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Kerala Syllabus Class 10 English Board Model Paper March 2023 with Answers
Time: 2½ Hours
Total Score: 80 Marks
Questions 1 – 5. Read the excerpt from “The Scholarship Jacket’ and answer the questions that follow. (5 × 1 = 1)
I was almost back at my classroom door when I heard voices raised in anger as if in some sort of argument. I stopped. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I just hesitated, not knowing what to do. I needed those shorts and I was going to be late, but I didn’t want to interrupt an argument between my teachers. I recognised the voices: Mr. Schmidt, my History teacher and Mr. Boone, my Math teacher. They seemed to be arguing about me. I couldn’t believe it. I still remember the feeling of shock that rooted me flat against the wall as if I were trying to blend in with the graffiti written there.
Question 1.
What did Martha hear when she reached near her classroom door?
Answer:
When she reached near her classroom door, Martha heard voices raised in anger as if in some sort of argument.
Question 2.
Martha hesitated to enter the classroom because ………………
a) she was doubtful if she could take her shorts or not.
b) she didn’t want to interrupt the argument between her teachers.
c) she would be late for her physical education class.
d) she was afraid of the punishment her teachers would impose.
Answer:
b) she did not want to interrupt the argument between her teachers.
Question 3.
Who are the teachers mentioned in the passage?
Answer:
The teachers mentioned in the passage are Mr. Schmidt, Martha’s history teacher, and Mr. Boone, her Math teacher.
Question 4.
How did Martha feel when she realized that her teachers were talking about her?
Answer:
When she realised that her teachers were talking about her, Martha felt a shock and she pressed herself flat against the wall as if she was trying to blend in with the graffiti written there.
Question 5.
Pick out the word from the passage that means ‘writings or drawings on the wall’.
Answer:
Graffiti
Questions 6 – 9: Read the lines from the poem, ‘Lines written in Early Spring’ and answer the questions give below. (4 × 1 = 4)
The old priest Peter Gilligan
Was weary night and day
For half his flock were in their beds
Or under green sods lay.
Once, while he nodded in a chair
At the moth-hour of the eve
Another poor man sent for him,
And he began to grieve.
Question 6.
Why was Father Gilligan ‘weary night and day’?
Answer:
Father Gilligan was weary night and day because half of his people (parishioners/folk) were sick and bedridden or were buried in their graves.
Question 7.
What does ‘under green sods lay’ mean here?
Answer:
It means they are buried in their graves covered with earth.
Question 8.
When did Peter Gilligan fall aslepp?
Answer:
Fr. Gilligan fell asleep at the moth hour of the eve.
Question 9.
Identify the rhyme scheme followed in the given stanzas.
Answer:
abca, abcb
Question 10.
Read the following lines from ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ and prepare a note of appreciation considering the theme, imagery nad other poetic devices.
I heard the thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.
To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.
Answer:
The poet was sitting relaxed in a grove. Different types of music from birds and insects were heard. He was in a sweet mood of pleasant thoughts which brought sad thought to his mind. Nature has linked her beautiful works with the human soul. It pained the heart of the poet to think what man has made of man.
There are many themes in the poem. There is the theme of the vital relationship of man and nature. There is the theme of conflict between man and man. There is also the theme of the mingling of pleasure and pain in life. The imagery is superb. We see the poet sitting relaxed in a grove surrounded by myriad music. We see the beauty of nature. We can see the plight of people who are filled with sad thoughts even as they smile. Nature is personified. The poem is in rhyme with the scheme abca, abcb. The poem has a fine message – life is a mixture of pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow.
Questions 11 – 12: Answer any ONE of the following in about 120 words. (1 × 7 = 7)
Question 11.
The narrator in the story The Best Investment I Ever Made’ was very happy to know that Mr. John, who he had saved from a suicide attempt, became a social worker later on. He narrated the life of Mr. John to one of his friends. Prepare a likely narrative.
(Hints: Narrator works as doctor in a working class district of London – one foggy night – a sergeant calls – a young man attempts suicide – works hard to save his life – hears his story – decides to help – meets after many years)
Answer:
I was travelling in a ship from New York. On the second day, I realised that someone named John and his .wife were eager to meet me. When they met m John told me his story. John’s parents were dead. His uncle helped him to get a job of a clerk in a London Lawyer’s office. John had no friends and he fell into bad company. He started betting on horses. He lost all his savings. He then stole some money from the office safe to make a final bet. But he lost again. He wanted to commit suicide. He went to the room and turned on the gas. I was called to attend to John who was found unconscious.
There was also a police man, and also the landlady of John. When John was revived he told us why he stole the money. We all felt pity for him. I gave him the money to place it back in the safe from where he had taken it. The policeman would not report any case against John. The landlady would give him a month’s free board. John now changed completely. He worked hard and became a success. Now he and his wife are helping the backward, maladjusted and delinquent youth to return to normal life. I felt that the money I gave John was the best investment I had ever made.
Question 12.
The boy in ‘Adventures in a Banyan Tree’ observes everything in Nature with great interest. Prepare a write-up detailing his experience as described in the story.
(Hints: Grandfather’s house – the banyan tree – ob-serves everything around the tree – grey squirrel – the fight between the cobra and the mongoose – the myna and the jungle crow – the white rat and the white squirrels.)
Answer:
The boy in the story loved nature and he lives a life in harmony with nature. There is a banyan tree near the house of the boy’s grandfather. The boy spends his time on the tree very often. He has built a platform in the tree. He often sits there and reads and then spends his time observing the nature around him. Once he witnesses a fight between a mongoose and a cobra. The cobra hissed and his tongue darted in and out. It raised its broad, bespectacled hood. The mongoose was ready to fight. Its hair stood on the spine like bristles. A myna and a jungle crow were watching the fight. The mongoose killed the cobra and dragged it into the bush.
A squirrel lived on the banyan tree. Once, the boy’s grandfather brought a white rat from the bazaar. The boy took the white rat to the tree. Soon the squirrel and the white rat became friends. They mated and the squirrel gave birth to three baby squirrels. The boy was surprised to see the baby squirrels. He told his grandfather about it. Then the grandfather said that squirrels and rats were related and if they mated they could have babies. For the boy it was new information. Life in harmony with nature makes it interesting and healthy.
Questions 13 – 17: Read the passage given be- 19. low and answer the questions that follow: (5 × 1 = 5)
Walt Disney’s journey to success started when he worked as a newspaper boy at the age of ten. Very early in life, he learned that work was something one should be passionate about. Delivering newspapers was not his passion.
He joined the army and then pursued a job he always wanted – a newspaper cartoonist. Unfortunately, Walt was denied the opportunity to work as a cartoonist by most of the leading newspapers. They said he lacked imagination. Soon he launched a company with a fellow cartoonist. But a month later the company closed down. Failure did not tie him down. He applied for a job at Kansas City Film Advertising Company. But the company rejected his application.
Finally he went to Hollywood and started Disney Bros.Studio. It was from there that Walt tasted success. Determined, he moved forward doing what he was passionate about. The Disney Company he founded has become one of the world’s largest entertainment firms. Now, under his name there are theme parks, animation studios, and other colourful creations.
Question 13.
What did Walt Disney learn from his early life experiences?
Answer:
From his early life experiences, Walt Disney learned that work was something one should be passionate about.
Question 14.
Walt Disney always wanted to become a ………………….
(a) Writer
(b) cartoonist
(c) film maker
(d) soldier
Answer:
b) cartoonist
Question 15.
On what grounds was Walt denied the opportunity to become a cartoonist?
Answer:
Walt was denied the opportunity to become a cartoonist because the would-be employers thought that he lacked imagination.
Question 16.
Walt could not work with Kansas City Film Advertising Company. Why?
Answer:
Walt could not work with Kansas City Film Advertising Company because the Company rejected his application.
Question 17.
The name of the company Walt Disney started in Hollywood was ………………
Answer:
Disney Bros. Studio
Questions 18 – 20: Answer any TWO of the following: Each question carries five scores. (2 × 5 = 10)
Question 18.
The Homeopath in the story “The Snake and Mirror’ ran for his life from his room as a snake coiled around his arm. He was terribly frightened. He noted his feelings in his diary. Prepare the likely diary entry for the Homeopath.
Answer:
29 July 1993
Last night was the worst in my life. I had”rented a room in a cheap hotel as I hadn’t much money with me. It was: 10 o’clock in the hot summer night. I had my meal at a restaurant and returned to my room. There were rats in my room. I lighted the kerosene lamp on the table. I took off my coat, shirt and vest. I opened the two windows. The room had a tiled roof.
I sat on a chair near the table. There was a mirror nearby. I looked into it and wanted to make myself more handsome. I was a bachelor. I combed my hair and adjusted the parting to look straight and neat. I looked at my face and decided I would shave daily and grow a small moustache.
I lit a beedi and started thinking of my marriage. I would marry a woman doctor with a lot of money and good practice. I wanted to be fat so that if I made a mistake and wanted to run away from her she should not be able to catch up with me.
Suddenly there was a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground. I looked back. A fat snake came over the back of the chair and landed on my shoulder. It slithered along my shoulder and coiled around my left arm. Its hood was spread out. It was just 3 or 4 inches from my face!
I was turned into a stone. I thought of God. There was some pain on my left arm. It was as if a rod of fire was slowly crushing my arm. The arm was losing its strength. But I could not do anything. Even if I moved a little, the snake would bite me. I did not have any medicine against poison.
Suddenly the snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror. It saw its reflection. It slowly unwound itself from my arm and slithered into my lap. From there it crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror. I got up from my chair and ran for my life. I reached a friend’s house. I put oil on my body and took a bath. I changed my clothes. But I could not sleep the whole night. It was the worst night in my life.
Question 19.
You get a chance to talk to Satyajit Ray once he completed the shooting of the film ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’. Prepare a set of five questions you would like to ask him.
Answer:
a) Sir, what inspired you to shoot a film with a tiger as part of it?
b) How do you decide on the location?
c) When you make a film like “Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne”, do you worry about its success at the box office?
d) How is that your films are always well-liked by the people?
e) What is the success formula that you have for your films?
Question 20.
The English Club of your school has decided to conduct a Children’s Film Festival. You are convenor of the club. Draft a notice detailing the events and inviting everyone to attend the programme.
Answer:
St. George High School, Edappally
English Club
20 March 2023
NOTICE
The English Club is organizing a Children’s Film Festival on 31 March 2023. The renowned Malayalam Film Director Adoor Gopalakrishnan has very kindly agreed to preside over the inaugural function which will take place at 10.00 am on 31.3.2023. The meeting will be held in the school auditorium.
After the meeting, 3 children’s films will be screened. The films to be shown are:
a) “Home Alone” – It is the story of a boy who boards a wrong flight and the adventures he has.
b) “The Lion King” – Disney’s The Lion King is about a young lion prince named Simba who, after losing his father in a staged accident which he feels he caused, must face his fear of responsibility and take his rightful place on the throne.
c) “Toy Story” – In a world where toys come to life in the absence of humans, a group of toys is preparing to move into a new house with their owner.
After the first movie, there will be lunch break. The other two film swill be screened after lunch.
It is a rare chance for you to watch some of the best children’s movies.
Entry is free. Do come early to ensure your seats.
Riya Binoy
Convenor
Questions 21 – 25: Answer any THREE of the following: Each question carries six scores. (3 × 6 = 18)
Question 21.
Prepare a profile of Vaikom Muhammed Basheer making use of the hints given below.
Born : 21 January, 1908
Place of Birth : Thalayolaparambu, Kerala
Famous as : Writer, freedom fighter
Major works : Balyakalasakhi, Ntuppuppakkoranendamu, Pathummayude Aadu
Awards : Padma Shri, Kerala Sahitya Academy Fellowship, Lalithambika Antharjanam Award
Death : 5 July, 1994
Answer:
Vaikom Muhammed Basheer was born on 21 January 1908, at Thalayolaparambu, in Kottayam district, Kerala. He is famous as writer and also as a freedom fighter. Some of his major works are: Balyakalasakhi, Ntuppuppakkoranendarnu, and Pathummayude Aadu. He has received many Awards and Honours. He was given the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship and Lalithambika Antharjanam Award. The country honoured him with a Padma Shri for his great contribution to the literary realm. He died on 5 July 1994. He will be remembered as long as Malayalees are alive. He is popularly known as the Beypore Sultan.
Question 22.
Vanka’s grandfather Konstantin Makarich plays an important role in the story ‘Vanka’. Prepare a character sketch of the Grandfather.
Answer:
Vanka’s grandfather was a night watchman on the estate of a rich family. He was a small, lean old man about 65. But he was lively and agile. He had a smiling face but his eyes were bleary with drink. During day time he slept in the dark kitchen or spent time joking with the cook and the kitchen maids. In the night he wore a sheepskin coat and walked around the estate making sounds with his rattle. With him there used to be two dogs. One was old Kashtanka.
The other was Eel. His rattle would be tied to his belt. He liked to laugh and playfully pinch maids and cooks. He would show his snuff box and ask the women to take a nip. The women would take some snuff and put into their nostrils. They would sneeze. Grandad would be shouting and laughing with joy, saying, “Good for frozen noses.” He even gave snuff ‘ to the dogs. He was a fun-loving old man. He sent Vanka to a shoemaker in Moscow as an apprentice. This action can be interpreted in two ways. Maybe, he wanted the orphaned boy to learn a trade to make a living for himself when he grew up. Bu some may think that he was running away from the responsibility of looking after his orphaned grandson. Whatever is the case, grandfather is a fun-loving fellow that makes us laugh with his antics.
Question 23.
Ali loses his sister’s shoes at the vegetable shop and it causes an array of problems in his life. He writes a letter to his friend describing the problems he faces. Prepare the likely letter.
Answer:
Ali is the brother of Zahra. He gets her school shoes repaired by the cobbler. The shoes are then placed in a black bag. Ali then goes to the bakery and buys some nan. Later he goes to a vegetable shop to buy some potatoes. Before entering the shop he places the bundle of nan on a pile of boxes of vegetables stacked in front of the shop. He places the bag of shoes in the small gap between two boxes.
As Ali is busy buying the potatoes, a junk collector comes and picks up the bag of shoes and puts it in his cart and goes away. Thus Ali loses the bag containing his sister’s shoes. The parents of Ali and Zahra are poor. They can’t afford to buy new shoes. When Zahra says she will report the loss to the father, Ali is worried. They are now in the presence of their parents and so they can’t talk openly. So they exchange notes. Ali writes to tell her that she can wear his sneakers to school. She agrees to the suggestion. This way Ali prevents Zahra from reporting the loss of her shoes to her father.
Question 24.
The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. Write a paragraph substantiating the statement based on the experiences of Adichie in The Danger of a Single Story’.
Answer:
A single story creates stereo types. The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but they are incomplete. The experience of Chimamande Adichie while she was a student in the USA proves the point. Her American roommate was surprised to hear Adichie speak English so well and she liked the songs of Mariah Carey. The American roommate could never imagine that a girl from Nigeria would speak English or listen to singers like Mariah Carey. Many British, Canadians or Australians feel surprised when Indians speak fluent English because they think that Indians can’t speak English well.
Adichie further elaborated how single stories often misinform and misguide people. They had a servant, whose name was Fide. Her mother always talked about the poverty of Fide. Adichie once visited Fide’s home and found his brother was a fine craftsman who could make beautifully patterned baskets. But ‘ she knew only of their poverty and not their artistic skills. This is what happens to many of us. We hear just one thing about a person or about a country. We don’t hear other things about him or the country. And so our opinion about the person and the country remains prejudiced. In India there are many street magicians an snake charmers. Many people in Africa and Europe think that all Indians know magic and they can handle snakes like Vava Suresh.
We all have heard the story of six blind men going to ‘see’ the elephant. Each of them felt with thei hands a different hart of the elephant. The person who felt the leg of the elephant said that an elephant is like a pillar. The one who felt the ear said that an elephant is like a hand-fan. To the one who felt the tail an elephant was like a stick! They all were right in their own limited way, but they were all wrong about their concept of the elephant.
So before coming to conclusions we should hear not a single story about something, but different stories about it. Otherwise we will remain prejudiced like the blind men in the story.
Question 25.
Mr. Schmidt in The Scholarship Jacket’ argued in favour of Martha and eventually Martha got the Scholarship jacket. At the graduation ceremony Mr. Schmidt delivered a felicitation speech congratulating Martha on winning the Scholarship Jacket. Prepare the likely speech.
Answer:
Honourable Principal, dear colleagues, students, Martha and her parents,
We all have assembled here to felicitate Martha who has won the School’s Scholarship Jacket this year. I heartily congratulate Martha on her achievement. I remember that some years ago, Martha’s sister also had won the Scholarship Jacket. Martha’s parents also deserve our applause for having such academically brilliant children.
Paulo Coelho said ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.’ I think in Martha’s case this has proved very true. She had a strong wish and now she has attained it. We all feel highly delighted to be here to felicitate Martha for her brilliant achievement, She was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her father is a poor farm labourer. But she was not ready to surrender. She knew that to be a champion she had to believe in herself. We all know that there are four D’s on which one can build the platform to climb to the zenith of success. They are Dedication, Devotion, Discipline and Determination. She had all these D’s in ample measure.
We know that she had to fight a lot against adverse circumstances to get this Scholarship Jacket. She proved to be a great fighter determined to succeed. Honours are not bought but are awarded on the basis of merit. Martha has proved to all of us that nothing can stop a person from reaching his/her goal is he/she is determined and ready to work hard. I can see the joy and pride on the face of Martha and her parents. We all are happy for them.
I would like to tell Martha to continue to work hard with diligence and determination so that she can bag greater laurels in future. The world loves champions. Martha is a champion and we all love her. May God bless her to be successful in her future endeavours. Martha, Congrats once again!
Questions 26 – 30: The table given below shows the details of certain books. Study the table and answer the questions that follow. (5 × 1 = 5)
| Book | Author | Language | Year of Publication |
| Aranyak | Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay | Bengali | 1976 |
| Randidangazhi | Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai | Malayalam | 1948 |
| Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse | German | 1922 |
| Heart of Darkness | Joseph Conrad | English | 1902 |
Question 26.
Who is the author of the book titled ‘Siddhartha’?
Answer:
Hermann Hesse
Question 27.
When was ‘Heart of Darkness’ published?
Answer:
In the year 1902
Question 28.
Which book in the given table was published in 1976?
Answer:
Aranyak
Question 29.
The only Malayalam work given in the table is ……………………
Answer:
Randidangazhi
Question 30.
Identify the book published first, from the ones given in the table.
Answer:
Heart of Darkness
Question 31.
There are a few errors in the passage given below. They are underlined. Edit them. (4 × 1 = 4)
Sharat went outside when he heard a call. He saw a young boy in the garden, a survivor from (a) a untumed boat (b) on the storm. Kiran (c) shows her hospitality by giving him dry clothes to change and milk to drink. His name was Nilkanta (d) that belonged to a theatrical group.
Answer:
a) an
b) in
c) showed
d) who
Question 32.
Read the following conversation.
Friend : Why are you crying?
Vanka : My master has beaten me with a stirrup-strap
Now, complete the following sentences.
(a) The fri end asked ……………
(b) Vanka replied ……………..
Answer:
a) The friend asked him why he was crying.
b) Vanka replied saying that his master had beaten him with a stirrup-strap.
Question 33.
Complete the following passage choosing the right words from those given in brackets. (4 × 1 = 4)
The narrator (a)………………. the sergeant of police walked to the lodging in silence. When they entered into the old building their nostrils were stung by the smell (b)……………….. illuminating gas. The landlady led them to (c)……………….. bare little attic. There lay the body of a young man stretched (d)……………….. narrow bed.
(of, on, and, a, for)
Answer:
a) and
b) of
c) a
d) on
Question 34.
Complete the following passage choosing appropriate phrasal verbs from the ones given below. (4 × 1 = 4)
When the tiger jumped out of the cage, all the people were ………….(a)…………… by its unexpected behaviour. Mr.Thoratwas unable to ………….(b)…………… what was happening. The tiger ………….(c)…………… dragging Mr. Thorat. But he was not ready to ………….(d)…………… his efforts.
(make out, give up, taken aback, went on)
Answer:
a) taken aback
b) make out
c) went on
d) give up
Question 35.
Complete the following conversation suitably. (4 × 1 = 4)
Aunt Jane : You bought everthing on instalments ………….(a)…………… ?
Jack : Yes. But I’m not worried about the instalments.
Aunt Jane : ………….(b)…………… ?
Jack : I earn six pounds a week.
Aunt Jane : ………….(c)…………… ?
Jack : Yes. I can manage to pay back without any due
Aunt Jane : I don’t think so. If you fail to pay the instalment ………….(d)……………
Answer:
a) didn’t you
b) How much do you earn a week?
c) Can you manage to pay back without any due?
d) they all will be taken away.
Question 36.
Read the following sentences and identify the Noun Phrases in the subject position. (3 × 1 = 3)
(a) Ali went inside the bakery.
(b) The cook was taking the baked nan out.
(c) A group of men was standing in the queue outside the bakery.
Answer:
a) Ali
b) The cook
c) A group of men