CBSE Board Paper Solution-2020

Class : X
Subject : English Language and
Literature
Set : 3
Code No : 2/4/3
Time Allowed : 3 Hours
Maximum Marks : 80

Section – A
(Reading – 20 marks)
1. Read the following passage carefully.

(8)
1. Cages behind thick glass, the most famous
dancer in the world can easily be missed in the
National Museum, Delhi. The Dancing Girl of
Mohenjo-Daro is that rare artifact that even school
children are familiar with. Our school textbooks
also communicate the wealth of our 5000 year
heritage of art. You have to be alert to her
existence there, amid terracotta animals to
rediscover this bronze image.
2. Most of us have seen her only in
photographs or sketches; therefore the impact of
actually holding her is magnified a million times
over. One discovers that the dancing girl has no
feet. She is small, a little over 10 cm tall-the length
of a human palm-but she surprise us with the
power of great art-the ability to communicate
across centuries.
3. A series of bangles of ivory or him thin
metal-clothe her left upper arm all the way down to
her fingers. A necklace with three pendants
bunched together and a few bangles above the
elbow and wrist on the right hand display an
almost modern art.
4. She speaks of the undaunted, ever hopeful
human spirit. She reminds us that it is important to
visit museums in our country to experience the
impact that a work of an art leaves on our senses,
to find among all the riches one particular vision of
beauty that speaks to us alone.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the above
passage answer the following questions.

(1x8 = 8)
(a) The Dancing Girl belongs to:
(i) Mohenjo-Daro
(ii) Greek culture
(iii) Homo sapiens
(iv) Tibet
(b) In the museum she’s kept among:
(i) dancing figures.
 (ii) bronze statues.
(iii) terracotta animals.
(iv) books.
(c) Which information is not given in the passage?
(i) The girl is caged behind glass.
(ii) She is rare artifact.
(iii) School books communicate the wealth of
our heritage.
(iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she’s
bronze.
(d) ‘Great Art’ has power because:
(i) it appeals to us despite a passage of time.
(ii) it is small and can be understood.
(iii) it’s seen in pictures and sketches.
(iv) it’s magnified a million times.
(e) The jewelry she wears:
(i) consists of only bangles of shell or ivory or
thin metal.
(ii) is a necklace with two pendants.
(iii) both (i) and (ii) are correct.
(iv) neither (i) nor (ii) is correct.
(f) She reminds us:
(i) of the never-say-die attitude of humans.
(ii) why museums in our country are exciting.
 (iii) why she will make us come into money.
(iv) of dancing figures.
(g) The synonym of the word “among” in para 1 is
…………….
(h) The size of the dancing girl is equal to the
length of human palm. (True/False)
Answer: 1. 1.
(a) (i) Mohenjo-daro
(b) (iii) terracotta animals
(c) (iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she’s bronze.
(d) (i) it appeals to us despite a passage of time.
(e) (iii) Both (i) and (ii) are correct.
(f) (ii) why museums in our country are exciting.
(g) amid
(h) True

2. Read the following passage carefully.

(12)
1. As the family sets off from home after many
arguments there is a moment of full 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, feeling 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. Age 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 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 refer 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.
2.1 On the basis of your reading of the above
passage, answer the following questions in 30-40
words each.
(2x4=8)
(a) Write one advantage and one disadvantage of
allowing every family to be part of the decision
making process.
(b) In today’s world, what are parents asking their
kids?
(c) Which two pieces of advice does the writer give
to the parents?
(d) The passage supports the parents. How far do
you agree with the author’s views? Support your
view with a reason.
2.2 On the basis of your reading of the above
passage, answer the following:
(1x4=4)
(a) The synonyms of ‘hurt’ as given in paragraph 2
is ……………….
(b)The word which means the same as ‘a style or
method of cooking’ in paragraph 4 is:
i. cuisine
ii. gourmet
iii. gastric
 iv. science
(c) The antonyms of ‘agreeable’ as given in
paragraph 5 is …………......
(d) The antonyms of ‘simple’ as given in paragraph
6 is:
i. difficult
ii. complicated
iii. easy
iv. tricky
Answer: 2.1.
a. The advantage of allowing every family member to be
a part of the decision-making process is that it promotes
a sense of togetherness and bonding among the
members of the family. The disadvantage of such
practice is that there will be heated arguments and
feelings of hurt and at least one person will be grumbling.
b. Today the parents ask their children's opinion
regarding many things, such as their preferred cuisine,
the movie they like to watch, holiday spots they like to
visit, and the subjects they wish to study.
c. The writer advices the parents to listen to their
children and to encourage them to share their stories
with them. He asks them to spend at least half an hour of
quality time with them every day in order to step into
their world.
d. The passage is about good parenting in the modern
world. His views are very relevant today. The new
generation is more exposed to the world and more open
compared to the old generation. They openly express
their likes and dislikes. Parents should encourage them to
share their opinion regarding everything and should
spend some quality time with them every day.
2.2.
(a) injured
(b) (i) cuisine
(c) conflicting
(d) (ii) complicated

Section – B
(Writing and Grammar – 30 marks)
3. 3. You are T.K Pramod Kumar /P.V Pramodini,
22 Church Road, Chennai. Last week you placed
an order for the supply of a few items of furniture.
On receiving the furniture you found that
some items were damaged and some not according
to specifications. Describing the
shortcomings, write a letter (100-150 words) of
complaint to the supplier, Sri Rama Furniture
Mart, Mint Road, Chennai asking for an immediate
replacement.
(8)
 OR

The traffic situation in our towns is quite complex.

There are all sorts of vehicles from bullock
carts to fast moving cars. Sometimes this leads to
traffic jams and air pollution. Write an article
in 100 – 150 words for your school magazine on
‘Increasing Traffic on our Roads’. You are
Astha/Ashwani.
(8)

Answer:
Letter of Complaint

22, Church Road

Chennai

February 26, 2020

The Manager
M/S Sri Rama Furniture Mart
Mint Road, Chennai

Sub: Complaint about damaged and improper items.

Dear Sir
I am writing this letter to notify you concerning the
damaged furniture that I received on February 19, 2020
against order no. KT253562.

I was assured that the furniture would be delivered in

good condition as yours is an esteemed company. But I
got disappointed on receiving the items sent by you.
Chairs had scratches all over and there were dents here
and there. Table’s glass top was cracked at the right
corner. Apart from this, the study table was not the one I
had ordered. I ordered a maroon coloured table with two
drawers, instead you sent a white one with a single
drawer.

I request you to look into this matter and replace the

damaged items immediately. Send me the study table
that I had ordered. Please find enclosed the photocopy of
the bill and photo of damaged items.

Yours faithfully

T.K. Pramod Kumar

Enclosures: Photo of the damaged items and copy of the

bill

OR

Increasing Traffic on Our Roads

By Astha
My father goes to office on bike. It is always a roller
coaster ride for him. Never does he know how and when
he would reach the destination or whether he would
reach the destination or not. No one has answers to
these questions. The reason is the complexity of the
traffic in our town.
The traffic scene in our town is quite amusing:
Motorcycles at the front, cycles filling the gaps between
them, cars following the bullock carts, buses followed by
three-wheelers. It looks like an ancient army. Whether it
is a Mercedes or a bullock-cart or an e-rickshaw, they all
move in the same speed. Traffic signals are supposed to
regulate the traffic and they go green, yellow and red at
regular intervals. However, when the signal turns green
only twenty-five per cent of the vehicles are able to get
through. People waiting in the last row have to wait for
two or four green signal turns to cross the junction.

Everybody is in hurry and because of this rush everybody

is late. I think separate lanes should be provided for
varied vehicles. Underpasses and flyovers can ease the
traffic snarls to a great extent. Government authorities
should find some remedial measures; otherwise traffic
problem will get worse in the present scenario. People
should also try to imbibe some traffic sense and follow
the rules diligently.

4. Complete the following story in 150 – 200

words:
This morning when I woke up and looked in the
mirror, I did not recognize the face
looking back at me. “This is not me ………,” I cried
aloud. … …. …
Taking help from the cues given below, develop a
story in 150-200 words:

Old farmer ____ all his sons lazy _____ farmer

dying _______ called all his sons _____
told them of a treasure _____ hidden in the fields
______ to find it they must dig it
______ then died ______ sons dug every bit of the
land _____ no treasure _____ sowed the corn
______ a very fine crop _____ sons learnt a lesson.
(10)

Answer:
The Other Self

a. This morning when I woke up and looked in the

mirror, I did not recognize the face looking back at me.
“This is not me…..,” I cried aloud. My reflection in the
mirror had blue eyes, short blond hair, thin cheeks and
everything I used to dreamt of. But it was not me. I got
dressed, had breakfast and left for school. I was not
comfortable at all.

When I reached my classroom, my classmates though I

was a new student. They all appreciated my beauty and
became my friends. One of them said, “You have
beautiful eyes, but I like Sneha’s eyes too. She is lovely.”
Sneha was my name by the way. I felt happy inside. My
best friend appreciated my hair but commented on
Sneha’s beautiful long black hair. One of my friends
compared my cheeks with that of Sneha’s. I never knew
that I was their favourite. I started missing my real self,
my identity and looks.

I prayed to God to change me back to my real self. That

day when I went to bed I knew that God would surely
listen to my prayers. My transformation was just to teach
me a lesson. I should have learned to be happy and
content with my personality. I should have loved myself
in my real features.

OR
The Old Farmer and Lazy Sons
b. There was an old farmer who had seven sons. The
man was very hard working and looked after the family
very well. However, all his sons were very lazy. They
never helped their father in the field. The farmer feared
that once his was dead, his sons would starve to death.
He advised them to help him in his work, but his advice
fell on deaf ears. At last the farmer fell ill. As he was on
his death bed, he called all his sons and told them that
he had hidden a treasure for them in the field. The man
died and the sons decided to find the treasure in the
field. However, the old man hadn't given any clue
regarding the place where the treasure was hidden. So,
they decided to dig the whole field in search of the
treasure. Every inch of the land was dug up, but no
treasure was found. They were tired and disappointed.
Then the youngest son came up with an idea. He
suggested them to sow corn in the field as it was well
ploughed. The corn grew well, and they had a good crop.
They sold the corn and got plenty of money. It was only
then realised what their father meant by saying there
was a treasure hidden in the field.

5. Answer
(iii) knows
(iii) will
(iii) the
(iv) can

6. The following paragraph has not been edited.

There is one error in each line. Write the error and
the correction in your answer-book against the
correct blank number.
1×4=4

Error Correction
The passengers were waiting at the
Platform when five policemen rushing (a)____
______
Into difference compartments of the (b) _____
_______
Train. After sometimes one of them (c) _____
_______
Comes out with two young men. (d) ______ ____

Answer:
Error Correction
a) rushing rushed
b) difference different
c) sometimes sometime
d) comes came

7. Rearrange the following words and phrases to

form meaningful sentences.
1×4=4
(a) Join/college/decided to /at the/ i/ thirty-
five/age of
(b) Worried/ to study / about / my ability / not / I
was
(c) Confused teenager/ not a / grown-up/ was a/
women and / I
(d) I realized/ then me/ the teenagers/ very soon/
that/ were better
Answer:
a) I decided to join college at the age of thirty-five.
b) I was not worried about my ability to study.
c) I was a grown-up woman and not a confused
teenager.
d) Very soon I realised that the teenagers were better
than me.

Section C – Literature (30 marks)

8. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow:
The trees inside are moving out into the forest,
the forest that was empty all these days
where not bird could sit
not insect hide
no sun bury its feet in shadow
the forest that was empty all these nights
will be full of trees by morning.
(a) What are the trees trying to do?
(b) Why was the forest empty?
(c) Al these days, the forest referred to here
was__________
(i) filed (ii) empty
(iii) hidden (iv) separated
(d) The figure of speech used in these lines is
___________
(i) Simile (ii) Aliteration
(iii) Personification (iv) Metonymy

OR

Ausable was, for one thing, fat. Very fat. And then
there was his accent. Through he spoke
French and German passably, he had never
altogether lost the American accent he had
brought to Paris from Boston twenty years ago.
“You are disappointed,” Ausable said wheezily over
his shoulder.
(a) Who is “you” here?
(i) Fowler (ii) Ausable
(iii) Waiter (iv) Max
(b) Ausable was a native of__________
(i) France (ii) Germany
(iii) the U.S. (iv) Sweden
(c) ‘You’ believed that Ausable was a _________.
(d) He spoke French Like an___________
Answer:
(a) The trees are coming out of their artificial habitat, the
glasshouses. The trees are trying to move out to their
natural habitat, the forest.
(b) The forest was empty because humans have
destroyed the forests for building cities and other uses.
All the trees have been shifted inside the house by man.
(c) ii. Empty
(d) iii. Personification
OR
(a) (i) Fowler
(b) (iii) the U.S
(c) secret agent
(d) American

9. Answer any five of the following questions in 30-

40 words each: 2×5=10
(a) Why did Lencho’s happy mood change into
concern?
(b) What did Nelson Mandela remember on the day
of the inaugural ceremony?
(c) What vices in human beings does Whiteman
notice? (Animals)
(d) Why did Bholi dislike Bishamber?
(e) How did Richard Ebright’s mother help him?
(f) In which queer way did Anil make a living?
Answer:
(a) As Lencho had immeasurable faith in god, he wished
and prayed for the rain. The rain was in the form of big
drops. It gladdened Lencho's heart. But unfortunately,
the rain was accompanied by hailstorm. For an hour the
hail rained on the cornfield and the corn was totally
destroyed. This made Lencho’s happy mood to change
into concern. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness.
(b) On the day of the inaugural ceremony, Nelson
Mandela was filled with a sense of history. He also
recalled how during the first decade of the 20th century,
the White people patched up their differences and started
a system of racial discrimination against the Black people
of their own land. According to him it was the harshest
and most inhumane form of discrimination. Finally the
system got replaced with one that recognised the rights
and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the colour of
their skin.
(c) Dissatisfaction, jealousy, false sense of duty and
pride, weeping for one's sins, flattery or worship of the
other, being unhappy all the time are some of the vices
in human beings which the poet notices. The poet has
given an insightful message through the poem. According
to him animals are calm, placid, and self-contained. On
the other hand, human beings are stressed, panicky,
disturbed, selfish and greedy.
(d) Though Bholi had no interest in marriage, she agreed
to marry Bishamber to save the honour of her father. She
disliked Bhishamber because he was much older and had
demanded Rs.5000 because Bholi had poke marks on her
face. He was also mean, greedy, contemptible and
coward.
(e) Richard Ebwright’s mother encouraged his interest in
learning. She took him on trips, bought him telescopes,
microscopes, cameras, mounting materials, and other
equipment and helped him in all possible ways.
(f) Anil made money in a strange way. He would borrow
one week, lend the next. He kept worrying about his next
cheque, but as soon as it arrived, he would go out and
celebrate. It seemed he wrote for magazines, a queer
way to make a living.

10. What lesson on death and suffering did the

Buddha teach Kisa Gotami in the chapter,
‘The Sermon at Benares’? ( 100 - 150 words)
8

OR

Whenever we want to achieve something,

difficulties always come in our way. What did
Valli have to do to go and ride in a bus? (Madam
Rides the Bus) (100 – 150 words)
8
Answer:
(a) Buddha taught the lessons on death and suffering to
Kisa Gotami in a very subtle way. He taught her that
sobbing and lamenting can’t bring the dead back to life.
One can’t obtain peace of mind by lamenting rather, his
pain will be greater and his body will suffer. He will make
himself sick and pale. He who seeks peace should draw
out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief.
He who has drawn out the arrow will obtain peace of
mind also he who has overcome all sorrow will become
free from sorrow, and be blessed. He says that, human
lives will break corruption at some point of time.
OR
(b) It is a true fact that whenever we want to achieve
something, difficulties always come our way. Similar was
the case with Vali. The challenge in front of her was to
arrange the required amount of money to ride the bus.
She had made elaborate plans and thriftily saved
whatever stray coins came her way. She resisted the
temptation of sweets, peppermints etc. She scrounged
for coins and saved whatever she could. Thus, she had
saved a total of sixty paise suppressing her desire to ride
the merry go-round. All the sacrifices she had to make in
order to fulfill her dream prove the fact that difficulties
are part and parcel of our goals if we are determined to
achieve them.
11. We should be happy with what we have and
should not crave for what we don’t have.
Matilda suffered in her life because she was not
contented. Comment.
(The Necklace) (100 – 150 words)
8
OR

A brilliant scientist though he was Griffin misused

his scientific discovery. Illustrate this
point by giving any two examples from the story.
(Footprints without Feet) (100 – 150
words)
Answer:

‘The Necklace’ is a story that revolves around an

impractical but very beautiful lady called Matilda. She
was born in the family of a poor clerk. She felt that just
being beautiful made her eligible for everything excellent
and nice in her life. She always lived in her own
imaginary world. She was married to a clerk who tried
every possible way to make her happy. But Matilda
craved for the extraordinary things in life and was never
contended.

A strange incident made her aware of the horrible truth

of life. She lost a diamond necklace that she had
borrowed from her bosom friend. In order to give her
friend a replacement, she had to borrow a huge sum of
money. Matilda and her husband had to spend ten years
of savings and hard work to repay the loan amount. Had
she not borrowed the necklace from her friend, she would
not have lost her beauty and charm. So, we must act
prudently and live within our means.

In life, if we fail to accept the situations that occur, we

will never stay at peace. Matilda’s yearning for
extravagant things in life eventually caused irrevocable
damage to the innumerable years of her life which
suggests that we should be satisfied with whatever we
have.

OR

The story ‘Footprints without Feet’ describes the story of

an extraordinary and brilliant scientist, Griffin. He
discovered that the human body could become
transparent and invisible as a sheet of glass. It was the
result of his long and constant experimentation. But he
misused this great discovery. He threatened, troubled,
beat and robbed innocent people. He made illegal entries
and burglaries in a clergyman’s house in Iping, a big
store in London and a shop in Drury Lane. These
activities made him a lawless man and an anarchist.
His landlord disliked him and tried to eject him. In
revenge, he set fire to the house. He removed his clothes
to get away without being seen. Thus he became a
homeless wanderer—without clothes and money in the
streets of London. Once, Mrs. Hall found his room open.
She wanted to take a look into the room. A hat sprang up
and hit on her face. This kind of ruthless behaviour made
him a lawless person.
Griffin did not use the power of invisibility for the welfare
of society and humanity at large. If he had done so, he
would have earned great fame and respect in the society.