Class 10 English Test Paper Chapter and Poem 1 AND 2 | Tenses and Determiners | GSEB Board | Detailed Solutions & Marking Scheme
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VEDANT SKILL ASSESSMENT SERIES
Academic Year 2026-27
Class: 10
Subject: English (FL/SL)
Time Allowed: 1 Hour
Maximum Marks: 30
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Read all questions carefully before answering. Misreading the question and then blaming the paper will not increase your marks.
Show proper steps wherever required. "Sir, answer toh yahi aana tha" is not an accepted linguistic method.
Write neatly and clearly. If your handwriting requires a decoder machine, checking may become an adventure.
Manage your time wisely. Spending 45 minutes on one question and calling the rest "optional" is not a strategy.
If you do not know the answer, you may cry silently. Loud crying and negotiations for hints are strictly prohibited.
SECTION A: GRAMMAR (ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE)
Instructions: Choose the correct passive or active alternative for the given sentences. [10 Q × 1 Mark = 10 Marks]
1. Lencho wrote a letter to God expressing his deep faith.
(A) A letter to God expressing faith was written by Lencho.
(B) A letter to God had been written by Lencho.
(C) Lencho was written a letter to God expressing faith.
(D) A letter to God is written by Lencho.
2. The postmaster collected seventy pesos from his employees.
(A) Seventy pesos are collected from employees by him.
(B) Seventy pesos were collected from employees by him.
(C) Seventy pesos had collected from employees by him.
(D) His employees were collected seventy pesos.
3. Oppression created heights of character in South Africa.
(A) Heights of character are created by oppression.
(B) Heights of character were being created by oppression.
(C) Heights of character were created by oppression.
(D) Heights of character had been created by oppression.
4. A crow shook down the dust of snow on the poet.
(A) The dust of snow is shaken down on the poet.
(B) The dust of snow was shook down on the poet.
(C) The dust of snow was shaken down on the poet.
(D) The poet was being shaken down by the dust of snow.
5. Some people say that the world will end in fire.
(A) It is said by some that the world will be ended in fire.
(B) It is said by some people that the world will end in fire.
(C) That the world will end in fire is said by some people.
(D) It was said by some that the world would end in fire.
6. Who can ever forget the day of the inauguration?
(A) By whom can the day of inauguration ever be forgotten?
(B) By whom could the day of inauguration ever be forgotten?
(C) Who could ever be forgotten the day of inauguration?
(D) The day of the inauguration can ever be forgotten by whom?
7. Do not count the currency notes in public.
(A) You are requested not to count notes in public.
(B) Let the currency notes not be counted in public.
(C) Let the currency notes not count in public.
(D) The currency notes should not count in public.
8. The post-office employees have not stolen the money.
(A) The money has not been stolen by the employees.
(B) The money had not been stolen by the employees.
(C) The money was not stolen by the employees.
(D) The money is not being stolen by the employees.
9. The policy of apartheid deeply wounded the people.
(A) The people deeply wounded the policy of apartheid.
(B) The people were deeply wounded by the policy.
(C) The people had been deeply wounded by the policy.
(D) The people are deeply wounded by the policy.
10. Human blockheads manage the administrative system poorly.
(A) The administrative system is managed poorly by them.
(B) The administrative system was managed poorly by them.
(C) The administrative system is being managed poorly.
(D) The administrative system has been managed poorly.
SECTION B: LITERATURE & TEXTUAL COMPREHENSION
Part I: Short Answer Type Questions (GSEB 2-Mark Pattern)
Instructions: Answer any 4 out of 5 questions in 30-40 words each. [4 Q × 2 Marks = 8 Marks]
11. Lencho addresses the post-office employees as a "bunch of crooks." Evaluate this statement from a real-life perspective of situational irony. [2]
12. "The structure they created formed the basis of one of the harshest, most inhumane societies..." What specific historical structure does Mandela refer to, and how did it change after 1994? [2]
13. In Robert Frost's 'Dust of Snow', how does a minor, mundane movement of nature cause a monumental shift in human psychology? [2]
14. Compare and contrast the symbols of 'Fire' and 'Ice' as depicted by Robert Frost. What real-world human emotions do they map onto? [2]
15. Why did Lencho become angry when he received the money? What does this reveal about his relationship with the material world versus his relationship with the spiritual world? [2]
Part II: Long Answer / Competency-Based Questions (GSEB 3-Mark Pattern)
Instructions: Answer any 4 out of 5 questions in 50-60 words each. [4 Q × 3 Marks = 12 Marks]
16. [Application/Real-Life] Imagine you are the Postmaster. You read Lencho’s second letter accusing your staff of theft. Write a brief diary entry reflecting on the conflict between human altruism and absolute blind faith. [3]
17. [High-Order Thinking] Nelson Mandela mentions that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity. Analyze how an oppressor is structurally a prisoner of hatred. [3]
18. [Poetry Integration] Read the line: "To say that for destruction ice / Is also great / And would suffice." If ice represents indifference and hatred, how is modern society currently accelerating its own destruction? Provide a contemporary real-world example. [3]
19. [Curriculum-Linked Analysis] Trace the evolution of the concept of "Freedom" in Mandela's life—from his boyhood illusions to his adult realizations as a senior political leader. [3]
20. [Comparative Evaluative] Both 'A Letter to God' and 'Dust of Snow' deal with unexpected interventions altering a state of mind. Compare how nature acts as a destructive force in Lencho’s life but a restorative force in Frost’s poem. [3]
Here is the complete Answer Key text, formatted clearly for quick reference or copying:
VEDANT SKILL ASSESSMENT SERIES (2026-27)
Class 10 | English (FL/SL) | Answer Key & Marking Scheme
SECTION A: GRAMMAR (ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE)
Each correct answer carries 1 Mark.
(A) A letter to God expressing faith was written by Lencho.
(B) Seventy pesos were collected from employees by him.
(C) Heights of character were created by oppression.
(C) The dust of snow was shaken down on the poet.
(B) It is said by some people that the world will end in fire.
(A) By whom can the day of inauguration ever be forgotten?
(B) Let the currency notes not be counted in public.
(A) The money has not been stolen by the employees.
(B) The people were deeply wounded by the policy.
(A) The administrative system is managed poorly by them.
SECTION B: LITERATURE & TEXTUAL COMPREHENSION
Part I: Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks Each)
Marking Scheme: 1 Mark for core factual correctness, 1 Mark for analytical clarity and vocabulary.
11. Lencho's "bunch of crooks" statement:
Answer: It is a classic example of situational irony. Lencho believes the post-office employees stole 30 pesos, whereas, in reality, they were the ones who selflessly pooled their own money to help him. His absolute faith in God blinds him to human kindness.
12. Historical structure Mandela refers to:
Answer: Mandela refers to the structural system of racial domination known as apartheid. After 1994, this harsh structure was overturned and replaced by a democratic, non-racial constitution that recognized the equal rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of skin color.
13. Minor movement causing psychological shift:
Answer: The simple act of a crow shaking down a dust of snow from a hemlock tree completely alters Frost's somber mood. It breaks his cycle of negative thoughts, instantly saving the remainder of his day from regret and replacing it with a sense of mental refreshment.
14. Symbols of 'Fire' and 'Ice':
Answer: 'Fire' symbolizes insatiable human desires, lust, greed, and burning passion. 'Ice' symbolizes cold indifference, hatred, rigidity, and lack of empathy. Both are equally capable of driving humanity toward self-destruction.
15. Lencho's anger and his relationship with the world:
Answer: Lencho became angry because he received only 70 pesos instead of the 100 he demanded, and he believed God could not make a mistake. This reveals that while his spiritual relationship with God is pure and absolute, his connection to the material world is transactional, stubborn, and completely distrustful of human institutions.
Part II: Long Answer / Competency-Based Questions (3 Marks Each)
Marking Scheme: 1 Mark for textual connection, 1 Mark for competency/real-life application, 1 Mark for grammar and expression.
16. Postmaster's Diary Entry:
Answer:
Dear Diary, Today I felt a strange mix of hurt and enlightenment. The man, Lencho, called us a "bunch of crooks." We sacrificed our own salaries out of pure altruism, yet his blind faith in God completely erased human agency. It makes me realize that absolute faith can sometimes be narrow-minded, leaving no room to see the divine working through human kindness. I do not regret helping him, but it is a bitter pill to swallow.
17. Oppressor as a prisoner of hatred:
Answer: Mandela argues that an oppressor is just as enslaved as the oppressed. A person who takes away another man's freedom is locked behind the bars of prejudice, narrow-mindedness, and deep-seated hatred. They are structurally stripped of their own core humanity because a mind consumed by bias can never truly be free or at peace.
18. Modern society and the destruction by 'Ice':
Answer: Modern society accelerates its own destruction through emotional numbness and indifference to the suffering of others. A contemporary real-world example is how citizens frequently pass by accident victims on the road, preferring to take videos on their phones rather than rendering immediate medical help—showing a chilling lack of basic human empathy.
19. Evolution of the concept of "Freedom" in Mandela's life:
Answer: As a boy, freedom meant running in the fields and swimming in the stream—a purely personal illusion. As a student, it evolved into transitory freedoms like staying out late and reading what he pleased. Finally, as a senior leader, he realized true freedom meant the collective dignity and self-respect of his entire community, leading him to transform from a frightened young man into a bold, revolutionary fighter.
20. Nature as a destructive vs. restorative force:
Answer: In 'A Letter to God', nature acts as an unyielding, destructive force where a severe hailstorm wipes out Lencho's entire livelihood, throwing him into despair. Conversely, in 'Dust of Snow', nature is a gentle, restorative agent. The simple, brief interaction with the snow instantly heals the poet's fractured state of mind, showing that nature holds the power to both break and heal human life.
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