CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 Set-I

Time allowed : 3 hours
Maximum marks: 80

SECTION A
(READING) 20

Question 1.
Read the passage given below : [8]
Then all the windows of the grey wooden house (Miss Hilton used to live here. She expired last week), were thrown open, a thing I had never seen before.
At the end of the day a sign was nailed on the mango tree : FOR SALE.
Nobody in the street knew Miss Hilton. While she lived, her front gate was always locked and no one ever saw her leave or saw anybody go in. So, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t feel sorry and say that you missed Miss Hilton.
When I think of her house I see just two colours. Grey and green. The green of the mango tree, the grey of the house and the grey of the high iron fence that prevented you from getting at the mangoes.
If your cricket ball fell in Miss Hilton’s courtyard you never got it back. It wasn’t the mango season when Miss Hilton died. But we got back about ten or twelve of our cricket balls.
The house was sold and we were prepared to dislike the new owners even before they came. I think we were a little worried. Already we had one resident of the street who kept on complaining about us to our parents. He complained that we played cricket on the pavement; and if we were not playing cricket, he complained that we were making too much noise anyway.

One afternoon when I came back from school Pal said, “Is a man and a woman. She pretty pretty, but he ugly like hell.” I didn’t see much. The front gate was open, but the windows were shut again. I heard a dog barking in an angry way.

One thing was settled pretty quickly. Whoever these people were they would never be the sort of people to complain that we were making noise and disturbing their sleep.

A lot of noise came from the house that night. The radio was going at full volume until midnight when the radio station closed down. The dog was barking and the man was shouting. I didn’t hear the woman.

On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, complete the statements that follow: [1×8 = 8]
(a) Nobody went into Miss Hilton’s house because her front ____.
(b) Her house had only two colours, (i) ___ , and (ii) ___.
(c) The high iron fence did not let the boys get ____.
(d) They never got it back if their ___ fell into her courtyard.
(e) The boys were already to dislike the ___ .
(f) One resident of the street always ___.
(g) The new owners of Miss Hilton’s house were (i) ___, and (ii) ___.
(h) The man was shouting, the dog was barking, only ___.
Answer:
(a) gate was always locked
(b) (i) grey (ii) green
(c) at the mangoes
(d) cricket ball
(e) new owners even before they came
(f) kept on complaining about us to our parents
(g) (i) a man (ii) a woman
(h) the woman was not heard/the woman was quiet.

Question 2.
Read the passage given below: [12]
During our growing up years we as children were taught—both at home and school — to worship the photos and idols of the Gods of our respective religions. When we grew a little older, we were to read holy books like the Bhagwad Gita, Bible and Quran; we were told that there are a lot of life lessons to be learnt from these holy books. We were then introduced to stories from our mythologies which taught us about ethics and morality— what is good and what is bad. I also learnt to be respectful towards my parents who made my life comfortable with their hard work, love and care, and my teachers who guided me to become a good student and a responsible citizen.
Much later in life, I realised that though we learn much from our respective holy books, there is a lot to learn from our surroundings. This realisation dawned upon me when I learnt to enquire and explore. Everything around us — the sun, the moon, the stars,
rain, rivers, stones, rocks, birds, plants and animals — teach us many valuable life lessons.

No wonder that besides the scriptures, in many cultures nature is also worshipped. The message that we get is to save our environment and maintain ecological balance. People are taught to live in harmony with nature and recognise that there is God in all aspects of nature.

Nature is a great teacher. A river never stops flowing. If it find an obstacle in its way in the form of a heavy rock, the river water fights to remove it from its path or finds an alternative path to move ahead. This teaches us to be progressive in life, and keep the fighting spirit alive.

Snakes are worshipped as they eat insects in the field that can hurt our crops, thus protecting the grains for us. In fact, whatever we worship is our helper and makes our lives easy for us. There are many such examples in nature, but we are not ready to learn a lesson.

Overcome with greed, we are destroying nature. As a result, we face natural disasters like droughts, floods and landslides. We don’t know that nature is angry with us. However, it is never too late to learn. If we learn to respect nature, the quality of our life will improve.

Question 2.1.
Answer briefly the following questions : [2 × 4 = 8]
(a) What are we taught in our childhood and growing up years?
(b) Why should we respect our parents and teachers?
(c) What message do we get when we worship nature?
(d) How does a river face an obstacle that comes in its way?

Question 2.2.
Give the meanings of the words given below, as used in the passage, with the help of the options that follow: [1 × 4 = 4]
(e) guided (Para 1)
(i) answered
(ii) advised
(iii) fough
(iv) polished
(f) explore (Para 2)
(i) search
(ii) frequent
(iii) describe
(iv) request
(g) valuable (Para 2)
(i) proper
(ii) desirable
(iii) available
(h) harmony (Para 3)
(i) beauty
(ii) friendship
(iii) discomfort
Answer:
(a) In our childhood or growing up years we are taught to worship the photos and idols of the Gods of our respective religions and read our holy books like the Bhagwad Gita, Bible and Quran.
(b) We should respect our parents becuase they make our lives comfortable with their hard work, love and care. We should respect our teachers because they guide us to become good students and responsible citizens.
(c) When we worship nature, we get the message to save our environment and maintain ecological balance.
(d) When an obstacle comes in the way of a river, if fights to remove it from its path or finds an alternative path to move ahead.
(e) (ii) advised
(f) (i) search
(g) (iv) useful
(h) (ii) friendship

SECTION – B
(WRITING SKILLS WITH GRAMMAR) 25

Question 3.
The road that leads to your market is broken and full of potholes. Mosquitoes and flies breed there. Write a letter in 100 -120 words to the editor of a local newspaper drawing attention of the concerned authorities to get the road reparied. You are P.V. Prabhu/ Prabha, 112, Aram Nagar, Delhi. [5 × 1 = 5]
OR
Write an article in 100 – 120 words on the topic ‘A library is good for all — the old and young’. You are P.V. Prabhu/Prabha. Use the following clues:
• best place in the school
• reference books, help books, newspapers, etc.
• don’t have to buy expensive ones
• books to relax — novels, plays, etc.
• books — treasure of knowledge
• spend leisure hours
Answer:
112, Aram Nagar
Delhi
26th Aug, 20XX
The Editor The Navjiwan Times Delhi
Sub — Repair of the road
Sir,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper I want to draw the attention of the concerned authorities to the pitiable condition of the road leading to the market area in our city. The road is broken and is full of potholes causing problems for the residents of the area. As monsoon has set in, water accumulates in puddles. Water is definitely as panacea for us but the stagnant water multiplies our problems. It becomes the safest place for breeding mosquitoes and flies. Flies sit over food items and leave their dangerous bacteria which in turn, cause trouble to our health. There are many rough stones in the road that cause burst in tyres and tubes due to which, the vehicles lose balance on the shattered road and cause accidents.
Hence, it is in the best interest of everyone that the road is immediately repaired so that the water accumulation stops. I hope the concerned authorities will take immediate action and remove the hurdles.
Yours sincerely
P.V. Prabhu/Prabha
OR
A LIBRARY IS GOOD FOR ALL
By P.V. Prabhu/Prabha
Library is the best place in the school. It is a place where books are kept, issued and collected. It is a treasure of knowledge. A public library, besides being a library, has a reading room and a hall for meetings or other activities.

It is a place where books on any subject or any topic are available so people don’t have to buy expensive ones when they want to do a research or so. There sits infinite knowledge in the library as there are books written by the most experienced minds.

The purpose of a library is to create love for books and reading habits among the people. Books are the best and the most faithful friends that a reader could have. Thus, library is a very useful place where people can spend their leisure time constructively. It relaxes people and also enriches their knowledge. Thus, library provides a platform for reading which is the only enjoyment that lasts while all other pleasures fade away.

Question 4.
Write a story in 150 – 200 words based on the following outline : [10 × 1 = 10]
A stag, thirsty — a pool of clear water — reflection — saw his horns — proud of them — his thin legs — ashamed — hunter’s dogs
— ran — horns caught in a tree — dogs very near — pulled his horn free — ran for his life — legs saved him.
OR
Complete the story in 150 – 200 words which begins as the following:
It was my fifteenth birthday. My parents were very happy. Some of my class-fellows had agreed to come ……
Answer:
A THIRSTY STAG
Once there was a stag. He was thirsty. To quench his thirst, he went to a pool of clear water. The water in the pool was so clear that he could see his reflection in the water. He got fascinated by his own beauty. Seeing his horns, he felt very proud but he had very thin legs and was ashamed of them. While he was enjoying, he saw the hunter’s dogs coming towards him. He ran from there to save his life. He was running through the bushes and trees. His horns got entangled in the bushes and he could not run. The dogs came nearer, endangering his life. Somehow, he pulled his horns and ran again to save his life. He ran as fast as he could and was able to escape the dogs. When he realised that he was safe from the dogs, he heaved a sigh of relief. Then the truth dawned on him. His horns which he was so proud of, had put his life in danger whereas his thin legs which he was so ashamed of, had saved his life. So appearances are often deceptive.
OR
It was my fifteenth birthday. My parents were very happy. Some of my class-fellows had agreed to come to my birthday party. My parents had made a lot of arrangements. They had decorated my room with balloons. In the evening, many guests started coming. They were all dressed in their best. I never know that they had planned it at such a big level. After a while, my friends too started pouring in with attractive gifts. I was very excited. The cake was of my favourite flavour. I cut the cake in the midst of clappings, cheers and wishes. Everyone wished me and gave me the gifts.

After having cake, we had tasty snacks and soft drinks. My friends enjoyed the snacks a lot. We played interesting games like passing the parcel and musical chair. When we all were playing, my mother came and asked us to take the dinner. It was a fun-filled day.

Question 5.
Complete the paragraph given below by filling in the blanks with the help of the options that follow: [1 × 3 = 3]
Very few people (a) ___ loneliness. It seems to me that most people (b) ___ scared of (c) ___left on their own.
(a)
(i) enjoy
(ii) enjoys
(iii) enjoyed
(iv) enjoying
(b)
(i) is
(ii) am
(iii) are
(iv) was
(c)
(i) be
(ii) being
(iii) been
(iv) having
Answer:
(a)
(i) enjoy
(b)
(i) are
(c)
(ii) being

Question 6.
The following paragraph has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the error and its correction as shown in the example.
[1 × 4 = 4]
CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 1
Answer:
CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 2

Question 7.
Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences: [1 × 3 = 3]
(a) accept / his pupil/ Swami / Sethu as / did not/
(b) only 14 / very / years old / he was / young /
(c) heart / not / but / did / lose / Sethu/
Answer:
(a) Swami did not accept Sethu as his pupil.
(b) He was very young only 14 year old.
(c) But Sethu did not lose heart.

SECTION C

(LITERATURE: TEXTBOOKS AND LONG READING TEXT) 20

Question 8.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: [1 × 3 = 3]
“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
(a) Whom are these lines addressed to?
(b) What would a young man throw into despair?
(c) What does the word, ‘ramparts’ here mean?
OR
“Why, you’re in evening dress! Well, I never ! Are you going to a ball or what? Though I must say you look better ”
(a) Who is speaking and to whom?
(b) Why is the person spoken to about an evening dress?
(c) What does the word, ‘ball’ mean here?
Answer:
(a) These lines are addressed to the young lady Anne Gregory, the speaker’s lady love,
(b) Honey coloured hair would throw a young man into despair.
(c) In this context ‘ramparts’ has been metaphorically used to mean curly locks of hair around her ear.
OR
(a) Natalya is speaking to Lomov.
(b) Lomov, dressed in an evening dress had come there to propose to Natalya.
(c) The word ‘ball’ here refers to a formal dance party.

Question 9.
Answer the following question in 30 – 40 words each. [2 × 4 = 8]
(a) What do we learn about the financial condition of the bakers of Goa?
(b) In the poem ‘Trees’, where are the trees? What are their roots, twigs, etc trying to do?
(c) Which book did Ebright’s mother get for him? How did it change his life?
(d) How did M. Loisel try to make his wife happy?
Answer:
(a) The bakers of Goa led a prosperous life. Baking was a profitable profession in the old days as bakers never starved. The families and servants of these bakers always looked happy and prosperous. Their plum physique is an open testimony of their prosperity.
(b) In the poem ‘Trees’, the trees are inside the house. The roots work to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. When the tree grows, it’s leaves strain towards the glass. The small twigs and boughs try to move to the doors while growing.
(c) Ebright’s mother got him a children’s book titled ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. The book described how Monarch butterflies migrate to Central America. This opened the world of science to yound and enthused collector, Ebright.
(d) M. Loisel had saved four hundred francs to buy a gun to join some hunting parties the next summer. The gun was to be used when he and his friends went to school larks. However, he tried to make his wife happy by offering her the saved four hundred francs to buy a suitable costume.

Question 10.
Answer the following question in 80 – 100 words: [1 × 4 = 4]
Once we decide to achieve something, so many difficulties come in our way. With focused attention we can make that achievement. How did Valli succeed in fulfilling her desire of riding a bus?
OR
School education turned Bholi from a dumb cow into a bold girl. How did she save her father from a huge expense and become his support in his old age?
Answer:
Eight-year-old Valli’s desire was to take a ride on the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. Her desire was so strong that it made herd-overcome her fears prompting her to plan her trip meticulously. She collected all the details of the journey and saved every coin that came her way. She maintained her self-respect so much that she does not even get tempted to go for shopping. After taking all the precautions to ensure that she has a safe journey, she fulfilled her dream of riding in a bus. Despite her young age, she returned back home safely. Valli taught us that once we decide to achieve something, many difficulties may come our » way but with courage and confidence, we can accomplish the task.
OR
Bholi, despite her name, slowly gained her confidence through her teacher. With the help of her teacher, she got a good education.

She understood how society works and was brave enough to stand up against the evns present in society. She saved her father from huge expenses and became his support in his old age by refusing to marry Bishamber who was an old, lame man. She refused to pay the dowry of five thousand. She stood up with courage and acted boldly despite knowing that she may not get married. Bholi decided to serve her parents in their old age and serve in the same school in which she studied.

Question 11.
Answer the following question in 150 – 200 words : [1 × 10 = 10]
How did Helen Keller get out of the traumatic experience of ‘Frost King’?
OR
What do you know about Mr. Keith as Helen Keller’s teacher?**
OR
How is Anne more mature than Peter? Describe her feelings for him.**
OR
Anne’s diary is as improtant for Anne as any other character in the annexe. What is your opinion?**

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 Set-II

Note : All questions except the following questions have been already asked in the previous sets.
SECTION – B
(WRITING SKILLS WITH GRAMMAR) 25

Question 4.
Write a story in 150 – 200 words with the help of the following outline: [1 × 10 = 10]
Ram — poor parents — helped his father in the field — less time to study — teacher scolded — won’t pass — took it to heart — studied at night — came first in the class — teacher congratulated.
OR
Complete the story in 150 – 200 words which begins as the following:
Anita lives in a village. Everyday she goes to school on foot. On the way there is a river. There is a bridge across the river. One day when she
HARD WORK LEADS TO SUCCESS
Answer:
There was a boy who was very poor. His father was a farmer who used to go to the fields in the morning. He had three children. Ram was the eldest of them all. Ram was quite a sincere boy. His father used to work hard but didn’t make much to feed his family. Hence, Ram also went with him to the fields to help him. Since he worked there in day time after school, he used to get tired. He didn’t get time to study. His performance in the school was affected. Even his teacher was very upset to see his deteriorating performance. He scolded Ram for not studying well. He warned him if he did not work the exams. Ram being a sincere boy, took it to his heart. He resolved to show that he was capable of doing better. He burnt the midnight oil and studied hard. He got so focussed that he stopped playing with his friends. As his exams came nearer, his determination to outshine others became stronger. He did very well in his exams. When the result was announced, everybody was suprised to know that he stood first in the class. His teacher was also thrilled. He congratulated him on his success. Ram proved that a person can achieve anything he wants with hard work and determination.
OR
PEACE LEADS TO JOY
Anita lives in a village. Everyday she goes to school on foot. On the way there is a river. There is a bridge across the river. One day when she reached the river, she saw a black goat climbing the bridge from the one side. The bridge was narrow and only one animal or person could cross it at a time. Then she saw a brown goat too climbing from the other side. She waited there to let them pass first. When the goats met in the middle of the bridge, they stood facing each other. First, they snarled at each other to get out of the way? But then realising that none could move aside as the bridge was very narrow, they both acted sensibly. They stood there for a while. Then one of them sat down. It allowed the other goat to step over its body and go ahead. Then it stood up and went on its way. Thus, both of them crossed the bridge safely. Seeing this, Anita was overwhelemed. After the goats crossed the bridge, Anita went on it. She was so thrilled to see this sensible act of the goats. She had feared that one of them might fall in the river but their intelligence had made it clear that peace always leads to joy.

Question 5.
Complete the paragraph given below by filling in the blanks with the help of the options that follow: [1 × 3 = 3]
Last year I visited the same spot even if I was not
(a) ___ a cycle. I saw that many buildings (b) ___ been built on (c) ___ banks of the Ganga.
(a)
(i) ride
(ii) rides
(iii) rode
(iv) riding
(b)
(i) has
(ii) have
(iii) had
(iv) having
(c)
(i) a
(ii) an
(iii) the
(iv) some
Answer:
(a) (iv) riding
(b) (iii) had
(c) (iii) the

Question 6.
The following paragraph has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the error and its correction as shown in the example. [1 × 4 = 4]
CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 3
Answer:
CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 4

Question 7.
Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences: [1 × 3 = 3]
(a) standing in / the temple / one day / front of / Sethu was /
(b) coming to / had / the temple / the devotees / started /
(c) that day / he saw / people had / that more / come/
Answer:
(a) One day Sethu was standing in front of the temple.
(b) The devotees had started coming to the temple.
(c) He saw that more people had come that day.

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 Set-III

Note : All questions except the following questions been already asked in the previous sets.

SECTION – B
(WRITING SKILLS WITH GRAMMAR) 25

Question 4.
Write a story in 150 – 200 words based on the following outline : [1 x 10 = 10]
A monkey and a crocodile — friends — monkey atefruits — crocodile only fish — crocodile’s wife — wanted to eat monkey’s heart — crocodile offered the monkey a ride in the river — told him — his wife’s desire — monkey — left my heart on the tree — crocodile swam back — monkey climbed the tree — saved.
OR
Complete the story in 150 – 200 words which *, begins as the following:
It was the month of December. The school was over at 6 : 00 pm. I was standing at the bus stand waiting for the bus. Suddenly it became dark and a heavy rain started.
Answer:
GREED IS A CURSE
A monkey used to live on a fruit tree near the bank of a river. Crocodile used to come near to that tree and soon, the monkey and the crocodile became friends. From that day onwards, they started meeting everyday and talked for long hours. The monkey plucked some delicious fruits from the tree and gave him to eat. The monkey also gave the crocodile some fruits for his wife.
The crocodile’s wife did not like her husband’s friendship with the monkey. She was annoyed because her husband had started coming home late every day.

One day she asked her husband to bring the monkey to the house. She wanted to eat the monkey’s heart. The crocodile refused. She got furious and dived deep into the water leaving the little ones to pester their father.
The crocodile loved his wife very much but at the same time, he did not want to betray his friend. Finally, finding no choice, he decided to bring the monkey to his home. He went to him and invited him for a meal. The monkey rode on crocodile’s back and they set out towards the crocodile’s house.

In the middle of stream, the crocodile told monkey that he had brought him here because his wife wanted to eat his heart. The monkey got frightened but maintained his calm. He told the crocodile that he had left his heart on the tree. So they should rush back to the tree to bring his heart back. The foolish crocodile swam back as fast as he could. As soon as they reached the bank of the river, the monkey climbed the tree and was safe. He told the crocodile that they would never meet again. Hence, we should never be greedy for anything as greed is a curse.
OR
MEETING A STRANGER
It was the month of December. The school was over at 6.00 pm. I was standing at the bus stand waiting for the bus. Suddenly, it became dark and a heavy rain started. There was no one at the bus stand. The whole area was deserted after a while. When there came no bus, I started walking. It was getting windy and nothing could be seen clearly. Somehow, I reached a place where there was a lonely house. I took shelter in it and waited for the rain to stop. Being tired, I soon fell asleep. I heard the sound of the foot steps. I opened my eyes and I saw a man who was tall, fair and handsome with thick moustache before me. I was startled and stared at him with fear. But he looked at me gently and said, “Don’t be afraid. I mean no harm.” I summoned my courage and asked him, “Are you too a traveller like me ?” He said, “Not exactly”. He looked at me with calm dignity and said, ‘I am the owner of this house. I keep coming here.” He had a job that required a lot of travelling. So he kept going out of the house often. He offered me fruits. But I was so afraid that I did not eat anything. Then he asked me my address and dropped me home. My parents who were anxiously waiting for me, heaved a sign of relief and thanked the man a lot.

Question 5.
Complete the paragraph given below by filling in the blanks with the help of the options that follow : [1 × 3 = 3]
A young person (a) ___ a picture (b) ___ both of us with ‘selfie’. I could (c)___ say ‘no’.
(a)
(i) want
(ii) wants
(iii) wanted
(iv) wanting
(b)
(i) on
(ii) of
(iii) in
(iv) for
(c)
(i) hard
(ii) harder
(iii) hardest
(iv) hardly
Answer:
(a)
(iii) wanted
(b)
(ii) of
(c)
(iv) hardly

Question 6.
The following paragraph has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the error and its correction as shown in the example. [1 × 4 = 4]
CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 5
CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 6
Answer:
CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 English 2017 Outside Delhi Term 2 7

Question 7.
Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences: [1 × 3 = 3]
(a) two hands / the sound / hear / of / you can /
(b) the / now / one hand / show me / sound of /
(c) did / succeed / tried / not / but / Sethu /
Answer:
(a) You can hear the sound of two hands.
(b) Now show me the sound of one hand.
(c) Sethu tried but did not succeed.

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers