MBOSE Class 10 Question Paper 2022 for English

Total No. of Printed Pages—16
X/22/E

2022

ENGLISH

( 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.

/1 [ P.T.O.

( 2 )

SECTION—A

( Reading )

(Do not spend more than 15 minutes on this Section)

1. Read the following passage carefully :

Last summer, I spent days in the garden watching
thousands of ants crawling up the trunk of my prize
peach tree. I am especially proud of it, not only because
it has survived several severe winters, but because it also
produces occasionally luscious peaches. During the
summer, I noticed that the leaves of the tree were
beginning to wither. Clusters of tiny insects called
aphids were to be found on the underside of the leaves.
They were visited by a large colony of ants which
obtained a sort of honey from them. I immediately bound
the base of the tree with a sticky tape, making it
impossible for the ants to reach the aphids. The tape was
so sticky that they did not dare to cross it. For a long
time, I watched them scurrying around the base of the
tree in bewilderment. Even at midnight, the ants were
still swarming around the sticky tape without being able
to do anything about it. I got up early next morning
hoping to find that the ants had given up in despair.
Instead, I saw that they had discovered a new route. I
realized sadly that I had been completely defeated by
their ingenuity.

X/22/E/1 [ Contd.

( 3 )

On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the
following questions by choosing the most appropriate
options given : 6

(a) Why is the narrator proud of his peach tree? 1
(i) Its leaves are withering
(ii) It produces luscious peaches
(iii) Tiny insects called aphids cling to its leaves
(iv) Ants obtain honey from aphids

(b) Why did the narrator bind the base of the tree with
a sticky tape? 1
(i) To help the ants climb up
(ii) To help the aphids climb up
(iii) To prevent the aphids from falling down
(iv) To prevent the ants from climbing up

(c) What did the narrator see at midnight? 1
(i) The ants had disappeared
(ii) The ants had reached the aphids
(iii) The ants were still hoarding around the tape
(iv) None of the above

(d) Next morning, the narrator found that
(i) the ants had given up in despair
(ii) the ants had discovered a new route
(iii) the ants were swarming around in
bewilderment
(iv) the ants were all stuck on the sticky tape 1

X/22/E/1 [ P.T.O.

( 4 )

(e) What does the word ‘luscious’ mean? 1
(i) Very big
(ii) Better
(iii) Very small
(iv) Of a sweet taste

(f) What is the antonym of the word ‘ingenuity’? 1
(i) Cleverness
(ii) Imagination
(iii) Creativity
(iv) Incompetence

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

2. Either

You are well aware of the risks and dangers of not
wearing a mask in a crowded place. Write an article
to be published in a local newspaper to create public
awareness. 6
Or
You are Michel/Monica and you are very concerned
about the reckless throwing of garbages in and around
your locality which creates an unhealthy scene and is a
serious threat to the environment. Write a letter to the
Editor of ‘The Shillong Times’ to create awareness among
people to have civic sense. 6

X/22/E/1 [ Contd.

( 5 )

3. Either

You are John/Jenny and your parents’ 25th wedding
anniversary is approaching. Write an e-mail to your best
friend inviting him/her for the celebration. 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 Saturday and I was sitting in my room with a
friend of mine. Suddenly, we saw clouds of smoke ...

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

After we had walked about half a mile into the forest, the
utter silence became (a) _____. A little sound among the
leaves (b) _____ us think about some wild animals
(c) _____ to attack us. Soon we decided to (d) _____ back.
We (e) _____ that in order to save oneself from a wild
animal, one should climb a tree. Fearfully we (f) _____
that we were no expert climbers. We began to walk more
swiftly and (g) _____ only when we were literally out of the
woods. Though nothing in particular had happened,
it (h) _____ a memorable experience.

(a) (i) frighten (ii) frightens (iii) frightened (iv) frightening

(b) (i) make (ii) makes (iii) made (iv) had made

(c) (i) lurks (ii) lurked (iii) lurking (iv) has lurked

X/22/E/1 [ P.T.O.

( 6 )

(d) (i) turn (ii) turns (iii) turned (iv) turning

(e) (i) hear (ii) heard (iii) have heard (iv) had heard

(f) (i) recall (ii) recalls (iii) recalled (iv) had recalled

(g) (i) is relieved (ii) are relieved (iii) was relieved
(iv) were relieved

(h) (i) is (ii) was (iii) has been (iv) will be

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

(i) crocodile tears

(ii) gift of the gab

(iii) ups and downs

(iv) bag and baggage

(v) bone of contention

(b) Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions
(any four) : ½×4=2
(i) Kolkata is different _____ Mumbai.

(ii) You should engage a nurse to look _____ your
ailing mother.

(iii) Why do you stare _____ me?

(iv) She hung her head _____ shame.

(v) I have been living in this city _____ birth.

(vi) Show respect _____ your elders.

X/22/E/1 [ Contd.

( 7 )

6. Rewrite the following as directed (any four) : 1×4=4
(a) Many hardships had already been suffered by them.
(Begin with : They ......)
(b) Obey your parents.
(Begin with : Let ......)
(c) By whom will the cat be belled?
(End with : ...... the cat?)
(d) He said, “Everybody is here.”
(Begin with : He said that ......)
(e) I am searching for a job.
(Begin with : A job ......)

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) “You are smart. When I came in here I meant to get
discharged.”
(i) Who was being considered as smart and by
whom? 1
(ii) Why was that person considered as smart by the
speaker? 1
(iii) What do the words ‘I meant to get discharged’
mean? 1

X/22/E/1 [ P.T.O.

( 8 )

(b) The happy hum of chatter in the hustle and bustle
as everyone got ready reverberated throughout the
house.
(i) Whom did the house belong to? 1
(ii) Why was everyone happy? 1
(iii) What were they preparing for? 1

(c) ..... she called him a beautiful tyrant, a ravenous
dove, a lamb with a wolf’s nature, and other like
contradictory names .....
(i) Who called whom these names? 1
(ii) What prompted the speaker to use such
terms? 1
(iii) How did the speaker reconcile her feelings
shortly after this? 1

(d) “The Prince of Wales ! Oh ! What wouldn’t I give to
have him in my house !”
(i) Who is the speaker of the above line? 1
(ii) What would the speaker gain by the presence of
the Prince of Wales? 1
(iii) What kind of reputation does the speaker
have? 1

8. Choose the correct answer (any five) : 1×5=5
(a) The fable of the mountain and the mouse was
mentioned by
(i) Captain Smollett
(ii) Dr. Livesey
(iii) Long John Silver

X/22/E/1 [ Contd.

( 9 )

(b) “I believe they were fat.”
What does the narrator believe ‘were fat’?
(i) His feet
(ii) His cheeks
(iii) His parents

(c) The terrified Juliet was in a sad perplexity at her
father’s offer. The words ‘sad perplexity’ here mean
(i) sad confusion
(ii) sad tragedy
(iii) sad conviction

(d) “It is foolish and wicked.”
Mr. White was referring to
(i) a wish to be an emperor
(ii) a wish for two hundred pounds
(iii) a wish for his son to be alive again

(e) “I’ll pretend I don’t like them.”
‘Them’ here refers to
(i) the ice cream forms and the gelatine moulds
(ii) soup and vegetables
(iii) milk and crackers

(f) In the story, Romeo and Juliet, the word ‘retainers’
means
(i) followers
(ii) guests
(iii) supporters

X/22/E/1 [ P.T.O.

( 10 )

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

(a) What were Pip’s first impressions of his parents, and
where had he derived these from?

(b) How and why did Juliet take her own life?

(c) Why did the Demon compare the Prince to a lion of
a man?

(d) What was Mr. White’s reaction when he heard a knock
which sounded on the front door?

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

10. Answer the following in 80 –100 words (any one) : 8

(a) What suggestions did the Captain make to
Mr. Trelawney? How were these suggestions
implemented? 3+5=8

(b) Narrate in your own words the encounter
between the Bodhisatta and the Demon with the
matted hair. 8

(c) Write a character sketch of Mrs. Horace Pringle. 8

11. Choose the correct answer (any three) : 1×3=3

(a) In the poem, Exiled, the word ‘shanty’ means
(i) a rush of freshwater
(ii) a song sung by sailors
(iii) a pier

X/22/E/1 [ Contd.

( 11 )

(b) The Cuckoo bird might be heard
(i) in the Arabian sands
(ii) among the farthest Hebrides
(iii) up the hill

(c) Or _____ the woe of the watch I keep?
Which of the following words completes the line?
(i) measure
(ii) compass
(iii) remember

(d) The villagers constantly wondered
(i) how his small head carried so much knowledge
(ii) how he taught the little children
(iii) how he could predict the tides

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

(a) And the far sad glorious vision I see
Of the torn red banners of Victory?

(i) Who does ‘I’ refer to? 1

(ii) Why are the red banners of Victory described as
a ‘far sad glorious vision’? 1

(iii) What does ‘torn red banners of Victory’ mean? 1

X/22/E/1 [ P.T.O.

( 12 )

(b) Well had the boding tremblers learn’d to trace
The day’s disasters in his morning face;
(i) Who or what are the ‘boding tremblers’? 1
(ii) What had the ‘boding tremblers’ learned to do? 1
(iii) What else, according to the poet, did they also
do? 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

(d) If I could see the weedy mussels
Crusting the wrecked and rotting hulls,
(i) What other sights besides the weedy mussels
does the poet want to see? 1
(ii) What are the weedy mussels? 1
(iii) What was the sight about the weedy mussels
that the poet wanted to see? 1

13. Answer the following in 80 –100 words (any one) : 6
(a) How does the poet convey a sense of solitude in the
poem, The Solitary Reaper ?
(b) Why is the poet weary of the city life and what are
the recollections that she has about the sea that
made her to long for it?
(c) From the poem, The Village Schoolmaster, what
impression do you get of the qualities and abilities of
the village schoolmaster?

X/22/E/1 [ Contd.

( 13 )

SECTION—D

LONG READING TEXT
( Rapid Reader )

(Do not spend more than 15 minutes on this Section)

14. Choose the correct answer (any three) : 1×3=3
(a) Mr. Fang, the magistrate, before whom Oliver was
taken, was a
(i) villainous-looking man
(ii) stupid, fat man
(iii) very bad-tempered man
(iv) strong looking man

(b) Why did Fagin tell Nancy to carry a basket with her?
(i) To look more respectable
(ii) To look more honourable
(iii) To look more presentable
(iv) To look more vulnerable

(c) The shadow of a woman, in a cloak and bonnet
which passed along the wall outside, was seen by
(i) Fagin
(ii) Monks
(iii) Sikes
(iv) Charley Bates

X/22/E/1 [ P.T.O.

( 14 )

(d) Sikes brought the pistol down twice, with all his
might, upon the upturned face because
(i) Nancy had flung her arms tightly around him
(ii) he was holding a heavy club on his other arm
(iii) he was struggling to free his arms
(iv) he knew that the sound of firing would bring
discovery

15. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions
that follow (any one) : 7

(a) He was led away to a new scene of suffering.
(i) Who was led away to a new scene of suffering? 1
(ii) Who took him and why? 2
(iii) How was he treated in that new place? 4

(b) “What about the job at Chertsey, Bill?” said the Jew.
(i) What was that job? 1
(ii) Why did they want Oliver to help with that
job? 2
(iii) What reason does Fagin give for his special
interest in corrupting Oliver? 4

(c) “And the will?” asked Mr. Brownlow ...
(i) Whose will was Mr. Brownlow referring to? 1
(ii) What had happened to the person who wrote
the will? 2
(iii) What were the conditions of the will? 4

X/22/E/1 [ Contd.

( 15 )

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

16. Answer the following in a sentence or two (any five) :
2×5=10
(a) Why did Trelawney hire the captain, the ship and
the crew?
(b) Why did Friar Lawrence consent to join the hands of
Romeo and Juliet in marriage?
(c) What were the five weapons that the Bodhisatta
received as a gift from his teacher?
(d) What kind of spell did the Fakir put on the paw?
Why?
(e) Why was Mr. Farnsworth unable to attend
Mrs. Pringle’s dinner party and who did he send in
his place?
(f) Name Pip’s brothers who were dead and buried.
(g) Who was Mr. Arrow?

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

Column—A Column—B

(a) Still buoyant are (i) my martyred sons

(b) Remember the blood of (ii) and every truant knew;

(c) And battles long ago (iii) her golden wings

(d) Wanting the sticky, (iv) The Solitary Reaper

(e) I knew him well, (v) salty, sweetness

X/22/E/1 [ P.T.O.

( 16 )

18. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the
choices given in the brackets (any four) : ½×4=2
(a) What though _____ seems to win,
(sorrow/death)
(b) _____ like shells on Egyptian sands,
(Sprinkled/Scattered)

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

(d) I have a need to hold and _____
(handle/see)

(e) The love he bore to _____ was in fault;
(teaching/learning)

( Oliver Twist )

19. Answer the following in a sentence or two (any three) :
1×3=3
(a) Why was Oliver publicly beaten in the hall where the
other boys were eating?

(b) What was the nickname given to Jack Dawkins?

(c) What errand was Oliver sent on by Mr. Brownlow?

(d) What was the thing that Monks’ father left with
Mr. Brownlow which he could not take on his hasty
journey?

(e) How is Rose Maylie related to Oliver?



X/22/E/1 22K—60200