CBSE English X Sample Paper 29 Page 1

Sample Paper 29
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. If one is looking for the origins of today’s newspapers, then one should go back to the days of the
Romans under Julius Caesar. He started issuing handwritten public announcements which he called Acta
Diurma’, which means ‘Daily Events’. Then in 59 BC, he began issuing Acta Senatus’ which contained
a summary of the debates that were held in the Roman Senate. These were pasted on walls at places
where it was convenient for the public to read. But some government officials were dissatisfied with this
arrangement. They began objecting to the common people knowing too much about them and the news
bulletins were discontinued. In the present day, such a measure would be termed as censorship, when
people in power curb the power of the press.
2. Newspapers got a great boost thereafter, when in the 15th century in Europe, printing presses came into
use. The printed word became one of the most important means of communication. Large news-sheets
were produced and this was a precursor of today’s newspaper. The first newspapers as we think of them,
began in the 16th century. But these papers contained mainly commercial news. It was only later that
political news began appearing in newspapers and that too, when it had a direct impact on commerce
and trade. Finally, the first newspaper as we know it, was published in 1609, in German, and was called
the Avisa Relation oder Zeitung’.
3. In India, although printing on cloth, using wooden blocks was much in use, the link between
communication and printing remained unexplored. Urgent news was carried by relays of runners and in
the time of the Mughals, news writers, kept the emperor informed about conditions in distant parts of
the country. The technology of printing began in India when some Portuguese Jesuit priests imported
the first printing press in 1550, and used it to publish religious books and leaflets to spread Christianity
among people. The first news sheets came up when the British set up their presidency in Calcutta and
Madras. These news sheets were not for general circulation but were meant for informing their offices
in Calcutta and Madras about what was happening to their fellow countrymen in India.
4. But an adventurous individual among them, James Augustus Hicky, who had come to India to seek his
fortune, began printing the first newspaper. He brought out a paper titled the ‘Bengal Gazette’ or the
‘Calcutta General Adviser’, in 1780, which described itself as being ‘a weekly political and commercial
paper open to all parties but influenced by none.’ The paper contained advertisements, commercial
news, and government or party gossip. It became unpopular with the government and two years later,
Hicky was jailed. Other newspapers sprang up in its place, but now the government carefully watched
its contents and often censored what was written.

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Page 2 Sample Paper 29 CBSE English X

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

i. Why does the author refer to ‘Acta Senatus’?

(a) These were the first public announcements shared by a king.
(b) They were the first newspapers.
(c) They were summary of the debates that were held in the Roman Senate.
(d) They were official laws or acts announced by the Roman government.

ii. According to the author, the fact that the earliest synopses of the Senate proceedings were discontinued
at the behest of some senators, have an analogy in modern times which is _____.
(a) Acta Diurma (b) editing
(c) newspapers (d) censorship

iii. Select the option that displays what the ‘Bengal gazette’ wanted to project, with reference to its tagline.
‘A weekly political and commercial paper open to all parties but influenced by none.’
(a) diversity (b) neutrality
(c) insularity (d) duality

iv. Complete the following with a word or phrase from paragraph 2.

Opinion Reason
_______ That which establishes an antecedent

v. The writer says that the early newspapers in the 16th century were printed on large news-sheets. Which
social strata did they cater to?

vi. Based on your reading of the text, list 2 reasons why the British Presidency keeping a close watch on
news about them turned out to be a vain effort.
1. __________
2. __________

vii. What connection does the writer draw out between the relaying of news and governments before the
newspapers came into their own in India?

viii. The news sheets that were introduced in the British presidency in Calcutta and Madras were not meant
for general circulation. Which word matches with this statement? (Para 3)
(a) inclusive
(b) exclusive
(c) censored
(d) comprehensive

ix. Supply 1 point to justify the following: The Portuguese had another motive in their minds when they
imported printing press in India.

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 29 Page 3

x. Given below is the list of relaying of news in India, as mentioned in the passage since the Mughals.
Evaluate the INAPPROPRIATE entry in this list.
1. relays of runners and news writers
2. religious books and leaflets to spread Christianity
3. news sheets for the British presidency
4. Bengal Gazette
5. Calcutta General Adviser
6. new newspapers

II. Read the passage given below. 10

1. It’s a proven fact that the content posted online has gotten less receptive from the audience as compared
to, say, over 10 years ago. The viewers are merely interested in 20 percent of what you post and that too
for a mere 8 sec.; this decreased from 12 seconds in the year 2000. This could have been due to various
reasons, like availability of more content, or perhaps people don’t really care that much now. Digital
marketers are faced with the problem of producing new and innovative ideas to get the viewers hooked
to the page in all this chaos of tons of content being posted for similar topics on a daily basis.
2. DigiLife has produced an interesting infographic regarding this issue and it illustrates the pattern along
which people watch the content online. According to Time Magazine, as much as 55 percent of American
visitors only give a brief skim of 15 seconds on average to a page that they opt for. Hence, you get an
extremely limited time frame to impress the viewer before they close the tab. 69% of these spend their
time viewing the left half of the page and 30% viewing the right.
3. Videos are another matter altogether. In fact, the majority of videos published on YouTube aren’t even in
English. The same survey also found that even though there were significantly fewer videos in English,
English-language videos tend to receive around four times more views than videos in other languages.
You Tube content in the US outperforms even the country’s biggest news sites as the most popular
channels. YouTube’s billions of active users watch about a billion hours of videos every single day. It’s
the most visited website worldwide. India, America and Indonesia are the biggest fans of this website.
4. What’s interesting is that TikTok is now the heartthrob of the teens, and the young crowd and a clear
favourite over even YouTube. The excitement on social media, it seems never ends!
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.
The rate of viewer interest when it comes to reading online content is steadily going down.
ii. Select the appropriate option to fill in the blanks.
From paragraph 1, we can infer that the _____ and _____ have perhaps led to the viewers becoming less
receptive.
1. availability of more content
2. failure of digital marketers
3. only 20% posts are interesting
4. chaos on websites
5. fatigue in viewers
(a) 2 and 3 (b) 1 and 4
(c) 1 and 5 (d) 3 and 5

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Page 4 Sample Paper 29 CBSE English X

iii. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/phrase from paragraph.
The _____ the similarity in content, the ____ receptive is the viewer

iv. Select the correct option to complete the following sentence :

Content creators get a very small window to catch the attention of a viewer who _____ on their page or
channel intentionally or _____ upon it.
(a) come, get
(b) lands, stumbles
(c) reaches, trips
(d) arrives, falls

v. Select the chart that appropriately represents the trend of viewer receptiveness on online content pages
or channels. Paragraph 2.
(a) (b)

(c) (d)

vi. Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option for the conclusion drawn based on the given statement.
English-language videos tend to receive around four times more views than videos in other languages.
(Para 3)
It is a testament to their _____.
(a) popularity (b) creativity
(c) admiration (d) status

vii. Substitute the word ‘beat’ with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in the following sentence from para
3. Some of the smaller movies have beaten those with megastars and emerged the popular choice of the
masses.

viii. List any two examples of the popularity of video content in the English language on YouTube as referred
to in Para 3.
1. __________
2. __________

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 29 Page 5

ix. List one reason why the researchers think that the excitement on social media never ends.

x. Select the option that titles paragraphs 1-3 appropriately, with reference to information in the text.
(a) 1. Viewer reception
2. American viewers’ online behaviour
3. videos in English
(b) 1. DigiLife survey
2. Viewer reception
3. You Tube videos
(c) 1. Viewer reception
2. DigiLife survey
3. popularity of You Tube
(d) 1. Viewer reception
2. popularity of You Tube
3. DigiLife infographic

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.
A bank _____ various kinds of loans to its account holders so that they _____ set up a business, buy
property or a vehicle.
(a) will offer, will
(b) offers, can
(c) should offer, must
(d) will be offering, should

ii. Read the conversation between a judge and a lawyer. Complete the sentence by reporting the dialogue.
“Call the accused,” said the judge.
“My client is hospitalised for hypertension,” his lawyer informed the judge.
As soon as, the judge commanded _____ the accused, his lawyer informed him that his client _____ for
hypertension.

iii. Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line, from a health magazine on mental health.
Even highways have lines, which provide safety and if we go over one side, we’ll go into the ditch and
if we cross over the line in the middle, we _____ get killed.
(a) should
(b) must
(c) could
(d) need not

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Page 6 Sample Paper 29 CBSE English X

iv. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line, from an
article on philosophy.
‘These sights of disease, misery and death quite moved him that he at once became a beggar and went
out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.’
Option No. Error Correction
(a) of about
(b) quite so
(c) into around
(d) had witnessed witnessed

v. Complete the given narrative, by filling in the blank with the correct option.
But I _____ myself, traveling, doing speaking engagements and so on—I simply got exhausted and I
could do it no more.
(a) was being pushed
(b) am pushing
(c) had pushed
(d) kept pushing
vi. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket, for the given portion of a letter sent
to the maintenance office of a gated campus.
Subject : Flaunting of safety rules
There is no checking of visitors at the main entrance gate of our society. Thus, vendors and messengers
_____ (wander) and have free access to the doorsteps of the residents.
vii. Report the dialogue between two friends- Venu and Kanan by completing the sentence.
Venu : How will standing in my rice field help you win a Nobel?
Kanan : I’ve heard that the people who have won Nobel prizes were all out ‘standing’ in various fields.
Venu asked his friend Kanan how would standing in his rice field get him a Nobel. Kanan replied that
_____ that the people who _____ Nobel prizes had been all out ‘standing’ in various fields.
viii. Identify the error in the given sentence, from an article on environment and supply the correction.
This has been resulting in environmental degradation, over spilling of landfills and more dangerously, a
thoroughly careless mind-set in us.
Use the given format for your response.
Error Correction

ix. Read the following lines and report the question asked by a surprised Shelley.
‘Bunny told Shelley that he was planning to participate in a swimming competition for beginners.’
x. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option, to complete the sentence on a government campaign.
Many people have expressed their views on Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan and how, if implemented
sincerely at all levels, it _____ produce a great change in the society.
(a) can (b) ought
(c) shall (d) needs to

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 29 Page 7

xi. Select the correct option to complete the narration of the dialogue between a doctor and a patient.
Doctor : You should take this medicine every day.
Patient : Should I take it before dinner or after dinner?
When the doctor advised the patient that medicine every day , the patient further asked him _____
before or after dinner.
x. Identify the error on a message found in a fortune cookie and supply the correction, for the following.
You will gain the admiration of your pears.
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 have lost your original certificate of class X. You want to get the duplicate issued but you do not
know the procedure. Write a letter to the Chairman, CBSE, Preet Vihar enquiring about the fee to
be deposited, mode of payment, time taken by the board to issue duplicate certificate and any other
formalities. You are Kavya/Kavish, 76/B, Karma Apartments, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. (100-120 words)


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B. You are Pragya/ Prathmik, of 24/7, Mall road, Shimla. Write a letter in 100-120 words to the Editor of
The Daily News expressing your views on Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan and how, if implemented sincerely
at all levels, it can produce a great change in the society.
2. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. 5
A. Given below is an info graphic related to the cultural and leisure activities that boys and girls engage
in. Look at the pie charts and extract information to write an analytical essay in about 100-120 words.
Interpret, analyse and explain the information.
Boys’ Cultural and Lesiure Activities Girls’ Cultural and Leisure Activities

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Page 8 Sample Paper 29 CBSE English X

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B. We have the data for waste disposal from two years 1960 and 2011. You have to read and interpret the
graphical data of the pie charts and write an analytical paragraph in about 100-120 words. Compare,
contrast, understand and explain the given information in your own words.
Waste Disposal

SECTION C- LITERATURE 40

V. Reference to the Context 10

3. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5
1A. Then she began to cry and tears flowed from her eyes in a helpless flood. She kept her head down as she
sat in her corner not daring to look up at the girls who, she knew, were still laughing at her.
When the school bell rang, all the girls scurried out of the classroom, but Bholi dared not leave her
corner. Her head still lowered, she kept on sobbing.’
(Bholi)

i. Why didn’t Bholi dare to come out of her classroom?

1. She was not feeling well.
2. She had a complex that other girls would laugh at her.
3. She lacked confidence.
4. She had no friends.
(a) option 1 only
(b) option 2 only
(c) option 2 and 3 only
(d) option 4 only

ii. What made Bholi cry so bitterly ?

iii. Fill in the blank with ONE WORD only.

Bholi’s eyes were filled with _____ tears.

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 29 Page 9

iv. What according to the extract was the reason for Bholi being so uncomfortable?
(a) She had been to teased by all.
(b) She was missing her parents.
(c) Bholi was not interested in coming to school.
(d) Bholi was scared and not confident of herself.
v. Select the option that correctly captures the application of the word ‘scurried’ as used in the 4th line of
the extract.
(a) The mouse scurried across the floor.
(b) Her mother followed her angrily as she scurried upstairs.
(c) I scurried down the lonely corridor.
(d) As the teacher left the room, the children scurried out to the field.

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1B. His fingerprints, for he had opened the safe without gloves, were all over the room, and no one believed
him when he said that the wife of the owner of the house had asked him to open the safe for her. The
wife herself, a gray-haired, sharp-tongued woman of sixty, said that the story was nonsense.
Horace is now the assistant librarian in the prison. He often thinks of the charming, clever young lady
who was in the same profession as he was, and who tricked him. He gets very angry when anyone talks
about ‘honour among thieves.
(A Question of Trust)
i. Select the option that correctly captures the usage of the word ‘charming’ from 6th line of the extract.
(a) Scores of charming lakes lie in a row.
(b) Charming are the ways of deceitful people.
(c) You can be charming when you want to be
(d) What a charming girl you are!
ii. Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the text
Socks : feet :: _____ : hands
iii. Select the option that presents the reason for Horace’s imprisonment.
(a) Horace was a thief.
(b) He had a heated argument with the lady.
(c) The story narrated by him was a nonsense.
(d) He was tricked by a lady from his own profession.
iv. According to the extract authorities did not believe in him, mention the reason.
1. His fingerprints were all over.
2. He was found with the booty with him.
3. The landlady had never asked him to open the safe.
4. His story was not accepted.
5. He was a was picked from the house.
Select the correct option
(a) 1 and 3 (b) 3 and 4
(c) Only 3 (d) 1, 3 and 4

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Page 10 Sample Paper 29 CBSE English X

v. The narrator uses certain words and phrases in the given extract to Horace’s mental state mention any two.
1. __________.
2. __________.

4. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5

2.A The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets, but they did not hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every hit.
(The Tale of Custard, the Dragon)

i. Complete the sentence appropriately.

It is clear that ‘Alliteration’ is the poetic device used in ‘gulped some grog...’ because _____.
(Clue : explain how alliteration applies here)
ii. The poet has used a poetic device in the given lines. What effect does he wish to create by its use?
‘Irony’ in Custard gobbled the pirate is _____.
(a) emphasis
(b) comparison
(c) creating comedy/empathy
(d) rhythm
iii. State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE.
Dragon was not treated well by members of the house.
iv. Select the appropriate option to complete the sentence, according to the extract.
The idea that has been reflected ‘He fired two bullets, but they did not hit’, is _____.
(a) didactic (b) humorous
(c) apprehensive (d) nagging
v. What is the poet’s point view about the pirate?
(a) He is a comic character.
(b) Pirate scared the dragon.
(c) Pirate attacked the house viciously.
(d) Pirate got nervous seeing Belinda’s pets.

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2.B The trees inside are moving out into the forest,
the forest that was empty all these days
where no bird could sit
no insect hide
no sun bury its feet in shadow
the forest that was empty all these nights
will be full of trees by morning.
(The Trees)

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CBSE English X Sample Paper 29 Page 11

i. What is the poet’s tone in the extract?

1. Authoritative
2. Alarming
3. reflexive
4. optimistic
5. commanding
Select the appropriate option.
(a) 2 and 3
(b) 3 and 4
(c) 2 and 5
(d) 1 and 5

ii. What does the poet convey in the given extract?

iii. Pick out the words/ phrases reflecting the mood of the poet in the extract.
(a) Empty
(b) Trees
(c) Insect
(d) Sun

iv. Complete the analogy about the trait of the animal from the extract.
Caterpillar : Cocoon :: _____ : Nest

v. Select the sentence in which the word ‘Bury’ is used in the similar manner as 5th line of the extract.
(a) Let us bury the hatchet.
(b) Bury the brave with honour.
(c) Little child will bury his feet in sand.
(d) Bury the rotten vegetable, they stink

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

i. What does the poet want to convey through the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?

ii. What was the young seagull’s experience during his first flight?
(Two Stories About Flying)

iii. What were the bakers called? Describe their peculiar dress.
(Glimpses of India)

iv. Why does Amanda wish to be an orphan?

(Amanda!)

v. What justification did Lomov give to Natalya and Chubukov to prove that he is the rightful owner of
Meadows?
(The Proposal)

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Page 12 Sample Paper 29 CBSE English X

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

i. Why did Hari Singh decide to come back to Anil?

(The Thief ’s Story)

ii. Why did Griffin not get a suitable house to live in?
(Footprints without Feet)

iii. What lesson did Ebright learn when he did not win at the Science Fair?
(The Making of a Scientist)

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

i. Life is about losses and wins. A man is the one who learns to take them in a stride and stand up brave
in the face of every situation. Summarise this quote with reference to ‘The Ball Poem’ and the chapter
‘Sermon at Benaras’. Prepare a set of dialogues between the boy and Kisa to elaborate the point. You
may begin like this :
Kisa : It is difficult to hold your self and impossible to accept losing a loved one.
The Boy : Yes! True , _____.

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ii. Whenever we want to achieve something, difficulties always come in our way. Justify these using
examples from Valli’s desire to go to the city alone and accomplishing it at a young age of eight and the
young boy from the poem ‘The Ball Poem’.
If you had to use the message with reference to both the chapters ‘Madam rides the Bus’ and ‘The Ball
Poem’ how will you elaborate it? Also, how it is relevant to both.

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

i. “But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man was something else.” Hari Singh finally accepted
the importance of education and honest living. How it can be explained in the case of ‘The Thief’s Story’.


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ii. The story ‘The Midnight Visitor’ highlights the theme that wisdom is more powerful than other weapons.
Comment with reference to it.

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