2016-17 Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper CBSE

Crafted by CBSE, the 2016-17 CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper proves invaluable as a preparatory resource, featuring a varied array of questions. Providing students with a strategic understanding of the CBSE English exam format significantly enhances their preparedness for the upcoming examinations.

CBSE Communicative English Sample Paper for Class 10 Blue Print

We find four categories in the CBSE Communicative English question papers:

1. Section A : (12+10=22 Marks)

The section will have two unseen passages with a maximum word limit of 750 words.

• Objective Type Questions (including Multiple Choice Questions),
• Very Short Answer Type Questions (one word/ one phrase / one sentence) and
• Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 words each) will be asked to test interpretation, analysis, inference, evaluation, and vocabulary in context.

2. Section B: Writing Skill: (22 Marks)

3. Section C: Grammar (10 Marks)

4. Section D: Literature Textbook (26 Marks)

• Two out of three extracts from prose/poetry for reference to the context. 8 marks (4+4)
• Five Short Answer type Questions out of six from the Literature Reader. (5 x2) = 10 Marks
• One out of two Long Answer type Questions. This can also be a passage-based question taken from a situation/plot from the texts. 8 Marks

2016-17 CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper Solved

The solved version of the 2016-17 CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper provides students with invaluable insights and clarity, serving as an effective study aid. By offering step-by-step solutions, it facilitates a thorough understanding of the exam format and content.

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Class 10 English Communicative Sample Question Paper 2016-17

Summative Assessment – II 
CLASS X 
English – Communicative 
Maximum marks: 70                                                                           Time-3 hours

General Instruction:-

1. The question paper is divided into three sections. 
2. Section A: Reading 20 marks 
3. Section B: Writing and Grammar 25 marks 
4. Section C: Literature 25 marks Q 

SECTION- A 
Reading – 20 Marks

1 Read the following passage carefully: 

1. Bubble wrap is a flexible transparent plastic material used for packing fragile items. It was invented by two engineers Al Fielding and Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes in Hawthorne, N.J. in 1957. However both of them were not trying to make a product to be used as packaging material. In fact they were trying to create textured wallpaper. They started out by sealing two shower curtains together in such a way that it would capture air bubbles which would make the textured appearance for their wallpaper. But this wallpaper idea didn’t sell too well. 

2. Not to be deterred, they then set about finding another use for their product. The alternate use they came up with was to use it as greenhouse insulation. While bubble wrap by itself does create somewhat of an insulating effect, this idea didn’t become popular either. 

3. It was three years after the initial creation of Bubble Wrap that Frederick W. Bowers, a marketer at Sealed Air, which makes Bubble Wrap, finally came up with the perfect use for their product. On October the 5, 1959, IBM announced their new 1401 variable word length computer. Bowers got the idea that Bubble Wrap could be used as a good packaging material to protect the computer while it was being shipped. He then pitched the idea to IBM and demonstrated Bubble Wrap’s protective abilities. His demonstration went over well and IBM began purchasing Bubble Wrap to protect their 1401 and other fragile products they sold and shipped. 

4. One of the downsides to Bubble Wrap has always been the space it takes up during shipping and storage, for customers who are just buying the Bubble Wrap. In order to get around this problem, one of the dreams of the original inventors was that they’d someday be able to create a Bubble Wrap that customers could self inflate, as needed. 

5. While originally being used primarily for packaging for electronics equipment, today the vast majority of Bubble Wrap made is used for food packaging. Because bubble wrap makes a satisfying popping sound when compressed and ruptured, it is often used as a source of amusement. 

1.1Fill in the blanks: [1×8 = 8 ] 

(a) Bubble wrap was, at first, thought by the two engineers to be useful to________. 

(b) The engineers were trying to create textured wallpaper by ________________. 

(c) The alternate use of their product was____________________________________. 

(d) IBM announced their new 1401 variable word length computer on _____________. 

(e) IBM purchased Bubble Wrap to __________________. 

(f) What was the original use of original use of Bubble Wrap ___________________. 

(g) The word which means the same as ‘exhibition’ is ___________________( para 3). 

(h) The word which means the same as ‘cracking’ is ___________________( para 5). 

2 Read the following passage carefully: 

1. Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process.One of the greatest gifts any of us can ever receive is the gift of listening. It is also one of the greatest gifts we can ever give. Unfortunately, it appears to be a lost art. We live in a world where everyone is talking but few are listening. What often passes for listening is simply one person pausing to collect their thoughts for their next soliloquy. 

2. Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, whereas listening requires more than that: it requires focus. Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal messages. Your ability to listen effectively depends on the degree to which you perceive and understand these messages. 

3. Listening is a difficult task. Like every skill, the more you do it, the better you get. Listening can be developed through practice, or lost if not used regularly. Good listeners focus on what they are hearing. They pause to think about what they’ve heard before responding. They ask questions because they want to know the answers, not just to keep the conversation going 

4. So often, we are distracted with other things. We try to listen while continuing to work on the computer or watch television. To be fully present means we eliminate these distractions and focus exclusively on the other person. It takes great effort to be fully in the moment, leaning forward, with your ears—and heart—open. Words are only part of the communication. Sometimes we need to experience the other person’s feelings to really understand. We need to listen with our heart as well as our mind. We must repeat back what the other person has said. When we do this—and do it accurately—we communicate that we understand. It also gives us an opportunity to re-calibrate our understanding if we have misunderstood something. 

Plenty of people are good talkers. Few are good listeners. If you develop the latter skill, you will find yourself invited into amazing conversations that wouldn’t otherwise happen. 

2.1 Answer the following questions briefly: 2X 4=8

(a) What is listening? Why does it appear to be a lost art? 

(b) What is the difference between hearing and listening? 

(c) State any two qualities of a good listener. 

(d) How can we ensure good listening? 

2.2 Do as directed: 1×4=4

(a) The antonym of ‘interpret’ is: 

(i) refer 

(ii) defer 

(iii) prefer 

(iv) infer 2X 4=8 1×4=4 

(b) The word ‘soliloquy’ means: 

(i) monologue 

(ii) satisfaction 

(iii) dialogue 

(iv) dissatisfaction 

(c) The word ‘eliminate’ means: 

(i) eradicate 

(ii) predicate 

(iii) dedicate 

(iv) terminate 

(d) The word ‘calibrate’ means: 

(i) pretend 

(ii) amend 

(iii) suspend 

(iv) mend 

SECTION B 
Writing and Grammar – 25 Marks

3 Drinking water is becoming a rare commodity. Industrial development is filling our rivers, seas, and oceans with toxic pollutants which are a major threat to human health. You are deeply saddened to see water pollution as an appalling problem, which is powerful enough to lead the world on a path of destruction. Write a letter to the Editor of Express News to make the public aware of the causes of water pollution and also suggest measures to prevent water pollution. (About 100 -120 words) 5

 You may use the clues given below:  

Causes of Water Pollution  

• industrial waste  
• sewage and waste water  
• mining activities  
• accidental oil leakage  
• burning of fossil fuels  
• urban development  

Suggestive measures  

• prevent river water to get polluted  
• treatment of wastes before discharge  
• treatment of drainage water  
• routine cleaning  self hygiene  
• public Awareness 

OR 

You may use the clues given below:  

• indirectly generates more employment and helps to raise our economy as foreign money will flow in   
• development of infrastructure to meet the present and future needs of tourists   
• starting overseas offices at different countries to promote India as a tourism destination  
• try to provide best of the services in Air India and in Indian Rail 
• start different packages for various destinations to attract more tourists 

4 Write a story in about 150-200 words beginning with the following: 10 

You are sitting with your friends on a log near a stream. One of your friends looks up at the sky and says…… 

5 Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks by choosing the most appropriate options from the ones given below. Write the answer in your answer sheet against the correct blanks. Do not copy the whole passage.  1×3=3

Thinking negatively will get negative results because your thoughts create a negative atmosphere which is hospitable (a) ____________ negative results. On the contrary, (b) _____________ thinking positively you can create a positive atmosphere which makes positive results a certainty. To cultivate positive thinking, you should speak hopefully (c)__________ everything. 

(a) (i) of (ii) on (iii) to (iv) in 

(b) (i) at (ii) by (iii) on (iv) of 

(c) (i) among (ii) over (iii) across (iv) about 1×3=3 

6 In the passage given below, one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along with the word that comes before and the word that comes after it in your answer sheet. Ensure that the word that forms your answer is underlined. The first one has been done as an example for you:  ½x8=4 

7 Rearrange the following words / phrases to form meaningful sentences: 1x 3=3

1. 12,000 species / all over / there are / of ants / the world / more than 

2. or groups / who live in / social insects / they are/ small colonies 

3. of millions / ant colonies / of ants / can consist 1x 3=3 

SECTION C 
Literature – 25 Marks

8 Read the extract and answer the following questions briefly: 1×3=3 

And I had done a hellish thing, 

And it would work’em woe; 

For all averred, I had killed the bird 

That made the breeze to blow. 

(a) What ‘hellish thing’ had ‘I’ done? 

(b) What made the other mariners contradict themselves? 

(c) Explain the meaning of ‘averred’. 

OR 

O judgement! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, 

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me: 

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, 

And I must pause till it come back to me. 

(a) Explain: ‘My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar’. 1×3=3 

(b) What is the speaker trying to do? 

(c) Find a word in the above lines which means the same as ‘violent’. 

9 Answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words each: 2×4=8 

(a) How can you say that Michael and his father had a passion for computer games? 

(b) Why had Lavinia brought the Ouija Board for John? 

(c) What did the sculptor want to portray through the statue of Ozymandias? 

(d) How did the poet feel after throwing a log at the snake? 

(e) What did Patol Babu remember when he got the proposal to act in film? 2×4=8 

10 As an artist, one’s endeavor should be to make the ‘most of one’s opportunity and squeeze the last drop of meaning out of one’s lines. A play is the combined effort of many that make it successful. Keeping in mind the advice given to Patol Babu by his mentor, Gogan Prakash, express your views on the ‘Significance of Labour’ in about 80 -100 words. 4

OR 

Read the following extract: 

“ CALPURNIA Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies, Yet now they fright me. There is one within. Besides the things that we have heard and seen, Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch. A lioness hath whelped in the streets; And graves have yawn’d, and yielded up their dead;” After reading Calpurnia’s speech, you realize that many superstitions are groundless. Write an article on the topic ‘Superstitions and blind beliefs’ in about 80-100 words 4 

11 Answer the following question in about 150-200 words:  10

How did Helen pass her time when she was not reading? 

OR 

Give a brief character sketch of Helen’s father. 

OR 

How was the diary helpful to Ann? 

OR 

Discuss briefly the character sketch of Peter Van Daan

2016-17 Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper Answers:

Summative Assessment – II
SECTION – A
Reading – 20 Marks

1. 1×8 = 8 

(a) To pack fragile items  

(b) sealing two shower curtains together in such a way that it would capture air bubbles which would make the textured appearance for their wallpaper 

(c) to use it as greenhouse insulation 

(d) October the 5, 1959 

(e) Perfect their and other fragile products they sold and shipped 

(f) that customers could self inflate, as needed 

(g) demonstration 

(h) popping 

2 2.1 [2×4=8]

(a) Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process because we live in a world where everyone is talking but few are listening. 

(b) Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, whereas listening requires more than that: it requires focus. Listening means paying attention not only to the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or her body. 

(c) Good listeners focus on what they are hearing. They pause to think about what they’ve heard before responding. They ask questions because they want to know the answers, not just to keep the conversation going 

(d) We must repeat back what the other person has said. When we do this—and do it accurately—we communicate that we understand. It also allows us to re-calibrate our understanding if we have misunderstood something. 

2.2 [1×4=4]

(a) refer 

(b) dialogue 

(c) eradicate 

(d) amend 

SECTION B 

Writing and Grammar – 25 Marks 

3. [5]

Letter Writing: 5 marks 

Format: 1 m 

Content: 2 m 

Accuracy: 1 m 

Spelling and Grammar: 1 m 5 

OR 

Article Writing: 5 

marks Format: 1 m 

Content: 2 m 

Accuracy: 1 m 

Spelling and Grammar: 1 m 

4. 

Story Writing:10 marks 

Title: 1 m 

Content: 4 m 

Accuracy: 3 m 

Spelling and Grammar: 2 m 10 

5. 

(a) (iii) to (1m) 

(b) (ii) by (1m) 

(c) (iv) about (1m) 1×3=3 

6. 

(a) love for one’s 

(b) person who loves 

(c) else is called 

(d) man to do 

(e) being and betterment 

(f) quality that impels 

(g) sacrifice his own 

(h) sake of his ½x8=4 

7. 

1. There are more than 12000 species of ants all over the world. 

2. They are social insects who live in large colonies or groups. 

3. Ant colonies can consist of millions of ants. 1x 3=3 

SECTION C 

Literature – 25 marks 

8.  

(a) ‘I’ had killed the innocent Albatross. 

(b) Earlier the sailors had criticized the mariner’s action of killing a helpful bird. Now they appreciated his action as they thought that the bird had brought the fog and mist. 

(c) It means said firmly 

OR 

(a) Though Antony may be alive his heart is in the coffin with dead Caesar. 

(b) The speaker is trying to arouse the sympathy of the people for Caesar. 

(c) brutish 1×3=3 

9 Any four: 2 X 4=8 marks 

Content: 1 m 

Expression: 1 m 

(a) Michael and his father were fond of computer games. Both of them had spent the entire Saturday afternoon at the Computer Fair buying some computer games as his father could not resist any of the new gadgets and gizmos that came to the market. 

(b) Lavinia brought Ouija Board for John because she thought that the board would help her husband to write stories. If John had to write any historical novel then he did not have to look over musty old books in the public library. He could directly communicate to Napoleon or William or Helen of Troy to write short stories which would help him easily to earn his livelihood. 

(c) The sculptor wanted to portray that no one can conquer the time even if he is a mighty ruler or some rich person. In spite of being the mightiest ruler, Ozymandias could not change his fate. 

(d) The poet felt guilt-ridden and considered this act meanness. He wished that the snake would come back as he has lost the opportunity of knowing and understanding one of the lords of life. 

(e) He went back to his back days memories when he used to act on a stage. Earlier in Jntras, in amateur theatricals, in plays put up by the club in his neighbourhood, Patol Babu was always in demand.his name had appeared on handbills on countless occasions. 2×4=8 

10.

 Content: 2 m 

Accuracy: 1 m 

Expression: 1 m 

Value Points:  

• Patol Babu was given a minor role in a film  
• his passion for him drove him to work hard  
• sense of doing a job that is worthwhile –even if low paid  
• sense of achievement when you meet a target  
• learning new skills  
• sense of belonging 

OR 

Value Points:  

• the inclusion of omens and dreams in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is of great significance  
• Caesar, of course, ignores all supernatural warnings and signs for fear  
• Superstition is the fear of what is unknown and mysterious  
• belief that certain events bring good or bad luck which cannot be explained by reason or science  
• A person believing in superstitions is always haunted by unknown fears and anxieties. He lose self-confidence.  
• Education is one factor that can wipe out superstitions to some extent.  
• A scientific outlook and temper should be cultivated to do away with superstitions. 4 

11 

Content: 5 m 

Accuracy: 3 m 

Expression: 2 m 

Value Points:  

• Helen’s amusements, when she is not reading, are not very different from those of other young women  
• loves to be outside and to swim  
• enjoys canoeing, especially on moonlit nights, and her favorite pastime is sailing  
• speaks of her love for her “tree friends.”  
• feels so close to them that she imagines she can hear their sap flow and see the sunshine on their leaves 

OR 

Value Points:  

• Arthur H Keller has a huge impact on Helen’s development, tirelessly looking for methods and people to help her  
• a captain in the Confederate Army, has been married before and Helen’s mother Kate is much younger than him  
• a loving father who takes great pleasure in pleasing his daughter  
• proud of his garden and knows that Helen also loves the garden  
• an accomplished hunter and a gracious host to regular guests 

OR 

Value Points:  

• We can learn many things from The Diary of Anne Frank.  
• It teaches how there is nobility in human compassion.  
• it’s also about a young girl trying to survive adolescence. 
• Many teens can relate to such a book because Anne goes through all of the normal adolescent trials in life,  
• Anne has a difficult relationship with her mother. She often says things to hurt her mother, yet she 10 can’t help her temper and continues to do so as time goes on.  
• Anne also struggles with her identity. 

OR 

Value Points:  

• The teenage son of the van Daans, whose real name is Peter van Pels  
• Anne first sees Peter as obnoxious, lazy, and hypersensitive, but later they become close friends.  
• Peter is quiet, timid, honest, and sweet to Anne, but he does not share her strong convictions. 
• During their time in the annex, Anne and Peter develop a romantic attraction, which Mr. Frank discourages.  
• Peter is Anne’s first kiss, and he is her one confidant and source of affection and attention in the annex.  
• Peter died on May 5, 1945, at the concentration camp at Mauthausen, only three days before the camp was liberated.

Conclusion

In summary, the 2016-17 CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper with Answers is an invaluable resource. It provides students with a holistic learning experience, reinforcing their grasp of exam patterns and improving their English proficiency.