AMRITA VIDYALAYAM

PUSHP VIHAR, NEW DELHI

SESSION 2024-25
PRE-BOARD I EXAMINATION

CLASS: X SUBJECT: ENGLISH

TIME ALLOWED: 3 HOURS MAX. MARKS: 80

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: -
1. This question paper comprises 11 questions. All questions are compulsory.
2. The question paper contains THREE sections –
Section – A: Reading Skills
Section – B: Grammar and Creative Writing Skills
Section – C: Literature Textbook
3. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each Part.
SECTION A 20 marks
READING SKILLS
1. Read the following passage carefully: 10
1. Held every year on 21 May, UNESCO leads the celebration of World Day for
Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development highlighting not only the
richness of the world’s cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural
dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development.
2. A recent international emergency has proved the intrinsic value of the cultural
and creative sector at generating social cohesion, educational resource or
personal well-being in times of crisis. It has also underscored the sector’s
potential to generate economic growth, something which is too often
underestimated.
3. With the adoption in September 2015 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development by the United Nations, and the resolution on Culture and
Sustainable Development adopted by the UN General Assembly in December
2015, the message of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and
Development is more important than ever. The 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) can best be achieved by drawing upon the creative potential of the
world’s diverse cultures and engaging in continuous dialogue to ensure that all
members of society benefit from sustainable development.
4. Bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and
development. Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with
respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling
intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. This is captured in the culture
conventions, which provide a solid basis for the promotion of cultural diversity.
Cultural diversity is thus an asset that is indispensable for poverty reduction and
the achievement of sustainable development.
5. At the same time, acceptance and recognition of cultural diversity in particular
through innovation use of media and Information and Communications

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 Technologies (ICTs) are conducive to dialogue among civilizations and cultures,
respect and mutual understanding.
6. In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.
Next, in December 2002, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/249,
declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and
Development, and in 2015, the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly
unanimously adopted the resolution on Culture and Sustainable Development,
affirming culture’s contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable
development, acknowledging further the natural and cultural diversity of the
world, and recognizing that cultures and civilizations can contribute to, and are
crucial enablers of, sustainable development.
7. The day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the
values of cultural diversity and to achieve the goals of the UNESCO Convention
on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted
on 20 October, 2005.
Answer the following questions, based on the above passage :
i. Based on the reading and understanding of the above passage, list 2 points to describe 1
the purpose of UNESCO leading the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for
Dialogue and Development.
(a) _____________ (b)______________
ii. Select the option that corresponds to the meaning of the following sentence from para 2. 1
The recent international emergency has proved the intrinsic value of the cultural and
creative sector at generating social cohesion, educational resource or personal well-being
in times of crisis.
(A) The real worth of cultural sector at generating social cohesion during pandemics.
(B) The real worth of creative sector at undermining the social cohesion during an
international emergency.
(C) Questioning the real worth of creative sector at generating education resource
during an international emergency.
(D) Highlighting the real worth of cultural and creative sector at generating social
cohesion and educational resource during an international emergency.
iii. Based on your reading of the passage, examine in about 40 words how sustainable 2
development goals can be achieved.
iv. Complete the sentence appropriately: 1
The Second Committee of UN General Assembly in 2015 adopted ____________.
v. What is the tone of the writer in the given line from paragraph (4)? Rationalize your 2
response in about 40 words:
“Cultural diversity is an asset.”
vi. Complete
C the following sentence: 1
____________ is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development.
vii. The phrase ‘bridging the gap’ in paragraph (4) refers to: 1
a) widening the differences
b) connecting two desperate ideas
c) supporting the bridging
d) filling in the space between two connected things.
viii. In sets a-e below, identify two sets of synonyms. 1
a) Richness and Poverty
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 b) Intellectual and Moral
c) Reduction and Promotion
d) Essential and Intrinsic
e) Urgent and Crucial
Options :
(A) a and c
(B) b and e
(C) d and e
(D) b and d
2. Read the following passage carefully : 10
1. The National Education Policy 2020 proposes the revision and revamping of all
aspects of education, including the educational structure, regulations, and
governance, to create a new system which is aligned with the aspirational goals
of 21st century students. According to the policy, by 2025, at least 50% of
learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to
skill education, for which a clear action plan with targets and timelines are to be
developed.
2. The policy aims to overcome the social status hierarchy associated with skill
education and integration of skill education into mainstream education in all
educational institutions in a phased manner. Beginning with skill exposure at
early ages in middle and secondary schools, quality skill education will be
integrated smoothly into schools and higher education.
3. Every child will learn at least one skill and is exposed to several more. This
would lead to emphasising the dignity of labour and importance of various
vocations involving Indian arts and artisanship.
4. The development of skill capacities will go hand-in-hand with the development
of ‘academic’ or other capacities. To achieve this objective, secondary schools
will have to collaborate with Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Polytechnics,
Local Industry, etc. Skill labs will also be set up and created in the schools in a
Hub and Spoke model, which will allow other schools to use the facility. Higher
education institutions will offer skill education either on their own or in
partnership with industry and other institutions.

Answer the following questions, based on the above passage :

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 i. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate option from those given in brackets, based on your 1
understanding of paragraph (4).
“The development of skill capacities will go hand-in-hand with the development of
academic or other capacities” is a/an _____ (fact / opinion) because it is a/ an
_________ (subjective judgement / objective detail).
ii. Based on the reading of the extract, list 2 objectives of NEP 2020. 2
iii. Select the option that corresponds to the meaning of the statement given below: 1
“According to the policy, by 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and
higher education system shall have exposure to skill education.”
(A) Maximum 50% learners shall have exposure to technical education.
(B) Maximum 50% learners shall have exposure to physical development education.
(C) Minimum 50% learners shall have exposure to vocational education.
(D) Maximum 50% learners shall have exposure to skill education.
iv. Based on the understanding of the passage, complete the following statement 1
appropriately:
The benefit of the hub and spoke model will be _______________.
v. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word / phrase from paragraph (3): 1
Racism : condemn :: ___________ : respect
vi. As per the Global Scenario which country has the maximum percentage of students in 2
Skill Education and what can be the possible reason?
vii. Fill in the following blank choosing the most appropriate option from the ones given 1
below:
As per NEP 2020, skill exposure will begin at _____________.
a) middle and secondary school
b) primary school
c) higher school
d) senior secondary school
viii. Justify the statement – ‘The NEP will create an awareness and appreciation of Indian 1
arts and artisanship.’
SECTION B
GRAMMAR AND CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS 20 marks
GRAMMAR
3. Complete ANY TEN of twelve of the following tasks, as directed. (10x1=10)
i. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the brackets, for the given
portion of a letter.

Thank you for exceeding company expectations and ______________ (inspire) your
team with your spectacular work ethics.
ii. Read the given sentence from a movie review article.
Identify the error and supply the correction in the sentence.

The movie doesn’t let you rest and is packed with engaged action sequences.

Use the given format for your response.

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 Error Correction

iii. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option, to complete the disclaimer given before
a documentary film.
The film has been created by taking creative liberties and dramatizing the events
___________ (about/ for/ on/) cinematic expressions.
iv. Identify the error and supply the correction for the given sentence from a comment
posted by an admirer of a reporter.
‘The report was well document, so no one could claim that it was just one person’s
opinion.’
Use the given format for your response.
Error Correction

v. Complete the given narrative by filling in the blank with the correct option.

Now that many employees have shown high productivity working from home, will their
bosses hereafter ___________ them to take working vacations?
a) expecting
b) expected
c) have expected
d) expect
vi. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the opening line,
from a Terms and Conditions document.

Though all efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the content on this website,
the same could not be construed as a statement of law or used for any legal purposes.
Option No. Error Correction
a) efforts effort
b) ensure ensuring
c) could should
d) of for

vii. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the part of the grievance
posted by a citizen on a social media platform.

Crossing this stretch at any time of the day is a challenge. Even during afternoons, there
___________ ice cream vendors on the road with people crowding around their carts.
a) were
b) are
c) have been
d) would be
viii. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket, for the given

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 portion of a letter :
Dear Sir
In response to your query, the document that _____ (explain) our country’s
sustainability initiatives has been attached for your consideration.
ix. Complete the line from a ‘Save the Planet’ song by filling the blank with the correct
option :
Let’s see what we can do
To save the planet for me and you
E is for environment, keep it clean
If we _________ together, we’ll make the best team.
a) will be standing
b) stand
c) had stood
d) are standing
x. Fill in the blank with the correct option to complete the opening line of a formal letter:

Dear Mr. Patel

We are pleased to inform you that your proposal for the upcoming project by the board
of directors_____________.
a) had endorsed
b) will have been endorsed
c) has been endorsed
d) have endorsed
xi. Complete the given school announcement by selecting the correct option to fill in the
blank.
Good news, everyone!
Our school's robotics team has successfully _____________ a place in the semifinals.
a) securing b) secured c) will secure d) had secured
xii. Complete the given sentence about the reaction of some friends, by selecting the correct
option:
The group of friends________ excited at the prospect of their upcoming adventure.
a) are b) has c) is d) were

CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS

4. Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below : 5
A) A leading communication company ‘Savera’ is sponsoring a half marathon run in
your city to raise funds for ‘Koshish’ an orphanage. You are Roshani/Roshan,
school captain of Adarsh Vidyalaya, New Delhi. You are leading a batch of 100
students in the half marathon to be held in your city.
Write a letter to the editor of a national daily emphasizing the participation of
school children in such programmes as part of voluntary community service.
Highlight the benefits of participation in such activities.
OR
B) The Computer Hub, Connaught Place, Maharashtra has advertised a discount of
20% on all types of computers and related hardware. You are Raghav, owner of

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 Innovate Soft Technologies, 110001, Connaught Place, Maharashtra. Place an
order for the appropriate items needed for your company.
5. Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below : 5
A) The detailed global millets production data from different countries is depicted in
the pie chart given below. Analyse this chart and write an analytical paragraph in
about120 words, by selecting features that support your analysis and suggesting
possible reasons for the variation in production by different countries.

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.
SECTION C
LITERATURE 40 marks
6. Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two
(A) or (B) :
A) Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and
said, “Here is mustard-seed; take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or
daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?” they answered her, “Alas! the
living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief.”
And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
i. Which of the following options represent the correct understanding of the 1
word “poor” in the phrase “Poor Kisa Gotami”?

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 a) in need of money
b) weak
c) unfortunate
d) inferior
ii. The community’s response to Kisa in the above extract was somewhat 1
different from before. Why do you think that was the case?
a) They had learnt from Buddha’s sermons.
b) They were able to help Kisa in some way this time.
c) They understood parental grief.
d) They liked Kisa and enjoyed talking to her.
1
iii. “Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” The tone of the speaker(s) is
a) disillusioned.
b) sceptical.
c) comical.
d) solemn.
iv. What idea is conveyed by the phrase ‘living are few, but dead are many.’? 2
OR
B) And suddenly Bholi noticed that the teacher was standing by her side, smiling at
her. “What’s your name, little one?” “Bh-Bho-Bho-.” She could stammer no
further than that. Then she began to cry and tears flowed from her eyes in a
helpless flood. She kept her head down as she sat in her corner, not daring to
look up at the girls who, she knew, were still laughing at her. When the school
bell rang, all the girls scurried out of the classroom, but Bholi dared not leave her
corner. Her head still lowered, she kept on sobbing. “Bholi.” The teacher’s voice
was so soft and soothing! In all her life she had never been called like that. It
touched her heart.
1
i. What is the tone the teacher is UNLIKELY to have used in the line, ‘“What’s
your name, little one?”.'
a) reassuring
b) comforting
c) settling
d) calming
ii. How does the author's use of Bholi 's perspective help build the narrative 2
in the extract?
iii. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket. The word ‘flood’ in 1
the line ‘...tears flowed from her eyes in a helpless flood,’ indicates that Bholi
was crying (uncontrollably / unintentionally).
iv. How does the teacher's comforting demeanour contrast with the behaviour of 1
the other girls in the classroom?
7. Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two 5
(A) or (B) :
A) The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city on silent haunches
and then moves on.

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 i. The poet has used short lines to compose the given poem. Choose the option 1
that lists the most appropriate explanation for the same.

a) By keeping the lines short, the poet keeps the liberty in stepping away
from rule, traditional form, logic, or fact, in order to produce a desired effect.
b) By keeping the lines short, the poet wants the reader to omit some parts of
a sentence, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while reading it
out.
c) By keeping the lines short, the poet wants to introduce ambiguity or
contradiction into an otherwise straightforward sentence.
d) By keeping the lines short, the poet is controlling the pace to make the
reader slow down thereby reflecting the slow rolling in of the fog.

ii. Choose the option with qualities of the cat that Carl Sandburg applies to the 1
fog?
1. Cats are independent animals, they don’t follow rules, they slip and slide
in and out of our lives as they please.
2. Cats are distrustful of strangers and can be jealous and moody.
3. Cats are stealthy, moving in slow motion at times and they appear to be
moving in a mysterious fashion.
4. Cats often communicate with a combination of a distinctive sound and
body language.
5. Cats like to move on at their own pace and before you know it, they've
disappeared.
a) Only 1
b) 2, 3 and 4
c) 1,3 and 5
d) Only 4 1
iii. Which figure of speech has been used in ‘silent haunches’? 2
iv. What does Sandburg think the fog is like?
OR
B) (I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)
i. The tone of the given lines is 1
a) analytical. b) despairing. c) peaceful. d) nervous.
ii. Read the statements A and B given below, and choose the option that 1
correctly evaluates these statements.
Statement A – The figure ‘I’ imagines a less than realistic view of being an
orphan.
Statement B – The figure ‘I’ does not like the speaker.
a) A is true, B is false, according to the extract
b) A is true, B cannot be clearly inferred from the extract.
c) A cannot be clearly inferred from the extract, B is false.
d) A is true and can be inferred from the poem, B is true too.
iii. Pick the option that lists the usage of the word ‘pattern’, as in the extract 1
above.

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 a) That is a lovely pattern for a wallpaper.
b) He decided to wear a patterned shirt to the party.
c) Poetry is a form of pattern making.
d) She patterned her hair after her favourite celebrity.
iv. Why is silence ‘golden’ and freedom ‘sweet’ for the speaker? 2
8. Answer ANY FOUR of the following five questions in 40-50 words each : (4x3=12)
i. Assess the narrative's effectiveness in portraying the tension between the
comfort of familiarity and the allure of the unfamiliar in 'Madam Rides the
Bus'.
ii. Describe the skies when the pilot of Dakota plane had just begun his flight.
iii. How was Anne’s relationship with her father? Support your answer with
textual evidence.
iv. What justification did Lomov give to Natalya and Chubukov to prove that he
is the rightful owner of Meadows?
v. ‘…. balls will be lost always’. How is the poet so sure that the balls will
always be lost?
9. Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions in 40-50 words each : (2x3=6)
i) How does 'The Book that Saved the Earth' include elements of satirical
science fiction?
ii) Why did Bholi’s teacher feel like an artist admiring her masterpiece?
iii) Comment upon the ending of the story “A Question of Trust”.
10. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in 100-120 words. 6
A) Both the poems ‘Dust of Snow’ and ‘Fire and Ice’ use contrasting elements of
nature to convey their respective messages about life and human emotions but
they do it differently. Examine these differences.
OR
B) Both the texts, ‘For Anne Gregory' and ‘The Sermon at Benares,’ grapple with
the idea that external attributes are fleeting and subject to decay. Examine the
similarities.
11. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in 100-120 words. 6
A) Bholi’s parents accepted the match for her though Bishamber Nath was nearly
the same age as her father. Bholi also accepted her parents’ decision without
voicing her opinion. What does this tell you about the social conditions
prevailing in our society? How do you think these problems can be addressed?
OR
B) How did the lady in red manage to outsmart and out maneuver the other thief,
Horace Danby, by robbing the safe without leaving a single fingerprint?

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