Welcome to our complete, step-by-step solved English question paper guide. If you are preparing for your upcoming board exams or school assessments, practicing with fully solved previous year question papers is one of the most effective ways to boost your confidence and scores. In this comprehensive article, we break down every single question from the paper—ranging from reading comprehension passages to grammar rules and literature extracts—complete with clear headings, multiple-choice options, correct answers, and detailed explanatory solutions.
One of the standout comprehension questions in this paper centers around the remarkable bronze sculpture of the Dancing Girl and explores the concept that great art has power because it bridges centuries, communicates deep human emotion, and transcends time. Let’s dive right into the complete paper format and look at all the questions and their detailed solutions below.
Section A: Reading Comprehension
Passages and Solved Questions
Passage 1: The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro
Read the following passage carefully: Caged behind thick glass, the most famous dancer in the world can easily be missed in the National Museum, Delhi. The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro is that rare artefact that even school children are familiar with. Our school textbooks also communicate the wealth of our 5000 year heritage of art. You have to be alert to her existence there, amid terracotta animals to rediscover this bronze image.
Most of us have seen her only in photographs or sketches, therefore the impact of actually holding her is magnified a million times over. One discovers that the dancing girl has no feet. She is small, a little over 10 cm tall—the length of a human palm—but she surprises us with the power of great art—the ability to communicate across centuries.
A series of bangles—of shell or ivory or thin metal—clothe her left upper arm all the way down to her fingers. A necklace with three pendants bunched together and a few bangles above the elbow and wrist on the right hand display an almost modern art.
She speaks of the undaunted, ever hopeful human spirit. She reminds us that it is important to visit museums in our country to experience the impact that a work of art leaves on our senses, to find among all the riches one particular vision of beauty that speaks to us alone.
Question 1.1: Multiple Choice & Objective Questions based on Passage 1
Question (a)
Question: The Dancing Girl belongs to:
(i) Mohenjo-daro
(ii) Greek culture
(iii) Homo sapiens
(iv) Tibet
- Correct Answer: (i) Mohenjo-daro
- Final Solution: According to the opening paragraph of the passage, “The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro is that rare artefact…”, which clearly establishes her historical and geographical origin.
Question (b)
Question: In the museum she’s kept among:
(i) dancing figures.
(ii) bronze statues.
(iii) terracotta animals.
(iv) books.
- Correct Answer: (iii) terracotta animals.
- Final Solution: The text explicitly mentions that visitors must look for her “…amid terracotta animals to rediscover this bronze image.”
Question (c)
Question: Which information is not given in the passage?
(i) The girl is caged behind glass.
(ii) She is a rare artefact.
(iii) School books communicate the wealth of our heritage.
(iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she’s bronze.
- Correct Answer: (iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she’s bronze.
- Final Solution: The passage actually states that one can rediscover the bronze image, making option (iv) factually incorrect according to the text.
Question (d)
Question: ‘Great Art’ has power because:
(i) it appeals to us despite a passage of time.
(ii) it is small and can be understood.
(iii) it’s seen in pictures and sketches.
(iv) it’s magnified a million times.
- Correct Answer: (i) it appeals to us despite a passage of time.
- Final Solution: Focusing on our key rank-worthy theme, the passage notes that great art surprises us with “…the ability to communicate across centuries,” proving its timeless power.
Question (e)
Question: The jewellery she wears:
(i) consists of only bangles of shell or ivory or thin metal.
(ii) is a necklace with two pendants.
(iii) both (i) and (ii) are correct.
(iv) neither (i) nor (ii) is correct.
- Correct Answer: (i) consists of only bangles of shell or ivory or thin metal. (Note: necklace has three pendants, making ii false).
- Final Solution: Paragraph 3 states she wears bangles on her left arm down to her fingers and a necklace with three pendants, making statement (ii) incorrect.
Question (f)
Question: She reminds us:
(i) of the never-say-die attitude of humans.
(ii) why museums in our country are exciting.
(iii) why she will make us come into money.
(iv) of dancing figures.
- Correct Answer: (i) of the never-say-die attitude of humans.
- Final Solution: Paragraph 4 explicitly notes that “She speaks of the undaunted, ever hopeful human spirit,” which equates to the never-say-die human attitude.
Question (g)
Question: The synonym of the word “among” in para 1 is _____________.
- Correct Answer: Amid / Amongst
- Final Solution: In paragraph 1, the text uses the word “amid” terracotta animals, which shares the exact contextual synonym meaning of “among”.
Question (h)
Question: The size of the dancing girl is equal to the length of human palm. (True/False)
- Correct Answer: True
- Final Solution: Paragraph 2 confirms that she is “…a little over 10 cm tall—the length of a human palm…”
Section B: Writing and Grammar
Solved Grammar and Integrated Exercises
Question 5: Fill-in-the-Blanks (Cloze Test)
Question: Fill in any four of the following blanks given below choosing most appropriate options:
Communication (a) become very effective (b) instant due to smartphones. People are able (c) convey their messages all around the globe to (d) loved ones (e) spending hefty sums of money.
- (a) Options: (i) is, (ii) has, (iii) have, (iv) had
- Correct Answer: (ii) has
- Solution: “Communication” is a singular uncountable noun taking the present perfect auxiliary “has”.
- (b) Options: (i) but, (ii) as, (iii) or, (iv) and
- Correct Answer: (iv) and
- Solution: Connects two parallel descriptive adjectives (“effective and instant”).
- (c) Options: (i) for, (ii) in, (iii) to, (iv) of
- Correct Answer: (iii) to
- Solution: Follows the infinitive structure “able to convey”.
- (d) Options: (i) his, (ii) her, (iii) their, (iv) your
- Correct Answer: (iii) their
- Solution: Refers back to plural subject “People”.
- (e) Options: (i) with, (ii) without, (iii) and, (iv) to
- Correct Answer: (ii) without
- Solution: Indicates doing something in the absence of spending hefty sums.
Question 6: Error Correction
Paragraph:
Tallam is situated in an (a) ____________ / ____________
altitude of about 550 feet on a southern (b) ____________ / ____________
arm of a deep bay of the Western Ghats. (c) ____________ / ____________
Tallam boasts of delight forest scenery. (d) ____________ / ____________
- Correct Answers:
- (a) Error: an, Correction: a (followed by consonant sound ‘situated’ or specific article usage context).
- (b) Error: on, Correction: at or in (altitude context).
- (c) Error: Western, Correction: western (lowercase/proper noun adjustment depending on sentence style).
- (d) Error: delight, Correction: delightful (adjective needed before noun ‘forest scenery’).
Section C: Literature Text Books
Extract-Based Questions
Question 8 (Extract Option A: Animals by Walt Whitman)
Read the extract:
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition.
- (a) Question: The poet who has written these lines is ____________.
- Correct Answer: (iii) Walt Whitman
- Final Solution: Walt Whitman wrote the celebrated poem Animals.
- (b) Question: Who are ‘they’ referred to here?
- Correct Answer: (i) Animals
- Final Solution: The poem contrasts human behavior with that of animals.
- (c) Question: The poet looks at them long and long because he ____________.
- Correct Answer: Admires their self-contained, peaceful, and contented nature compared to complex, complaining humans.
- (d) Question: Which word in the extract means ‘complain’?
- Correct Answer: Whine
- Final Solution: “Whine” means to give a feeble or complaint-like cry or grumble.
Important Short Questions (Summary & Solutions)
Question 9 (Selected Short Answer)
- Question: “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? (From His First Flight)
- Correct Answer / Solution: This suggests that the young seagull was extremely hungry and desperate for food. His natural hunger overcame his fear of flying, ultimately compelling him to take his first plunge off the ledge.
Long Answer Questions (100–150 Words)
Question 10 (Option A: Mijbil the Otter)
- Question: What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun loving animal who needs love?
- Correct Answer / Solution: Mijbil displays high intelligence and playful affection throughout the story. He invents his own games, such as juggling marbles and playing endlessly with a ping-pong ball in a sloping suitcase. His love for water—turning a bath tap into a cascade of bubbling fun—shows his joyful temperament. His bonding with Maxwell, responding to his name, and seeking constant affection demonstrate that otters are highly emotional, smart, and social creatures requiring care and companionship.
Comprehensive Solved Question Paper: English Language & Literature (With Solutions & Explanations)
Welcome to our detailed, searchable, and easy-to-understand solution guide for the Class 10 English Language & Literature question paper. If you are looking for precise answers, comprehensive explanations, and structured breakdowns of reading comprehension passages, grammar, writing tasks, and literature questions, you are in the right place.
One of the standout questions from this paper that students frequently search for online is “great art has power because”, which touches upon the profound impact art leaves on human emotions and civilizations across centuries. Below, we have meticulously solved every section of the question paper so you can study efficiently without relying on images.
General Instructions
- There are 11 questions in the question paper. All questions are compulsory.
- Answers should be brief and to the point according to word limits.
- There is no overall choice, but internal choices are provided in Section B and Section C.
Section A: Reading (20 Marks)
Passage 1: The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro
Passage Overview
Caged behind thick glass, the most famous dancer in the world can easily be missed in the National Museum, Delhi. The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro is that rare artefact that even school children are familiar with. Our school textbooks also communicate the wealth of our 5000 year heritage of art. You have to be alert to her existence there, amid terracotta animals to rediscover this bronze image.
Most of us have seen her only in photographs or sketches, therefore the impact of actually holding her is magnified a million times over. One discovers that the dancing girl has no feet. She is small, a little over 10 cm tall—the length of a human palm—but she surprises us with the power of great art—the ability to communicate across centuries.
A series of bangles—of shell or ivory or thin metal—clothe her left upper arm all the way down to her fingers. A necklace with three pendants bunched together and a few bangles above the elbow and wrist on the right hand display an almost modern art.
She speaks of the undaunted, ever hopeful human spirit. She reminds us that it is important to visit museums in our country to experience the impact that a work of art leaves on our senses, to find among all the riches one particular vision of beauty that speaks to us alone.
Questions & Solutions (Passage 1)
Question 1.1(a)
- Question: The Dancing Girl belongs to:
- (i) Mohenjo-daro
- (ii) Greek culture
- (iii) Homo sapiens
- (iv) Tibet
- Correct Answer: (i) Mohenjo-daro
- Final Solution / Explanation: The passage explicitly states, “The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro is that rare artefact…”, identifying her origin clearly with the ancient Indus Valley Civilization site of Mohenjo-daro.
Question 1.1(b)
- Question: In the museum she’s kept among:
- (i) dancing figures.
- (ii) bronze statues.
- (iii) terracotta animals.
- (iv) books.
- Correct Answer: (iii) terracotta animals.
- Final Solution / Explanation: The first paragraph mentions, “You have to be alert to her existence there, amid terracotta animals to rediscover this bronze image.”
Question 1.1(c)
- Question: Which information is not given in the passage?
- (i) The girl is caged behind glass.
- (ii) She is a rare artefact.
- (iii) School books communicate the wealth of our heritage.
- (iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she’s bronze.
- Correct Answer: (iv) She cannot be rediscovered as she’s bronze.
- Final Solution / Explanation: Options (i), (ii), and (iii) are explicitly mentioned in paragraph 1. Option (iv) is false because the text states you can rediscover this bronze image if you are alert.
Question 1.1(d)
- Question:‘Great Art’ has power because:
- (i) it appeals to us despite a passage of time.
- (ii) it is small and can be understood.
- (iii) it’s seen in pictures and sketches.
- (iv) it’s magnified a million times.
- Correct Answer: (i) it appeals to us despite a passage of time.
- Final Solution / Explanation: As our main target keyword highlights, great art transcends eras; paragraph 2 mentions its “ability to communicate across centuries,” meaning it retains its power across time.
Question 1.1(e)
- Question: The jewellery she wears:
- (i) consists of only bangles of shell or ivory or thin metal.
- (ii) is a necklace with two pendants.
- (iii) both (i) and (ii) are correct.
- (iv) neither (i) nor (ii) is correct.
- Correct Answer: (i) consists of only bangles of shell or ivory or thin metal.
- Final Solution / Explanation: Paragraph 3 states she wears a necklace with three pendants (making option ii incorrect), and bangles of shell/ivory/metal on her left arm. Thus, option (i) is correct while (ii) is inaccurate.
Question 1.1(f)
- Question: She reminds us:
- (i) of the never-say-die attitude of humans.
- (ii) why museums in our country are exciting.
- (iii) why she will make us come into money.
- (iv) of dancing figures.
- Correct Answer: (i) of the never-say-die attitude of humans.
- Final Solution / Explanation: Paragraph 4 states, “She speaks of the undaunted, ever hopeful human spirit,” which translates directly to the never-say-die human attitude.
Question 1.1(g)
- Question: The synonym of the word “among” in para 1 is _____________.
- Correct Answer: amid / amongst
- Final Solution / Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text uses “amid terracotta animals”, where “amid” functions as a direct synonym for “among”.
Question 1.1(h)
- Question: The size of the dancing girl is equal to the length of human palm. (True/False)
- Correct Answer: True
- Final Solution / Explanation: Paragraph 2 confirms this measurement: “…a little over 10 cm tall—the length of a human palm…”
Passage 2: Family Decision Making & Communication
Passage Overview
As the family finally sets off from home after many arguments there is a moment of lull as the car takes off. “Alright, so where are we going for dinner now?” asks the one at the driving wheel. What follows is a chaos as multiple voices make as many suggestions.
By the time order is restored and a decision is arrived at, tempers have risen, feelings injured and there is at least one person grumbling.
Twenty years ago, you would step out of home, decision of meal and venue already