CBSE Sample Papers for Final Board Exams Class 10 English Communicative – Paper 2
(For Annual Board Examinations to be held in and after March 2018 and onwards)
Based on the latest syllabus and design of the Question Paper released by the C.B.S.E., New Delhi.
Strictly based on the Remodelled Scheme of Assessment, the Latest Syllabus and Design of the Question Paper released by the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi effective from academic year 2017-18.
MODEL TEST PAPER 2 (Unsolved)
SECTION A : READING (20 MARKS)
Question 1:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : [8]
A sparrow is a small bird which is found throughout the world. There are many different species of sparrows. Sparrows are only about four to six inches in length. Many people appreciate their beautiful song. Sparrows prefer to build their nests in low places – usually on the ground, clumps of grass, low trees and low bushes. In cities they build their nests in building nooks or holes. They rarely build their nests in high places. They built their nests out of twigs, grasses and plant fibers. Their nests are usually small and well-built structures.
Female sparrows lay four to six eggs at a time. The eggs are white with reddish brown spots. They hatch within eleven to fourteen days. Both the male and female parents care for the young. Insects are fed to the young after hatching. The large feet of the sparrows are used for scratching seeds. Adult sparrows mainly eat seeds. Sparrows can be found almost everywhere, where there are humans. Many people throughout the world enjoy these delightful birds.
The sparrows are some of the few birds that engage in dust bathing. Sparrows first scratch a hole in the ground with their feet, then lie in it and fling dirt or sand over their bodies with flicks of their wings. They also bathe in water, or in dry or melting snow. Water bathing is similar to dust bathing, with the sparrow standing in shallow water and flicking water over its back with its wings, also ducking its head under the water. Both activities are social, with up to a hundred birds participating at once, and is followed by preening and sometimes group singing.
(a) What is the chief food for an adult sparrow? [1]
(b) Where do sparrows live? [1]
(c) What does the word ‘species’ mean? [1]
(d) What material do they use to build their nests with? [1]
(e) Who looks after the young sparrows? [1]
(f) What kind of bath do the sparrows take? [1]
(g) What is bathing followed by? [1]
(h) What is meant by ‘both activities are social’? [1]
Question 2:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : [12]
Walls and wall building have played a very important role in Chinese culture. These people, from the dim mists of prehistory, have been wall-conscious; from the Neolithic period when ramparts of pounded earth were used – to the Communist Revolution, walls were an essential part of any village. Not only towns and villages; the houses and the temples within them were somehow walled, and the houses also had no windows overlooking the street, thus giving the feeling of wandering around a huge maze. The name for “city” in Chinese (ch’eng) means wall, and over these walled cities, villages, houses and temples presides the god of walls and mounts, whose duties were, and still are, to protect and be responsible for the welfare of the inhabitants. Thus a great and extremely laborious task such as constructing a wall, which was supposed to run throughout the country, must not have seemed such an absurdity.
However, it is indeed a common mistake to perceive the Great Wall as a single architectural structure, and it would also be erroneous to assume that it was built during a single dynasty. For the building of the wall spanned the various dynasties, and each of these dynasties somehow contributed to the refurbishing and the construction of a wall, whose foundations had been laid many centuries ago. It was during the fourth and third century B. C. that each warring state started building walls to protect their kingdoms, both against one another and against the northern nomads.
The role that the Great Wall played in the growth of Chinese economy was an important one. Throughout the centuries many settlements were established along the new border. The garrison troops were instructed to reclaim wasteland and to plant crops on it, roads and canals were built, to mention just a few of the works carried out. All these undertakings greatly helped to increase the country’s trade and cultural exchanges with many remote areas and also with the southern, central and western parts of Asia – the formation of the Silk Route. Builders, garrisons, artisans, farmers and peasants left behind a trail of objects, including inscribed tablets, household articles, and written work, which have become extremely valuable archaeological evidence to the study of defence institutions of the Great Wall and the everyday life of these people who lived and died along the wall.
(a) What example is given to show that walls were an essential part of Chinese culture? [2]
(b) How many interesting historical facts about the Great Wall you discover in the first paragraph? [2]
(c) Analyse the role played by the Great Wall in the growth of Chinese economy. [2]
(d) In what sense is the archaeological evidence left behind by the people valuable? [2]
(e) Why is it a common mistake to perceive the Great Wall as a single architectural structure [1]
(f) How did the undertakings in building the wall help to increase the country’s trade and cultural exchanges. [1]
(g) What is meant by the word ‘wandering’? [1]
(h) Give the synonym of ‘remote’? [1]
SECTION B : WRITING AND GRAMMAR (30 MARKS)
Question 3:
The virtual world is fast replacing the real world for most people, especially the teenagers. Look at the bar graph given below. In about 100-120 words, write a letter to the Editor of ‘The Daily Express’, expressing your views on the subject—Virtual World-Limiting or Liberating. [8]
Question 4:
You are a participant of an Inter-School Story Writing competition. Write a story in about 200-250 words on the theme: [10]
Nothing is impossible. One superhero lives in all of us ….
Question 5:
Read the passage given below. Fill in the blanks by choosing the most appropriate words / phrases from the given options. [4]
Orwell believes that there are four explicit motives (a)_____________ writing. “They exist in different degrees in every writer and, in any one writer, the proportions will vary (b)__________ time to time, according to the atmosphere in which he is living,” he mused. For Orwell, writers put pen (c)____________ paper, or these days, fingers to keyboard – out (d)_______________
“sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse and political purpose.”
Question 6:
The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct question number. The first one has been done as an example. [4]
Question 7:
Rearrange the following words and phrases into meaningful sentences :
(a) a state / well-being / happiness / of / is
(b) worldly / success / it / on / does not depend / and possessions
(c) confuse / sensory pleasures / it / most people / and possession / with
(d) practice / continuous / and / desire / comes / perfection / with
SECTION C : LITERATURE TEXTBOOK AND EXTENDED READING TEXT( 30 MARKS)
Question 8:
Read one of the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow : [4]
The next day was Saturday, and it being near the end of the month and a particularly busy day, I left home early without seeing Lavinia. Understand, I haven’t quite reached the point where I can give my whole time to writing and being bookkeeper for a lumber company does help with the grocery bills and pay for Lavinia s fancy shopping.
(a) What, did writing mean to the narrator?
(b) What does Lavinia seem to be in this passage?
(c) Besides being an author, what did the narrator do?
(d) What made the narrator leave early without seeing Lavinia?
OR
“God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the fiends, that plague thee thus! –
Why look’st thou so?”- With my cross-bow
I shot the Albatross.
(a) Who is the speaker of the first three lines?
(b) Explain, “from the fiends that plague thee thus!”
(c) What had the ancient Mariner done?
(d) Why was it such a crime that the Mariner suffered with guilt?
Question 9:
Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words : [2×4 = 8]
(a) How did the nightingale become a great sensation overnight?
(b) Why did Caesar reject Cimber’s petition?
(c) What was the reason behind Ali’s unshakable faith that he would receive a letter from Miriam one day?
(d) Describe the encounter between the wedding guest and the ancient mariner.
Question 10:
Answer one of the following questions in about 100-120 words : [8]
The monuments and statues brave the ravages of time and tell their history. But sadly, they are neglected. As a concerned citizen write a letter to the editor of the newspaper showing your concern on the ill-treatment of historical monuments and their surroundings. Take some reference from not marble, nor the Gilded Monuments.ORIt was the sister’s greed and materialism which destroyed the family and their relationship. Keeping this in view, write an article on ‘The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil’. Take some help from. ‘The Dear Departed’.
Question 11:
Answer one of the following questions in about 200-250 words : [10]
How did Anne pass her time in the hiding? Discuss in detail.
OR
Write a detailed character-sketch of Miep Gies.
OR
Why did Helen call her Pony ‘Black Beauty’ ? Elaborate.
OR
Tough people outlast tough situations. Discuss the fighter instinct in Helen in detail.
