I PRE BOARD EXAMINATION 2020-21

CLASS: X
SUBJECT: ENGLISH – Language and Literature (184)
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:
(i) The question paper is divided into two parts: A and B. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these
instructions very carefully and follow them.
(iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

PART - A (40 Marks)

READING (20 marks)
1. Read the passage given below:

1) Obesity has been defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m 2,
with extreme obesity defined as a BMI greater than 40 kg/m2. Obesity is rapidly
becoming the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with obesity-
related deaths projected to soon surpass deaths related to tobacco abuse. The
incidence of obesity has doubled in the United States since 1960, with one third of
the adult population currently obese. Perhaps more alarming is the increase in
overweight children; over the past 25 years, this rate has risen from 6% to 19%.
2) Obesity is the next major epidemiologic challenge facing today's doctors, with
the annual allocation of healthcare resources for the disease and related
comorbidities projected to exceed $150 billion in the United States. The incidence
of obesity has risen in the United States over the past 30 years; 60% of adults are
currently either obese or overweight. Obesity is associated with a higher incidence
of a number of diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Consumption of fast food, trans fatty acids (TFAs), and fructose—combined with
increasing portion sizes and decreased physical activity—has been implicated as a
potential contributing factor in the obesity crisis.
3) The use of body mass index (BMI) alone is of limited utility for predicting
adverse cardiovascular outcomes, but the utility of this measure may be
strengthened when combined with waist circumference and other anthropomorphic
measurements. Certain public health initiatives have helped to identify and reduce
some of the factors contributing to obesity.
4) In New York City and Denmark, for example, such initiatives have succeeded in
passing legislation to reduce or remove TFAs from residents' diets. The obesity
epidemic will likely change practice for gastroenterologists, as shifts will be seen in

1
 the incidence of obesity-related gastrointestinal disorders, disease severity, and the
nature of comorbidities. The experience gained with previous epidemiologic
problems such as smoking should help involved parties to expand needed health
initiatives and increase the likelihood of preventing future generations from
suffering the consequences of obesity.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY TEN (1x10=1
questions from the twelve that follow. 0)
i. A person is said to be extremely obese if his /her:
a BMI is less than 30kg/m2 b BMI is greater than 20kg/m2
c BMI is greater than 40kg/m2 d BMI is greater than 30kg/m2
ii. Deaths due to obesity are called as
a preventable deaths b unpresentable deaths
c deadly deaths d natural deaths
iii. Since 1960, the incidence of obesity has.......... in ...........
a tripled, the United Kingdom b doubled, the United Kingdom
c doubled, India d doubled, the United States
iv. What according to the author, is more worrying?
a Increase in overweight females. b Increase in overweight children.
c Decrease in overweight children. d Males increase in overweight.
v. The annual allocation of budget in the US for obesity and related diseases
a $50 billion b $70 billion c $150 billion d $150 million
vi. 60% of adult population in USA is either............ or ..............
a obese, underweight b obese, overweight
c malnourished, underweight d malnourished, overweight
vii. Which initiative has been taken in New York city and Denmark?
a Reduce or remove fructose from diet. b Increase TFAs from diets.
c Reduce fast food from diets. d Reduce or remove TFAs from diet.

2
viii. 'Cardiovascular outcomes' is related to
a Lungs b Intestines c Nose d Heart
ix. Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the
medical problems caused by Obesity:-
1. Heart diseases 2. Diabetes 3. Lung disease 4. Cancer
5. Thyroid 6. Hormonal disorders
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 3 and 4 (c) 5 and 6 (d) All of the these
x. The word ………….. in para 2 is a synonym of ‘granting’.
(a) associated (b) allocation (c) consumption (d) contributing
xi. The word comorbidities refers to ................................... .
(a) a medical condition of two disorders or disease coexisting at once.
(b) a medical condition of more than two disorders.
(c) a disease occurring in stages.
(d) None of the above.
xii. Which of the following is NOT TRUE as per the passage?
(a) Obesity is most common amongst late teenagers in America.
(b) Obesity has been termed as an epidemic.
(c) Obesity is defined in terms of the Waist Hip Ratio.
(d) Obesity is related to smoking.
2. Read the passage given below:

3
 1) A large number of infections and even deaths of healthcare workers in particular
states is being viewed with concern by officials and public health experts, who say
risks to frontline workers can jeopardise India’s fight against the pandemic.
2) The issue, discussed in a review meeting headed by the cabinet secretary on
Thursday, saw the Centre cautioning states about the need to protect a crucial
resource. The possible factors responsible for high infections, officials said, were
lax infection control in hospitals and the need for stringent containment measures in
areas where health professionals reside to safeguard them.
3) Despite the high number of cases, the government has received only 143 claims
since April under the Rs 50 lakh Covid-19 insurance scheme for healthcare workers
engaged in Covid mitigation activities.
4) Official sources said the wide gap between the number of deaths and claims
could be because all the casualties may not be eligible under the scheme. Besides,
the claims are a bit slow in coming as families of the dead take time to apply and do
the required paperwork.
5) “Solidarity with health workers cannot be met with mere words of
encouragement but by concerted efforts to strengthen the health workforce. Safety
net for their families should be provided including a term insurance cover of over
Rs 2 crore, with the government as sole guarantee,” said Giridhar Babu,
epidemiologist at the Public Health Foundation of India.
6) “Protecting healthcare workers is of paramount importance to make sure we
have a large enough force to take care of patients who need their services,” said Dr
H. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospitals, who said such workers may be
at risk because of a large number of asymptomatic patients and lack of proper use
of PPEs.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage attempt ANY TEN (1x10=10)
questions from the twelve that follow:

i. How many health workers have been infected with COVID-19 in Maharashtra as
per the graph?
(a) 11,169 (b) 12,260
(c) 8,363 (d) 24,484
ii. How many health care workers have died in Rajasthan due to COVID-19 infection?
(a) 292 (b) 21
(c) 11 (d) 17
iii. Which state of India is on the top in terms of confirmed COVID-19 cases?
(a) Karnataka (b) Tamil Nadu
(c) Delhi (d) Maharashtra
iv. What percentage of total healthcare workers confirmed COVID-19 cases in India?
Does Maharashtra have healthcare workers infected with COVID-19?
4
 (a) about 20% (b) about 35%
(c) about 40% (d) about 28%
v. How many healthcare workers infected with COVID-19 are there in Karnataka till
August 2020?
(a) 11,169 (b) 12,260
(c) 1,07,100 (d) 15,213
vi. 'Healthcare workers' refers to:
(a) Doctors (b) Nurses
(c) Asha Workers (d) All of these
vii. What is/are the factor/s responsible for high infections in healthcare professionals?
(a) Careless infection control in hospitals.
(b) Lack of stringent containment measure in areas where health professionals
reside to safeguard people infected with COVID-19.
(c) both (a) and b)
(d) neither (a) nor (b)
viii. "Protecting healthcare workers is of paramount importance .............". Who said
that?
(a) Dr. Anurag Yadav
(b) Dr. Rapesh Kumar
(c) Dr. H. Sudarshan Ballal
(d) Dr. Praveen Dalela
ix. "Safety net for their families should be provided including a term insurance..........."
. Who recommended that?
(a) Giridhar Babu (b) Dr. Subramaniam Naidu
(c) Dr. R. N. Shah (d) Dr. Aiyyar
x. Despite the high number of cases, the government has received only ...............
under the Rs 50 lakh COVID-19 insurance scheme for healthcare workers.
(a) 143 claims (b) 150 claims
(c) 183 claims (d) 152 claims
xi. A large number of infections and even deaths of ...................... in particular states
is a big concern.
(a) Healthcare Workers (b) Public Health Experts
(c) Emergency Services (d) Covid Warriors
xii. Issues discussed in a review meeting headed by the ..................., noticed to protect
crucial resources.
(a) Secretary General (b) Cabinet Secretary
(c) Cabinet Minister (d) Speaker
LITERATURE (10 marks)

5
3. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE, by answering the (1x5=5)
questions that follow.
(A) He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he
vowed to stay until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed
the tree the Bodhi Tree(Tree of Wisdom) and began to teach and to share his new
understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha.

i) What was the name of the peepal tree under which Buddha sat?
a) Bodhi b) Lodhi c) Ashok d) Prakash

ii) How many days did it take Buddha to get enlightened?

a) Three b) Five c) Seven d) Eleven

iii) What did Buddha do after getting enlightened?

a) Returned to his palace b) Began to teach and preach his
learning
c) Freed the world from poverty d) Became the God of the world

iv) ..................... in the extract means 'solemnly promise to do a specified thing'?

a) Wandered b) Enlightened
c) Renamed d) Vowed

v) From where is the passage adopted from?

a) Values and Voices: A College Reader b) Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
c) Annelies Marie 'Anne Frank" d) Lucio Rodrigues

Or

(B) The lady teacher who was in the class was saying something to the girls but
Bholi could understand nothing.

i) Where was Bholi?

a) Bholi was in the Principal's room in the village school.
b) Bholi was in her house.
c) Bholi was in the playground.
d) Bholi was in the classroom in the village school.

ii) Why could she understand nothing?

a) Because the teacher was not teaching properly.
b) Because it was her second day at school.
c) Because it was her first day at school.
d) Because the teacher was teaching in English and Bholi did not know English.

6
 iii) What is the opposite word of 'everything' in the extract?
a) something b) nothing c) anything d) None of these

iv) The opposite of 'lady teacher' would be ........ .

a) male teacher b) professor c) lecturer d) guest teacher

v) Who is the writer of the passage?

a) H. G. Wells b) K. A. Abbas c) Ruskin Bond d) Victor Canning
4. Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE, by answering the (1*5=5)
questions that follow:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.

i) What can be the cause of world's destruction as per these lines?

a) Fire b) Ice
c) Both (a) and (b) d) None of these

ii) According to the poet fire refers to

a) violent desires b) passions
c) jealousy d) All of these

iii) What does ice symbolise?

a) Indifference b) Hatred
c) Sympathy d) Passions

iv) What message does the poet want to convey through this poem?
a) Everything is transitory. b) Life is unpredictable.
c) Death is inevitable. d) Both (a) and (c)

v) Who is the poet of the above extract?

a) Robin Klein b) Robert Frost
c) John Berryman d) Leslie Norris

Or

Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,

And Mustard growled, and they all looked around,
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.

i) What did they suddenly hear?

a) weeping sound b) Howl sound
7
 c) Nasty sound d) Melodious sound

ii) Who was climbing in the window?

a) A tiger b) A pirate
c) A monster d) Another dragon

iii) Which word in the stanza means 'unpleasant'?

a) Sudden b) Growl
c) Nasty d) All of these

iv) What did Mustard do seeing the pirate?

a) Howled b) Barked
c) Growled d) All of these

v) Who is the poet of the above extract?

a) Walt Whitman b) Ogden Nash
c) Carl Sandburg d) Adrienne Rich

Grammar (10 Marks)

5. Fill in the blanks in the paragraph given below with the help of the options (1x3=3)
that follow:

It (i)______ rainy day and the traffic was busy on the road. A speeding bus
accidentally hit a car (ii)_____ in the market. Five commuters (iii)______ while
one person died on the spot.

(i) (a) was going to be a (b) had been the

(c) was a (d) is a

(ii) (a) have been turning (b) was making a turn

(c) is making a turn (d) was turned

(iii) (a) were badly injured (b) had been bad injured
(c) were severe (d) was injured
6. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks to complete the narration. (1x3=3)

8
 Looking at his grandson, Grandpa (i)_______ . He told Nelson that he was worried
for him as he was living a childhood that was too soft. He added that when he was
young, there were no toys or comforts that Nelson (ii)_______ . Their time was bad
and they lived in poverty . From this he (iii)_________ that suffering is a part of
life.

(i) (a) was shocked (b) has been surprised

(c) was worried (d) was irritated

(ii) (a) will enjoy (b) had been enjoying

(c) enjoy (d) now enjoys

(iii) (a) was learning (b) had learned

(c) learns (d) was able to get

7. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option for any four of the six (1x4=4)
sentences given below.

(i) For a hundred years or so, some critics ................. that poetry is dying, and all
that time poets ................. poems that later generations recognise as great.
(a) have maintained / have been writing (b) maintained / wrote
(c) had maintained / were writing (d) maintain / are writing

(ii) .............. these tools are cheap in price, they do stand the test in time.
(a) Because (b) In order that
(c) Although (d) As soon as

iii) I made a lot of friends in Mexico, but I have only kept in touch with .........
them.
(a) plenty of (b) a few of
(c) little (d) many

(iv) The history of Venetian Republic ............ to an end in 1797 when Venice
.......... over to Austria by Napoleon.
9
 (a) was coming, would have been handed (b) came, was handed
(c) had come, has been handed (d) comes, had been handed

(v) ....................... she has finally completed the course, she deserves to receive a
higher salary.
(a) Now that (b) However
(c) Despite the fact that (d) so that

(vi) It takes ............... of concentration and patience to make intricate lace

handicrafts.
(a) enough (b) a good deal
(c) a little (d) much more
PART - B (40 Marks)
WRITING (10 Marks)
8. You are Faizal, a resident of Anand Parbat, New Delhi. Write a letter to the editor (5x1=5)
of a local newspaper, drawing the attention of authorities concerned to the
deteriorating law and order situation in your locality in not more than 120 words.
Or
Write a letter in 100-120 words to the Sales Manager, Janata Medical Store,
Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh placing an order for sanitary items and other
medical equipments to ensure containment of spread of the pandemic “ Covid 19”
in the School. Sign yourself as Ravi/Raveena, Sports Secretary.
9. Various studies among teenagers prove that stress is fast becoming one of the major (5x1=5)
causes of many health problems today. It affect the overall well being of a person.
Taking the help of the picture below. Write an analytical paragraph on the topic
“Stress -Causes and prevention".
You are Arunima/ Ayush of H.L.Public School.

Or

10
 In the form of a bar diagram, fatalities in Delhi road accidents 2018 is given below.
Write an analytical paragraph on the basis of the given information.

LITERATURE (30 Marks)

10. Answer ANY TWO questions in 20-30 words each, from (A) and (B) (2x4=8)
respectively.
(A) (any two)
(a) How does the tiger stalk in the cage?
(b) Why couldn't the young seagull muster his courage to fly in the air?
(c) What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about?
(B) (any two)
(d) In the prose, 'The Thief’s Story' , does Anil realise that he had been robbed?
(e) Why is the lawyer sent to New Mullion? What does he first think about the
place?
(f) How did Griffin become a homeless wanderer without clothes and money?
11. Answer ANY TWO questions in 40-50 words each, from (A) and (B) (3x4=12)
respectively.
(A) (any two)
(a) Why did Lomov want to get married?
(b) What do you think about Wanda's action of not coming to school anymore?
(c) How did Valli gather all the information about the bus?
(B) (any two)
(d) What did Anil and Hari agree upon to be the mode of payment ?
(e) Write the character sketch of Bishamber ?
(f) Do you think that Tricki was enjoying his stay at the hospital?
12. Answer ANY ONE the following in 100-120 words. (5x1=5)
What is the significance of the hemlock tree and the crow in the poem 'Dust of
Snow'?
OR
11
 Man is a social animal. He has some obligations to society. What twin obligations
does Mandela mention? How can one fulfill these obligations?
13. Answer ANY ONE the following in 100-120 words. (5x1=5)
Contentment in one's life is very important to lead a peaceful life . We should be
happy with what we have and should not care for what we don't have. Matilda
suffered in her life because she was not contented in her life. What do you learn
from her mistakes in life?
OR
"Where there is a will, there is a way." Ebright had a will to become a scientist but
did not have enough resources. What can we learn from Richard Ebright to become
a successful person in our life?

***************

12