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Kerala Syllabus Class 10 English Question Paper March 2023 with Answers
Time: 2½ Hours
Total Score: 80 Marks
General Instructions to Candidates:
- 15 minutes is ‘Cool-off time’. Use this time to get familiarised with questions and plan your answers.
- Questions with different score are given as distinct sections.
- Read the instructions carefully before answering the questions.
- Keep in mind the score and the time while answering the questions.
- The maximum scqre for questions from 1 to 35 will be 80.
Questions 1 – 5. Read the excerpt from “Vanka’ and answer the questions that follow. (5 × 1 = 1)
Vanka gave a sharp sigh and once more gazed at the Windowpane. He remembered his grandfather going to get a Christmas tree for the gentry and taking his grandson with him. Oh, what happy times those had been! Grandfather would give a chuckle, and the frost-bound wood chuckled, and Vanka, following their example, chuckled, too. Before chopping down the fir-tree, Grandfather would smoke a pipe, take a long pinch of snuff, and laugh at the shivering Vanka …………The yound fir-trees, coated with frost, stood motionless, waiting to see which one of them was to die. And suddenly a hare would come leaping over a snow-drift, swift as an arrow. Grandfa¬ther could never help shouting:
“Stop it, stop it ……….. stop it! Oh, you stub-tailed devil!”
Question 1.
What does Vanka remember about his grandfather during Christmas?
Answer:
Vanka remembers his grandfather going to get a Christmas tree for the gentry taking him (Vanka) with him.
Question 2.
Pick out a sentence that tells you, Vanka really missed his happy times.
Answer:
Oh, what happy times those had been!
Question 3.
How are the fir-trees described in the passage?
Answer:
Then young fir trees, coated with frost, stood motionless, waiting to see which one of them was to die.
Question 4.
Identify the word from the passage that means ‘to cut down a tree’.
Answer:
chopping
Question 5.
What is the movement of the hare compared to?
Answer:
The movement of the hare is compared to a swift arrow.
Questions 6 – 9: Read the lines from the poem, ‘Lines written in Early Spring’ and answer the questions give below. (4 × 1 = 4)
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.
The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:-
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.
Question 6.
What is the poet’s faith?
Answer:
The poet’s faith is that every flower enjoys the air it breathes.
Question 7.
Pick out any two visual images from the stanzas given above.
Answer:
a) The primrose tufts in that green bower.
b) The birds around mew hopped and played.
Question 8.
What feelings do the movement of the birds evoke in the poet’s mind?
Answer:
The movement of the birds evoked in the poet a thrill of pleasure.
Question 9.
Identify the rhyme scheme followed in the lines given.
Answer:
abab, abab
Question 10.
Read the lines from the poem ‘The Ballad of Father Gilligan’ and prepare a note of appreciation considering the theme, imagery and other poetics devices.
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.
‘I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace,
For people die and die;
And after cried he, ‘God forgive!
My body spake not I!’
Answer:
The old priest Peter Gilligan was working the whole day and night and he was very tired. He had to work round the block because half of his parishioners were either bedridden or were buried. Once, when he was sleeping on a chair as he was extremely tired late in the evening just before nightfall, somebody came to call him to give the last sacraments to a dying man. The Priest felt very unhappy and he almost complained to God saying that he had no rest, no joy, and no peace as people are going on dying. Then he feels sorry that he made such a complaint and he seeks forgiveness from God saying that it was his body that made him speak like that.
One of the themes is the plague that ravaged Ireland long ago. Another theme is the strong faith of Fr. Gilligan and his service mentality. We have fine imagery in the poem. We see people sick in their beds and many buried in their graves. We can see Fr. Gilligan nodding in the chair as he is physically exhausted. The poem is in rhyme. The rhyming scheme is abcb. There are archaic words in the poem, like ‘spake’. There are some fine expressions in the poem like “under green sods lay”, and “at the moth hour of the eve”. There is alliteration in “priest Peter” and “was weary”. The message the poem give is selfless service to others.
Questions 11 – 15: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. (5 × 1 = 5)
Everyone needs sleep, but its biological purpose remains a mystery. It is a fact that sleep is important in our daily routine. We spend about one-third of our time sleeping. Without proper sleep one finds it difficult to concentrate and respond quickly to various situations.
Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, including the communication of nerve cells (neurons) with each other. In fact, our brain and body stay remarkably active while we sleep. Recent research suggests that sleep plays a housekeeping role by removing toxins that are formed our brain, while we are awake.
Lack of sleep affects almost every type of tissue and 20. system in the body – from the brain, heart, and lungs to metabolism, immune function and mood. Chronic sleep disorders increase the risk of diseases like high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression and obesity
Question 11.
Our brain and body stay ………………….. while we sleep.
(a) passive
(b) active
(c) still
(d) idle
Answer:
b) active
Question 12.
How much time do we spend sleeping?
Answer:
We spend about one-third of our time sleeping.
Question 13.
How does lack of sleep affect our body?
Answer:
Lack of sleep affects almost every type of tissue and system in the body – from the brain, heart and lungs to metabolism, immune function and mood.
Question 14.
What is the finding of recent research mentioned in the passage?
Answer:
Recent research suggests that sleep plays a housekeeping role by removing toxins that are formed in our brain, while we are awake.
Question 15.
Pick out a word from the passage that means ‘something that is difficult to understand’.
Answer:
Mystery
Questions 16 – 17: Answer any ONE of the following in about 120 words.
Question 16.
The boy in the story ‘Adventures in a Banyan Tree’ enjoys sitting on the banyan tree reading books and watching the world beneath it. The story describes vividly the sights and sounds of nature. Prepare a write-up on the topic ‘Nature-a treasure house of knowledge’ based on the boy’s observation of his surroundings and his joy of experiencing nature.
(Hints: make friends with the squirrel – watches exciting fight between snake and the mongoose – interference of crow and myna – strange case of the grey squirrel and the while mongoose)
Answer:
Nature – a Treasure House of Knowledge
Nature is a treasure house of knowledge. We can learn a lot of things from nature if we keep our eyes and ears open. In the “Adventures in a Banyan Tree” Ruskin Bond tells us how the boy in the story gains knowledge merely by observing nature.
The first friend of the boy was a small squirrel. He used to give the squirrel pieces of cakes and biscuits. The squirrel then became bold enough to eat from his hands. The boy built a platform in a banyan tree. He used to sit there and read books and watch the things around.
One day he saw a cobra and mongoose having a fight. As he was watching the fight he saw there were also a myna and a crow watching the fight. These birds wanted to attack the cobra. But the cobra kills the crow. Finally the cobra is killed by the mongoose and its body is dragged into the bush.
The Grandfather of the boy had bought a white rat and brought it home. The boy took it to the squirrel and soon the white rat and the squirrel became close friends. They mated. The squirrel built a nest and crammed it with the wool of the boy’s Grandmother’s knitting. When the boy went to investigate he was surprised to see 3 white baby squirrels. His Grandfather told him that the squirrel was the father and the white rat was the mother. Since rats and squirrels are related species, they could have offspring; if they mated. It was news to the boy.
Question 17.
The story The Castaway’ depicts the emotional journey of Nilkanta who was taken care of by the kind-hearted lady, Kiran. Prepare a brief narrative on the unforgettable experiences of Nilkanta in yourwords.
(Hints: survives a boat tragedy – turns up at Kiran’s place – Kiran takes pity on him – gives freedom – falls into bad company – Sharat hates him – does not get Kiran’s attention – steals Satish’s inkstand – Kiran finds out – Nilkanta out in the street)
Answer:
Nilkanta is an orphan boy who comes to the family of Kiran after the boat in which he was travelling sank in the storm. He was working with a theatrical group. Kiran is the wife of Sharat. She has always been caring and affectionate towards Nilkanta. Kiran was very sick and she was brought to a riverside retreat in Chandernagore so that she could have a change of place.
She wanted to go back to the village because she was bored in the retreat. It was at this time Nilkanta comes to them. Kiran took a liking to the boy Nilkanta. Initially Sharat and his mother were happy with Nilkanta because his arrival would help Kiran to continue staying in the riverside retreat. But soon Sharat and his mother started hating Nilkanta because he had a lot of naughty friends and also a street dog. The dog turned the house upside down. They wanted Nilkanta to go away, but Kiran wanted him to stay. He made her happy with his theatrical performances in the afternoons. Nilkanta got beatings from Sharat for his mischiefs, but still he was happy in Kiran’s company. Kiran tried to teach him reading and writing, but he was not interested in academics.
Satish, younger brother of Sharat, comes to stay with them. Kiran is happy with her brother-in-law and they had a lot of fun together. Nilkanta feels neglected. Nilkanta dislikes Satish. Sharat and the family decide to go back to their home in the village. Nobody wants Nilkanta to go with them. Even Kiran tells Nilkanta to go back to his home. This makes Nilkanta cry a lot, and so Kiran takes him with her. Satish says that Nilkanta is clever enough to play tricks to get the sympathy of Kiran. Nilkanta wants to take revenge on Satish. He takes the grand ornamental inkstand that Satish had brought and hides it in his box.
When the inkstand was found missing, Satish wanted to search the room of Nilkanta, but Kiran does not allow it. She wanted to surprise Nilkanta with a present. She wanted to place two new suits of clothes, a pair of shoes and a banknote in the box of Nilkanta. When she opened his box, she found the inkstand in it. Nilkanta was standing behind Kiran when she found the inkstand. He felt sad and he left the place without telling anybody. Even the police could not find him. Sharat wanted to search Nilkanta’s box but Kiran would not allow it. Later she took the inkstand and threw it in the river. She did not want people to think that Nilkanta was a thief.
Questions 18 – 20: Answer any TWO of the following: Each question carries five scores. (2 × 5 = 10)
Question 18.
The Film Club of your school has decided to conduct a film festival featuring the popular films of renowned film directors Satyajit Ray and Majid Majidi. Prepare a notice inviting everyone to the festival.
Answer:
St. George High School, Edappally
English Club
20 March 2023
NOTICE
The Film Club is organizing a Children’s Film^Festival on 31 March 2023. Some famous films by Satyajit Ray and Majid Majidi will be screened during the festival. The renowned Malayalam Film Director Adoor Gopalakrishnan has vey 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, 4 films will be screened. The films to be shown are:
- Pather Panchali (Song of the Road) – Satyajit Ray) – Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.
- Aparajito (Satyajit Ray) – Following his father’s death, a boy leaves home to study in Calcutta, while his mother must face a life alone.
- The Father (Pedar) by Majid Majidi . Here Majidi has a finger on the pulse of humanity, agony, and relationships. But, his focus on the truth doesn’t waver.
- God Will Come by Majid Majidi. Most of Majid Majidi’s films insist on viewing the world through the innocent eyes of children. There’s always a family, mostly dysfunctional. He converses about the complex human bonding and relationships through a modest, simple storyline.
After the first movie, there will be lunch break. The other three films will be screened after lunch.
It is a rare chance for you to watch some of the best movies of the world.
Entry is free. Do come early to ensure your seats.
Riya Binoy
Secretary
Question 19.
Aunt Jane in the play The Never Never Nest’ was shocked to see the luxurious life led by Jack and Jill despite their low income. She writes her thoughts and feelings in her diary. Prepare the likely diary entry for Aunt Jane.
Answer:
I was shocked to see the luxurious life led by Jack and Jill despite their low income. They have a small baby. Jack earns only 6 Pounds a week. Jill is just a homemaker with no income of her own. But they go on getting all kind of luxury items on instalments. The monthly instalments come to more than what Jack earns every month. To make up the deficit, they are planning to take a loan which will further increase their financial burden. In their lounge in the villa, they have fine furniture, a radiogram and a piano. They have a refrigerator and a car. All these and the villa itself are bought on instalments.
So nothing is their own, even their baby, as they owed money to the doctor. They have to finish the instalments to make the babyfullytheirown. I paid them 10 Pounds so that they can pay the doctor and make at least the baby their own. Jack and Jill are preys to the present consumer culture. People want to live beyond their means. The “Buy Now Pay Later” scheme tempts people to buy things which are not essential to them since they don’t have to pay the price of the things immediately. Some people commit suicide after falling into such debt traps. I pray and hope jack and Jill will realise their folly and start living within their means.
Question 20.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her enlightening speech discusses the danger of a single story. You get an opportunity to interview her. Prepare five questions you may ask her.
Answer:
a) Adichie, what prompted you to go to America?
b) In America, did you experience any racial discrimination?
c) You speak of the danger of a.single story. But how can people get the different perspectives of the same story?
d) Ideologies thrive because of the single story they propagate. How can various ideologies flourish if all their various angles are looked into?
e) Will you go back to Nigeria to teach the Nigerians there or will you stay back in America?
Questions 21 – 25: Answer any THREE of the following: Each question carries six scores. (3 × 6 = 18)
Question 21.
The Snake and the Mirror’ is an interesting story written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. After reading the story, you decide to write a letter to one of your friends describing the various events in the story. Prepare the likely letter.
Answer:
207, Azad Road
Irinjalakuda North, 680 125
24 April 2023
My dear Ammini,
I read an interesting story titled “The Snake and the Mirror” by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer. I thought I will share the story with you and I am sure you will like it.
There is a homeopath. He is a poor man. His earnings are meagre. He has only Rs. 60 with him. He lives in a small rented room which is infested with rats. There is no electricity in the room. He is concerned with his appearance and he spends a lot of time in front of the mirror. He is conscious he is a doctor. He wants to appear smart and handsome. For that he will keep a thin moustache and keep smiling. He wants to be a successful and rich man.
He wants to marry a lady doctor with money and also good practice. He wants her to be very fat so that she does not catch up with him if he makes a mistake and wants to run away from her. But lie ends up marrying a thin and slender woman who could run like a sprinter. He is proud of his looks. He is feeling very happy when suddenly from the beam a cobra falls on him and coils itself around his arm. All his dreams about making himself more handsome and getting married vanish like mist in the sunshine. He has no medicine with him against snake poison. So he prays God to save him. When the snake moves out of his hand, seeing its reflection in the mirror, he flees for his dear life. When he returns the next day, he finds that even his small belongings, except his dirty vest, were gone. Poor doctor loses even the little he had.
Question 22.
Martha in The Scholarship Jacket’ overcomes the obstacles in her life with confidence and determination. Prepare a character sketch of Martha.
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 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 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.
Martha told her grandfather about the new system of paying money for the Scholarship Jacket. But her grandfather said that plying for a scholarship jacket will be like buying it and then it will not be a scholarship jacket. So he does not give her the money.
Martha thought she would not get the Scholarship Jacket. But somehow things work out in her favour and she is awarded the Scholarship jacket making her very proud and happy.
In the speech she made during the occasion she gratefully remembers Mr. Schmidt who strongly supported her.
She is a role model for any hardworking student who tries to do her best in spiteof adverse circumstances. God helps those who help themselves.
Question 23.
Write a short profile of Anton Chekhov using the hints given below:
Birth : January 29,1860, Taganrog, Russia
Occupation : Physician, short story writer, playwright
Famous as : Most cherished story teller, one of the masters of the modern short story.
Notableworks : A Dreary Story, Ivanov, Peasants, The Bear, The Cherry Orchard
Awards : Pushkin Prize
Death : July 15,1904, Badenweiler, Germany
Answer:
Anton Chekhov was born on 29 January 1860 at Taganrog, Russia. He was a physician, short story writer and playwright. His short stories are some of the best loved in the world and he is one of masters of modern short story. He was much influenced by writers like Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Some of his more famous works are: “A Dreary Story”, “Ivanov”, “Peasants”, “The Bear” and “The Cherry Orchard”. He was awarded the prestigious Pushkin Prize. He died at the young age of 44, on 15 July 1904, at Badenweiler, Germany.
Question 24.
The shooting of the film Goopy Bagha Byne by Satyajit Ray in Notun Gram attracted media attention. The news appeared in a dialy, the following day. Prepare the likely news report.
Answer:
Shooting of the Film Goopy GyneBagha Byne
Notun Gram: Having heard that Satyajit Ray is getting ready to take his shots with a tiger for his film “Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne”, some 25 people come there to watch the shooting. Thorat from Bharat Circus comes to the location with two tigers. Both the tigers are in cages. The tigers are from Bharat Circus. The shooting is taking place in a bamboo grove at Notun Gram. The tiger which is going to be used for the shooting is in a cage. Thorat’s men fix a five foot iron rod to the ground.
They take a thin long wire and fix one end to the tiger’s skin collar. The other end is tied to the rod. The door of the cage is opened and what followed was utter confusion. The tiger ran towards the onlookers and they fled for their lives. It then jumped and rolled about dragging the trainer with it. When the tiger calmed down, some shots were taken. But they found that the shots were not good enough. The shots were so dark that the tiger could not be seen distinctly from the trees and leaves. The scenes had to be shot again on a later date. It was an interesting sight to see the famous film director shooting scenes with a tiger.
Question 25.
Mr. John in The Best Investment I Ever Made’ goes through unforgettable experiences in his life and career. Prepare a paragraph on the circumstances that led Mr. John to think of ending his life.
Answer:
John lost his parents and so his uncle got him an 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 left the gas on.
Questions 26 – 30: Details of the winners of the Golden Crow Pheasant for the best film are given in the table below. Study the table and answer the questions that follow. (5)
Question 26.
Which year did an Indonesian film get the award?
Answer:
2009
Question 27.
Name the director of the film that won an award in 2015.
Answer:
Jayaraj
Question 28.
What is the English title of the film directed by Abu Sayeed?
Answer:
Forever Flows
Question 29.
Which country does the director Mahamat Saleh Haroun belong to?
Answer:
Chad
Question 30.
Who is the director of the film ‘Sheng si jie’?
Answer:
Shaohong Li
Question 31.
Report the following dialogue.
Afriend : Why are you worried?
Homeopath : A
snake coiled around my arm
(a) A friend asked the Homeopath …………….
(b) The Homeopath replied ………………
Answer:
A friend asked the homeopath why he was worried. The homeopath replied saying that a snake had coiled around his arm.
Question 32.
Complete the following passage choosing appropriate verbs from the ones given below:
Martha could not …………(a)…………… the decision of the board. But she was not ready to …………(b)…………… her hopes to win the Scholarship Jacket. Totally fearless, Martha …………(c)…………… her thoughts to the principal. The principal was …………(d)…………. by Martha’s response and finally changed his decision.
(give up, put across, taken a back, put up with)
Answer:
a) put up with bjgive up
c) put across
d) taken aback