CBSE English X

Sample Paper 10 Page 1

Sample Paper 10
Class X Exam 2022-23
English-Language and Literature (184)
Time Allowed : 3 Hrs. Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
2. The Question Paper contains THREE sections READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and LITERATURE.
3. Attempt question based on specific instructions for each part.

SECTION A- READING SKILLS 20

I. Read the passage given below. 10
1. Birds have been building nests for over 100 million years. Dinosaurs, the ancestors of birds, also built
terrestrial nests over hundreds of millions of years. The diversity we see in bird’s nests today is a result
of these thousands of bird species, evolving in different environments, creating diverse ways to house
and protect their families.
2. We think of architecture as a result of conscious design, purpose and aesthetic expression there is,
precisely, such architecture in avian nests. These are not unplanned constructions. These are shaped by
a history of selection and functionality. Also, the diversity of materials used by birds to build nests is
astonishing and birds arrive at this independently.
3. As adults, the birds go out into nature alone and gather materials to construct their nests which have
very specific structures. They have extraordinary building capacities which show both flexibility and an
innate way of interacting with the environment.
4. Interestingly, all nests perform a physical job to house and protect a bird’s eggs from bad weather and predators.
The nest is also often the location of the development of the young. Therefore, knowing the nest’s centrality,
birds have developed habitat-based strategies to meet these needs. Diverse species use sticks, twigs, webs or
mud, handled in specific ways to create the nest they require. Like human builders, birds choose materials
related to the actual structure they want.
5. Birds’ nests also have regular styles of construction - historically conditioned by circumstances, like
human communities which use bricks or stones. Birds have a similar historical investment in their
nests. For instance, a group of land birds, which includes kingfishers, hornbills, and woodpeckers, is
about 60 million years old. All of these nest in holes, from ground burrows to holes in trees, where
they can safely keep their eggs. None of them has created an alternative way. Nests are, therefore,
conservative structures - birds don’t change the designs much, unless they are sure they are improving
on the conditions required for breeding and protecting their young.
6. Now weaver birds are an extraordinary example of a group that makes impressive nests. These include
an egg chamber suspended from a branch, with a doorway. The complexity is amazing - the fibres are
interlaced, like weaves.
7. This creates very strong water-repellent structures. The weaver bird starts with a vertical ring, like a
hoop, and adds a back hemisphere to this. It then weaves on the front to create a small door. Some
species add a tubular passage to the back chamber - this can be up to five times the length of the nest.


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Page 2 Sample Paper 10 CBSE English X

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.

i. Infer one reason for the following, based on information in paragraph 1:

Different birds build their nests in different ways.

ii. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word from paragraph 3:
fuzzy : clarity :: rigid : _____
(Clue : Just like fuzzy means lacking in clarity, similarly rigid means lacking...)

iii. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE:

Diverse species use sticks, twigs, webs or mud, handled in specific ways to create the nest they require.

iv. Substitute the word ‘instance’ with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in the following sentence from
paragraph 5:
Birds have a similar historical investment in their nests. For instance, a group of land birds,

v. Birds also have aesthetic sense. They show it through

(a) the architecture of their nests
(b) their multi-coloured plumes
(c) how they protect their families
(d) the precision of their nests

vi. When the birds think of building their nests, the most important factor in their minds is :
(a) its beauty
(b) its purpose
(c) its design
(d) its colour

vii. List any two jobs performed by a bird’s nest.

1. __________
2. __________

viii. The materials all birds use for building their nests are
(a) sticks
(b) twigs only
(c) webs or mud
(d) any of the above, according to their specific needs
ix. A woodpecker lays its eggs
(a) in a nest made of mud
(b) in a hole in a free
(c) in a web made of twigs
(d) in a nest made of sticks


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CBSE English X Sample Paper 10 Page 3

x. ‘Nests are, therefore, conservative structures’ means

(a) nests are modern in design
(b) nests have to be carefully constructed
(c) nests are traditional in design
(d) nests are flashy and gaudy in looks
II. Read the passage given below. 10
1. In addition to using libraries and visiting art museums, historic site visitation is another common form of
public engagement with the humanities. According to the National Endowment for the Arts’ Survey of
Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA). the percentage of people making at least one such visit fell steadily
from 1982 to 2012, before rising somewhat in 2017. Visits to historic sites managed by the National Park
Service (NPS) were substantially higher in 2018 than 1980, despite a decline in recent years.
2. In 2017, 28% of American adults reported visiting a historic site in the previous year. This represented
an increase of 4.4 percentage points from 2012 but a decrease of 8.9 percentage points from 1982. The
bulk of the decline in visitation occurred from 2002 to 2008.
3. The recent increases in visitation rates were statistically significant for the 35-44- and 45-54-year-old
age groups 1. The larger change was found among 35-to-44-year-olds, whose visitation rate increased
8.7 percentage points. Despite the increase from 2012 to 2017 for these groups, there was a net
decline in historic site visitation since 1982 for Americans of virtually all ages. Only among the oldest
Americans (age 75 or older) was the rate of visitation higher in 2017 than 35 years earlier.
4. From 1982 to 2017, the differences among age groups with respect to rates of historic site visitation
decreased. For example, in 1982, the rate of visitation among 25-to-34-year-olds (the group most
likely to visit a historic site in that survey) was approximately 11 percentage points higher than that
of the youngest age group (18-to-24-year-olds). and more than 17 points higher than that of people
ages 65-74. By 2017, however, the visitation rate of 25-to-34-year-olds had dropped to within five
percentage points of the younger cohort and was virtually identical of that for the older group.
5. While visitation rates are converging among the age cohorts, the differences by level of educational
attainment are still pronounced. In 2017, as in earlier years, the visitation rate among college
graduates was more than twice as high as the rate among those who finished their studies with a high
school diploma (43% as compared to 17%). Among those who did not finish high school, visitation
rates were below 10% throughout the 2008-2017 time period. Conversely, among Americans with a
graduate or professional degree, visitation rates were in the vicinity of 50% during these years. Data
from the National Park Service (NPS) indicate the types of historic sites visited most and also the
demands made of these sites’ physical infrastructure and staff. Visits to NPS historic sites rose from
approximately 59.5 million in 1980 to almost 112 million in 2018. Throughout this time period, visits
to historic sites constituted approximately a third of total NPS recreational visitation.
6. Since hitting a recent low in visits in 1995, total visits to historic sites of all types increased 58% to a
high of 120.3 million in 2016, before falling 7%, to 111.9 million visits in 2018.
7. Much of the recent growth in visits to historic sites occurred among parks classified as national
memorials and was driven by a particularly high level of visitation at sites that did not exist in 1995,
such as the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (3.3 million visitors in 2018), the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Memorial (3.6 million visitors), and the World War II Memorial (4.7 million visitors). As


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Page 4 Sample Paper 10 CBSE English X

a result, visits to national memorials increased more than 300% from 1995 to 2016, even as the
number of sites increased just 26% (from 23 to 29). In comparison, visits to national monuments
increased only 3%, even as the number of sites in the category increased by 9% (from 64 to 70).
From 2016 to 2018, the number of visits fell in every category, with the largest decline occurring at
the memorial sites (down 10%), and the smallest drop at national monuments (3%).

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.

i. Supply one common form of public engagement with the humanities.

ii. Which age group had a higher rate of visitation to historic sites in 2017 than 35 years earlier in America?
(a) 35-44 year-olds
(b) 45-54 year-olds
(c) 75 or more year-olds
(d) 25-34 year-olds

iii. After the year 1995, total visits to historic sites of all types increased 58% in the year _____.
(a) 2015
(b) 2016
(c) 2017
(d) 2018

iv. Name any two historical memorial in America.

1. __________
2. __________

v. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE:

The number of historical sites visits fell in every category from the year 2016 to the year 2018, with the
largest decline occurring at the memorial sites.

vi. Write full form of SPPA.

vii. The rate of visitation among 25-to-34-year-olds was approximately _____ points higher than that of the
youngest age group i.e. 18-to-24-year-olds.
(a) 11 percentage
(b) 20 percentage
(c) 15 percentage
(d) 7 percentage

viii. Substitute the word ‘attainment’ with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in the following sentence from
paragraph 5:
While visitation rates are converging among the age cohorts, the differences by level of educational
attainment are still pronounced.


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CBSE English X Sample Paper 10 Page 5

ix. In earlier years the visitation rate among college graduates was more than twice as high as the rate
among those :
(a) who had a graduate or professional degree.
(b) who finished their studies with a high school diploma.
(c) who did not finish high school.
(d) who were employed individuals.

x. In America most of the _____ in visitation of historic sites occurred from the year 2002 to the year 2008.
(a) increase
(b) decline
(c) converging
(d) diverging

III. SECTION B- GRAMMAR 10

Attempt ANY TEN of the following questions. 10

i. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the sentence.
At one time, Mr. Nigel _____ this supermarket.
(a) was owing
(b) used to own
(c) had owned
(d) owned

ii. Read the conversation between Nisha and Anjali. Complete the narration by reporting Anjali’s reply
correctly.
Nisha : I want to improve my command over the English language.
Anjali : For that you need to do a lot of reading in English.

Nisha said she wanted to improve her command over the English language. Anjali said that _____.

iii. Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line.
Principal to a student : You _____ with bad girls.
(a) must not mix
(b) cannot mix
(c) may not mix
(d) None of these

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Page 6 Sample Paper 10 CBSE English X

iv. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line:
We, here in India have so many religions, we eat so many different foods, we wear so much different
kinds of dresses.
Option No. Error Correction
(a) much many
(b) eat ate
(c) have has
(d) wear wears

v. Complete the given sentence, by filling in the blank with the correct option :
Two years have passed since he _____ here.
(a) has come
(b) come
(c) came
(d) had come

vi. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket.
They _____ (wish) me on my birthday every year.

vii. Report the dialogue between Parul and Nikhil, by completing the narration:
Parul : Where did you spend your holidays?
Nikhil : I went to many hill stations.

Parul asked Nikhil _____. Nikhil replied that he had gone to many hill stations.

viii. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction.
I like to drinking juice in the morning, and tea at lunchtime.

Use the given format for your answer:

Error Correction

ix. Transform the following direct speech into reported speech:

“Who now”, they had asked, “will listen to our troubles and protect us from the crocodiles ?”

x. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option, to complete the sentence.
The father divided his property among his three sons lest they _____ quarrel afterwards.
(a) should
(b) shall
(c) will
(d) could


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CBSE English X Sample Paper 10 Page 7

xi. Select the correct option to complete the narration of the dialogue between Arthur and Kevin.
Arthur : Kevin, are you going to the hospital again? Is your mother okay?
Kevin : My mother is now better. Thank God, she has been back to normal since Friday.

Arthur asked Kevin if he was going to the hospital again. He also asked him whether his mother was
okay. Kevin replied that _____ and thanking God, the boy said that his mother had been back to normal
since.
(a) his mother was better now
(b) his mother had been better now
(c) his mother is better now
(d) his mother has been better now

xii. Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction.
I walk 3 kilometres each day to reach my school.

Use the given format for your response.

Error Correction

IV. SECTION B- CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS 10

All the names and addresses used in the questions are fictitious. Resemblance, if any, is purely coincidental.

1. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5

A. You are Nitish /Nikita, the Head Boy/ Girl of Tagore Public School, Agra. Write a letter to Messers
New Star Sports, Kalkaji, New Delhi asking them to send sports equipment for the games and sports
department of your school.

O

B. Write a letter to the editor of a local daily complaining against the school-bus drivers for rash-driving
and overcrowding of buses causing risk to the lives of innocent school children. You are Dipti/Deepak
of C-156, Janakpuri, New Delhi.

2. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5

A. The following table gives information about some of the world’s most studied languages. Write an
analytical paragraph summarizing the given information by analyzing and reporting the main and
relevant information.

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Page 8 Sample Paper 10 CBSE English X

S. Languages No. of people Native speakers of a Speakers in

No. studying a language language
1. English 1.5 billion 527 million 101
2. French 82 million 118 million 51
3. Chinese 30 million 1.39 billion 33
4. Spanish 14.5 389 million 31
million
5. Italian 8 million 67 million 29
6. Japanese 3 million 123 million 25

O

B. Look at the given bar graph which shows the result of a survey conducted in the public and government
schools of Mathura. The graph depicts the types of activities the teenagers from the age of 14 years to
19 years are involved in during their leisure time.

Write an analytical paragraph highlighting the result of the survey, including all the main points and
relevant information.

SECTION C- LITERATURE 40
V. Reference to the Context. 10
1. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5
1.A The baker made his musical entry on the scence with the ‘Mang jhang’ sound of his specially made
bamboo staff. One hand supported the basket on his head and the other banged the bamboo on the
ground. He would greet the lady of the house with ‘Good morning’ and then place his basket on the
vertical bamboo. We kids would be pushed aside with a mild rebuke and the loaves would be delivered
to the servant. But we would not give up. We would climb a bench or the parapet and peep into the
basket.
(Glimpses of India)

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 10 Page 9

i. How did the baker make his musical entry?

ii. How would the baker greet the lady of the house?
(a) by saying good morning
(b) by saying hello
(c) by bowing his head
(d) by jingling the bamboo stick

iii. What is the antonym of ‘vertical’?

(a) slanted
(b) straight
(c) horizontal
(d) diagonal

iv. Choose an option that states the meaning of the word ‘rebuke’
(a) a backlash of using an instrument
(b) to investigate something to a great extent
(c) an expression of disapproval or a scolding
(d) a scream to ward off something

v. What did the author and the other kids do to look into the baker’s basket?

O

1.B It is from these comrades in the struggle that I learned the meaning of courage. Time and again. I have
seen men and women risk and give their lives for an idea. I have seen men stand up to attacks and torture
without breaking, showing a strength and resilience that defies the imagination. I learned that courage
was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid,
but he who conquers that fear.
(Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom)

i. Who taught the real meaning of courage to Nelson Mandela?

ii. To author, the men and women risk and sacrifice their lives for:
(a) the sake of family
(b) the sake of an idea
(c) the sake of friends
(d) the sake of money

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Page 10 Sample Paper 10 CBSE English X

iii. The author defines courage not the absence of fear:

(a) but rather afraid of it
(b) but rather the triumph over it
(c) but presence of shivering
(d) but rather reject it

iv. The word ‘resilience’ means:

(a) the ability to deal with any kind of hardship
(b) the ability to conquer the foe
(d) the ability to dive deep
(d) The ability to keep mum

v. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE:

People risking and giving their lives for an idea, braving torture without breaking, showing strength and
resilience when faced with atrocities, simply defies one’s imagination.

2. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given.

2.A No use to say ‘O there are other balls’ :
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.
(The Ball Poem)

i. What does the poet mean by ‘first responsibility’?

ii. Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the extract:
privy : secret :: sympathetic : _____
(Clue : Just like privy is sharing in a secret, similarly sympathetic is sharing in...)

ii. Which figure of speech is used in the above lines?

(a) metaphor
(b) personification
(c) anaphora
(d) simile

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 10 Page 11

iv. Which of the following emotions does the boy feel when the ball goes into the dark water of the harbor?
1. Grief
2. Disbelief
3. Hope
4. Desperation
5. Excitement
(a) Only 1 and 2
(b) Only 2 and 4
(c) Only 2, 3 and 5
(d) Only 1, 2 and 4

v. Which of the following is NOT a meaning one can signify with the word ‘ball’ in this poem ?
(a) innocence
(b) irreplaceable memories
(c) precious things
(d) darker path of life

O

2.B He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
(A Tiger in the Zoo)

i. Select one word from the extract and fill in the blank:
To go around an area at regular times to check that it is safe is called _____.

ii. Who is ‘he’?

(a) a lion
(b) a tiger
(c) a jaguar
(d) a leopard

iii. At what does he stare?

(a) the visitors
(b) the bright stars
(c) the guards
(d) other animals

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Page 12 Sample Paper 10 CBSE English X

iv. What is the last thing the tiger hears at night ?

v. Why has the poet used the word ‘brilliant’ twice?

(a) to create a sense of rhyme in the poem
(b) to catch the attention of the reader
(c) to lay more stress on the brightness of the eyes and the stars
(d) there is no deeper meaning behind the usage

VI Answer ANY FOUR of the following in about 40-50 words each. 4 # 3 = 12

i. Mr. Keesing was a strict but kind teacher. Explain the truth of this statement.
(From the Diary of Anne Frank)

ii. What does Natalya say about the dog named Guess?
(The Proposal)

iii. How did the young seagull try to catch the attention of his family?
(Two Stories About Flying)

iv. How would a life on a tower be different from a life anywhere else for Amanda ?
(Amanda!)

v. Do you think the trees are justified in the revolt? State two values which man should possess to stop the revolt.
(The Trees)

VII Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each. 2#3 = 6

i. How and when did Matilda find the borrowed necklace missing ?
(The Necklace)

ii. “The two boys stared in surprise at the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet.” What did the bewildered
boys observe while looking at these footprints ?
(Footprints Without Feet)

iii. Had Anil really forgiven Hari Singh ? Support your answer with evidence.
(The Thief ’s Story)

VIII Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 6

i. “So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an idea to answer the
letter”.
What does this statement tell us about the postmaster? Was his idea successful ? How did the receiver react?
(A Letter to God)

O

ii. Being impressed by Custard’s feat, the young seagull’s sister wrote a letter to Custard seeking advice on addressing
the situation with her young brother. Write Custard’s response to this letter. Base the advice from his experiences.
You may begin like this:
Dear Ms Seagull,
Thank you for seeking me out. I am humbled. Based on my limited experiences I feel...
(The Tale of Custard the Dragon)

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 10 Page 13

IX Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 6

i. After reading the story ‘Bholi’ by the author K.A. Abbas, what impression do you form of the protagonist
of the story Bholi?

O

ii. “Horace had some hope because she seemed to be amused at meeting him.” Why did Horace feel so?
Did he consider the young lady compassionate towards him? Did he find her free from biases? Discuss
the values Horace should have imbibe understanding of the person.
(A Question of Trust)

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