Periodic Assessment-II (2021-22)

CLASS: X (ENGLISH)
F.M. 80 Max Marks: 3 hours

General Instructions:
1. This paper has two parts: A and B.
2. All questions are compulsory.
3. Separate instructions have been given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read the
instructions very carefully and follow them.
4. Do not exceed the word limit while answering the questions.
Part A (40 marks)

Reading (20 marks)

1. Read the passage given below.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow. (1x10= 10)
It's sunset in Rome, outside the city walls. Golden light filters through umbrella pines and casts its glow on
a straight stretch of smooth basalt stones that changed the course of history. This is the Appian Way, the
first road built in Rome, where more than 2,000 years ago soldiers set out to conquer distant lands and
returned in triumph.
The road is the heart of Rome's Appia Antica
Archaeological Park, an expansive green wedge that
stretches from the edge of the city's historical centre to
the hillside villages of the Castelli Romani. This 4,700-
hectare oasis is the second largest urban park in Europe –
dotted with aqueducts, nature reserves, archaeological
sites, vineyards, pastures and villas owned by such
luminaries as designer Valentino and actress Gina
Lollobrigida.
Less than 3km from the Colosseum's crowds, the parco gives travellers a place to slow down and leisurely
experience the Roman countryside, complete with birdsong and sightings of shepherds leading their flocks.
The scattering of ruins adds a certain memento mori that enchanted painters and poets of the Grand Tour,
as you feel the circle of life standing on this old road: soft breeze carrying the scent of fresh grass,
crumbling stones carrying stories from the past.
As this is Italy, good food must complete the idyllic scene. Enter Paolo Magnanimi, of the Appian
Way's Hostaria Antica Roma. The restaurant is located within sight of the park's iconic Mausoleum of
Cecilia Metella and fronted by a flower and vegetable garden tended by Magnanimi's father, Massimo.
Inside, the menu lists dishes that can't be found at any other restaurant in the city, or perhaps in the world.
Behind these creations is Magnanimi, a cook passionate about creating and serving meals that are deeply
rooted in this park's history, from the days of ancient Rome.
(i) What was the first road built in Roam?
(a) The Appian Path (b) The Appian Bridge
(c) The Appian Way (d) The Appian Road
(ii) Appia Antica Archaeological Park ___________________________
(a) has the Appian Way (b) is the second largest urban park in Europe
(c)Both a and b (d) None of these
(iii) Which of these cannot be seen in Appia Antica Archaeological Park?
(a) nature reserves (b) archaeological sites (c) villas (d) None of these
(iv) What can be seen from Paolo Magnanimi?
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 (a) Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella
(b) a flower and vegetable garden
(c) Both a and b
(d) None of these
(v) What completes the idyllic scene?
(a) Villas
(b) A flower and vegetable garden
(c) Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella
(d) Good food
(vi) Which of the following is not true?
(a) Magnanimi is passionate about creating meals that are deeply rooted in the park's history,
from the days of ancient Rome.
(b) Magnanimi serves dishes that can't be found at any other restaurant in the city.
(c) Less than 3km from the Colosseum's crowds, one can see shepherds leading their flocks
(d) None of these.
(vii) “Golden light filters through umbrella pines and casts its glow on a straight stretch of smooth basalt
stones that changed the course of history.”
Why is the light golden?
(a) because it is an electric bulb.
(b) because it is moon light.
(c) because it is sun light.
(d) because there are some fire flies.
(viii) Which of the following means ‘wide-ranging’?
(a) fronted (b) expansive
(c) Passionate (d) tended
(ix)Which of the following means ‘fascinated’?
(a) passionate (b) tended
(c) enchanted (d) expansive
(x) Which of the following is an antonym of ‘hurried’?
(a) expansive (b) passionate
(c) iconic (d) leisurely
2. Read the passage given below.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage attempt the questions that follow. (1x10= 10)
Lake Bacalar has been moving towards an ecological disaster for the past decade, according to Dr Luisa
Falcón, a microbial ecologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Merida. In November
2015, Mexico's federal environmental protection agency issued a pollution alert for the lake. The problem
came to a head in June 2020, when Lake Bacalar's rich thalassic hues turned a dull brown. It still has not
made a full recovery.
But if nothing is done, the damage could go far beyond the aesthetics of the brilliantly hued water, Falcón
warns. Bacalar is home to the largest freshwater microbialite reef in the world – rock-like structures made
by thousands of microbes that precipitate carbonate minerals. "Bacalar's microbialites have an age range
between decades to more than 9,000 years old," she said. But it's the microbialite's living fossil
counterpart, the stromatolites, that date back to "approximately 3.5 billion years old", making Bacalar's
population the oldest evidence of life on Earth.

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The stromatolites resemble cauliflower – big, pillowy beige structures that grow upwards from the lagoon's
limestone bottom of the lake. They look like rocks, but they are actually living things. The sediment layers
itself millimeter by millimeter, with the aid of photosynthesising organisms called cyanobacteria, until the
structures turn into a rocky underwater growth that can be seen on the
surface of shallow water.

The cauliflower-like stromatolites only still exist in a few locations

globally – and Bacalar's population reveal history frozen in time, such as
the temperature or the geochemical composition of the water millions of
years ago. That's because they actually preserve the physicochemical
conditions of the water in their incredibly slow sedimentation process.
Crucially, stromatolites also help recycle elements. The microbes that
make up a stromatolite take carbon from the CO2 in the air and put it
into the lake floor's carbonate to store it. Like trees, their above-water
counterpart, stromatolites actively improve our environment.
(i) What made the scientists believe that the problem of pollution at
Lake Bacalar has become acute?
(a) Lake Bacalar's rich thalassic hues turned a dull brown.
(b) Bacalar has been moving towards an ecological disaster for the past decade.
(c) In November 2015, Mexico's federal environmental protection agency issued a pollution alert
for the lake.
(d) None of these.
(ii) What do freshwater microbialite reef do?
(a) Pollute the lake
(b) Protect the lake
(c) precipitate carbonate minerals
(d) All of these.
(iii) What makes Bacalar's population the oldest evidence of life on Earth?
(a) microbialite reef
(b) carbonate minerals
(c) the stromatolites.
(d) None of the above.
(iv) Cyanobacteria _________
(a) resemble cauliflower (b) are photosynthesising organisms
(c) look like rocks (d) All of these.
(v) Stromatolites are
(a) exclusive to Lake Bacalar. (b) found only in Lake Bacalar.
(c) also found in Lake Bacalar. (d) None of the above.
(vi) Stromatolites _____________
(a) help recycle elements. (b) take carbon from the CO2 in the air.
(c)Both a and b (d)Neither a nor b
(vii) Stromatolites resemble _____________ in their role for the environment.
(a) trees (b) rocks
(c) cauliflower (d) none of these
(viii)Find the synonym of ‘cause’?
(a) improve (b) range (c) precipitate (d) reveal
(ix)Find a synonym of ‘equivalent’.
(a) precipitate (b) counterpart (c) range (d) approximately
(x)Find the antonym of ‘precisely’.
(a) approximately (b) range (c) counterpart (d) reveal

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 LITERATURE (10 marks)
3. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE, by answering the questions that follow. 5x1=5
The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then
under his stomach, and against his wings. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He
was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. He was no longer
afraid. He just felt a bit dizzy. Then he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards. “Ga, ga, ga, Ga,
ga, ga, Gaw-col-ah,” his mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise. He answered her
with another scream. Then his father flew over him screaming. He saw his two brothers and his sister
flying around him curveting and banking and soaring and diving.

Then he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly, and commended himself to dive and
soar and curve, shrieking shrilly.
(i) Who is ‘he’?
(a) Seagull’s father (b) the young seagull
(c) seagull’s brother (c) None of these
(ii) What is ‘he’ experiencing?
(a) His fall (b) His first flight
(c) His defeat (d) His first windy day
(iii) His siblings were
(a) Jealous of him (b) Happy for him
(c) Indifferent to him (d) Afraid of him
(iv)What did he forget?
(a) That he could always fly. (b) That he was once not able to fly.
(c) That his siblings could not fly. (d) None of the above.
(v) Which of these means ‘to praise’?
(a) Swooped (b) Commended
(c)banking (d)soaring
OR
I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone who looked like I
did. That is when I joined the African National Congress, and that is when the hunger for my own freedom
became the greater hunger for the freedom of my people. It was the desire for the freedom of my people
to live their lives with dignity and self-respect that animated my life, that transformed a frightened young
man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving
husband into a man without a home, that forced a life-loving man to live like a monk.
(i) Who is ‘I’?
(a) Anne Frank (b) Wanda
(c) Nelson Mandela (d) Lencho
(ii)“I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone who looked like I
did.” This refers to the system of_________________
(a) Slave Trade (b) Serfdom
(c) Colonialism (d) Apartheid
(iii)“…that is when the hunger for my own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of my
people.” Identify the figure of speech used in this sentence.
(a) Simile (b) Personification
(c) Metaphor (d) Onomatopoeia

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(iv)What did animate the life of the narrator?
(a) The desire for the freedom of his people
(b) The desire for the freedom of his family
(d) The desire for the freedom of everyone
(d)None of these
(v)How did the life of the narrator change after joining the African National Congress?
(a) He became aware of his own freedom.
(b) He became aware of his family’s need for freedom.
(c) He became a monk.
(d) He became aware of his responsibilities towards his people.

4. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE, by answering the questions that follow. (5x1=5)
(A) They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
(i) The extract has been taken from the chapter____________
(a) A Tiger in the Zoo (b) How to Tell Wild Animals
(c) Animals (d) The Ball Poem
(ii) Why do people lie awake in the dark?
(a) They weep for their sins. (b) They have the mania of owning things.
(c) They are dissatisfied with their lives. (d) They hate animals.
(iii)Which qualities make the poet love animals better?
1. They are not dissatisfied with their condition.
2. They look cute.
3. They do not talk about their duties to God.
4. They do not weep for their sins.
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 1, 3 and 4 (d) 1 and 4
(iv)Who is the poet?
(a) Leslie Norris (b) John Berryman
(c) Robert Frost (d) Walt Whitman
(v)Why are people demented?
(a) They have the mania of owning things.
(b) They have mental illness.
(c) They are dissatisfied.
(d) They talk about their duties to God.
OR
(i) Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
Who is the poet?
(a)Robin Klein (b) John Berryman
(c) Ogden Nash (d) Carolyn Wells
(ii) Who is the speaker?

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 (a) The poet (b) The Guardian of Amanda
(c) Amanda (d) A neighbour
(iii)What, according to you, is the age group of Amanda?
(a) 0-3 years (b) 21-25 years
(c) 12-16 years (d) 5-8 years
(iv)Why should Amanda not eat chocolate, according to the speaker?
(a) She is a grown up person. (b)She has acne problem.
(c)She has a toothache. (d)She has already eaten a lot of chocolate.
(v)What does the speaker want Amanda to do when he/she is talking?
(a) Roam on the streets. (b) Eat a chocolate.
(c)Look at the speaker. (d)Let her hair down.
GRAMMAR (10 marks)
5. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks (6x1.5=3)
A forty-six year old man (i)_____________ (kill) and six others(ii)______________ (injure) when the public
bus they (iii)__________(travel) in, (iv)_______________ (crash) into another vehicle and
(v)_____________ (overturn). Soon after this, the drivers of both the vehicles (vi)_________ (arrest) and
the road was closed by the police for three hours.
(i) (a) Kills (b) was killed (c) has killed (d) killed
(ii) (a)injured (b)injures (c)will injure (d) were injured
(iii)(a) were travelling (b)travel (c)travelled (d) will travel
(iv)(a) crashed (b)crashes (c)has crashed (d)will crash
(v) (a) overturned (b) was overturned (c) have overturned (d) overturn
(vi)(a)arrested (b)were arrested (c)has arrested (d) None of these
6. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks. (6x1.5=3)
(i) Ted’s flight from Amsterdam took more than 11 hours. He ____________ be exhausted after
such a long flight.
(a)must (b)can
(c)ought to (d)need
(ii) You _____________ be rich to be a success. Some of the most successful people I know haven’t
got a penny to their name.
(a)must (b)need
(c)need not (d)will
(iii) I’ve redone this math problem at least twenty times, but my answer is wrong according to the
answer key. The answer in the book _____________ be wrong!
(a)would (b)will
(c)should (d)might
(iv)You ______________ worry so much. It doesn’t do you any good. Either you get the job, or you
don’t. If you don’t, just apply for another one. Eventually, you will find work.
(a) should not (b) need
(c) will (d) shall
(v) At first, my boss didn’t want to hire Sam but, because I had previously worked with Sam, I told
my boss that he _______ take another look at his resume and reconsider him for the position.
(a) would (b) could
(c) need (d) None of these.

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 (vi) Do you always have to say the first thing that pops into your head, you ______________think
once in a while before you speak?
(a)should (b)have to (c)will (d)None of these.
7. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct options for ANY FOUR of the six sentences given below.
(4x1=4)
(i)The student, as well as the committee members, _______________ excited.
(a) will (b) is (c) has (d) are
(ii)Each of the students ____________ willing to be recorded.
(a) were (b) are (c) was (d) has
(iii)The strain of all the difficulties, vexations and anxieties ____________ more than he could bear.
(a) Was (b) Were (c) Has (d) would
(iv)Some of the students in my class ____________ angry that they did not pass.
(a) was (b) were (c) will (d) is
(v) Two men ____________ yesterday for talking over mobile while driving.
(a) arrested (b) were arrested (c) was arrested (d) will arrest
(vi)The French ____________ a lot of junk food.
(a) eat (b) eats (c) is eating (d) has eaten
Section B

WRITING (2x5=10 marks)

8. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words. (5 marks)
(A) The Air conditioner you bought has started giving trouble and is making a loud noise. Write a letter to
the air conditioner dealer about the same and request him/her to replace the air conditioner at the
earliest. Invent necessary details. You are Tanya/Tarun.
(B) You are Sam/Sonia, living at Baker’s Street, Sector 3, Navi Mumbai. You saw an advertisement about a
short-term online course in Spoken English and personality development by Eastern English School,
Dwarka, Delhi. Write a letter to the organization, seeking all the relevant course details.
9. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words. (5 marks)
(A) Illustrated below are the pollution levels in selected cities across the world. Compose an analytical
paragraph, in 150-200 words, summarizing the same.

OR
(B) The following table shows details about the different internet activities for six categories of people
according to different age groups. Study the table and write an analytical paragraph based upon it in
about 100-120 words.

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LITERATURE (30 marks)
10. Answer ANY TWO questions in 20-30 words each, from (A) and (B) respectively. (2X4= 8)
(A) Any two (2X2= 4)
i. What ‘twin obligations’ does Mandela mention?
ii. Why did the postmaster send a reply to Lencho?
iii. What does the poet say about a tiger in his natural surroundings?
(B)Any two (2X2=4)
i. Why did Hari say that he had misjudged his man?
ii. Why was it a temptation to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
iii. Why was it difficult for Griffin to wander about London after he escaped from the boys?
11. Answer ANY TWO questions in 40-50 words each, from (A) and (B) respectively. (3X4=12)
(A) (any two) (3X2=6)
1. Why was Wanda Petronski made an object of fun?
2. How can we say that baking was a profitable profession?
3. What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ symbolize?
(B) (any two) (3X2=6)
1. How did Hari Singh realize that Anil knew about his theft?
2. Why was Tricki transformed within two weeks?
3. Why was Mrs Hall angry with Griffin, the strange scientist?
12. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words. (5X1=5)
(A) Your friend was the pilot who was flying from Paris to England, when he was lost in the clouds. Narrate
his experience to your family and tell them how he was rescued by a strange black plane and its pilot.
Or
(B) You are Maddie. Comment on the way Wanda was treated by school children and your feelings about
Wanda.
13. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words. (5X1=5)
(A)What made Hari return to Anil? Do you think this change would be permanent?
Or
(B)‘Science in wrong hands is Devil’s Pandora’s Box.’ Explain with reference to the chapter ‘Footprints
Without Feet.’

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