Class 10 English Sample Paper

Please refer to the Class 10 English Sample Paper below. These CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 English have been prepared based on the latest guidelines and examination patterns issued for the current academic year. We have provided Term 1 and Term 2 sample papers with solutions. You can click on the links below and access the free latest CBSE Sample Papers for English for Standard 10. All guess papers for English Class 10 have been prepared by expert teachers. You will be able to understand the type of questions which are expected to come in the examinations and get better marks.

CBSE Sample Papers for Class 10 English

Term 1 Sample Papers

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set A

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set B

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set C

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set D

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set E

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set F

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set G

Term 2 Sample Papers

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 2 with Solutions Set A

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 2 with Solutions Set B

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 2 with Solutions Set C

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 2 with Solutions Set D

Class 10 English Sample Paper Term 1 with Solutions Set A

READING

Read the passage given below.
I. Corruption, terrorism, communalism, greed for power and wealth and the list of ailments that affect modern society continue. More than half the population of India is below the age group of 25 and the future of the country will only be bright if youngsters are equipped to deal with these ailments.
II. A child is a storehouse of potential and it is important to nurture and develop these attributes since a very young age. Since, they spend much of the time in school, the curriculum in school should be such that it enables children to understand, care and practise ethical values like respect, justice and civic sense. Education should aim to develop a sense of rights and duties as well as moral values like honesty, responsibility and respect for others.
III. Moral education should be directed towards enhancing a child’s ability to critically analyse situations, make decisions, empathise with people and work in cooperation towards a common goal.
IV. As a means of direct instruction to students, schools are very influential in the character development of a child and the methods of education affect the development of morally upright citizens who can bring about the much needed change in the country.
V. The youth of today have to face a lot of problems like drug abuse, violent behaviour and family issues. If they are not taught morals, they would fail to differentiate between good and bad values. Hence, they would be incapable in dealing with different types of issues. A sound moral base would help a child make the right decisions, especially in an era where the youth is increasingly coming under the negative influence of the media.
VI. Schools in India have introduced moral education as part of their curriculum because they realise that morally sound citizens are the need of the hour. Since most children look up to their teachers as role models, it is most appropriate that they be the facilitators of moral values.
VII. Thus, schools should focus more on the personality development of children since it is one of the most important responsibilities of a school. Schools should take the initiative to mould children into better human beings so that they can make the world a better place to live in.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any eight out of the ten questions by choosing the correct option.

Question. Select the option that conveys the message in – ‘morally sound citizens are the need of the hour.’
a. Government should take major decisions about spreading moral education.
b. Better human beings can make the world a better place to live in.
c. Developing moral qualities is the only way to solve these social issues.
d. Moral citizens can only be possible by giving moral education to the mass population.

Question. Which moral values are important for children to learn?
a. Honesty, violence, responsibility, crime
b. Crime, respect for others, bad behaviour, common sense
c. Honesty, responsibility, respect for others, civic sense
d. Responsibility, crime, respect for others, bad behaviour, civic sense

Question. Why is it important to inculcate moral values since childhood?
a. Because children are the future of a country.
b. Because they are under constant negative influences of social media.
c. Because they have to face many problems in life.
d. All of the above

Question. According to the passage, moral education helps children in ……………. , decisionmaking, cooperation and ……………. .
a. Critical analysis of situation, empathy
b. Acting morally, ethics
c. Acting ethically, respecting others
d. Analysing the problem, acting as onewishes

Question. According to the author, what, from the following, should be taught to children from childhood?
a. Education
b. Discipline
c. Moral values
d. Lawless actions

Question. What kind of problems are being faced by today’s youth?
1. Drug abuse 2. Family issues
3. Violent behaviour 4. Peer pressure
5. Influence of social media
a. 1, 2, and 4
b. 3, 4, and 5
c. 1, 3 and 5
d. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Question. Select the option with the underlined words that can suitably replace facilitator (paragraph VII).
a. Traditionally, for many school learners the physical process of writing is an inhibitor.
b. I feel that, between them, they could really make a complete team of penal reformers and crime preventers.
c. In a number of developing countries, war has been an additional impediment to progress.
d. He is remembered fondly as a mentor and friend by several generations of students in this school.

Question. Choose from the quotes given below which can represent the central idea of the passage.
a. “Education without morals is like a ship without a compass, merely wandering nowhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
b. “People who try hard to do the right thing always seem mad.” – Stephen King
c. “A quiet conscience makes one strong” – Anne Frank
d. “Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers and most of us are always strangers to other people.” – Bill Moyers

Question. Select the option that suitably completes the dialogue with reference to paragraph II.
Karan: Do you know about the brutal criminal case that happened in our own city?
Shyam: Yes, news about this pathetic incident is printed on the front page of today’s newspaper.
Karan: Our society is going through an extremely bad phase. The human beings have forgotten their moral qualities.
Shyam: Yes, moral education is the only way towards the negativity free human society in the future. ………………… .
a. Besides moral education, academic education should also get a priority from the smaller ages.
b. Government should take major decisions about spreading moral education.
c. Besides academic education, moral education should also get a priority from the smaller ages.
d. Okay now I have to go to my tuition class. I will talk to you later.

Question. Assonance is resemblance of sound between syllables of nearby words, arising particularly from the rhyming of two or more stressed vowels, but not consonants (e.g. sonnet, porridge ), but also from the use of identical consonants with different vowels (e.g. killed, cold, culled). From the options given below, select an assonance phrase that appears in the para II.
a. Education should aim to develop
b. Since a very young age
c. A child is a storehouse of potential
d. Spend much of the time in school

Read the passage given below.

Through the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, the countries of the world have resolved to achieve universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene to all by 2030. The aim is to ensure the consumption of safe drinking water, practice safe sanitation and hygiene, resulting in lower exposure to a contaminated environment, resulting in lower morbidity and mortality, especially amongst children.
II. The Swachh Bharat Mission was launched by the Government of India on 2nd October, 2014 to achieve the vision of ‘Swachh Bharat’ by 2nd October, 2019. The Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin-SBM (G) endeavours to accelerate rural sanitation coverage, reduce open defecation and improve management of solid and liquid wastes in rural areas. The implementation of SBM (G) is the responsibility of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS). The MDWS, while issuing guidelines for Open Defecation Free (ODF) verification stressed on “safe technology option which aimed at no contamination of surface soil, ground water or surface water; excreta management inaccessible to flies or animals; no human handling of fresh excreta and freedom from odour and unsightly condition”. Over the past 4 years, over 92 million new households have received access to household toilets and by the end of the SBM G programme, all 16.5 million rural households will have such access. However, the issue is of usage and thus, the goal is to create ODF communities and villages, with no one defecating in the open.
III. The status of ODF villages published on the website of MDWS indicates that as on 01.04.2019, over 99% of rural HHs in India have toilet access. The declared ODF villages at all India level accounted to 556,824 spreading over 247,723 Gram Panchayats, 6,031 Blocks and 616 Districts.
IV. UNICEF in India accords high priority to the provision of safe sanitation and water services to people in rural areas and has over the past many years aided through catalytic technical support to MDWS, Government of India and 15 state governments in the implementation of the various sanitation programmes and since 2014, specifically to the SBM (G). With the progress of the SBM (G) and declaration of ODF communities, there is an emerging question on whether the campaign to eliminate open defecation and create ODF communities is resulting in the decrease in faecal contamination in the environment.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any six out of the eight questions by choosing the correct option.

Question. The government is successful in providing access to toilets to over 99% of rural households because ………… .
Select the correct option.
a. villagers also want to have access to toilets to minimise the negative impact of open defecation.
b. villagers are cooperative.
c. government is giving false data.
d. rural households have become educated.

Question. Select the option that gives the correct meaning of the following statement.
“By the end of the SBM-G programme, all 16.5 million rural households will have toilet access.”
a. By 2nd October, 2019, there will be villages with no one defecating in open.
b. By the end of the programme, rural households will be defecating in open.
c. By 2nd October, 2019, there will be enough toilets in the households.
d. By the end of the programme, there will be no villages in India with access to toilets.

Question. The passage provides data that proves that ……….. .
a. There is an increase in usage of toilets among rural households.
b. Over 99% of rural households have access to toilets.
c. There is an increased access to toilets among rural households.
d. There is a decrease in open defecation.

Question. Select the option what the given sentence refers to.
“Over the past 4 years, over 92 million new households have received access to household toilets.”
a. There is an increase in building of toilets inside households.
b. There is an increase in construction of community-shared toilets.
c. There is an increase in usage of toilets among rural households.
d. There is an increase in the access to toilets but are not being used by the villagers.

Question. The purpose of the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (G) was to …………….. . Choose the correct option.
1. accelerate rural sanitation coverage
2. reduce open defecation
3. improve management of solid and liquid wastes in rural areas
a. 1 and 2
b. 2 and 3
c. 1, 2 and 3
d. 1 and 3

Question. According to the passage, who is responsible for the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission?
a. Open Defecation Free communities and villages
b. Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation
c. UNICEF
d. Sustainable Development Goals

Question. Select the option that is true for the two statements given below.
(1) The goal is to create Open Defecation Free (ODF) communities and villages.
(2) There will be a decrease in the faecal contamination in the environment.
a. (1) is the result of (2).
b. (1) is the reason for (2).
c. (1) is independent of (2).
d. (1) contradicts (2).

Question. On which of the following goals, ODF guidelines are based?
1. Universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.
2. Lower exposure to a contaminated environment.
3. Lower morbidity and mortality, especially amongst children.
a. 1 and 3
b. 1 and 2
c. 2 and 3
d. 1, 2 and 3

GRAMMAR AND WRITING

Grammar
Answer any five out of the six questions by selecting the most appropriate option for each.

Question. Every day I go to school in a bus but today I ………….. by car because the bus operators are on strike.
a. am going
b. am going to go
c. will be gone
d. have gone

Question. Is it true that the students from the Space Research Centre …………. this evening?
a. was arriving
b. are arriving
c. is arriving
d. were arriving

Question. The kids ………….. really hard for the show. Now, don’t cancel it, please.
a. had worked
b. has been working
c. have worked
d. had been working

Question. Choose the correct option to change the following sentence into indirect speech.
My friend said to Deepak, “Have you ever been to Agra?”
a. My friend told Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.
b. My friend asked Deepak had he ever been to Agra?
c. My friend asked Deepak if he had ever been to Agra.
d. My friend asked Deepak if he have ever been to Agra.

Question. Choose the correct option to change the following sentence into indirect speech.
Reema said, “Alas! Karina’s mother is suffering from cancer.”
a. Reema exclaimed with sorrow that Karina’s mother was suffering from cancer.
b. Reema exclaimed that alas! Karina’s mother was suffering from cancer.
c. Reema exclaimed with joy that Karina’s mother was suffering from cancer.
d. Reema exclaimed with sorrow that Karina’s mother is suffering from cancer.

Question. ………. of the mango trees in their garden bear fruit twice a year.
a. A little
b. Much
c. More
d. Some

Writing
Answer any five out of the six questions given, with reference to the context below.
You are Amita staying at Sunrise Apartments, Gymkhana Road, Pune, Mumbai. You have to write a letter to the editor of Hindustan Times about the problems faced by residents of the colony due to the three open manholes on the main road leading to your colony.

Question.Choose the most appropriate concluding line for the letter.
a. Hoping for an action!
b. Hoped to have an action!
c. Hoping for an early action!
d. Hoping for a severe action!

Question. As per the given options which of the following should come last in the letter?
a. Date
b. Sender’s address
c. Salutation
d. Subject

Question. Select the option that correctly shows the subject of the letter.
a. Open manholes on the main road
b. Problems caused by open manholes
c. Problems appearing in Sunrise Apartments, Gymkhana Road, Pune
d. Open manholes in Sunrise Apartments, Gymkhana Road, Pune

Question. Which of the following are required by Amita for this letter?
1. Date on which letter is written 2. Expected reply from the editor
3. Informal language 4. Amita’s address
5. Newspaper office address 6. Fees for getting her letter published
a. 1, 2 and 4
b. 2, 4 and 6
c. 1, 4 and 5
d. 2, 3 and 5

Question. Which of the following should be the concluding portion in the letter?
1. I would like to request you to publish the issue in your newspaper so that the higher authorities can take an immediate action.
2. You should publish this in your newspaper so that everyone can be aware and avoid coming to this colony at night.
a. Yes to option (1) because of its polite tone
b. Yes to option (2) because of its authoritative tone
c. No to option (1) because of its soft and informal tone
d. No to option (2) because of its strict and formal language

LITERATURE

Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow.
But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God. “Don’t be so upset, even though this seems like a total loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger.” “That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger.” All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God,whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail. It was nothing less than a letter to God. (A Letter to God)

Question. When Lencho thought about the help from God, “whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience”, he meant that…………….. .
a. God could help him with money.
b. God is omniscient.
c. Somebody would send him money if would write a letter to God.
d. God can see inside his conscience.

Question. Why was Lencho made to remember that no one dies of hunger? Choose the correct option.
a. Because his crops were destroyed by the hail.
b. Because he had a loss in business.
c. Because he lost all his money in gambling.
d. Because somebody burgled his house.

Question.“But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley”
–‘all’ referred to ………….. .
a. Lencho
b. Post office employees
c. Lencho and his family
d. None of the above

Question. Select the suitable word from the extract to complete the following.
Belief : …………….. : : Isolated : Solitary.
a. Heart
b. Instructed
c. Hope
d. Conscience

Question. Why is the term ‘solitary house’mentioned in the above extract?
1. Lencho’s house was the only one in the valley.
2. Lencho’s house was in the end of the valley.
3. Lencho stayed separately in his own house.
a. Only 2 is correct
b. Only 3 is correct
c. Only 1 is correct
d. All are correct

Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow.

The first period was a study period. Maddie tried to prepare her lessons, but she could not put her mind on her work. She had a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach. True, she had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet, but she had said nothing. She had stood by silently and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done. Worse. She was a coward. At least Peggy hadn’t considered they were being mean but she, Maddie, had thought they were doing wrong. She could put herself in Wanda’s shoes. (The Hundred Dresses – II)

Question. Select the most appropriate option for (1) and (2).
1. Maddie could put herself in Wanda’s shoes.
2. Maddie used to wear Peggy’s old dresses after being modified by her mother.
a. (1) is true and (2) is false.
b. (2) is the opposite of (1).
c. Both (1) and (2) cannot be inferred from the extract
d. (2) is the cause for (1).

Question. Why did Maddie always remain silent when Wanda was being teased?
a. She thought that Wanda deserved that behaviour.
b. She felt scared in front of Peggy.
c. She thought Peggy would start teasing her.
d. She didn’t want to interfere.

Question. From the options given below, identify Maddie’s tone in the extract.
a. Dissatisfied
b. Scared
c. Guilty
d. Insulting

Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow.
He stalks in his vivid stripes
The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass. A Tiger in the Zoo

Question. The rhyming scheme of the above extract is ………… .
a. Abcb
b. Abab
c. Abba
d. Abcd

Question.‘On pads of velvet quiet’means
a. The tiger has velvety paws.
b. There is a velvet carpet in his cage.
c. The tiger is walking quietly because of his velvety soft paws.
d. All of the above

Question. What does the poet mean by ‘he should be lurking in a shadow’?
1. The tiger should be in the jungle hiding in the shadow of long grass.
2. The tiger should hide behind the long grass.
3. The tiger is like a shadow in the dark.
a. Only 2
b. 1 and 3
c. 2 and 3
d. Only 1

Question. Why did Maddie have a very sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach?
1. She was not feeling well.
2. She had an upset stomach due to cafeteria’s lunch.
3. She was feeling guilty for not taking stand for Wanda.
4. She was feeling sad for not stopping Peggy from teasing Wanda.
a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 1 and 2
c. 3 and 4
d. 2, 3 and 4

Question. Choose the option which shows the contrast used by the poet between the first four lines and last four lines of the above extract.
a. Life in a cage vs life in a jungle
b. Life in a zoo vs life in a village
c. Life in a village vs life in a cage
d. Life in a city vs life in a jungle

Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow.

Mrs Pumphrey wrung her hands. “Oh I will, Mr Herriot. I’m sure you are right, but it is so difficult, so very difficult.” She set off, head down, along the road, as if determined to put the new regime into practice immediately. I watched their progress with growing concern. Tricki was tottering along in his little tweed coat; he had a whole wardrobe of these coats — for the cold weather and a raincoat for the wet days.
He struggled on, drooping in his harness. I thought it wouldn’t be long before I heard from Mrs Pumphrey. The expected call came within a few days. Mrs Pumphrey was distraught. (A Triumph of Surgery)

Question. Choose the option with underlined word that can replace the word ‘wring’ in then above extract.
a. They are always trying to take out additional funds from the government.
b. On occasions Mr. Parry was seen to twist his hands as he struggled with his emotions.
c. One minute they’re all sweet and caring and the next they stab you in the back.
d. It was followed by a roaring crash that seemed to rend the very heavens.

Question. What did Mrs. Pumphrey tell Dr. Herriot about Tricki’s health on the call? Complete the conversation between them by choosing the correct option.
Mrs. Pumphrey: Hello, Mr. Herriot. ………………… .
Mr. Herriot: Oh okay, Mrs. Pumphrey. I am coming to you as soon as possible.
1. Tricki is not eating anything.
2. He is having bouts of vomiting.
3. He spends all his time lying on a rug, panting.
4. He doesn’t want to go for walks, doesn’t want to do anything.
a. 1, 2 and 3
b. 2, 3 and 4
c. 1, 3 and 4
d. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Question. What can we infer about Mrs. Pumphrey’s reaction on Dr. Herriot’s advice?
a. Overlooking
b. Insulting
c. Hurt
d. Helpless

Question. Why was it difficult for Mrs. Pumphrey to follow Dr. Herriot’s advice?
a. Because she could not deny anything to Tricki.
b. According to her, Tricki was suffering from malnutrition.
c. As per Mrs. Pumphrey, Tricki needed extra meals between main meals.
d. All of the above

Question. Select the most appropriate option based on (1) and (2).
(1) Mrs. Pumphrey was overfeeding her dog.
(2) Dr. Herriot was concerned about Mrs. Pumphrey and her dog Tricki.
a. (2) is true and (1) is false.
b. (2) is the result for (1).
c. (2) is the cause for (1).
d. (2) is false and (1) is true.

Attempt the following.

Question. Why did the poet regret his day in the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?
a. Something bad has happened to him.
b. He was guilty of something.
c. Not mentioned in the poem.
d. He was upset because of his family.

Question. Anil in the end of the story …………… .
a. gave Hari Singh his final pay.
b. gave a fifty rupee note to Hari Singh as his salary.
c. gave note to Hari Singh saying the he knew about the robbery.
d. gave note to Hari Singh that he had forgiven him for stealing money.

Question. According to Robert Frost, fire and ice are equivalent to ………… in the poem‘Fire and Ice’.
a. Human emotions: love and hate
b. Hot and cold temperatures of earth
c. Self-destructing human emotions: desire and hatred
d. All of the above

Question. The poet said, “what is the boy going to do?” in the poem “The Ball Poem”. Why did he ask so?
a. Because the boy had lost his ball.
b. Because the ball of the boy had fell into water.
c. Because the boy had tore his ball.
d. Because the boy got a new ball.

Question. Choose which of the following can be associated with the pilot of Dakota plane?
a. Risk-taker, determined, family man
b. Coward, confused, follower
c. Risk-taker, follower, determined
d. Foodie, risk-taker, confused

Question. “But no one really thought much about Wanda Petronski, once she sat in the corner of the room.” This means that students of Room Thirteen …………… .
a. did not care much about Wanda’s presence.
b. did not know who Wanda was.
c. did not talk to Wanda.
d. did not befriend Wanda.

Question. Mandela says that his boyhood freedom was an illusion because
1. his freedom to live with dignity and self-respect had already been stolen from him without him realising.
2. all the Blacks were deprived of basic humane society.
3. his desire for staying out at night, living on his own conditions were not the actual freedoms.
a. Only 1
b. Both 1 and 2
c. 1, 2 and 3
d. None of these

Question. When did the author say the following line?
If only Griffin had managed to wake up in good time all might have been well.
a. When Griffin was caught by clergyman and his wife.
b. When Griffin was caught by the constable Mr. Jaffers.
c. When Griffin was caught by the staff of the big London store.
d. When landlord threw Griffin out of the house.

Question. The young seagull’smother screamed at himderisively on asking for food because ……… .
a. she wanted him to come to her and get her food.
b. she wanted him to remain on the ledge.
c. she wanted him to feel guilty for not flying with the family.
d. she was teasing him with food as he was hungry so that he would fly to her.

Question. Anne Frank wrote her diary while in hiding with her family in Amsterdam during the
a. German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
b. German occupation of the Netherlands in World War I.
c. British occupation of South Africa after Anglo-Boer war.
d. None of the above