ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

Solving ICSE Class 10 English Language Previous Year Question Papers ICSE Class 10 English Language Question Paper 2014 is the best way to boost your preparation for the board exams.

ICSE Class 10 English Language Question Paper 2014 Solved

Question 1.
(Do not spend more than 35 minutes on this question.)   [25]
Write a composition (350-400 words) on any one of the following:

(a) Write an original short story that begins with the words: “Its not my fault, he shouted ”
(b) ‘Working women make better mothers than women who stay at home ’. Express your views either for or against this statement.
(c) Describe an early morning walk through your city or town in winter. Give details of the smells, sights, sounds and feelings you experienced.
(d) Think of a time when you found yourself in an embarrassing situation. Narrate how you got into that situation, how you dealt with it and the lesson you learnt from it.
(e) Study the picture given below. Write a short story or description or an account of what the picture suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take suggestions from it; however, your composition must have a clear connection with the picture.
ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10 1
Answers :
(a) Whose Fault ?
“It’s not my fault,” he shouted and walked out. He took the lift and came down.
Almost in tears, he went out of his office building.

Lying on his bed that night he was reflecting on the terrible incident that had happened. He was to post the tender form to the Municipal Corporation.

The contract was worth crores of rupees, and meant a lot to his company. He had taken all the precautions. He was sure that no one was in the know of the rates offered, except for a few in the upper hierarchy in the company and he himself.

Yesterday he had been summoned by the Chief Manager. The CEO was present. He was then accused of leaking the rates to a rival company. And that meant a sabotage, a deception and a huge loss !

“Nobody else but you’ve done it,” the CEO told him bluntly in an uproarious tone.

“No, sir. How can I ? I’ve been loyal to this company for years. It was not for the first time that I had been assigned this job.”

But his rebuttal was useless. Now the question before him was : how could he prove his innocence ?

On a wild impulse, the next day, he went to see Mr. Shaw GM of Trident company which had been lucky to snatch the trophy from their hands. He at once introduced himself saying that he had been sent by the GM of his company enquiring whether the job had been done. Mr. Shaw at once said that 1 crore had been deposited into his account. So that was it! He went home, sent his resignation to his CEO with the note that if he was interested in knowing whose ‘fault’ it was, he should go and enquire how Mr. Joshi, their GM, had got 1 crore into his account two days ago.

He was at ease with himself after several hours, though he was now out of work.

Only a week ago Joshi had surprised him that he was going to buy an Audi. Now he had got something to surprise him.

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

(b) Working Women vs House-keepers
In our stark materialistic world women are under pressure to go out and work to add to the comforts of the family. In certain cases they have to work to cope with the ever-rising prices of essential commodities. Thus, they spend over eight hours outside their home. In the morning a working woman has no time for the family.

She prepares breakfast half-heartedly asking her husband and children to serve it themselves. She hastily prepares herself and leaves for office, taking her breakfast with her, to be partaken at the office. In the evening, when she returns, she is totally tired. She has no time to help her children with the homework.

Nor has she time to supervise what they do or don’t do when they are alone. She talks to everyone in an irritated tone. She prepares her dinner in the same sullen mood. She goes to bed earlier than others. If there is a maid in the house, the situation is slightly better.

On the other hand, the woman who does not go to work has all the time at her disposal. She does her household chores cheerfully. She cooks and serves food lovingly to her family. She has the time to look after the needs of her husband and children. She makes it a point to help the children with their homework.

She knows what her children do or don’t do. If she gets the help of a servant, she is in a better position to look after her family. The only snag is that if her husband does not earn adequately, the family has to forego many comforts. But in our fast changing world, even a house-keeper can earn some money by doing e-work on her computer. This will be a tension-free work.

Whatever be the case, there is no doubt that women who stay at home prove to be better mothers and better wives.

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

(c) An Early Morning Walk in Winter
‘Early to bed and early to rise
Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ is an old-age dictum, the truth of which cannot be denied. Being an early riser, I find ample time to go out into the early morning for a daily walk on the canal that runs through the outskirts of the city.

For this I get a good company of my friend Sudesh who calls on me daily and we both proceed to the canal side to enjoy all sights, smells and sounds of the morning and get thrilled and marvel at the bounties of nature that enliven our spirits. While having a stroll on the banks of the canal we find the smooth flow of water undisturbed at this hour. It appears the earth has nothing more pleasant and beautiful to present. We feel the quiet and serene atmosphere energising our spirits.

Though quite cold at this hour, the breeze that blows sends signals of buoyancy to give us strength to meet the challenges of day’s hectic activities. The grass and trees covered with frost are a charming sight to refresh our eyes. Morning walk is rightly considered a panacea for all ailments. All the senses of sight, sound, smell, etc. get their desired food in the early atmosphere of the morning.

The chirping or warbling of the birds is really enchanting. The ripples in the water of the canal are thrilling and invigorating. The flowers giving out their sweet smell are intoxicating indeed. What other wealth does one require than this ? A morning walker is a blissful soul, living far behind the madding crowd’s ignoble strife. People avoid going for a walk in the chilly days. But I accompanied by my friend enjoy bracing the chilly winds.

No other treasure can equal the pleasure that I enjoy while having a morning walk, keeping eyes and ears open, receiving the best that the nature can give to man.

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

(d) An Embarrassing Situation
What an embarrassing situation I had once fallen into that night while going home in an autorickshaw after my trip to my grandparents in Delhi ! Being inexperienced of the ways of the crooked and schemy persons, I would trust anybody and could not read through the gestures of other persons.

While expressing my feelings about this experience I do not intend any harm or insult to any autowalla. I remember it was past eleven at night when the autorickshaw suddenly halted at a place where there was no light and no person visible. I enquired of him what had happened to the vehicle, he replied that it had run out of petrol, hence there was no scope to go on.

When I asked him why he had not checked out earlier, he became harsh and spoke threateningly. Since I was alone, I feared his posture and began to pray to God to save me from this predicament. I was murmuring a prayer and recalling the words of my father never to hire any unauthorised autorickshaw. But I had committed a mistake, and repentance could be of no avail.

But as luck would have willed it, some relief came in sight. A PCR team on patrol saw me and enquired of me what had happened. When I told them of the rude and shameful behaviour of the autowalla, the policemen took that man to task, took his papers and challaned him.

They cheered me up and asked me to wait till a public transport bus came that way. I thanked them and God for saving me from an embarrassing situation. Since then I have learnt the lesson of my life : not to trust an unauthorised auto driver, but to seek the police help and hire only the fully authorised person for such a job. Committing some blunders puts one in embarrassing situation. But one should not lose one’s patience and courage. That is ripeness. And that is all.

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

(e) Picture Description (Child Labour)
Children are the real wealth and future of a country. Well-cared for and well-educated children can grow into responsible citizens whose sincere efforts can transform the face of the country. But isn’t it a big curse that the children are made to do hard manual labour in different fields and denied their share of innocent joy and care ?

Though there are stringent laws framed against child labour, the laws are shamefully flouted and the children of the poor are seen working at dhabas, restaurants, shops and quarries, etc. The time they should have spent in gleaning pearls of wisdom from books is spent in earning for their parents or themselves. Is it not a slur on the fair name of the country that these children who can bloom into the architects of the country rot in factories, kilns, dhabas and such other places?

The different organizations of UNO, UNESCO, etc. have enshrined in their charters that no child should be made to work, and that all welfare states must ensure that the children all over the world are guaranteed access to freedom and other facilities, like education, sports and entertainment.

It is the duty of all the governments, organizations and similar NGOs to take strong steps and measures that the children, without any discrimination of sex, are given all facilities and proper environment for the growth of their personality. With the blessings of education, they will, it is hoped, find meaning in their life.

Then there will be no injustice or exploitation of these children. Let them be given their due so that they might live with honour and dignity, holding their heads high.

It is an established fact that where the children are taken care of properly and blessed with the environment conducive to their growth, that country or nation is bound to steal a march over the others. Children being the shining future of a country deserve all consideration and care irrespective of any colour, creed or social status. ‘Opportunities to all’ should be the watchword with every government.

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

Question 2.
(Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this question.) Select ONE of the following: [10]
(a) Your uncle has promised to give you a gift of 1000/-. Write a letter thanking him for the offer, tell him how you plan to spend the money; and why you wish to spend it in this way.
(b) You are the President of the Nature Club in your school which is hosting the Earth Day Celebrations. Write a letter to the Principal of a neighbouring school inviting the school to participate in the event. State when, why and how you plan to celebrate Earth Day.
Answer:
(a) 25, EktaVihar
Ludhiana

Dear Uncle

I received your letter yesterday. I am very happy to learn that you are sending me 1000/. Thank you very much for this gift of one thousand rupees.

Ever since I read about it, I have been thinking how to make the best use of this money. First of all, I am badly in need of a scientific calculator. So as soon as I receive the money I shall go in for it. I am sure this calculator will help me save much of my precious time near the examination.

The second thing which I propose to buy with this money is a cricket bat. After the examinations, I shall be free for about a month. This time I propose to devote to playing and enjoying.

After buying these two things whatever money I am left with, I shall have a nice party with my close friends on the day our examinations end. Don’t you agree with me that after the burdensome hard work of examination days I need best, relaxation and enjoyment ?

So once again I thank you for this gift. Pay my regards to Aunti and love to Mani.

Yours affectionately

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

Or

(b) President
Nature club
XYZ Public School
Chandigarh
April 7,20…
The Principal
D.A.V. Public School
Panchkula

Sir

You will be glad to know that we are celebrating the Earth Day in our school on Sunday the 20th of April. The famous environmentalist Dr. U.K. Khurana will be the chief guest of the celebrations. He has also agreed to deliver a lecture on how we can contribute in keeping the earth green and beautiful. It will be a brief function followed by sapling plantation and cleaning of parks in the school and then in the city.

May I invite you, Sir, to participate in the event along with your students ? It will indeed be a good show if students of your school join hands with our students in the celebrations. I am sine, the students will not only enjoy this novel experience but will learn a lot from this event.

Thanking you.
Raman Sharma

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

Question 3.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Richard Parker was so named because of a clerical error.

A panther was terrorizing the Khulna district of Bangladesh, just outside the Sundarbans. It had recently carried off a little girl. She was the seventh person killed in two months by the animal. And it was growing bolder. The previous victim was a man who had been attacked in broad daylight in his field. The beast dragged him off into the forest, and his corpse was later found hanging from a tree. The villagers kept a watch nearby that night, hoping to surprise the panther and kill it, but it never appeared.

The Forest Department hired a professional hunter. He set up a small, hidden platform in a tree near a river where two of the attacks had taken place. A goat was tied to a stake on the river’s bank. The hunter waited several nights. He assumed the panther would be an old, wasted male with worn teeth, incapable of catching anything more difficult than a human.

But it was a sleek tiger that stepped into the open one night: a female with a single cub. The goat bleated. Oddly, the cub, who looked to be about three months old, paid little attention to the goat. It raced to the water’s edge, where it drank eagerly. Its mother followed it. Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater urge. Only once the tiger had quenched her thirst did she turn to the goat to satisfy her hunger.

The hunter had two rifles with him : one with real bullets, the other with immobilizing darts. This animal was not the man-eater, but so close to human habitation she might pose a threat to the villagers, especially as she was with cub. He picked up the gun with the darts. He fired as the tiger was about to attack the goat. The tiger reared up and snarled and raced away. But immobilizing darts don’t bring on sleep gently they knock the creature out without warning. A burst of activity on the animal’s part makes it act all the faster.

The hunter called his assistants on the radio. They found the tiger about two hundred yards from the river. She was still conscious. Her back legs had given way and her balance on her front legs was shaky. When the men got close, she tried to get away but could not manage it. She turned on them, lifting a paw that was meant to kill. It only made her lose her balance. She collapsed and the Pondicherry Zoo had two new tigers. The cub was found in a bush close by, meowing with fear.

The hunter, whose name was Richard Parker, picked it up with his bare hands and, remembering how it had rushed to drink in the river, named it Thirsty. But the shipping clerk at the Howrah train station was evidently a man both confused and diligent. All the papers received with the cub clearly stated that its name was Richard Parker, that the hunter’s first name was Thirsty and that his family name was None Given. Richard Parker’s name stuck. I don’t know if the hunter was ever called Thirsty None Given !

(а) Give the meaning of each of the following words as used in the passage. [3]
One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.

  1. corpse (line 10)
  2. quenched (line 28)
  3. reared (line 36)

Answer:

  1. dead body
  2. satisfied
  3. raised

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.

(i) Why does the author say that the panther ‘was getting bolder ? [2]
(ii) Why did the Forest Department hire a professional hunter ? [2]
(iii) What did the hunter expect to encounter? What did he actually encounter? [2]
(iv) What did the tiger do before turning to attack the goat ? Why did it do that ? [2]
(v) Why does the hunter decide to shoot the tiger though he knew it was not the man-eater ? [2]
(vi) What name did the hunter give to the cub? Why ? [2]
Answer:
(i) The writer says so because the panther had already killed seven persons in two months.
(ii) The Forest Department hired a professional hunter to kill the panther.
(iii) The hunter expected to encounter an old, wasted male with worn teeth incapable of catching anything more difficult than a human. He actually encountered a sleek female tiger with a cub.

(iv) The tiger quenched her thirst. It did so because out of hunger and thirst, the latter is the greater urge. She wanted to satisfy her thirst first.

(v) hunter decided to shoot the tiger because he felt that a tiger’s presence, so close to human habitation might pose a threat to the villagers.

(vi) The hunter named the cub ‘Thirsty’. He gave this name to the cub because the cub had rushed to take water when it came near the river.

(c) (i) In not more than 60 words narrate how the hunter and his assistants captured the tiger and her cub. [8]
(ii) Give a suitable title to your summary in 3(c). Give a reason to justify your choice. [2]
Answer:
(i) As the tiger was about to attack the goat, the hunter shot an immobilizing dart at her. The tiger got up and ran away. The hunter called his assistants. They found the tiger near the river. She was still conscious. But her legs had given way. She tried to lift her paw but failed to manage it. She collapsed and thus she was captured.

(ii) Heading : Overpowering the Powerful
This heading is appropriate because the para tells us how a tiger was overpowered.

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

Question 4.
(a) Fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space. [4]

Example:
(0) From his perch behind the clock, Hugo could (0) __________ (see) everything.
Answer: see.

He rubbed his fingers nervously against the small notebook in his pocket and (1) __________ (tell) himself to be patient. The old man in the toy booth (2) __________ (argue) with the girl. She (3) __________ (be) about Hugo s age and he often saw her go into the booth and (4) __________ (disappear) behind the counter. The old man (5) __________ (look) agitated today. Had he figured out some of his toys were (6) __________ (miss)? Well, there was nothing to be (7) __________ (do) about that now. The old man and the girl argued some more and finally she closed her book and (8) __________ (run) off.
Answer:
1. told
2. was arguing
3. was
4. disappear
5. was looking
6. missing
7. done
8. ran

(b) Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word: [4]

  1. The teacher spoke __________ for Raju when he was wrongly accused of stealing money.
  2. We can visit her in the hostel __________ 3 pm and 5 pm on Saturdays.
  3. The Sinhas have lived in New Delhi __________ 1943.
  4. Little children are often afraid __________ the dark.
  5. Sneha has applied __________ a scholarship.
  6. It took Ahmed many months to get __________ the loss of his friend.
  7. She turned __________ the generous offer made by the manager.
  8. We were asked to take __________ our footwear as we were entering a place of worship.

Answer:

  1. up
  2. between
  3. since
  4. of
  5. for
  6. over
  7. down
  8. off

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

(c) Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘so’. [4]

(i) He is good at gymnastics. His handwriting must improve.
Answer:
His handwriting must improve though he is good at gymnastics.

(ii) Her grandfather gifted her a paint box. He knew she was good at art.
Answer:
Knowing that she was good at art her grandfather gifted her a paint box.

(iii) Ravi fractured his arm. He insisted on playing the match.
Answer:
Insisting on playing the match he fractured his arm.

(iv) Mona has been ill for a month. She stoodfirst in the examination.
Answer:
In spite of being ill for a month she stood first in the examination.

(d) Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence. [8]

(i) As soon as we lit the candle, the power supply was restored.
(Begin : No sooner ………………..)
Answer:
No sooner did we light the candle than the power supply was restored.

(ii) The bee is more industrious than all other creatures.
(Use ‘most industrious ’)
Answer:
The bee is the most industrious of all creatures.

(iii) The old woman was too slow to catch the bus.
(Begin : The old woman was so ………………..)
Answer:
The old woman was so slow that she could not catch the bus.

(iv) “I’ll do it tomorrow,” he promised.
(Rewrite in indirect speech)
Answer:
He promised that he would do it the next day.

ICSE 2014 English Language Question Paper Solved for Class 10

(v) Though Reema got an expensive gift she was not happy.
(Begin : In spite …………………..)
Answer:
In spite of getting an expensive gift, Reema was not happy.

(vi) I prefer reading a book to watching a movie.
(Begin : I would rather …………………)
Answer:
I would rather read a book than watch a movie.

(vii) I have never seen Mr. Roy lose his temper.
(Begin : Never ……………….)
Answer:
Never have I seen Mr. Roy lose his temper.

(viii) She found your keys in the garage.
(Begin : The keys …………………..)
Answer:
The keys belonging to you were found in the garage by her.