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Kerala Syllabus Class 10 English Board Model Paper March 2019 with Answers
Time: 2½ Hours
Maximum: 80 Scores
Questions 1 – 6: Read the excerpt from ‘Vanka’ and answer the questions that follow. Each question carries one score. (1 × 6 = 6)
Grandfather would drag the tree to the big house, and they would start decorating it. .. Miss . Olga Ignatyevna, Vanka’s favorite, was the busiest of all. While Pelageya, Vanka’s mother, was alive and in service at the big house, Olga Ignatyevna used to give Vanka sweets and amuse herself by teaching him to read, write, and count to a hundred, and even to dance the quadrille. But when Pelageya died, the orphaned Vanka was sent down to the back kitchen to his grandfather, and from there to Moscow, to Alyakhin the shoemaker…
Question 1.
Who is Vanka’s favorite?
Answer:
Olga Ignatyevna
Question 2.
What idea do you get about Vanka’s mother, from the passage?
Answer:
Vanka’s mother was a loving mother who took him with her when she went to work in the house of Olga Ignatyevna.
Question 3.
What did Vanka learn from Olga Ignatyevna?
Answer:
He learned to read, write, count to a hundred, and to dance the quadrille.
Question 4.
How did Vanka reach Moscow?
Answer:
His grandfather took him to Moscow.
Question 5.
Find out the word from the passage that means ‘to make someone laugh or happy’.
Answer:
Amuse
Question 6.
Read the following sentence:
‘Grandfather would drag the tree to the big house, and they would start decorating it’.
Here two sentences are combined using the linking word ‘and’. Frame a sentence of your choice in a similar pattern.
Answer:
My father would bring fish from the market and my mother and sister would clean and cut it to make curry.
Score Questions 7 – 10: Read the lines from ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and answer the questions that follow. Each question carries one score. (1 × 4 = 4)
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Question 7.
‘White dove’ symbolizes ______________
Answer:
Peace
Question 8.
What do you mean by ‘The answer is blowin’ in the wind’?
Answer:
‘Blowin’ in the wind’ means the answer is not easy to get, although it is around. The answers to the questions the poet asks are difficult to get.
Question 9.
What according to the poet will be banned forever?
Answer:
The cannon balls.
Question 10.
Pick out an example of alliteration from the above lines.
Answer:
Sleeps in the sand
Question 11.
Read the following lines from the poem ‘Poetry’ and attempt a brief appreciation focussing on the theme and poetic devices used. (5)
I did not know what to say, my mouth
had no way
with names,
my eyes were blind,
and something started in my soul,
fever or forgotten wings,
and I made my way,
deciphering
that fire,
and I wrote the first faint line,
faint, without substance, pure
nonsense,
pure Wisdom
of someone who knows nothing,
and suddenly I saw
the heavens
unfastened and open,
planets,
palpitating plantations,
shadow perforated,
riddled
with arrows, fire, and flowers,
the winding night, the universe.
Answer:
The poem “Poetry” is by the Chilean poet Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He was a diplomat and a politician. He wrote using his pen name Pablo Neruda. In the poem ‘Poetry’ the poet Pablo Neruda talks about poetry that arrived in search of him. He did not know where it came from, or how or when. He did not hear any voices speaking to him. He says he was called away by an invisible force, and the poetry touched him. The theme of the poem is the blissful experience of the poet touched by poetic creativity. He had in his mind ideas that he could not express effectively before he was blessed by that touch. Something started in his soul, like a fever, and he made his way, learning about the fire of poetry. He wrote his first weak line, and suddenly, the heavens opened up and he could see everything from the planets to the shadows, fire, arrows, and flowers, making up the universe.
With the arrival of poetic inspiration, his imagination became limitless. Although he was a small being, by the touch of poetry, he was suddenly lifted into a world of joy. The poem is in free verse. The tone is joyful. There is personification when he says poetry came in search of him and touched him. The poet has not used end rhyme, but there are instances of assonance. Alliteration can be seen in lines, “and something started in my soul”, “fever or forgotten wings” and “planets, palpitating plantations”. References to flowers, violent fires, the branches of night, the heavens, wings, planets, plantations, part of the abyss, etc. create beautiful and near-perfect visual images of the universe in the imagination of the readers.
Questions 12 – 16: Read the following story, and answer the questions below. Each question carries one score. (1 × 5 = 5)
Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901. He had three brothers and a younger sister. His family moved from Chicago to Missouri and then finally settled in Kansas City when Walt was nine. Since the family was financially backward, Walt and his brothers worked as paperboys and didn’t have much time for school. When Walt was 16 his life suddenly changed as America entered the Great War. A patriotic young man, Walt tried to join the army but was rejected because of his age. Then he joined the Red Cross unit. When Walt returned to his family in Kansas, his brother Roy helped him get a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio. Here, he created advertisements for newspapers and magazines. At just 20 years old, Walt and his friends were making funny short films based on fairy tales through a process of trial and error. In July 1923, Walt sold his camera and, with the little money he had, moved to Hollywood. He had decided he wanted to be in the motion picture business instead and envisioned himself as a director. He moved in with his uncle Robert Disney and set out to look for a job. Every studio in town turned him down. As a last resort, Walt returned reluctantly to animation.
Question 12.
Where was Walt Disney born?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 13.
Why didn’t Walt Disney have much time for school?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 14.
What made a sudden change in Walt’s life?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 15.
What was Walt’s work in the Pesmen-Rubin Axt Studio?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 16.
‘Walt returned reluctantly to animation.’ Why?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Score Questions 17 – 21: The details of certain books are given below. Study the table and answer the questions that follow. Each question carries one score. (1 × 5 = 5)
| Name of Book | Category | Author | Year of Publication | Publisher |
| The Alchemist | Novel | Paulo Coelho | 1993 | Harper Collins |
| Canto General | Poetry | Pablo Neruda | 1950 | University of California Press |
| Gitanjali | Poetry | Rabindranath Tagore | 1912 | Macmillan and Company |
| Things Fall Apart | Novel | Chinua Achebe | 1958 | William Heinemann Ltd. |
| Syntactic Structures | Essays | Noam Chomsky | 1957 | Mounton & Company |
Question 17.
When was ‘Things Fall Apart’ published?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 18.
Who wrote the book ‘Syntactic Structures’?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 19.
The publisher of the novel ‘The Alchemist’ is ______________
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 20.
Identify the book written by Pablo Neruda.
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Question 21.
Which is the only.essay collection in the list given above?
Answer:
Not in the Current Syllabus.
Questions 22 – 23: Answer any ONE of the following in about 120 words. (7 × 1 = 7)
Question 22.
Martha was shocked when she learned about the policy change regarding the scholarship jacket. Suppose you meet her and she narrates the incidents to you. Prepare the likely narrative.
(Hints: Straight ‘A grade’ – hopes to get the scholarship jacket – overhears the conversation – shocked – Principal calls – change in the policy – disappointed)
Answer:
In the School where Martha studied there was a tradition to award the Scholarship Jacket to the best standard 8 student for outstanding performance. It was given during the passing out day every year. Martha worked hard for it and she thought she would get the Jacket, But things were not as she thought. She overheard a conversation between Mr Schmidt and Mr Boone, both her teachers. What she understood from their conversation was that the Management was planning to give Joanne, Martha’s classmate, the Jacket.
Joanne was the daughter of I a Member of the School Board. With the support of some staff members, the Board Member wanted to manipulate things so that his daughter would get the scholarship jacket. Joanne was next to Martha in the performance. A new proposal was made to charge $15 from the student eligible for the Award. Martha knew that her parents could not afford such a sum and naturally Joanne would get the Jacket, The Principal had no choice but to agree with the decision of the Board. He asked Martha to bring $15. This made Martha very disappointed as she knew she would not be able to get that money.
Question 23.
“Taking only the stereotypical stories into consideration otten mislead us”. Do you agree with the statement? Prepare a write-up based on Adichie’s speech ‘The Danger of a Single Story’.
(Hints: middle-class family – Fide – mother’s narrative – Fide’s family – feels sympathy – visit – surprised to see the dyed raffia – goes to America – roommate’s attitude)
Answer:
I quite agree with the statement that “Taking only the stereotypical stories into consideration often misleads us”. The experiences of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie prove it. She is a Nigerian. She went to study in the USA when she was 19 years old. Her American roommate was shocked by her. She asked Adichie where she had learned to speak English so well. The roommate was confused when Adichie told her that English was the official language of Nigeria.
The roommate wanted Adichie to play some tribal music for her and was disappointed to see that Adichie’s tape had Mariah Carey, who is an American singer and songwriter. The roommate had felt sorry for Adichie even before she saw her. She pitied Adichie as she was an African. The roommate had a single story of Africa and she could not imagine that anybody in Africa could be like her in any way. People call Africa “The Dark Continent” and they think the Africans are uncivilized like primitive savages. A professor once told Adichie that her novel was not authentically African. He told her that because her characters were like him – educated and middle class. Adichie’s characters drove cars. They were not starving. Therefore the professor thought they were not authentically African!
Questions 24 – 26: Answer any TWO of the following. Each question carries five scores. (5 × 2 = 10)
Question 24.
Mrs. John was very excited on the day her husband Mr. John met the doctor on board the ship. She writes her feelings in her diary. What would the diary entry be? Write it.
Answer:
My husband Mr John and I were traveling on a ship that was taking us back home after a trip to America. Mr. John was trying to meet Dr. Cronin who was also a passenger in that ship. Cronin wanted to know why John was so eager to meet him. John then introduced himself to Dr. Cronin and told his story. John lost his parents early in life and so his uncle got him employment in a London Lawyer’s office. As he was without friends and relatives, he soon fell into bad company and started living beyond his means. He bet on horses and lost all his savings. He borrowed money which also he lost. He decided to steal some money from his office and make a final gamble. That also he lost. Now he would be caught and jailed and so he decided to commit suicide. He went to his room and turned the gas on.
John was lucky. He did not die. The landlady and the sergeant called a doctor to help him. The doctor soon revived John. The sergeant asked him why he decided to kill himself. He said he stole 7 pounds and 10 shillings from the office safe. If that was not returned, he would be caught and jailed. In his helpless condition, the three present there – the doctor, the landlady, and the sergeant – decided to help him. The doctor gave him the money to be put back in the safe. The sergeant agreed not to report the case. The landlady agreed to give John freeboard for a month. These virtuous acts on the part of his benefactors transformed John. He studies hard and becomes a lawyer and then the director of a charitable organization working for the rehabilitation of maladjusted and delinquent youth. We see John repaying generosity with generosity. Cronin, the doctor, had made the best investment he had ever made. It is such people who make this world a beautiful place to live in.
Question 25.
Satyajit Ray says that he felt a lot of difficulty while shooting a scene with the tiger. Suppose you meet him after the shooting of the scene. Write the likely conversation between Ray and you.
Answer:
I: Good Morning, Mr. Ray!
Ray: Good Morning!
I: Sir, I want to ask you some questions about the shooting with the tiger.
Ray: Okay! Go ahead!
I: For which film are you shooting the scene with the tiger?
Ray: For my next film titled “Goopy Gyne Baghe Byne”.
I: Sir, from where did you get the tiger?
Ray: I got it from Bharat Circus.
I: Why did you choose Notun Gram to shoot this scene?
Ray: I thought it was an ideal place for the shooting because of the bamboo grove there.
I: Wasn’t it dangerous to leave the tiger free while shooting?
Ray: Yes, it was.
I: Then how did you manage it?
Ray: The ringmaster Mr. Thorat had a solution to that problem. He tied a thin but strong wire around the tiger’s neck. A collar made of tiger skin was made and the wire was tied around the neck of the tiger. The end of the wire was tied to a 5-foot iron rod fixed to the ground, some 30 feet away from where the tiger was to walk. The rod and the wire were not seen in the film.
I: It was quite a risky job, wasn’t it?
Ray: Shooting an adventurous film of this kind is always risky.
I: Thank you, Sir! Thank you very much. Bye for now!
Ray: It’s alright! Bye!
Question 26.
The English Club of your school has decided to conduct a seminar on the topic ‘Live and Let Live’ in the light of the story ‘Adolf’. Draft a notice inviting all the teachers and students to attend the seminar.
Answer:
Not in the syllabus.
Questions 27 – 31: Answer any THREE of the following. Each question carries six scores. (6 × 3 = 18)
Question 27.
Vanka suffers a lot at the workplace. He is optimistic and hopes that one day his grandfather will come and save him. Prepare a character sketch of Vanka.
Answer:
Vanka is an unhappy nine-year-old orphan who is apprenticed to a cruel shoemaker, Alyakhin in Moscow. He is subjected to cruelty in Alyakhin’s house, not only by the master but also by the mistress and fellow apprentices. He is not given enough food. Moreover, he is made to rock the baby of Alyakhin at night and so, he can’t sleep properly. The senior apprentices send him to buy Vodka and to steal cucumbers from the master. They also make fun of him. Unable to bear it further, Vanka wants to run away to his grandfather, but he has no shoes and he is afraid of the frost. Tired of this miserable life, the innocent child longs for a family.
Images of a loving family flash through his mind. Born out of these memories is the hope of living a better life in the company of his grandfather and his friends in the village. Therefore, Vanka decides to write a letter to his grandfather and makes a desperate plea. ‘Come to me, dear Granddad… I beg you for Christ’s sake, take me away from here,’ he pleads. The letter is simply addressed ‘To Konstantin Makarich.’ We are left to wonder whether this cry for freedom will reach its objective as the letter doesn’t have a correct postal address and the cover is not stamped. Lulled by rosy hopes, reminiscent memories of better days, vivid images of his grandfather, the dogs, and life in the village, Vanka goes to sleep with an intense feeling of hope.
Question 28.
The narrator was disappointed when Adolf was sent back to the forest. He writes a letter to his friend describing all the incidents that happened in his house. Write the likely letter.
Answer:
Not in the syllabus.
Question 29.
Write a short profile of Satyajit Ray using the details given below:
Born: 2 May, 1921
Place of Birth: Bihar, India
Nationality: Indian
Famous as a filmmaker, screenwriter, and graphic artist
Notable works: Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Charulata, Mahanagar
Awards and Honours: Dadasahib Phalke Award, Bharat Ratna, Academy Award
Died: 23 April 1992
Answer:
Satyajit Ray, the famous Indian Film Maker, was born on 2 May 1921, in Bihar, India. His films were mainly in Bengali. He was a genius with many talents. He was a film-maker, screenwriter, and also a graphic artist. His notable films were “Pather Panchali”, “Apur Sansar”, “Charulata” and “Mahanagar”. He received many Awards and Honours for his notable contribution to the Indian film industry. He brought Indian films to international fame. He was given the Dadasahib Phalke Award, Bharat Ratna, and the Academy Award. He died on 23 April 1992.
Question 30.
A news reporter comes to know about the sufferings of Vanka at Alyakhin’s house. He drafts a report to be published in the daily the next day. Prepare the likely news report.
Answer:
Vanka is an unhappy nine-year-old orphan who is apprenticed to a cruel shoemaker, Alyakhin in Moscow. He is subjected to cruelty in Alyakhin’s house, not only by the master but also by the mistress and fellow apprentices. He is not given enough food. Moreover, he is made to rock the baby of Alyakhin at night and so, he can’t sleep properly. The senior apprentices send him to buy Vodka and to steal cucumbers from the master. They also make fun of him. Unable to bear it further, Vanka wants to run away to his grandfather, but he has no shoes and he is afraid of the frost. Tired of this miserable life, the innocent child longs for a family.
Images of a loving family flash through his mind. Born out of these memories is the hope of living a better life in the company of his grandfather and his friends in the village. Therefore, Vanka decides to write a letter to his grandfather and makes a desperate plea. ‘Come to me, dear Granddad… I beg you for Christ’s sake, take me away from here,’ he pleads. The letter is simply addressed ‘To Konstantin Makarich.’ We are left to wonder whether this cry for freedom will reach its objective as the letter doesn’t have a correct postal address and the cover is not stamped. Lulled by rosy hopes, reminiscent memories of better days, vivid images of his grandfather, the dogs, and life in the village, Vanka goes to sleep with an intense feeling of hope.
Question 31.
‘One dusty old book of nursery rhymes saved the world from Martian invasion’. How? Describe the incidents in a paragraph.
Answer:
Not in the syllabus.
Question 32.
Complete the following conversation between Mr. John and Dr. A.J. Cronin. (5)
John: You still don’t remember me ______________(a)______________?
Cronin: Sorry, I don’t remember.
John: You saved a man’s life 25 years ago.
Cronin: Oh! I do remember it now ______________(b)______________?
John: Yes sir, I’m John and this is my wife.
Cronin: ______________(c)______________?
John: I’m a social worker. I help the derelict adolescents to come back to life.
Cronin: Good. Helping others makes one’s life meaningful.
John: If you hadn’t saved me, ______________(d)______________?
Cronin: That’s my duty.
John: ______________(e)______________?
Cronin: Yes, I still live in London.
Answer:
John: You still don’t remember me, do you?
Cronin: Sorry, I don’t remember.
John: You saved a man’s life 25 years ago.
Cronin: Oh! I do remember it now, Aren’t you John?
John: Yes sir, I’m John and this is my wife.
Cronin: What are you doing now?
John: I’m a social worker. I help the derelict adolescents to come back to life.
Cronin: Good. Helping others makes one’s life meaningful.
John: If you hadn’t saved me, I would not have been here.
Cronin: That’s my duty.
John: Do you still live in London?
Cronin: Yes, I still live in London.
Question 33.
Report the following dialogue. (2)
Mother: Where did you get it from?
Father: I got it on my way back home.
You may begin like this:
Mother asked Father ______________(a)______________
Father replied ______________(b)______________
Answer:
Mother asked Father from where he had got it.
Father replied saying that he had got it on his way back home.
Question 34.
Complete the passage by choosing the right words from the ones given in brackets. (5)
Satyajit Ray wanted to shoot a scene with a tiger for his film. He decided ______________(a)______________ approach Bharat Circus Company to get a tiger. He took ______________(b)______________ appointment to meet ______________(c)______________ manager. The manager greeted Ray warmly and sent him ______________(d)______________ Mr. Thorat, the ring master. He was ______________(e)______________ South Indian.
(the, for, an, a, to)
Answer:
Satyajit Ray wanted to shoot a scene with a tiger for his film. He decided to approach Bharat Circus Company to get a tiger. He made an appointment to meet the manager. The manager greeted Ray warmly and sent him to Mr. Thorat, the ringmaster. He was a South Indian.
Question 35.
There are a few errors in the following passage. They are underlined. Edit them. (4)
What constant (a) recurs to me is ‘The rain patterns, the leaf quivers’. Whenever the joy that of day (b) comes back to me, even now, I realises (c) why rhymes are (d) so needful in poetry.
Answer:
What constantly (a) recurs to me is ‘The rain patterns, the leaf quivers’. Whenever the of that day (b) come back to me, even now, I realise (c) why rhyme is (d) so needful in poetry.
Question 36.
Complete the passage by choosing appropriate phrasal verbs from the ones given below: (4)
The principal ______________(a)______________ justifying the change in policy in awarding the scholarship jacket. But Martha was able to ______________(b)______________ what their plan was. But she was not ready to ______________(c)______________ the partiality shown by the board. She knew that their demand for money would be ______________(d)______________ by her grandfather.
(make out, turn down, put up with, went on)
Answer:
The principal went on to justify the change in policy in awarding the scholarship jacket. But Martha was able to make out what their plan was. But she was not ready to put up with the partiality shown by the board. She knew that their demand for money would be turned down by her grandfather.