First Semester Exam 2024 Date: 28/09/2024

Subject: English

Class: X Division: Roll No.

TIME: 3 hr. MARKS: 80

Section I: Language Study

Q1. A: 08

A1: Do as directed (Any Four) 04

1) Spot the error in the following sentence and rewrite it: (1)
The hermit did not paid anything to the king.
2) Identify the type of sentence: (1)
Give it to me quickly.
3) Pick out the present participle from the following sentence: (1)
His eyes were shining with joy.
4) Choose the appropriate alternative: (1)
Neeta spoke in an tone. (excited/excitedly)
5) Find out 4 hidden words having at least four letters from the given word: (1)
‘Proclamation’
A2: Do As Directed (Any Two) 04
1) Rewrite the given sentence using ‘not only ……. but also’: (2)
The state parties are responsible for identifying and nominating new sites.
2) (Rewrite the following sentence beginning with ‘Multiple faiths ’) (2)
Dr. Kalam’s own life was nourished by multiple faiths.
3) Prepare the word register of four words related to the given word: (2)
MUSIC
B: Do As Directed (Any One) 02
1) Change the given sentence into positive and comparative degree: (2)
The biggest challenge knocking on the doors of human kind is fear and intolerance.
2) Pick out the modal auxiliary and state its function: (2)
Could I use your computer for surfing net?

Section II: Textual Passages

(Reading Skills, Vocabulary and
Grammar)
Q2.A: Read the following passage and do the given activities: 10
A1) Complete the given boxes with who said to whom:
 Statement Who To whom
(i) You look a bit of a
wrestler yourself.

(ii) If you can cook, then

maybe I can feed you.

I was still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I was an experienced and fairly successful hand.
Anil was watching a wrestling match when I approached him. He was about 25 – a tall,lean fellow – and
he looked easy-going, kind and simple enough for my purpose, I hadn’t had much luck of late and
thought I might be able to get into the young man’s confidence.
“You look a bit of a wrestler yourself,” I said. A little flattery helps in making friends.
“So do you,” he replied, which put me off for a moment because at that time I was rather thin.
“Well,” I said modestly, “I do wrestle a bit.” “What’s your name?”
“Hari Singh,” I lied. I took a new name every month. That kept me ahead of the police and my former
employers.
After this introduction, Anil talked about the well-oiled wrestlers who were grunting, lifting and
throwing each other about. I didn’t have much to say. Anil walked away. I followed casually.
“Hello again,” he said.
I gave him my most appealing smile. “I want to work for you,” I said.“But I can’s pay you.”
I thought that over for a minute. Perhaps I had misjudged my man.I asked, “Can you feed me?”
“Can you cook?”
“I can cook,” I lied again.
“If you can cook, then may be I can feed you.”
(A2) Complete the cluster diagram mentioning the characteristics of the main character
of the passage: (2)

Anil Age

Tall

Physical
Qualities
appearanc

easy-
going

(A3): Choose the correct meanings of the following words from the given options: (2)
1) Flattery:
a) insincere praise b) appreciation
c) creating false impression d) unfaithful behaviour
 2) Appealing:
a) good conduct b) attractive
c) charming d) beautiful

(A4): Do as Directed: (2)

1) I took a new name every month. (Frame ‘Wh’ question to get the underlined part as an
answer.)
2) I was an experienced hand. (Underline the determiners from the given sentence.
)
(A5): Why do you think Hari Singh gave his most appealing smile? (2)

Q2. B: Read the following passage and do the given activities: (10)
B1) Complete the given sentences: (2)
i. Nothing that we say seems …………………………………………………….
ii. If she can put some fight into him she can put…………………………
iii. Nothing can be difficult……………………………………………………………
iv. French soldiers are always beaten because …………………………….

Robert : What is your name?

Joan : They always called me Jenny in Lorraine. Here in France, I am Joan. Thesoldiers
call me the Maid.
Robert : How old are you?
Joan : Seventeen, so they tell me. It might be nineteen. I don’t remember.
Robert : I suppose you think raising a siege is as easy as chasing a cow out of a meadow.
You think soldiering is anybody’s job?
Joan : I don’t think it can be very difficult if God is on your side.
Robert : (Grimly) Have you ever seen English soldiers fighting? Have you ever seen them
plundering, burning, turning the countryside into a desert?
Have you heard no tales of their prince who is the devil himself, or of the English king’s father?
Joan : You do not understand, squire. Our soldiers are always beaten because they are fighting
only to save their skins and the shortest way to save your skin is to run away. But I will teach
them all to fight for France. Then, they will drive the soldiers before them like sheep. You and
Polly will live to see the day whenthere will be not a single English soldier on the soil of France.
Robert : (To Poulengey) This may all be nonsense, Polly. But the troops might just be inspired by
it though nothing that we say seems to put any fire into them. Even the Dauphin might believe
it. And if she can put some fight into him, she can put it into anybody.
 (i) Plundering (a) Grassland
(ii) Meadow (b) Surround from all sides and attack
(iii) To save their skin (c) To save their lives
(iv) Raising a siege (d) Looting
(B4) Do as Directed: (2)
i) I don’t remember (Rewrite as an Affirmative Sentence). (1)
ii) Even the Dauphin might believe it. (Pick out the modal auxiliary) (1)
(B5) Personal Response: (2)
As a monitor of your class, how would you boost the morale of your classmates to
participate
in various school competitions?

Section III: Poetry

Q3. (A): Read the following extract and do the given activities: 05

(A1) Choose the correct alternatives given and rewrite the sentence: (2)
i. The peasants chant the name of God to
(a) nullify the stinging experience (b) praise God (c) appease God
ii. The click of the tongue reflects the peasants’ to the predicament.
(a) individual response (b) collective response (c) father’s response
iii. The villagers panic and hastily suggest
(a) to take her to the hospital (b) ayurvedic treatment
(c) religious remedies to help
iv. The villagers sat around with the poet’s mother in the centre
a) under a tree b)on the floor c) inside a cave

The peasant came like swarms of flies

and ‘buzzed the name of God a hundred
timesto paralyse the Evil one:
With candles and with
lanterns throwing giant
scorpion shadows on the
mud-baked walls
they searched for him: he was not
found.They clicked their tongues.
With every movement that the scorpion made
his poisonmoved in Mother’s blood, they said.
 May he sit still, they said
May the sins of your previous
birthbe burned away tonight,
they said.
May your suffering decrease
the misfortunes of your next birth, they said.
May the sum of all evil
balanced in this unreal
worldagainst the sum of
good
become diminished by your pain.
May the poison purify your flesh
of desire, and your spirit of
ambition,they said, and they sat
around
on the floor with my mother in the
centre,the peace of understanding
on each face.
.
A2) From the given extract provide evidence for the following: (2)

(i) Efforts of the peasants to kill the

scorpion
(ii) Evil versus good

A3) Find an example of Onomatopoeia from the given extract. (1)

(B): Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given
points in paragraph format:
05
The Pulley

When God at first made Man,

Having a glass of blessings standing by; Let
us (said He) “pour on him all we can:” Let
the worlds riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a Span.
So strength first made a way;
Then beauty flow’d, then wisdom, honour,
pleasure: When almost all was out, God made a
stay, Perceiving that alone of all His treasures
Rest in the bottom lay. For
if I should (said He)
Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts instead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of
Nature.So both should losers be.
 Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining
restlessness:Let him be rich and weary,
that at last,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to my breast.
- George Herbert

Points:
* The title and the poet of the poem (1)
* Rhyme scheme (1)
* Figures of speech (1)
* Central Idea/Theme (2)
(Section IV: Non-Textual Passage)
(Reading Skills, Vocabulary, Grammar and Summary)

Q.4 (A): Read the following passage and complete the activities: 10
A1. State whether the following statements are true or false: (2)

i. The narrator writes comics.

ii. Sudhir qualified as a friend.
iii. The narrator met Sudhir in Dehra.
iv. Friendship is all about disintegration.
FRIENDSHIP IS ALL ABOUT DOING THINGS TOGETHER. IT MAY BE
Climbing a mountain, fishing in a mountain stream, cycling along a country road, camping
in a forest clearing or simply travelling together and sharing the experiences that a
new placecan bring.
On at least two of these counts, Sudhir qualified as a friend, albeit a troublesome one,
given to involving me in his adolescent escapades.
I met him in Dehra soon after my return from England. He turned up at my room, saying
he’d heard I was a writer and did I have any comics to lend him?
“I don’t write comics”, I said; but there were some comics lying around, left over from my
own boyhood collection. So I gave these to the lanky youth who stood smiling in the
doorway, and he thanked me and said he’d bring them back. From my window, I saw him
cycling off in the general direction of Dalanwala.
He turned up again a few days later and dumped a large pile of new-looking comics on
my desk. “Here are all the latest”, he announced. “You can keep them for me. I’m
notallowed to read comics at home”.
A2. Complete the web chart with the information from the passage: (2)

i.

Friendship is all ii.

about doing things
like iii.

iv.

A3. Find out four compound words from the passage. (2)
A4. Do as directed: (2)
i. I am not allowed to read comics at
 home. (Pick out the infinitive)
ii. From my window, I saw him
cycling. (Use ‘when’ and rewrite
the sentence)
A5. According to you, what are the qualities of a good friend? (2)

B. Read the passage given in question 4(A) and write a summary of it in a paragraph.
Suggest a suitable title. (5)

Section V: Writing Skills

Q.3 Letter writing: [05 Marks]

(A) Imagine you are Manav/Mira Sharma residing at B/12 ‘Snehkutir’, M. G. Road, Nashik
–422003.

Read the given news extract:

CELEBRATING THE GIRL CHILD

– by a Staff Reporter
12th Oct, Nashik:
Yesterday, the city celebrated International Girl Child Day. Various programmes were
organized across the city to felicitate girls who are young achievers. Speaking on the occasionthe
Governer said that as a nation we should educate and empower the girl child……………

A1. Formal Letter A2. Informal Letter

Write a letter to the Chairman, Rotary Write a letter to your friend to state the
Club, D. C. Road, Nashik - 422003 to OR importance of women in our society.
arrange an event to felicitate young girl
achievers of the city.

Q.4 (A) Information Transfer 05

(A1) Verbal to NonVerbal: Read the following information and complete the table given
below. Give a suitable title:

Turtles and tortoises are closely related. They are both reptiles from the same family (Testudines or
Chelonian). The main difference between the two is that turtle is the name given to water-dwellers and tortoise
is the name given to land-dwellers. They are easily identified by the presence of a shell, from which their head
and limbs protrude.
Turtles are found in Africa and America. Its shell is lighter and more streamlined than that of a tortoise. To
enable swimming, it has webbed feet with long claws. Turtles are omnivores, eating both vegetation and meat.
Their lifespan is shorter than that of the tortoisewith an average of 20-40 years and a maximum of 86 years.
Tortoises are found mainly in Asia and Africa, but also in America. It has a rounder, bumpier, heavier shell
than a turtle. Its bent legs are short and sturdy. Tortoises are usually herbivores, but some eat meat, their
lifespan is longer than that of the turtle with an average of 80-150 years and a maximum of 188 years.
 FEATURES TURTLES TORTOISE
i. HABITAT
ii. PLACES FOUND IN
iii. SHELL
iv. LIFESPAN

A2) Verbal to Non-Verbal:

Read the following information and write it into Do’s and Don’ts. Give a suitable title for it:
Outside ‘The Central Library’ there is a board displaying some rules and regulations for the members.
They are as follows:
i. You should enter your name and registered number in the register, before entering in the library.
ii. You should pay your monthly/annual membership on time.
iii. You are not allowed to write anything on the book/magazine you have taken.
iv. You should not take any book or magazine out of the library without prior permission and registration.
v. You should maintain pin-drop silence in the library.
vi. You are not allowed to eat, drink, chat or smoke inside the library.
vii. You should return the books or magazines you have taken on time.
viii. You should not disturb other members and the librarian, when you are in the library.

Q5. A) Prepare a speech to be delivered in your school assembly on the topic: 05

“Giving is Receiving”.
Use the following points:
● makes us feel happy ● promotes co-operation and social connection
● develops feeling of contentment● develops feeling of empathy
● The result will not last long. ● Limitations to creative thinking.
OR
(B) View-Counterview: 05

Dog; Man’s Best Friend.

Prepare a paragraph of counterviews on the given topic. Use the following viewpoints to
express your counterviews:
Viewpoints:
● Friendly and playful.
● Safeguard our homes.
● Stress busters.
● Honest and faithful to their masters.
● Create liveliness in the family.
● Add your own points.
 Section V: Creative Writing

Q5. (A) Do any one of the following: [05 Marks]

(A1) Expand the theme:
Expand the following idea into 100 words:
“The time to be happy is now”.
OR
(A2) News Report:
Prepare a news report based on the following:
“Government encourage classrooms to go digital”
Q6. B: Developing a story/Narrating experience: [05 Marks]
(B1) Develop a story in about 80-100 words with the following beginning. Give a suitable title:

Raj was thrilled to get a VIP pass for the concert of his favourite singer ……….
OR
(B2) Narrate an experience in about 80-100 words with the following ending. Give a suitable title:
………. and hence I decided never to leave my home without a mas