Class 10 Sample Paper English (Half Yearly)

SAMPLE
PAPER
Half Yearly Examination

Prepared For
NCERT BASED SYLLABUS
Applicable For
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HALF YEARLY EXAMINATION
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER

Class - X Subject – English
Time – 3 Hours Maximum Marks- 80

General Instruction:

1. This paper is divided into three sections A, B and C. All the sections are compulsory.
2. Separate instructions are given with each section and question whenever necessary . Read
these instructions very carefully and follow them very faithfully.
3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

SECTION A- READING [20 Marks]
I. Read the following passage carefully.

1.Crash dieting may help you lose weight, in the short term, but, ultimately it can hinder weight
loss in the long term, as most of the weight that you have lost with crash dieting will bounce
back, meaning you will gain all the weight that you have lost and more. Crash dieting not only
removes fat but also leans muscle and tissue. Contrary to the belief of many who start this diet,
this form of dieting is neither healthy nor successful in achieving long term weight loss as it
induces the slowing down of the body’s basal metabolic rate- the body seeks to conserve every
calorie and so weight loss becomes increasingly difficult. Basal metabolic rate is the amount of
calories your body needs on a daily basis, to maintain its regular activities. This means your
body will need fewer calories than it did previously, making weight gain likely once you stop
dieting.

2. Most crash diets involve eating low- calorie foods for several weeks for several weeks or eating
the same food or food groups for several weeks. Even if you’re only trying the dietfor a week or
two, eating such a strict diet of the same foods can cause nutritional deficiencies. Eliminating
one or more food groups will not provide you with adequate, long-term nutrition. Nutritional
deficiencies such this can have multiple immediate side effects such as haggard look, dark
under eyes, dull skin, sloppy posture and lack of stamina.

3. This is also why exercise is recommended in any weight-loss plan to build muscle and maintain
your metabolic rate. Again common mistakes that are observed with exercise are joining the
gym only till the New Year, so that you can lose weight and once the partyis over, the party for
not exercising continues. On the other hand, we have some whomake New Year resolutions and
with the gym memberships which are so tempting during the New Year, take up annual

memberships, which is not bad. What is bad is to break the resolution. It is good to takeup an
exercise, provided you do not break your resolution, and continue exercising year long. What is
important that you should not be intemperate.

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4. It’s strongly recommended not to go on a crash diet, even if you are motivated to lose weight to
fit into clothes a couple of sizes smaller. What is good is to become particular to lead a healthy
lifestyle. This in the long run will help you achieve normal weight and help you be energetic
and cheerful. Safe weight loss is considered to be no more than half a kilogram to one kilogram
per week. No single food can be considered good or bad. A single meal does not make or break
a healthy diet, as all foods can fit into a good diet when consumed in moderation.

On the basis of your understanding , answer the questions that follow. [1×10=10]

a) What harm does crash dieting do? Mention any one reason.
b) There is a basic flaw in diet plans which can cause nutritional deficiencies. What is it?
c) Why is exercise important?
d) What is the writer’s view on gym membership?
e) What are some side effects of nutritional deficiencies?
f) Safe weight loss is considered to be ___________________________________.
g) According to the passage, one should make a conscious effort to lead a healthy lifestyle
instead of going to a crash diet. ( True/ False)
h) The amount of calories, our body needs on a daily basis to maintain its regular activities is
called_______________________.
i) In para 3, the antonym of ‘ controlled’ is _____________________
i. Adequate
ii. High
iii. Intemperate
iv. Equal
j) In para 4, replace the word ‘ particular’ with its synonym.
i. Lugubrious
ii. Fastidious
iii. Desperate
iv. Affluent

II. Read the passage given below carefully.

1. We often think of TV watching as the activity where people are fully concentrating in the TV
programs. We think that they are extremely enthusiastic about it. However, research has shown
that there is a continuum of levels of attention while watching TV.

2. All teenagers are different. But many enjoy spending their free time doing things like shopping,
going to parties, being with friends, gaming and using social media, texting, watching movies,
reading and going to the beach and park.

3. Teenagers are also spending an increasing amount of their TV time in structured extracurricular
activities like arts and sports. The given chart shows teenagers’ answers to a survey for
Northern Ireland Teen Time magazine, which asked them if they do anything else while they
watch TV. It can be seen that over three-quarters of those surveyed do other things
simultaneously.

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4. Over half said they either ate or checked their mobile phone or tablet while they were watching
TV while, perhaps unsurprisingly, only a few teenagers said theyread, did exercise or listened
to music while watching TV. Eight per cent talked to their families and another 8% said they
often did homework and watched TV at the same time.

5. It was found thatt multitasking occurred almost 40% of the time when people were seated in
front of the television. Most multitasking occurred during TV programs—not
programs during the
interval between the TV programs. Of the time people spent multi
multi-tasking,
tasking, 27% was spent on a
device,
ice, mostly a smartphone. However, only 10% of device
device-related
related multitasking was related to
the content playing on TV. With our study, we contribute to the greater body of foundational
knowledge around common multitasking behaviors that are conductedin front of the television.

6. These figures may reflect a general trend towards less formal family mealtimes and greater
levels of multitasking. However, a significant number of teenagers still focus fully on the
television when they are watching.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions. [1X10=10]

a) Which country has conducted this study?
b) On which target group of population is the survey conducted?
c) Which activity while watching TV has the largest share amongst all?
d) What percentage of people check their mobile while watching TV?
e) What are the total number of activities on which this survey is conducted?
f) Which activity in the survey holds the lowest share?
g) Which phrase in para 1 can be replaced by the phrase
phrase- ‘lived and breathed’.
h) Give one word for ‘doing many tasks at the same time’.( para 5) 5
i) Teenagers are a group between the age group of ____
i. 10 to 19 years
ii. 13 to 19 years
iii. 13 to 21 years
iv. 11 to 20 years
j)) While watching TV, the other activities which Teens do are _____

i. Reading
ii. Listening music
iii. Doing exercise
iv. All of the above

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SECTION B- GRAMMAR AND WRITING( 20 Marks)
III. A.Fill in the blanks with the appropriate determiners.(Any THREE) [1X3=3]

Sahil: Will you get (a)________ orange in the market?

Mother: If I get, I will buy (b) __________.

Sahil: Please take (c) ________ keys along with you.

Mother: You take rest, I will be back in (d)_________ hour.

B. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error related to modals in each line.
Write the incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet as given below. First one
has been done for you. ( Any THREE ) [1X3=3]

Error Correction

Sohan may see the doctor immediately. may must

He shouldn’t get well unless he visits a doctor. a) ____ ____

He will be suffering from viral fever or influenza. b) ____ ____

He can take proper medicine. c) ____ ____

It has to affect not only his health but studies also. d) ____ ____

C. Rewrite the sentences by correcting the forms of verbs. [1X4=4]

i) He is suffering from fever since Tuesday.

ii) She sang when I entered the hall.

iii) The patient died before the doctor arrived.

iv) At 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, I will deliver a lecture in the auditorium.

IV. A. Attempt any ONE of the following letters. [5X1=5]

( i ) You are Suresh/ Sudha, Secretary of the Student Council, Deepak Jyoti Public School, New
Delhi. You are planning an excursion to Ranthambore National Park for students of classes
IX and X. Write a letter to the Director, Tourism Department, Ranthambore National Park,
enquiring about a package for 50 students which would include transportation, sightseeing,
boarding and lodging for 5 nights. ( Word limit-100-120 words)

OR

( ii ) You are Deepak/ Deepti, the Librarian of Gandhi Public School, Noida. You had placedan
order for a few books for your school library. When the books were delivered , you found
some were damaged and some were missing. Write a letter of complaint to the Sales
Manager, Sunny Publishers Limited, Delhi asking for their immediate replacement. ( Word

limit- 100-120 words )

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IV. B. Attempt any ONE of the given Analytical Paragraphs. [5X1=5]

( i ) The pie chart drawn below shows the expenditure of young population in India on various
sports equipment during the year 2021. Analyse the given data and write a paragraph in 100-
120 words.

OR
( ii ) The line graph given below shows the number of people of different age groups getting killed
in road accidents. Analyze the given data and write a paragraph in 100-120
120 words.

SECTION C- LITERATURE ( 40 Marks )
V. A. Read the extracts given below and answer any ONE of them. [1X5= 5]

( i ) Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “ Here is
seed; take it!” But when she asked, “ Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in
mustard-seed;
your family?” they answered her, “ Alas! The living are few, but the dead are many. Do not
remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in
it.”

a. Which one of the following statements is not true?

1. Kisa Gotami did not easily accept the death of her son.
2. Kisa Gotami begged Gautam Buddha for a cure for her child.
3. Kisa Gotami went door to door requesting water for her child.
4. Kisa Gotami was in extreme pain and sorrow.

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b. Why did Gautam Buddha send Kisa Gotami to collect mustard seeds?
c. Kisa Gotami asked the people if _________________.
d. What was the deepest grief of most of the families?
e. Which word in the given extract is the synonym of the word ‘ compassionated’?
OR

( ii ) And as the light came on, Fowler had his first authentic thrill of the day. For halfway across
the room, a small automatic pistol in his hand, stood a man. Ausable blinked a few times.

a. Who was Fowler?
b. Fowler knew that there would be a stranger. ( True/ False)
c. Who was the ‘man‘ mentioned here?
d. The opposite of the word ‘automatic’ is _________.
e. Which word in the extract means the same as ‘genuine’?
1. Thrill
2. Automatic
3. Authentic
4. Blink

V.B. Read the following extracts and answer any ONE of them. [1×5=5]

( i ) Or if some time when roaming round,

A noble beast greets you,

With black stripes on a yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you.

This simple rule may help you to learn

The Bengal Tiger to discern.

a. The ‘ noble beast’ refers to ___________.
b. What is the rhyme scheme of this stanza?
c. What rule should the reader learn?
d. The poet describes the noble beast as having __________________.
e. The meaning of the word ‘discern’ is-
1. Leap
2. Touch gently
3. Surprise
4. Identify
OR

( ii ) I would not intrude on him;

A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now

He senses first responsibility

In a world of possessions.

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a. Why does the poet decide not to intrude on the boy?
b. The meaning of the word ‘dime’ is _____.
c. Pick out the word from the stanza which is the antonym of ‘withdraw‘.
d. According to the poet, what does the boy learn from this experience?
e. What does the phrase ‘the world of possession’ used in the poem convey?
1. It stands for responsibility
2. It stands for lust
3. It stands for materialistic world
4. None of the above

VI.A. Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words. ( Attempt any FOUR ) [3X4=12]

a. How did Mandela learn the meaning of courage? What was courage according to him?

b. What is the central idea of ‘The Ball Poem’?

c. Describe some incidents which hshow that Mijbil was a playful otter?
d. How has the author narrated the role of bakers in his childhood?
e. ‘ Coorg is the heaven for the nature -lovers’- prove this statement by giving some examples
from the text.

VI.B. Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words. ( Attempt any TWO ) [3X2=6]

a. What made Tricky inactive and lethargic? Write briefly.
b. How does Ausable’s presence of mind saved the situation? Explain.
c. What are the qualities that are required in the making of a scientist?

VI. C. Answer any ONE out of the two questions in 100-120 words. [6X1=6]

a. ‘ From the Diary of Anne Frank ‘ story throws light on multi-faceted teacher-student
relationship, class atmosphere and discipline very nicely. Do you agree with this
statement? Justify your point.
OR
b. “ He who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.”
Elucidate the statement with reference to the story ‘The Sermon at Benares’.

VI. D. Answer any ONE out of the two questions in 100-120 words. [6X1=6]

a. Give a character-sketch of the thief, Hari Singh. Highlight the gradual changes that
came in him.

OR

b. Horace Danby represents such people who adopt the wrong ways to fulfil their wishes.
What values would you like such people to imbibe to refrain themselves from doing
such things?

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