the village people suffer from poverty.
(a) in rural areas / is / employment opportunities / there / of / lack /
(b) come to cities / in / people / so / of work / search /
(c) appalling conditions / cities / they /in / live / in /
(d) poor wages / They / for / and work / exploited / are /
Answer:
(a) There is lack of employment opportunities in rural areas.
Or,
In rural areas there is lack of employment opportunities.
(b) So people come to cities in search of work.
Or,
So in search of work people come to cities
(c) They live in appalling conditions in cities.
Or,
They live in cities in appalling conditions.
(d) They are exploited and work for poor wages.
Section C – Literature Text & Supplementary Reading Text 30 Marks
Question 8.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 1 × 4 = 4
“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
(a) Whom are these lines addressed to?
Answer:
These lines are addressed to the speakers woman friend, the young lady Anne Gregory.
(b) What would throw a young man into despair?
Answer:
The great honey coloured hair at the young ladie’s ear would throw a young man into despair.
(c) What does the word, ‘ramparts’ here mean?
Answer:
‘Ramparts’ means, high wide walls around a castle. In the above lines Ramparts refer to honey-coloured hair will cover the young girls face and fall at her ears.
(d) What do these lines suggest about true love?
Answer:
The above lines suggest that one should be loved for one self alone and not for ones appearance.
Or,
“Why, you’re in evening dress! Well, I never ! Are you going to a ball or what? Though I must say you look better…”
(a) Who is speaking and to whom?
Answer:
Natalya is speaking to Lomov in the above lines.
(b) Why is the person spoken to in an evening dress?
Answer:
Lomov is in an evening formal dress as he has come to Chubukov’s house to ask for his daughter, Natalya’s had in marriage.
(c) What does the word, ‘ball’ mean here?
Answer:
The word ‘ball’ in the above lines means a formal dance party.
(d) Was the person in evening dress successful in conveying his message? Why.
Answer:
No, Lomov was not successful in conveying the purpose of his visit. The conversation turned into a dispute over ownership of Oxen Meadows.
Question 9.
Answer the following questions in 30 – 40 words each. 2 × 5 = 10
(a) What do we learn about the financial condition of the bakers of Goa?
Answer:
Baking was considered an essential profession because marriage gifts were meaningless without a sweet known as the Bol. The lady of the house had to prepare sandwiches on her daughter’s engagement. Cakes and bolinhas were a must for Christmas and other festivals. Baking was also a profitable profession in the traditional Goan village. The baker and his family never starved. He, his family, his servants always looked happy and prosperous. Their plump physique was an open testimony to this.
(b) How did M. Loisel try to make his wife happy?
Answer:
Loisel was indeed a simple man who really and cared for his wife. He especially brought in the dinner invitation of the Minister’s house to make Matilda happy. He even agreed willingly to give her the four hundred francs, that he had saved to buy a gun, so that she could buy a suitable and pretty dress for the party. When Matilda lost the necklace he made all the arrangements to borrow the money so that they could buy a new necklace and give it to Mme Forestier. Later to repay the loan that he had borrowed, he worked harder and longer and did not really mind spending ten years of his life in misery only because he loved his wife and was willing to make any sacrifice for her sake.
(c) Describe the flight of the Dakota aeroplane till it landed safely at the airport.
Answer:
The Dakota aeroplane took off in a clear sky from France for its journey to England. After flying about 150 kilometres it was suddenly inside the clouds and everything was suddenly black. The compass and the other instruments were dead. Then in the black clouds the pilot saw a black aeroplane. The pilot followed the other plane like an obedient child. After half an hour the Dakota aeroplane came out of the clouds and saw two long straight lines of light of the runway in front. But there was no sign of the black aeroplane.
(d) What experiments did Griffin carry out? What was the final result of these experiments?
Answer:
Griffin had carried out many experiments to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass – though it also remained as solid as glass.
(e) What was Noodle’s version to describe the so-called ‘sandwich’?
Answer:
Noodle had a cloudy piece of information twirling around in his head about the so-called ‘sandwich’. He thought the sandwiches were some sort of communication device. He seemed to recall that the Earthlings did not listen to the sandwiches, they opened them and watched them.
Question 10.
Answer the following questions in about 100 – 150 words. 8
Once we decide to achieve something, so many difficulties come in our way. With focused attention we can make that achievement. How did Valli succeed in fulfilling her desire of riding a bus?
Or,
Having pets is not just a pastime it is a big responsibility. Comment with reference to the story “Mijbil, the Otter”, bringing out the values one needs to have to keep animals as pets.
Answer:
Valli’s deepest desire was to ride on the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. Valli planned her bus ride by learning various small details about the bus journey by listening to conversations of her neighbours who were regular users of the bus. She found about the bus fare, the time it took to reach the town and back and the time of the bus.
Valli saved up money for the bus journey by collecting coins and by not spending on peppermints, toys, balloons etc. Her meticulous planning and strong will power made her plan and execute the journey successfully. She saved money, gathered the required information and waited patiently for the right time to go on her journey. Her courage, confidence and dignity on the journey made the conductor call her ‘madam’. The journey taught her to be independent and to get to know about the outside world. It also taught her how to interact with different kinds of people. I feel that Valli was a highly sensitive girl. The sight of the dead cow touched her and left her feeling very sad. She learnt how life and death are interwoven together and that death was the ultimate truth of life.
Or
Owning a pet is a lifetime of commitment involving considerable responsibility. The decision to acquire one, therefore, should be made by the whole family. Without full agreement by everyone, the pet could end up unwanted. In the story ‘Mijbil, the Otter, Maxwell makes Mij seem almost human like a small boy. Mij would follow Maxwell without a lead and come to him when he called his name. Mij was an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needed only love.
In order to be able to keep a pet, we should be a compassionate human being like Maxwell. He was caring and extremely cautious about the food and drink of his pet. He was grateful to the air hostess for allowing him to keep Mijbil on his lap during the flight to Paris.
Question 11.
Answer the following questions in about 100 – 150 words. 8
School education turned Bholi from a dumb cow into a bold girl. How did she save her father from a huge expense and become his support in his old age?
Or,
What projects and experiments did Ebright undertake?
Answer:
If one has the will and the inclination, nothing is impossible and if this willingness is backed by love and encouragement, the most far-fetched and impossible goals can also be achieved. This is aptly proved in the story of Bholi who gets a completely new personality and identity all because of the sincere and genuine efforts of her teacher. Her teacher’s loving words touched her heart and instilled in her the confidence to live up to her teacher’s expectations because she did not want to let down such a kind lady.
Her teacher plays a very important role in her life by giving her education and the courage to stand up for her own self-respect. Her teacher makes her confident enough to fight for her own right. When she comes off age her parents decide to marry her to a man twice her age. When the greedy groom demanded a hefty dowry she rebelled because of her education and did not let herself be taken for granted by a mean, greedy and contemptible man like Bishamber. She saved her father from a huge expense in this manner.
Or
For his eighth grade project Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease that kills monarch caterpillars. He thought that the disease might be carried by a beetle so he raised caterpillars in the presence of beetles. Although he did not get any result, he still won a prize.
The next year science project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarchs. The theory was that viceroys looked like monarchs but monarchs didn’t taste good to birds. But viceroys tasted good to birds. So the more they looked like monarchs the less they were eaten by the birds. His project was to see whether birds would eat monarchs. He found that starlings would not eat ordinary bird food. It would eat all the monarchs it finds.
This project of Ebright secured first place in the zoology division and overall third place in the county science fair.