SAMPLE PAPER TEST 01 FOR TERM-2 EXAM (2021-22)

SUBJECT: ENGLISH (184) MAX. MARKS : 40

CLASS : X DURATION: 2 HRS
General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING & GRAMMAR and
LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

SECTION-A (READING)
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
(1) Overpowering prey is a challenge for creatures that do not have any limbs. Some species like
Russell’s viper, inject poison into their prey. Some others opt for an alternative non-chemical
method - rat snakes, for instance, catch and push their prey against the ground to immobilize
them, while pythons use their muscle power to crush their prey to death. But snakes can’t be
neatly divided into poisonous and non-poisonous categories.

(2) Even species listed as non-poisonous are not completely free of poison. The common Sand
Boa, for instance, produces secretions particularly poisonous and dangerous to birds. So, the
species does not prefer to take any chance – it crushes its prey and injects poison as an extra step.

(3) Do vipers need poison powerful enough to kill hundreds of rats with just one drop? After all,
they eat only one or two at a time.
(4) While hunting, animals try their best to kill as efficiently as possible while their prey will put
in all the efforts, use any trick to avoid getting caught and becoming a meal, such as developing
immunity to the poison. For instance, Californian ground squirrels are resistant to Northern
Pacific rattle snake getting caught and poison.

(5) Competition with prey is not the only thing driving snakes to evolve more and more deadly
poison. Snakes also have to struggle to avoid becoming prey themselves.

(6) Some snake killers are prone to have partial immunity to poison. Famously, mongooses are
sure; highly resistant to the poison of cobra, and with their speed and agility, they can kill snakes
fearlessly and are relatively unharmed . It would mean definite death of cobras as a species if
they did not evolve a more deadly poison to stop and resist the mongooses.

(7) Poison has another very important role. It has an extreme meat softening property; their
specific enzymes break up the insides of the prey. Normally, a reptile depends on the sun’s warm
rays to aid it in its digestion.

(8) But I wonder if we can use the venom in our favour. In remote parts of India, local hospitality
there often involves serving leather-tough meat. I chew and chew until my jaws start aching. If I
spit it out or refuse, our hosts would be offended, I swallow like a python stuffing a deer, down
its throat and hope I don’t choke. If only I had poison.

On the basis of your reading of the passage answer ANY FIVE of the given questions.
(1 × 5 = 5)
(i) How do Russell vipers attack their prey?
(ii) How does Sand Boa kill its prey?
(iii) Rat snakes attack their prey by ___________.
(iv) Why do animals try to kill efficiently?

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 (v) The writer wished he had poison because ____________.
(vi) One word for ‘liquid substances released from glands’ in paragraph-2 is ____________.

2. Read the following passage carefully.

(1) What is a classical dance? A dance which is created or choreographed and performed
according to the tenets of the Natya Shastra is called a classical dance. The two broad aspects of
classical dancing are the tandava and the lasya. Power and force are typical of the tandava; grace
and delicacy, of the lasya. Tandava is associated with Shiva, and lasya with Parvati. Dance
which is pure movement is called nritta, and dance which is interpretative in nature is called
nritya. A dancer in the classical tradition has to have years of training before he or she can begin
to perform on the stage. What are the main schools of classical dancing? The four main schools
of classical dancing in India are: Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Manipuri, Kathak.

(2) Bharata Natyam is the oldest and most popular dance-form of India. Earlier, it was known by
various names. Some called it Bharatam, some Natyam some Desi Attam and some Sadir. The
districts of Tanjore and Kanchipuram of Tamil Nadu were the focal points in the development of
Bharata Natyam. It was danced as a solo performance by devadasis (temple dancers) on all
auspicious occasions. Later, kings and rich people lent their patronage to it and it started
shedding its purely sacred character. The dancer is directed by the natuvanar, who is a musician
and, invariably, a teacher. Another musician plays the cymbals. The music for Bharata Natyam is
the Carnatic School of music. The mridangam (a drum), played on both sides with the hands,
provides the rhythm.

(3) The home of Kathakali is Kerala. Kathakali literally means ‘story-play’. It combines music,
dance, poetry, drama and mime. Its present form has evolved out of older forms such as
Ramanattam and Krishnanattam. Kathakali dance-dramas last from dusk to dawn. The artistes
use elaborate costumes; mask like make-up and towering head-dresses. The dancers are all
males. Female roles are usually played by boys. There is no stage - a few mats are spread on the
ground for the audience to sit on. The only ‘stage-lighting’ is a brass lamp fed with coconut oil.
Two singers provide the vocal music. The chenda, a large drum, which is beaten on one side with
two slender curved sticks, is an integral part of the Kathakali performance. A metal gong, a pair
of cymbals and another drum complete the orchestra. Besides providing the beat, they are also
the means by which all the sound-effects are created.

(4) Manipur, in the north-east is the home of Manipuri. It has evolved out of the folk dances of
the land, which are religious in nature. Lai Haroba is the oldest dance-drama of Manipur and is
based on folk-lore and mythology. But Ras Leela is the most popular one. It tells of the
legendary love of Radha and Krishna. In the Manipuri style of dancing, the accent is on grace
and softness. The women’s costumes are extremely picturesque. Besides the singers, the khol,
the manjira and the flute also accompany the dancers.

(5) Kathak has its home in north India. ‘Kathak’ means ‘story-teller’. In ancient times, the
storyteller used gestures and movements while narrating the great epics. In course of time it
became an elaborate art, rich in beautiful movements and facial expressions. Later, under the
Persian influence, the original dance form underwent many changes, gradually losing its
religious and moral character. It became a court dance. Both men and women danced. With the
passing of years, the Kathak performance was reduced to being an evening’s entertainment, and
the girls, who danced, were no more than pretty entertainers. Kathak, however, was revived
under the patronage of the rulers of Lucknow and Jaipur, and this gave rise to two styles known
as the Lucknow gharana and the Jaipur gharana. Gharana means ‘house’ or ‘school’. In Kathak,
the accent is on footwork. A dancer wears anklet with several rows of bells and skillfully
regulates their sound, sometimes sounding just one bell out of the many on his feet. The singer
who accompanies the Kathak dancer not only sings, but reproduces the drum syllables also. The
sarangi, a string instrument, provides the music at a Kathak performance.

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 On the basis of your reading of the passage answer ANY FIVE of the given questions.
(1 × 5 = 5)
(i) What is the most ancient and well-known classical dance of India?
(ii) Where did Manipuri dance originate from?
(iii) The highlight of the Kathak dance performance is ______.
(iv) Which classical dance has only male dancers and even female roles were played by men?
(v) Kathakali means ______, while Kathak means _______.
(v) What constitutes ‘classical dance’?

SECTION-B (WRITING AND GRAMMAR)

3. Attempt any one of the given questions. (5)
The given pie charts show the favourite colors of students of a school. Write an analytical
paragraph about it in 120-150 words.

OR
As Sports Incharge of A.C.C. Public School, Secunderabad, write a letter to the Secretary of the
Sports Authority of India, Delhi, requesting him to send the details of scholarships admissible to
different categories of students of the school, who have achieved excellence in various sports.

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. (1 × 3 = 3)
Error Correction
People of diverse cultures lives (a) _____ _____
together in India. There is many (b) _____ _____
people who exhibit unity on diversity. (c) _____ _____

5. Read the conversation between Priya and Rahul and complete the passage that follows
(1 × 2 = 2)
Father : Son, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Son : Dad, I want to be a pilot.
Father : Why?
Son : Because I love being in the air and help people get
to new destinations.
Father asked his son what he wanted to be when he grows up. The son replied that (a)
__________ . When the father asked why, the son replied that (b) _____________ people get to
new destinations.

SECTION - C (LITERATURE)

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6. Answer ANY SIX of the following in about 30-40 words. (2 × 6 = 12)
(i) Do you think we always need sophisticated instruments for all science experiments? Why/
Why not?
(ii) Why is it fair to say that Custard could be the ‘poster-boy’ for the belief that the real nature
of a person is revealed at times of the greatest difficulty?
(iii) How did Chubukov react when Lomov asked for the hand of his daughter in marriage?
(iv) Why was the lawyer not happy with his job?
(v) Whitman’s ode to animals is merely a yearning for a simpler life. Do you agree? Justify your
answer.
(vi) How did Valli save money for her first bus journey?
(vii) Why was Matlida Loisel always unhappy?

7. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120-150 words each. (4 × 2 = 8)

(i) People should always try to live within their limits. Elaborate on the basis of chapter, ‘The
Necklace’.
(ii) 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?
(iii) Discuss Guatam Buddha’s teaching about life and suffering.

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