Saigrace Academy International

Second Pre-board Examination

Class – X
Subject – English Language and Literature
Time – 3hrs. MM – 80
General Instructions:
1. 15 minutes reading time allotted for the reading.
2. The paper contains 4 sections- reading, writing, grammar and literature.
3. Attempt the questions according to given instructions.
Section – A READING. (2.10)
Q1. Read the passage given below.

Ever since I can remember, I always felt I was stupid, really stupid. I lost my father when I was three. Since I
was a sick child, a polio victim, I lived with my grandmother in Mumbai so I could avail of the metro’s
advanced medical facilities. I remember being on the streets all day, playing or lazing around. When I turned
ten, my mother and my sister came to live in Mumbai too. My sister was a bright student, always securing high
grades. She and my mother encouraged me to study, but I just could not bring myself to concentrate on any
subject. I would get bored and feel sleepy when forced to open my books. After innumerable lectures on the
importance of studying had failed, mother tried threats as well, but nothing worked, I truly believed I was
stupid; no matter how much I worked, it wouldn’t help. . One afternoon, as always, I was sitting under a tree in
the school premises eating potato wafers when I saw a former classmate approaching me. Aditi and I had been
in the same class the year before. I had failed sixth grade and had to repeat the year; Aditi had topped the class
and was the brightest student of the seventh grade too. I flinched a little Aditi as I saw her walk towards me.
‘Hi,’ she said. ‘Hi,’ I replied, but not with much enthusiasm; I wanted her to leave. I continued to eat my chips.
Ignoring my coldness, she sat down next to me. For five minutes neither of us spoke and then she asked, ‘Is
Devika your real sister?’ ‘Yes, she is, ‘I answered. ‘So how come she doesn’t teach you so that you too can do
well? she asked. I peered at her, wondering if she was making fun of me, but all I could see on her face was
earnestness. No, she is not trying to tease me, I decided. This time I answered a little more warmly, ‘She tries to,
but I don’t like studying.’ ‘Why not? I’m sure you can get good grades too,’ she said emphatically. ‘No, I can’t.
I have no brains. God forgot to give me brains, health or beauty. He gave me nothing.’ “That’s not true. And
anyway, health and beauty can’t be helped, but God has given brains to everyone, we only have to learn to use
it.’ I shook my head, ‘No, I have difficulty in concentrating, and books bore me; there is no hope for me. Please
leave me alone. I am stupid, and always will be.’ With the gentlest tone that she could muster she said, ‘I can
prove it to you that you are not stupid. Give me one chance, I will teach you to study.’ Though I was softening
from inside, I still held on to my low self-esteem. ‘You’ll be wasting your time.I cannot study, I am not as bright
as you are nor lucky as my sister,’ I said ‘Let me try and help you, please. I will show you the right way to
study. You just have to cooperate with me. Will you try?’ Her belief in me proved more powerful than my
doubts about myself. She won and I relented.

Based on your understanding ,answer the questions that follows:

1 Give reasons for the following- 4 marks

a) The writer believed that she was stupid.

b) The writer flinched as she saw her friend walking towards her.
c) The writer lacked interest in her studies.
d) The writer was not a very confident or assertive girl.

2.Complete the following 4 marks

a.When she had to study she felt ——- and ———–.
b) The writer said that God had forgotten to give her brains ———– .

3.From the passage find one word which means the same as – 2 marks
a) Make a sudden movement as a result of pain, fear , surprise etc.
b) Find as much support, courage etc as you can.
c) Finally agree to something after refusing.
d) To look carefully at something, to see it clearly
Q2. Read the following passage and answer the following . (1.10)

Every time a child takes a soft drink, he’s laying the ground work for a dangerous bone disease. No, fizzy and
sugary drinks don’t cause osteoporosis. But, because they are often a substitute for a glass of milk, kids are not
getting the calcium and vitamin D they need to build a strong skeleton. Many of them also lead a sedentary
lifestyle, so they aren’t getting the bone building benefits for vigorous exercise either. These children tend to
suffer from brittle bones and tend to suffer from fractures later on in life. They could be at a risk of being
diagnosed with osteoporosis at an early age. The Indian Society for Bone and Mineral Research, a body of
osteoporosis experts is trying to spread awareness about this bone crippling disease. Osteoporosis starts in
childhood but has consequences later in life. The condition causes bones to become riddled with holes, like the
framework of a house that’s been attacked by termites. That can lead to broken bones, which in turn can cause
deformity, chronic pain or disability.Osteoporosis can be fatal: up to 25 per cent of older people who suffer a
broken hip die within a year. Osteoporosis isn’t just your grandmother’s health threat. Although it strikes over
50 million women in India, it also menaces over 12 million men. Osteoporosis causes loss of height, pain in
joints and back, fractures and a fear of fractures, and can be very depressing. So it is important that we adopt
preventive measures, to save millions of people.There is a new medical understanding of the best ways to
protect ourselves and our children. “Simple lifestyle changes and nutrition will help save your bones,” says Dr.
Mittal. To get us moving in the right direction, he says, “It’s never too late to adopt bone-friendly habits—
exercise, get enough sunlight, and have adequate calcium.

Answer the following questions based on the passage:

(i)Why are fizzy and sugary drinks blamed for osteoporosis?

(ii) How do bones get weak?
(iii) Then does osteoporosis become apparent? Why is it called fatal?
(iv) How does osteoporosis affect us?
(y) Which society is spreading awareness about this bone crippling disease?
(vi) What are the bone-friendly habits?
(vii) Find the word in the passage which means ‘deadly’.
(viii) Pickup the word from the passage which could be a synonym for ‘continuing’.

(ix) Find the word in the passage which means harmful.

(x) Find the word in the passage which means result.

Section – B WRITING. (2.5)

Q3. A. You are Revathy and you happen to see a news item in the newspaper about the popularity of
Indian handicrafts abroad. But you are unhappy about the lack of recognition given to the artisans by
the Government. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper about the difficulties they face and the steps
to be taken to solve their problems.
Or
B You are Faraz/Farida Naeem. Write a letter to the editor of Bharat Times in about 120 words,
giving suggestions for the promotion of the tourism industry and for improving the facilities for
developing tourism in India, which has numerous world heritage sites. You may use your own
ideas along with ideas from the unit ‘Travel and Tourism’ in your Main Course Book.

Q4. a India is by far the largest and the fastest growing consumer of the groundwater in the world and
facing a set of serious problems. Rationing of water is soon going to be a reality. Write a paragraph to
analyse the argument.
b. The given pie chart represents the amount of money spent by a family on different items in a month. Write an
analytical paragraph using the information given in the chart.

Section – C GRAMMAR. (1.10)

Q5. Attempt the following questions.

Section – D LITERATURE
Q6. Attempt anyone of the given two. (1.5)
A . “Never shall a young man, Thrown into despair By those great honey-coloured Ramparts at your
ear, Love you for yourself alone And not your yellow hair.”
(a) What does ‘ramparts’ mean?
(b) What is the colour of Anne’s hair?
(c) What does the poet mean by, “love you for yourself alone and not your yellow hair”?
(d) What does ‘despair’ mean in the stanza?
(e) Name the poet.
0r
B . What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over- there it is in the water!
a. What does the extract suggest?
b. Name the poet.
c. The ball is the symbol of ____
d. Why does the poet choose not to intrude?
e. The synonym of merrily is _____

Q7. Attempt anyone of the given two. (1.5)

A ) Further footprints followed one after another, descending the steps and progressing down the street.
The boys followed, fascinated, until the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter, and at last
disappeared altogether.
(a) Who was gazing at these footprints and where were the steps?
(b) What can be inferred about the person from the footprints?
(c) What surprised the two boys?
(d) Where were the footprints heading?
(e) What was the name of the invisible man?
Or
B ) One Sunday as she was taking a walk in the Champs-Elysees, there she spotted Mme Forestier, still
beautiful and young unlike her shabby self. She approached her, and she failed to recognize her due to her poor
state but when she did, she was shocked to see her friend’s changed condition. Matilda said that she had been
through some hard days due to her and her necklace.
a. What was the name of madame Forestier?
b. Where did M.Loisel work?
c. What was the cost of the necklace?
d. What was the cost of madame Loisel’s dress?
e. How long did it take for them to return the debt?
Q8. Answer any 4 of the following in about 40-50 words each. (4.3)
a. What problem did Mandela face in the beginning in placing his people above his family?
b. The tale of Custard the dragon gives out a strong message. What is the message?
c. What is the descent of the people of Coorg ?
d. Write a character sketch of Valli.
e. How did Mijbil spend his time in London for nearly a month?
Q9. Answer any 2 of the following in about 40-50 words each. (2.3)
a. Describe the curious episode that took place in the Clergyman’s house.
b. Describe how Matilda proved a great success at the Minister’s party.
c. What was the outcome of Ebright’s project on gold spots?
Q10. Answer any 1 of the following in about 100-150 words . (6)
a. What does the Buddha make Kisa Gotami understand and how?
b. The Proposal is a great comedy and full of great humour. Explain the statement.
Q11. Answer any 1 of the following in about 100-150 words . (6)
a. How according to the historian , did one dusty book of nursery rhyme save the earth from the
Martian attack?
b. Horace was a successful thief. What went wrong when he robbed Shotover Grange and was
arrested?