LA MARTINIERE FOR BOYS, KOLKATA

SELECTION EXAMINATION 2024-25

SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE
CLASS: X TIME: 2 hrs + Reading Time: 15 mins
Full Marks: 80
You will not be
This time is to allowed
to write during the first 15 minutes.
be spent in reading the question papel:
The time given at the head of
thisPaper is the time allowed for writing the
answers.
Attempt
The intended marks for questions orall five questions.
You are advised to spend not parts of questions are given in brackets 11
more than 30 minutes in
20 minutes in answering Question 1 and
answering Question 2.
Question 1 (Donot spend more than 30 minutes on this
Write a composition (300 -350 words) on any question.)
one of the following: (20]
() Write an original short story
where a doctor, a dog and an injured man
main characters. forn the
(i) Your teacher asked you to
form a group with
particular project, which led you to discover youryour classmates and work on a
project, the role you played and how you passion. Give an accOunt of the
(ii) Social media plays a discovered your passion in the
significant role in influencing people's process.
Express your views either for or against the statement. behaviour.
(iv)Describe park near your house. What do you see and hear as
a
evening walk there? What draws you to this place you take your
chaiged about this place if you had the liberty? and what would you have
(yYStudy the picture given below. Write a short story or a
what it suggests to you. Your composition may be description or an account of
or you may take suggestions from it; about the subject of the picture
between the picture and your composition.
however, there must be a clear connection

94

-Eng Lang - 1/6 (LMB)

 more than 20
Question 2(Do not spend minutes on this question.)
Select any one of the following
[10]
who has
(0) Wite aletter to your cousin been cruel
towards stray animals, advising
bim to be kind to them. Higig wnat in
particular prompted you to offer vOur
advice and state a few ways In wiGn ne can bring about a change in his nat ure
aY Prolonged waterlogging in your alednas become a
serious threat to the health and
well-being of the residents. Wne a leter to the Municipal
city, complaining about the proobiem. Offer suggestions to fixCommissioner
the problem
of vour

Question 3
[5+5=10]
Your school is organising an inter-school music
informing the pupils at your school about the event. competition. Write a notice
(i Write an e-mail to a local music
exhibitien and be the Chief Guest oncomposer inviting him/her to inaugurate the
the occasion.
Compchhon
Question 4. Read the following passage carefully and answer the
follow: questions that
We are used to sudden storms, up here on the
first
building in which we live has, for more than a hundredrange of the Himalayas. The old
the wind as it sweeps across the hills from years, received the full force of
the east.
We'd lived in the building for more than ten years
the shock of a severe without a disaster. It had even taken
earthquake.
the new cracks from the old!'
As my granddaughter Dolly said, It's
difficult to tell
It's a two-storey building, and I live on the
upper floor with my family: my three
grandchildren and their parents. The rOof is made of corrugated tin sheets, the ceiling
of wooden boards. That's the
traditional Mussoorie roof.
Looking back at the experience, it was the sort of thing that
a James Thurber story, like the dam should have happened in
that burst or the ghost who got in. But Iwasn't
thinking of Thurber at the time, although a few of his
was trying to save from the icy rain pOuring into my books were among the many I
Our roof had held fast in many a storm, but bedroom.
the wind that night was really fierce. It
came rushing at us with a high-pitched, eerie wail. The old roof
groaned and
It took a battering for several hours while the lights kept coming and going. protested.
There was no question of sleeping, but we remained in bed for warmth and comfort.
The fire had long since gone out, as the chimney had collapsed,
bringing down a
shower of sooty rainwater.
After about four hours of buffeting, the roof could take it no longer. My
bedroom faces
east, so my portion of the roof was the first to go.

-Eng Lang - 2/6 (LMB)

The wind got under it and kept pushing until, with aripping. groaning sound, the metal
sheets shifted and slid off the rafters, some of them dropping with claps like thunder
on to the road below.
So that's it, Ithought. Nothing worse As long as the ceiling stays on, I'm
can happen.
not getting out of bed. We'll collect our roof in the
morning
lcy water splashing down on my face made change my mind in a hurry. Leaping
from the bed, Ifound that much of the ceiling had gone. too. Water was pouring on my
open typewriter as well asS on the bedside radio and bed cover.
Picking up my precious typewriter (my comparion for forty years) Istumtbled into the
front sitting room (and library), only to find asiilar situation there. Water was pouring
through the slats of the WOoden ceiling, raining down on the open bookshelves. by
now lhad been joined by the children, who hadcome to my rescue. Their section of
the roof hadn't gone as yet. Their parents were struggling to close a window against
the driving rain.
Save the books!' shouted Dolly, the youngest. and that became our rallying cry tor thne
next hour or two. - The Night the Roof Blew Off, Ruskin Bond

() For each word given below choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage)
from the options provided: (2]
1. wail

fa) how
(b) whisper
(c) wale
(d) sorrow

2. buffeting

er serving
b lashing
(c) stabilise
(d) banquet

(ü) Which word in the passage is the opposite of 'gentle'?

(a) sweeps
(b) ripping
(c) pouring
aferce

1 Eng Lang - 3/6 (LMB)

 questions
Answer the
following briefly in your own words
()
narrator s house a sturdy
a) How can you call the one? [21
night
(bWhat made it a scary youthink James Thurber (2]
c) What sort of stories do wrote? (1]
children dongto help the narrator?
(d}What youthe
(e) Why dowere think the narrator wanted to collect the roof in the norning? [21
(21
)How did the house try to withstand the raging storn? In what manner did the
wae2
room frO! where he
narrator reach the sitting

Question 5

0) Fill in eHch of the numbered blaikS With the correct form of the word aiven in
brackets, Do not copy the pasge but write in correct serial order the word or
phrase appropriate to the blank space (4)

Example
(0) Kino (awake) in the dark.
Answer: awakened

The stars still (1)(shine) and the day had drawn only a pale wash of light in the
iower sky to the east. The roosters (2) (crow) for sometime, and the earty pigs
(3) (already begin) the ceaseless (4) (turn) oftwigs and bits of wood_(5) (see)
whether anything to eat (6) (overlok).Quts ide the brush house in the tuna c'ump.,
a covey of little birds (7) (chitter) and (8) (flurry) with their wings.

() Fill in the blanks with appropriate words. (4)

a. All new cars comply the latest emission reduction rules.
b. She takes o her aunt.
C how long have you lived in Nagpur?
d. The inquisitive child begged to be allowed ask a question.
e. Ever the accident, she has stopped venturing outdôors.
f. It is essential to set money for an emergency. C
g. My parents have come with the flu.
h. My mother is not keen but Ithink Ican bring her
(i) Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without using and,
but or so. Choose the correct option. (4)

1. Answer the first topic. You cannot proceed further otherwise.

(a) Answer the first topic, else you cannot proceed further otherwise
(by Answer the first topic because you :annot proceed further otherwise
(c) Unless youanswer the first topic you cannot proceed further.
(d) Ifyou answer the first topic you cannot proceed further

18 Eng Lang -4/6 (LMB)

 2 Henry barged in on his neighbours He wanted to confront thern about littering his
backyard
(a) Henry barged in on his neighbours as he want to confrontthem about littering his
backyard.
o) henry barged in on his neighbours to c t s shem about littering his backyard.
(C) Henry has barged in on his neiohbe confront them about litering nis
backyard.
(a) Henry barged in on his neightbours confroentinn them about littering his
backyard
3. She has kept her phone
somewhere. Do you know where t Is
,s Do you know where she
(b) Do you knowwhere she has kept her phone?
(c) Do you know where her had kept her phone?
(d) Do you know where she phone was kept?
would have kept her phone?
4. I did not like the coffee. Idid not
like the food.
(a) Idid not like the coffee nor the food.
(b) Neither Iliked the food nor the coffee.
(c) Idid not like the coffee as I did not like the
(d) |liked neither the food nor the coffee. food.

(iv) Choose the correct option to rewrite the following

given after each sentence. according to the instructions
(8)
1. Ileft the hotel as soon as the weather improved. (Begin with: No sooner...)
(a) No sooner I left the hotel than the weather improved.
(b) No sooner had the weather improve than I left the hotel.
L(oy No sooner did the weather improve than Ileft the hotel.
(d) No sooner I left the hotel than the weather improved.
2. Does everyone agree to the proposal? (Use:
'agreement')
(a) Is there anyone who is not agreement to the proposal?
(b) Does everyone not agreement with the proposal?
(c) Is anyone not in agreement with the proposal?
(9Y There is a proposal, is everyone in agreement?
3. It has been such a busy day. (End with a
question tag)
,(ayt has been such a busy day, isn't it?
(b) Has it been such a busy day?
(c) It has been such a busy day, haven't it?
(d) It has been such a busy day,
hasn't it?

-Eng Lang - 5/6 (LMB)

 4. Do as I tell you or you wll regret t. (Use: 'unless')
(a) Unless you regret it, you Will do asItell you
(b) Unless you don't do as I tolo you, you will regret it
(c) You will regret it unless you ont do as Itell you. A
d You willregret it unless you do as I tell you.
5. He is so honest and noble that he cannot lie. (Use: too')
(a) He is honest and noble too lie.
(byHe is too honest and noble to lie.
(c) He is honest and noble too, so he cannot lie.
(d) He is too honest and noble such that he cannot lie.
6. We prefer cooking at home to eating at a restaurant. (Begin with: We would
rather...)

(a) We would rather cook at home than eat at a restaurant.

bWe would rather prefer cooking at home than eating at a restaurant.
(c) We would rather prefer to cook at home than eat at a restaurant.
(d) We would rather cook at home to eating at a restaurant.

7. "Why were you sitting on the bench alone yesterday?" my friend asked me. (Begin
with: My friend asked me why...)
fa) My friend asked me why I had been sitting on the bench alone yesterday.
(b) My friend asked me why I was sitting on the bench alone
(c) My friend asked me why was lsitting on the bench alone the day
yesterday.
before.
(d) My friend asked me why I was sitting on the bench alone the day before.

8. Very few children's parks are as amusing as this one. (Begin with: This
park...) children's
(a) This children's park is the most amusing one.
(b) This children's park is more amusing than a few other parks.
(c) This children's park is more amusing than all the other parks.
JetThis children's park is one of the most amusing ones.

-Eng Lang - 6/6 (LMB)