CBSE Board Class 10 English Elective Previous Year Question Papers 2008

ENGLISH ELECTIVE 2008
CLASS 10 PREVIOUS PAPER

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
This paper consists of four Sections
Section A-Reading — 20 marks
Section B-Writing — 30 marks
Section C-Grammar — 20 marks
Section D-Literature — 30 marks
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Attempt all questions. 
2. Do not write anything in the question paper.
3. All the answers must be correctly numbered as in the question paper and written in the answer sheet
provided to you.
4. Attempt all questions in each Section before going on to the next Section.
5. Read each question carefully and follow the instructions.
6. Strictly adhere to the word limit given with each question Mai ks will be deducted for exceeding the
word limit. 

SECTION – A (READING) (20 marks) 
1. Read the following poem carefully and answer the questions that follow:    (8 marks)

AUTUMN’S BEAUTY
1. The rain falls gently
2. Quenching the thirst of a landscape
3. Parched by the rays of the hot summer sun
4. The song of the birds is now silenced
5. The petals of a once brilliant flower have faded.
6. A bright azure sky with soft white clouds is gone
7. Replaced by the gray dampness of the season
8. The caressing breeze of summer
9. Has turned into the blustering winds of fall.
10. Leaves once proudly perched on the limbs of trees,
11. Now dance gaily through the air,
12. Brightly coloured ia the warm tones of autumn.
13. Children laughing merrily on their way
14. As they hear the crackling sound of leaves beneath their feet.
15. A jack-o-lantern sits in the window,
16. Showing a wide, toothless grin or scowling frown.
17. The snapping of pitch from a burning log
18. The faint scent of pine filling the room 19. Flames leaping about as if it were a ballet
20. Performing for its audience
21. The soft, comforting glow of candlelight,
22. Bringing with it serenity and quiet thoughts.
23. I sit in amazement watching all that is around me.
24. Yes, there is a God.
25. Only He could have made the wonders I see before me
26. I will accept the solitude and indifference of winter.
27. So I may anticipate and appreciate
28. The re-birth of spring.

1.1 Read the following summary. Complete it by writing the missing words against the correct
blank number in your answer sheet :      (
1/2x 8=4 marks)
Outside on an autumn day children (a) ………………. which were lying on the ground making a (b)
……….. Inside the room, the burning log in the fireplace was giving off the (c) ………………….. The
flames looked like as if they were (d) ………………….. and the soft comforting candlelight made
the poet (e) ……………... serene thoughts. The poet was (f) …………………… as he watched God’s
creation. He looked forward to (g) ……………….. the spring season even though he knew he would
have to accept the winter’s (h) ……….
1.2 Select 8 characteristics of the autumn season and write them in your answer sheet. (4 marks)

2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:    (12 marks)
The Underwater Coral City

1. Coral reefs are warm, clear, shallow ocean habitats that are rich in life. The reef’s massive structure is
formed from coral polyps, tiny animals that live in colonies. When coral polyps die, they leave behind a
hard, stony, branching structure made of limestone.

2. There are two types of corals, hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals (like brain coral and elkhorn coral)
have hard, limestone skeletons which form the basis of coral reefs. Soft corals (like sea fingers and sea
whips) do not build reefs.

3. Coral reefs develop in shallow, warm water, usually near land, and mostly in the tropics; corals prefer
temperatures between 70 and 85°F (21-30°C). There are coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa, off
the southern coast of India, in the Red Sea, and off the coasts of northeast and northwest Australia and
on to Polynesia. There are also coral reefs off the coast of Florida, USA, to the Caribbean, and down to
Brazil.

4. The Great Barrier Reef (off the coast of NE Australia) is the largest coral reef in the World. It is over
1,257 miles (2000 km) long.

5. Many coral reefs are dying. Major threats to coral  reefs are water pollution (from sewage and
agricultural runoff), dredging off the coast, careless collecting of coral specimens, and sedimentation,
(when silt or sand from construction or mining projects muddies the waters of a reef and kills corals,
which need light to live).

6. The under water coral city is a unique and diverse collection of colourful and weirdly patterned animals.
This city is planned by tiny architects who have devised an inter-related web of large and complex
structures, intricate waste disposal system, even its own water conditioning plant. Most of the problems of a city are present: food supply and distribution, that of accommodation and living space, leading to
large scale squatting and a shift system, a large floating population, immigration and a balancing force of
criminal predators.

7. The islands are low, merely a metre or two above the sea level, yet they withstand the powerful
hurricanes and waves of the Arabian Sea. It is because they are encircled a protective reef, any
destruction during an attack by pounding waves is quickly repair by its microscopic engineers and
architects before the next wave comes—not merely repaired but something more, constructed, so the
net effect is that of growth.

8. It is algae that makes the reef a farmland with many stony pastures. It provides food to many
herbivorous fish that tear various blue, green, red and brown algae from the reef. So many such fish are
there in the placid waters of the lagoon that their combined crunching sound can be heard by divers and
swimmers. Not only do the herbivores survive by staying in the nooks and crannies at night, but also
secure living quarters for them on the crowded reef

2.1 On the basis of your reading, answer the following questions:     (8 marks)
a. What are coral reefs?         (1)
b. What are the two types of corals?       ( 1)
c. Where do coral reefs develop?        (1)
d. Which is the largest coral reef in the world?      ( 1)
e. Why are many coral reefs dying?       (1)
f. Which modern day city problems do we find in the reef?    (1)
g. How does the coral reef withstand the strong winds and waves?   (1)
h. What makes the coral reef a farmland?       (1)
2.2 Find words in the text which mean the same as the following.   (4 marks)
a. Place where a particular type of plant or animal is found (para 1)  (1)
b. Structure of bones that supports the body (para 2)     (1)
c. Not deep (para 3).        (1)
d. Planner and designers of buildings (para 7)      (1)

SECTION – B (WRITING) (30 marks)

3.  Your school has received the following letter from the Director of Health:
The Principal 
Grammar School 
Lovedale
Dear Principal, 
I am writing to highlight the fact that many young children are still suffering from polio because
people do not realize the importance of the vaccine. Hence I request you to tell your school
students to encourage people in your area to take their children who are 5 years and below for
the Immunization Camp to be held in the Community Centre in your locality on Sunday, 2
September 2006 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Chief Minister will personally administer the polio drops between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. The student who encourages the maximum number of
people will be awarded a certificate.
Yours faithfully 
AK Walia
You are Vartica, Secretary of the NSS in your school. You decide to make out a notice.
Using the information given in the above letter, write the notice in not more than 50
words.

4.  You are Soni. You have received a telephone call from your mother’s friend, Deepa. She tells you
to pass on the message to your mother and you write down the following points on a notepad.
You too are to leave for a party, so you decide to write the message.
• Deepa auntie called
• Unable to visit — evening
• Her brother arriving Mumbai
• Shopping trip to be planned tomorrow
• Confirm on phone tonight
Write down the message in not more than 50 words.       (5 marks)

5. You are Rekha/Rohit. You have seen the following news item in the newspaper.
Video Games, Internet, cell phones and other high-tech gear are just part of growing up in a digital
world. But parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend with these and
worry that it might be distracting and cramping academic and social development.
Using your own ideas and those taken from the unit ‘Science’, write an article in about 200 words
describing both the benefits and drawbacks of using these high-tech devices.   (10 marks)

6. The pie chart given below shows the results of the health check-up conducted in the school.
• A 50% shows normal children
• B 05% shows those who are underweight
• C 10% shows those who have skin problems
• D 15% shows those who have dental problems
• E 10% shows those who have eyesight problems
• F 10% shows those who are obese On the basis of this data, write a letter in not more than 150 words to the editor of a national daily
asking the mothers to be careful about the health, food and exercise of their children. Suggest
ideal diets to overcome problems and deficiency young children are facing today. (10 marks)
HINTS
• Daily bath with good soap
• Intake of balanced diet with fruits, vegetables and milk
• Studying in proper light and posture
• Less TV viewing
• Daily vigorous exercise in fresh air for at least one hour
For Blind Candidates Only
Children these days are not leading a healthy lifestyle Hence most of them end up with
problems of skin, teeth, eyesight, weight etc Write a letter to the editor of a national daily in not
more than 150 words advising the mothers on how to insist on correct food habits and exercise
You may use the hints given above.

SECTION – C (GRAMMAR) (20 marks)

7.  Shobha is a reporter for The Hindu. She made some notes for a report on an accident. Complete
the report by using phrases, each in its suitable form, from the box below. Do not add any new
information. Write only the correct answer against the correct blank number in your answer
sheet.            (1 x 5 = 5 marks)
stop red light — truck — uncontrollable — drives onto footpath — runs over 6 sleeping children — killed
on the spot.
During the early hours of this morning (a) ………………….speed did not (b) …………… The truck (c)
…..... ............... and (d) …………… who were (e) ………………….. .

8. The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect
word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct blank number. 
The first one has been done as an example.       (1/2 x 8 = 4 marks)
                                                                                                                                Incorrect             Correct
The rhododendron is common the Himalayan                                                   at                    in
Ranges, particularly in a Shimla Hills. It is                                                    (a) ………       ……………
a large shrub or tree which attaining a height of                                        (b) ……….        ……………
about 40 ft. The leaves is 4-6 inches long,                                                     (c) ………        …………….
distinctly veined and whitish beneath.
Its flowers is in dense clusters and are of                                                     (d) …………      ……………
red colour. It flowers in the Himalayas since                                               (e) ………….       …………….
March to May, which hill-sides are a scarlet                                                (f) ………….         ……………
gleam. Flowers are acidic in taste while are used                                      (g) …………           .. ………….
for chutney making for the hill people.                                                         (h) ……………..      …………….. 

9. Use the information in the headlines to complete the news items given below. Write the answers
against the- correct blank numbers. Don’t copy the whole sentence.    (4 marks)
a. SANIA MIRZA UP BY TWO PLACES
Sania Mirza won her match and so
b. LIFE STANDS STILL DUE TO AVALANCHE
All movement due to the avalanche
c. FAILURE OF MONSOON CAUSES DROUGHT
Many areas have been declared as
d. ONE MORE GIR LION DEAD
Another lion

10. Complete the dialogue given below in a suitable way. Write the answers against the correct
blank numbers. Do not copy the whole sentences.     (1 X 4 = 4 marks)
Amrita: Hello, could I speak to Vartica?
Vartica (a) ………………………………………….
Amrita: Vartica, I called to confirm your trip to Goa for 5 days for two people.
Vartica: (b) ………………………………. Do you think you can arrange it?
Amrita: I’m sorry. An extra two days at a short notice may be difficult.
             (c) …………………………………………….?
Vartica: I would have informed you but I was busy at my sister’s marriage.
Amrita: (d) ………………………………….. but I cannot promise.
Vartica: Thank you so much. I know you were very helpful last time also.

11. Look at the words and phrases given below. Rearrange them to form meaningful sentences.
Write the answers against the correct numbers.      ( 3 marks)
Example:  An / my / has written / teacher / novel / exciting 
                  My teacher has written an exciting novel.
a. not / this time / the election / decided / he / to contest
b. wash away / barren land / of / top layers / the / wind and water
c. a lot of / we / advances / medicine / have seen / in 

SECTION – D (LITERATURE) (30 marks)

12. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write each answer in your
answer sheet in one or two lines only:        (4 marks)
“Oh!” the nightingale confessed.
Greatly flattered and impressed 
That a critic of such note
Had discussed her art and throat: “I don’t think the song’s divine.
But—oh, well—at least it’s mine.”
a. Who was the critic?          (1)
b. Why was the nightingale so impressed by him?       (1)
c. What does the nightingale mean by saying “at least it’s mine”?     (1)
d. What happens to the nightingale at the end?       (1)

13. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write each answer in your
answer sheet in one or two lines only.       (4 marks)
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.
a. Who is ‘she’ in the above lines?     (1)
b. Who are the liars?      (1)
c. Why are they so called?      (1)
d. What does the mirror reflect ‘faithfully’?   (1)

14. What were the blessings which the mariners experienced when the Albatross arrived on the
ship? Write your answer in 75-100 words.        (5 marks)

15. What did Calpurnia see in her dream? What was her fear? How was the dream interpreted by
Brutus? Write your answer in about 75 words.       (5 marks)

16. Give a brief account of the circumstances under which the refugees were forced to leave their
native land. Write your answer in 50-75 words.      (4 marks)

17. You are the post master. You have just realized what the pain of being away from your loved
ones is. You and Lakshmi Das have just placed Miriam’s letter on Au’s grave. Write a letter to
Miriam telling her about her father’s love for her and how he died. Your answer should be in
150-1 75 words.           (8 marks)