CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2018

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2018

Time allowed : 3 hours
Maximum marks: 80

SECTION A
(READING) 20

Question 1.
Read the passage given below: [8] (1) Tourists to Jammu and Kashmir have another attraction — a floating post office on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, the first in the country. ‘Floating Post Office, Dal Lake’s— claimed to be the only one such post office in the world is built on an intricately carved maroon houseboat, fastened on the western edge of the Dal Lake.
(2) This post office lets you avail of all the regular postal services available in the country while being afloat. The seal used on everything posted from Floating Post Office is unique — along with the date and address, it bears the design of a boatman rowing a shikara on the Dal Lake. The special feature of this post office is that letters posted from here carry a special design which has the picturesque scenery of Dal Lake and Srinagar city. These pictures reach wherever these letters are posted to and hence promote Kashmir as a tourist destination across the world.
(3) This is actually a heritage post office that has existed since British times. It was called Nehru Park Post Office before 2011. But then the chief postmaster John Samuel renamed it as ‘Floating Post Office’
(4) The post office’s houseboat has two small rooms—one serves as the office and the other a small museum that traces the philatelic history of the state postal department. It has a shop that sells postage stamps and other products.
(5) But for the locals, Floating Post Office is more than an object of fascination. ? 1-2 crore is deposited per month in the Floating Post Office by communities living in and around the Dal Lake. The
lake has several islets that are home to more than 50,000 people.
(6) The greatest fear is the recurrence of 2014 like floods in which the houseboat had gone for a toss uncontrollably pushed by the flood. Rescue teams had to anchor it using special mechanism in a nearby highland. Then it was brought back on the Dal after the water receded. The biggest boon is that at no time of the year do you need a fan in this post-office.

Question 1.1.
Attempt any eight of the following questions on the basis of the passage you have read: [1 x 8 = 8] (i) What is the location of the Floating Post Office in Srinagar ?
(ii) What is special about the seal used in the post office ?
(iii) How is the post office helpful in promoting toursim ?
(iv) Who renamed the post office as ‘Floating Post Office’ ?
(v) What are the two rooms of the post office used for ?
(vi) How is the post office benefical to the locals ?
(vii) What is the greatest fear that the post office has ?
(viii) How is the post office a big boon to the people ?
(ix) Find the word from the passage which means the same as ‘attraction’, (para 5)
Answer :
(i) The Floating Post Office, one of the tourist attractions of Jammu and Kashmir is built on an intricately carved maroon houseboat, which is fastened on the western edge of the Dal Lake in Srinagar.
(ii) The seal used in the post office on everything posted from the Floating Post Office is unique. It bears the design of a boatman rowing a shikara on the Dal Lake along with the date and address.
(iii) The letters posted for the Floating Post Office in Srinagar carries the picturesque scenery of Dal Lake and Srinagar as its special design. Whichever address these letters are posted to, these pictures reach there hence, promoting Kashmir as a tourist destination across the world.
(iv) The chief postmaster John Samuel renamed it as ‘Floating Post Office’.
(v) One of the rooms in the post office’s houseboat serves as the office and the other as a small museum that traces the philatelic history of the state postal department. It has a shop that sells postage stamps and other products.
(vi) Communities living in and around the Dal Lake can deposite and save their money in the Floating Post Office. It helps them as a bank.
(vii) The greatest fear that the post office face is the recurrence of floods in the lake.
(viii) The post office is a boon to the people as it is a major source of attraction as well as a source of income for the people.
(ix) Fascination.

Question 2.
Read the passage given below: [12] 1. It is an indisputable fact that the world has gone too far with the innovation of new technologies such as mobile phones, the internet and so on, due to which people are able to tour the cosmos virtually sitting at one place using their smart devices or other technological gadgets. Though mobile internet access is oftentimes hurried and short, it can still provide common internet features like alerts, weather data, emails, search engines, instant messages, and game and music downloading.
2. Due to the easy access of smart phones, communication has been very effective and instant. People are able to convey their message all around the globe to their loved ones without spending hefty sums of money. Adults are always fond of such gadgets and they always welcome and adopt such new technology readily. Further, young people have been able to broaden their minds and improve their skills by doing research on the Internet. For instance, they use smart phones to look up any new word they come across. As we know that most of the universities have online teaching provision and smart phones assist the students to complete their assignments on time.
3. The mobile phone has been a lifesaver for a lot of people in case of an emergency. Likewise, use of smart phones can be of vital importance in preventing crimes in the society by providing information to the security forces in time.
4. Nonetheless, for the young the use of mobile phone can be like an addiction and they can misuse it. Young people are also prone to getting involved in undesirable activities on the Internet. This might have adverse effect on their academic performance. Therefore, young people should always be monitored and made aware of its bad outcomes.
5. Also a major contributor to its popularity is the availability of prepaid or pay as you go services form a phone shop or an online store. This allows subscribers to load text or airtime credits to their handsets by the use of their credit cards, debit cards or by buying a prepaid card from the network they subscribe to. This plan also doesn’t commit a particular customer to a contract. If prepaid card is not that appealing to you, then you can opt to subscribe using the pay by month plan.

Question 2.1.
On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words each: [2 × 4 = 8] (i) How are smart phones helpful in communication ?
(ii) What are the benefits of mobile phones for the young generation ?
(iii) How can mobile phones be considered ‘lifesavers’?
(iv) Mention any two demerits of mobile phones.
(v) How is a prepaid card useful to mobile phone users ?
Answer:
(i) Smartphones provide an instant source of communication among the people. People can now send messages to their loved ones around the world without spending huge amount of money.
(ii) The younger generation can use the smart phone to broaden their minds and improve their researching skills through the internet. They can look up new words, learn through the medium of online learning and complete assignments on time.
(iii) Mobile phones help in emergency situations by preventing crimes through the timely intervention of the security forces. This intervention is possible through the immediate information sent to the forces.
(iv) Smartphones can lead to addiction which leads to waste of time and energy. Smartphones also adversely impact academic performances.
(v) Prepaid cards aid in allowing subscribes to load text and airtime credits to their handsets. The prepaid plan does not commit a customer to a particular contract.

Question 2.2.
On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following: [1 × 4 = 4] (i) In para 1, synonym of ‘innovation’ is ____ .
(i) production
(ii) sincerity
(iii) invention
(iv) prevention
(ii) Mobile internet can provide access to :
(i) telegram
(ii) emails
(iii) schools
(iv) university
(iii) Grown-ups should ___ the use of new technology by the young people.
(i) reject
(ii) criticize
(iii) monitor
(iv) accept
(iv) Meaning of the word ‘adverse’ in para 4 is :
(i) positive
(ii) negative
(iii) admirable
(iv) unguided
(v) According to the passage, one can opt for ___ plan if prepaid plan doesn’t suit.
(i) yearly
(ii) weekly
(iii) monthly
(iv) daily
Answer:
(iii) invention
(ii) emails
(iii) monitor
(v) monthly

SECTION B
(WRITING SKILLS AND GRAMMAR) 30

Question 3.
You are Prabhu Kumar/Parvati of 17E, Ravi Dass Road, Kochi. Write a letter in 100 -120 words to the editor of a newspaper about the nuisance caused by loudspeakers in the city during examination days drawing attention of the concerned authorities to the problem. [8] OR
You are Pratibha/Rahul of Class X. Write an article in 100 – 120 words on ‘III effects on students of too much of television’. You can use the following clues:

• Increasing addiction
• A great variety of programmes
• Easy availability
• Neglect of studies
• Drop in academic performance
• Result — poor physical and mental health

Answer:
17E, Ravi Dass Road,
Kochi.
3^rd November 20XX
The Editor,
The Times of India.
Kochi
Sub : Nuisance caused by loudspeakers in the city
Respected Sir,
I am writing this letter to express my anguish and annoyance over the problem of loud speakers during the examination days. I am a student studying in 10th grade of a reputed school in the city. The final examinations are just around the comer.

During the day, the loud noise from speakers disturbs and distracts as much as it does at night. Especially on the weekends, the noise from the loudspeakers is unbearable. Lask weekend, I could not study at all. In spite of the law prohibiting loud music playing beyond 10 O’Clock, people violate the rules and regulations by playing it all night. There are thousands of students like me who have to suffer from this problem. Besides, there are some old patients and new bom babies in every locality who get affected by this noise pollution. I, on behalf of all the students of the city plead and appeal to concerned authorities to look into the matter as this is a clear contravention of the laws.
Yours truly,
Prabhu Kumar/Parvati
OR
ILL EFFECTS OF TOO MUCH TELEVISION
By Rahul/Pratibha, Class X Most children nowadays, watch television as part of their leisure time. Two of the major reasons are that there is a great variety of television programs and the ease of availability. If children do not get to watch their programs on television, they will use their parents’ phone to watch the *, programs online. Researchers have found that watching television for young children has both its own share of advantages and disadvantages. Watching TV for children is an enjoyable activity but it can have several ill effects on their cognitive abilities, health, and their habits. Children who watch a lot of TV programs can suffer from the lack of concentration.

When he or she watches a TV program, they get only a few minutes to concentrate and that too in between the advertisements. They also find it difficult to imagine because when they watch a television program, they only need to look and listen. A child who likes to watch television programs can be in front of it for many hours. Obesity is a fast-growing problem amongst children these days due to the lack of physical activity. Children become lazy to try out new activities as they do not want to miss their television programs. They ofter prefer watching T.V. over doing their homework or learning their lessons, which eventually leads to a drop in the academic performance. Another bad effect is that they will be influenced by violence in some television programs as they have not yet developed their critical thinking skill to differentiate between good and bad. Anything in excess is harmful to a person. Thus, watching excessive television can lead to poor physical and mental health.

Question 4.
Write a story in 150-200 words with the help of the following outline: [10] Tortoise and hare — good friends — tortoise — known for his slow speed — hare has fast speed — makes fun of tortoise — challenges him — referee selected — race starts — hare overconfident — takes a nap — tortoise wins.
OR
Complete the story in 150 – 200 words which begins as the following:
There was a joint family of six members including grandparents. It was the 75th birthday of the grandmother and the family
planned to celebrate
Answer:
THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
In a forest, there lived two very good friends, a hare and a tortoise. The hare was famous for his speed while the tortoise was famous for doing things slowly. One day, the hare was making fun of the tortoise for being so slow. “Do you ever reach anywhere on time?” he asked with a mocking laugh. “Yes,” replied the tortoise, “and, I will get there sooner than you think ‘I’ll run a race with you.

The hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the tortoise, so he agreed. The Fox, who had consented to act as a refere, marked the distance and started the runners off. The hare was soon far out of sight. He got over confident so he thought how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a hare, then he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the tortoise would catch up.

The tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly and steadily, and after a time, he passed through the place where the hare was sleeping. The hare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he woke up, the tortoise was near the goal. The hare now ran his swiftest, and fastest but he could not overtake the tortoise in time.
OR
A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY
There was a joint family of six members, including grandparents. It was the 75th birthday of the grandmother and the family planned to celebrate it. They decided to make her feel special, and so they thought of celebrating the day by planning a surprise party for her. They invited all their relatives and all of grandma’s friends at home. The children of the house were told to take grandma out so that she couldn’t come to know about the surprise and also so the relatives could come home without grandma’s keen notice of things.

The children happily took grandma to the garden nearby. They talked to their grandmother about her childhood memories and about her likes and dislikes. They kept their beloved grandmother engaged till it got dark. When they reached home, the grandmother found the home in complete silence and darkness. She got worried and * called out to her son. The lights were suddenly turned on with all the relatives wishing her. She did not expect such a wonderful birthday surprise. She had tears in her eyes. She was overwhelmed seeing her loved ones around. It was a moment of joy for her.

Question 5.
Fill in any four of the blanks in the paragraph given below with the help of options that follow: [1 × 4 = 4] The modem student __(a)__ the importance __(b)__ physical exercise. He spends one to two hours in open air __(c)__ he takes part in different sports. However, care should __(d)__ not to overstrain __(e)__ body.
(a)
(i) understood
(ii) understand
(iii) have understand
(iv) understands
(b)
(i) of
(ii) by
(iii) from
(iv) with
(c)
(i) how
(ii) which
(iii) where
(iv) why
(d)
(i) be taken
(ii) took
(iii) takes
(iv) has taken
(e)
(i) a
(ii) an
(iii) the
(iv) some
Answer:
(a)
(iv) understands
(b)
(i) of
(c)
(iii) where
(d)
(i) be taken
(e)
(iii) the

Question 6.
The following paragraph has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the error and its correction as shown in the example. Do any four. [1 × 4 = 4]
Answer:

Question 7.
Rearrange the following words/phrases to form meaningful sentences : [1 × 4 = 4] (i) work and play/ things / different/ parents see/ as two
(ii) is a/ of time / they/ waste/ think/ that playing
(iii) important/ games / studies / are as / as
(iv) a student/ to both / proper / should / attention /pay
(v) can / life / only / succeed / he / in / then
Answer:
(i) Parents see work and play as two different things.
(ii) They think that playing is a waste of time.
(iii) Studies are as important as games.
(iv) A student should pay proper attention to both.
(v) Only then he can succeed in life.

SECTION C
(LITERATURE : TEXTBOOKS AND LONG READING TEXT) 30

Question 8.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : [1 × 4 = 4] ”But, please, Stephen Stepanovitch, he can they be yours ? Do be a reasonable man! My anunt’s grandmother gave the Meadows for the temporary and free use of your grandfather’s peasants. The peasants used the land for forty years and got accustomed to it as if it was their own, when it happened that
(a) Who is the speaker of the above lines ?
(b) Why did his aunt’s grandmother give the meadows ?
(c) Why did the peasant treat the land as their own ?
(d) What light do these lines throw on the speaker’s character ? .
OR
Belinda tickled him, she ticked him unmerciful, Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival. They all sat laughing in the little red wagon At the realio, trulio cowardly dragon.
(a) Who was tickled by Belinda ?
(b) Why did she tickle ‘him’ ?
(c) Who are Ink, Blink and Mustard ?
(d) Why did they all laugh at ‘him’ ?
Answer:
(a) Lomov is the speaker of the above lines.
(b) Lomov’s aunt’s grandmother gave the meadows to his grandfather’s peasants in return for making bricks for her. The land was for free and temporary use.
(c) The peasants used the land given to them for forty years. As a result, they got accustomed to the land as their own.
(d) The speaker comes across as a logcial and courteous person. The speaker’s character can be depicted as that of a rational yet polite man.
OR
(a) Custard, the dragon, was tickled by Belinda.
(b) She tickled him to tease him and make fun of him.
(c) Ink, a black kitten, Blink, the little grey mouse and Mustard, a little yellow dog, are all Belinda’s pets.
(d) Custard, the dragon was a coward, hence, they all laughed at him.

Question 9.
Answer any four of the following questions in 30 – 40 words each: [2 × 4 = 8] (a) What excited Rajvir ? Why did Pranjol not share his excitement ?
(b) ‘He senses first responsibility’ – What responsibility is referred to here? (The Ball Poem)
(c) What was Horace Danby’s hobby ? How did he manage to fulfill it ?
(d) Why did Matilda (Mme Loisel) leave the ball in a hurry ? What does it show about her character ?
(e) In which queer way did Anil make a living ? (The Thief’s Story)
Answer:
(a) The beautiful secenery and wide range of green tea gardens excited Rajvir. Pranjol did not share his excitement since he was bom and brought up in Assam, a place familiar to him.
(b) The responsibility referred to here is that in this world of possessions the boy has not only to learn to take care or his things but also cope up with the loss of his favorite ball.
(c) Horace Danby was fond of collecting rare and expensive books. He managed to fulfill it by breaking open a safe each year.
(d) Since no one noticed her shabby shawl, Matilda (Mme Loisel) left the ball in a hurry. Her character depicts her false pride and vanity in material things.
(e) Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week, lend it the next. As soon as his cheque arrived he would go out and celebrate. He also made a living by writing for magazines.

Question 10.
Answer the following question in 100 – 200 words: [8] In life, people who easily trust others are sometimes made to look foolish. One should not be too trusting. Describe how Oliver Lutkins made a fool of the young lawyer.
OR
What lesson on death and suffering did the Buddha teach Gotami in the chapter, ‘The Sermon at Banaras’
Answer:
Lutkins impressed the young lawyer with his friendly manner, thus leading the lawyer to think that the people of the town „ were trustworthy. He claimed to know most of the places where Lutkins could be found. Lutkins charged the young lawyer a high price for the hack and food. He alerted Fritz, his friends and mother not to reveal his identity to the lawyer. He even went to the railway station to see the young lawyer off.

The young lawyer on his second visit leamt that the hack driver himself was Lutkins. The young lawyer thus learned a lesson that no one should be too trustworthy and one must be alert at all times.
OR
In his sermon at Banaras, Buddha taught Gotami that the life of mortals is brief, troubled and combined with pain. Death is common for all, it cannot be avoided. He compared human life to ripe fruits that eventually decay or as earthen vessels that will break someday. Neither a father nor his kinsmen can save anyone. Weeping or grieving cannot bring back the dead to life nor bring peace of mind but only cause pain and suffering to the grieving body. One should accept death without lamentation, complaint and overcome sorrow and grief thus, bringing peace of mind, which is a blessing.

Question 11.
Answer the following question in 200 -150 words: [10] Describe the importance of diary in AnneFrank’s life.
OR
What problems do Margot and Anne face with regard to the way their parents treat them ?**
OR
Helen Keller’s determination to study and compete with the normal children helps her to enter Radcliffe College. What does this show about her personality?**
OR
Describe how Miss Sullivan succeeds in helping Helen Keller achieve her aim in life.**