HAMSAVAHINI VIDYALAYA

Class X
English PT-2
Section – A (Reading Skills – 10 marks)

[1-5] Read the passage carefully and answer the question 5X1=5M

Millets, a family of coarse grains and popular staple, are having an

unprecedented moment in the sun. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently
inaugurated a global conference on millets, extolling them as the “door to prosperity”
for India’s marginal farmers, the “cornerstone of nutrition”, and as a potential ally
against “climate change”. The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International
Year of Millets and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the Budget speech in
February, singled them out as ‘Shree Anna’ — roughly translated as the ‘best among
grains’ — adding that the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad would be
supported as a centre of excellence.

Millets such as sorghum, bajra and ragi are strongly linked to Indian dietary
traditions, which is why the country has for long been the largest producer of millets
in the world. It is no surprise that this cereal family is popular because it is energy
dense, can be grown with ease in arid soils and, relative to grains such as rice,
wheat and maize, is less susceptible to pests. Why such a ‘super food’ got sidelined
by the Green Revolution of the 1960s in favour of rice and wheat has little to do with
nutrition and more with the development of high yielding varieties of rice and wheat,
that produced twice or thrice per acre. Coupled with guaranteed procurement by the
government, the rice-wheat combination enabled India to be food secure even in
droughts and climate blights. Letting all grains grow and helping a wider base of
consumers access the cereal they want is a more sustainable enterprise.

1. What is the United Nations declaration to 2023?

2. What are the benefits of growing millets?

3. What is the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad?

4. What does ‘extolling’ in Line 3 of para 1 mean?

5. Why did millets get sidelined during the Green Revolution in India in favor of rice
and wheat despite their nutritional benefits?

A. They are more susceptible to pests than rice and wheat.

B. Wheat and rice are high yielding cultivars that generated more per acre were
created.

C. They are less energy-dense than rice and wheat.

D. They are more difficult to grow than rice and wheat.

[6-10] Read the passage carefully and answer the questions 5X1=5M

If a person suddenly encounters any terrible danger, the change of nature one
undergoes is equally great. Sometimes fear numbs our senses. Like animals, one
stands still, powerless to move a step in fright or to lift a hand in defense of our lives,
and sometimes one is seized with panic, and again, act more like the inferior animals
than rational beings. On the other hand, frequently in cases of sudden extreme peril,
which cannot be escaped by flight, and must be instantly faced, even the most timid
men at once as if by miracle, become possessed of the necessary courage, sharp
quick apprehension and swift decision. This is a miracle very common in nature.

Man and the inferior animals alike, when confronted with almost certain death ‘
gather resolution from despair’ but there can really be no trace of so debilitating a
feeling in the person fighting, or prepared to fight for dear life. At such times the mind
is clearer than it has ever been; the nerves are steel, there is nothing felt but a
wonderful strength and daring. Looking back at certain perilous moments in my own
life, I remember them with a kind of joy, not that there was any joyful excitement
then, but because they broadened my horizon, lifted me for a time above myself.

6. A man may react to sudden danger in three ways. What are they?

7. The author feels happy in the recollection of dangers faced and overcome
because?

8. What is the meaning of the word perilous?

9.Explain the phrase ‘gather resolution from danger’.

10. Suggest a title that best suits for the given passage.
 Section – B ( Grammar – 4M)

11. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the sentence:

Though it is hot and muggy, that does not prevent people from coming out on the
streets to _____________ the traditional festivals.

12. Rahul and Dvithi had a conversation about the inauguration of Dvithi’s
music academy. Report Rahul’s question:

Is your best friend helping you in this venture?

13. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the live feed on
a school news channel.

Congratulations Change Makers!

The regional competition awards have been announced and our school music club
__________ the first prize.

A. Will win
B. Had been won
C. Was winning
D. Has won

14. Read the following. Identify the error and supply the correction in the
sentence:

I saw Josh when I am on the flight.

Use the given format for your response.

Error Correction
 Section – C (Writing Skills – 6M)

15. You are an entrepreneur who runs a NGO that aims for skill development in
youth. Write a letter to the regarding ministry asking for funds for a new project. Sign
yourself as Deekshith / Deekshitha.

16. Children playing sports and mobile games from 2018 to 2023

500

450

400

350

300

250 Sports
Mobile games
200

150

100

50

0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

The given double bar graph shows the preferences of children in playing physical
sports and mobile games over a span of six years. Write an analytical paragraph
about the given information. Which, do you think is the better of the two? Support it.

Section – D (Literature Textbook & SR – 20M)

[17-19] Read the passage carefully and answer the questions: 3X1=3M

The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in any case an unusual event. A
stranger of such uncommon appearance set all tongues wagging. Mrs Hall, the
landlord’s wife, made every effort to be friendly. But Griffin had no desire to talk, and
told her, “My reason for coming to Iping is a desire for solitude. I do not wish to be
disturbed in my work. Besides, an accident has affected my face.”

17. Who is Griffin?

18. “All tongues wagging” what does it mean?

19. From where does Griffin come to Iping?

[20-21] Read the stanza carefully and answer the questions: 2X1=2M

“Never shall a young man,

Thrown into despair

By those great honey-coloured

Ramparts at your ear,

Love you for yourself alone

And not your yellow hair.”

20. Why does the poet say that young man are “thrown into despair”?

21. What is the metaphor used in the given stanza?

[22-23] Answer the following questions: 2X3=6M

22.How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did
she save up the fare?

23. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa
Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief’ ?

[24] Answer the following question: 1X3=3M

24. How can one become a scientist, an economist, a historian? Does it simply
involve reading many books on the subject? Does it involve observing, thinking and
doing experiments?

[25] Comparative study: 1X3=3M

You have read ‘Footprints without Foot’. Do you think it would be scientifically
possible for a man to become invisible? Compare the thoughts of a scientist and a
writer of science fiction.
[26] Answer the following question: 1X3=3M

26. She removed the wraps from her shoulders before the glass, for a final view of
herself in her glory. Suddenly she uttered a cry. Her necklace was not around her
neck.

Imagine you’re Matilda. Write a diary entry if you were caught in a situation like this,
how would you have dealt with it.