ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

Maximum Marks: 40
Time: 1 1/2 Hours

Section – A [10 Marks]
Attempt all questions

Question 1.
Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options. (Do not copy the question write the correct answer only.)
(i) The author of the poem, ‘Abou Ben Adhem’, was:
(a) David Roth
(b) Leigh Hunt
(c) William Wordsworth
(d) Robert Browning
Answer:
(b) Leigh Hunt

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

(ii) In the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’ the poet focuses on values like:
(a) Health and wealth
(b) Compassion and cooperation
(c) Respect and wealth
(d) Love and compassion
Answer:
(b) Compassion and cooperation

(iii) In the lesson ‘My Greatest Olympic Prize’ speaks of Adolf Hitler’s belief in:
(a) Aryan Superiority Theory
(b) Anti-communism
(c) Nazism
(d) German Nationalism
Answer:
(a) Aryan Superiority Theory

(iv) In the lesson ‘My Greatest Olympic Prize’ Jesse Owens is the athlete.
(a) Indian
(b) German
(c) African Negro
(d) American Negro
Answer:
(d) American Negro

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

(v) In the lesson ‘All Summer in a Day’ why is Margot not accounted for by the teacher?
(a) Margot had gone ahead before the teacher
(b) Margot was locked in the closet without the teacher’s knowledge
(c) The children ran ahead of the teacher
(d) The teacher had no control of the children
Answer:
(b) Margot was locked in the closet without the teacher’s knowledge

(vi) The theme explored in ‘All Summer in a Day’ is:
(a) Jealousy and bullying
(b) Egoism and anger
(c) Admiration and concern
(d) Pride and understanding
Answer:
(a) Jealousy and bullying

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

(vii) According to the Duke, Shylock is “a stony adversary”; Shylock is also:
(a) “uncapable of pity, void and empty”
(b) “uncapable of love, void and shrewd”
(c) “uncapable of joy, null and loveless”
(d) “uncapable of mercy, void and shrewd”
Answer:
(a) “uncapable of pity, void and empty”

(viii) What is the importance of the short scene, Act 4, scene (ii)?
(a) The scene shows that Bassanio loves Antonio more than he loves Portia
(b) Bassanio tests Portia in the scene
(c) It was mandatory to have more than one scene in the penultimate act
(d) The scene lays a foundation for the last Act
Answer:
(d) The scene lays a foundation for the last Act

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

(ix) Which of the following is a ‘subsidiary plot’ in the last scene of the play?
(a) Stephano’s character
(c) Nerissa and Gratiano’s love story
(b) Lorenzo and Jessica’s love story
(d) Lancelot’s character
Answer:
(b) Lorenzo and Jessica’s love story

(x) In the opening lines of Act V, why do you think Shakespeare uses graphic imagery to describe romantic beauty?
(a) Shakespeare wants to exhibit his knowledge
(b) Shakespeare wants to show his love for classical allusions
(c) Because of lack of electric lighting and moveable scenery
(d) Lorenzo is a complicated character, so he uses a language different from other characters
Answer:
(c) Because of lack of electric lighting and moveable scenery

Section-B [10 Marks]
DRAMA
(The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare – Acts 4 and 5)

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

Question 2.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Lorenzo : The moon shines bright: in such a night as this,
When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees, .
And they did make no noise, in such a night
Troilus methinks mounted the Trojan walls,
And sigh’d his soul toward the Grecian tents,
Where Cressid lay that night.

(i) Who is the other person present? Where are they right now? What has brought them here?[2]
Answer:
The other person present is Jessica, beloved of Lorenzo and the daughter of the Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Right now, both are in the garden of Portia’s palace in Belmont. Shylock’s hatred for Christians did not allow Lorenzo and Jessica to get married therefore, she fled from her father’s house with her Christian lover, Lorenzo.

(ii) In what mood is the speaker? What kind of a night is it? [2]
Answer:
Lorenzo is in a very romantic mood. The night is moonlit and the sky is full of stars. There is sweet wind blowing and the trees are dancing in the breeze. The night is soft and quiet.

(iii) The speaker speaks of Troilus and Cressida. Who are they? Why is he reminded of them?[3]
Answer:
Troilus was a Trojan warrior, who was separated from his beloved, Cressida, when she was taken into the enemy (Greek) camp. He is reminded of these two lovers because the night is romantic and apt for lovers to meet. The way he wants Jessica, even Troilus would be longing for Cressida.

(iv) Which other people are mentioned by the two people in conversation? Give details. [3]
Answer:
The other couples mentioned by Lorenzo and Jessica are Pyramus and Thisbe, Dido and Aeneas, Medea and Jason. Thisbe, seeing the lion, ran and dropped her scarf. The lion mauled the scarf and seeing that bloody napkin, Pyramus thought that Thisbe was dead and he stabbed himself. The queen of Carthage, Dido, was deserted by her lover, Aeneas, so she stood at the sea-bank waving a willow. Medea, the enchantress, loved Jason so she restored his father back to youth.

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

Question 3.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Duke : I am sorry for thee : thou art come to answer
A stony adversary, an inhuman wretch
Uncapable of pity, void and empty From any dram of mercy.

(i) Who is ‘thee’ in the first line? Where are they and why? [2]
Answer:
The ‘thee’ in the first line refers to Antonio. They are right now in the court for the case between Antonio and Shylock. Antonio has forfeited the bond so Shylock is liable to take a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body.

(ii) Who is being spoken about? Why is this person being described in such a manner? [2]
Answer:
The duke is talking about Shylock, the Jewish moneylender. As Shylock is an unfeeling and ruthless Jew and his hatred for Antonio is so strong that he has forgotten humanity, and in spite of the duke begging for mercy for Antonio, he is not ready to give up his bond. His heart is filled with hatred with no place for mercy.

(iii) Who is the ‘adversary’ referred to here? What does the Duke mean by ‘stony adversary’ and ‘in human wretch’? [3]
Answer:
The adversary referred to here is Shylock. By ‘stony adversary’ and ‘inhuman wretch’ the Duke means that Shylock is stone hearted and he does not possess the feelings of humanity.

(iv) Who are the other people present? Who enters the scene next? What are his demands and why? [3]
Answer:
The other people present are Bassanio, Gratiano, Salerio and the officers of the court. Shylock enters the scene next. He only wants his bond and nothing else. He was offered twice the amount due, but he only wants a pound of Antonio’s flesh. His hatred for Antonio is so deep that nothing else can satisfy him but his life.

Section-C [10 Marks]
PROSE – SHORT STORIES
(Treasure Trove – A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

Question 4.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.
“It’s stopping, it’s stopping!”
“Yes, yes!”

(i) Why were the children so excited? [2]
Answer:
The children had been living on planet Venus where the sun shone once in seven years and it was the day when the sun was about to shine. Thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water with sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands.

(ii) What was the impact of the rain? [2]
Answer:
The impact of the rain was very severe under which thousand forests had been crushed and many more grown thousand times to be crushed again. This was the way of life on the planet Venus forever. Also heavy concussion of storms led the tidal waves to come over the islands. The continuous downpour changed the air of the atmosphere that made everybody look dull and pale.

(iii) Why didn’t the children remember the sun? [3]
Answer:
The children had been living on the planet where the sun shone only once in seven years and that day the rain stopped only for an hour. These children did not remember a day when there wasn’t rain. They were now all nine years old but there had been a day, seven years ago when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the shocking world, but they could not remember this as at that time they were only two years old.

(iv) What did the children dream about the sun? [3]
Answer:
The children had almost lost the remembrance of sun. Sometimes at night, they dreamt and remembered gold or yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. They thought they remembered blushing in the face, and warmness in the body, in the arms and legs and trembling hands.

Question 5.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
I guessed that if Long won, it would add some new support to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory. After all, I am a Negro. A little hot under the collar about Hitler’s ways. I determined to go out there and really show Der Fuhrer and his master race who was superior and who wasn’t.

An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for afoul. On the second jump, I fouled even worse. “Did I come 3000 miles for this ?” I thought bitterly. “To foul out of the trials and make a fool of myself? ”

(i) Why was Jesse not worried about Hitler’s declaration of the supremacy of Master’s race? [2]
Answer:
Owens did not bother about the patriotic feelings which were running high in Germany. He had full faith in his capabilities. He had trained, sweated and disciplined himself for six years and what occupied his mind were games and games only. He thought only of taking one or two gold medals.

(ii) What surprised him? [2]
Answer:
Jesse was surprised to see a tall boy hitting the pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps on the broad- jump trials. He was a German named Luz Long who was kept hidden by Hitler with the hope to win the jump. His marvelous performance in the trials startled Owens.

(iii) An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. Justify this statement. [3]
Answer:
Although Jesse Owens’ full concentration was on his game and winning the gold medal but he got distracted somewhat after seeing Luz Long’s performance. He thought that if he won, it would add support to Nazi’s Aryan-Superiority theory. He got irritated by this and thinking about this, he was filled with anger and fouled twice in the qualifying jumps.

(iv) What was the Nazi’s Aryan-superiority theory? [3]
Answer:
Adolf Hitler believed in Aryan-superiority theory. According to him the athletes of Germany should be from Master race and would do better than other competent in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The nationalistic feelings were at prime at that time.

Section-D [10 Marks]
POETRY
(Treasure Trove – A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

Question 6.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The athletes had come from so many countries
To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze
Many weeks and months in training
All building up to the games.

(i) Where did the athletes ‘come from so many countries’? Why? [2]
Answer:
The athletes came ‘from so many countries’ to the venue of the Special Olympics. The athletes reached there to win gold, silver and bronze medals for their performance.

(ii) What do the words ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ stand for in the extract? Do you think the contestants were prepared well for the event? Give a reason for your answer. [2]
Answer:
The words ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ stand for gold medal, silver medal and bronze medal, respectively. These are the top three honours of any high-level sports competition. The contestants were certainly prepared well for the event. As the poet says, they had undergone months of rigorous training before the game started.

(iii) What event is referred to here by the poet? What kind of athletes were they? What was their aim? [3]
Answer:
The event referred to here by the poet is a 100 metre-race in Special Olympics. This was the most important of all events. A large number of people came to watch that event. The athletes described in the poem were specially abled participants who had been selected for the 100 metre-race. Their aim was to win the gold, silver and bronze medals in the Special Olympics. These medals are tokens of top honours that are conferred on best performing athletes.

(iv) How had they prepared themselves for the special event? [3]
Answer:
All the athletes had prepared rigorously for the special event. They had been trained by their coaches for several months. This training had boosted the level of their self-confidence so much that each of them wanted to achieve the best and reach the zenith of glory by winning the top honour of the game.

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Sample Question Paper 2 with Answers

Question 7.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:-
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,

(i) Who was Abou Ben Adhem? What is meant by ‘may his tribe increase’? [2]
Answer:
Abou Ben Adhem was an 8th century Sufi mystic of royal lineage from Balkh. He loved his tribesmen who treated him as their spiritual leader and pioneer. They followed his teachings based on great ideals and values such as peace, mutual harmony, and service of the deprived and downtrodden. ‘May his tribe increase’, used as a parenthesis here, basically implies a wish for the growth of people who followed his teachings and adopted the path shown by him.

(ii) Describe the phrase that has been used by the poet to describe the great charm of the angel? [2]
Answer:
In this stanza, the poet uses the phrase Tike a lily in bloom’, to describe the great charm of the angel. This is an example of simile. In this figure of speech, something is compared with some other thing of a different type. Here, the poet compares the charm of the heavenly angel with the beauty of a blooming lily, which is a flower.

(iii) Describe the imagery of the scene. [3]
Answer:
The imagery of the scene depicted in this stanza is profound and suggestive. The opening line introduces Abou Ben Adhem with a parenthesis that signifies his tall spiritual stature, faithfulness and devotion to great ideals and values. It is followed by the descriptions of his moonlit room and the otherworldly charm of the angel through images that are fascinating and comprehensible.

(iv) What does the last line mean here? [3]
Answer:
It means that Abou Ben Adhem does not react like a common human to the presence of the angel. As he champions the great value of peace and has a great faith in God. He has done no wrong and so is not scared or frightened at the presence of the angel in his room. He is a brave person who can even face the most unusual things in life.

ICSE Class 10 English Literature Question Papers with Answers

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