English 2 (Literature in English) Official 2023-2024 (English Medium) ICSE Class 10 Question Paper Solution

Where does Portia say that she and Narissa will stay until their husbands return?

In Venice

At Balmont 

At Padua

In a Monastery

What aspect of shylock's nature is revealed in his words, "To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed any revenge"?

Pride 

Envy

Vengefulness

Greed

Gratiano explains, "We are the Jasons, we have won the fleeee." In this context the word 'fleeee' refers to ______.

Portia and Narissa 

Wool of the golden ram

A warm woollen blanket

Bassanio and Grantiano

"The quality of mercy is not stained." Who say this to whom?

Duke to Shylock

Grantiano to Shylock

Portia to Shylock

Bassanio to Shylock 

What does Portia ask of Antonio as a remembrance before she leaves the courtroom?

his ring

the knife

the scroll

his gloves

When Lorenzo says, 'Fair ladies, you drop manna in the way/of starved people.' he means that Portia and Nerissa have ______.

prepared a banquet for their husbands.

brought good news for Lorenzo and Antonis.

brought divine food from the monastery.

returned the rings to Bassanio and Grantiano.

Which of the following statements is NOT true of Maggie?

She was sent to the penthouse.

She was bedridden.

She had an injured spine.

She had suffered a fall.

The short story 'The Little Match Girl' can be called a fairy tale because ______.

it is set in fairy land.

it has elements of magic and fantasy.

the little girl meets her fairy godmother.

the little girl marries a prince. 

Why did the Gujar women strike the big brass gurrahs with stick?

to produce a musical effect.

to quieten the buffaloes.

to see which ones were empty.

to frighten the crocodiles.

Choose the option that lists the sequence of events in the correct order.

1. When the rain stopped, they rushed outdoors, forgetting all about Margot in their eagerness to experience the warmth of the sun.
2. The children carried the pleading and protesting Margot to the closet and locked her in.
3. It was then that they realised with shame that Margot was still locked in the closet; they had deprived her of what she longed for the most-the sun.
4. All too soon, the brief summer ended, and the children hurried indoors to escape the heavy rains.

4, 3, 2, 1

3, 1, 2, 4

1, 3, 4, 2

2, 1, 4, 3

In my Greatest Olympic Prize, 'Der Fehrer' refers to ______.

Hitler

A Negro

Nazi youth

A sophornore

Which of the following lines contains the same literary device as the one in 'I wandered lonely as a cloud,' from wordsworth's poem, 'Daffodils'?

'And miles to go before I sleep/And miles to go before I sleep'

'Fresh as a rose in June'

'Thus Nature spoke-The work was done'

'You're one month on in the middle of May'

Which of the following statements is used by Angelou to describe the caged bird?

He opens his throat to sing

He dares to claim the sky

He leaps on the back of the wind

He thinks of another breeze

When did the angel appear to Abou Ben Adhem?

On a moonless night

Three nights in a row

Two nights in succession

Twice the same night

Select the option that shows the correct relationship between statements (1) and (2) from Borrowing's poem, 'The Patriot'.

Statement (1): The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.

Statement (2): There's nobody on the house-tops now.

(1) means the same as (2).

(1) is a contrast of (2).

(1) is true and (2) is false.

(1) is false and (2) is true.

'The eight other athletes stopped in their tracks' means that they ______.

stood poised to run

turned slowly around 

slowed down gradually

halted quite suddenly

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Where does the scene take place?
   What does Portia mean when she says, If you do love me, you will find me out?   [3]
2. What TWO words would you use to describe Portia's feelings at this point? Give a reason for your answer.    [3]
3. Explain Portia’s reference to ‘swan-like end'.   [3]
4. Later in the scene, Portia gives Bassanio gift.    
   What does she give him? What does this gift symbolise?   [3]
5. What is the theme of the song sung in the background when Bassanio makes his choice?
   How is the theme reflected in the choice he makes?
   What does Bassanio find in the casket that he chooses?   [4]

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. Who is on trial?
   Why is this person on trial?     [3]
2. Explain in your own words Bassanio’s request to portia in the given extract.
   What reason does he give for his request?    [3]
3. How does Portia respond to Bassanio's request? What TWO reasons does she give for her response?   [3]
4. Who does Bassanio refer to as ‘this cruel devil’? What is this person's response to Portia’s words in the given extract?   [3]
5. How is the ‘cruel devil’ punished at the end of the trial?
   How fair, in your opinion, is this punishment? Justify your response.   [4]

Read the following extract from Norah Burke's short story, ‘The Blue Bead' and answer the questions that follow:

1. What are the tasks that Sibia was required to perform from a very young age?   [3]
2. What had delayed Sibia and separated her from the other village women on her way home that day?
   What was Sibia doing when she heard the Gujar woman's cry for help?   [3]
3. What were the dangers that the crocodile had to overcome before it could grow into the ferocious creature that Sibia encountered?   [3]

4. How does Sibia’s knowledge of the ways of the jungle help her fight the crocodile?   [3]

5. Compare and contrast the mother’s mood with Sibia's in the given extract. Give one reason to explain why each one of them was feeling this way.   [4]

Read the following extract from Jesse Owens's short story, ‘My Greatest Olympic Prize’ and answer the question that follows:

1. What does Owens mean by 'all this'? What games does he refer to?   [3]
2. What made Owens confident of winning a gold medal or two?   [3]

3. What was the ‘surprise’ that Hitler had kept hidden from the world?
   How did Owens feel when he came face to face with the ‘surprise’?  [3]

4. Describe Owens’ performance in the broad jump trials.
   What doubts filled his mind at this time?   [3]
5. What makes Luz Long’s behaviour at the ‘Games’ truly remarkable in the context of the times?
   Identify a theme that is common to the short story ‘My Greatest Olympic Prize and the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’.   [4]

Read the following extract from Leigh Hunt's poem, ‘Abou Ben Adhem’ and answer the question that follows:

1. The poem begins with a blessing. What is this blessing? Explain its significance.    [3]
2. Explain in your own words the following lines and phrases from the poem:    [3]
   1. ‘Making it rich and like a lily in bloom,’
   2. A look made of all sweet accord
   3. A great wakening light
3. What was the angel doing in Abou Ben Adhem’s room? What did Abou ask the angel?   [3]
4. Why did Abou say to the angel, “Write me as one that loves his fellow men”? (Give the context)   [3]
5. Explain the last line of the poem: ‘And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.” If you had to give the poem a different title, what would you call it? Give a reason for your answer.   [4]

Read the following extract from Robert Browning's poem, “The Patriot” and answer the question that follows.

1. What can you conclude of the Patriot's mood from the given lines?
   Quote the line from the given extract which tells us that the Patriot did his utmost to satisfy his people?   [3]
2. The last line of the extract suggests that a year has gone by.
   How had the speaker been treated a year ago?   [3]
3. How did the situation change a year later? Give details of his present state.   [3]
4. Why were only a ‘palsied few” onlookers seated at the windows?
   ‘Where had the other townspeople gone?‘Why had they gone there?   [3]
5. How is the speaker's faith in God revealed at the end of the poem?
   Do you think the poem ends on a note of hope or despair? Justify your answer.   [4]