THE LAWRENCE SCHOOL, SANAWAR

SAMPLE PAPER SET-2

CLASS: U V
SUBJECT: ENGLISH
Time allowed: 3 Hours Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1) This paper is divided into two sections: A and B.
2) Both the sections are compulsory.
3) All questions of a particular section must be attempted in the correct order.
4) Read the instructions given with each section or question wherever necessary and follow
them. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit.

                                                   SECTION A - 40 Marks
Comprehension Passage 20
Q.1 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Every individual wants peace of mind. But it is hard to find a person who can say that he has
attained such a state of mental equilibrium as will allow him to live a life of tranquility. Peace of
mind is a distant dream for all of us. What is the reason for this? The reason is that people hanker
after ideal peace, that is, pure peace–a peace that is free from all kinds of non–peace items.

But this kind of absolute peace is not in nature’s storehouse. Let us take the analogy of the rose.
A rose is a very beautiful flower, but every stem has its thorns. Indeed, thorns are an integral part
of the rose plant. A poet has rightly said that thorns serve as security guards for the flower. The
translation of his Urdu lines is: “The safety of the flower would become impossible if the thorns
were silk-like.’ So flowers have to be accompanied by thorns. There must be hard thorns along
with soft flowers–that is, there must be non–peace items along with peaceful items. A peaceful
mind is a very precious aspect of human nature and it too needs safety to maintain its sublime
quality. Studies in psychology show that an untroubled mind very soon becomes stagnant. It
loses its creativity. For this reason, nature always leads people in challenging situations. It is a
non–peace item which acts as a challenge for the mind. This guarantees that the creativity of a
peaceful mind never comes to an end. A creative mind is always alive.

It is a common phenomenon that one who is born in affluence and has a problem–free life, very
soon finds his mind becoming dull, while the one, who is born into a life of problems and
hardships, has an active mind. Such a person develops creative thinking and his intellectual
development continues unhindered. Here, I would like to cite personal experience, concerning a
politician who had two sons. He loved one of his sons very much. He got this son married to

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someone of his choice and presented him with a farmhouse in which to live a life of comfort, just
as he pleased. I met this son and conversed with him. It seemed as if I were talking to a dull
person. He did tell some jokes but could not utter a word of wisdom. I have met the other son
also. He was not given a comfortable life by his father and so left town for another place. After a
few years of struggle, he emerged as a successful person. When I met him, I found that his whole
conversation was full of wisdom.

Answer any ten of the following questions: (10x1=10)

1) What is the distant dream for all of us?

a) Peace of mind
b) Fulfilling our ambition
c) Meeting our targets
d) Climbing the mountains

2) What do people hanker after?

a) Life of fun and frolic
b) Life full of challenges
c) Ideal peace
d) None of the above

3) The security guards for the flowers are …………

a) Gardens
b) Other plants
c) Thorns
d) Roots

4) Thorns are an integral part of a……………..

a) Rose plant
b) Maize
c) Chrysanthemum
d) None of the above

5) What happens to an untroubled mind?

a) We can utilize it for constructive purpose
b) It becomes stagnant and loses creativity
c) It craves for more peace
d) All of the above

6) ……………aspect of a peaceful mind never comes to an end.

a) Playful b) Entertaining c) Creative d) Affectionate

7) Whose creative thinking and intellectual development continues unhindered?

a) A person born in affluent family
b) A person who has to bear hardships in life
c) A carefree person

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 d) A careless person

8) What is the best aspect of the nature?

a) It always leads people to challenging situations
b) It provides people with comforts only
c) It demotivates the sufferers
d) All of the above

9) Find a word from para 1 which means ‘quietude’.

a) Equilibrium b) Tranquility c) Hanker d) Ideal

10) Find a word from para 2 which means ‘similarity’.

a) Integral b) Sublime c) Analogy d) Stagnant

11) What is the tone of the passage?

a) Thoughtful b) Philosophical c) Derogatory d) Appreciative

Q.2 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

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 games and music
downloading.

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 smartphones to look up any new word they come across. As we know that most of the
universities have online teaching provision and smartphones assist the students to complete their
assignments on time.

The mobile phone has been a lifesaver for a lot of people in case of an emergency. Likewise, the
use of smartphones can be of vital importance in preventing crimes in society by providing
information to the security forces in time. Nonetheless, for the young the use of mobile phones
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 an adverse effect on their academic
performance. Therefore, young people should always be monitored and made aware of its bad
outcomes.

Also a major contributor to its popularity is the availability of prepaid or pay–as–you–go services
from a phone shop or an online store. This allows subscribers to load text or airtime credits to

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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 a
prepaid card is not that appealing to you, then you can opt to subscribe using the pay–by–month
plan.

Answer any ten of the following questions: (10x1=10)

1) How are people able to tour cosmos virtually?

a) By their imagination
b) With new communication devices
c) By conversing to people
d) None of the above

2) Due to the easy access of internet, communication has become……………

a) Smart and effective
b) Dull and boring
c) Irritating
d) Unreliable

3) How are adults benefitting from the new technology?

a) It gives them a superficial feeling
b) They can message their loved ones
c) They have to spend huge amount of money
d) It is time consuming

4) How are smartphones beneficial for the students?

a) It helps them to play videos
b) They can watch lot of web series
c) They can broaden their mind and skills by research work
d) It is a sheer waste of time

5) The mobile phone has been………….. for a lot of people in case of an emergency.
a) A source of entertainment
b) Device useful for collecting information
c) A life saver
d) None of the above

6) How has the internet affected young people?

a) It has not affected them at all
b) Academic performance has dipped
c) It is a source of entertainment
d) It is sheer wastage of time

7) Young people are…………….to the mobile phones these days.

a) Addicted b) Dependent c) Cautious d) Servile

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 8) Young people should always be…………….by the elders while using the internet.
a) Encouraged b) Demotivated c) Monitored d) Rebuked

9) In para 1, the synonym of ‘innovation’ is ……………………

a) Production b) Sincerity c) Invention d) Prevention

10) In para 4, the antonym of ‘favourable’ is ……………………

a) Positive b) Prone c) Outcomes d) Adverse

11) What is the theme of the passage?

a) It is about the pros and cons of communication devices
b) Advantages of technology
c) Disadvantages of technology
d) None of the above

Literature 10

Q.3 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (5x1=5)

That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then nobody had come near him. The day before, all day
long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the
art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had, in fact, seen
his older brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents
circled around raising a proud cackle. And all the morning the whole family had walked about on
the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff taunting him with his cowardice.

1) What was twenty-four hours ago?

a) Seagull’s trying to fly
b) Seagull’s determination to fly
c) Seagull’s parents rebuking him
d) Seagull’s parents had flown away from him

2) What was the first lesson taught to seagulls by the parents?

a) To catch the fish
b) To see the seawater
c) To understand the surroundings
d) To skim the waves

3) How did seagull’s parents show their pride to their elder brother?
a) At his flying skills
b) At his taking to the sea
c) At catching his first herring and swallowing it
d) None of the above

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 4) The whole family taunted the seagull at his……………….
a) Cowardice for not flying
b) Stupidity
c) Hesitation
d) Fear

5) The word ‘devour’ means…………..

a) To eat greedily b) Hungry c) Cliff d) Cowardice

OR

Mme Loisel seemed old now. She had become a strong, hard woman, the crude woman of the
poor household. Her hair badly dressed, her skirts awry, her hands red, she spoke in a loud tone,
and washed the floors with large pails of water. But sometimes, when her husband was at the
office, she would seat herself before the window and think of that evening party of former times,
of that ball where she was so beautiful and so flattered. How would it have been if she had not
lost the necklace? Who knows? How singular is life, and how full of changes! How small a thing
will ruin or save one!

1) Why Mme Loisel seemed old now?

a) She was not keeping well
b) She had to do all the work herself now
c) Her husband did not take care of her
d) She did not care for herself

2) What did Mme Loisel think when she would be alone?

a) The evening party that she once attended
b) She would think of the beautiful dresses
c) She would think of her friend
d) None of the above

3) Why did Mme Loisel think of necklace?

a) It is the necklace she lost
b) Necklace belonged to her friend
c) Her life has changed due to the necklace
d) All of the above

4) What is Mme Loisel referring to in the last line?

a) Beautiful dress b) Money c) Necklace d) None of the above

5) Find a word from the paragraph which means the same as ‘unsophisticated’.
a) Pails b) Crude c) Flattered d) Awry

Q.4 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (5x1=5)

I would not intrude on him;

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 A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions.

1) What does the boy feel in losing the ball?

a) He is sad and dejected
b) He is happy and excited
c) He does not feel anything
d) All of the above

2) What lesson does the loss of ball teach him?

a) He has to behave nicely
b) Loss of the ball teaches him a sense of belonging
c) He is annoyed with himself
d) None of the above

3) Why is another ball worthless for him?

a) He has not possessed another ball yet
b) He is too small to understand the meaning of it
c) He can buy another ball with money
d) All of the above

4) Find a word from the stanza that means ‘useless’.

a) Intrude b) Possessions c) Worthless d) Dime

5) Name the poet of the poem.

a) S T Coleridge b) Walt Whitman c) John Berryman d) Robert Frost

OR

But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,

Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

1) How did Cusatrd face the pirate?

a) Custard faced the pirate by snorting like an engine
b) Custard ran away for the safe cage
c) Custard asked for Belinda’s help
d) All of the above

2) How did Custard clash with the pirate?

a) By throwing weapons on him
b) Moving his tale like irons in a dungeon
c) By holding the pirate from the neck
d) None of the above

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 3) How did Custard look like when he clashed with the pirate?
a) He looked like a tiger pouncing on the prey
b) He looked timid
c) He looked like a robin falling on a worm
d) All of the above

4) Find a word from the stanza that means ‘struck’.

a) Dungeon b) Clashed c) Clatter d) Clank

5) Name the poet of the poem.

a) S T Coleridge b) Leslie Norris c) Robin Klein d) Ogden Nash

Grammar 10

Q.5 Complete the sentences given below with the most suitable choice. (Any three) (3x1=3)

1) She ——————– the railway station before the train came.

a) Had reached b) Has reached c) Reached d) Was reached

2) His uncle does not ——————— here.

a) Live b) Lives c) Living d) Lived

3) Peter ———————— editing this magazine for twenty five years by next January.
a) Will be b) Will have been c) Is d) Would be

4) We ————————— living here since 1990.

a) Were b) Are c) Have been d) Had been

Q.6 Complete the sentences given below with the most suitable choice. (Any three) (3x1=3)

1) He said, “Honesty is the best policy.”

a) He said that honesty is the best policy.
b) He said that honesty was the best policy.
c) He said that honesty has been the best policy.
d) He said that honesty had been the best policy.

2) He said to me, “Will you go there?”

a) He asked me if I would be going there.
b) He asked me if I would go there.
c) He asked me if I shall go there.
d) He asked me if I will be going there.

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 3) I said to him, “Leave this place at once.”
a) I asked him to leave that place at once.
b) I told him to leave that place at once.
c) I commanded him to leave that place at once.
d) I requested him to leave that place at once.

4) I said to my friend, “Please lend me your book.”

a) I asked my friend to lend me his book.
b) I pleaded with my friend to lend me his book.
c) I requested my friend to lend me his book.
d) I commanded my friend to lend me his book.

Q.7 Complete the sentences given below with the most suitable choice. (Any four) (4x1=4)

1) We………… obey our teachers.

a) Could b) Can c) Must d) Shall

2) He works hard lest he…………fail.

a) Can b) Should c) Could d) Need

3) We………………prepare our lessons well before the examination.

a) May b) Might c) Will d) Ought to

4) …………….. boys have done their work.

a) That b) This c) Those d) Last

5) Give me…………… advice on how to improve my writing skills.

a) Some b) Few c) All d) A few

6) I shall meet him ……………week.

a) Last b) Next c) Before d) All

Section B-40 Marks

Writing Skills 10

Q.8 Software engineers from India have the reputation of being among the best in the world.
Most of them migrate to other countries while their own country needs them the most. This is a
matter of serious concern. Taking clues from the following verbal input, write a letter to the
editor of The Indian Express expressing concern over the issue of brain drain in about 100–120
words. (5)

Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as “brain drain”—the large scale
emigration of a group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge—rich opportunities,

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political stability and freedom, developed economy and better living conditions- preference
for exploring-ambition for an improved career-loss to the nation

OR
The condition of the public park in your locality is miserable and it is also misused by some
mischievous people. Write a letter to the Police Commissioner of your area with the help of the
points given below in 100–120 words. You are Ritu/Ravi, A–15 Kailash Colony, New Delhi.

Poorly managed park – heaps of garbage lying everywhere-boundary wall broken – grass needs to
be cut-stray animals rest there – drunkards sit inside-sometimes rob lonely passerby – people are
scared to go there-urgent action required

Q.9 You are Nisha/Nishant. As Secretary of the Literary Club of your school, you have been
asked to write on the importance of reading. The following graph clearly states how irrelevant
reading has become to the present generation. Taking ideas from the graph, write an analytical
paragraph in about 100-120 wo1111rds.
(5)

OR

Study the graph given below, which is the result of the survey conducted in the
public schools and government schools of Vadodara. This depicts the types of
activities the teenagers (Age 13- 19 years are involved during their leisure time).

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Taking ideas from the graph, write an analytical paragraph in about 100-120 words.

Literature 30

Q.10 Answer any four in all out of both sets of questions in about 20-30 words: (4x2=8)

Any Two

1) Lencho calls the raindrops ‘new coins’. Why?

2) How does Nelson Mandela describe freedom?
3) Why the black aeroplane is called ‘strange’?

Any Two

4) How did Mrs. Pumphrey respond to Tricki’s convalescing rapidly?

5) Who was Griffin and what type of a man was he?
6) What lesson does Ebright learn when he does not win anything at a science fair?

Q.11 Answer any four in all out of both sets of questions in about 40-50 words: (4x3=12)

Any Two

1) What impression do you form of Mr. Keesing as a teacher?

2) How did Peggy and Maddie try to amend their behaviour towards Wanda?
3) How is Coorg a place worth visiting?

Any Two

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 4) Hari Singh did not catch the train deliberately while he could catch it easily. Why?
5) How could the lawyer have avoided being taken for a ride?
6) How does Bholi become her teacher’s mouthpiece?
Q.12 Answer any one of the following questions in about 100-120 words: (5)

‘Through the story of Kisa Gotami, what did the Buddha try to preach to the common man?

OR
“The Proposal” is a comedy full of great humour. Explain the statement.

Q.13 Answer any one of the following questions in about 100-120 words: (5)

“The Hack Driver” teaches the essential value of being attentive in dealing with the people. If it
is not followed, it leads one to unnecessary troubles. Comment.

OR
Discuss the role of the teacher in moulding the personality of Bholi.

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