CBSE Class 10 English Sample Paper 2020-21

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Download CBSE class 10 English sample paper 2020-21 as PDF from myCBSEguide Mobile App. This fully solved English Sample Paper for March 2021 examination is based on COVID-19 revised syllabus for the session 2020-21. CBSE Guide is the only e-learning platform that is exclusively providing solutions to 1 crore + CBSE students since 2007.

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Why it’s So Important?

This year, CBSE has made too many changes in the question paper pattern. As per the revised curriculum document issued by CBSE for session 2020-21, there will be 50% MCQ and objective type questions. The unseen passages in CBSE Class 10 English Sample Paper 2020-21 will have only MCQs. In the same way, there are many other segments in CBSE model question papers for class 10 English that have been completely changed. So, it is very important to understand the class 10 English question paper 2020-21 pattern and prepare for exams accordingly.

Unseen Passages

As discussed, there will be two unseen passages carrying 12 questions each. Out of these 12 questions, the student will attempt 10 MCQs from each unseen passage. So, you will be getting a good internal choice here. As we know, answering MCQs is much easier than the subjective questions, the students have a golden chance to score high in this section.

Extracts from Poem and Prose

This year, another thing that is going to make you jump with joy is the extracts from the poem and prose. There are two extract questions, one from poetry and the other from prose. And both of these have an internal choice !! Above all, both will have only MCQs. What else you need to score 100% in this section? Class 10 English Sample Paper 2020-21 will help you practice all such questions and get ready for the upcoming exams with 100% confidence.

10 Grammar questions & All MCQs

CBSE is going to ask you 10 grammar questions in MCQ format. There will be 12 MCQs and you are expected to attempt any 10 of them. Again internal choice in MCQs. This is going to be the easiest part of the examination. However, some questions from determiners and subject-verb concord may confuse you. But the internal choice will definitely save your soul here.

Subjective Questions with Internal Choice

Let’s move to part-B that consists of some subjective questions and all of them have an internal choice. Formal letters and analytical paragraphs have an internal choice. Writing 100-120 words based on some given analytical data is not so difficult. You can write some technical sentences there and score good marks without putting any extra effort into this. But make sure that you have done enough practice in writing such paragraphs. Here, myCBSEguide helps you a lot. Just download the CBSE Guide App and get a number of questions to practice.

CBSE has introduced 20-30 word answers from both the books. In class 10 English annual exam paper 2021, you will get 3 questions from the first book and 2 questions from the second book out of which 2 from each will have to be answered by you. The same way you will get 40-50 word answers from both the books too. These will carry 3 marks each. This year the long questions will carry only 5 marks each and all of them will have an internal choice.

Maximum Marks: 80

Time Allowed: 3 hours

General Instructions:

This paper is divided into two sections: A and B. All questions are compulsory.
Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these instructions very carefully and follow them.
Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

Section A

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
I know poverty and misery and I quite appreciate by personal experience what it is to be poor, what it is to have no clothes, what it is to have no books, what it is to struggle through life, what it is to walk through the streets without an umbrella, without conveyance along miles on dusty roads. I have been through it all and I can understand the difficulties that most of you graduates have to face today. I am speaking from a long experience of 60 years. Please do not imagine that all the 60 years are milk and roses. To be able to accomplish something, I want to tell you that you have to go through such experiences.
I admit success in life is not always to be intelligent or be strong, and it is to some extent a bit of a gamble, but those who got their minds right and those who know their job sooner or later, will sooner perhaps than later make their way in life. But they should not be disappointed if they do not, they have to face up life and take it as they find it.
What I say is that the great things in life are not really great things in life. What I love is to enjoy the common things of life. I am happy that I am still able to sleep at night provided I have three miles walk in the evening. I am still able to enjoy a good lunch or a good dinner. I am still able to look at the blue sky and like it. I still like to walk in the open fields and like the smell of the Ragi or the Jowar.
We think that happiness consists of going to pictures and seeing thrilling films and technicolor dramas. Not at all, the great things in life are the God-given things which cost nothing. What you need is the desire to appreciate them. If you have your minds and hearts open, you have around your things which give you joy. There is the butterfly jumping about in flourishing colors on all sides. Look at the wonderful thing that God has given for our enjoyment.
We have to love nature and appreciate nature and appreciate her wonderful gifts, of nature’s marvelous ingenuity, its resourcefulness, and infinite variety. It is the same thing that has inspired me all my life.

How had C.V. Raman’s childhood been difficult?
1. He had lived life as a poor
2. He had access to books only
3. He had to run on the streets
4. He never drank milk as a child
Why has life been termed as a gamble?
1. It disappoints you always
2. Life is good to only hardworking people
3. Even an intelligent or strong person is unsure of success
4. CV Raman has lost money in this gamble
How does C.V. Raman’s speech inspire us?
1. He told us easy ways to enjoy life
2. He told us one needs to be poor to succeed in life
3. He told us to work day and night
4. He told us that life is never easy
What according to C.V Raman consists of happiness?
1. Seeing thrilling films and technicolor dramas
2. Things that cost money
3. God-given gifts which cost nothing
4. A graduate student’s life
According to the text, what should we love?
1. Life
2. Gamble
3. C.V Raman
4. Nature
Which smell did he like in the fields?
1. Butterflies in fields
2. Ragi and Jowar
3. Dinner
4. Dusty Roads
What has inspired C.V Raman all his life?
1. Gamble
2. Family
3. Nature
4. Films
How many years of experience does C.V Raman have?
1. 6 years
2. 60 years
3. 16 years
4. 66 years

Choose the best option from the words given below which mean the same:

despair
1. disappointment
2. hopelessness
3. misery
4. distress
endless
1. unlimited
2. continuous
3. infinite
4. unreachable
prosperous
1. rich
2. flourishing
3. wealthy
4. fortunate
exciting
1. joyful
2. funny
3. exhilarating
4. thrilling

Read the passages given below and answer any 10 questions that follow them:

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

The programmes for the socio-economic development originate at
1. state level
2. regional level
3. district level
4. central government level
The British had left behind
1. a developed India
2. a wealthy India
3. a poverty-stricken, illiterate India
4. a strong and healthy India
The constitution-makers describe India as a ________.
1. Union of states
2. Union of nations
3. Union of territories
4. Union of districts
The constitution-makers took more than two years to bring the world’s ________ constitution to its final shape.
1. simplest
2. lengthiest
3. heaviest
4. shortest
Find the word from the passage which means the same as recognizing the good quality of somebody.
1. overlook
2. appreciate
3. disparage
4. condemn
Who is the Chairman of the Drafting Committee?
1. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
2. Dr. Rajendra Prasad
3. Jawahar Lal Nehru
4. Sachchidananda Sinha
Who is the Head of the Constituent Assembly?
1. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
2. Dr. Rajendra Prasad
3. Jawahar Lal Nehru
4. Sachchidananda Sinha
________ is equipped with overwhelming administrative, legislative and financial muscle.
1. State Government
2. Constitution
3. Central Government
4. Supreme Court
When did the Indian Constitution came into force?
1. 1949
2. 1947
3. 1948
4. 1950
In how much time our Constitution made?
1. In two years
2. More than two years
3. In one year
4. More than three year
Antonyms of word enormous:
1. insignificant
2. mammoth
3. vast
4. humongous
Synonyms of word inclusion:
1. omission
2. oversight
3. append
4. preclude

Read the passages given below and choose the appropriate option from the questions below:
“Please don’t shout! You can shout yourself hoarse in your own house but here I must ask you to restrain yourself!”

Who is the speaker of the given lines?
(i) Natalya (ii) Lomov
(iii) Chubukov (iv) Mrs. Chubukov
What is the dispute over?
(i) Oxen Meadows (ii) Chubukov’s house
(iii) Birchwoods (iv) Burnt marsh
What does the word ‘restrain’ mean?
(i) Restrict (ii) Oblige
(iii) Honour (iv) Cherish
Who is the speaker conversing with?
(i) Chubukov (ii) Lomov
(iii) Anton Chekov (iv) Lomov’s mother
Which word in the given lines mean harsh?
(i) Restrain (ii) Shout
(iii) House (iv) Hoarse

Read the passages given below and choose the appropriate option from the questions below:
While the class was circling the room, the monitor from the principal’s office brought Miss Mason a note.
Miss Mason read it several times and studied it thoughtfully for a while.
Then she clapped her hands.
“Attention, class. Everyone back to their seat.”
When the shuffling of feet had stopped and the room was still and quiet, Miss Mason said, “I have a letter from Wanda’s father that I want to read to you.”
Miss Mason stood there a moment and the silence in the room grew tense and expectant.
The teacher adjusted her glasses slowly and deliberately.
Her manner indicated that what was coming — this letter from Wanda’s father — was a matter of great importance. Everybody listened closely as Miss Mason read the brief note.

Why did Miss Mason read Wanda’s father’s letter several times?
(i) Because she studied it thoughtfully
(ii) For she studied it unattentively
(iii) Because she could not comprehend it
(iv) Because it was written very shabbily
What happened when Miss Mason started to read the letter?
(i) She started laughing (ii) She started crying
(iii) She adjusted her glasses (iv) She cleared her throat
Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to knowingly.
(i) Deliberately (ii) Expectantly (iii) Circling (iv) Thoughtfully
What can you say about Wanda’s father feelings as highlighted in the letter?
(i) He was delighted (ii) He was petrified
(iii) He was annoyed (iv) He was thrilled
Who wrote the note?
(i) Wanda (ii) Wanda’s father (iii) Peggy (iv) Maddie

Read the extract given below and choose the appropriate option from the questions below:
I wonder where they get those tokens,
Did I pass that way huge times ago and
negligently drop them.

Who is I here?
(i) The poet (ii) A little child
(iii) An animal (iv) A bird
What does the poet wonder?
(i) Animals are ferocious
(ii) Animals have human virtues
(iii) Animals are childlike
(iv) Animals and humans are not very friendly to each other
What makes the poet lament?
(i) The unsympathetic attitude of humans
(ii) Lack of innocence in humans
(iii) The vindictiveness and heartlessness in humans
(iv) All of these
Find from the passage a word which means enormous.
(i) Huge (ii) Wonder
(iii) Tokens (iv) Negligence
The word token refers to ________.
(i) Coins (ii) Gift hampers
(iii) Virtues (iv) Symbols

Read the extract given below and choose the appropriate option from the questions below:
I think I could turn and live with animals, they are
So placid and self-contained
I stand and look at them long and long.

Name the poet.
(i) Walt Whitman (ii) Robert Frost
(iii) Ruskin Bond (iv) WB Yeats
What does the poet say about animals?
(i) They are calm (ii) They have a pure soul
(iii) They are self-contained (iv) All of these
Trace a word from the extract that means serene.
(i) Placid (ii) Self- contained
(iii) Turn (iv) Long and long
The poet looks at the animals ________
(i) Recklessly (ii) Briefly
(iii) For a long time (iv) Angrily
What does the poet intend to become?
(i) A child (ii) A bird (iii) An animal (iv) God

Answer any 10 of the following 12 questions:

It was so dark that I fell down the stairs last night. I ________ the light.

1)	need to fix
2)	would fix
3)	had to fix
4)	should have fixed

Living cells exist in a variety of shapes; for example, they ________ cube-shaped or flat.

1)	were
2)	must be
3)	have been
4)	may be

________ I get some plates while you are cutting the cake?

1)	Do
2)	Let
3)	Did
4)	Shall

As the President ____ the hall, all the guests ____ to their feet to welcome him.

1)	is entering / rise
2)	was entering / have risen
3)	entered / rose
4)	has entered / were rising

The committee is determined not to leave _____ they have finished the project.

1)	until
2)	since
3)	just as
4)	by the time

She last drove a car three years ago. Since she ________ an accident, she ________ a car for three years.

1)	had, hasn’t driven
2)	had had, didn’t drive
3)	has, hasn’t driven
4)	had had, hasn’t driven

One of my close friends ________ us a question that neither of us ________ able to answer.

1)	have asked, is
2)	had asked, can
3)	has asked, is
4)	had asked, are

Most of the milk ________ gone.

1)	have
2)	were
3)	are
4)	is

The judge said to the accused, “hold your tongue”.
Reported speech: ________

1)	The judge asked the accused to hold his tongue.
2)	The judge told the accuse, hold your tongue.
3)	The judge told the accused, hold his tongue.
4)	The judge ordered the accused to hold his tongue.

10)

Choose the correct reported speech of a given sentence:
“Don’t play on the grass, boys,” she said.

1)	She told the boys not to played on the grass
2)	She told the boys not to play on the grass
3)	She tells the boys not to played on the grass
4)	She tells the boys not to play on the grass

11)

There is ______ water left, so drink only if you must.

1)	little
2)	some
3)	none of these
4)	much

12)

Unfortunately, I haven’t got ________ time for watching TV.

1)	much
2)	few
3)	many
4)	little

Section B

You are Amit/Amrita residing at 12, Nepeon Sea Road, Mumbai. Taking help from the information given below, write a letter to the Editor of a national daily showing your concern at the rising number of vehicles on the roads of big cities in India. This causes not only a great inconvenience to the people but also has become a great health hazard for others. Give your suggestions for checking the number of vehicles and roads and promotion of a vehicle and affordable public transport.

You are Tanya, Head Girl of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Palam Colony, Delhi. Write a letter to Dimple caterers, J.J. Colony, Delhi to find out the rate for conducting the XII standard farewell party, enquiring about catering charges per head, service charges and advance to be paid.

The graph is given shows estimated sales of gold in Dubai in 2002. Write an analytical paragraph describing the line graph in around 150 words.

The line graph shows visits to and from the UK from 1979 to 1999, and the bar graph shows the most popular countries visited by UK residents in 1999. Write an analytical paragraph by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Answer any four of the following questions in 20-30 words each:

1)	What is the theme of the poem – Amanda?

2)	Why does Natalya think the behaviour of Lomov to be strange?

3)	Did Wanda have a hundred dresses? Why did she tell Peggy that she had a hundred dresses?

4)	How would you describe the pampering and overfeeding of Tricky by the rich woman Mrs. Pumphrey?

5)	Give a character sketch of Griffin, the invisible scientist.

6)	Why did Bholi not want to go to school first? What did she realise later?

Answer any four of the following questions in 40-50 words each:

1)	”On pads of velvet quiet In his quiet rage”. Who is referred to here? Why does he express his anger quietly?

2)	What does Lomov say to Natalya about Chubukov’s family?

3)	What did Lencho write in the letter which he sent to God? How did he place it in the mailbox?

4)	Why did Hari Singh’s heart sink when Anil met him in the morning?

5)	How many types of butterflies did Ebright collect when he was in the second grade?

6)	Where did the lawyer and Bill get their lunch?

10)

Helen Keller’s determination to study and compete with normal children helps her to enter Radcliffe College. What does this show about her personality?

How did Anne finally stop Mr. Keesing from punishing her?

11)

Excess of everything is bad. Comment in the wake of Mrs. Pumphrey’s love for Tricki.

Why did Matilda’s husband go out into the cold night, minutes after returning from the ball? Was he successful in his purpose?

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