PERIODIC ASSESSMENT - I, 2024-25

GRADE: X
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE (184)

Maximum Marks: 40 Duration: 1.5 Hours

Please check that this question paper contains 8 printed pages.
Answers to this Paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
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General Instructions:
(i) All questions are compulsory.
(ii) The question paper is divided into four sections- A, B, and C.
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Section A- Reading Skills (10 Marks)

1. Read the passage and answer the questions

1. A rat is a rodent, the most common mammal in the world. Rattus norvegicus is
one of the approximately four hundred different kinds of rodents, and it is known by
many names, each of which describes a trait or a perceived trait or sometimes a
habitat: the earth rat, the roving rat, the barn rat, the field rat, the migratory rat, the
house rat, the sewer rat, the water rat, the wharf rat, the alley rat, the grey rat, the
brown rat, and the common rat. The average brown rat is large and stocky; it grows
to be approximately sixteen inches long from its nose to its tail—the size of a large
adult human male’s foot—and weighs about a pound, though brown rats have been
measured by scientists and exterminators at twenty inches and up to two pounds. The
brown rat is sometimes confused with the black rat, or Rattus rattus, which is smaller
and once inhabited New York City and all of the cities of America but, since Rattus
norvegicus pushed it out, is now relegated to a minor role. (The two species still
survive alongside each other in some Southern coastal cities and on the West Coast,
in places like Los Angeles, for example, where the black rat lives in attics and palm
trees.) The black rat is always a very dark gray, almost black, and the brown rat is
gray or brown, with a belly that can be light gray, yellow, or even a pure-seeming

CBSE 1
 white. One spring, beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, I saw a red-haired brown rat that
had been run over by a car. Both pet rats and laboratory rats are Rattus norvegicus,
but they are not wild and therefore, I would emphasize, not the subject of this book.
Sometimes pet rats are called fancy rats. But if anyone has picked up this book to
learn about fancy rats, then they should put this book down right away; none of the
rats mentioned herein are at all fancy.

2.Rats are nocturnal, and out in the night the brown rat’s eyes are small and black
and shiny; when a flashlight shines into them in the dark, the eyes of a rat light up
like the eyes of a deer. Though it forages in darkness, the brown rat has poor eyesight.
It makes up for this with, first of all, an excellent sense of smell. They have an
excellent sense of taste, detecting the most minute amounts of poison, down to one
part per million. A brown rat has strong feet, the two front paws each equipped with
four clawlike nails, the rear paws even longer and stronger. It can run and climb with
squirrel-like agility. It is an excellent swimmer, surviving in rivers and bays, in sewer
streams and toilet bowls.

3.The brown rat’s teeth are yellow, the front two incisors being especially long and
sharp, like buckteeth. When the brown rat bites, its front two teeth spread apart.
When it gnaws, a flap of skin plugs the space behind its incisors. Hence, when the
rat gnaws on indigestible materials—concrete or steel, for example—the shavings
don’t go down the rat’s throat and kill it. Its incisors grow at a rate of five inches per
year. Rats always gnaw, and no one is certain why—there are few modern rat studies.
It is sometimes erroneously stated that the rat gnaws solely to limit the length of its
incisors, which would otherwise grow out of its head, but this is not the case: the
incisors wear down naturally. In terms of hardness, the brown rat’s teeth are stronger
than aluminium, copper, lead, and iron. They are comparable to steel. With the
alligator-like structure of their jaws, rats can exert a biting pressure of up to seven
thousand pounds per square inch. Rats, like mice, seem to be attracted to wires—to
utility wires, computer wires, wires in vehicles, in addition to gas and water pipes.
One rat expert theorizes that wires may be attractive to rats because of their
resemblance to vines and the stalks of plants; cables are the vines of the city. By
one estimate, 26 percent of all electric-cable breaks and 18 percent of all phone-cable
disruptions are caused by rats. According to one study, as many as 25 percent of all
fires of unknown origin are rat-caused. Rats chew electrical cables. Sitting in a nest
of tattered rags and newspapers, in the floorboards of an old tenement, a rat gnaws
the head of a match—the lightning in the city forest.

CBSE 2
 1.1 On the basis of the reading of the passage, answer the following [1X5=5]
questions:
i) Identify a word from passage 3 which means ‘rooms in a flat’ 1

ii) About what does the end of paragraph 2 mainly emphasize about rats? 1
iii) What is one of the main purposes of the statistics in paragraph 3?
2
Supplement your answer with proper justifications from the passage.

iv) Read the examples from the excerpt in the box below.
“One spring, beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, I saw a red-haired brown rat 1
that had been run over by a car………. . . people . . . throw the food that
they have not eaten onto the tracks, along with newspapers and soda
bottles and, I have noticed, thousands of no-longer-charged AA batteries,
waiting to leak acid.”

What do the examples show about the author’s research methods?

A. The author relies on data from published studies.

B. The author looks for humorous stories about rats
C. The author gathers his own field observations.
D. The author contrasts rats with other animals.

2. Read the passage and answer the questions

1.When plastic waste is burnt, a complex weave of toxic chemicals is released.

Breaking down polyvinyl chloride (PVC) — used for packaging, toys and coating
electrical wires — produces dioxin, an organochlorine which belongs to the family
of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). A recent Dioxin Assessment Report brought
out by the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) says the risk of
getting cancer from dioxin is ten times higher than reported by the agency in 1994.

2.Yet the Delhi government is giving the green signal to a gasification project which
will convert garbage into energy without removing plastic waste. Former transport
minister Rajendra Gupta, the promoter of this project, says this is not necessary.

3.He claims no air pollution will be caused and that the ash produced can be used as
manure. An earlier waste-to-energy project set up in Timarpur failed. The new one,
built with Australian assistance, will cost ₹ 200 crore. It will generate 25 megawatts
of power and gobble 1,000 tonnes of garbage every day.

4.“Technologies like gasification are a form of incineration,” says Madhumita Dutta,

central coordinator with Toxics Link, New Delhi. Incineration merely transfers
hazardous waste from a solid form to air, water and ash, she points out.

5.Toxins produced during incineration include acidic gases, heavy metals as well as
dioxins and furans. “The ‘manure’ will be hazardous and a problem to dispose,” says
Dutta.

CBSE 3
 6.Municipal solid waste contains a mix of plastics. Breaking down this waste emits
hydrochloric acid which attacks the respiratory system, skin and eyes, resulting in
coughing, vomiting and nausea.

7.Polyethylene generates volatile compounds like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde,

both suspected carcinogenic. Breathing styrene from polystyrene can cause
leukaemia. Polyurethane is associated with asthma. Dioxin released by PVC is a
powerful hormone disrupter and causes birth defects and reproductive problems.
There is no threshold dose to prevent it and our bodies have no defence against it.

8.“Even the best run incinerators in the world have to deal with stringent norms,
apart from contaminated filters and ash, making them hugely expensive to operate,”
says Dutta. In Germany, air pollution devices accounted for two-thirds the cost of
incineration. Despite such efforts, the European Dioxin Inventory noted that the
input of dioxin into the atmosphere was the highest from incineration.

9.“India does not have the facility to test dioxin and the cost of setting one up is
prohibitively expensive,” says Dutta. Besides, Indian garbage has a low calorific
content of about 800 cal/kg, since it has high moisture and requires additional fuel
to burn. Toxics Link calculates that the electricity generated from such technology
will cost between ₹ 5-7 per unit, which is six times higher than conventional energy.
India has chosen a dioxin preventive route and burning of chlorinated plastics is
prohibited under Municipal Solid Waste and Biomedical Rules.

10.Nearly 80 per cent of Indian garbage is recyclable or compostable. Resident

associations, the informal sector and the municipal corporation can make Delhi’s
garbage disappear in a sustainable manner. “Instead, the government promotes end
of pipeline solutions,” says Dutta.

3.

CBSE 4
 2.1 On the basis of the reading of the passage, answer the following questions: [1X5=5]

i) The gasification process transforms ___________. 1

ii) What two arguments are advanced against the use of incinerators? 2
iii) Find words in the passage similar in meaning as 'Swallow' (Para 3).
1

iv) Based on the given graphical representation of data in the passage,

choose the option that lists the statements that are TRUE. 1

1. In the year 2015, the incinerated plastic waste disposal was 80%.

2. In the year 1980, share of discarded plastic waste was 100%.

3. Discarded plastic waste was 60% in the year 2010.

4. Recycled plastic waste in the year 2000 was less than 70%.

Choose the correct option:

(i) 1,2 and 3

(ii) 2 and 3

(iii) 1 and 4

(iv) 1,3 and 4

Section B – Writing and Grammar (10 Marks)

3 Grammar
Answer any FIVE [5X1=5]

1) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb given in the 1
bracket.
When they arrived at the station, the train ___already ____. They had to
wait for the next train. (leave)
1
2) "While my friend was driving me home, we had a terrible argument.
Report the above sentence that Chaya said to the police.

3) Edit the following sentence and write the incorrect and correct answers: 1
Everybody knows which are older, Enrique or Miguel?

Error Correction

CBSE 5
 4) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb given in the 1
bracket.
The Supreme Court on December 10th ______(direct) the educational
institutions to adopt a zero-tolerance policy to ragging and expel students
found guilty of maltreating freshers.

5) Edit the following sentence and write the incorrect and correct answers:
1
The people whom we call "nature lovers" enjoy getting in the water for a short
swim to look at rocks, seaweed and underwater creatures that is swimming
around.
Error Correction

6) Transform the sentence into indirect speech. 1

"Does she know Robert?" Andrew asked Mila.

4 Writing [5]
Letter Writing

(i) You are Chahat / Chetan, an IT Professional of Bangalore. You want to raise
awareness about the rising incidences of cybercrimes. Write a letter to the editor of
a cyber magazine “Info news”, highlighting the issue and suggesting measures to
prevent such happenings. (Word Limit 100-120).

OR
(ii) You are Garima a student of class 12 at Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Jaipur. You are
the head of the school MUN club. Write an order letter to Universal Book House,
Naya bazar, Jaipur, placing an order for the latest journals, guides and reference
books for your club. (Word Limit 100-120).

Section C – Literature (20 Marks)

7. Read the following Extracts. Answer the questions that follow. [2.5]

(i) Now we're really going to get some water woman." The woman who was
preparing supper replied, "Yes, God willing". The older boys were working in the
field, while the smaller ones were playing near the house until the woman called to
them all "Come for dinner". It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted,
big drops of rain began to fall. In the north-east huge mountains of clouds could be
seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet. The man went out for no other reason
than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body, and when he returned, he

CBSE 6
 exclaimed, "These aren't raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins. The big
drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives." (A Letter to God)

(a) How does the speaker get to know that he is going to get some water? [0.5]

(b) At what time of the day is “Supper” eaten? [0.5]

(c) What are the raindrops compared to? Why? [1]

(d) The extract’s description of the family’s reaction to the impending rain suggests [0.5]
that they are very _______
OR

(ii) I made up a bed for him in a warm loose box next to the one where the other
dogs slept. For two days I kept an eye on him, giving him no food but plenty of
water. At the end of the second day, he started to show some interest in his
surroundings and on the third he began to whimper when he heard the dogs in the
yard.
(a) What was the bed made out of? [0.5]

(b) What changes were witnessed in Tricki? [1]

(c) Why did the narrator not give him any food for two days? [0.5]
(d) Find a synonym for the word 'whine' from the extract?
[0.5]
8 Read the following Extracts. Answer the questions that follow. [2.5]
(i) Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

(a) What does the “day I had rued” suggest about the speaker’s past? [0.5]

(b) What is the figure of speech used in the phrase “saved some part”? [0.5]

(c) Write the rhyme scheme of the stanza given here. [0.5]

(d) What did the poet decide? [1]

OR

(ii) He stalks in his vivid stripes,

The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.

CBSE 7
 (a) Identify the figure of speech used in the stanza. [0.5]
(b) How does the tiger move in the cage? [0.5]
(c) What are the two qualities of the animal under reference? [0.5]
(d) Why is he in quiet rage? [1]

6. Answer any TWO of the following questions in 40-50 words: [3X2=6]

(a) What will be the cause of the end of the world if it were to perish twice?
Explain with the symbolic reference.

(b) How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

(c) It is said that an animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.
Explain with reference to the tiger.

7. Answer any ONE of the following questions in 40-50 words: [3X1=3]

(a) How do you think Anil may have come to know about the theft? Infer the
reason for Anil not revealing or discussing anything about it.

(b) How did Tricky become an accepted member of the gang and start enjoying
the company of other dogs?

8. Answer any ONE of the following questions in 100-120 words: [3X1=3]

(a) "Faith can move mountains" Compare the role of faith in the prose lessons "A
letter to God" and "A long walk to freedom" and its subsequent role in the
attainment of their goals.

(b) A noted author, Richard Bache wrote - " For most gulls it was not flying that
mattered, but eating. For this gull, though it was not eating that mattered, but
flight." Evaluate this statement with respect to the chapter " His First Flight".

9. Answer any ONE of the following questions in 100-120 words: [3X1=3]

(a) "Privilege often confuses actual needs for perceived ones". How far is this
aspect witnessed in the world around you? Evaluate this statement with
reference to the lesson “Triumph of Surgery”

OR

(b) "Fiction writers prefer creating grey characters rather than black and white.
Analyse this in detail, with reference to both the characters of the “The
Thief's Story.”

CBSE 8