ICSE Class 10 English Language Sample Question Paper 3 with Answers
Maximum Marks: 40
Time: 1 1/2 Hours
Section-A
(Attempt all questions from this Section)
Question 1.
Write a composition (300-350 words) on any one of the following. [20]
(i) Write an original short story entitled ‘Lost and Found’.
(ii) ‘Democracy cannot survive without education’. Express your views either for or against this statement.
(iii) You are a regular traveller in your school bus. Describe what you see on your way home from school each afternoon. Give details of the familiar sights and sounds you experience each day.
(iv) Imagine that you have changed your school recently. Narrate your experiences on your first day in the new school. How did you feel at the end of the day ?
(v) Study the picture given below. Write a short story or description or an account of what the picture suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take suggestions from it.
Answer:
(i) LOST AND FOUND
It was a bright and beautiful morning with birds singing and flowers blooming in the garden. Mrs. Jane Albert was at her window watching the brilliant hues of the morning and the dewdrops glistening in the sun. She was 70 years old, who now lived alone in her serene cottage. It was never like this, long ago when her husband was alive and her children bustled around the house. The house was full of laughter and life. Her husband passed away five years ago and her two daughters had married and left the house.
Mrs. Jane was lonely and carried a secret that many in her little village did not know or remember well. She had a son who was in the army and he went missing in action in Jammu and Kashmir. Since the day she got the news, she waited for him tirelessly, hoping and trusting that someday he would come back home. She had become a volunteer at the army centre where the wounded and dying soldiers were brought in for treatment and recuperation at the border. She was a source of comfort and encouragement for the soldiers and helped them connect with their family and loved ones.
Mrs. Jane gradually became stronger and gained calmness about her son’s loss and considered everyone she ministered to, a son, and took a mother’s place to take care of them. She put in all her energy and strength into her work. Though her daughters wanted her to rest and relax, she kept on doing her volunteership. As days went by, there were days that were better than the others and she hoped in a corner of her heart that her son would be alive.
True to her thoughts and faith, the unexpected happened, the government officer informed her that they found a person who could be her son based on the identification reports. It was her son indeed; her joy knew no bounds. She met her long-lost son and they took time to share what had happened until then. She was glad when she heard her son tell her that an old lady took care of him when he was wounded and Mrs. Jane was happy that God had accepted her service to the soldiers and gave her son back.
(ii) DEMOCRACY CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT EDUCATION FOR THE MOTION
Thomas Jefferson states, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” In a democracy which rests on the pillar of free people, one cannot survive without education. Education of its citizens takes predominance as the choices made by the people should be the outcome of a defined thought process, which cannot happen in a vacuum. Every decision taken by the citizen should be based on a learned thought. Citizens should be enlightened to at least a certain degree if they were to decide or vote or act upon principles or else there would be chaos and democracy might just fade away.
Every citizen from the richest to the poorest should receive education for the benefit of the society and the various interests of the society that need to be catered too. Citizens should be able to read and understand what is going on in the world and learn to keep their part in it and contribute towards democracy. If the people are uninformed, it would make them gullible and there would be a decrease in informed decisions and it, in turn, would hinder democracy.
Education needs to start right from a person’s childhood because if he is untaught, his ignorance and vices would cost us dearly, creating a need to correct them later on in life. On the other hand, if children are educated, they would imbibe virtue and values that would enable them to contribute as responsible citizens to the democracy.
Education should not just stop at the common man, but should also reach out for the training of able counselors so that they can administer the affairs of the country in all matters that include legislative, executive and judiciary. For a democracy to be alive, it needs people with truth and integrity in all the departments and that is possible only through education and by which a country can be led to prosperity, happiness, and power.
In conclusion, it can be stated that it is imperative that education is the key for any democracy to function well and all citizens need to be educated.
AGAINST THE MOTION
‘Democracy cannot survive without education’ is the maxim, but with huge democracies, educating all to the level where they can all be involved in purposeful involvement would be difficult and might not be possible in most cases.
The common man, for example, might not be interested in the functioning and running of the governments and its departments such as the judicial, executive and legislative. He would probably be more concerned with fulfilling his immediate needs and relax, once his goal has been reached. He is not worried about the everyday happenings of a democracy. He finds no need to be invested in the functioning of a republic.
To create a just society, the society can be under the control of the most cultivated and best-informed minds and ‘lovers of wisdom,’ according to Plato. There is truth to this as a healthy and just person is governed by knowledge and reason; in the same manner, a democracy can only be run by the educated and well-informed and not by all the citizens.
With education and more people involved in the governance, national goals can become jumbled up, because there are too many people defining their wants as needs and it would be true to the saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Most often, it is the ignorance of the common, which hinders their involvement in the processes of democracy, for they choose to be so. In such a case, it is not the educated and enlightened ones who mislead people. It is the lackadaisical or apathetic response to the democratic process.
Therefore, it can be said that education of all citizens is not required for democracy to survive.
(iii) THE SIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW
The bell rings announcing the end of classes for the day, sparking up conversations as the teacher’s reminder to do the homework goes unheeded. There is nothing as exciting as the end of a school irrespective of the fun and learning that has taken place during the day. Kids rush out of classrooms, talking to friends, some playing, some go to the canteen for a snack and amidst all the noise, I slip out with my friends and walk to the school bus.
Yes, I go straight to the bus as I like to get a window seat so that I can enjoy the sights on the way home. It has become a great experience for me as I observe people and places. It never tires me to see all of the sights every day.
In the afternoons when the school gets over, there is less traffic and the school bus takes the beach route. The school bus goes through old buildings that were built in the British era; the Anglo Saracenic architecture fascinates me. The tall red buildings make me wonder about the olden days. The pigeons have made it their homes and I can hear them cooing, though it is faint.
We then pass through the fishing harbour which one can sense from a mile away because of the fishy smell. I see the heavy throng of people going in and out conducting business. I realise that this is where fish comes from for the local market. My dad buys fish from the local market and I sometimes think if I can get fresh fish right from the harbour. Apart from the fishy smell, I see the fishing
The reason for children working in quarries is poverty which means that the government needs to provide labour and food security to adult workers and also provide opportunities for children to study.
The girl in the picture and the thousands of children like her should be able to go to school and enjoy their childhood. The greed of people should not make them suffer and we hope that day comes soon.
Question 2.
Select one of the following : [10]
(i) Your friend has been sick and has been unable to attend school for two weeks. An interschool drama competition took place during this period. Write a letter to your friend telling him/her about the event and your role in it.
(ii) You have accidentally left your suitcase behind when you got off the train. You only realised it after the train left the platform. Write a letter to the Station Master reporting your loss and request that the suitcase be located and kept till you claim it.
Answer:
(i) House no. 53,
E Block, Anna Nagar East,
Chennai-102.
8th February, 20XX
Dear Grace,
I hope this letter finds you in the best of your health and spirit. It has been two weeks since you came to school. I pray you recover soon. You asked me how the interschool drama competition went and I am very glad to tell you just that.
The competition was held on 5th of February. The day was bright with a slight chill and it was wonderful to see the school bustling with action. All the students were excited and everyone including the teachers was hurrying to get their students dressed for the drama.
We waited in anticipation and soon the auditorium was filled with everyone settled. The programme started with the lighting of the traditional lamp and welcome address by the Principal. There were six schools that participated in the competition, each one went on for about 20-30 minutes. Everyone was wrapped in attention to watch the plays and also to see who did the best. I liked “Macbeth” done by Anna Adarsh School. Some of the plays were “The Dear Departed”, “Chitra” by Rabindranath Tagore, (I remembered the writer), “Hamlet”, “Alice in Wonderland”, and a recreated part of “Wizard of Oz”.
It was a magical evening. I missed you a lot and I am sure you would have enjoyed it too. Get well soon and come to school.
Yours lovingly,
Pamela.
(ii) House no. 53,
E Block, Anna Nagar East,
Chennai-102.
10th February, 20XX.
The Station Master,
Egmore Railway Station,
Egmore, Chennai- 8 Dear Sir,
I am Camilla from Anna Nagar and I recently travelled by Chennai-Kanyakumari Express 12633 on the 8th of February and reached Egmore, Chennai on 9th February. I am sorry to say that I left my suitcase in the train and only realised it after the train had left the station.
I request you to kindly locate my suitcase as all of my important documents are in the suitcase. It is a blue American Tourister suitcase tied with a red ribbon and my home address stuck on it. I hope you will be able to locate the suitcase and I request you to please keep it at the station, until I come and collect it.
I apologise for the inconvenience caused.
Yours sincerely,
Camilla Peter
Question 3.
(i) You are the President of a children’s club in your locality. You and your team are planning to organise a programme to celebrate Teacher’s Day. Write a notice to be put up in the local supermarket, giving details of the programme to create an awareness of the event. [5]
(ii) Write an e-mail to the General Manager of the supermarket seeking permission to display the notice and requesting a sponsorship for the event. [5]
Answer:
(i) Thank You Teachers!
A cultural programme to celebrate Teachers’ Day.
on 5th September, 20XX
from 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
at Community Centre, South City Mall
All teachers who are residents of the
South City complex are cordially invited.
(ii) To: rmsouthcity@gmail.com
Subject: Teachers’ Day Celebration
Dear Sir,
Teachers’ Day is around the comer and we, the residents of the South City Complex, would like to express our gratitude to our teachers by hosting a brief cultural programme on the 5th of September between 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. We would like to put up a notice for the same in your supermarket.
There are about 25 teachers in our complex and we would be grateful if you allow us to put up the notice of the programme in order to create awareness of the event and thereby help us to make this day a memorable one for our dear teachers.
We look forward to a favourable response.
Ashish Roy
President,
Children’s Club, South City Society.