Please see below Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 2 Set D with solutions. We have provided Class 10 English Sample Papers with solutions designed by English teachers for Class 10 based on the latest examination pattern issued by CBSE. We have provided the following sample paper for Term 2 Class 10 English with answers. You will be able to understand the type of questions which can come in the upcoming exams.

CBSE Sample Paper for Class 10 English Term 2 Set D

SECTION-A (READING)

1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

(1) In Indian homes, the floor of the house is always the best maintained element, cleaned twice a day and wiped down to a sparkling state. In front of the threshold of the home the floor often is decorated with Rangoli and other ritual diagrams. This is true in rural as well as in many urban homes in metropolitan cities. When building a new home people spend as much money per sq. foot for a beautiful floor as they would spend on the entire structure. Yet, this pride and obsession for a clean floor suddenly vanishes as we step out into the street: the floor of the city.

(2) In Delhi where 80% of the people are pedestrian in some stage of their commuting, least attention is paid to pedestrian paths. Delhi’s sidewalks are too narrow, very poorly maintained and full of potholes, poles, junction boxes and dangerous electrical installations, not to speak of the garbage dumps that stink and stare at the pedestrian. Ashram Chowk is a good case in point where thousands of pedestrians change direction from the Mathura Road radial to the Ring Road. A flyover facilitates the automobiles while the pedestrian is orphaned by the investment-hungry authorities. One corner of the Ashram Chowk has a ridiculous imitation wood sculpture with an apology of a fountain and across the same Chowk, you have the open mouthed, massive garbage dump right on the pedestrian path, in full exhibition for the benefit of the public. These symbols of poor taste and abject apathy are then connected by narrow dangerous and often waterlogged footpaths for the hapless pedestrians to negotiate. In the night, street lighting in the central median light up the carriageway for cars and leave the pedestrian areas in darkness.

(3) Delhi’s citizens leave home and want to get to their destination as fast they can. No one wants to linger on the road, no leisure walks, no one looks a stranger in the eye. It is on the pedestrian path that the citizen encounters head-on the poor public management and the excuse called ‘multiplicity of authorities’. One agency makes the road, another digs it up to lay cables, third one comes after months to clear up the mess and the cycle of unaccountability goes on. Meanwhile crores are spent in repairing the carriageway for vehicles and in construction of flyovers without a care for the pedestrians below. Solution offered is to make an expensive underpass or an ugly footover bridge, ostensibly for facilitating the pedestrian, while in reality they only facilitate the cars to move faster at the expense of the pedestrians. Take Kashmiri Gate, ITO, Ashram Chowk, AIIMS or Dhaula Kuan. At all these important pedestrian cross-over points the story is the same : They have pulled the sidewalk from under the pedestrians feet.

(4) In modern cities across the world, the pedestrian is the king. The floor of the city is designed and maintained as an inclusive environment, helping the physically challenged, the old and the infirm, children and the ordinary citizen to move joyfully across the city. Delhi aspires to be ‘world class city’. Hopefully the authorities would look once again at the floor of Delhi. The pleasure of strolling on the road is deeply connected to our sense of citizenship and sense of belonging. Pride in the city grows only on a well designed floor of the city.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from the six given below:

(i) What is the most important element of Indian home?
Answer.The floor is the most important element,always best maintained, cleaned twice and wiped down to a sparkling state. Often the front of home is decorated with rangoli.

(ii) How are the sidewalks of Delhi?
Answer.The sidewalks of Delhi are too narrow, poorly maintained full of potholes, poles, dangerous electrical installations and huge stinky garbage dumbs.

(iii) Describe the street lighting.
Answer.The street lighting, in the might only lightens up the central median up the carriage way for cars but leaves the pedestrian in darkness.

(iv) No one wants to linger on the road, no leisure walks, no one looks a stranger in the eye. Replace the underlined phrase without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Answer.No one wants to linger on the road, no leisure walks, no one looks directly at a stranger.

(v) What is the solution for pedestrian?
Answer.The only solution offered for pedestrian is either to make an expensive underpass or an ugly foot over bridge.

(vi) What is the difference between roads of India and other countries?
Answer.In other countries floor of city is designed and maintained as an inclusive environment for old and physically challenged people. Sidewalks are given importance so that the ordinary citizen moves across the city joyfully.

2. Read the following passage carefully.

(1) Here are some questions to ponder. Do you know why a certain film star received an arsenal of weapons from a gangster terrorist? Do you know why witnesses who turn hostile do not get prosecuted for either perjury or wasting police time, or both? Do you know why it takes a decade or longer to try a criminal case in India?Have you ever thought any solutions to these problems? If you haven’t it might be because of the type of education you received!

(2) Most of us reluctantly accept the way things are because we have been educated to be accepting. We are not educated to be openly critical. We are not educated to argue, protest or confront. The Brits made no bones about it – in their schools we were educated to accept given values and ways of doing things. We were trained to be loyal servants to the status quo.

(3) Most of us oldies were subjected to the traditional approach of learning that focused on mastery of content,with little emphasis on the development of analytical skills and the nurturing of inquiring attitudes. We were the receivers of information, and the teacher was the dispenser. The passivity encouraged by teachers was typified by one of my principals who implored all the girls to be like ‘limpid water in a crystal vase’.

(4) These days I am kept very busy by schools that are running teacher-training courses to introduce the ‘inquiry approach’ to learning. Unlike traditional learning, this approach is focused on using and learning content as a means to develop information-processing and problem-solving skills. This system is more student-centered, with the teacher as a facilitator of learning. There is more emphasis on “how we come to know” and less on “what we know”. Students are more involved in the construction of knowledge through active analysis and investigation. They are encouraged to ask questions, and give opinions and share what they know. They are encouraged to criticise and argue, and confront the conventional wisdom.

(5) At the moment, this new approach is restricted to a few schools. However this year the ability to critically analyse has been introduced as part of the CBSE school syllabus. It is a small start but it is a move towards introducing thinking skills into all of our schools. It is the start of a big change.

(6) Our government and bureaucracy are full of old, well-educated people of a traditionalist background, who also see, read and hear the news reports about hostile witnesses, gangsters and film starts, and murders by politician’s sons. Like us they find them outrageous, but they don’t know how to change things. Critical analysis, change management and innovation were not part of their schooling, and in adult life they have not become freely critical, outspoken analysts capable of applying the fruits of their analysis to increasingly complex problems.

(7) We often come across the shortcomings of our government, judiciary and media. With very little effort these shortcomings will become a thing of the past. But they will be a long time coming. Not because our ‘leaders’ and societal managers are unfeeling, immoral, self-seekers but because they were educated and excel in consulting a textbook, and regurgitating someone else’s opinion and knowledge. As the newly educated might say: we can expect the same for a long time to come.

On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions. 

(i) Why do we reluctantly accept things?
Answer.We reluctantly accept things because we have been educated to be accepting and not be openly critical or confront things.

(ii) What kind of education did Brits provide us during their reign?
Answer.We were educated to accept given values and ways of doing things and trained to be loyal servants to the status quo.

(iii) How does the author feel about the ability to critically analyse introduced by CBSE?
Answer.The author feels positive about it and calls it a start of a big change.

(iv) Why do the government and bureaucracy not challenge the injustice?
Answer.The government and bureaucracy do not challenge the injustice because they have not become freely critical, and outspoken analysts capable of questioning things.

(v) We were trained to be loyal servants to the status quo. Replace the underlined phrase without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Answer.We were trained to be loyal servants to the existing conditions.

(vi) How are the girls implored to be like?
Answer.The girls are implored to be like limpid water in a crystal vase.

SECTION-B (WRITING AND GRAMMAR)

3. Attempt any one of the given questions. 
Write a letter in 100-120 words to the Manager of Grand Hotel located in Shimla, asking him to reserve for you a double room from 5th April to 15th April 20XX. You are Aditya/Anandhi of Mysore.
OR
Given below is a graph that shows comparison of the sale of 4 brands of sunscreen in Delhi this summer in rupees. Write an analytical paragraph based on the information provided in the graph in 100-120 words.

Answer.
D-2/47 Court Road
Mysore
25 March 20XX
The Manager
Grand Hotel
Shimla
Dear Sir,
Subject : Reservation of a double room
I along with my partner shall be visiting Shimla for eleven days—5th April to 15th April to be exact. You are requested to reserve a deluxe double room for us,for eleven days from 5th April to 15th April 20XX.I am enclosing herewith a bank draft for 5000 as advance for reservation charges and partial room rent.
This letter follows in continuation with my telephonic conversation. Kindly confirm the booking on Mysore
Telephone No. 532601.
Hoping for an early response.
Yours sincerely,
Aditya

4. The following paragraph has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Identify the error and write its correction against the correct blank number. Remember to underline the correction. The first has been done for you.

Answer.
Error                      Correction
(a) encourages         encourage
(b) by                      on 
(c) is                        are

5. Read the conversation between Reema and Ganesh and complete the passage that follows: 
Reema : What is your lucky charm?
Ganesh : My lucky charm is my locket. My grandmother gave this to me and her blessings are in it, I believe.
Reema (a) __________, lucky charm was. Ganesh replied that his lucky charm was his locket. He further
said that (b) _____________ to him and he believed that her blessings were in it.
Answer.(a) asked Ganesh what his
(b) his grandmother had given that

SECTION-C (LITERATURE)

6. Answer ANY SIX of the following in about 30-40 words. 

(i) What are the ‘tokens’ that the poet says he may have dropped long ago and which the animals have kept for him?
Answer.Humans and animals have similar basic instincts. While civilization has changed the man, but these basic instincts are preserved in the animals and help the humans to reconnect to their true self; so man seeks comfort in the company of animals.

(ii) How did Mme. Loisel know the life of necessity?
Answer.Matilda had lost the precious diamond necklace she had borrowed from her friend. Since the necklace could not be retrieved, it had to be replaced with another equally expensive necklace. Her husband had to borrow a huge amount of money apart from using up his entire life’s saving to buy the necklace. In order to pay off the debt money, Matilda had to change her lifestyle.

(iv) In what ways is China related to tea?
Answer.There are two legends associated with the origin of tea. One of them tells us about the Chinese emperor who accidentally dropped a few leaves from the twigs used to light the fire under the pot in which he was boiling his drinking water. It made the water taste delicious. Those leaves were said to be tea leaves. The other legend is from India, in which a buddhist ascetic named Bodhidharma cut off his eyelids to prevent himself from falling asleep during meditation.

(v) What kind of a mother was Ramlal’s wife?
Answer.Ramlal’s wife was a typical village woman who believed that girls are not supposed to go to school as it would lessen their chances of getting married. She was not a good mother. She always favoured her good looking, perfect children whereas Bholi was neglected and treated indifferently by her own mother. Bholi’s mother discriminated against her because she stammered, was slow witted and had ugly pock marks on her entire body.

(vi) What does the narrator in The Hack Driver describe as “pretty disrespectful treatment”?
Answer.The narrator describes the treatment given to them by Lutkins’ mother as a pretty disrespectful treatment. She insulted them. She marched towards them with a hot iron rod. She laughed at them when they retreated with a fear from there. She went to the kitchen and came out with an iron rod. She marched towards them with a threat. They had to retreat from there.

(vii) Why does Amanda seem moody most of the time?
Answer.Amanda seems moody most of the time because she is trying to get away from her reality where she is being nagged most of the times. It is indeed a sorry state for a small child like Amanda. The only respite from such reality is her imagination where she often escapes to. Hence, it makes her look moody and uninterested.

7. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120-150 words each. 

(i) The principle ‘Forgive and Forget’ helps a lot in maintaining cordial relations with our neighbours. Do you think the author proves this message in the play “The Proposal”?
Answer.Letting go of anger and bitterness can work wonders both for our attitude and for our health. Anger may spoil anything like poison. One cannot afford to remain wallowing in the marsh of anger or sad feelings. Life has to move on and if one wants to get ahead one has to imbibe “forgive and forget”. Only sensitive and great people can follow this gospel.
In the present play “The Proposal” we find that Lomov visits the house of Chubukov with a proposal to marry his daughter Natalaya. Chubukov’s joy knows no bounds, to hear this. But in course of their common talk, they pick up nonsensical issues and stand fighting and abusing each other. Even Natalaya also jumps into the ring of verbal quarrel. When things become normal after the sudden departure of Lomov, Natalaya comes to know about the proposal, she asks her father to call Lomov back. When he comes back this time he and Natalaya start abusing each other and have heated fight over dogs. But in the end, they compromise, they forget their issue and forgive each other. The proposal changes into marriage. Hence we see that the principle helped them unite.

(iii) In life, people who easily trust others are sometimes made to look foolish. One should not be too trusting.
Describe how Oliver Lutkins made a fool of the young lawyer.
Answer.
In life, people who easily trust others are sometimes made to look foolish. One should not be too impressionable or unsuspecting. The gullible young lawyer became a victim of Oliver Lutkins’ prank as the latter made a fool of the former in the story, ‘The Hack Driver’.
He arrived in New Mullion to deliver a court summons on a man named Oliver Lutkins. He had never seen Lutkins, therefore he did not know what to expect at the time of making the delivery. Fortunately, the lawyer found a hack driver, who promised to take him around the town and help him catch Lutkins no matter how long it took. The hack driver claimed to know almost all the places where Lutkins could be found. Impressed with his friendly manner, the lawyer agreed to hire him. Little did the lawyer know that the hack driver was Lutkins himself. Owing to his helpful and friendly nature, the young lawyer came to believe that the people of the town were equally friendly, helpful and trustworthy. Lutkins charged a high price for the hack and the food. Lutkins even alerted Fritz and his other friends, and his mother not to reveal his identity to the lawyer. As promised, Lutkins drove the lawyer all over the town, meeting the town’s people, searching for Lutkins, until it was afternoon and time for the lawyer to leave. Lutkins even went to the railway station to see him off and the young lawyer felt a special bond of friendship developing between the two. He thought of settling down in New Mullion amongst the simple, friendly, trustworthy folks of the town and start his own practice only to realise on his second visit that he had been befooled not only by Lutkins but by the same trustworthy people of the town as well.