CBSE Board Class 10 English Elective Previous Year Question Papers 2009

ELECTIVE ENGLISH 2009
PREVIOUS PAPER
CLASS 10

Time allowed : 3 Hours ] [ Maximum Marks: 100
General Instructions :
(i) 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
(ii) Attempt  all  questions.
(iii) Do  not  write anything in the question paper.
(iv) All the answers must be correctly numbered as in the question paper and written in
the answer sheet provided to you.
(v) Attempt all questions in each section before going on, to the next section.
(vi) Read each question carefully and follow the instructions.
(vii) Strictly adhere to the word limit given with each question. Marks will be deducted
for exceeding the word limit.

SECTION  A  (Reading) 20

1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : (12 marks)
1. Last June, my elder daughter Sylvie, finished kindergarten at the school near
our home in Bethlehem, USA. If my wife, Theresa, and I have our way, Sylvie
will graduate from the same school. I am eyeing Sylvie’s graduation because I
want this to be her only school and Bethlehem to be her hometown.
Both goalsfirst one a school, the second a hometown - eluded me. My father was in the
army, and I attended numerous schools. Our transient lifestyle offered a grand
upbringing, but it came at a cost. Of all those people I befriended on the run, for

2. I want Sylvie and her two year old sister Linnea, to have that hometown that I
missed. It would be a place they know intimately, care about, return to with a
thrill. So when Theresa took a teaching post in Bethlehem, we moved from
Chicago and decided to settle down here. That was almost six years ago, and
the transition was rough. We did not like the paucity of movie houses,
usedbook stores and great restaurants. We found instead, cheap shopping malls and
cornfields being transformed into faceless suburbs. It was hard to imagine
Bethlehem, of which, we discovered, there are many. In short order we turned
up the children’s corner of the public library, a number of parks and the folkmusic
club that draws top performers to a venue no bigger than our living room.

3. Where we found good places, we found good people. Slowly their numbers
increased. Soon we discovered we had knit together a circle of dear friends. As
our friendship strengthened, so, too did an unspoken belief that we would be
here for each other over the long haul. We’d watch each other’s children grow
up; offer them a hand where we could, support each other through the joys and
travails of parenthood.

4. There’s a yearly party, a joint sale and more potluck dinners than I can count.
We’ve celebrated both of Linnea’s birthdays with a bash on our front lawn. On
Saturday mornings when many of us converge downtown, the shopkeepers
greet me and my children by name, and hand out goodies. To the old-timers
he r e ,   a l l   thi s  might  be  unr ema rkabl e .  But   to  the  vagabond  l ike  me , 
  thi s acceptance is heart-warming, nourishing and ultimately sustaining. So why
resist its pull ? Because it’s a mistake to take for granted a good community, or
to assume we’d be lucky enough to find one somewhere else. In the end, good
and lasting community arises from a commitment to it. And there’s no more basic
commitment than staying put.
1.1 Complete the summary given below. Use only a word to fill in the
blanks. (1×5=5)
The author decided to stay put at Bethlehem as he wanted it to be his
(a) _____________________ hometown.  Though upset about the lack of
(b) ___________________, he and his wife started to seek out the good
things there. Soon a strong bond developed between them and their
(c)___________________. He resisted his (d)_______________________ to
move to greener pastures. He also (e)___________________that only with
commitment can a lasting community arise.1/1/1 3 [P.T.O.
1.2 Complete the following sentences : (1×3=3)
(a) The author could not refer to any place as his hometown because
_____________ .
(b) The author had contact with only one friend _______________ .
(c) The realization that lasting community arises _______________ .
1.3 Find words which mean the same as the following : (1×4=4)
(a) many/in large numbers (para 1)
(b) change (para 2)
(c) sorrows/unpleasant experiences (para 3)
(d) a person who travels from place to place (para 4)
2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : (8 marks)

1. Se t   in  the  de c l ining but   s t i l l  gr e en We s t e rn Gha t s   in  the  South-We s t  of
Ka rna t aka ,  Coorg  i s   the  he a r t  of   Indi a ’s   coff e e   count ry.    Coff e e   i s   the
world’s most heavily traded commodity after crude oil. Coorg boasts a land
area four times larger than  Hong Kong and seven times the area of Singapore.
Most of it is under tree cover  because unlike tea plants, the coffee bush requires
shade.

2. India is acknowledged as the producer of the finest mild coffees. With their
tropical climate, high altitude, abundant rainfall and fertile soil, Coorg and the
neighbouring Chickmangalur districts in Karnataka have consistently produced
and exported high quality coffee for over 150 years. The coffee output of these
two districts accounts for 70 percent of the total coffee produced in the country.
Coorg coffee is valued for its  blue colour, clean beans and fine liquoring
qualities and hence is in demand in the  international markets.

3.  In Ma r ch  and Apr i l ,   the   coff e e  blos som  t ime   in Coorg,  when blos soms
transform into berries, the bushes  are cropped.  The cherry-red fruit is then
pulped; the seeds separated, dried and sent for curing. Coorg or Kodagu is the
district which is one of  the largest producers of pepper, cardamom and honey in
the world.

4. Not much is known about the early history of Coorg. Recorded history is available
only  from   1600  A.D.   onwards  when  Kodava   Rajas   ruled   over  the   region   and
established their capital at Mercara by constructing a mud-walled fort. The
martial Kodavas troubled Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, who ruled the
Mysore region in the 18th century, by way of sporadic rebellions. But in 1785,
Tipu’s large army marched into Kodagu and devastated the kingdom. Fourteen
years later, with the help  of the  British,   who  defeated  Tipu  Sultan  following  the
historic  siege  of Srirangapatana in 1799, Coorg regained independence and
under the leadership of  Raja Veerarajendra rebuilt the capital. Later in 1834, the
British exiled its ruler  Chikkaveera  Rajendra  and  assumed  administrative
charge   of the   district.  The British left India in 1947, leaving behind a legacy of
coffee plantations, colonial buildings and well-planned road networks.
2.1 Complete the following : (1×4=4)
(a) The tea plants are unlike coffee plants as the latter _____________ .
(b) Coorg coffee is internationally acclaimed for its _____________ .
(c) Coorg is famous not only for coffee but also for _____________ .
(d) After crude oil, coffee is the  _____________ .
2.2 Complete the table given below : (1×4=4)
     Year                        Events
(a) _________ Recorded history of Coorg available from
1785 AD (b) ____________________
(c) ________ Coorg regained independence
1834 AD (d) ____________________

SECTION B  (Writing) 30

3. You are Akhil / Akanksha, the Head Boy/Girl of Modern Public School, Kochi. As part of
Social Service your school has decided to clean the surroundings. Write a notice, in not more
than 50 words, for your school notice board asking for the names of the students
of senior wing who wish to participate wholeheartedly. (5 marks)

4. You are Akhila / Akash, a student of R.H. College, Mangalore. Send a telegram to
your father living at 20, Church Road, Bangalore informing him that you are unable
to come home to attend the wedding of your cousin due to curfew in Mangalore.
Write the telegram in not more than 25 words. Copy the format of the telegram from
the question paper. (5 marks)1/1/1 5 [P.T.O.

5. The following lines from the poem, ‘Reaching Out’ in the Main Course Book set you
thinking about the need to educate adults. You decided to get involved in the adult
education programme. Taking ideas from the unit, ‘Education’, along with your own
ideas, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper in about 150 words encouraging
youngsters to take part in the programme. (10 marks)
"______________despite our illiteracy,
We still exist.
But we have to know
Why we should become literate.”

6. You are a member of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in your
locality. The following Pie-chart reflects the attitude of the people towards animals.
In response to this, write an article to be published in the forthcoming issue of ‘The
Week’ on why animals are ill treated and what can be done to prevent it. As
Ramesh / Ranjini, write the article in 150-200 words. (10 marks)
INDIAN POST AND TELEGRAPH
ADDRESSEE’S  NAME AND
                   ADDRESS
MESSAGE
SENDER’S NAME
(NOT TO BE TELEGRAPHED)
SENDER’S ADDRESS1/1/1 6 [P.T.O.
FOR  THE BLIND
You are a member of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in your
locality. Write an article to be published in the forthcoming issue of ‘The Week’ on
how animals are ill treated and what can be done to prevent it. As Ramesh / Ranjini,
write the article in 150-200 words.

SECTION C
(Grammar) 20

7. Look at the notes given below and complete the paragraph suitably. Do not add any
new information. Write the answers against the correct blank numbers in your answer
sheet. Do not copy the whole sentences. (1×4=4 marks)
Susrutha - birth - 6th Century - learns surgery, medicine - Dhanvanthri -
Varanasi - Susrutha, other doctors - realize - no point - learn - only
facts - from books - perform - surgery -
Susrutha was a descendant of the Vedic sage Viswamithra. He was (a) __________
the 6th century B.C.   He (b)______________from Dhanvanthri at Varanasi. Susrutha and
some other (c)________________that learning only facts from books was of very little use
by itself. In order to be good surgeons, they needed to learn by (d)______________
8. Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences. The first
one has been done for you as an example. Write the answers against the correct blank
numbers in your answer sheet. (1×4=4 marks)
was a / about twenty / childhood / delight / years ago.
Childhood was a delight about twenty years ago.
a) the leisure hours / of a child / of the TV / today / are spent / in front /
b) of most / now - a - days / the attitude / parents is / different /
c) work and play / different things / they see / as / two /
d) playing / feel / is a/waste of/they/time/that

9. In the passage given below, there is an error in each line. Write the incorrect word
and the correction as given in the example against the correct blank number in your
answer sheet. Remember to underline the word you have supplied. (½×8=4 marks)
The  exhaust earth groaned                                       
and quivered under a glare a)
of the Sun. Spirals in heat b)
rose from the ground on if c)
from molten lava. The panting d)
lizard crawl painfully over e)
the hot rock on search f)
of the shady crevice. Cattle g)
or dogs cringed under the shade. h)

10. Read the headlines given below and use the information to complete the sentences
appropriately. Write the answers against the correct blank numbers in your answer
sheet. Do not copy the whole sentences. (1×4=4 marks)
a)       Air Deccan adds new flight
Air   Deccan   on   Friday   announced   ___________________________
of a second flight to the Delhi-Dehradun sector.
b)       Verismo India appoints new President
Verismo Networks, a leading internet media company_____________
______________ Abhay Dubey as President, Verismo India.
c)       Madras Management Association elects new President.
C.K.Rangana than,_______________________________ of  Madr a s
Management Association for the year 2006-2007.
d)       Arnold to take over charge
The  Footba l l  Fede r a t ion of  Aus t r a l i a   s a id on Fr iday  tha t  As s i s t ant
Coach Graham Arnold________________of the Australian team for the next
two Asian Cup qualifying matches.

11. Read the conversation and complete the paragraph given below. Write the answers
against the correct blank numbers. Do not copy the whole sentences. (1×4=4 marks)
Arun : Where are you going ?
Hari : I am  going to Mumbai.
Arun : Do  you know whether the train is on time ?
Hari : It is to  arrive at 10 p.m.
Arun : I  hope it is on time.
Arun asked Hari where he was going. Hari answered that (a)   ________.
Arun        enquired        if        he        knew        (b)_________________________.
________________________   Hari   said   (c)   ____________________________.
Arun said (d)________________.

SECTION  D  (Literature) 30

12. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write the answers
in your answer sheet in one or two lines only. Number the answers correctly. (4 marks)
Like the bright hair uplifted from the head
Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge
Of the horizon to the zenith’s height,
The locks of the approaching storm.
a) Who is Maenad ? What comparison does the poet make in these lines ? (2)
b) Name the poetic device used here. (1)
c) What does the phrase, ‘The locks’ stand for ? (1)

13. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write the answers
in your answer sheet in one or two lines only. Number the answers correctly. (4 marks)
Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog.
And the whole admiring bog
Stared towards the sumac, rapt,
And, when she had ended, clapped.
a) Why was the frog “dumbstruck” ? (2)
b) Who admired whom ? (1)
c) Why did everyone stare at the sumac ? (1)

14. “We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.”
Give a description of the experiences the mariners underwent in ‘the silent sea’.
Write your answer in 75-100 words. (5 marks)

15. Why did Calpurnia try to prevent Caesar from going to the senate house ? Did she
succeed in her attempt ? Why ? Write your answer in about 75 words. (5 marks)

16. “But when the evening of his life was drawing in, he left his old ways and suddenly
took a new turn.” What was the change in Ali’s nature towards the end of his
l i f e   ?  Wha t  wa s   r e spons ibl e   for   thi s   t r ans forma t ion  ?  Wr i t e  your   answe r   in
50-75 words. (4 marks)

17. You are the reporter of an investigative magazine. Your editor entrusted you with the
duty of collecting information about what had happened to Cutie-Pie after he had
escaped from prison. After the investigation you decide to write a letter to a friend on
what had happened to Cutie-Pie. Write the letter in 150-175 words. (8 marks)