English · Sample Paper 3

General instructions

Section A · Reading

1. Question 112 marks

   Read the passage and answer the questions.

   1. In a village in Odisha, women gather every morning under a large banyan tree with their mobile phones. They are not chatting with relatives; they are checking the price of vegetables in three nearby markets. A few years ago, they sold their produce to the first trader who came to the village, often at whatever price he named. Today, they decide where and when to sell.

   2. The change began when a local self-help group received training in using a simple market-price app. At first, many women were hesitant; few had used a smartphone, and some feared they would 'break' it. A young volunteer from the village patiently showed them how to read the prices, compare them and check the weather forecast.

   3. Within a season, the group's members were earning noticeably more. They started selling directly to a wholesale market twenty kilometres away, sharing the cost of a hired van. The money they saved on middlemen went into children's school fees and a small fund for emergencies.

   4. The phones brought other changes too. Women began watching videos on organic farming and on making compost. Some started small businesses selling pickles and papads through messaging groups. Their confidence grew, and the village council now invites two of them to every meeting on agriculture.

   5. Technology alone did not work this miracle. It was the combination of a simple tool, patient teaching and women willing to try something new that changed lives under the banyan tree.

   (i) What do the women check on their phones every morning? (1 mark)

   (ii) How did they sell their produce earlier? (1 mark)

   (iii) What training did the self-help group receive? (1 mark)

   (iv) Why were some women hesitant at first? (1 mark)

   (v) Who helped them learn, and how? (1 mark)

   (vi) How did they reduce transport costs? (1 mark)

   (vii) Where did the money saved go? (1 mark)

   (viii) Name two new things the women started doing. (1 mark)

   (ix) How has their status in the village changed? (1 mark)

   (x) Find a word in paragraph 2 that means 'unwilling or uncertain'. (1 mark)

   (xi) Choose the best title: (a) Phones and Prices (b) Changing Lives under the Banyan Tree (c) The Village Council (d) Organic Farming (1 mark)

   (xii) What, according to the writer, really brought about the change? (1 mark)

2. Question 210 marks

   Read the passage and answer the questions.

   A survey of 1,200 young adults (18–25) in five cities asked how they read news. 48% read news mainly on social media, 22% on news websites or apps, 15% watched television news, 10% read printed newspapers and 5% listened to podcasts or radio.

   Only 30% of social media readers said they checked the source of a news story before sharing it. Among readers of printed newspapers, 70% said they trusted the news they read 'most of the time', compared with 35% of social media readers. After a college workshop on spotting fake news, the share of participants who checked sources rose to 65%.

   (i) How many young adults were surveyed? (1 mark)

   (ii) What is the most common way of reading news? (1 mark)

   (iii) What percentage read printed newspapers? (1 mark)

   (iv) How many respondents listen to podcasts or radio? (1 mark)

   (v) What fraction of social media readers checked sources before sharing? (1 mark)

   (vi) Which group trusted their news the most? (1 mark)

   (vii) What is the difference in trust between newspaper and social media readers? (1 mark)

   (viii) What effect did the workshop have? (1 mark)

   (ix) How many respondents read news on websites or apps? (1 mark)

   (x) Suggest one habit that would help readers avoid fake news. (1 mark)

Section B · Writing

1. Question 34 marks

   You are the head boy/girl of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bhubaneswar. Write a notice in about 50 words informing students about a career counselling session.

2. OR

   Question 34 marks

   Write a notice in about 50 words for your housing society about a cleanliness drive to be held next Sunday.

3. Question 44 marks

   Draft an informal invitation in about 50 words to your friend inviting him/her to your sister's wedding.

4. Question 55 marks

   You are Riya/Rohan of 34 Sector 15, Chandigarh. Write a letter in 120–150 words to the editor of a national daily about the need for better facilities for differently-abled people in public places.

5. OR

   Question 55 marks

   You are Neha/Nikhil of 8 Park Avenue, Kochi. Write a letter in 120–150 words applying for the post of a junior data analyst at a software company. Attach your resume.

6. Question 65 marks

   Write an article in 120–150 words on 'The importance of learning a vocational skill alongside academics'.

Section C · Literature

1. Question 76 marks

   Read the extract (John Keats, A Thing of Beauty) and answer the questions.

   And such too is the grandeur of the dooms We have imagined for the mighty dead; All lovely tales that we have heard or read; An endless fountain of immortal drink, Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.

   (i) What does 'the grandeur of the dooms' refer to? (1 mark)

   (ii) Who are 'the mighty dead'? (1 mark)

   (iii) Why are 'lovely tales' called things of beauty? (1 mark)

   (iv) What is the 'endless fountain of immortal drink'? (1 mark)

   (v) Where does it come from? (1 mark)

   (vi) Identify the figure of speech in 'endless fountain of immortal drink'. (1 mark)

2. OR

   Question 76 marks

   Read the summary and answer the questions.

   In 'A Roadside Stand', Robert Frost describes a little shed set up by poor rural people along a highway to sell wild berries and squash to city travellers. The cars rush past without stopping, or stop only to ask the way or turn around. The people at the stand long for some of the city money they see in films. The poet feels the pain of their unfulfilled hopes and criticises the promises of 'benefactors' who plan to move them closer to the city.

   (i) What is sold at the roadside stand? (1 mark)

   (ii) How do the city travellers react to the stand? (1 mark)

   (iii) What do the rural people want? (1 mark)

   (iv) Who are the 'benefactors'? (1 mark)

   (v) What is the poet's attitude towards the rural people? (1 mark)

   (vi) What theme does the poem address? (1 mark)

3. Question 82 marks

   How did the incident at the YMCA pool affect Douglas?

4. Question 92 marks

   Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?

5. Question 102 marks

   What does the poet say about the fishermen and the man gathering salt in 'Keeping Quiet'?

6. Question 112 marks

   What does the 'massive weight of Uncle's wedding band' suggest?

7. OR

   Question 112 marks

   Why did the poet smile and say 'See you soon, Amma'?

8. Question 122 marks

   Why did Derry decide to go back to Mr Lamb at the end?

9. Question 134 marks

   What was the 'Moral Re-Armament Army' episode in 'Poets and Pancakes'? Answer in 80–100 words.

10. Question 144 marks

    Why did Gandhi agree to a 25% refund to the Champaran peasants? Answer in 80–100 words.

11. OR

    Question 144 marks

    Describe Sophie's 'meeting' with Danny Casey. Was it real? Answer in 80–100 words.

12. Question 154 marks

    How did Bama react when she saw an elder carrying vadai by its string? Answer in 80–100 words.

13. Question 166 marks

    Explain the vicious circle of poverty and exploitation that traps the bangle-makers of Firozabad. Answer in 120–150 words.

14. Question 176 marks

    How does the 'Students on Ice' programme help young people understand climate change? Answer in 120–150 words.

15. OR

    Question 176 marks

    How does the author use irony in 'The Tiger King'? Answer in 120–150 words.