केन्द्रीय विद्यालय संगठन आगरा संभाग

प्रथम प्री बोर्ड परीक्षा 2024-2025

KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA SANGATHAN AGRA REGION

FIRST PRE-BOARD EXAMINATION 2024-2025

CLASS/ कक्षा- X TIME/ समय- 3:00 Hrs

SUBJECT/विषय- ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE (Code No. 101)

MAX MARKS/ पूर्णांक- 80

General Instructions:

Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them:

I. This question paper has 12 questions. All questions are compulsory.

II. This question paper contains four sections:

Section A: Reading Skills 22 marks

Section B: Writing Skills 22 marks
Section C: Grammar 10 marks
Section D: Literature Textbook 26 marks

III. Attempt all questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the
correct question number and part thereof in your answer sheet.

IV. Separate instructions are given with each question/part, wherever necessary.

V. Adhere to the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

SECTION A – READING SKILL 22 MARKS

Q.1. Read the passage given below. 12 marks

Living with floods

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1. Floods are not new to India and this sub-continent, but in recent
years the problem has received much greater attention perhaps
largely because it has led to much greater damage than in the past.
Even though information on the impending occurrence of floods is
now more accurate and certainly more timely, often there is very
little time or support infrastructure in place by which damage can be
minimized. This is particularly true in the case of flash floods
resulting from sudden and excessively heavy rain.
2. In the case of India flooding is very much a function of the seasonal
nature of our rainfall. The monsoons are spread over a short period
during the year and often bring a concentrated volume of rain,
which cannot be absorbed by the earth and finds outlet only in the
form of streams that join up with our major river systems. But,
flooding is not confined only to the main rivers of the country, often
smaller tributaries and streams can cause heavy damage as well.
Once these streams spill over their banks they could cause
excessive harm, mainly because those living near the banks of
these streams particularly in mountain areas do not have easy
recourse to moving away quickly.
3. One major factor that could lead to a higher severity of flooding in
the future is the danger of climate change. While the evidence of
the nature of impacts resulting from climate change on precipitation
and flooding at the regional level is not entirely clear, it could
happen that the Indian subcontinent witnesses and suffers the
effects of a significantly changed pattern of monsoons. One set of
scientists has estimated that the monsoons could be shorter in
duration, but far more intensive. In other words, much greater
precipitation would take place in a much shorter period of time,
thereby increasing the danger of floods. Climate change is the result
of human actions through the increased concentration of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, of which carbon dioxide is the
most prominent.
4. At the local level also human actions have heightened the danger of
flood through the cutting of trees in the mountains as well as in the
plains. In the case of India, the ecological damage through
deforestation of the Himalayas has led to large-scale erosion of the
mountain slopes and high levels of siltation. This leads to deposition
of silt on the riverbeds in the plains and hence spill over of water
whenever the volume in the river reaches a certain level. With
siltation on the river beds, flooding occurs even at very shallow
water levels. The vulnerability of the population has increased
substantially because of population pressures, symbolized, for
instance, by the stubborn and perhaps helpless settling of slum
dwellers on the banks of the river Yamuna in Delhi, which is merely

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 a trickle most of the year, but bursting its banks during the
monsoons, as has been the case this year.
5. Flood forecasting is critical to minimizing the damage from floods. It
is for this reason that the Central Water Commission has set up a
network of forecasting stations, which cover the most important
flood prone inter state rivers in the country. These stations produce
forecasts that are used to alert the public and to mobilize various
official agencies so that they take both preventive as well as relief
measures whenever required. However, even in cases where
forecasts have been timely and generally accurate, people have
often been reluctant to move away, because in most cases they lack
the means and physical options for moving away from a danger
zone to one that is relatively safe. In the case of flash floods,
forecasts are difficult to make, and often the time available for relief
is very short.

A. Answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate

option:
i)The problem of floods has been considered important recently
(1) because…………………..
(a) there are flash floods
(b) floods are unpredictable
(c) the rivers change their courses
(d) these cause much greater damage

ii)India suffers from floods during monsoons

because………………….. (1)
(a) it rains very heavily and continually
(b) the embankments of the rivers are weak
(c) the streams and rivers spill over
(d) the streams are full of silt

iii)The danger of floods is not minimised as…………………..

(1)
(a) flood forecasting is inaccurate
(b) there is little time available for safety measures
(c) people are scared and act in panic
(d) support infrastructure is poor

B.The worst hit people are slum dwellers because…………………..

(1)
C. Verb form of precipitation is
(1)

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D Find word from the passage which means unwilling
(1)

E Answer the following questions in brief:

i) What is the effect of green house gases?

(2)
ii) How human action has increased the danger of floods?
(2)
iii) In what way flood forecast has helped people?
(2)

Q. 2- Read the passage given below. (10)

1 Research by a team of scientists has uncovered a surprising way to

stimulate the development of healthy fat in humans. In the long-term,
findings may have implications for the development of weight loss
medication. These scientists found that the kind of stress that
accompanies third degree burns may induce the human body to
convert normal fat cells into brown fat, which burns calories at a higher
rate. If future research can determine how and where the body
accomplishes this conversion, it may be possible to develop drugs that
induce artificial yet remarkably rapid fat burning in obese patients.

2 White adipose tissue normal, white fat accounts for most of the fat in
the bodies of most mammals. Small mammals and newborn humans,
however have a high proportion of brown fat. The difference between
the two types led scientists to believe that brown fat has the potential
to combat obesity. This is because brown fat contains excess of
mitochondria : the structures within body cells that are responsible for
producing energy. This means that brown fat burns more calories and
releases more heat when it burns. After all, the function of naturally
occurring brown fat is to generate heat in small animals, or in human
infants, who do not yet have the ability to shiver.

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3 The research began with the observation that patients with severe,
widespread burns needed to consume more calories each day in order to
maintain their weight. On studying the fat cells of 48 severe burn patients
throughout their treatment, analysis of the fat samples revealed that what
was once white adipose tissue , acquiring many characteristics similar to
brown fat, including its ability to burn fat at a high rate. Of course we are
still long way from the practical applications of these findings. This
research however indicates the possibility of converting white fat into
brown and reveals something about the conditions that catalyze such a
conversion

A)Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the

questions given below :

(i) How brown fat differs from white fat?

(2)

(ii) Why do small mamals and human infants have a higher proportion
of brown fat? (2)

(iii) Which disease can be cured with the help of brown fat? (1)

(iv) Based on the data in the graph, state at what age does the greatest
percentage change occur in body fat type?
(1)

(v). What is the primary focus of the scientists’ research on fat?

(1)

- A) Developing new calorie-rich foods

- B) Discovering ways to convert white fat into brown fat

- C) Reducing the effects of third-degree burns

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 - D) Studying the genetic causes of obesity

(vi) What unique characteristic does brown fat have that differentiates
it from white fat? (1)

- A) It contains more fat cells

- B) It stores fewer calories

- C) It has a high amount of mitochondria

- D) It absorbs more sunlight

(vii) Find a word which is opposite of natural from para 1 (1)

(viii) Find the synonym for the word fight from para 2 (1)

Section B – Writing skills 22 marks

3. Write an e-mail, in about 50 words, to your principal requesting him to take your
class for excursion. You are Suryansh, the class monitor of X A. (3)

4. Write a factual description, in not more than100 words, of the doctor you visit
when you are ill. 4 M

5. A. You are a sports scout. Write a letter to the Governor of your region, drawing
attention to the need for creating and upgrading sport facilities and following
practices to enable the local / indigenous sporting talent from your city, to hone their
skills. Include specific recommendations. Write the letter in not more than 120 words
using ideas from Unit 1: Health and Medicine, along with your own.
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Or,

B. India produces a lot of waste each day, and the volume is only getting more. India
produced more than 619 million metric tons of municipal solid trash in 2020–21. Only
64% of this was gathered and treated, with the remainder going uncollected or
untreated. Write a letter to the Mayor of your city, addressing the issue of importance
of Waste segregation in 120 words. (7)

6. A. Write an article, in about 120 words, as Gaurav Sharma, X-B, advocating for
the implementation of Vocational education in schools, focusing on the benefits and
how it equips learners with hands-on and skilled-based competencies using ideas
from Unit 2: Education, along with your own in 150 words. (8 )

OR

B. You are Ravi/Rubina, recently you read the following news in the newspaper.
Write an article on the importance of renewable energy and India's Role in the
Renewable Energy Revolution in 150 words.

Hints—need of energy transition- Abundant Renewable Resources in India- Energy

Security-it lower greenhouse gases- Economic Benefits- Rural Development-
government sets ambitious targets- challenges are grid integration, land acquisition,
and the need for adequate infrastructure- crucial step towards a sustainable future.

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 SECTION C : GRAMMAR (10 marks)

7. Complete the tasks A-C, as directed.

(A) Fill the blanks with the appropriate option from those in the brackets. 3 M

Lecture as a method of teaching is as old as civiliasation. It is

the (a) ________ (more / much/ most/ many)
commonly practised and very widely used.
In (b) ____________ (more/an/the/many) countries, the
traditional and almost the only technique (c) __________ (employ/ employs /
employed/ employing) was the formal lecture.

(B) The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line.
Identify the error and write the correct word in the space provided. One has
been done for you. (1*4= 4)

Passage Error Correction

Have you ever wonder why certain children wonder wondered.

bubble in energy? This energy is (a) …………….. ……………….

reflected in their enthusiasm to learning (b) …………….. ……………….

and excel at new things. So super active (c) …………….. ……………….

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 kids score on two counts over there
(d) …………….. ……………….
counterparts.

C. Do as directed. 3 M

i. Rearrange the following jumbled words/phrases to create a meaningful sentence

and complete the given passage. 1 M

Rangoli is a traditional art that is painted by people to decorate courtyards and walls.
The designs are drawn with a cheap paste of white lime, rice flour, and other
powders. …………………………………………………..

Rangoli contests/magazines/publish/of Rangoli/every week/on special

occasions/there are/popular/new designs/and

ii. Report the dialogues to complete the paragraph that follows. (1+1= 2)

Shivam: Where is my car? I remember parking it here.

Policeman: The car has been towed away as you parked it in the ‘no parking zone’.

Shivam asked the policeman standing there (a) __________ and that he
remembered parking it there. The policeman replied that the car (b) __________
parked it in the ‘no parking zone’.

SECTION D : LITERATURE TEXTBOOK (26 marks)

8. Read the given excerpts and answer the questions briefly, for ANY TWO excerpts
of the three, given. (4+4 =8)

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A. “Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink:
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”.

1. Explain the phrase: “all the boards did shrink.”

2. What sufferings did the sailors undergo?

3. What do you mean by shrink?

4. What is the irony in the given line?

Or,

B. CAESAR: “Cowards die many times before their deaths;

The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.

Q1. Who is Caesar speaking to? Why does he say these words?

Q2. How do cowards die many times?

Q3. When does the valiant taste death?

Q.4. The strangest thing that Caesar ponders is why___________.

Or,

C. “Beholding the wooden arch of this building, the old man was filled with the joy
that the pilgrim feets when he first sees the goal of his journey”. On the arch hung an
old board with the newly painted letters “Post Office.” The old man went in quietly
and squatted on the verandah. The voices of two or three people busy and their
routine work could be faintly heard through the wall.

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1. What building is being referred to here?

2. Why is the old man called a pilgrim?

3. Why is building the goal of his journey?

4. The voices heard were of __________

9. Answer any five of the following six questions in about 40 words each. 5x2=10

I. What is the meaning of “Et tu Brute”? Why did the speaker say so?
II. What was the reason of the relentless working of the brothers?
III. ‘The villagers show immense devotion for the event.’ How can you justify the
statement? (Mrs. Packletide’s tiger)
IV. What traits of the nightingale led to its death?
V. Why does the poet decide to stand and wait till the snake has finished
drinking? What does this tell you about the poet?
VI. How did Patol Babu manage to make his role special? What special touches
did he give to the role?

10. Answer any one of the following two questions in about 150 words. 1x8=8

Bring out the irony in the title of the play “The Dear Departed”.

Or,

“The computer games are causing a lot of harm to a child’s psychological, physical,
emotional and social life.” Express your views on the statement.

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