CONSORTIUM PREBOARD QUESTION PAPER-2022-23

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (Code No. 184)

CLASS-X
SET C
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 questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section A: READING SKILLS 20

Marks
I Read the passage given below. 10
(1) The Tamagotchi, a digital pet first released in Japan in 1996, had only a 32x16 pixel
screen and three small buttons. Each of these buttons served some simple function,
like feeding your Tamagotchi, turning off the lights in its room, or playing a game with it.
Functions also included cleaning up your Tamagotchi's poop-at times so frequently that
you could not help but worry about the health of its colon. Fail at these simple tasks
and your Tamagotchi suffers a gruesome, neglectful death.
(2) After the first Tamagotchi launched in 1996, it became not just a toy fad, but a social
phenomenon. School students were willing to earn themselves detention for checking
on it during class rather than deal with an ill-timed death of their digipet. Its huge
success was because it appealed to the human nurturing instinct, in this case, the urge
to care for a digital pet - making sure it doesn't die. It offered children a sense of
responsibility, and they accepted it with extreme enthusiasm.
(3) We thought it would do well, but we didn't expect it to be such a huge success, to the
point that production could not keep up with demand," says Momoi, a Tamagotchi
officer.
(4) The Tamagotchi was a pioneer of continual gameplay. The game does not pause even
if you turn off your device. This social trapping was largely unheard of before the
Tamagotchi's release. And that has had significant consequences in the 21st century. It
was also one of the very first video games to be marketed primarily to girls. When
consoles like the Nintendo were first released, they were placed on the shelves
exclusively in the boys’ section of Toys “R” Us. With the Tamagotchi, the opposite
happened. It challenged the hyper-masculinity associated with video games back then.
(5) The Tamagotchi provided access to people who had been ignored over the last decade
in the video game industry. Ironically, it did so by playing into the gender stereotypes
that were dominant at the time, and to an extent still are. It was a toy that appealed to
girls through what were seen as stereotypical female traits – like the mother instincts or
the concept of nurturing. For girls to be allowed to play video games, they would have

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 to assume the role of a caretaker.
(6) The Tamagotchi was an early example of a video game that blurred the lines between
the digital world and the real world, or virtual reality. Children wept at their
Tamagotchi's death! Social scientists studying fads became increasingly worried when
they saw obsessed kids glued to their Tamagotchi. They established how children
could develop over-the-top emotional responses to virtual characters and in the future
adults would too.
(448 words)
Adapted –
https://www.wired.com/story/tamagotchi-25-year-anniversary-impact/

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions 1x10

given below.
i. Why does the writer say that the Tamagotchi became a social phenomenon? 1
a) It was the biggest toy fad of its time.
b) It offered a sense of responsibility to children.
c) It became popular among adults too.
d) It was the first digipet in the market.

ii. Select the option that corresponds to the following relation below: 1

The more the care, the longer will the Tamagotchi live.
a) The more you drive, the more you learn.
b) The better the quality of the battery, the longer it will last.
c) The higher the altitude, the less the oxygen level.
d) The more the number of stations, the longer the route.

iii. Select the option that displays what the writer projects, with reference to the 1
following. We thought it would do well, but we didn't expect it to be such a
huge success, to the point that production could not keep up with demand.
a) expectation
b) hope
c) popularity
d) disbelief

iv. Complete the following with a phrase from paragraph 2. 1

Opinion Reason
Great interest or fervour
v. The writer compares the gluing of children to their Tamagotchi with an 1
obsession. (Paragraph 6)

State 1 point of similarity between glued to the digital pet and getting
obsessed with it.

vi. Based on your reading of the text, list 2 ways the writer says were important 1

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 to look after one's Tamagotchi.

1. __________________________
2. __________________________

vii. What connection does the writer draw out between Tamagotchi and gender 1
stereotypes in the world of gaming?

viii. The writer says, "The Tamagotchi was a pioneer of continual gameplay. 1
(Paragraph 4)
Select the reason responsible for the innovative character of the Tamagotchi,

a) over-the-top responses
b) social trapping
c) extreme enthusiasm
d) care of digital pet.

ix. Supply 1 point to justify the following. 1

Social scientists studying fads became increasingly worried about the

obsession with digital toys for a reason.

x. Evaluate the INAPPROPRIATE reason for the writer's statement that “The 1
Tamagotchi was an early example of a video game that blurred the lines
between the digital world and the real world, or virtual reality”. Paragraph 6
a) Despite the creature being only a 10-pixel blob, school students were
willing to earn themselves detention for checking on it during class.
b) It offered children a sense of responsibility, and they accepted it with
extreme enthusiasm.
c) The Tamagotchi challenged the hyper-masculinity associated with
video games back then.
d) It appealed to the human nurturing instinct, in this case, the urge to
care for a digital pet- making sure it doesn't die.

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’s latest survey has produced an interesting infographic regarding this issue and
it illustrates the pattern along which people watch the content online. According to Time

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 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 You
Tube 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. YouTube 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!
(300 words)
i Infer one reason for the following, based on information in paragraph 1. 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. 1

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

1
iii. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/ phrase from paragraph.

The _______________________ the similarity in content, the

_______________________ receptive is the viewer.

1
iv. Select the correct option to complete the following sentence:

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 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 1

receptiveness on online content pages or channels. Paragraph 2.

Chart (a) Chart (b

Chart (c) Chart (d)

vi Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option for the conclusion drawn based 1
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

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vii Substitute the word 'beat' with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in the 1
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 1
language on YouTube as referred to in Para 3.

1. _______________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________

ix List one reason why the researchers think that the excitement on social media 1
never ends.

x Select the option that titles paragraphs 1-3 appropriately, with reference to 1
information in the text.

1. Viewer reception 1. DigiLife survey

2. American viewers' 2. Viewer reception
online behaviour 3. You Tube videos
3. Videos in English

Set (a) Set (b)

1. Viewer reception 1. Viewer reception

2. DigiLife survey 2. Popularity of You Tube
3. Popularity of You- 3. DigiLife infographic
Tube

Set (c) Set (d)

III SECTION B –GRAMMAR

Attempt ANY TEN of the following questions. 10
i Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the 1
sentence.
The boys _____ to my lecture since 8 O’clock this morning.
(a) were listening
(b) have been listening
(c) had been listening
(d) None of these
ii Read the conversation between a mother and her daughter. Complete 1
the sentence by reporting daughter’s reply correctly.

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 Mother: Why are you looking so worried?
Daughter: My exams are approaching.
Mother asked her daughter why she was looking very worried. The daughter
replied that _____.
iii Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line. 1

I _____ rather die than join the gang of terrorists.

(a) could
(b) should
(c) would
(d) can
iv Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction 1
for the following line:
A little political thinkers think that liberty and equality can’t go together.

Option Error Correction

No.
(a) Can’t Couldn’t
(b) think thinks
(c) a little some
(d) go goes
v Complete the given sentence, by filling in the blank with the 1
correct option: They met you at night after you _____ your work.
(a) had finished
(b) have finished
(c) finished
(d) will finish
vi Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the 1
bracket.
Chris, in addition to his brother Zack, _____ (play) hockey on Saturday.
vii Report the dialogue between a doctor and a patient, by 1
completing the sentence:
Doctor : You should take this medicine every day.
Patient : Should I take it before dinner or after dinner?
Doctor : No, you should take it after breakfast.
The Doctor advised the patient that he should take that medicine every day.
The patient further asked if he should take it before dinner or after dinner. The
doctor replied negatively and then said that _____.
viii Identify the error in the given sentence and supply the correction. 1
Some guys like to fights on even playing grounds, and some guys like
to cheat. Use the given format for your response.

Error Correctio
n

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 Use the given format for your response.
ix Transform the following direct speech into reported speech: 1
He asked, “Will you be coming?”
x Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option, to complete the 1
sentence.
My class teacher told me that I _____ work hard.
(a) shall
(b) could
(c) can
(d) should
xi Select the correct option to complete the narration of the dialogue 1
between Radha and Shikha.

Radha : Do you know how to swim?

Shikha : Yes I know. I have learnt it during this summer vacation.
Radha asked Shikha if/whether she knew how to swim.
Then Shikha replied in affirmative and also added that _____.

(a) she had learnt it during that summer vacation

(b) she has learnt it during this summer vacation
(c) she have learnt it during the summer vacation
(d) she had learnt it during this summer vacation
xii Identify the error and supply the correction, for the following 1
sentence:
Every people went to welcome the Indian Cricket team.
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. Though there is a movement like 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' and enrolling of
underprivileged children in schools, there are still many children, who do not
go to school, rather have never seen a school. It is indeed disturbing.

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 You decide to write a letter to the Editor of a newspaper expressing your
views and the steps to be taken. Write the letter in 120 words. Sign yourself
as Devjit Gogoi / Mousumi Ganguly.
OR
B. You are Dorjee Wangsu / Tapoti Guha, a student of class X and resident of
56 D, Ring Road, ITO, New Delhi, and wants to be a choreographer. Write a
letter in 120 words to the Director, National Institute of Choreography, Noida,
seeking information about their online course, admission procedure, eligibility
criteria and other necessary details.

2. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.

A. For a tourist, the ease of travelling to a country makes travel pleasurable and
smooth. It makes a visitor go back to the destination again. In order to make
the trip to India worth its while, the GOI has introduced a visa- on-arrival
facility for travellers from many countries and the list keeps getting longer
every year. Analysing the data in the graph above, write an analytical
paragraph. (100-120 words)

OR
B. Read the following excerpt from an online post of a website on technology. In
their latest post, they talk about social media and its impact on our instant
connectivity.

With so much advancement and innovation, it would be an unimaginable

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 world without having social media in it. We are all now connected by the
internet, like neurons in a giant brain. Someone has rightly put it into words by
saying, "Social media is addictive precisely because it gives us something
that the real world lacks: it gives us immediacy, direction and a value as an
individual."

Write a paragraph in 100-120 words to analyze 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.

SECTION C - LITERATURE 40
V Reference to the Context 10
1. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5
1.A To enhance the image of this long-awaited friend in my imagination, I don’t
want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would do, but I
want the diary to be my friend, and I’m going to call this friend ‘Kitty’. Since no
one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in,
I’d better provide a brief sketch of my life, much as I dislike doing so. My
father, the most adorable father I’ve ever seen, didn’t marry my mother until
he was thirty-six and she was twenty-five. My sister, Margot, was born in
Frankfurt in Germany in 1926. I was born on 12 June 1929. I lived in Frankfurt
until I was four. My father emigrated to Holland in 1933. My mother, Edith
Hollander Frank, went with him to Holland in September, while Margot and I
were sent to Aachen to stay with our grandmother. Margot went to Holland in
December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table
as a birthday present for Margot.
(From the Diary of Anne Frank)

i. Choose the option that lists the statement that is NOT TRUE according to the 1
above extract
a)Anne’s parents migrated to Holland leaving her and her sister.
b)Margot went to Holland before Anne.
c)Anne’s grandmother took care of her and her sister in her parents’ absence.
d)Anne went to Holland and her sister followed her.
ii. What does the phrase ‘long awaited friend’ convey? 1
iii. In the passage, the phrase ‘to plunge right in’ means- 1
iv. . The word ‘sketch’ in the above extract can be substituted by…. 1
a) paintings
b) character sketch
c) story
d) introduction
v. The word ‘emigrates’ in the extract corresponds to… 1
a) settle in a country
b) work in another country
c) visit another country

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 d) leave one’s own country to settle elsewhere
OR
1.B . TENTH May dawned bright and clear. For the past few days, I had been
pleasantly besieged by dignitaries and world leaders who were coming to pay
their respects before the inauguration. The inauguration would be the largest
gathering ever of international leaders on South African soil. The ceremonies
took place in the lovely sandstone amphitheater formed by the Union
Buildings in Pretoria. For decades this had been the seat of white supremacy,
and now it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations
for the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government.
(A long walk to freedom)

i. ‘Tenth May’ was significant as it……… 1

a) was the day of the inauguration
b) as a bright and clear day
c) had the largest gathering
d) installation of South Africa’s racial government
ii. The special thing about the inauguration was that it was…. 1
a) witnessed by few dignitaries from all around the world.
b) witnessed by international leaders from all around the world.
c) witnessed by white supremacy on the soil of South Africa.
d) witnessed by the people of South Africa.
iii. The phrase ‘the site of a rainbow gathering refers to….’ 1
iv. All the great leaders of the world had come under one roof to witness….. 1
a) the making of democratic, non-racial government
b) the making of sandstone amphitheater in South Africa
c) speech of Nelson Mandela in South Africa.
d) the making of racial, non-dramatic government.
V The word ‘besieged’ does not correspond to… 1
a) confine
b) confront
c) invest
d) encircle
2 Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 5
2.A Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour 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.

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 (Fire and Ice)
i Choose the CORRECT statement about the given poem. 1

a) Fire and ice are images-they help the readers visualise 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. How is 'ice' sufficient for destruction? 1

a) 'Ice' symbolises hatred and hatred can destroy the world because it is
blind.
b) 'Ice' symbolises toughness and that cannot get destroyed because it is
too strong.
c) Ice' symbolises reason and reason is not balanced.
d) 'Ice' symbolises a cool head and a cool head does not respond to
emotions.

iii. Complete the sentence given below. 1

The main idea of these lines is ___________________________________.

iv. The poet is making an appeal to us to 1

1. be more sensitive.
2. be more tough.
3. to believe in love and brotherhood.
4. fight wars with all our might.

a) 2 only
b) 2 and 4
c) 1 and 3
d) 2 and 4

v. 'But if it had to perish twice' 1

The poet thinks that the world will perish twice, first,
_____________________________ .

OR
2.B
He stalks in his vivid stripes,
The few steps of his cage,

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 On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
(A Tiger in the Zoo)

i. Which option correctly lists the reason for the tiger stalking the few steps of 1
his cage"?

a) Animals tend to cover large distances and burn a lot of their energy by
hunting for prey, in their natural habitat. Zoos deprive them of such
stimulation and they are restless and bored.
b) ii) Animals are scared of visitors gazing at them in their unnatural
surroundings. Zoos are places where animals are far removed from the
privacy of their natural habitat.
c) Animals dislike human noises in the city and react to them
aggressively. Zoos are often located in cities or outskirts.
d) Animals require human love and care and miss this when in captivity.
Zoos are places where they walk around mechanically to attract human
attention.

ii. The manner of the animal's walk is 1

a) quiet
b) sauntering
c) menacing
d) controlled

iii. In the line - He is in a 'quiet rage' the figure of speech used by the poet is 1
___________________________________________.

iv. The main contrasting idea suggested by the extract is that of 1

a) strength and weakness.

b) nature and culture.
c) beasts and mortals.
d) confinement and freedom.

v. Find a synonym of 'stalks' in the extract. 1

VI Answer ANY FOUR of the following in about 40-50 words each. 4*3=12
i. How did the weather change soon after the pilot of Dakota left Paris behind? 3
How did he react to that change? (Two stories about flying)
ii. What role did the baker play in the childhood of the narrator? (Glimpses of 3
India)

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iii. Describe the journey of Siddhartha Gautama becoming the Buddha. 3
iv What message does John Berryman want to convey through ‘The Ball 3
Poem’?
v The poem ‘The Trees’ presents a conflict between Man and Nature. Discuss. 3
VII Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each. 2*3=6
i. What was Oop’s opinion about the ‘sandwiches’ he had eaten? (The Book 3
that Saved the Earth)
ii. Why was Bholi reluctant to go to school with her father? What was the 3
outcome when Bholi came back from school?
iii. ‘Horace never got a chance to begin his plan’. Which plan is the author talking 3
about? Why is he not able to execute his plan? (The Question of Trust)
VIII Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 1*6=6
i. Valli’s journey to the town is also her induction into the mystery of life and 6
death. Such real experiences make us mature. Elaborate (Madam Rides a
Bus)
OR
ii. Forgiveness is the foundation of cordial relationship. Do you agree? How is 6
the message conveyed in the play ‘The Proposal’? How can forgiveness be
inculcated in the students of school?
IX Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. 1*6=6
i. Love, trust, benevolence are the basic human attributes that can transform 6
evil into goodness. How did these attributes of Anil change Hari Singh in the
story ‘The Thief’s Story’?
OR
ii. ‘Contentment in one’s life is very important to lead a peaceful life’. Elaborate 6
the statement in the light of the character sketch of Matilda. (The Necklace)

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