Sample Paper  (English) Set - 5

Sample Paper – 2008
Class - X (English

  

English   COMMUNICATIVE     CLASS-X

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Attempt all questions.
   

2. Do not write anything in the question paper.
   

3. All the answers must be correctly numbered as in the question paper and written in the answer sheet provided to you.
   

4. Ensure that questions for each Section are answered together.
   

5. Read each question carefully and follow the instructions.
   

6. Strictly adhere to the word limit given with each question. Marks will be deducted for exceeding the word limit.

 

SECTION A – READING

1 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:       (10 marks)

FACING OLD AGE WITH ZEST

1. The phenomenon of ageing has been with us.  Anything that is born must disappear.  We cannot avoid old   age, but how to face it and add zest to life in the remaining years of our living on this earth?

 

 

 

2. Ageing should bring control over three human passions- lust, anger and greed.  Controlling these forces changes the mode of our living and our thinking.

 

 

 

3. There are two factors which are responsible for our well being.  First, keeping ourselves fully occupied both mentally and physically, with something we like.  The second is directing ourselves towards spirituality.  Spiritual learning makes us calmer and gives inner peace.

 

 

 

4. Meditation, reading books and keeping company with spiritually-enlightened people keep us mentally occupied and bring tranquility.  A life full of contentment at this stage particularly would make the remaining years of our life happier.

 

 

 

5. We understood the meaning of renunciation, wrongly perhaps.  Running away from the world and its material attractions is not the path being professed.  The stage of life that we are at, is one in which we must not ignore the spark that guides us to the correct path.  We are not the external body alone, but the soul within also.  According to our scriptures, God resides in every soul.

 

 

 

6. There are three weapons, which God has given us for our happiness – awareness, wisdom and goodness.

Awareness refers to knowing one’s real self.  It means to be aware of our real personality.  Wisdom is our second weapon.  Most of us lead this life without being aware of our aim, goal and priorities and each one’s inherent capacities.  A person of wisdom will succeed by disciplining his life, fixing the priorities and reorganizing his reactions, emotions and thoughts.  Wisdom lies in knowing our goal in life. Goodness is in fact the core of all philosophies.  It is the sheet anchor of the teaching of various religions.  What are the Ten Commandments? What is compassion taught by Buddha?  What is Ahimsa taught by Saint Mahavir?  The Gita repeats, again and again, that unless we enhance our content of nobility and purity, the goal of self realisation will remain beyond reach.

 

 

 

7. Goodness and humility go hand-in-hand and complement each other.  One has to replace selfishness with selflessness and bring one’s ego under control

 

 

 

8. To practice compassion you have to have all the qualities of goodness – truth, love, purity and humility.

 

 

 

9. The Dalai Lama has repeatedly brought out in his discourses that love and anger cannot be generated exactly at the same time in the same person.  Once you become accustomed to one class of attitudes, the other side automatically will diminish.

 

 

 

10. He said: “Ignorance, anger, attachment and pride are your ultimate enemies.  They are not outside but within you and must be fought with the weapons of wisdom and concentration.  Have a good heart, a good mind and warm feelings?”  This will lead us to live a beautiful life.

                                                                               

 

1.1 On the basis of your reading the passage complete the notes. Write your answers in your answer sheet against the correct blank number.      (4marks)

 

 

a)  To add zest to old age one should control three human passions:

i)  ________________  ii) ________________  and lust.

b) One should keep oneself occupied i) ________________________ and mentally.

c) One should be spiritually inclined through  i) ______________  ii) ___________ and reading books.

d) Three weapons God has given us for happiness are

i) ________________                       ii) ________________  and awareness.

e) One should follow: i) _________________________________

 

 

 

1.2 On the basis of your reading, complete the following sentences briefly.  Write your answers in your answer sheet against the correct blank number.  (4x1/2 = 2marks)

a)       Wisdom lies in _________________________

b)       We cannot achieve self-realisation unless ________________________

c)       Truth, love, purity and humility are essential to practise _________________

According

d)       to Dalai Lama our four ultimate enemies are _________________

 

 

 

1.3 Find words/phrases in the passage that have the same meaning as the following.  Write your answers in your answer sheets against the correct blank number. (4marks)

a)       enjoyment (para 1)

b)       giving up (para 5)

c)       asserted; stated (para5)

d)       precedence (para 7)

 

 

 

A2. Read the following passage carefully. (12 marks)

 

1. The newspapers have taken the place of the Gita, the Bible and the Quran with the people. For them, the printed sheet is gospel truth. The fact throws a great responsibility on the editors and newswriters.

 

 

2. Newspapers are a powerful influence. It is the duty of the editors to see that no false report or report likely to excite the public is published in their newspapers. The editors and their assistants have to be extra careful about the news they give and the manner in which they dress it. In a state of independence, it is practically impossible for Governments to control the Press. It is the duty of the public to keep a strict watch on the newspapers and keep them on the right path. An enlightened public would refuse to patronize inflammatory or indecent newspapers.

 

 

3. Newspapers which indulge in untruth or exaggeration harm the cause they profess to espouse. I admit that there is enough untruth in enough newspapers to warrant action. But my experience is that no amount of public criticism will affect the policy of newspapers which make their livelihood by such policy But I write this in no way to condone untruths in newspapers. I am quite clear that if newspapers weighed every word that is printed therein, we should have a speedier removal of abuses whether in the States or elsewhere.

 

 

4. The superficiality, the one-sidedness, the inaccuracy and often even dishonesty that have crept into modern journalism, continuously mislead honest men who want to see nothing but justice done.

 

 

5. The sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper press is a great power, but just as an unchained torrent of water submerges whole countrysides and devastates crops, even so an uncontrolled pen serves but to destroy. If the control is from without, it proves more poisonous than want of control. It can be profitable only when exercised from within. If this line of reasoning is correct, how many of the journals in the world would stand the test? But who would stop those that are useless? And who should be the judge? The useful and the useless must, like good and evil, go on together, and man must make his choice.

 

 

 

A2.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage complete the following sentences. Write the answers in your answer sheet against the correct blank numbers. (1 x 6 = 6 marks)

(a) It is the duty of the editor to see that ..............
(b) As it is practically impossible for the Governments to control the press, ............
(c) Newspapers which indulge in untruth or exaggeration need to be rejected by the people because ................
(d) The modern journalism suffers from ......................... which mislead honest men.
(e) The sole aim of journalism should be because it ................
(f) As the useful and the useless must, like good and evil go on together, man ...................

 

 

 

A2.2 On the basis of your reading of the passage answer the questions given below in one or two lines only. (1½x2=3 marks)

(a) What is the duty of the enlightened public with respect to the newspapers?
(b) If newspapers weighed every word thai. is printed therein, we should have a speedier removal of abuses whether in the States o elsewhere. Why?

 

 

 

A2.3 Find words / phrases from the passage which mean the same as the following from the paragraphs indicated. (1 x 3 = 3 marks)

(a) intending to cause very strong feeling(para 2)

b) not studying or looking at something thoroughly (para 4)
(c) to go under the surface of water (para 5)

 

SECTION B (WRITING)

 

B1.  Anupam Singh is on his way to Hisar to join his university after the summer vacation. At Rohtak, just before he is to catch another bus, he remembers that he has forgotten his notes and newly bought watch, both placed in his almirah. He decides to write a post card at home to give his notes and watch to Anil, his junior, who is to come to Hisar the next day. Write the postcard to his mother, in not more than 50 words.                (5 marks)

   

 

 

B2. Read the following telephone conversation which took place between Kamal and Sumit. Sumit’s father is not at home and he is to hurry to school. Sumit, therefore, leaves a message for his father. Write the message in not more than 50 words. (5 marks)

Kamal : Hello Sumit. Is uncle at home?

Sumit : I’m sorry, he’s out at the moment. What can I do for you?

Kamal : Well, my daddy was to come to see uncle today at home at 6pm. But guests are due and he won't be able to do so

Sumit : Yes…….

Kamal : He will come to see uncle day after tomorrow at about 6:30 pm. Kindly tell uncle about it 

Sumit : Don’t worry. I am in a bit of hurry. I will leave a message for papa. Bye

Kamal : Bye. 

 

 

 B3. You happened to overhear the following dialogue:

Sumesh : School is so boring now-a-days. Ramesh : We are treated as machines and fed on mere facts. Sumesh : I hope the classes were more interesting.

 

 

Write a letter to the District Education Officer suggesting how the educational curriculum could be made more flexible and relevant to the changing economy and environment. Use ideas from the unit on 'Education' along with your ideas. Your answer should be in about 150 words . (10 marks)

 

B4. Nitin of 8, Napier Town, Jabalpur is not happy with the sanitary conditions of his locality. He decides to write a letter to the Local Sanitary Inspector of the town to look into the sorry state of affairs.. (10 Marks)

 

 

 

SECTION C GRAMMAR

C1. Look at the words and phrases below. Rearrange them to form meaningful sentences.   (  8 marks)


a)hardly / koalas are / ever drink / animals that / water /
b) water supply / they get / they eat / from / all their / the leaves /
c) inhabited / tree leaves / so, / by koalas / in areas / of / is high / demand /
d) one group / it takes / to support / several acres / of koalas / of trees /
e) can eat / everyday / each / one and a half kilograms / adult koala /up to / of leaves
f) the doctor / to go to / I had
g) by stepping / I slipped / to the bus-stop / on a banana peel / the house / coming from / while
h) On the knee / by the doctor / a / which I have /

 

C2.In the paragraph given below, one word has been omitted in each line.  Write the missing word along with the word that comes before and the word that comes after it in your answer sheet against the correct blank number.  Make sure that the word that forms your answer is underlined. (4marks)

The television has always very controversial.       e.g. always been very

While the positive aspects the electronic            a) ______________

media innumerable, their negative                     b) ______________

 

impact children cannot be denied.                      c) ______________

For new piece of information that                       d) ______________

a child learns the Discovery or National               e) ______________

Geographic channel, are also                             f) ______________

unrealistic stunt shows parents dislike.               g) ______________

Computers and TV have students to lose interest h) ______________
in studies

 

 

C3. Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with one suitable word (4 marks)

Perhaps the most important aspect of a villager’s education is (a) ……… knowledge of (b) ……… to handle and understand money.

The villager, (c) ……… we have seen is accustomed to exchange of goods and services rather (d) ……… to selling and buying. He is used (e) ……… acquiring and spending cash once a year, he spends large amounts at weddings, religious rites, ceremonies. This kind of spending (f) ……… does not give him (g) ……… long-term benefits is considered mandatory, and he (h) ……… unthinkably get into debt on such occasions.

 

C4..    Complete the following newspaper items: (1x 4 =4 marks)

a)OLD COINS FOUND

According to Archeological Survey of India, some (a) …………………………………………………….. while digging an ancient mound near Mungeh.

b) SPECIAL TASK FORCE TO BEGIN PROBE KIDNAP

Special Task Force sleuths arrived here today where (b) …………………………………………. of the son of a former Union Minister.
 

c) IDOLS IMM ERSED IN RIVER

The ten day Dusserrah festival comes to an end today with------------------------------- in the Ganga.


d)MAID WINS MARUTI AS PRIZE

The fortune of a house maid today changed when--------------------------- in the local mela raffle

 

 

SECTION D LITERATURE

D-1. Read the extract  and answer the questions given below:  (7 marks) 

May the sins of your previous birth

Be burned away tonight, they said

May your suffering decrease

The misfortunes of your next birth, they said

May the sum of evil

Balanced in this unreal world

Against the sum of good

 

(a)     What do the peasants pray?

(b)     How do they comfort the mother?

(c)     Name the poem and the poet?

 

D2.Give a brief character sketch of the ancient mariner?  (5 Marks)

 

D3. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow   (5 marks)

 

When beggars die, there are no comets seen; The heaves themselves blaze forth the death of prince

a)Who speaks these lines and to whom?

b)What is the occasion?

c)What is the speakers fear?

d)How does the speaker differentiate between the death of a prince and that of a beggar?

 

D4. Who were the scientist jailors? What harm or good did they do to cutie pie? How can you say that? (5 marks)

D5. As he waits endlessly for news of his daughter and knows that his end is approaching near, Au reflects on his journey of life and his apprehensions. Describe Ali's feelings in about 150 words . (8 marks)