Our Own High School

ENGLISH LANG. & LIT.

CBSE MOCK TEST 1
Time: 2 Hours
Maximum Marks : 40
General Instructions
• The Question Paper contains THREE sections- READING, WRITING & GRAMMAR
and LITERATURE.
• Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
Section A - Reading [10 Marks]
1. Read the following passage carefully:
(1) As the family finally sets off from home after many arguments, there is a moment of lull as
the car takes off. “Alright, so where are we going for dinner now?” asks the one at the driving
wheel. What follows is a chaos, as multiple voices makes as many suggestions.
(2) By the time, order is restored and a decision is arrived at, tempers have risen, feelings
injured and there is at least one person grumbling.
(3) Twenty years ago, you would step out of home, decision of meal and venue already made
with no arguments or opposition and everybody looked forward to the meal with equal
enthusiasm. The decision was made by the head of the family and the others fell in line. Today
every member of the family has a say in every decision which also promotes a sense of
togetherness and bonding.
(4) We empower our kids to take their own decisions from a very early age. We ask them the
cuisine they prefer, the movie they want to see, the holiday they wish to go on and the subjects
they wish to study.
(5) It’s a closely connected world out there, where children consult and guide each other. A
parent’s well meaning advice can sound like nothing more than unnecessary preaching. How
then do we reach our children through all the conflicting views and make the voice of reason be
heard? Children today question choices and prefer to go with the flow.
(6) What then is the best path to take? I would say the most important thing one can do is to
listen. Listen to your children and their silences. Ensure that you keep some time aside for them,
insist that they share their stories with you. Step into their world. It is not as complicated as it
sounds; just a daily half an hour of the quality time would do the trick.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given
below: (1 × 5 = 5)
(i) What kind of chaos follows a decision, according to the passage?
(ii) Why is it important for every member of the family to have a say in every decision?
(iii) What do children prefer these days?
(iv) Pick the synonym of ‘hurt’ from paragraph 2.
(v) The antonym of ‘simple’ in paragraph 6 is __________.
(vi) What message does this passage convey?
2. Read the following excerpt from a case study titled 'Sustainable Tourism'.
(1) The white tiger is an offspring of Bengal tiger, which has the necessary gene for white
colouring. It has beautiful black stripes on a white coat. This species of animal has blue eyes
and a pink nose.
(2) A pure white tiger is totally white without any stripe, which is due to the presence of
double recessive allele in the genetic code. It happens only in the Bengal tiger subspecies,
and only one in 10,000 births can have it naturally. White tigers are rarely seen in the wild,
and only twelve of them have been spotted in India since last one-hundred years. Tigers have
a life-span of 10-15 years. They are solitary animals, and are fond of hunting at night. Their
diet consists of any animals that they can catch, and can eat up to 40 pounds of meat at one
time. After such a big meal, they usually remain away for several days from food.
(3) They are slow runners, but good swimmers. They are poor climbers and cannot climb a
tree easily. They live in an area ranging from 10 to 30 square miles depending upon the
availability of prey, water and shelter. Habitat loss, poaching and expansion of human
population have together contributed to their becoming endangered. They are widely hunted
for their bodyparts, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines.
(4) Genetic inbreeding is another reason for their endangerment. Due to shortage in their
number, this species of animal has been subjected to inbreeding. It has resulted in high
mortality rates and severe disabilities. About 80 percent of the white tiger cubs are born with
serious birthdefects related to inbreeding, and they soon die-off.
(5) The critical condition of this animal has attracted the attention of conservationists
worldwide. World Wildlife Federation (WWF), defenders of wildlife, and many other
wildlife organisations are working with the support of the government for the cause of
protecting them from becoming extinct. Once they become extinct, it will not be possible to
bring them back to life.
 On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the
six given below. (1 × 5 = 5)
(i) Why is there no stripe on the pure white tiger?
(ii) Which factors have led to the tiger species fall in the category of endangered species?
(iii) Why are the tigers hunted?
(iv) The word which means the same as 'illegal hunting' in para 3 is _____________.
(v) What does the visual given about depict about the number of tigers?
(vi) (vi) What has contributed to the change in the number of tigers from 2006 to 2018?
Section B - Writing and Grammar [10 marks]
3. Attempt ANY ONE from (i) & (ii).
(i) As a health conscious person, you have noticed an advertisement in a newspaper on yoga
classes in your neighbourhood. Write a letter in 100-120 words to the Organiser, Yoga for
Public, R.K. Puram, New Delhi requesting him/her to send you information about the duration of
the course and other relevant details. You are Shweta/Srikar of 15, R.K. Puram, New Delhi. (5)
(ii) The chart below displays data about the number of digital devices purchased in Rishu nagar
across the years 2016-2020. Write a paragraph analyzing the given data.

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. (1 × 3 = 3)
A saint walks the streets of Kolkata. (a) ................ ...............
It can happen only at India. It (b) ................ ................
is time that us realise our strength. (c) ................ ................
5. Read the given conversation below and complete the passage that follows. (2)
Neha asked Naina ......(a)..... London. Naina replied that she had enjoyed herself only in parts
as.....(b)..... there.
Section C - Literature [20 marks]
6. Answer ANY SIX questions in 30-40 words each. (2 × 6 = 12)
(i) Why did Mr. Barua feel surprised?
(ii) Would you call Amanda a disrespectful child? Provide one reason to justify your opinion.
(iii) Suggest two ways by which you feel scientific temperament can be developed in a child.
(iv) Ramlal was worried about Bholi as she didn’t have good looks. Counter the belief that it is
important for a girl to be good looking and give a reason for the same.
(v) Whitman’s ode to animals is merely a yearning for a simple life. Do you agree? Justify your
answer.
(vi) Do you think Chubukov is a good father? Justify your opinion based on your reading of the
test.
(vii)Inspired by the diversity in the chapter, ‘Glimpses of India’, you wrote an article for your
school magazine on the topic. ‘Diversity the uniqueness of India’. Write a paragraph, sharing
two key opinions from the article.
7. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120 words each. (4 × 2 = 8)
(i) Though the play revolves around three people, Russian society emerges as an important
character through the on goings of the play and the thoughts and interactions of its characters.
Imagine yourself to be a historian who has been invited to speak about nineteenth century upper
class Russian society. Based on your reading of the play, ‘The Proposal’ how might you describe
it? Support your evaluation with instances from the text.
(ii) In the chapter, ‘A Baker from Goa’ the narrator talks about his childhood in Goa and his fond
memories. Compare the childhood of Bholi with that of the narrator.
(iii) “You seem to have done your homework before coming.” Answer the given question in the
light of this statement. Rajvir seemed to have a lot of information about tea. What all did he tell?
What character trait of his is revealed? Is it essential for children?