SAMPLE PAPER-2020-21

Class X
Science (086) Theory

Time: 3 Hours Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:
(i) The question paper comprises four sections A, B, C and D. There are 36
questions in the question paper. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) Section–A - question no. 1 to 20 - all questions and parts thereof are of one
mark each. These questions contain multiple choice questions (MCQs), very
short answer questions and assertion - reason type questions. Answers to
these should be given in one word or one sentence.
(iii) Section–B - question no. 21 to 26 are short answer type questions, carrying 2
marks each. Answers to these questions should in the range of 30 to 50 words.
(iv) Section–C - question no. 27 to 33 are short answer type questions, carrying 3
marks each. Answers to these questions should in the range of 50 to 80 words.
(v) Section–D – question no. - 34 to 36 are long answer type questions carrying 5
marks each. Answer to these questions should be in the range of 80 to 120
words.
(vi) There is no overall choice. However, internal choices have been provided in
some questions. A student has to attempt only one of the alternatives in such
questions.
(vii) Wherever necessary, neat and properly labeled diagrams should be drawn.

SECTION A

No. Questions Marks

1 A silver article turns black when kept in the open for a few days. Give 1
reason for this change.
OR
What is the product formed on adding quick lime to water?

2 Write the chemical name and chemical formula of the salt used to make 1
statues and false ceilings.

3 Which of the following belongs to homologous series of alkynes? 1

C6H6, C2H6, C2H4, C3H4.Give reason to your answer.
(a) C6H6
(b) C2H4
(C) C2H6
(d) C3H4

4 Which of the two is scattered more easily – light of shorter wavelength 1

or light . Justify your answer.
1
5 What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a convex mirror for 1
seeing traffic at the rear?

6 Find the focal length in cm of a lens of power -2D. Identify the type of this 1
lens in this case .
OR
An object is kept at a distance of 4m in front of a spherical mirror, which
forms its erect image at a distance of 1 m from the mirror. What is the
magnification? Is the mirror concave or convex?

7 In the figure below, identify the poles marked P and Q as North Pole or 1
South pole. Give reason for your answer.

8 A horizontal power line carries current in east to west direction. What is 1

the direction of the magnetic field due to the current in the power line at a
point above and at a point below the power line?

9 Write the relation between Coulomb and Ampere 1

Or
The electrical resistivity of three materials P, Q, R given as
P= 2.3 X10 3 Ohm -meter
Q= 2.63 X10-8 Ohm-meter
R= 1.0 X1015 Ohm-meter.
Which material you used to making electric wire?

10 Arteries are thick walled and do not have valves. Justify. 1

11 How having long small intestine in herbivores helps in digestion. Justify. 1

OR
How is the wall of stomach adapted for performing the function of
digestion of food?

12 In a food chain comprising frogs, insects, birds and grass, which one of the 1
organisms is likely to have maximum concentration of harmful non-
biodegradable chemicals in the body.

OR
In a certain study conducted on the occurrence of DDT along food chains in
an ecosystem, the concentration of DDT in grass was found to be 0-5 ppm.
In sheep, it was 2 ppm and in man it was 10 ppm. Why was the
2
 concentration of DDT maximum in case of man?

13 State the role of liver in digesting food. 1

For question numbers 14, 15 and 16, two statements are given- one labeled Assertion (A)
and the other labeled Reason (R). Select the correct answer to these questions from the
codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given below:
a) Both A and R are true, and R is correct explanation of the assertion.
b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of the assertion.
c) A is true, but R is false.
d) A is false, but R is true.
14 Assertion: Bleaching powder has strong smell of chlorine 1
Reason: Bleaching powder is a white powder and strong oxidizing agent.

15 Assertion (A): The amount of gaseous pollutants omitted in fertilizers 1

factories can be reduced by catalytic converters in chimneys.
Reason (R): Effluents and harmful gases are the main wastes which are
produced in environment by the fertilizer factory.

OR
Assertion (A) : Garden is an artificial ecosystem.
Reason (R) : Biotic and abiotic components are manipulated by humans.

16 Assertion (A): a geneticist crossed a pea plant having round seeds with a 1
pea plant with wrinkled seeds, he got all round seeds in first generation.
Reason(R): Wrinkled seed gene is not passed on to next generation.

Answer Q. No 17 - 20 contain five sub-parts each. You are expected to answer any
four sub- parts in these questions.

17 Read the following and answer any four questions from 17 (i) to 17 (v) 1x4
(i) What is the aim of given experiment?

a. To show that oxygen is released as a result of photosynthesis

b. To show that sunlight is necessary for photosynthesis
c. To show that chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis
d. To show that leaves can be double coloured

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(ii) The sequence equation given below represents photosynthesis.

Identify X, Y & Z.
a. X- light energy, Y- water, Z- sugar
b. X- light energy, Y- sugar, Z- water
c. X-sugar, Y-light energy, Z- water
d. X- water, Y- light energy, Z- sugar

(iii) What is substance X in the given experiment.

a. Sodium hydroxide
b. Potassium hydroxide
c. Calcium hydroxide
d. Calcium carbonate

(iv). Which of the following is not required for photosynthesis.

a.Solar energy from the sun.
b.Green chlorophyll.
c. Carbon dioxide from the air.
d. Oxygen from the air.

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 (v) The characteristic processes observed in aerobic respiration
are
i) presence of oxygen
ii) release of carbon dioxide
iii) release of energy
iv) release of lactic acid

a) i) ,ii) only
b) i), ii), iii) only
c) ii), iii), iv) only
d) iv) only
18 Read the following and answer any four questions from 18 (i) to 18 (v).
Metallic Character
The ability of an atom to donate electrons and form positive ion (cation) 1x 4
is known as electropositivity or metallic character. Down the group,
metallic character increases due to increase in atomic size and across
the period, from left to right electropositivity decreases due to decrease
in atomic size.
Non-Metallic Character
The ability of an atom to accept electrons to form a negative ion (anion)
is called non-metallic character or electronegativity. The elements
having high electro-negativity have a higher tendency to gain electrons
and form anion. Down the group, electronegativity decreases due to
increase in atomic size and across the period, from left to right
electronegativity increases due to decrease in atomic size.

18 (i) The correct order of electronegativity is

(a) Cl > F > O > Br
(b) F > O > Cl > Br
(c) F > Cl > Br > O
(d) O > F > Cl > Br

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 Which of the following is the most reactive element of the group 17?
18 (ii)
a) Oxygen

b) Sodium

c) Fluorine

d) Magnesium

18 (iii) Which of the following set of elements is written in order of their increasing
metallic character?
(a) Na < Li< K
(b) C< O <N
(c) Mg <Al <Si
(d) Be< Mg< Ca

18 (iv) Identify the reason for the gradual change in electropositivity in alkalies
down the group.
a) Electropositivity increases down the group due to decrease in
atomic size
b) Electropositivity decreases down the group due to decrease in
tendency to lose electrons
c) Electropositivity increases down the group due to increase in
atomic radius/ tendency to loose electron increases
d) Electropositivity increases down the group due to increase in
forces of attractions between nucleus & valence electrons

18 (v) Which of the following reason correctly justifies that “Chlorine (99 pm)
has smaller atomic radius than Sodium (186 pm)”?
a) Cl and Na are in the same group. Atomic size increases down the
group
b) Cl and Na are in the same period. Atomic size increases
across the period due to increase in number of shells
c) Cl and Na are in the same group. Atomic size decreases down
the group
d) Cl and Na are in the same period and across the period atomic
size/radius decreases from left to right.
19 Read the following and answer any four questions from 19 (i) to 19 (v).

Rahul went to an electronic shop to get his father‟s old radio set 1x 4
repaired. The radio mechanic required resistance of 1.5 ohm and 10
ohms to repair radio set properly but he had only large number of 3-ohm
resistors. The radio mechanic made many attempts but he could not get
the right combination of 3-ohm resistance to get 1.5- and 10-ohm
resistances. Rahul thought for a while and then joined some 3-ohm
resistances in two different ways to obtain the required resistances.

6
19 (i) How did the Rahul obtain 1.5-ohm resistance by joining a number of 3-
ohm resistors?
a) Rahul first combined three 3Ω resistors in parallel to
obtain a resistance of 1Ω. He then connected
six 3Ω resistors in parallel to obtain 0.5 ohm. These two
parallel combinations were then connected in series to
obtain 1.5 -ohm.

b) Rahul first combined five 3Ω resistors in parallel to obtain a

resistance of 1Ω. He then connected six 3Ω resistors in parallel
to obtain 0.5 ohm. These two parallel combinations were then
connected in series to obtain 1.5 -ohm.

c) Rahul first combined five 3Ω resistors in parallel to obtain a

resistance of 1Ω. He then connected nine 3Ω resistors in parallel
to obtain 0.5 ohm. These two parallel combinations were then
connected in series to obtain 1.5 -ohm.

d) None of these

19 (ii) How many three-ohm resistors were combined together to obtain 1.5-
ohm resistance?

a) 9
b) 6
c) 10
d) none of these

19 (iii) How did the Rahul obtain 1.5-ohm resistance by joining a number of
3-ohm resistors?
a) Rahul first connected three 3Ω resistors in parallel to obtain
a resistance of 1Ω. He then connected three 3Ω resistors in
series to get a resultant resistance of 9Ω. The parallel
combination and series combination were connected in
series to obtain a final resistance of 10 ohm.
b) Rahul first connected eight 3Ω resistors in parallel to obtain
a resistance of 1Ω. He then connected four 3Ω resistors in
series to get a resultant resistance of 9Ω. The parallel
combination and series combination were connected in
series to obtain a final resistance of 10 ohm.

c ) Rahul first connected eight 3Ω resistors in parallel to obtain a

resistance of 1Ω. He then connected one 3Ω resistors in series to
get a resultant resistance of 9Ω. The parallel combination and
series combination were connected in series to obtain a final
resistance of 10 ohm

d ) None of these.

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19 (iv) How many 3Ω resistors were combined together by Rahul to
obtain 10Ω resistance?
a) 6
b) 5
c) 9
d) None of these

19 v) The equivalent resistance is equal to the sum of the individual

resistance of the combination in
a) series combination
b) parallel combination
c) circular combination
d) random combination

20 Read the following and answer any 4 questions from 20 (i) to 20 (v). 4
Manoj is a twelve-year-old boy. He obtained a lens from one of his
friends. Manoj held the lens towards the sun and started looking at the
sun through it. On seeing this Manoj‟s elder brother run towards him
and snatched away the lens from him. The brother firmly told Manoj not
to do it again.

20 i) Which lens was used by Manoj in the experiment?

a. concave
b. convex
c. plane
d. planoconvex

20 (ii) What is the nature of this lens?

a. converging
b. diverging
c. splitting
d. move away.

20 (iii) The power of this lens is ________

a. negative
b. positive
c. can be positive or negative
d. can‟t say anything.

21 (iv) The point where the rays meet is known as...

a. fire
b. the focal point
c. refraction
d. plane of the lens.

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20 v)
How does a concave lens differ from a convex lens?
a. A convex lens is another way to describe a plane mirror; a
concave lens is curved.
b. A convex lens has a thick center and thin edges, a concave
lens has a thin center and thicker edges.
c. A concave lens is curved inward on both sides; a convex
lens is on only one side
d. A convex lens has a thin center and thick edges. a concave
lens has a thick center and thinner edges

SECTION B

. 2
21 What advantage over an aquatic organism does a terrestrial organism
have with regard to obtaining oxygen for respiration?

OR
What would be the consequences of a deficiency of hemoglobin in our
bodies?

22 What are the necessary conditions for autotrophic nutrition and what 2
are its byproducts?

23 A hydrocarbon molecule contains 4 hydrogen atoms. Give its molecular 2

formula, if it is an: (i) alkane, (ii) alkene
OR
How are the molecules of aldehyde and Ketone structurally different?.

24 A student dropped few pieces of marble in dilute hydrochloric acid 2

contained in a test tube. The evolved gas was then passed through lime
water.
(a) What change would be observed in lime water?
(b) Write balanced chemical equation for both the change observed?

9
25 Study the following circuit and answer the questions that follows:

2
(a) State the type of combination of the two resistors in the circuit.
(b) How much current is flowing through (i) 10 Ω and (it) 15 Ω
resistor?

26 2
A star sometimes appears brighter and some other times fainter. What
is this effect called? State the reason for this effect.

Section C

27 In human beings, the statistical probability of getting either a male or 3

female child is 50 : 50. Give a suitable explanation.

OR
What is dihybrid cross? Mendel crossed the round and green seeded pea
plants with the wrinkled and yellow seeded pea plants. Give the
phenotypic ratio of F2 generation.

28 . Mahi‟s father is a manufacturer who purchases raw materials from only 3

one firm and sells the finished product to another single firm. While
studying the difference between food chain and food web Mahi noted that
his father is following a faulty practice which must be stopped. He also
tried to convince his father about it.
What is the fault in the business of Mahi‟s father and how has Mahi got
this idea ?

29 Draw a well labelled diagram of nephron. 3

10
30 Write the chemical equation of the reaction in which the following 3
changes have taken place with an example of each:
(i) Change in colour
(ii) Change in temperature
(iii) Formation of precipitate

31 The elements of a period of the Periodic Table are given below in order, 3
from left to right with one of its element missing.

Li Be B C O F Ne

(i) To which period do these elements belong?

(ii) One element of this period is missing. Which I the missing
element and where should it be placed?
(iii) Which one of these elements in this period shows the property of
catenation?

32 (i)Show the formation of Na2O by the transfer of electrons. 3

(ii)Why do ionic compounds have high melting points ?

33 An object 2 cm in size is placed 30 cm in front of a concave mirror of 3

focal length 15 cm.
(i) At what distance from the mirror should a screen be placed in order
to obtain a sharp image?
(ii) What will be the nature and the size of the image formed?
(iii) Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of the image in this case

Section D

34 a) A metal compound „X‟ reacts with dil. H2SO4 to produce 5

effervescence. The gas evolved extinguishes a burning candle. If one of
the compound formed is calcium sulphate then what is „X‟ and the gas
evolved? Also, write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction
which occurred.
(b)
(i) Name one antacid. How does it help to relieve indigestion in
stomach?
(ii) A farmer treats the soil with quick lime or calcium carbonate. What is
the nature of soil? Why does the farmer treat the soil with quick lime?

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 OR

State reasons for the following statements:

(a) Tap water conducts electricity, whereas distilled water
does not.
(b) Dry hydrogen chloride gas does not turn blue litmus red,
whereas hydrochloric acid does.
(c) During summer season, a milkman usually adds a very
small amount of baking soda to fresh milk.
(d) For dilution of an acid, acid is added into water and not
water into acid.
(e) Ammonia is a base but does not contain a hydroxyl
group.
35 Describe in brief the role of 5
(i) testis (ii) seminal vesicle, (iii) vas deferens, (iv) ureter and (v) prostate
gland in human male reproductive system.

36 (a) Though same current flows through the electric line wires and the 5
filament of bulb, yet
only the filament glows. Why?
(b) The temperature of the filament of bulb is 2700°C when it glows.
Why does it not get
burnt up at such high temperature?
(c) The filament of an electric lamp, which draws a current of 0.25 A
is used for four hours.
Calculate the amount of charge flowing through the circuit.
(d) An electric iron is rated 2 kW at 220 V. Calculate the capacity of
the fuse that should beused for the electric iron.

OR

(a) State the rule to determine the direction of a force experienced by

a current-carrying straight conductor placed in a magnetic field in
perpendicular to field.
(b) A compass needle shows deflection when brought near a current
carrying conductor. Why?
(c) What is a solenoid? Draw the pattern of field lines of magnetic field
through and around a current carrying solenoid.

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