Class: X March 2021 Sample Paper (Reduced Syllabus)

Marks: 80 English 3 hours

SECTION I : LANGUAGE STUDY [10 Marks]

Q.1. A) A1. Do as directed (Any four) : 4

1. Write two compound words of your own. 1

2. Pick out the gerund from the following sentence 1
This attitude of taking destroys families.
3. Punctuate the following sentence: 1
i made some money yesterday he explained
4. Form two present participles in which the last word is doubled. 1
5. Complete the following word chain of adjectives: 1
Technical, t_________, ___________
_________, ___________

A 2. Do as directed (Any two) 4

1. Change the following sentence in indirect speech. 2

“I’d like to understand music so that I could understand Bach,’’ said the
writer.
2. Make sentence of your own to show difference in homophones: 2
accept:
except:
3. Rewrite the sentence in present perfect tense: 2
I had been working for Anil for almost a month.

(B) Do as directed (Any one) 2

1. Begin the sentence with “No sooner ………’’ 2
As soon as the thief escaped, the family informed the police.
2. Change the following sentence into positive and comparative degree: 2
Daulatabad is one of the best preserved forts in Maharashtra.
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 SECTION II : TEXTUAL PASSAGES [20 Marks]
(Reading Skill, Vocabulary and Grammar)

Q.2 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities. (10)

(A1) Rewrite the following sentences in proper sequence. 2

(a) It starts wilting.
(b) Through the day, it smiles with the sun.
(c) It withers completely.
(d) Every fortnight a flower blooms.

We have a hibiscus plant in our garden. Every fortnight a flower

blooms on it - big, bright and tender. Through the day it smiles with the sun
and dances with the wind, but as evening approaches, it starts wilting. The
morning after, it withers completely and by evening it falls and becomes
one with the earth again. The flower comes to life only for a day, yet it does
so in full splendour. What if we too lived our life, however short, to its
fullest?
We went to a rocky beach and saw the spread of the majestic ocean and
the rocks alongside, carved, sculpted and shaped by the water. Water is so
gentle, rock so hard, yet, as the water flows over it every day, for years, the
rock gives in. It takes the shape that the water commands. Our problems are
so colossal and we are so small, yet if we persist...
We saw small bits of grass peeping through the small cracks in a
concrete pavement. It left us thinking: however impossible things may look,
there is always an opening...
We saw a tree bare of all leaves in the cold winter months. We thought
its chapter was over. But three months passed, spring set in and the tree was
back to its green majesty once again, full of leaves, flowers, birds and life.
What if we too had the conviction that, however difficult things are right
now, it will not remain so for ever. Remember, this too shall pass.

(A2) Complete the following sentences. 2

(1) Our problems are ……………………….. .

(2) However impossible things may look ………………………………………..

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(A3) Match the columns. 2
A B
(1) Drying and drooping (a) Conviction

(2) Huge, massive (b) Splendour

(3) Grandeur (c) Colossal

(4) Firm belief (d) Wilting

(A4) (1) Do as directed. 2

(a) We went to the rocky beach and saw the spread of the majestic ocean.

(Begin with ‘After going to….’)

(b) We have a hibiscus plant in our garden. (Write a question to which the
underlined word is the answer).

(A5) What role does nature play in our lives? 2

Q.2 (B) Read the following passage and do the activities. (10)

(B1) State whether the following statements are True or False.

(a) The hermit answered all the questions.
(b) The hermit was strong and firm.
(c) The king had come to hermit to ask him answers of seven questions.
(d) The king felt sorry for the hermit after watching him tired.

He decided, instead to go to a hermit who was widely renowned for his

wisdom. The hermit lived in a small hut in a forest which he never left. He
spoke only to common folk. So the king put on simple clothes and approaching
the hermit’s cell, dismounted his horse and left his bodyguard behind.
When the king arrived, the hermit was digging the ground in front of his
hut. He greeted the king but went on digging. The hermit was frail and weak,
and each time he struck the ground with the spade and turned over a little earth,
he breathed heavily. The king went up to him and said, “I have come to you,
wise hermit, to ask you to answer three questions-How can I learn to do the
right thing at the right time? Who are the people I most need, and to whom
should I, therefore, pay most attention ? And what affairs are the most important
and need my first attention?”

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 The hermit listened to the king but said nothing. He just spat on his hand
and resumed digging. The king watched in silence for a while. Then, feeling
sorry for the hermit, he said, “You are tired, let me take the spade and work a
while for you.” The hermit silently handed over the spade and sat down on the
ground. When he had dug two beds, the king stopped and repeated his
questions. The hermit again gave no answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for
the spade, and said, “Now rest a while and let me work a bit”. But the king did
not give him the spade and continued to dig.
One hour passed and another. The sun began to sink behind the trees and
the king at last stuck the spade into the ground and said, “I came to you, wise
one, for an answer to my questions. If you can give me none, please say so, and
I will go home.’’ “Here comes someone running,’’ said the hermit, “let us see
who it is.

(B2) Why did the king come to the hermit? How did the hermit respond to the
king’s questions?
(B3) Find out two present participles and two past participles.
(B4) (1) You are very tired.
(The correct exclamatory form of the sentence is …………..)
(i) How are you tired !
(ii) How tired you are !
(iii) How you are tired !
(2) The hermit gave no answer. (Make it affirmative.)
(B5) Whom will you consult if you have any doubt or question in your mind?
Why?

SECTION III : POETRY [10 Marks]

Q.3(A) Read the following poem and do the activities. 5

(A1) Complete the following sentences with the help of the poem. 2

(a) The poet wishes he could

(b) Animals do not complain about
(c) Animals do not merely discuss
(d) Animals are not crazy about

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I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
so placid and self-contain’d
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with
the mania of owning things.
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that
lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
So they show their relations to me and I accept them,
They bring me tokens of myself, they evince
them plainly in their possession
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?
- Walt Whitman

(A2) The qualities of animals that highlighted by the poet in the poem are:
(A3) Name and explain the figures of speech.
“I stand and look at them long and long.’’

Q.3 (B) Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the
help of the given points in paragraph format. 5

Where the Mind is Without Fear …

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by Thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
– Rabindranath Tagore

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Points:

• Title & poet of the poem 1

• Rhyme Scheme 1
• Figures of Speech 1

• Central Idea/ Theme 2

SECTION IV : NON-TEXTUAL PASSAGES [15 Marks]

(Reading Skill, Vocabulary, Grammar and Summary)

Q.4 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities. (10)

(A1) State whether the following statements are true or false. 2

(1) The most common type of galaxy is the barred spiral.

(2) Galaxies are clusters, held by gravity.

(3) Scientists do not believe in the Big Bang explosion.

(4) Galaxies are moving from each other.

Galaxies are vast clusters of thousands of millions of stars, planets, gases and dust,
which are held together by gravity. There are over one thousand million galaxies, and
each is a very long way from its nearest neighbour.
Galaxies were formed during the Big Bang explosion about 15,000 million years ago.
When this phenomenon occurred, everything that was in the universe flew out in
different directions. Scientists believe that the galaxies were formed from lumps of
matter that resulted. However, the process is nowhere near complete. The universe is
still expanding, galaxies are still moving away from each other, new stars are still being
created.
Galaxies are classified according to their shapes. There are three main types. The
most common type of galaxy is The Spiral. This has several spiral arms radiating out
from the center. Spiral galaxies have a large cluster of stars in their nucleus. The second
type is the Barred spiral. In this type of galaxy, the spiral arms curve away from the
opposite ends of a sort of bar going through the middle of the nucleus. These contain
large amounts of gas and dust as well stars. The third type of galaxy is electrical. These
consist almost entirely of stars and contain very little gas or dust. Some galaxies have
irregular, uneven shapes and cannot be classified.
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(A2) Complete the web chart. 2

----

Formation
of galaxy

----- -----
(A3) (a) Find out similar words from the passage. 1

(i) mass (ii) happenings

(b) Give the verb form of the given words. 1

(i) classified (ii) directions

(A4) Identify and name the clause. 2

Scientists believe that the galaxies were formed from the lumps of matter.

(A5) Can there be life in another galaxy? Give reasons for your answer. 2

Q.4 (B) Read the passage given in Q. 4 (A) and write the summary of it.
Suggest a suitable title to your summary. 5

SECTION V : WRITING SKILLS [25 Marks]

Q.5 (A) Letter Writing : Attempt any one of the following activities. 5

Read the following news and write a letter based on it.

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 Sameer / Sameera Raorane from C/26, Shivsevak, C. G Road, Wadgaon,
sees an accident in his locality as there are no street lights in his/her area. Like
always, all the bystanders stood mute and did nothing. This was the fourth
serious accident in that month.

(A1) Informal Letter : (A2) Formal Letter :

Write a letter to your uncle Write a letter to the Sarpanch,
about bystanders after them Grampanchyat office, Main Road,
see people hit with a Wadgaon – 400001; mentioning
vehicle. They have forgotten (OR) the problem of no street lights in
all about being human. your area. Inform him/her about
Suggest what you expect the increasing number of
from your bystanders. accidents. Request him/her to
install street lights at the earliest.

Q.6 (A) Information Transfer : 5

(A1) Non-Verbal to Verbal :

Observe the following web-chart carefully and write two short

paragraphs of ‘Advantages of watching Television’ with the help of the
points given.

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 (OR)

(A2) Verbal to Non-verbal :

Read the following paragraph and convert into a tree diagram:

Two common types of oils are animal oil and vegetable oil.
Some of the commonest sources of animal oils are from the livers of the
cod and halibut, two kinds of fish. These oils are very nourishing. They are a
great source of vitamins, and hence are recommended for under nourished
children. We get oil from other creatures as well, but it is the whale that yields
the most. The whale has a thick coating of fat called blubber which protects it
from the extreme cold of the Arctic seas. Whales are often hunted for this oil.
To make this oil fit for human consumption blubber is stripped off from a dead
whale and boiled, most often on board the ship.
Vegetable oils are extracted from different plant parts such as seeds, nuts
and the flesh of fruits. They are widely used in cooking. From very ancient
times they have been used in households for various reasons. The oils of
certain flowers are extracted to make perfumes. Vegetable oils such as castor
oil are used as medicine and as lubricants. In recent times, there have been
debates on using waste vegetable oils as fuel.

Q.6 (B)Views/Counterviews (or) Drafting a Speech : 5

(B1) Drafting a Speech :

Regular practice of Yoga can help in maintaining good
health and even in the prevention of so many ailments. Write a speech to be
delivered in the morning assembly on the usefulness of Yoga.

(OR)
(B2) Views/Counterviews :

Present the Counterviews on ‘We do not require homes for the aged in
India’. You can use the following points from the view section.

VIEWS
• They have good family ties.
• They are secure in the nuclear family system.
• Government has started a welfare scheme for them.

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• They are comfortable living in the family as all their needs are fulfilled.
SECTION VI : CREATIVE WRITING

Q.7 (A) Expansion or News Report : Attempt any one of the following
activities. 5

(A1) Expand the following ideas into 100 words.

Perseverance is the key of Success.

OR

(A2) News Report based on the given headline :

Prepare a newspaper report based on the following headline.

Kashmir shivers on the coldest day in 70 years.

(B) Story or Narrating an experience : 5

(B1) Writing a Story :

Develop a story in about 90 - 100 words with the help of the following
ending. Suggest a suitable title for it.

.............................................. and he rightly said, ‘In unity lies strength.’

OR

(B2) Narrating an Experience :

Narrate an experience in about 90 - 100 words with the help of the

following beginning. Suggest a suitable title for it.

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It was dull day. I had to reach my friend’s house. I took my books and started
walking towards ………………………………..

* As per reduced syllabus 2020 – 2021

*Note: Only chapter is omitted.
Grammar & Writing Skill part is not
Omitted from above mentioned chapters.

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