10 English Periodic Test II (2018-19)

10 English Periodic Test II (2018-19)

School Name: Venkateshwar Global School, Sector 13, Rohini, Delhi 110085 India
Time: 3 hour
M.M. 80 marks
Date: 20/09/2018
Class: X

General Instructions:

1. Write down the serial number of the question before attempting it.
2. All questions are compulsory.
3. Do not exceed the word limit.

SECTION – A : READING

 Question: 1. Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions in brief.  (8 marks)

More than a quarter of adults admit to not having read even part of a book within the past year. That’s according to statistics coming out of the Pew Research Center. If you’re part of this group, know that science supports the idea that reading is good for you on several levels.

According to research conducted at the University of Toronto, study participants who read short – story fiction experienced far less need for “cognitive closure” compared with counterparts who read nonfiction essays. Essentially, they tested as more open – minded, compared with the readers of essays. “Although nonfiction reading allows students to learn the subject matter, it may not always help them in thinking about it, “authors write. “A physician may have an encyclopaedic knowledge of his or her subject, but this may not prevent the physician from seizing and freezing on a diagnosis, when additional symptoms point to a different malady.”

According to Yale researchers who studied 3,635 people older than 50 and found that those who read books for 30 minutes daily lived an average of 23 months longer than non-readers or magazine readers. Apparently, the practice of reading books creates cognitive engagements that improves lots of things, including vocabulary, thinking skills, and concentration. It also can affect empathy, social perception, and emotional intelligence, the sum of which helps people stay on the planet longer.

A book a week might sound daunting, but it is probably doable by even the busiest of people. Write Stephanie Huston says her thinking that she didn’t have enough time turned out to be a lame excuse. Now that she has made a goal to read 50 books in a year, she says that she has traded wasted time on her phone for flipping pages in bad, on trains, during meal breaks, and while waiting in line. Two months into her challenge, she reports having more peace and satisfaction and improved sleeps, while learning more than she thought possible.

Need ideas on where to start? Titles that have repeatedly made their lists include: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz; Shoe Dog by Phil Knight; Good to Great by Jim Collins.

I Answer the following questions briefly: (8×1 = 8 marks)

1. According to the passage, which is the most common excuse people given for not reading?
2. How has reading proved useful for Stephanie Huston?
3. What advantage do readers of short-story fiction have?
4. What data proves that reading affect life expectancy?
5. How does reading improve cognitive engagement?
6. When can a book be read?
7. From the passage, find a word that means the same as challenging. (paragraph 4)
8. From the passage, find a word that is an opposite of seldom. (paragraph 5)

Question: 2. Read the given passage carefully and answer the question and answer the questions in brief. (12 marks)

At the frigid and inhospitable heights of the Siachen Glacier, once known as highest battlefield in the world at a height of 22,000 ft, Indian soldiers’ unwavering faith in a legendary soldier as their “guardian deity” gives them the strength to brave all odds.

As the legend goes, a soldier named Om Prakash was instrumental in single-handedly fending off an enemy attack at the Malaun post in the late 1980s, while the other soldiers had been temporarily called to the rear headquarters. Who the soldier Om Prakash was and what happened to him remain a mystery.

However, it is the firm belief of troops posted in Siachen that Om Prakash, fondly revered as O.P. Baba, protects them not only from the depredations of nature but also from the enemy by forewarning them by appearing in their dreams.

“We have faith in O.P. Baba that he will guard us against all whether it is the extreme weather or the enemy,” a soldier said reverentially. The Indian Army has been defending the Siachen Glacier since the summer of 1984. Surviving the stint at the glacier, named after Sia, is an arduous task due to the temperature plummeting to minus 65 degrees Celsius at times and low oxygen levels.

Guns have been silent at Siachen since 2003 after a true between India and Pakistan. However, there are lots of other things that can harm or kill you, like ice-crevasses where the mercury registers minus 200 degrees Celsius, extreme weight loss and even a rare case of snow-blindness.

The belief in the soldier saint is so strong that a formal report is given to O.P Baba before the induction of a soldier party on the glacier and after the successful accomplishment of any mission. While giving the report, the troop in-charge treats O.P. Baba as a senior officer and seeks his blessings. Following that, the soldiers shout “O.P. Baba ki jai”. With the spread of the soldier-saint’s legend, a shrine has come up at every post on the glacier.

The shrine of O.P. Baba at the Siachen Base Comp, just a few meters from the snout of the Siachen Glacier where it melts to become the Nubra river, has been upgraded to a multi-faith temple and prayers are offered to all the deities after formal reporting to O.P. Baba.

The legend of O.P. Baba that endures best and continues to help soldiers brave all odds while guarding the glacier.

1. Answer the following questions briefly: (8×1 = 8 marks)

1. Mention two things that make Siachen an inhospitable terrain?
2. What made O.P. Baba the guardian deity?
3. Is the true identity of O.P. Baba known?
4. How do the other soldiers treat O.P. Baba?
5. Why have shrines of O.P. Baba come up at every post?
6. Is faith in Baba limited to a particular faith?
7. How has O.P. Baba helped the soldiers in the past?
8. How does Siachen glacier get its name?

(i) Pick a word from the passage that is an antonym of:

1. uninvolved (paragraph 2)
2. impolite (paragraph 3)

(ii) Pick a word from the passage that is a synonym of:

1. devastation (paragraph 2)
2. uninviting (paragraph 1)

SECTION B: WRITING AND GRAMMAR

Question: 3. You are Shivangi / Sahil, Cultural Secretary of SVC School, Moti Bagh, New Delhi and have to place an order for musical instruments for the school’s orchestra. Write a letter to M/s Gagan Stores, Karol Bagh, New Delhi, placing the order. Provide all relevant details.    (8 marks)
OR
You are Sheetal / Naresh, a resident of B-43, Kailash Colony, New Delhi. You purchased a computer from M/s City High-Tech Computers, Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi, a month ago. The computer is not functioning properly now. Write a letter of complaint to the seller. Invent necessary details.

Question: 4. Use the starting given below to write a short story in 200-250 words.         (10 marks)

The sky was filled with starts but there was no moon. My sister and I walked stealthily through the dark alleys. It was important for us to make it to the secret meeting on time…
OR
Dr. Morson was returning home after a tiring day. He had no notion that this evening is going to mark a turning point in 15 years long career……..

Question: 5. Fill in the blanks using suitable words from the options given below.        (4 marks)

Venus probably once (a) _______ large amounts of water like Earth but it all boiled away. Venus is (b) _________ quite dry. Earth would have suffered the same fate had it been just a little (c) ________ to the Sun. We may learn a lot about Earth by learning why the basically similar Venus (d) ________ out so differently.

Question: The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Identify and write it under the respective headings. (0.5×8 = 4 marks)

Question: 7. Rearrange the following to from meaningful sentences: (1×4 = 4 marks)

1. dinosaurs / here / roamed / once.
2. visible, embedded / rocks / their / remains / fantastic / are / still / in the
3. deserts and untamed rivers / today, / the mountains / deep canyons, / in / flowing / support / of / an / array / life / the
4. cultures / at / petroglyphs / hint / earlier

SECTION C: LITERATURE

Question: Read the following extract and answer the question s accordingly. (1×4 = 4 marks)

“Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom”

1. Identify the poem and the poet.
2. What are the things that may destroy a person’s memory?
3. How will this person live on in people’s memory?
4. What does “ending doom” refer to?

Question: 9. Answer the following given questions in 30-40 words. (4×2 = 8 marks)

1. Why did the ghost materialise?
2. Was Miss Mebbin truly devoted to Mrs Packletide?
3. What did the narrator say about Nicola and Jacopo’s frugal lifestyle?
4. Is the nightingale responsible for her downfall? Validate.

Question: 10. Answer one the following questions in 100-120 words. (8 marks)

‘Dear Departed’ tells the tale of a social system that is falling apart. Validate with relevant examples from the text.
OR
Analyse the character of Mrs Amelia Slater. Justify your stand with relevant examples.

Question: 11. Write a detailed character sketch of Ms Sullivan
Or
Helen had close bond with nature. It always seemed to comfort her and offer her satisfaction. Prove this statement by writing a detailed note on Helen’s attachment with nature. (10 marks)