Madhyamik Class 10 English Question Paper 2013
ENGLISH (Second Language)
Time : 3 Hours 15 Minutes
(First 15 Minutes for reading the question paper only, 3 Hours for writing)
Full Marks : For Regular Candidates – 90
For External Candidate – 100
Roll ____ No ____
Name ____
Registration No. ____ of ____
Answer all the questions in the space provided. There is enough space for the answers. However, the extra sheet will be supplied by the invigilator, if required.
Special credits will be given for the answer which are brief and to the point. Marks will be deducted for spelling mistakes, untidiness and bad handwriting.
- Section – A: Reading Comprehension – 20 marks (Seen)
- Reading Comprehension – 20 marks (Unseen)
- Section – B: Grammar and Vocabulary – 20 marks
- Section – C: Writing – 30 marks
- Section – D: Supplementary: 10 marks for external candidates only
Section – A
Reading Comprehension (Seen)
- Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions that follow :
Netaji Subhas Chandra was not a man to appeal to the grace of the British rulers for freedom of the country. He hated any idea of compromising with anything unjust and wrong. So he started the vigorous campaign against the British Government in public. The foreign rulers sent him behind the bars but could not curb his indomitable spirit.
In the third week of January, 1941, befooling the British Police Force, he escaped from internment in his own house and went to Germany in disguise. From there he went to Japan travelling under waters in a submarine. From Japan he went to Singapore and built up the Azad Hind Fauj and proclaimed the formation of the Azad Hind Government. He was called ‘Netaji’ by the soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj, the first Indian National Army (INA). As the leader of the Azad Hind Fauj, Netaji said to the soldiers of the Fauj : “Comrades ! Soldiers ! Let your battle cry be-To Delhi, To Delhi!”
The national salutation ‘Jai Hind’ was first conceived by Azad Hind Fauj. Netaji’s breath is still felt in this national salutation of today’s free India : ‘Jai Hind!
A. Complete each of the following sentences with information from the text above : [2×4=8]
- Though Netaji was put behind the bars by the foreign rulers ____
- After going to Germany in disguise Netaji ____
- In Singapore Netaji ____
- The first Indian National Army was the ____
B. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two : [2×2=4]
- What was the important event that took place in the life of Netaji in the third week of January 1941?
- By whom was the national salutation ‘Jai Hind’ first conceived?
2. Read the poem and answer the questions that follow :
Whose woods these are I think I know
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
A. Answer the following questions : [2×2=4]
- Why does the poet stop by the woods?
- What seems strange to the horse?
B. Each of the following statements is either ‘True’ or ‘False’. Also pick out the suitable line(s) or phrase from the poem in support of your answer : [2×2=4]
- The owner of the woods lives in a small town.
Supporting line(s)/phrase ____ - The poet cannot wait there to enjoy the beauty of the scene.
Supporting line(s)/phrase ____
Reading Comprehension (Unseen)
3. Read the following text and answer the questions given below:
Some 30 years ago, a wide-eyed, impressionable girl stood beneath a towering rocket inside one of India’s earliest rocket launching stations in Kerala. The rocket was readying to be fired in a few days. The student, on a school trip to the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, quietly relished the experience of being near a real rocket – “fascinated by something she knew “little about”.
Today Tersy Thomas dubbed “agniputri” or the daughter of fire by the media is the project director of Agni V at the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) station in Hyderabad. She was a member of the team that developed the long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (IGBM)-Agni V. The missile was successfully test-fired from Wheeler Island in Odisha.
Young Tersy’s life took a significant turn when after a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering in Kerala, she applied for a postgraduate course in Guided Missile Technology. When Agni V took off, Thomas says it was an indescribable and great” moment.
After the launch, she visited her former boss and mentor, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. “He is the role model for all our Indian scientists. He praised us for doing a good job and gifted me his latest book of poems,” Thomas says with enthusiasm. She was a junior in the DRDO when Kalam took over as its director. Kalam often cites her case when he encourages young woman students in colleges to take up science.
[Based on an interview report in “The Telegraph’ dated 29th April 2012]A. Tick the right answer from the alternatives given : [2×6=12]
i) Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station is in
- Odisha
- Hyderabad
- Kerala
ii) The first time Tersy was close to a real rocket, she was a student of a
- college
- School
- University
iii) Agni V was launched from
- Odisha
- Hyderabad
- Kerala
iv) P.J. Abdul Kalam was the
- president of DRDO
- researcher of DRDO
- director of DRDO
v) Tersy’s example can inspire young women students to
- make rockets
- study science
- be the director of DRDO
vi) The text is an excerpt from
- a science fiction
- an autobiography
- an interview report
B. Fill in the following chart with information from the passage above: [2×3=6]
- The feelings of Tersy, the school girl at the sight of a real rocket
- The official post held by Tersy at Present.
- The turning point in Tersy’s career.
C. Tick the most appropriate title for the text in the box on the right-hand side : [2]
- An Indescribable Moment
- Kalam, the Mentor of Tersy
- Tersy, the ‘Agniputri’
Section – B
[Grammar and Vocabulary]
4. Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions : [1×4=4]
Most people are fond ____ mystery stories. They find ____ extra pleasure ____ trying to solve ____ mystery along with the investigator.
5. Do as directed : [1×4=4]
- “What’s your problem ?” said the doctor to the patient. (Rewrite in Indirect Speech.)
- Paul’s Cathedral is the biggest church in our locality. (Change the degree of comparison)
- She was late for the quiz contest. She performed well. (Join into a single sentence using ‘though)
- The teacher gave Suresh an exercise book. (Change the voice)
6. Choose the correct phrasal verb from the list given below to replace the words underlined. Write the correct phrasal verbs, changing the form, where necessary. There is one extra phrasal verb in the list : [1×4=4]
- The patient will recover
- The police chased the robbers.
- One cannot change an old habit easily.
- The burglars forcibly entered the house.
7. Given below are the meanings of four words that you will find in the passage in Question No. 3. Find out the words and write them : [2×4=8]
- a tube-shaped space craft
- enjoyed
- important
- strong feeling of excitement and interest
Section – C
[Writing]
8. Write a newspaper report (in about 100 words) about a girl who succeeded in avoiding her untimely marriage to pursue her studies. [10]
You may use the following points :
[Date, place-what happened-how she saved herself-help promised by the administration.]9. Write a paragraph (in about 100 words) on the ‘Usefulness of Morning Walk’ based on the following points: [10]
[ Morning walk – getting up early – exercise of whole body and mind refreshed -more time and energy for whole day – good for health.]10. Write a letter to your pen-friend in about 120 words telling him/her about your recent visit to a place of interest. You may use the following points : [10]
[Date and place – mode of transport – your companion’s description of the place.]
