CBSE Class 10 English 2024 — Set 1

Questions in this 2024 English paper (Set 1)

All 42 questions from this set, exactly as asked. Try each one, then open the question-paper PDF above for the complete paper.

1. 1.
   Based on the reading and understanding of the above passage, list 2 points to describe the purpose of UNESCO leading the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. (2 marks)
2. 2.
   (Passage 1) Select the option that corresponds to the meaning of the following sentence from para (2): 'The recent international emergency has proved the intrinsic value of the cultural and creative sector at generating social cohesion, educational resource or personal well-being in times of crisis.'

   • (a) The real worth of cultural sector at generating social cohesion during pandemics
   • (b) The…
3. 3.
   (Passage 1) Based on your reading of the passage, examine in about 40 words how Sustainable Development Goals can be achieved. (2 marks)
4. 4.
   (Passage 1) What is the tone of the writer in the given line from paragraph (4)? Rationalize your response in about 40 words: 'Cultural diversity is an asset.' (2 marks)
5. 5.
   (Passage 1) The phrase 'bridging the gap' in paragraph (4) refers to:

   • (a) widening the differences
   • (b) connecting two disparate ideas
   • (c) supporting the bridging
   • (d) filling in the space between two connected things
6. 6.
   (Passage 1) In sets a-e below, identify two sets of synonyms: a. richness and poverty b. intellectual and moral c. reduction and promotion d. essential and intrinsic e. urgent and crucial Options:

   • (a) a and e
   • (b) b and e
   • (c) d and e
   • (d) b and d
7. 7.
   (Passage 1) Complete the sentence appropriately: The Second Committee of UN General Assembly in 2015 adopted ______. (1 mark)
8. 8.
   (Passage 1) Complete the following sentence: ______ is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development. (1 mark)
9. 9.
   (Passage 2: NEP 2020 & Skill Education) Based on the reading of the extract, list 2 objectives of NEP 2020. (2 marks)
10. 10.
    (Passage 2) Fill in the blank with appropriate option from those given in the bracket, based on the understanding of paragraph (4): The statement: 'The development of skill capacities will go hand-in-hand with the development of academic or other capacities' is a / an ______ (fact / opinion) because it is a / an ______ (subjective judgement / objective detail). (1 mark)
11. 11.
    (Passage 2) Select the option that corresponds to the meaning of the statement given below: 'According to the policy, by 2025, at least 50% of learners through the school and higher education system shall have exposure to skill education.'

    • (a) Maximum 50% learners shall have exposure to technical education.
    • (b) Minimum 50% learners shall have exposure to technical education.
    • (c) Minimum 50%…
12. 12.
    (Passage 2) Based on the understanding of the passage, complete the following statement appropriately: The benefit of the hub and spoke model will be ______. (1 mark)
13. 13.
    (Passage 2) Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/phrase from paragraph (3): Racism : colourism :: ______ : respect (1 mark)
14. 14.
    (Passage 2) As per the Global Scenario which country has the maximum percentage of students in Skill Education and what can be the possible reason? (2 marks)
15. 15.
    (Passage 2) Fill in the following blank choosing the most appropriate option from the ones given below: As per NEP 2020, skill exposure will begin at ______.

    • (a) middle and secondary school
    • (b) primary school
    • (c) higher school
    • (d) senior secondary school
16. 16.
    (Passage 2) Justify the statement — 'The NEP will create an awareness and appreciation of Indian arts and artisanship.' (1 mark)
17. 17.
    SECTION B — GRAMMAR AND CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS Q3(i) Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket, for the given portion of a letter: Dear Sir In response to your query, the document that ______ (explain) our country's sustainability initiatives has been attached for your consideration. (1 mark)
18. 18.
    Q3(ii) Read the given sentence. Identify the error and supply the correction in the sentence: 'The uniquely flavoured dish was interestingly enough to captivate my taste buds.' (1 mark)
19. 19.
    Q3(iii) Raashi and Ratul had a conversation about volunteer work. Report Raashi's question. Raashi: What challenges have you faced while volunteering? Ratul: The main challenge is dealing with different personalities, but it's also a great learning experience. (1 mark)
20. 20.
    Q3(iv) Read the dialogue between a librarian and a student. Librarian: Welcome back! It's good to see you, young man! Student: Thank you! I was overloaded with assignments, so I have not visited the library this week. Based on the conversation above, report the dialogue between a librarian and a student by completing the sentence: The librarian greeted the student warmly, expressing pleasure at…
21. 21.
    Q3(v) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option in the bracket, to complete the sentence: The revised meeting agenda is attached and this/those/it/its needs to be emailed to all participants before the meeting. (1 mark)
22. 22.
    Q3(vi) Identify the error and supply correction for the given sentence from an e-commerce website's return policy: 'We offers a 30-day return policy on all unopened products purchased from our website.' (1 mark)
23. 23.
    Q3(vii) Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the sentence from a public health campaign: 'The campaign's goal is to increase physical activity among the younger.'

    • (a) Error: activity | Correction: activities
    • (b) Error: goal | Correction: goals
    • (c) Error: younger | Correction: youth
    • (d) Error: is | Correction: are
24. 24.
    Q3(viii) Complete the given narrative by filling in the blank with the correct option: The internship at the tech startup had me ______ excited about the potential of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

    • (a) feeling
    • (b) felt
    • (c) to feel
    • (d) feels
25. 25.
    Q3(ix) Report the dialogue between a vendor and his customer, by completing the sentence: Vendor: You look a little different today! Customer: Yes, I just got a new haircut. The vendor noticed that his customer's appearance had changed and asked him about it. The customer admitted this, citing the fact that ______. (1 mark)
26. 26.
    Q3(x) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the sentence to update the result of the regional science fair: We have exciting news to share! Our school ______ first place in the regional science fair.

    • (a) awarded
    • (b) was awarded
    • (c) had awarded
    • (d) has been awarded
27. 27.
    Q3(xi) Complete the line from a song by filling the blank with the correct option: The morning dew captures your essence, The flowers and grass ______ your colour, The Sunrise embraces your arrival, As the dawn welcomes a new day.

    • (a) reflect
    • (b) reflects
    • (c) reflected
    • (d) shall reflect
28. 28.
    Q3(xii) Identify the error and supply correction for the given sentence: 'The public health campaign aimed in increase awareness of the risks associated with underage drinking.' (1 mark)
29. 29 (a).
    CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS Q4(A) There are daily reports in the newspaper of fatal accidents due to reckless driving and road rage. Write a letter to the Commissioner of Traffic Police in about 120 words suggesting the need to take stricter action against the offenders. Recommend the use of social media to launch awareness campaigns about the implications of irresponsible driving. You are Shantanu…
30. 29 (b).
    Q4(B) OR: A leading communication company 'Savre' is sponsoring a half marathon run in your city to raise funds for 'Koshish' an orphanage. You are Roshini/Roshan, school captain of Adarsh Vidyalaya. You are leading a batch of hundred students in the half marathon to be held in your city. Write a letter to the editor of a national daily emphasizing the participation of school children in such…
31. 30 (a).
    Q5(A) The visual given shows the life cycle of a butterfly. Study the information carefully and then summarise it in the form of an analytical paragraph. Make comparisons and draw conclusions wherever applicable. (5 marks) [Life Cycle of Butterfly: Egg -> Caterpillar -> Pupa (Chrysalis) -> Emerging Butterfly -> Adult Butterfly (which lays eggs, completing the cycle)]
32. 30 (b).
    Q5(B) OR: Study the table given below which shows the data on the hobbies of students during summer vacations. Write an analytical paragraph in about 120 words analysing what hobbies do boys and girls choose in their summer vacations. Hobbies | Boys | Girls Singing | 7% | 35% Photography | 35% | 5% Playing | 30% | 16% Dancing | 13% | 40% Yoga | 15% | 15% (5 marks)
33. 31 (a).
    SECTION C — LITERATURE TEXT BOOK Q6(A) (Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) (i) Explain the feelings of the narrator when he said: 'I was overwhelmed with a sense of history.' (1 mark)
34. 31 (a)(ii).
    Q6(A)(ii) The system of racial domination has been replaced by a system that:

    • (a) confines the education of the Blacks
    • (b) recognises the rights and freedoms of all people
    • (c) recollects the bitter experiences
    • (d) focuses on the personality development
35. 31 (a)(iii).
    Q6(A)(iii) Comment on the kind of society apartheid had created. (1 mark)
36. 31 (a)(iv).
    Q6(A)(iv) Which phrase would correctly substitute 'patched up' in the given sentence from the extract: '...the white skinned people of South Africa patched up their differences...' (1 mark)
37. 31 (b).
    Q6(B) OR (From the Diary of Anne Frank) (i) 'In the summer of 1941, Grandma fell ill and had to have an operation, so my birthday passed with little celebration.' State any one inference about Anne from the above context. (1 mark)
38. 31 (b)(ii).
    Q6(B)(ii) The first education of Anne started at ______.

    • (a) a some Kindergarten School
    • (b) a Nursery School
    • (c) Montessori Nursery School
    • (d) Elementary School
39. 31 (b)(iii).
    Q6(B)(iii) Who was Mrs. Kuperus? What kind of relationship did Anne share with her? (2 marks)
40. 31 (b)(iv).
    Q6(B)(iv) Substitute the word 'heartbreaking' with a word similar in meaning in the following sentence: 'At the end of the year we were both in tears as we said a heartbreaking farewell.' (1 mark)
41. 32 (a).
    Q7(A) (A Tiger in the Zoo — Leslie Norris) (i) State any one point of contrast between the tiger in the zoo and in its natural habitat. (1 mark)
42. 32 (a)(ii).
    Q7(A)(ii) When the speaker suggests that the tiger should be 'Snarling around houses at the jungle's edge', what does he intimate about the tiger's natural behaviour and habitat? (1 mark)
43. 32 (a)(iii).
    Q7(A)(iii) The poet's skillful use of imagery effectively depicts the confinement and frustration of the tiger. Elaborate in about 40 words. (2 marks)
44. 32 (a)(iv).
    Q7(A)(iv) Which phrase would correctly substitute 'quiet rage' in the given sentence from the extract? 'The few steps of his cage on pads of velvet quiet in his quiet rage.' (1 mark)
45. 32 (b)(i).
    Q7(B) OR (The Ball Poem — John Berryman)

    • (i) Which of the following best describes the speaker's attitude towards the boy's reaction to losing his ball?
    • (a) indifferent as the ball is inexpensive
    • (b) sympathetic, understanding the depth of the boy's loss
    • (c) mocking, finding the boy's reaction exaggerated and unnecessary
    • (d) panicked, sharing the boy's distress over the lost ball
46. 32 (b)(ii).
    Q7(B)(ii) Comment on the use of metaphor in the above extract. (1 mark)
47. 32 (b)(iii).
    Q7(B)(iii) Explain the phrase 'all his young days into the harbour' with reference to the extract. (1 mark)
48. 32 (b)(iv).
    Q7(B)(iv) Briefly state in about 40 words the boy's journey from 'shaking grief' to 'he is learning' in the above extract. (2 marks)
49. 33.
    Answer ANY FOUR of the following five questions in 40-50 words each: (4x3 = 12) (i) What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem 'Dust of Snow' initially? What images are used by the poet to bring about the effect? Comment.
50. 34.
    Q8(ii) How far would you agree that one's positivity can bring in a spark of brightness even in adverse circumstances? Explain.
51. 35.
    Q8(iii) What makes Custard, the dragon look fearsome? Explain.
52. 36.
    Q8(iv) Explain, why the speaker mentions God in the poem 'For Anne Gregory'.
53. 37.
    Q8(v) What message might the Buddha's story hold for those who are in positions of power and privilege?
54. 38.
    Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions in 40-50 words each: (2x3 = 6) (i) Scientists contribute to make the world a better place. Griffin is an antithesis to this statement. Justify. (Footprints Without Feet)
55. 39.
    Q9(ii) Why did Bholi's teacher feel like an artist admiring her masterpiece? (Bholi)
56. 40.
    Q9(iii) What is the twist at the end of the story 'The Necklace'? (The Necklace)
57. 41.
    Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in 100-120 words: (1x6 = 6) (i) In the chapter 'A Baker from Goa' the narrator talks about his childhood in Goa and his fond memories. In about 120 words write a preparation draft comparing the childhood of the narrator in 'A Baker from Goa' to that of Nelson Mandela. You may begin this way: Childhood memories remind us of the days gone by…
58. 41 (ii).
    Q10(ii) OR: Amanda from the poem 'Amanda' is a teenager like Anne Frank and lives in her fantasy world whereas Anne lives in a cluster box. What conversation will Anne Frank have with Amanda about different perspectives of life? Write your answer in about 120 words.
59. 42.
    Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in 100-120 words: (1x6 = 6) (i) How did the lady in red manage to outsmart and out maneuver the other thief, Horace Danby, by robbing the safe without leaving a single fingerprint? (A Question of Trust)
60. 42 (ii).
    Q11(ii) OR: Hari Singh says — 'He knew it but neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything.' Anil successfully addressed the situation by not addressing it at all. Elaborate based on your reading of The Thief's Story.

Prepare with

How to use these papers

1. 1Start chapter-wise early in the year — solve only the English questions from a chapter you have just finished.
2. 2Switch to full timed papers 2–3 months before the exam: one complete set in the real time limit, no notes.
3. 3Self-mark against the marking scheme, then fix every mistake with our free NCERT solutions.
4. 4Re-attempt your weakest chapters until the recurring question types feel routine.

CBSE Class 10 English 2024 paper — FAQ