CBSE Class 10

English Communicative
Previous Year Question Paper 2011
Series: RHB/2 Code no. 1/2/1

● Please check that this question paper contains 15 printed pages.

● Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should
be written on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate.

● Please check that this question paper contains 15 questions.

● Please write down the Serial Number of the question before

attempting it.

● 15 minutes of time has been allotted to read this question paper. The
question paper will be distributed at 10:15 a.m. From 10:15 a.m. to 10:30
a.m., the students will read the question paper only and will not write any
answer on the answer-book during this period.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT-II
ENGLISH (Communicative)

Time Allowed: 3 hours Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:
The question papers is divided into four sections:
Section A: Reading 20 Marks
Section B: Writing 20 Marks
Section C: Grammar 20 Marks
Section D: Literature 20 Marks
1. All questions are compulsory.
2. You may attempt any section at a time.

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3. All questions of that particular section must be attempted in a correct order.

SECTION-A
(Reading) 20 Marks
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by
choosing the correct options. 5 Marks
School used to be all about writing, whether it was the exercise books we
wrote in, the notes we passed round, or the lines we stayed in to do. But not
anymore. Now it’s all about typing. My six-year-old daughter is part of the
first generation that is truly computer literate and I really didn’t want her
learning copperplate writing. I could see that spelling, grammar, syntax and
punctuation were important, but handwriting? By the time she’s at
university, handwriting may not be as relevant as needlepoint. So when my
daughter came home last year with cursive handwriting homework, I was
nonplussed. Cursive was originally developed to make it easier for children
to write with a quill. By joining up the letters, it kept the quill on the
parchment and minimized ink blots. But my daughter writes with a laptop.
I explained as much to her teacher at the next parents’ day. But her teacher
explained something to me. Research suggests that the process of writing
information down on paper, by hand, has a more direct effect on the
formation of memories in the learning process than typing. Taking notes in
class is still the most effective way to learn. It’s better way to store the skills
for written language in a child’s brain than pressing keys. There’s nothing
old-fashioned about handwriting. Handwriting is where it’s at.
(a) According to the narrator his daughter is…………….
(i) computer literate
(ii) illiterate
(iii) copperplate writer
(iv) handwriting expert
Ans: (i) computer literate
(b) ……………..was developed to make writing with a quill easier.
(i) Typing
(ii) Grammar

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(iii) Cursive writing
(iv) Note making
Ans: (iii) Cursive writing
(c) The word ‘nonplussed’ means…………….
(i) sad
(ii) puzzled
(iii) crying
(iv) see
Ans: (ii) puzzled
(d) Writing information down on paper is ……………………….. typing in
the learning process.
(i) inferior to
(ii) same as
(iii) superior to
(iv) not as effective as
Ans: (iii) superior to
(e) Writing by hand is………………..
(i) old- fashioned
(ii) not old-fashioned
(iii) of the future
(iv) not used today
Ans: (ii) not old-fashioned

2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by
choosing the correct options. 5 Marks
Before chocolate became an elixir fit only for the kings, Mayans drank a cold,
frothy mix made from kakawa beans harvested from the Mexican
rainforests. Found in rows inside football-size fruit filled with white pulp,
the beans need two weeks for fermenting, drying and roasting. Then Mayans

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began bartering beans with the Aztecs. The Spanish court kept the source of
the beans secret for nearly 100 years. Inevitably, word spread and chocolate
travelled swiftly throughout Europe. The first chocolate shop in London
opened in 1657, serving the drink in gold and silver cups.
Still, the brew tasted rather fatty due to the cocoa butter and gritty from
imperfect crushing of the seeds. A Dutch inventor separated the cocoa butter
in the early 1800s, and before the century was out, a conching machine
smoothed the chocolate. A Swiss chocolatier added evaporated milk to create
the first chocolate bar. Soldiers who ate the bars for energy during World
War I brought their taste home, creating a huge market for chocolate bars
and snacks invented in the early 1900s.
(a) The word, ‘bartering’ means ……………..
(i) selling
(ii) buying
(iii) exchanging
(iv) changing
Ans: (iii) exchanging
(b) …………………kept the source of the chocolate beans a secret for nearly
100 years.
(i) Mayans
(ii) The Spanish
(iii) The soldiers
(iv) Mexico
Ans: (ii) The Spanish
(c) The first ……………………………. was made by a Swiss chocolatier.
(i) cocoa seed
(ii) cocoa butter
(iii) evaporated milk
(iv) chocolate bar
Ans: (iv) chocolate bar
(d) Mayans got kakawa seeds from…………………….

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(i) the kings
(ii) the Aztecs
(iii) Mexican rain forests
(iv) London
Ans: (iii) Mexican rain forests
(e) Cocoa brew tasted fatty because of…………………….
(i) bad crushing of the seeds
(ii) cocoa butter
(iii) imperfect crushing of the seeds
(iv) vanilla flavour
Ans: (ii) cocoa butter

3. Read the poem given below: 5 Marks

To a Fish
You strange, astonished-looking, angle- faced,
Dreary-mouthed, gaping wretches of the sea,
Gulping salt-water everlastingly.
Cold blooded, though with red your blood be graced,
And mute, though dwellers in the roaring waste;
And you, all shapes beside, that fishy be ……………
Some round, some flat, some long, all devilry,
Legless, unloving, infamously chaste …………….
O scaly, slippery wet, swift, staring wights,
What is’t ye do? What life lead? Eh, dull goggles?
How do ye vary your vile days and nights?
How pass your Sundays? Are yet still but joggles
In ceaseless wash? Still nought but gapes and bites,

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And drinks, and stares, diversified with boggles?
Given below is the summary of the poem. Fill in the blanks with suitable
words to complete the summary. Use only one word for each blank.
To a man a fish is a strange creature. It’s (a) ……………………. face has
always a look of (b) ………………………..…. on it. Its mouth is mostly open
and keeps on (c) …………………………. salt-water. It is called cold blooded
even if red blood runs (d) ………………..…… its body. It lives among (e)
………………..waters but is mute itself. The fish may have many (f)
……………… but it has no shapely legs. It is loveless and chaste.
The fish are swift and slippery and all the time (g) ……………….……. at
others. Man wonders at the (h) ……………………………….…..they lead.
Are their days (i) ……………………….… from their nights? And what do
they do on Sundays? Do they ever stop or keep on gaping, biting, drinking
and (j) ………………………, punctuated by sudden movements?
Ans: (a) angle
(b) surprise
(c) gulping
(d) through
(e) roaring
(f) shapes
(g) staring
(h) life
(i) different
(j) staring

4. Read the passage given below and complete the sentences that follow:
5 Marks
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated around India but most grandly in
Maharashtra. But the ten day extravaganza the festival has become is a
relatively recent creation. In Pen, in Maharashtra, there are nearly 250
families which work on Ganapathi statues for a living. Both clay and plaster
of Paris are used for the making of the murtis. Clay is more difficult than
POP to work with and there are few expert clay sculptors left. Many devout

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customers insist on clay murtis, for after they are immersed in water, clay
dissolves readily while POP can take months with fragments floating to shore
days after the immersion, upsetting both devotees and environmentalists.
Once a murti is made, it is ready for decoration. It is first buffed with a soft
cloth. Then a small red tilak is placed reverently on its forehead. Next it is
sprayed with clay resin primer. After it dries, it is again buffed with ‘jheel’,
a subtle sheen that highlights skin tones. Finally, the most important
finishing touch, ‘aakhni’ the painting of the eyes, is done. It is when the eyes
are painted on that an idol comes alive.
(a) Ganesh Chaturthi has recently become …………………………………….
(b) The material used for the making of murtis is ……………………..…….
(c) Fewer clay murtis are made these days because
…………………………………..
(d) The devout customers, however, demand clay murtis because
………………..
(e) The word in the passage which means the same as ‘respectfully’ is
……………
Ans: (a) a ten-day celebration.
(b) plaster of Paris and clay.
(c) it's more tough to deal with.
(d) they dissolve easily in water.
(e) reverently.

SECTION-B
(Writing) 20 Marks
5. You are Reema / Rohit. You had gone for a movie with your friends.
Unfortunately, Rakesh couldn’t reach there as he had to attend a wedding.
Write a dialogue in about 80 words discussing the movie with Rakesh. You
may take help from the following notes: 4 Marks
● the theme of the movie
● parts played by the protagonist and other characters
● quality of music, songs, their relevance and effectiveness

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 ● overall impression
Ans: A dialogue between two friends about the experience of film enjoyed:
Reema: Hello, Why didn't you come to the movie yesterday?
Rakesh: Hello, Actually yesterday I was busy attending a wedding.
Reema: Okay I understand.
Rakesh: By the way how’s your movie; tell me something.
Reema: Sure. This movie was awesome.
Rakesh: What is the name of the movie?
Reema: ‘The Final destination’, is the name of the movie, it is a complete action
movie.
Rakesh: Yes I have heard this.
Reema: Yes! You know what they all went to see a car racing and suddenly an
accident happens and all the public will die there, but the hero and his friends
save themselves. Rakesh: Next?
Reema: You don’t believe that the quality of the movie is fully HD and sound is
awesome. I have learnt with this movie that what were is fixed that will be
happened in your life definitely.
Rakesh: Okay! Thanks for this.

6. You are Amit/Amita, a resident of 15, Preet Enclave, Delhi. Your school
hosted this year’s Inter-School Basketball Tournament in which you gave an
impressive performance. Describing the details of the tournament, your own
performance, the rank of your school etc., write a letter to your uncle in
about 120 words. 8 Marks
Ans: 15
Preet Enclave
Delhi
Date- 1st August 2021
Dear Uncle,

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How are you? I have been doing well and hoping for the same with you. In this
letter I wanted to tell you about the Inter School Basketball Tournament which
was hosted by my school.
My school has organized the event very well. All arrangements were made and
handled in a nice way. The event was organized on 30 th July. I would love to tell
you that I gave an impressive performance. My coach, teammates and everyone
present there appreciated me for my performance. There were many schools
which participated in the event and out of all my school won the 1st prize. It was
all our team effort which helped us to win this game. Overall it was a great
learning and a memorable experience for me.
Give regards to Aunty and love to my little brother. I will visit you next month.
Yours loveable
Amita

7. Inspite of all the progress that we have made, we still discriminate against
woman in India. This is a sad phenomenon. The condition of women in
villages is all the worse. Write a speech on about 150 words on the
discrimination faced by women even in the 21st century. You may take help
from the unit on ‘Environment’ and the notes given below. You are Mudit /
Maya. 8 Marks
● not treated at par with boys since birth
● greatly discriminated against in villages- travel long distances for
bringing water, fuel etc. – paid less
● killed before birth
● equal opportunity denied
Ans: "Discrimination faced by women even in the 21st century"
-Maya
India is a place where women are revered as goddesses. However, the difficulties
they experience demonstrate the polar opposite of this principle. On the one hand,
they worship them as goddesses, while on the other, they mistreat and dismiss
them. In India, women have always had to deal with some sort of social issue.
Despite all of our progress, we continue to discriminate against women in India.
In many cases, girls are not allowed to be born. The girl child is regarded as a
liability. She is frequently denied fundamental rights and equitable opportunity

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to have a healthy childhood and adult life. In India, adolescence is experienced
differently by girls and boys.While boys have more independence, girls have
more restrictions on their capacity to move around freely and make decisions that
affect their career, education, marriage, and social ties. Women are not believed
to be on an equal footing with males. They are subjected to discrimination in
practically every setting, including the job and the household. This bigotry affects
even the tiniest of girls. Furthermore, there is a shortage of female education as
well as a salary difference between men and women. Women in rural
communities are still denied access to school due to their gender. Similarly, for
doing the same work, women are not paid equally to men. They are also subjected
to workplace harassment and exploitation.
Women's conditions in communities are significantly worse. Women in rural
areas are less likely to work, and when they do, they earn less than men. Rural
women are disproportionately concentrated in low-skilled, low-productivity,
low- or no-pay jobs with long hours, bad working conditions, and no social
protection. Furthermore, they bear a disproportionate amount of unpaid care and
home chores, such as food preparation, child care, and caring for the sick and
elderly.
Even before she is born, the girl child is murdered. Females are not treated equally
to guys.They are denied the same opportunities as everyone else. We should all
pay close attention to this issue and figure out how to address it.

SECTION-C
(Grammar) 20 Marks
8. Complete the passage given below choosing the correct alternatives.
4 Marks
Every time we touch (a) ___________ object we leave a unique trail (b)
_________ hand germs, (c) ___________ with our fingerprints. A research
team (d) _________ the University of Colorado took samples from office
keyboards and was (e) ____________ to match them to the bacteria (f)
____________ the fingertips of individual computers. Lead researcher
Professor Noah Fierer (g) _________ that the technique could eventually
become a (h) ___________ item in the tool-box of forensic scientists.
(a) (i) any (ii) the (iii) on (iv) every
(b) (i) by (ii) to (iii) of (iv) for
(c) (i) away (ii) along (iii) aside (iv) alone

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(d) (i) in (ii) by (iii) with (iv) from
(e) (i) ability (ii) succeded (iii) able (iv) successful
(f) (i) with (ii) on (iii) for (iv) to
(g) (i) is feeling (ii) feel (iii) will feel (iv) feels
(h) (i) valuable (ii) value (iii) no value (iv) best
Ans: (a) on
(b) of
(c) along
(d) from
(e) able
(f) with
(g) feels
(h) valuable

9. Complete the following news reports by choosing the correct options:

4 Marks
(a) Bacteria to the rescue
Some firms ____________ innovative methods of using bacteria for treating
waste.
(i) has come up with
(ii) will come up with
(iii) have come up with
(iv) is coming up with
Ans: (iii) have come up with
(b) 87 kids hospitalised in China.
87 kids ______________ after eating yoghurt at a kindergarten in northwest
China.
(i) was hospitalised

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 (ii) has been hospitalised
(iii) was being hospitalised
(iv) were hospitalised
Ans: (iv) were hospitalised
(c) British guns stolen
Dozens of British machine guns _________ in Afghanistan and used against
the NATO forces.
(i) have been stolen
(ii) was stolen
(iii) has been stolen
(iv) was being stolen
Ans: (i) have been stolen
(d) Air India cancels flights
Air India Express ___________ certain flights owing to operational reasons.
(i) cancel
(ii) was cancelled
(iii) has cancelled
(iv) have cancelled
Ans: (i) cancel

10. Rearrange the following to form meaningful sentences. The first one has
been done for you. 4 Marks
today / about things/ one of/ creativity/ is/ talked/ the most/
Creativity is one of the most talked about things today.
(a) can/ a/ calm/ only/ be creative/ mind/ balanced/ and/
Ans: Only a calm and balanced mind can be creative.
(b) stressed/ is stifled/ are/ when you/ your creativity/
Ans: Your creativity is stifled when you are stressed.

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(c) is one / a good/ a creative/ person/ imagination/ with/
Ans: A creative person is one with good imagination.
(d) makes/ appear real/ imagination/ the unreal/ even/
Ans: Imagination even makes the unreal appear real.

11. Read the conversation given below and complete the passage that follows.
4 Marks
Interviewer: Are you working somewhere?
Candidate: Yes, I am working in a reputed advertising firm in Mumbai.
Interviewer: Why do you want to join our firm?
Candidate: My wife is working in this city. So, if I get this job we can settle
here.
The interviewer wanted to know (a) ______________. The candidate replied
in the affirmative and said that (b) ______________ advertising firm in
Mumbai. The interviewer then asked (c) _____________ firm. To this the
candidate said that his wife was working in that city and so (d)
______________ settle there.
Ans: (a) if the candidate was working somewhere.
(b) he was working in a reputed
(c) him why he wanted to join their
(d) they

12. You can see below a set of instructions for making custard. Complete the
paragraph that follows. 4 Marks
Take two spoons of custard powder in a pan.
Add a cup of milk and mix without forming lumps.
Place the mixture on fire and stir continuously.
Once cooked, remove from the fire.
Allow the custard to cool and serve chilled.

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Two spoons of custard powder are taken in a pan. A cup of milk (a)
_________and mixed without forming lumps. The mixture (b)
______________ on fire and stirred continuously. Once it is cooked, the
custard (c) _____________. It is then allowed to cool and (d) ____________
chilled.
Ans: (a) is added
(b) is then placed
(c) is removed
(d) serve

SECTION-D
(Literature) 20 Marks
13. (A) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow by
choosing the correct options. 3 Marks
The newly- wakened father’s heart in him was reproaching him for failed to
understand Ali’s anxiety, for now he himself had to spend another night of
restless anxiety.
(a) Whose heart is referred to here?
(i) The postmaster’s
(ii) Lakshmi Das’s
(iii) Ali’s
(iv) The clerk’s
Ans: (i) The postmaster’s
(b) Why was he restless?
(i) Ali did not receive a letter.
(ii) He lost his daughter
(iii) There was no news of his sick daughter.
(iv) He could not meet Ali before death.
Ans: (iii) There was no news of his sick daughter

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(c) What was the cause of Ali’s anxiety?
(i) He was old and weak.
(ii) He could not hunt anymore.
(iii) The people at the post office made fun of him.
(iv) There was no letter from his daughter.
Ans: (iv) There was no letter from his daughter
Or
Now the nightingale, inspired,
Flushed with confidence, and fired
With both art and adoration,
Sang – and was a huge sensation.
(a) What inspired the nightingale?
(i) The other creatures appreciated her song
(ii) The frog promised to train her
(iii) She became a huge sensation
(iv) She could sing loud and clear
Ans: (ii) The frog promised to train her
(b) “Flushed” in the above lines means
(i) in a flash
(ii) excited and pleased
(iii) confident
(iv) talented
Ans: (ii) excited and pleased
(c) What is the rhyme scheme of the above lines?
(i) abab
(ii) abcd
(iii) aabb

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 (iv) abba
Ans: (iii) aabb
(B) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
3 Marks
‘God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the fiends, that plague thee thus!-
Why look’st thou so?
(a) Who is the speaker?
Ans: Wedding guest is the speaker.The wedding guests were curious as to why
the Mariner appeared to be in such distress.
(b) Why do fiends plague him?
Ans: When the wedding guests see the mariner's sad expression, they assume
something horrible has happened to him. Mariner had killed an innocent bird.
(c) Which word in the above lines means the same as ‘to trouble’?
Ans: The passage's term "plague" has the same meaning as "to trouble".

14. Answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words each. 8 Marks
(a) Why did the grandmother take the children to her house?
Ans: The grandmother had a warm and affectionate relationship with little
girl. Her grandmother was the only person who treated her with kindness and
affection. She was no longer alive, but when the little girl saw her grandma in her
last vision, she begged her to take her with her.
(b) In ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ who is called “a Christian soul”?
Why?
Ans: The albatross is referred to be the Christian soul in The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner. Because it appeared out of nowhere, it was praised in God's name. The
seafarers thought it was a lifesaver. The icebergs began to break after the albatross
arrived, allowing the ship to go forward.
(c) Why did Ali call at the post office every day?

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Ans: Ali used to go to the post office on a daily basis. He had been visiting the
location for many years, hoping to receive a letter from his only daughter, Miriam,
one day.
(d) Who are the liars in the poem, ‘Mirror’? Why are they called so?
Ans: Liars are the moon and candles, since they never disclose the truth about
anyone. They create a misleading reflection by making things appear brighter and
more dazzling than they are.
(e) Why does Brutus allow Antony to deliver the funeral speech?
Ans: Antony was allowed by Brutus to deliver the funeral speech because Antony
and Caesar were excellent friends, Brutus authorised Antony to speak at the
funeral because it would be simple to persuade the plebeians through Antony.
Furthermore, Antony agreed to and accepted all of Brutus' terms.

15. Answer the following question in about 120 words. 6 Marks

What difficulties did the refugees have to undergo in their journey through
the Kruger Park?
Ans: The narrator's excursion through Kruger Park with his family can be
interpreted as an allegory for the young narrator's rite of passage. During the
journey, the girl must deal with the death of yet another family member—her
grandfather—and assume responsibility for her younger brother, whom she must
physically support. The narrator opens her description of entering Kruger Park by
informing the reader of a guy in her town who lost his legs to crocodiles,
reminding the reader of the dangers that lie ahead and contributing to the story's
ominous tone. She portrays the creatures in the park as constantly on the lookout
for food, despite the fact that she and her family are hungry. "We had passed [the
vultures] often where they were feeding on the bones of dead animals, nothing
was ever left there for us to eat," she writes.
(b) Write a character sketch of Julius Caesar.
Ans: Julius Caesar was a prominent general in the Roman army. Caesar was
courageous, overconfident, arrogant, firm, superstitious, and liked flattery,
according to the story. He was brave since he had won numerous conflicts on his
own. He didn't even have a fear of dying. He was overconfident, ignoring all the
warning signs and his wife's requests to stay at home. His arrogance might be
shown in the fact that he referred to his fellow senators as "greybeards." He also
compares himself to a "northern star," and his colleagues to "ordinary stars." His

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firmness is demonstrated by his refusal to listen to any of the senators, including
Brutus. He did not overturn Publius Climber's exile. When he sent his servant to
the priest to offer sacrifice and inquire about his luck on that particular day, his
superstitious character was revealed. His fondness for flattery was evident when
he changed his mind about not travelling to the Capitol after being flattered by
his wife. We witnessed him change his mind about going to Capitol once more
when Decius Brutus used flattery to persuade him to go Capitol.

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