CBSE Class 10 English: Expected Questions in the annual board exam, this blog post would help you master the tricky and confusing questions about character sketches, comparison of Theme, plot, similarities, differences and also mood, tone and literary devices used in prose and poetry.
CBSE Class 10 English | Are you ready to ace your English Board Exam?
Gone are the days when rote memorization of summaries was enough. The new pattern of CBSE English Language & Literature (Code 184) exams focuses heavily on Competency-Based Questions. These questions test your ability to connect the dots between different chapters, analyze characters deeply, and appreciate the writer’s craft.
Below is a curated collection of expected questions with model answers derived from First Flight and Footprints Without Feet.
Expected Questions | 1. The Clash of Ideas: Comparing Themes & Lessons
These questions ask you to compare the central idea or “message” of two different texts.
Q1: The Theme of Grief and Acceptance
Question: Compare how the Buddha (The Sermon at Benares) and the poet of The Ball Poem approach the concept of loss. How are their messages similar?
Model Answer:
Both texts deal with the universality of loss and the necessity of moving on.
- The Ball Poem: The poet observes a boy losing his ball and realizes that “money is external.” The boy learns the “epistemology of loss”—that loss is an inevitable part of growing up, and one must learn to stand up despite it.
- The Sermon at Benares: The Buddha teaches Kisa Gotami that death is common to all. He uses the mustard seed analogy to show that grieving cannot bring back the dead; rather, he who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation.
- Conclusion: Both texts emphasize that while grief is natural, acceptance is the only path to peace.
Q2: The Theme of Freedom
Question: “Freedom is indivisible.” Substantiate this quote from Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom with reference to the poem A Tiger in the Zoo.
Model Answer:
Nelson Mandela argues that freedom is the birthright of every human and that chains on any one of his people were the chains on all of them. He emphasizes political and social freedom.
In contrast, A Tiger in the Zoo highlights the loss of physical freedom. The tiger, locked in a concrete cell, ignores visitors because his spirit is broken by captivity. He longs for the jungle just as Mandela longed for the liberation of his people. Both texts suggest that life without freedom loses its true dignity and vitality.
Q3: The Theme of Parenting and Upbringing
Question: Compare the upbringing of the young seagull (His First Flight) with that of Amanda (Amanda!).
Model Answer:
- The Young Seagull: His parents used “tough love.” They threatened to let him starve on the ledge to push him to fly. Their harshness was a necessary tactic to make him independent and confident.
- Comparison: The seagull’s parents’ pressure led to success; Amanda’s mother’s pressure led to alienation.
CBSE Class 10 English | 2. Character Wars: Similarities and Differences
These questions require you to weigh the traits of two characters against each other.
Q1: The “Thief” vs. The “Scientist”
Question: Compare Griffin from Footprints Without Feet and Hari Singh from The Thief’s Story. Both committed crimes, but their paths diverged. Explain.
Model Answer:
- Griffin: A brilliant scientist who descended into lawlessness. He used his discovery of invisibility for revenge, theft, and terror. He had no conscience and died (in the original novel context) or remained a fugitive without redemption. He represents science without humanity.
- Hari Singh: A young thief who intended to rob Anil. However, Anil’s trust and the prospect of education changed him. Hari realized that education could bring him more than a few hundred rupees. He returned the money, choosing redemption and self-improvement.
- Conclusion: Hari Singh chose the path of reform; Griffin chose the path of destruction.
Q2: The Approach to Courage
Question: Contrast the character of the Pilot (The Black Aeroplane) with Lencho (A Letter to God) regarding their faith/belief.
Model Answer:
- Lencho: Possessed “naive” but unshakable faith in God. When his crops were destroyed, he wrote a letter to God demanding pesos. He was not surprised when money arrived, only angry it was less. His faith is innocent but demanding.
- The Pilot: Took a huge risk flying into the storm because he desperately wanted to have breakfast with his family (human connection). When he was lost, he saw the black aeroplane and followed it like an obedient child. His faith was in the miraculous rescue during a crisis.
- Difference: Lencho’s faith is transactional (I pray, you give); the Pilot’s faith is one of desperation and gratitude.
3. The Deep Dive: Character Sketches
Standard questions asking for a detailed analysis of a single character.
Q1: Valli (Madam Rides the Bus)
Question: Give a character sketch of Valli. What makes her different from other children her age?
Model Answer:
Valli (Valliammai) is an 8-year-old girl who is far more mature than her age implies.
- Curious & Observant: Her favorite pastime is standing in the doorway watching the street.
- Planner: She meticulously saved every coin, resisting toys and peppermint, to buy a bus ticket. This shows immense self-control.
- Confident: She refuses to be treated like a child by the Conductor or the Old Lady, asserting, “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
- Sensitive: The sight of the dead cow dampens her spirits, showing she understands the fragility of life.
Q2: Natalya (The Proposal)
Question: Sketch the character of Natalya Stepanovna.
Model Answer:
Natalya is a 25-year-old woman, described by her father as a “lovesick cat.”
- Argumentative: She cannot resist a fight. She argues fiercely about the ownership of Oxen Meadows and the superiority of her dog, Squeezer.
- Practical yet Emotional: She is an excellent housekeeper and educated, but she creates chaos. When she learns Lomov came to propose, she immediately changes her tune and cries for him to come back, showing her desperation to be married.
CBSE Class 10 English | 4. Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere
These questions test your emotional intelligence regarding the text.
Q1: Dust of Snow
Question: How does the tone shift in Robert Frost’s Dust of Snow?
Model Answer:
The poem begins with a somber and depressive mood. The poet is having a “bad day” (rued). The setting involves a crow (often a bad omen) and a Hemlock tree (poisonous).
However, the tone shifts to hopeful and lighter when the dust of snow falls on him. The small act of nature changes his mood, saving “some part of a day.” The shift is from gloom to gratitude.
Q2: A Letter to God
Question: What is the underlying tone of the ending of A Letter to God?
Model Answer:
The ending is steeped in Situational Irony. The tone is humorous yet tragic.
Lencho calls the post office employees—who actually gathered the money to help him—”a bunch of crooks.” It highlights the irony that the very people who helped him are the ones he suspects. It leaves the reader with a sense of amusement at Lencho’s naivety but sadness for the unappreciated helpers.
5. Decoding the Craft: Literary Devices
Identifying metaphors, similes, and poetic devices.
Q1: The Tale of Custard the Dragon
Question: Identify the literary devices used in the description of the dragon.
Model Answer:
- Simile: “Mouth like a fireplace” / “Snorting like an engine.”
- Metaphor: “Chimney for a nose” (Direct comparison without ‘like’ or ‘as’).
- Oxymoron: “Pet dragon” (Dragons are wild; pets are domestic).
- Onomatopoeia: “Clatter, clank, jangling” (Sound words describing the pirate’s movements or the cage).
- Repetition: “Suddenly, suddenly” (To create urgency).
Q2: The Trees
Question: Explain the use of personification and simile in the poem The Trees.
Model Answer:
- Personification: The trees are described as trying to free themselves. “The twigs stiff with exertion,” “boughs turning,” “small twigs stiff.” Nature is given human-like struggle and intent.
- Simile: The branches shuffling under the roof are compared to “newly discharged patients / half-dazed, moving to the clinic doors.” This suggests the trees are weak from confinement and desperate for fresh air, just like patients leaving a hospital.
CBSE Class 10 English | Quick Tips for the Exam:
- Keywords are King: In the Board marking scheme, specific words (e.g., Metaphor, Resilience, Naivety, Irony) carry marks.
- Stick to Word Count: Don’t overwrite. For 3-mark questions, 40-50 words is plenty. For 6-mark questions, 100-120 words is the limit.
- Value Points: In comparative questions, ensure you mention both texts in the first sentence.
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