Subject: ENGLISH
Class: X English Sample Paper 2012
Section – A (Reading) 20 Marks
1.Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
(5x1=5)
The French anthropologist Louis Dumont would have been 100 years of age on August 1,
2011. Although criticised, his interpretation of the Indian society cannot be ignored.
After World War II , Louis Dumont’s anthropological oeuvre marked a new area for the
sociology of India, and his work, although internationally acclaimed is still open to debate.
Dumont was born in Thessaloniki , (Greece ) in 1911 and died in Paris in 1998. He was first
a students of the French anthropologist Marcel Mauss at the Institute of Ethonology of the
Museum of Man in Paris form 1936 to 1939, and later joined the Museum for Arts and
Popular religious festival in Southern France. Yet, later he was to receive international fame
and recognition for his work on India.
Dumont was a prisoner of war in Germany (1940-45), where he started learning Sanskrit with
the German Indologist and Jain scholar Walther Schubring. After the war, he went to South
India and did fieldwork among the Kallar in Tamil Nadu. In 1957, he published a monograph
on A South Indian Subcaste: Social Organization and Religion of the Pramalai Kallar ,which
marked a profound change in the paradigm of the sociology of India.
--The Hindu
Answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate options from the ones
given below:
a. Loius Dumont is a French anthropologist . An anthropologist is some one who works
for the benefit of
i)
Animals
ii)
mankind
iii)
Doctors
iv)
Teachers
b. Loius Dumont’s work has won him
i)
International renown .
ii)
No fame.
iii)
Notoriety across the globe.
iv)
ill repute in his own country.
c. Dumont was
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i)
Was student of Marcel Mauss and later worked with Museum for Arts and
Popular Religious Festival.
ii)
Was working with Museum for Arts and Popular Fiction and later worked
under Marcel Mauss.
iii)
Was a colleague of Marcel Mauss and then joined Museum for Arts and
popular Cinema.
iv)
Was a student-associate at museum for Arts and Popular Tradition and then
studied under Marcel Mauss.
d. 1n 1957 Dumont published a monograph on
i)
A North Indian Subcaste: Social Organization and Religion of the Pramalai
Kallar.
ii)
A South Indian Caste : Social Orientation and Religion of the Pramalai Kallar.
iii)
A South Indian Subcaste: Social Organization and Religion of the Pramalai
Kallar.
iv)
A South Indian Subcaste: Social Organization and Religion of the Parimalai
Kallar.
e. In the above passage , the word profound has been used in the sense of the word
i)
Slight
ii)
Major
iii)
Unimportant
iv)
Irrelevant
2. Read the passage carefully:
(5x1=5)
A Patriotic Pilgrimage
Zumbo, our sturdy Gorkha driver, seemed to be in love with his voice. When he was not
telling us what to see in Sikkim, he was reeling off Hindi songs, old ones mostly.
It was unusually warm in Gangtok that morning . Zumbo took no time speeding past the city
limits and was soon climbing towards Nathu La pass. The roads became narrow, winding
and sometimes, slushy; at times it became part of the cavernous cliff edges. There was a
pattern in Zumbo’s singing. It became loud every time the road became a weathered ribbon.
Nathu La ,one of the three trading posts between India and China, and which connects
Sikkim with Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, is just 54 km
from Gangtok. But it’s the treacherous climb , to over 14, 150 ft, and the bone-chilling
weather that makes the drive to Nathu La thrilling.
Throughout the winding road, we had for company boisterous water falls, heavy misty and
snow-covered peaks in the distance . When we crossed the 15th Mile Sikkim police
checkpost, we stopped for a while. It was cold and a hot cup of tea did wonders. A few
bends later I was snapped out of my reverie. “Saab, that’s the Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary ,
“ Zumbo said, pointing to a board on a slope. “ This is home to the red panda and the blood
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pheasant (the state animal and bird respectively).And you have a whole lot of invaluable
herbs and plants.” An icy breeze wafted in from the lowered car window, forcing me to pull it
up instantly.
At certain parts the road was being widened. Workers, in that biting cold , were going about
their work with zeal. “This is going to be a highway connecting Gangtok to Lhasa and
beyond, to Manasarovar. It will be complete in three years time. , “ Zumba told me. Apart
from the occasional Army truck , a stray dog or porters with loads strapped to their backs ,
there was hardly any movement on the road.
-
The Hindu
Answer these questions after reading the passage carefully:
i) Why does the author say that his driver was in love with his voice?
ii) How were the roads towards Nathu La?
iii) Nathu la is one of the three trading posts between India and China, and it also
___________________________________.
iv) The word reverie means ________________.
v) How does the driver describe the Kyongsla Alpine Sanctuary ?
3. Read the following poem carefully:
(5x1=5)
Fair pledges of a fruitful tree,
Why do ye fall so fast
Your date is not so past,
But you may stay here awhile
To blush and gently smile.
What, were ye born to be
An hour or half’s delight
And so bid good night?
T’was pity Nature brought ye forth
Merely to show your worth
And lost you quite.
But you are lovely leaves, where we
May read how soon things have
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Their end, though ne’er so brave;
And after they have shown their pride
Like you awhile, they glide
Into the grave.
-Ben Jonson
On the basis of your reading of the poem complete the sentences that follow:
i) The poet calls the flowers ________________________.
ii) The poet feels sorry that _ __________________________________.
iii) The flowers have a short span of life . We know this from the line
________________________________________.
iv) The word in the poem that means the same as ‘forward’ is ____________.
v) According to the poet the flowers tell us that _____________________________.
4. Read the passage carefully:
(5x1=5)
Did you know that the industrial products we use aren’t just a combination of mechanics and
industrial material? An entire creative thought process goes into designing these products. An
exhibition in Bangalore ,title , Connecting concepts , explores design as a creative acitivity.
Organised by Srishti School of Art , Design and Technology in association with Premsela
Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion, The Netherlands Architecture Institute, and Design
Cooperation Brainport and curated by Danish industry designer Ed Van Hinte , “ Connecting
Concepts” displays products behind which ,unique and clever ideas have been invested.
Traditional techniques which have been incorporated in new products and the evolution of
ideas has resulted in path –breaking designs. Ed explained the importance of the design
process. “ The process behind the creation of a product is much more than the finished
product itself. The Netherlands is known for its unique industry design. The design process of
a country can provide a deeper cultural understanding of a country. The geographical
location of Netherlands, for instance , has led to the evolution of certain traits in the people.
The country lies below sea level, which explains the stubbornness and determination inherent
in the Danish. This determination is found in the way industrialists experiment with design
despite industries being fewer in number . Graphic designers receive a lot of Government
funding.
-The Hindu
Answer these questions on the basis of your reading of the passage :
i) Industrial products are just a combination of mechanics and industrial material
a. Always
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ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
b. Sometimes
c. Once in a while
d. Never
Ed Van Hinte is a
a. Danish designer
b. French designer
c. Russian designer
d. Indian designer
______________ and _________ has resulted in path-breaking designs.
a. Incorporation of new methods
b. Incorporation of traditional techniques in new products and evolution of
ideas.
c. Incorporation of new thoughts and development
d. Incorporation of tradition and technology
The geographical location of the country is responsible for
a. The stubbornness and determination in the people of Netherlands
b. The meekness and submissiveness in the people of Netherlands.
c. The possessiveness and arrogance in the people of Netherlands.
d. The honesty and ruggedness in the people of Netherlands.
According to Ed
a. The product is independent of the design process.
b. The process behind the creation of a product is as important as the product
itself.
c. The design process has nothing to do with the product.
d. The process of designing is a complicated one which is interesting.
Section B (Writing) 20 Marks
5. Given below are the details of Santosh Hegde , Lokayukta . Using the details write a short
description of him in about 80 words for your class magazine.
(1x4=4)
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Born on 16 June, 1940- Nitte Village of Karkala Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District- Law
Degree-Government Law College, Bangalore- Presently University Law College, Bangalorecompleted his graduation in law-joined the Bar in January 1966- appointed- the Advocate
General of Karnataka in February 1984 - continued till 1988.
Appointed- Additional Solicitor General of India in November 1989 - In November 1998appointed as Solicitor General of India- the only person to be – appointed-Karnataka so far.
After retirement from the Supreme Court in June 2005, , Justice Hegde-appointedChairperson, Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi on 6.7.2005 and
functioned in that position . August 2006- was appointed as Lokayukta of Karnataka State
from August 2006 for 5 years.
Conferred Honorary Doctorate of Law by the University of Mangalore in February 2005; by
the Karnataka State Open University Mysore in March, 2009.
6. International schools are mushrooming all over the place. They seem to be offering hi-fi
facilities to students. They try and lure parents and children promising them international
education . With inputs from the lesson ‘Education’ write an article expressing your opinion
about the topic.
(1x8=8)
7. You are Aniruddh . You have won the Presidency Challenge Cup , War of Words trophy
for the current year. You write a diary entry describing your feelings, your preparations , the
support and guidance you received etc.
(1x8=8)
SECTION C (GRAMMAR) 20 MARKS
8. Complete the passage given below by choosing the most appropriate options.(1/2x8=4)
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If I (a)_____(know) that they were honest, I’d have gladly lend them the money. Unless you
(b)______(be )very sure of someone’s intentions , you cannot lend him /her your hardearned money. But for the want of money they (c)_____(ruin). If I really
(d)________(perceive) that they were so desperately in need of money, I (e)________
(do) my best for them. If I (f)________(read ) their diary before, I would have known the
whole truth. Unless you (g)______(spend) time with someone you (h) ________ (judge)
them
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i. know
ii. had known
iii. Would know
i. is
ii. am
iii. are
i. will have ruin ii. can have ruin iii. shall have ruined
i.could perceive ii.can perceive iii.will perceive
i.will have ii. shall have
iii. could have
i. read
ii. would read
iii. shall read
i. spend
ii. spent
iii. would spend
i. can’t judge ii. will not judge iii. shall not judge
iv. Would have known
iv. was
iv. Would have been ruined
iv. Shall perceive
iv. would have done
iv. had read
iv. will spend
iv.should not judge
9. Read the following conversation and complete the passage that follows:
(1x4=4)
The fox opened the door and said to the stork ,” Please come in and share my food ?”
The fox served the soup in shallow bowls so that the poor stork stayed hungry.
The selfish fox asked , “ why haven’t you taken your soup?”
The stork replied , “ It was very kind of you to invite me for dinner today. Please come to my
house tomorrow for dinner.”
The fox opened the door and (a)______. The fox served the soup in shallow bowls so that
poor stork stayed hungry. The selfish fox asked the stork (b) _________ . The stork replied
that (c) ______ and further requested (d)_____________________.
10. The following passage has not been edited . There is an error in each line. Write the
incorrect word and the correction in the blanks given below. Number the blanks correctly.
(1 x4=4)
Incorrect word
Correction
A bionic eye who allows the blind to see has been a. ______
_________
approved after through testing. The test has
b.______
__________
demonstrated but the device is safe
c.______
__________
while could mean that it eventually becomes
d.______
__________
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routinely available at the NHS.
11. Rearrange the following words /phrases to form meaningful sentences.
(1x4=4)
a. only/people/advertising/join/crazy/do
b. plague/clichés/avoid/like/let’s
c. their work /set/answer/every /a serious /through/work/researcher/asks/question/that/out/to
/through
d. Indu Balachandran’s /insight/the /ad world/book/ interesting/ humorous/provides /into/an
12. Given below is a set of instructions for making ‘Khubanii Ka Meetha’. On the basis of
instructions given complete the following paragraph.
(1x4=4)
1. Wash apricots and soak in 2 cups of water overnight.
2. Remove apricots, add sugar to water and cook to make a syrup.
3.Slit apricots, remove the seeds and keep them aside.
4.Add apricots to the syrup and cook until thick.
5. Add lemon juice –remove from fire.
6. Break the seeds gently and remove the almonds.
7. Boil them and peel the skin.
8. Serve with unsweetened whipped cream.
Apricots (a)_____and soaked in two cups of water overnight. The apricots (b)________and
sugar is added to water and (c)_________to make a syrup. The apricots (d)_______________
and
seeds
are
removed
.
Apricots are added to the syrup and cooked until thick. Lemon juice is added and removed
from fire. The seeds are broken gently and the almonds are removed . They are served with
unsweetened whipped cream.
a. i. Is washed
ii.were washed
iii. Are washed
b. i. Are removed ii. Will be removed iii. Can be removed
removed.
c. i. Cooked
ii. Were cooked
iii. Can be cooked
cooked
d. i. Are slit
ii. Can be slit
iii. Will be slit
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iv. Was washed
iv.
had been
iv.
Shall
be
iv. Had been slit
Section D (Literature ) 20 Marks
13.A. Read the extract and answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate
options.
(1x3=3)
A woman bends over me ,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
a. What is the woman bending over ?
i. The mirror ii. Lake iii. The opposite wall iv. The moon and the candles
b. Why does the mirror call the candle light and moon light liars?
i.because they make people beautiful.
ii.they hide the blemishes of people with their soft light .
iii. they hide the blemishes and make people look beautiful in their soft glow
iv. they can’t talk
c. Why does she turn to them in spite of calling them liars?
i.the reality is too harsh for her to bear.
ii.she is desperately looking for someone to comfort her .
iii. she wants to be told that she is still beautiful
iv. she can hide her signs of greying in their light.
Or
For several days Ali had not come to the post office . There was no one with enough
sympathy or understanding to guess the reason , but all were curious to know what had
stopped the old man. At last he came again, but it was a struggle for him to breathe and
on his face were clear signs of approaching end. That day he could not contain his
impatience.
a. Ali had not come to the post office for many days because he ....
j. Had gone to the city to meet his daughter.
ii. had gone to attend a marriage.
iii.was in the hospital.
iv. was not keeping well for so many days.
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b. Ali couldn’t contain his impatience because ...
i.everybody made fun of him
ii. he was very ill and knew that his end was near.
iii. he had lost hope of receiving a letter from his daughter.
iv. being ill he could not wait in the post office for the letter any longer.
c.The people at the post office were ..
i.very helpful
ii.worried about Ali’s health
iii.understood Ali’s feelings
iv.selfish and heartless.
14. Answer any four out of the following questions in 30-40 words .
(2x4=8)
a.Bring out the irony in the title of the play ‘The Dear Departed’.
b. How could Mrs. Packletide face the camera with a light heart though she had not killed
the tiger?
c. Do you think the nightingale is ‘brainless’? Give reasons for your answer.
d.Why does the poet in the poem ‘Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments’ refer to time
as being sluttish?
e.Although Nicola and Jacopo are young boys , the author refers to them as gentlemen.
Why does he do so?
15. Answer any one of the following in about 150 words.
(6x1=6)
Mr. Abel Merry Weather writes a letter to his friend , James explaining his decision to get
married as well as the disgraceful behaviour of his daughters and his sons –in-law. Write the
letter in about 150 words.
Or
“Tortured by doubt and remorse , he sat down in the glow of the charcoal sigri to wait. Who
is tortured by doubt and remorse ? Why ? What is he waiting for ?
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