DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWTOWN

SESSION 2023-24
PRE BOARD EXAMINATION

CLASS: X FULL MARKS: 80

SUBJECT: ENGLISH PAPER II (SET A) TIME: 2 HOURS

Answers to this Paper must be written on the paper provided separately.

You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes.
This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.
The time given at the head of this Paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.

The paper has four sections.

Section A is compulsory- All questions in Section A must be answered.
You must attempt one question from each of the Sections B, C and D and one other question from any
section of your choice.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].
This paper consists of six printed pages.

SECTION A
(Attempt all questions from this section)
Question 1
Read the following questions and choose the most appropriate response from the choices given
below. (Please do not copy the question – simply write out in correct serial order the appropriate
word or phrase.) [16]

i) Select the option that shows the correct relationship between statements (1) and (2) from
All Summer in a Day:
1. Margot had come to Venus five years ago from Earth whereas the other children had
been on Venus all their lives.
2. The other children considered themselves to be different from Margot.
a) 1 and 2 are unrelated
b) 1 is the cause of 2
c) 2 is the example of 1
d) 1 is the contradiction of 2

ii) Which line from the story All Summer in a Day uses simile?
a) I think the sun is a flower, that blooms for just one hour
b) She was an old photograph dusted from an album
c) If she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost
d) They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes

iii) Which of the following does the little match girl tell her grandmother?
a) “Oh, take me so high towards glory and joy!”
b) “Oh Granny, please do not disappear!”
c) “Oh, take me with you!”
d) “Oh Granny! I don’t want to live.”

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iv) How did the children react to the sunny day as mentioned in All Summer in a Day?
a) They were fearful
b) They ran and shouted with pleasure
c) They wanted the rain back
d) They hid inside their school classroom

v) Choose the option that lists the sequence of events in the correct order: -
1. Jesse Owens fouled twice in the trials.
2. Jesse was startled to see a tall boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps.
3. Jesse walked over Luz Long’s room in the Olympic village to thank him.
4. As a sophomore, Jesse had set a world’s record of 26 feet 8-1/4 inches.
a) 4, 2, 1, 3
b) 4, 1, 2, 3
c) 4, 1, 3, 2
d) 2, 1, 3, 4

vi) In the poem I know why the Caged Bird Sings, which word does Maya Angelou use to
describe the cage?
a) small
b) open
c) narrow
d) closed

vii) Choose the option that lists the sequence of events in the correct order:-
1. Abou said to the angel, “I pray thee, then, write me as one that loves his fellow men.”
2. Abou said to the angel, “What writest thou?”
3. The angel said to Abou, “Nay, not so.”
4. Abou said to the angel, “And is mine one?”
a) 4, 3, 2, 1
b) 2, 4, 3, 1
c) 2, 1, 3, 4
d) 4, 3, 1, 2

viii) Which of the following lines contain the same literary device as found in ‘The Patriot’: In
triumphs, people have dropped down dead
a) While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew
b) The script jumped off the page
c) Mouth like a fireplace, Chimney for a nose
d) She was a cheetah in the race

ix) What terms does the poet use to refer to the angel in the poem Abou Ben Adhem?
a) ‘presence’ and ‘blest’
b) ‘sweet accord’ and ‘tribe’
c) ‘vision’ and ‘bloom’
d) ‘presence’ and ‘vision’

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x) Which of the following is one of the main themes of the poem The Patriot?
a) Love for Nature
b) Fickle-mindedness of the common people
c) Racial discrimination
d) Futility of war

xi) Which of the following is NOT true?

a) Antonio wanted Shylock to become a Christian.
b) The judge asks Antonio to give him his gloves.
c) Shylock brought a surgeon ready in the court on Portia’s request.
d) Shylock kept the balance ready to weigh the flesh.

xii) ‘In christening shalt thou have two godfathers: Had I been judge, thou shouldst have had ten
more…’ Identify the speaker of the quoted sentence.
a) The Duke
b) Gratiano
c) Bassanio
d) Portia

xiii) Shylock: …Thou call’dst me dog before thou hadst a cause;

But, since I am a dog, beware my fangs:
The duke shall grant justice.
What is the meaning of ‘fangs’?
a) nails
b) intentions
c) eyes
d) teeth

xiv) Bassanio compares the artist of Portia’s portrait to _______. (Fill in the blank)
a) a golden mesh
b) gnats
c) demi-god
d) Midas

xv) Name the young lovers whose lives ended tragically because of a misunderstanding caused
by the appearance of a lion.
a) Pyramus and Thisbe
b) Troilus and Cressida
c) Dido and Aeneas
d) Medea and Aeson

xvi) Why does a quarrel break out between Nerissa and Gratiano in the final Act of The
Merchant of Venice?
a) Gratiano admits that he had given away the ring which Nerissa had given to him.
b) Nerissa admits that she had accompanied Portia to Venice disguised as a clerk.
c) Gratiano is annoyed with Nerissa for giving away his ring to a stranger in Venice.
d) Nerissa is angry with Gratiano for leaving for Venice on their wedding day.

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 SECTION B
DRAMA (The Merchant of Venice- Shakespeare)

Question 2
Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow:

Shylock: Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal:

it was my turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was
a bachelor: I would not have given it for a
wilderness of monkeys.
Tubal: But Antonio is certainly undone.

i) Who is referred to as ‘her’ in the extract? What had she done with the turquoise? How did
Shylock react after knowing that? [3]
ii) Who was Tubal? What other information about Jessica did Tubal give Shylock apart from
the one mentioned in the extract? [3]
iii) Who was Leah? Why was the turquoise very special to Shylock? Where did Shylock ask
Tubal to meet soon after? [3]
iv) Mention any two examples that Shylock gives to prove that a Jew and a Christian are
similar in many ways. Explain the line: But Antonio is certainly undone. [3]
v) Why was Shylock both sad and happy in this scene? Based on your reading of the play,
point out one contrast that you find between Portia and Shylock’s daughter. [3]

Question 3
Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow:

Antonio: Sweet lady, you have given me life and living;

For here I read for certain that my ships
Are safely come to road.
Portia: How now Lorenzo!
My clerk hath some good comforts too for you.

i) Where does this scene take place? What had Portia directed Antonio to give Bassanio just
moments before the above words were spoken? What did Bassanio notice after receiving
it? [3]
ii) Portia had just given Antonio, Bassanio and Gratiano a letter to read. Who had written
this letter? Where did that person live? What does Bassanio learn about Portia from this
letter? [3]
iii) What good news does Portia have for Antonio? How does he respond to it? [3]
iv) To whom does Portia refer as “My clerk”? What “good comforts” does the “clerk” have
for Lorenzo? [3]
v) What justification did Bassanio give to Portia for giving away the ring? Based on your
reading of the play, mention any one character of Portia with suitable justification. [4]

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 SECTION C
PROSE- SHORT STORIES
(Treasure Trove- A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)

Question 4
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:

“I did not see till I was home, that you were not there. I thought
something must have happened to you.”
And Sibia, bursting with her story, cried “Something did! …”

i) Give any two examples from the story to justify that Sibia was poor. Why does the author
refer to her as an ‘immature child woman’? [3]
ii) Why did Sibia climb up the cliff with the other women? Which two tools did she carry with
her? Why was it not possible for Sibia to skip on the way back? [3]
iii) Why did Sibia pause near the sweetmeat stall in the bazaar? Why must Sibia wait to make
a new necklace with the shiny scarlet seeds? What had Sibia kept in the cavelets above the
high-water mark of the highest flood? [3]
iv) Who is referred to as ‘I’ in the extract? Why was ‘I’ angry towards the end of the story?
What story did Sibia narrate soon after the extract? [3]
v) Give one character trait of Sibia with suitable justification. What are the different risks
and dangers posed to the forest dwellers as mentioned in the story? [4]

Question 5
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:

Death touches the spring of our common humanity. This

woman had been despised, scoffed at, and angrily denounced
by nearly every man, woman, and child in the village; but now,
as a fact of, her death was passed from lip to lip, in subdued
tones, pity took the place of anger, and sorrow of
denunciation.

i) How did the ‘woman’ die? Mention the name and age of the oldest child of the woman.
Who took him after his mother’s death? [3]
ii) Why was no one ready to take Maggie with them? What suggestion was given by the
people for little Maggie? [3]
iii) Which brave action was undertaken by Mr. Thompson’s sympathetic heart? Describe Mrs.
Thompson’s reaction on seeing Maggie in her husband’s arms. Where did Mr. Thompson
lay Maggie in his house? [3]
iv) What did Mr. Thompson observe secretly when he was returning from his work in the
evening? What was served to Maggie for supper? [3]
v) Give one character trait of Mr. Joe Thompson with suitable justification. Do you consider
Maggie to be “An Angel in Disguise”? Justify. [4]

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 SECTION D
POETRY
(Treasure Trove- A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)

Question 6
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:
I gazed-and gazed but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

i) How many daffodils does the poet say that he saw at a glance? Which figure of speech has
been used in this context? What was the colour of the daffodils as mentioned by the poet?
[3]
ii) Where did the poet see the daffodils? Why do you think the poet ‘gazed-and gazed’ at the
daffodils? [3]
iii) What comparison does the poet make between the daffodils and the waves? What is the
meaning of the word ‘jocund’? [3]
iv) Describe in detail the long-lasting effect of the daffodils on the poet. [3]
v) ‘Nature has healing and therapeutic powers.’ Justify this statement with reference to the
poem. If you had to give this poem an alternative title, what would you call it? Give reasons
for your answer. [4]

Question 7
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:

The athletes had come from so many countries

To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze
Many weeks and months in training
All building up to the games.

i) What were the spectators doing? What did the loudspeakers call out? Which was the last
race? [3]
ii) How many athletes participated in that race? Which word has been used by the poet to
describe the state of mind of the athletes as they lined up for that race? What special
quality of theirs does the poem celebrate? [3]
iii) What was the signal that the athletes waited for? What happened to the youngest athlete
soon after the race started? [3]
iv) Why did the youngest athlete give out a cry of frustration and anguish? How did the other
athletes react to this situation? [3]
v) Comment on the significance of the words written on the banner. Justify the title of the
poem Nine Gold Medals with suitable textual reference. [4]

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