ICSE ENGLISH PRE–BOARD (SET-3) CBSE

CLASSROOM CONTACT PROGRAMME

(ACADEMIC SESSION 2023-2024)

CAREER FOUNDATION DIVISION

CLASS: X - CBSE (FT)
PRE-BOARD # 3
SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TARGET: BOARDS
Time: 3 Hrs. Max. Marks: 80
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and LITERATURE.
Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

SECTION - A
READING SKILL

1. Read the text carefully and answer the questions: (10 Marks)
1. January 26 is celebrated as Republic Day in our country. It was on this day, in 1950, the new constitution of
independent India came into force and India became a democratic republic. The Constituent Assembly
headed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, took
more than two years to bring the world's lengthiest constitution to its final shape.
2. The enormous task before the Constituent Assembly was to frame the basic law that would formalize India as
a truly democratic nation. Democracy is aptly defined as a system of Government by the people, for the
people and of the people. The founding fathers of the Constitution, therefore, had to ensure that the basic law
of the land contained sufficient provisions for the fulfilment of the democratic aspirations of the people of
India not only in the political sphere but also in the social and economic spheres. That explains the inclusion
of a separate part in the Constitution, called the Directive Principles of State Policy.
3. These principles signify the fact that the framers of the Constitution were well aware of the wide gaps and
inequalities that existed among the various sections of the Indian population. The Constitution makers had the
wisdom to appreciate that political democracy is meaningless when an overwhelming majority of the
population is historically trapped in poverty, illiteracy, ill- health and superstition. The Central and State
Governments were expected to frame policies so that every citizen is assured of a decent living standard
irrespective of sex, caste, religion, language and region.
4. The makers of our Constitution describe India as a Union of States and not as a federation. Being well
conversant with the diversity of the nation in terms of the language, religion, caste and region, and its
implications on the intended socio-economic development of the country as a whole, the makers of the
Constitution opted for a political system in which the Central Government is equipped with overwhelming
administrative, legislative and financial muscle. Most of the nations' policies and programmes for socio-

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economic development originate at the Central Government, and the responsibility for their successful
implementation is entrusted to the states.

1. Infer one reason for the following, based on information in paragraph 1. 26 January was chosen as the date
for Republic day.
2. Select the appropriate option to fill in the blanks. From paragraph 4, we can infer that our Constitution refers
to India as a rather than a
(1) Democratic (2) Federation (3) Nation-state (4) Union of States (5) Secular
(a) 2,4 (b) 3.1 (c) 4,2 (d) 4,5
3. Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/ phrase from paragraph 1. Constituent Assembly:
Dr. Rajendra Prasad :: Drafting Committee: ____________ .
(Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the head of Constituent Assembly, similarly __________ was the chairperson of
Drafting Committee)
4. Select the correct option to complete the following sentence.
______________ were well aware of the wide disparities and inequalities that existed among the various
sections of the Indian population.
(Paragraph 3)
(a) Indian Constitution demonstrates that the framers of the Directive Principles of State Policy
(b) Universal Adult Franchise demonstrates that the framers of the voting laws
(c) January 26 demonstrates that the framers of the Indian Constitution
(d) Directive Principles of State Policy demonstrate that the framers of the Indian Constitution
5. Which of the following pictures is associated with the Constituent Assembly?

6. Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option.

__________ is equipped with overwhelming administrative, legislative and financial muscle.
(a) State Government (b) Constitution (c) Central Government (d) Supreme Court
7. Substitute the word "enormous' with ONE WORD similar in meaning, in the following, sentence from
paragraph 2:
The enormous task before the Constituent Assembly was to frame the basic law that would formalize India
as a truly democratic nation.
8. In Paragraph 3, why do you think the founding fathers had the foresight to realize that political democracy is
meaningless?
9. Give an explanation of why the Constitution's founding fathers felt it was necessary to ensure that the basic
law of the land contained adequate provisions.
10. Select the option that titles paragraphs 1-4 appropriately, with reference to information in the text.
(A)
(i) Why do we need a Constitution? (ii) The Authority of a Constitution
(iii) The Philosophy and Making of The Constitution (iv) The Importance of Rights

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(B)
(i) Towards Constitution
(ii) Inclusion of Directive Principles of State Policy.
(iii) India in the Past
(iv) Role and Responsibilities of Central and State Government
(C)
(i) Why do we need a Constitution?
(ii) Relationship Between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles
(iii) Making of the Indian Constitution
(iv) Guiding Values of the Indian Constitution
(D)
(i) Constitution as A Living Document
(ii) Are constitutions static?
(iii) How to amend the constitution?
(iv) Philosophy of the constitution

2. Read the text carefully and answer the questions: (10 Marks)
1. Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret message in the communication process. One of the
greatest gitts any of us can ever receive is the gift of listening. It is also one of the greatest gitts we can ever
give.
Unfortunately, listening appears to be a lost art. We live in a world where everyone is talking but few are
listening. What often passes for listening is simply one person pausing to collect their thoughts for their next
soliloquy.
2. Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, whereas listening requires more than that it requires focus.
Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and
how the other person uses his or her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-
verbal messages. Your ability to listen effectively depends on the degree to which you perceive and
understand these messages.
3. Listening is a difficult task. Like every skill the more you do it, the better you get up. Listening can be
developed through practice, or lost if not used regularly. Good listeners focus on what they are hearing. They
pause to think about what they've heard before responding. They ask questions because they want to know
the answers. Not just to keep the conversation going.
4. So often, we are distracted with other things, We try to listen while continuing to work on the computer or
watch television. To be fully present means we eliminate these distractions and focus exclusively on the other
person. It takes great effort to be fully in the moment, leaning forward, eyes and heart open. Words are only
the part of communication. Sometimes we need to experience the other person's feelings to really understand.
We need to listen with our heart as well as our mind. We must repeat back what the other person has said.
When we do this-and do it accurately-we communicate that we understand, It also gives us an opportunity to
re-calibrate our understanding if we have misunderstood something. Plenty of people are good talkers, few
are good listeners. If you develop the latter skill, you will find yourself invited into amazing conversations
that wouldn't otherwise happen.
1. According to the passage, listening appear to be a lost are because we live in a world where _________ .
2. Choose the options with the sentences that are NOT TRUE according to the passage.
(i) Words are only the part of communication. (ii) Lots of people are good listeners.
(iii) Listening refers to the voice that you heat. (iv) Good listeners focus on what they hear.
(v) Listening is a tough task. (vi) Hearing requires no focus.
(a) II, III, VI (b) III, V, VI (c) I, III, IV (d) I, IV, VI

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3. Fill in the blank with the correct option. focus on what they are hearing.
(a) good listeners (b) good orators (c) good understanding (d) good speakers

4. Select the option that best captures the central idea of the passage from the following.
(a) Do more listening than talking (b) Never stop listening
(c) Leam by talking (d) Listening is talking
5. We need to experience the other person's feelings:
(a) to really understand (b) to be the part of the communication
(c) to recalibrate our understanding (d) to keep the conversation going
6. What our ability to listen effectively depends on?
(a) how the other person uses his or her body
(b) use of language and voice
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) degree to which we perceive and understand the messages
7. We need to ______ with our heart as well as our mind.
8. hearing, different from listening as
(a) Hearing eliminates distraction; Listening gives us an opportunity to re-calibra our understanding
(b) Hearing is the ability to receive message: Listening is the ability to interpret message
(c) Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how
is it told
(d) Option (a), (b) and (c)
9. Listening refers to observing the sounds you hear. True/False
10. Complete the given analogy correctly with a word from the passage.
Accurately : perfectly :: __________ : unfocused

SECTION B
(GRAMMAR AND CREATIVE WRITING-20 MARKS)
III. GRAMMAR SECTION: (Attempt ANY TEN Questions) (10 Marks)

1. Report the dialogue between a father and son, by completing the sentence:
Son: Are you not excited about the trip, dad?
Father: I have been to Australia before.
In response to the question about being excited about the trip, the father says that _________ .
2. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option to complete the following.
The crowd ___________ the police barriers and attacked the hunters.
(a) broke up (b) break up (c) break through (d) broke through

3. Select the option that identifies the error and supplies the correction for the following line, from a news
report:
The schools have taken several measures to ensure the safety of students like temperature screening of
everyone who enter school premises and special sanitization of the school as per WHO guidelines
Option no. Error Correction

A Have Has

B The a

C Of For

D Enter enters

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4. Select the correct option to fill in the blank for the given line, from a health magazine.
You _________ eat to live, not live to eat.
(a) can (b) might (c) must (d) should
5. Fill in the blank by using the correct form of the word in the bracket, for the given portion of a letter:

Dear Madam
This is with reference to posters ________ (bear) the message of 'crash diet" being posted around our school
premises.
6. She _________ the house when I _________ to her after a long time.
(a) is cleaning, am going (b) has cleaned, have been
(c) had been cleaning, went (d) will be cleaning, go
7 Identify the error and supply the correction, for the following:
Delhi Government
COVID-19 FAMILY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEME
An assistance of `2500/- per month will be given to family residing in Delhi
Where earning members died due to COVID-19.

Use the given format for your response.

Error correction

8. Report the dialogue between Jitu and Nitu, by completing the sentence:
Jitu: My crash-course batch is full as only a month is left for the final exams,
Nitu: A drowning man will catch a straw.
Jitu said that his crash-course batch was full as only a month was left for the final exams, to which Nitu said
that ________ .
9. Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option, to complete a blog on "Success &
Failure'.
Enjoy when you cannot do it and endure when you __________ do it.
(a) might (b) must (c) could (d) should
10. Ritu bumped into an ex-colleague (Gautam) at a party. They discussed their current job profile. Report what
Gautam asked Ritu.
Do you work from home?
11.
Identify the error in the given sentence, from a school magazine report and supply the correction.
While much needs to be done to transform our education system to meet the needs of all types of students, it
is equally important to teach our children the art of take stress in their strides.
Use the given format for your response.
Error correction

12. My father said to us, "We should study and get a good division in the examination."
Reported speech: _________
a) My father told us that we shall study and get a good division in the examination.
b) My father tells us that we should study and get a good division in the examination.
c) My father told us that we should study and got a good division in the examination.
d) My father said us that we should study and got a good division in the examination.

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SECTION B
IV. CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS

1. Attempt ANY ONE from (A) and (B) given below (5 Marks)
(A) The bar chart shows the number of times per week (in 1000 s), over five weeks, that three computer packages
were downloaded from the internet. Write an analytical paragraph by selecting and reporting the main
features and make comparisons where relevant.

OR
(B) The given pie chart illustrates how internet users aged 15+ prefer to access the internet at home and in other
places. Write an analytical paragraph using the information given in the pie-chart.

2. Attempt ANY ONE from (A) and (B) given below (5 Marks)
(A) Slums are spreading more than the planned townships. The life in the slums is miserable. Crowded living,
lack of drinking water, insanitary conditions, poor power supply etc. are causing a lot of suffering to the
people. Write a letter to the editor of a national newspaper drawing attention of the concerned authorities to
this problem and asking for a proper solution. You are Udit/Udita, 26 Latouche Road, Kanpur.
OR
(B) You are Sunita / Suraj 4 Grant Road, Dadar. You are preparing for Bank PO and some other competitive
exams. For this, you have enrolled in a reputed coaching institute in Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi. Now, you
need accommodation for yourself in the nearby area. One of your friends shared this newspaper cutting with
you.
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Write a letter to the Manager of Lotus paying guest service, 15, Aditya Complex, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi,
enquiring about the details such as type of accommodation, monthly charges, facilities provided etc.

SECTION - C
(LITERATURE-40 Marks)

V. Reference to the context

1. Attempt ANY ONE of the two extracts from (A) and (B) given below (5 Marks)

(A) With a satisfied expression, he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But
suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall.
(i) Who was satisfied?
(a) Lencho (b) The postmaster (c) The post office employees (d) Lencho's wife
(ii) Why was he satisfied?
(a) Due to raindrops (b) Because of the hailstorm
(c) Because of his pet (d) As he found money
(iii) The word __________ in the extract means the same as covered.
(iv) What happened suddenly?
(v) What crop was ready to be harvested in Lencho's field?
(a) Tomatoes (b) Potatoes (c) Corn (d) Rice
OR
(B) Read the text carefully and answer the questions: (5 Marks)
“Yes, I'm travelling alone," she answered curtly. And I've got a ticket too.' 'Yes she's on her way to town,'
said the conductor. With a thirty paise ticket.'
"Oh, why don't you mind your own business,' said Valli. But she laughed all the same, and the conductor
laughed too.
But the old woman went on with her drivel. 'Is it proper for such a young person to travel alone? Do you
know exactly where you're going in town? What's the street? What's the house number?
'You needn't bother about me. I can take care of myself,' Valli said, turning her face towards the window and
staring out."
(i) Pick the option that matches the expressions with mind correctly.
Expression Meaning

1. Bring to mind A. Be receptive to someone’s ideas

2. Be in two minds B. Think about only one subject
3. Have an open mind C. Recall something
4. Put your mind at ease D. Undecided
E. Reassure you
(a) 1-F, 2-C, 3-A, 4-D (b) 1-C, 2-D, 3-A, 4-E

(c) 1-B, 2-F, 3-E, 4-A (d) 1-F, 2-D, 3-C, 4-B

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(ii) Valli told the conductor to mind his own business and laughed as well. This shows that Valli....

(a) was not really bothered about what the conductor said.

(b) didn't like the conductor speaking about her.

(c) disliked what the conductor said but was amused.

(d) was impressed with what the conductor said.

(iii) The old woman went on with her drivel. The word drivel is used here to mean __________ .

(iv) The old woman asked her questions

(a) due to anxiety about Valli travelling alone. (b) out of curiosity and concern for Valli.

(c) interest in Valli's life and need for travel. (d) due to the habit of interfering in Valli's life.

(v) How do you think Valli felt when the old woman asked her questions?

2. Attempt Any ONE of the two extracts from (A) and (B) given below (5 Marks)

(A) Has given my heart,

A change of mood.

And saved some part,

Of the day I rued.

(i) What did it shake on the poet?

(a) Dust of snow (b) Branch (c) Dust (d) None of these

(ii) _________ is the poet of the above lines.

(iii) What was the mood of the poet in the beginning of the poem?

(a) Sad mood (b) Happy mood (c) Confuse mood (d) No mood at all

(iv) What does "Dust of Snow" represent?

(v) Name the poetic device used in the line "Has given my heart"

(a) alliteration (b) metaphor (c) oxymoron (d) similic

OR

(B) Read the text carefully and answer the questions: (5 Marks)
I am an orphan, roaming the street.

I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.

The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.

(i) Identify the literary device used in the last line.

(ii) Read statements A and B given below, and choose the option that correctly evaluates these statements.

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Statement A- The figure I imagines a less than realistic view of being an orphan.

Statement B- The figure I does not like the speaker.

(a) A is true, B is false, according to the extract.

(b) A is true, B cannot be clearly inferred from the extract.

(c) A cannot be clearly inferred from the extract, B is false.

(d) A is true and can be inferred from the poem, B is true too.

(iii) In the given extract, the _________ is contrasted with the constant instructions received.

(iv) The rhyme scheme aaa in the above extract is followed in all other stanzas of the poem that are written in
parenthesis. Why?

Read the reasons given below, and choose the option that lists the most accurate reasoning:
i. It shows the simplicity of the child's thoughts.

ii. It reflects the harmony and rhythm of the child's inner world.

iii. It mirrors a child's expression.

iv. It highlights the poet's aesthetic sensibility.

Options:

(a) (i) and (iv) (b) (i) and (ii) (c) (ii) and (iii) (d) (iii) and (iv)

(v) Pick the option that lists the usage of the word pattern, as in the extract above.

(a) That is a lovely pattern for wallpaper. (b) He decided to wear a patterned shirt to the party.

(c) Poetry is a form of pattern making. (d) She patterned her hair after her favourite celebrity.

VI. Answer ANY FOUR of the following in about 40-50 words each. (12 Marks)

(i) What did her experience teach Kisa Gotami?

(ii) Which two ideas about how the world will end have been mentioned in the poem Fire and ice? Which idea
does the poet support more?

(iii) What are the elders in Goa nostalgic about? Write your answer in the context of Glimpses of India.

(iv) Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called a cowardly dragon?

(v) What was the point of controversy between Lomov and Natalya about the Oxen Meadows?

VII. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each. (6 Marks)

(i) What does Mrs. Pumphrey do to help Tricki? Is she wise in this?

(ii) What did Ausable do when he saw Max with a pistol?

(iii) Do you think we always need sophisticated instruments for all science experiments? Why/Why not?
Answer in the context of the lesson The Making of a Scientist.
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VIII. Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. (6 Marks)

(i) Being impressed by Custard’s feat, the young seagull’s sister wrote a letter to Custard seeking advice on
addressing the situation with her younger brother. Write Custard’s response to this letter. Base the advice
from his experiences.

You may begin like this:

Dear Ms. Seagull

Thank you for seeking me out, I’m humbled. Based on my limited experiences, I feel ………….

(ii) From the beginning to the end of the lesson the black acroplane is a mystery. How?

IX. Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 100-120 words. (6 Marks)

(i) Education, love and sympathy can transform even a thief. How is it true in the case of Hari Singh?

(ii) The most successful people work smart, not hard. Justify the quote with reference to A QUESTION OF

TRUST.

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