CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Question Paper 2013 (1)

CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Question Paper 2013 (1) - Solved board exam question papers prepared for CBSE students by the best teachers in Delhi. 

ENGLISH (Communicative)

SECTION - A (Reading) 20 marks

A.1 Read the following poem carefully : 

A GREEN CORNFIELD

The earth was green, the sky was blue;

I saw and heard one sunny morn

A skylark hang between the two,

A singing speck above the corn.

A stage below in gay accord,

White butterflies danced on wing,

And still the singing skylark soared,

And silent sank and soared to sing.

The cornfield stretched a tender green

To right and left beside my walks;

I knew he had a nest unseen

Somewhere among the million stalks.

And as I paused to hear his song

While swift the sunny moments slid,

Perhaps his mate sat listening long,

And listened longer than I did. 

A.1.1 Read the following summary. Complete it by writing the missing word against the correct blank number in your answer sheet: 

The poet’s intense (a) ....................... for nature is (b)...................... in the poem. She looked (c) ................... from a cornfield and saw a (d) ................... soaring in the sky and (e) ................. The butterflies (f) .................... about in the cornfield. The poet knew that the skylark’s (g) ....................... was hidden (h) ..................... the stalks. She (i) ................. that its (j) ................ too was listening intently to the song. 

A.1.2 Complete the following statements on the basis of your reading of the poem. Write your answers in the answer sheet against the correct blank number:

(1) The colours mentioned in the poem are .......................

(2) One sunny morning the poet .......................

(3) The phrase ‘gay accord’ in the second stanza means ....................... 

A.2 Read the passage given below : (12 marks) 

1. Why is it that there are very few women players in our orchestras ? If one could reply flatly - sex discrimination: they don’t want women in orchestras - that would be a definite answer. But one can’t say that. As a matter of fact there are, if not many, a few women playing today in symphony orchestras. Nevertheless, it is true that male orchestral players are in an overwhelming majority. Why is that ? I’m afraid, there is no one answer. There are physical reasons why women don’t perform well on certain instruments. The average woman is not likely to possess sufficient lung power and sheer muscular strength to play the tuba just as an average woman’s hands are not likely to be large enough to finger a double bass satisfactorily. But what about the other instruments ? 

2. I think social and family pressures have been very strong in keeping women out of orchestras. Think of the prejudice that existed half a century ago against the so-called ‘nice’ girls going on stage. The stage was won out for the simple reason that it had to have women to play feminine roles in plays and operas, and was willing to offer a young woman more money than she could make in any other profession. Moreover, on stage, she was appearing as an individual, as a center of attraction. This was gratifying to both her and her family. To this day, while the average parents are reconciled to seeing their daughter become an opera singer or concert artist, they don’t like the idea of seeing her submerging her personality to become the member of a chorus of the orchestra. 

3. Another reason why we have so few women orchestral musicians is that so few of them play wind instruments well enough. They don’t play well enough because they haven’t had the proper training; and the reason for that lies in the history of orchestral music. You will find that famous European families of bassoon players or clarinetists taught their sons to play the family instrument. Their sons; but never their daughters. If they had any other pupils, those were also boys; not girls. And to this day, while women vote, hold public office and practise many other professions, without shocking our Sensibilities, in this particular field, the orchestra, our attitude towards women still remains the same. 

4. However, this prejudice is rapidly crumbling, and is likely to disappear entirely in a few years. For this we have to thank our high-school bands and orchestras, which offer instruction, practice, and experience in playing all orchestral instruments to boys and girls alike. 

A.2.1 Complete the following sentences. Write the answers in your answer sheet against the correct blank number: 

 I. The reasons why there are only very few women orchestra players —

(a) Physical reasons

(i) ............................................................................................................

(ii) ............................................................................................................

(b) Social reasons

(i) ............................................................................................................

(ii) ............................................................................................................ 

(c) Women won out on stage because

(i) ............................................................................................................

(ii) ............................................................................................................

II. The high school bands have to be thanked because ..............................................

III. Lack of training has resulted in ........................................................................... 

A.2.2 Find words from the passage which mean the same as the phrases given below. Write your answers in the answer sheet against the correct blank number : 

(a) make a distinction / a difference ..........................    Para 1

(b) breaking / falling off ..........................                          Para 4

(c) satisfying / to please ..........................                        Para 2

(d) learning ..........................                                              Para 3 

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