X CBSE MODEL EXAMINATIONS 2024

SET 01

Time : 3 Hours ENGLISH Maximum Marks : 80

General Instructions:

1. This Question paper contains THREE sections-READING, GRAMMAR and WRITING & LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section – A
Reading Skills (20 Marks)

Question 1.

Read the following text. [10 Marks]

1. In most societies that have any glimmer of civilisation, a person accused of wrong doing is
given at least a nominal chance of proving his innocence. The Romans had a highly sophisticated
comprehensive system of courts and the members of their legal profession were well educated,
but the Saxons who followed them to rule Britain used rougher methods.
2. From about the sixth century A.D. to the eleventh the majority of the trials were in the form of
cruel physical torture (carrying a piece of red hot iron, stepping barefoot and blindfold across a
floor covered with red hot coals) or sometimes by a gentler method of oath – swearing.
3. The accused was ordered to bring to the Saxon authorities. A police officer or a priest could be
persuaded to swear on oath or still a number of persons who would say that the accused was of
good character and thus, innocent. The number of persons who swore depended on the crime. A
noble/a landlord or a priest counted for up to half a dozen ordinary peasants. As almost everyone
lived in small villages, where almost everyone knew everyone else and very few would risk
telling a lie on oath (the people were mostly religious), the truth was generally told. If the
accused could not produce enough oath helpers, he was found guilty and punished.
4. In the eleventh century, the Normans introduced trial by battle in certain cases. The accused
and the accuser fought with special weapons until one was dead or surrendered. It was believed
that God would know the guilty and give the innocent the power to win. The whole idea became
ridiculous when both the parties were allowed to hire champions who would fight on their
behalf. It seemed likely whoever could pay the more for a stronger professional fighter stood a
good chance of winning and being judged innocent. This may sound unfair to us but there is a
parallel with a wealthy person today who can hire a costly and brilliant barrister to defend him.
5. In the early middle ages when England was a land of small villages remote from each other,
crime tended to be basic and direct: beating up, theft, sex and murder being the main offences.
But as towns and manufacturing and commerce grew, the possibilities for cheating and fraud
soared. The whole organisation of society became more complex and opened the door to a world
of more sophisticated wickedness. With no regular police force, spies and informers were offered
rewards when they brought in criminals.

On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the questions that follow:

(i) Trace the rulers that ruled England over centuries. [1]
(ii) Which of the following statements are not true? [1]
(a) In the quest for justice the guilty often went unpunished.
(b) For seven hundred years from the sixth century trial was mostly rough.
(c) Swearing value of a priest was equal to a dozen ordinary peasants.
(d) Use of champions in a trial by battle finds an equivalent in the modem times.
(iii) Study the following statements: [1]
(a) Romans were proud of their judicial system.
(b) There is not much difference between the Norman and modern system of justice.
(A) (a) and (c)
(B) (b) and (d)
(C) (c) and (d)
(D) (a) and (b)
(iv) Complete the given statement appropriately: [1]
The article essentially describes ________.
(v) Study the following statements: [1]
(I) In a trial by battle, money played a main role.
(II) God helped the innocent win the battle.
(A) (I) is right and (II) is wrong.
(B) (II) is right and (I) is wrong.
 (C) Both (I) and (II) are right and (I) was the conclusion.
(D) Both (I) and (II) are right and (I) was not the conclusion

(vi) Based on the reading of the passage, throw light in 40 words, on the two contradictory
aspects of Saxon systems. [2]
(vii) Why does the author say that there is not much difference between the Saxon judiciary
system and the modern system? Give your response in about 40 words. [2]

(viii) The author’s use of the word: [1]

‘any glimmering of civilization’
‘Glimmering’ in the above expression has been used as a metaphor. Glimmering stands for

Question 2.
Read the following text. (10)
1. India’s average temperature has already increased by around 0.7 degrees Celsius during the
1901 – 2018 period due to Greenhouse gas emissions and by the end of 2100 it is expected to
rise by approximately 4.4 degrees Celsius warns the first-ever climate change assessment report
by the Indian government.

2. The report Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region prepared by the Union
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) warned that the rapid changes in the temperature would
mean increasing stress on India’s “natural ecosystems, agricultural output and freshwater
resources, while also causing escalating damage to infrastructure.” This ultimately means a
serious impact on the ‘country’s biodiversity, food, water, energy security and public health.

3. It said that several regions in India are global biodiversity hotspots with numerous endemic
species of plants and animals and with the “climate changing more rapidly than usual, they may
face increasing threats on account of these changes.”

4. The MoES report cautioned that by the end of 2100, the “frequency of summer (April-June)
heat waves over India is projected to be 3 to 4 times higher” and the “average duration of
heatwave events is also projected to be approximately double.” According to the report, the Sea
Surface Temperature (SST) of the tropical Indian Ocean has also risen by one degree Celsius, on
average, during 1951-2015.

5. The temperature rise is playing havoc with India’s rainfall which is significant for India’s
agriculture sector. The report noted that the summer monsoon precipitation (June to September)
over India has declined by around six percent from 1951 to 2015, with a notable decrease over
the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Western Ghats. It stressed that the overall decrease of seasonal
summer monsoon rainfall during the last 6-7 decades has led to an increased propensity for
droughts in India.

6. “In particular, areas over Central India, South-West coast, Southern peninsula, and North-
Eastern India have experienced more than two droughts per decade. The area affected by drought
has also increased by 1.3 percent per decade over the same period. Climate model projections
indicate a high likelihood of an increase in the frequency, intensity, and area under drought
conditions in India by the end of the twenty-first century,” said the MoES report.

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.

(i) Complete the following analogy appropriately based on your understanding of the passage.
The rise in temperature will ……………… . (1)
(ii) Fill in the blanks. (1)
From Paragraph 5, we can infer that the …………….. in temperature has wreaked havoc on the
rainfall pattern. The overall ……………… of seasonal summer monsoon rainfall during the last
6 – 7 decades has led to an increased tendency of droughts.

(iii) Infer 3 reasons for the following, based on information in Paragraph 1. Answer in about 40
words. (2)
India’s average temperature has already increased by around 0.7 degrees Celsius during the 1901
– 2018 period.
(iv) Mention any two social and economic impacts of climate change. (1)

(v) based on the given picture, which phenomena will cause widespread poverty? (1)

(vi) Select the chart that appropriately represents the drought trend with climate in India from the
year 1951 to 2015, as per Paragraph 5. (1)
(a) Option 1
(b) 2 and 3
(c) Option 3
(d) 1 and 4

(vii) Justify the following in about 40 words. (2)

The temperature rise is playing havoc with India’s rainfall.

(viii) Which of the following is an appropriate title for paragraph 2? (l)

(a) Loss of diversity
(b) Drough trends
(c) Winds of change
(d) Climate change

Section – B
Writing Skills and Grammar (20 marks)
Grammar (10 marks)

Question 3.
Complete ANY TEN of twelve of the following tasks, as directed.
(i) Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket, for the given portion of a
letter.
Dear Sir
This is concerning your advertisement _______________ (publish) in the Times of India dated 8
May 2023. [1]

(ii) Read the given sentence. Identify the error and supply the correction in the sentence. [1]
When she puts her hand on your head to bless you, you can feel her love.
Use the given format for your response.

Error Correction
 (iii) Sujata and Simran had a conversation. Report Sujata’s question.
When will your mother be back from her trip? [1]
(iv) Read the dialogue between Ganesh and Dr. Gautam.
Ganesh: Dr. my wife is unwell. May I know what will be the total expenses on her treatment?
Dr. Gautam: Well, you will have to pay only six lacs for her treatment.
Select the correct option to complete the reporting of the above dialogue.
Ganesh told Dr. Gautam that his wife was unwell. He asked the Dr. ___________ Gautam told
him that he would have to pay only six lacs for her treatment.’ [1]
(A) if he may know what will be the total expenses.
(B) if he might know what would be the total expenses.
(C) if he might knew what the total expenses will be.
(D) if he may know what are the told expenses.
(v) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the given statement:
It’s a closely connected world out _________ (here/then/there) where children consult and guide
each other. [1]
(vi) Identify the error in the statement given below and supply the correction. Use the given
format for your response.
Water was vital to human health and fitness. [1]

Error Correction

(vii) Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line,
from a news report:
Last week a child was not allowed to board the plane at Ranchi airport. [1]

Option No. Error Correction

A child children

B last previous

C the a
D at in

(viii) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the given sentence about
Ajanta and Ellora Caves.
The Caves of Ajanta and Ellora are the Magnificent Works of Sculpture. Whoever goes there
_____________ spellbound. [1]
(A) becomes
(B) become
(C) becoming
(D) has

(ix) Read the conversation between Ranbir and policeman. Complete the sentence by reporting
the patient’s reply correctly. [1]
Ranbir: Where is my car? I remember parking it here.
Policeman: The car has been towed away as you parked it in the ‘no parking zone’.
Ranbir asked the policeman standing there where his car was and added that he remembered
parking it there. The policeman replied that the car ____________ parked it in the ‘no parking
zone’.
(x) Choose the option that completes the sentence below correctly:
She had already begun eating her dinner by the time I ___________ there. [1]
(A) reached
(B) had reached
(C) was reaching
(D) had been reaching
(xi) Complete the line from the poem written by Alfred Lord Tennyson with the correct option.
I come from haunts of coot and hern I make a sudden salty And sparkle out among the fern To
________ down a valley. [1]
(A) bickers
(B) had bickered
(C) will bicker
(D) bicker
(xii) Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction:
The dog has eaten his food before the trainer arrived.
Use the given format for your response. [1]

Error Correction
 SECTION C

Creative Writing Skills (10 Marks)

Note: All details presented in the questions are imaginary and created for assessment purposes.
Question 4.
A. You are Sonali Dixit, a resident of 929/A, Gorakhpur, UP You came across the
following advertisement in a national daily. (5)

Exchange! Exchange! Exchange

Haven’t used your steel pressure cooker in months? Are useless utensils just taking up extra
space in your house? Then, this one-time opportunity is just for you. Visit the nearest MBM
Cookware Store to exchange your old utensils with brand-new non-stick ones.
Attractive offers for the first few loyal customers!

Write a letter to MBM Cookware in about 120 words enquiring about the scheme and the related
terms and conditions. Also, enquire if a physical presence is compulsory for the exchange.
Or
B. You are Akriti, of 25/12, Friends Colony, Noida. Every day, you are late to school by fifteen
minutes. Your school bus is stuck in a traffic jam near the Chintpumi temple crossing. Along
with your own ideas, write a letter to the Editor of a newspaper in about 120, highlighting this
problem and suggesting some remedy for it.

Question 5.
Gurmeet Kaur is an aspiring candidate for a public-funded engineering college in the suburbs.
She belongs to a nearby village, has minimal technological skills and exposure, has the required
cut-off percentage, and is looking for a complete or partial scholarship.
Write a paragraph in about 100-120 words, analyzing her SWOT notes to support your stand on
whether she should join/not join the college. [5]
OR

(B) Read the following excerpt from an online post of a website on educational practices.
Kids who appreciate how much effort, time and care goes into growing food will understand how
important farmers are, and why it’s important to take care of our Earth. In the world of today,
gardening needs to be given more importance than sports, music and dance in all schools
because it creates environmental stewards and outdoor learning laboratories that help the child
and community for years to come.
Write a paragraph in 100-120 words to analyse the given argument.
You could think about what alternative explanations might weaken the given conclusion and
include rationale/evidence that would strengthen/counter the given argument. [5]

Section –D
Literature Textbook and Supplementary Reading Text (40 Marks)

Question 6.
Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given. (5)
A. The word ‘convalescing’ seemed to do something to Mrs Pumphrey. She started to bring
round fresh eggs, two dozen at a time, to build up Tricki’s strength. For a happy period, my
partners and I had two eggs each for breakfast, but when the bottles of wine began to arrive, the
real possibilities of the situation began to dawn on the household. (A Triumph of Surgery)

(i) State any one inference about Mrs. Pumphrey from the given extract. (1)
(ii) State True or False. (1)
None of the terms (a)-(d) can be applied to the statement – She started to bring around fresh
eggs, two dozen at a time, to build up Tricki’s strength.
(a) A hypothesis – a proposed explanation for a phenomenon
(b) An assumption – something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true
(c) A hyperbole – exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
(d) A premise – a proposition that forms the basis of an argument
(iii) Mrs. Pumphrey reaction to the word ‘convalescing’ proved to be beneficial for the
narrator. Elaborate in about 40 words, concerning the extract. (2)
(iv) Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘convalescing’ in the given sentence from the
extract?
The word ‘convalescing’ seemed to do something to Mrs. Pumphrey. (1)
Or

B. “But, please, Stephen Stepanovitch, how can they be yours? Do be a reasonable man! My
aunt’s grandmother gave the Meadows for the temporary and free use of your grandfather’s
peasants. The peasants used the land for forty years and got accustomed to it as if it was their
own, when it happened that …………. (The Proposal)

(i) Why did the peasants treat the land as their own? (1)
(a) They used the land for forty years.
 (b) They got accustomed to using the land.
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None of the above
(ii) Who is the speaker of the above lines? What light do these lines throw on the speaker’s
character? What reaction did his words get? Answer in about 40 words. (2)
(iii) Read the following descriptions (a) – (c) and identify which one correctly corresponds to the
extract. (1)
(a) A debate is a formal discussion on a particular topic, usually with two or more people
presenting different viewpoints and arguments.
(b) A soliloguy is a speech given by a character alone on stage, which reveals their innermost
thoughts and feelings to the audience.
(c) None of the above
(iv) Why did his aunt’s grandmother give the meadows? (1)

Question 7.
“I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
(i) A compound word from the extract is___________. [1]

(ii) How is God’s love different from the love of young lovers? [2]
(iii) Choose the option that displays the likely image of the man mentioned in the extract. [1]

(A) option1
(B) option 2
(C) option 3
(D) option 4
(iv) Choose the phrase that best represents, ‘love you for yourself alone” [1]
(A) Unconditional love
(B) Unseemly love
(C) Unrequited love
(D) Understated love
OR

(B) Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

(i) Choose the CORRECT statement about the given poem. [1]
(A) Fire and ice are images — they help the readers visualize the power of nature over man.
(B) Fire and ice are symbols — not of natural disasters, but of humanity’s ability to create
disasters of its own.
(C) Fire and ice are elements — not of Nature but man-made and possess the ability to create
havoc for mankind.
(D) Fire and ice are agents—they change the thinking of mankind from negative to positive
and bring harmony.
(ii) Select the option that correctly classifies the connotations for fire and ice, as suggested in the
poem. [1]
(1) rage
(2) violence
(3) indifference
(4) hate
(5) greed
(A) Fire – 3, 4; Ice – 1, 2, 5
(B) Fire – 2, 5; Ice – 1, 3, 4
(C) Fire – 1, 3, 5; Ice – 2, 4
(D) Fire – 1, 2, 4; Ice – 3, 5

(iii) The poem is a ____________, put across by the poet. [1]

(iv) What do the words Fire and Ice stand for? Name the poetic devices used in lines 1 and 2. [2]
Question 8.
Answer ANY FOUR of the following five questions, in about 40-50 words. (4 × 3 = 12)
(i) Why was the writer happy when he decided to fly in the night? How was he feeling? (The
Black Aeroplane- Two Stories About Flying) (3)
(ii) Why did Anne think that she could confide more in her diary than in people?
(From the Diary of Anne Frank).
Refer to the given lines from the text :
I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England. I was dreaming of my
holiday and looking forward to being with my family. (3)
(iii) Where should the tiger have been according to the poet? (A Tiger in the Zoo) (3)

(iv) What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days
after that? (Mijbil the Otter) (3)
(v) ‘Money is external’. What does the poet mean by this expression?
(The Ball Poem) (3)
Question 9.
(A) Dr. Herriot knew his patients as well as their owners well. Discuss. (The Triumph of
surgery) [3]
(B) State one likely reason the writer of The Midnight Visitor chose to characterize Ausable as
short and fat. [3]
(C) Validate the importance of small, fun learning tasks towards successful careers, in the
context of Richard Ebright in The Making of a Scientist. [3]
Question 10.
Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words. (1 × 6 = 6)
A. “Humanity still exists”, is what one gets to know after reading A Letter to God’ in which the
firm faith in God of a poor farmer and the helpfulness of the post office employees are aptly
depicted. Write a paragraph on the human qualities in it, in about 100-120 words. Give the
paragraph a suitable title.
Or
B. You have been chosen to address a student gathering from your school to speak
on the importance of inner beauty over physical appearance. Prepare the speech draft in not more
than 120 words, concerning the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’. You may begin this way: Good
morning, everyone! Today, I would like to talk about the importance of inner beauty. I recently
………….

Question 11.
(A) Imagine that Griffin has been caught by the police and is produced in court. He needs to
defend himself and prove that he is not guilty of the charges.
As Griffin, prepare a statement that you would use in court to prove your innocence.
You may begin like this:
I plead not guilty.
I have been accused of.., however… [6]
OR

(B) Based on the given context, write a diary entry, as the narrator, on what you experienced and
the possible reason for it.
I should have been able to jump into one of the carriages, but I hesitated — for some reason, I
can’t explain — and
I lost the chance to get away. [6]