ANSWER KEY

CLASS X
ENGLISH

SECTION A: READING

PASSAGE 1: (12 marks)

1. Forest conservation is essential for our fight against climate change. Forests act as
carbon sinks and help foster biodiversity.

2. Nutrient rich topsoil is a crucial layer of the earth without which flora and fauna
and our entire agricultural ecosystem would not exist. Unfortunately, climate change
is washing away this essential layer.

3. Forest and arable lands will not be able to retain water which further leads to flash
floods, unpredictable droughts and several other problems.
Due to low groundwater reserves, irrigation becomes a challenge. Degrading crop
yields result in huge economic loss.
(consider any 2 points)

4. c) Challenge in irrigation due to low groundwater reserves

5. a) National Afforestation Program (NAP) & b) Integrated Water Shed Management

Programme (IWMP)

6. b) Prevent flash floods

7. b) Transparent collaboration between governments, NGOs, and private

stakeholders

8. False

9. Consistently

10. Combat

PASSAGE 2: (10 marks)

1. C) calm and steady companions

2. D) develop better cognitive skills

3. Stories told and read are the fuel that propels young mind and bodies into action,
enriching the material, children use as they develop their thinking and their language
- speech, reading and writing.
4. Children get involved with the characters in the story, which enable them, to
recognise the feelings of the characters, as they experience the lives that they lead in
the story. They can then use their understanding to empathise with the people they
meet in day-to-day life, and at the same time get to understand their own emotions
as well. This paves way for better social development and stronger interpersonal
skills.
Any TWO relevant points

5.D) c, d & e

6. C) It is essential to fuel up in order to reach our destination

7. False

8. empathise with
SECTION B : WRITING
[Link] WRITING
Format-1
Content-1
Expression , Accuracy-1

Q4. FACTUAL DESCRIPTION

Content -2
Organisation - 1
Accuracy -1

Note:Title is not necessary.

[Link] to Editor
Format -1
Content -3
Organisation-2
Accuracy -1
OR

Letter to the General Manager,DTC

Format -1
Content -3
Organisation -2
Accuracy -1

[Link] WRITING
Format -1
Content -4
Organisation - 2
Accuracy -1
 SECTION C : GRAMMAR
Q7. (a) Fill in the blanks
(i) saw
(ii) could
(iii) an

(b)Editing
INCORRECT CORRECT
(b) student students
(c) in on
(d) delivers delivered
(e) roll role

(c)
(i) Reordering and Transformation
On the other hand, there may have been Geological changes that destroyed land.

(ii) Reported Speech

(i)should drink plenty of water
(ii) that it was important to keep the body always hydrated.

SECTION D: LITERATURE

Q8.
(A)
a. Princess get monuments made so that they would be remembered.
b. The rhyme is called ‘powerful’ because it will survive the ravages of time.
c. Rhymes are eternal. They are not affected by wars and time. On the other hand,
monuments are destroyed with the passages of time. So, they can’t outlive rhyme.
d. He says so because time is not loyal to anyone.

(B)
a. The word ‘absentmindedly’ means ‘inattentively’.
b. He’s asking to note down the name of his daughter Miriam.
c. The postmaster lost his temper and told Ali to get away from there.
d. He is desperate because he felt that his end was near and he still had not received
any news from his only daughter.

(C)
a. Mrs Slater had pinched Grandpa’s bureau.
b. Father does not know anything about the happenings in the house because he
was sleeping and everyone thought him to be dead and they didn’t share anything
with him.
c. The word ‘double-faced’ means ‘hypocrite’.
d. Mrs Slater didn’t want Elizabeth to tell grandpa that thinking him to be dead, Mrs
Slater had stolen his bureau.
Q9.
1. The narrator was deeply touched by the deep love the two boys had for their
sister. The war had destroyed everything the home and the life of the two boys yet
they were determined and hardworking. They never asked for help from anyone.
Their selflessness, devotion to duty, willingness to work and remain cheerful in
adverse situations also impressed the narrator.

2. The villagers were motivated by the prospect of earning a thousand rupees and
hence many of them quickly engaged into various activities. Children were given the
duty of spotting the tiger. Women began to talk in hushed tones so as not to disturb
the tiger. A goat was arranged to be used as bait for the tiger. A platform was made
at a suitable place.

3. The sculptor was really skillful and he knew his job really well. He depicted the
expressions of the king very clearly in his statue. He felt the emotions of the king
from his heart and with his craftsmanship he created a wonderful statue. Though the
statue was broken and dilapidated the expressions on it were still intact.

4. Yes, I agree that Ali was transformed from a sharp hunter to a suffering father.
After his daughter got married and left him, he realized the pain of separation and
left hunting. He visited the post-office daily expecting a letter from his daughter. The
employees of the post-office laughed at him and called him a mad man, but he
remained undeterred. He became unwell and knew his end was near. Therefore, he
handed over five gold coins to a clerk at the post-office and told him to deliver
Miriam's letter to him at his grave.

5. John was extremely afraid of his wife. He knew that she was so possessive about
him that if she saw a lady in his room, she would be mad at him. She also was a weak
hearted woman. The narrator felt that she would faint on seeing a ghost. So he
wanted the ghost to disappear before his wife's arrival.

6. The frog’s joy was sweet because the concerts of the nightingale organized by him
brought him a handsome sum of money. But at the same time the joy was bitter
because he was jealous of the popularity of the nightingale. The frog’s joy turned
bitter when he found how the people of the Bingle Bog criticised his songs and
appreciated the nightingale’s singing.

Q10.
(A) Both the poems talk about the power of time. In Not marble nor the Gilded
Monuments, the poet talks about the tarnishing effect which time can have on many
things. For example; what once may have been a magnificent monument is no more
than ruins; in the name of some of the famous historical monuments. Time is also
sluttish as it destroys everything. It is not loyal to anyone. It keeps changing. It is
good for someone one day and bad for others but it would not remain the same
forever. It keeps changing for people. It never remains the same. Similarly in
Ozymandias also the poet stresses on the transitory nature of life and its pretensions
of fame and fortune. The decaying, broken and dilapidated ancient statue bears
witness to the fact that the pursuit of power and glory for their own sakes are not
only fleeting, but they are also illusionary. Erecting statues and monuments are not
the things which make us all powerful but the good we do is remembered for
generations and posterity.

(B). The play is pessimistic because it highlights the plight of the old people. Old
people are full of experiences which can guide the young but the young people
nowadays find their parents to be a burden on them and they abandon and neglect
them. But at the same time the play also gives a hope that despite old age people
also have the right to live a merry life. They can opt to marry at an old age for their
happiness. The old man Abel Merryweather was neglected by his children. They
didn't love him and he always felt that he was not needed by them. He felt lonely so
he looked for a companionship which he found in a widow Mrs. John Shorrocks. She
loved him and made him feel wanted. The lady did not love him for his material
belongings but for what he was as a person. So, he decided to marry her and spend
the rest of his life with someone who genuinely loved her.