MBOSE Class 10 Question Paper 2020 for English New Course

Total No. of Printed Pages—15
X/20/E (N)

2020

ENGLISH

( New Course )

( FOR CANDIDATES WITH INTERNAL ASSESSMENT )

Full Marks : 80
Pass Marks : 24

( FOR CANDIDATES WITHOUT INTERNAL ASSESSMENT )

Full Marks : 100
Pass Marks : 30

Time : 3 hours
( FOR ALL CATEGORIES OF CANDIDATES )

General Instructions :
(i) The candidates are advised to attempt all questions
accordingly.
(ii) Marks allocated to every question are indicated against
each.
(iii) Question Nos. 1 to 15 are to be answered by
all Candidates.
(iv) Question Nos. 16 to 19 are to be answered by
Candidates without Internal Assessment only.

/54 [ P.T.O.

( 2 )

SECTION—A
( Reading )
(Do not spend more than 15 minutes on this Section)

1. Read the following passage carefully :
Experts in climatology and other scientists are becoming
extremely concerned about the changes to our climate
which are taking place. Admittedly, climate changes
have occurred on our planet before. For example, there
have been several ice ages or glacial periods. These
climatic changes, however, were different from the
modern ones in that they occurred gradually and, as far
as we know, naturally. The changes currently being
monitored are said to be the result not of natural
causes, but of human activity. Furthermore, the rate of
change is becoming alarmingly rapid. The major
problem is that the planet appears to be warming up.
According to some experts, this warming process, known
as global warming, is occurring at a rate unprecedented
in the last 10000 years. The implications for the planet
are very serious. Rising global temperatures could give
rise to such ecological disasters as extremely high
increase in the incidence of flooding and of droughts.
These in turn could have a harmful effect on agriculture.
It is thought that this unusual warming of the earth has
been caused by so-called greenhouse gases, such as
carbon dioxide, being emitted into the atmosphere by
car engines and modern industrial processes, for
example. Such gases not only add to the pollution of the
atmosphere, but also create a greenhouse effect, by
which the heat of the sun is trapped. This leads to
warming up of the planet.

X/20/E (N)/54 [ Contd.

( 3 )

On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer
the following questions : 6

(a) What is the chief worry regarding changes in
climate? 1

(b) Global warming means
(i) decrease in temperature
(ii) melting of icebergs
(iii) rise in temperature
(iv) longer summers
(Choose the most appropriate option) 1

(c) What ecological disasters may arise due to rising
global temperature? 1

(d) How is the unusual warming of the earth caused? 1

(e) The trapping of solar heat is known as
(i) climatology
(ii) climate change
(iii) greenhouse effect
(iv) global warming
(Choose the most appropriate option) 1

(f) Pick out the words from the passage which mean
the same as the following : ½+½=1
(i) Observed
(ii) Discharged

X/20/E (N)/54 [ P.T.O.

( 4 )

SECTION—B
( Writing and Grammar )
(Do not spend more than 60 minutes on this Section)

2. Either

You are well aware of the negative impact of single-use
plastic on the environment. Write an article in about
120 words on ‘Menace of Plastic’. 6
Or
You are Rohini/Rohan. You are deeply concerned about
your younger sister/brother, Kiran/Karan who is
increasingly being influenced by electronic gadgets.
Write an e-mail to her/him not to waste valuable time
on such gadgets as they are having an overall harmful
effect on life. 6

3. Either

You are Jack/Sarah. You are very concerned over drug
addiction among the youths. Write a letter to the Editor
of a local newspaper on the evils of drug addiction, and
suggest ways and means to help the addicted youths. 6
Or
Write a story in about 150 –200 words which begins
with the words given below. Give a suitable title too : 6
It was late at night, the moon was not in sight and
neither were the stars. I walked on the narrow lane
cautiously when, suddenly......

X/20/E (N)/54 [ Contd.

( 5 )

4. Read the passage given below and fill in the blanks by
choosing the most appropriate words from the given
options : ½×8=4

Tragedy (a) _____ ten years old Rajkumar when he met
with an accident on Monday. Police said that Rajkumar
and his father Sanjeev, a bank officer in the city,
(b) _____ to Singapore. They were on their way to the
airport from Guwahati, when their van (c) _____ with a
lorry at the Gemini Circle. Rajkumar (d) _____ serious
injuries and (e) _____ to the General Hospital. He (f) _____
upon and both his legs (g) _____ . Other members of the
family, including his father (h) _____ with minor injuries.

(a) (i) strike (ii) strikes (iii) struck (iv) had struck

(b) (i) was going (ii) are going (iii) were going (iv) went

(c) (i) collide (ii) collided (iii) had collided (iv) have
collided

(d) (i) sustain (ii) sustained (iii) had sustained (iv) have
sustained

(e) (i) is rushed (ii) was rushed (iii) has been rushed
(iv) had been rushed

(f) (i) was operated (ii) has been operated (iii) have been
operated (iv) had been operated

(g) (i) was amputed (ii) were amputed (iii) has to be
amputed (iv) had to be amputed

(h) (i) escape (ii) escaped (iii) had escaped (iv) were
escaping

X/20/E (N)/54 [ P.T.O.

( 6 )

5. (a) Construct suitable sentences with the following
idioms (any two) : 1×2=2

(i) fifth columnist

(ii) to take heart

(iii) come into force

(iv) bring to mind

(b) Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions :
½×4=2
(i) Man does not live _____ bread alone.

(ii) We ran _____ the thief.

(iii) He hasn’t seen me _____ last Saturday.

(iv) We should not always depend _____ others.

6. Rewrite the following as directed : 1×4=4

(a) They had wasted all their money.
(Begin : All ......)

(b) My advice is not acted upon.
(Begin : Nobody ......)

(c) He said to me, “I saw your brother two years ago.”
(Begin : He told me ......)

(d) I asked her if she would have ironed her clothes.
(End with : “ ...... clothes?”)

X/20/E (N)/54 [ Contd.

( 7 )

SECTION—C
LITERATURE TEXTBOOK
( Prose and Poetry )
(Do not spend more than 60 minutes on this Section)

7. Read the following extracts and answer the questions
that follow (any two) : 3×2=6

(a) Clasping himself, as if to hold himself together—and
limped towards the low church wall.
(i) Who is ‘he’? 1
(ii) What did he do when he reached the low
church wall? 1
(iii) What did the narrator do then? 1

(b) “Besides, in my belly is a thunderbolt.”
(i) Who spoke the words above? 1
(ii) What does the speaker tell about the thunder-
bolt in his belly? 1
(iii) What does the speaker actually mean by this? 1

(c) “Badly hurt,” he said, quietly, “but he is not in any
pain.”
(i) Who spoke these words and to whom were they
spoken? 1
(ii) Who was that person who was ‘badly hurt’? 1
(iii) What had happened to him? 1

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( 8 )

8. Choose the correct answer : 1×5=5

(a) The sharp-looking man who seemed angry with
everything on board was

(i) Mr. Arrow

(ii) Mr. Trelawney

(iii) Captain Smollett

(b) The convict told Pip to bring him the file and the
wittles at the

(i) old battery

(ii) churchyard

(iii) marshes

(c) To take measure of his grave, Romeo threw himself
upon the ground and

(i) tore his shirt

(ii) tore his hair

(iii) swallowed the poison

(d) “She’s far too pretty, too clever.”
The above description refers to

(i) Ella Tuppers

(ii) Hester Longley

(iii) Jessica

X/20/E (N)/54 [ Contd.

( 9 )

(e) “He kept talking to him until he subdued him and
made him self-denying.” The word ‘subdued’ here
means

(i) excited

(ii) calmed

(iii) defeated

9. Answer the following in 30 –40 words (any three) : 2×3=6

(a) How was the convict dressed?

(b) Why did Friar Lawrence consent to join the hands
of Romeo and Juliet in marriage?

(c) How did the Demon look like when he showed
himself to the Prince?

(d) What was the difference in Mrs. Pringle’s manner and
tone when she was speaking on the phone and
when speaking to others in the room?

10. Answer the following in 80 –100 words :

Either

Relate the incident which led to the banishment of
Romeo from Verona. 8
Or

What prompted Mr. White to make the last wish? Narrate
the incident leading to it. 8

X/20/E (N)/54 [ P.T.O.

( 10 )

11. Choose the correct answer : 1×3=3

(a) In the poem, Exiled, the word ‘shanty’ means
(i) a rush of freshwater flowing into the sea
(ii) a song often sung by sailors while they work
together
(iii) seriously affected by an unpleasant feeling

(b) Mother India considers her sons as
(i) priceless treasures
(ii) torn-red banners
(iii) dauntless ranks

(c) _____, though she fell.
Which of the following words completes the above
line?
(i) Gratefully
(ii) Manfully
(iii) Unconquered

12. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions
that follow (any two) : 3×2=6

(a) The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
(i) Where did the poet hear the music? 1
(ii) Why did the poet hear it no more? 1
(iii) What does the poet want to convey from the
above lines? 1

X/20/E (N)/54 [ Contd.

( 11 )

(b) Searching my heart for its true sorrow,
This is the thing I find to be :

(i) What is it that the poet is searching in her
heart? 1

(ii) What is making the poet unhappy? 1

(iii) What is it that will make the poet happy? 1

(c) Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;

(i) What does ‘clouds of gloom’ represent? 1

(ii) Why is the phrase ‘clouds of gloom’ apt? 1

(iii) What does ‘transient’ mean? 1

13. Answer the following in 80 –100 words :

Either

What are the characteristics of the village schoolmaster
and how was he looked upon by the students and the
villagers? 6
Or

In the poem, The Gift of India, the poet speaks in the
voice of an Indian mother. Describe the feelings or
emotions that she felt during that time when her sons
were at war. 6

X/20/E (N)/54 [ P.T.O.

( 12 )

SECTION—D
LONG READING TEXT
( Rapid Reader )
(Do not spend more than 15 minutes on this Section)

14. Choose the correct answer : 1×3=3

(a) Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. Bedwin left Pentonville and
went with Mr. Grimwig to
(i) a cottage in the countryside
(ii) an apartment in London
(iii) a colony in the West Indies
(iv) a poorhouse in a small English town

(b) Old Sally had stolen _____ from the dead mother of
Oliver Twist.
(i) a handkerchief
(ii) a will
(iii) a locket and a ring
(iv) a five pound note

(c) Which three characters are all related to Oliver?
(i) Harry Maylie, Mrs. Maylie, Rose Maylie
(ii) Rose Maylie, Edward Leeford, Agnes Fleming
(iii) Agnes Fleming, Old Sally, Edwin Leeford
(iv) Edward Leeford, Bill Sikes, Rose Maylie

X/20/E (N)/54 [ Contd.

( 13 )

15. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions
that follow : 7

Either

(a) “Here is one of the thieves, Miss ! Wounded !”

(i) Who said this and to whom? 1

(ii) Who was referred to as the thief and why was
he wounded? 2

(iii) Narrate in your own words the kind of
treatment that the person referred to as a thief
received in the house he was supposed to be
robbing. 4
Or

(b) “Now you have given us most valuable help, young
woman.”

(i) Who is the ‘young woman’? 1

(ii) What is the ‘valuable help’ that she has
given? 2

(iii) What was the fate that the young woman faced
later on because of that ‘valuable help’? 4

X/20/E (N)/54 [ P.T.O.

( 14 )

[ For Candidates without Internal Assessment ]
( Marks : 20 )

16. Answer the following in a sentence or two (any five) :
2×5=10
(a) What had the captain intended to do when he first
came up to complain to Mr. Trelawney?

(b) Why was the convict interested to hear that Pip’s
brother-in-law was a blacksmith?

(c) What did Romeo do before setting out for Verona?

(d) What gifts did the Prince receive from his teacher?

(e) “Hark at the wind.” Who spoke these words? Why
did the speaker utter these words?

(f) Why is Mrs. Pringle so upset when she learns
Mr. Farnsworth will be unable to attend the dinner?

17. Match Column—A with Column—B : 1×5=5

Column—A Column—B

(a) O why lament its fall? (i) on anvils of peace

(b) And life be refashioned (ii) Exiled

(c) And battles long ago (iii) circling round

(d) Fear once again the (iv) The Solitary Reaper
rising freshet

(e) Full well the busy (v) Charlotte Bronte
whisper

X/20/E (N)/54 [ Contd.

( 15 )

18. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the
choices given in the brackets : ½×4=2
(a) For gloriously, _____. (victoriously/cheerily)

(b) Scattered like shells on _____ sands.
(Persian/Egyptian)

(c) And o’er the sickle _____. (cutting/bending)

(d) Wanting the sticky, salty _____.
(sweetness/sourness)

( Oliver Twist )

19. Answer the following in a sentence or two (any three) :
1×3=3
(a) Who was Mr. Fang?

(b) Where was Oliver Twist born?

(c) What was Oliver’s plan when he was made to enter
the house through the small window?

(d) Who murdered Nancy?

(e) What did Monks do with Oliver’s only proof of
identity?



X/20/E (N)/54 20K