New Horizon Public School, Airoli

Grade X/__: Preliminary Examination I: Term II: February 2022: English Lang. & Lit. (184)
Name:____________________________ Roll No: _____
Date: 16.02.2022 Time: 2 Hours Marks: 40

General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING & GRAMMAR and
LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

SECTION A- READING (10 marks)

Q.1. Read the passage given below.

1. Ideas rule the world. You shape your fate and decide your destiny by your thoughts. You have to
think high to rise. You have to believe and be sure of yourself to win a prize. Life’s battles don’t
always go to the stronger or faster man: but sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he
can. Success starts with your thoughts. Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
And your mind is nothing more than a bundle of thoughts. Since you have the power to shape your
thoughts, you automatically also have the power to fashion your fate and decide your destiny. Thus,
your thoughts are the most potent, powerful and prime source of your success. For your thoughts to
blossom into success, they should be combined with definiteness of purpose, perseverance and a
burning, pulsating, strong desire to translate them into action.
2. Believe that you will succeed and believe it firmly. You will then do whatever is necessary to bring
success about. Faith in yourself, confidence that you can and will succeed is the key to your success in
any venture. If you keep your mind riveted on your goal and focus your thoughts on the great and
splendid things you wish to have, you will find yourself unconsciously seizing upon the opportunities
that are required for the fulfillment of your desire.
3. Thoughts are supreme. Preserve a right mental attitude of courage, frankness and good cheer. Think
of success in your work and you will then do automatically and unconsciously the things necessary to
bring success about. If your desire is weak and efforts are erratic, your achievements will also be slight
and fleeting. But if you go after your goal with the single-mindedness of a bulldog after a cat, with
boundless energy, enthusiasm and determination, nothing and nobody under the sun can stop you from
reaping success and securing your cherished objective. The swiftness and speed of your progress
towards achieving your goal depends solely on the depth and intensity you desire. Your goal should
also be definite, clear-cut and specific and should be linked to a fixed time frame so that your energies
and efforts can be focused and forcefully directed towards its attainment.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six
given below. (1x5=5)

a) Who can win the life’s battles?

b) What is required to bloom our thoughts into success?
c) On what does the swiftness and speed of our progress towards achieving goal depend?
d) What message is conveyed through the above passage?
e) Find the word from the passage that means the same as ‘steadfastness’ in the above
passage:(para 1)
f) Suggest a suitable title to the above passage.
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Q. 2. Read the passage given below.
India is home to 18% of the global population but has only 4% of the global water resources. Its per
capita water availability is around 1,100 cubic meters (m3), well below the internationally recognised
threshold of water stress of 1,700 m3 per person, and dangerously close to the threshold for water
scarcity of 1,000 m3 per person. Paradoxically, India is also the largest net exporter of virtual water
(the amount of water required to produce the products that India exports) and has one of the most
water-intense economies. Despite looming water scarcity, India is one of the largest water users per
unit of GDP suggesting that the way in which India manages its water resources accounts for much of
its water woes. The problem lies with the Government capacities which are lacking in improving water
management, while policies and incentives often favour inefficient and unproductive use of water.
This coupled with weak or absent institutions (e.g., for water regulation) and poor data collection and
assessment results in the increasing state of water woes in the country. When it comes to improving
water service delivery, India can learn from Brazil, Colombia, Mozambique and New South Wales
(Australia), among others. We don‘t have to go overseas to see good examples of water resources
management. The Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority, established under a World
Bank project, is putting in place policies, regulations, institutions and incentives that promote more
efficient and more productive use of water, e.g., by ensuring the equitable distribution of water among
users, and by establishing water tariffs. Efforts to establish effective authorities are also underway in
other states, and Maharashtra is disseminating the lessons learned from its experience. Further, The
World Bank‘s Country Partnership Framework for India recognizes the importance of the efficient use
of natural resources, including water, in support of the country‘s ambitious growth targets. Several
World Bank projects support India‘s efforts in the water sector: Through the National Mission for
Clean Ganga, the World Bank is helping the Government of India build institutional capacity for the
management and clean-up of the Ganga and investing to reduce pollution. Another World Bank
project, the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project, has improved the safety and performance of
223 dams in the country. The National Hydrology Project is providing significant support to
strengthen capacities, improve data monitoring and analysis, and laying the foundations for
benchmarking and performance-based water management. There are many more such projects that aid
an efficient water management system.

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On the basis of your reading answer ANY FIVE of the six questions given below: - (1x5=5)
a) What does the passage tell us about the Indian per capita water availability?
b) Why are the water woes in the country ever on rise?
c) What is the National mission for clean Ganga?
d) How does the Maharashtra water resources regulatory authority serve as an example for
the nation?
e) Lists the ways in which water can be managed in India.
f) According to the passage, what are the reasons of Indian water woes?

SECTION B - WRITING AND GRAMMAR (10 marks)

Q.3. Attempt ANY ONE from (i) and (ii) (5)

(i) The following graph shows the factors that contribute to success of people in society. The
demographic covered in this graph are young and old people. Write an analytical paragraph in
100 to 120 words comparing the two demographics.

OR

(ii) You are Rohit Kapoor, the Stores in charge of Meerut Public School, Meerut. You require some
electronic items for your school auditorium. Place an order to Sony Electronics, Nehru Maidan, New
Delhi. (100-120 words) (5)

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Q.4. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Identify the
error and write its correction against the correct blank number. Remember to underline the
correction. The first one has been done for you. (1x3=3)
Error Correction
The Louvre is a world’s largest a) _____ _____
and oldest museum. It is locate b) _____ ______
on that banks of the Seine River in Paris, France c) ______ ______

Q.5.Read the conversation and choose the most suitable option to fill in the blanks to complete
the narration. (2x1=2)

Employer: Why did you leave your previous job?

Applicant: They didn’t meet my requirement.
Employer: What salary do you expect here.
Applicant: I am expecting Rs.10,000 per month.
Employer: We can pay you just Rs. 8000 per month.
The Employer (a) _________left his previous job. The applicant (b) __________ they had not met his
requirement.

C- LITERATURE (20 marks)

Q.6. Answer ANY SIX of the seven given questions in 30-40 words each. (2x6=12)

a) What does Valli mean when she says, ‘I was just agreeing with what you said about things
happening without our knowledge’?
b) What is the significance of the Buddha’s request for a handful of mustard seeds and the addition of a
condition to it?
c) Why did Pranjol’s father say that Rajveer had done his homework before visiting Assam?
d) Why does Walt Whitman want to live with animals?
e) A ballad includes the telling of a tale as well as a surprise ending. Using evidence from the
poem, explain how these features are included in ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’.
f) Which two issues about himself convinced Lomov of his decision to get married?
g) The hack driver successfully trapped the narrator in his web of words. Comment.

Q.7. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120 words each. (4x2=8)

a) Write the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem, ‘Amanda’ by Robin Klein.
b) The chapter ‘Bholi’ highlights the discrimination against the girl child. Analyze.
c) Mme Loisel’s disposition invites her doom. Comment in the context of the text you’ve read.