CBSE Class 10 Communicative English VBQs Set A

VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

 ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE CLASS:X

Virtually True by Paul Stewart -- 1

ERCS

Read the following extracts and answer the following questions:

1. “I’ve got to get out of here,” Sebastian sighed. “Are you going to help?” ‘Of course,’ I said.

     a. Who is ‘I’ referred to here? 

     b. What do you understand about the mentality of the second person? 

     c. Mention the value(s) highlighted. 

2. “I’d hit the jackpot. I’d finally cracked the game.”

     a. Name the game mentioned here. 

     b. Do you think the phrase ‘finally cracked’ has any significance? 

     c. What value(s) could be imbibed from the above extract? 

3. “…now that there are two advanced intelligences on earth, who can say what is and what isn’t possible….”

     a. Explain the ‘two advanced intelligences’ referred to here. 

     b. Playing computer games can save lives. Mention any two ways by which computers can help in academics. 

OR

4. ‘All I knew was that Sebastian and I had to make it to that helicopter in one piece.’

     a. Explain ‘in one piece’. 

     b. Where was the helicopter? 

     c. What is the value highlighted in the above extract? 

4 Mark Questions           

Question. What was the real message to Michael by the real Sebastian Shultz? Briefly describe how the writer had tried to convey certain values through this message.

Question. How did the game ‘Dragonquest’ end? Explain the values you could derive from the message sent by Sebastian after the game was over. 

5 Mark Questions

Question. How was Michael able to rescue Sebastian in the end? Describe the values you could identify from this act of rescuing

Question. Send an e mail to your friend explaining the message you were able to get after reading ‘Virtually True’. (Explain the values you were able to acquire.)

ERCS

Read the following extracts and answer the following questions:

1. “Technology was advancing everyday, and dad couldn’t resist any of the new gadgets or gizmos that came on the market.”

     a. Where did the narrator go and with whom? 

     b. What was the narrator passionate about? 

     c. What qualities can we imbibe in life from these video games? 

2. “I didn’t even bother to read the rules of Jailbreak before going in. I knew that my task would be to rescue the boy and my cellmate was prisoner 02478: Shultz.

“I have got to get out of here,” Sebastian sighed. “Are you going to help?”…… With the help of a skeleton swipe card, we were soon out of the cell and racing down corridors.”

     a. Who is the speaker? Who was his cellmate? 

     b. How did they get out of the cell? 

     c. In this context what values did Michael display? 

3. “Game over.

As I removed my visor I looked in the printer tray. This time it was empty. I felt really bad……..”

     a. After which game did Michael realize that he had failed? 

     b. What did Michael expect in the printed tray? 

    c. Which values do you think we must possess in order to help a fellow citizen? 

4. “I’d done it! I’d rescued Sebastian at last.”

    a. How did Michael feel after rescuing Sebastian?

    b. What qualities should one possess to lead a happy life in the society?

5 Mark Questions

In today’s world ‘ Virtual’ is a happening word . Virtual games , virtual transactions are all part of the real world. Based on the reading of the story “Virtually true”, write a paragraph on the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual world.

(5)

or

‘Virtual’ means something which does not really exist but only seems to exist. It has no reality in real time and space but only exists in cyberspace. The story written by Paul Stewart highlights the story of Michael who plays psycho drive and interactive games. You are a student of class X. After learning this lesson write a letter to your friend on the advantages and disadvantages of virtual games.

Snake - D H Lawernce

ERC

Read the following extracts and answer the following questions:

1. Someone was before me at my water trough And, I like a second comer, waiting.

    a. Who was at the water trough before the poet?

    b. Where had he come from?

    c. What is the quality that is being highlighted here?

2. For he seemed to me again like a king,

Like a King in exile, uncrowned in the underworld, Now due to be crowned again.

    a. How did the poet look at the snake?

    b. What is the poetic device used in the poem?

    c. Why is the snake described as ‘a king in exile’?

3. And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, But even so, honoured still more That he should seek my hospitality From out the dark door of the secret earth.

    a. Who is seeking the hospitality of the poet? 

    b. Explain ‘dark door of the secret earth’.

    c. Why do you think the poet felt a mixture of fear and a sense of honour?

4. I come down the steps with my pitcher And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.

    a. Where did the snake come from?

    b. Where had the poet come with a pitcher?

    c. Why did he decide to wait?

5. And immediately I regretted it

   I thought how paltry, how vulgar,

    What a mean act,

    I despised myself and the voices of

    my accursed human education.

    a. What is the ‘mean act’ referred to here?

    b. What was the impact of the act on the poet himself?

    c. Do you think the poet is right in cursing the voice of education?

Four mark questions

Question. a. What was the poet’s dual attitude towards the snake?

    b. Will you say it was cowardice which prevented the poet from hitting the snake? Give reasons for your answer. 

Question. a. List the expressions used to describe the colour of the snake. How do we know that the snake’s thirst was satiated?

    b. What does the poet mean by ‘my accursed human education’?

Five Mark question

1. I thought how paltry how vulgar, what a mean act!

I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education. The poet repents throwing a stick at the snake. He finds fault with the education he had for his deplorable behaviour and dual attitude. Write a letter to your friend justifying the above statements in the light of general behaviour of people.

Julius Caesar 1

ERC 

Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

1. …the things that threaten’d me

       Never look’d but on my back; when they shall see

       The face of Caesar, they are vanished.

       a. Who is the speaker?

       b. Explain: ‘the things that threatened me never looked but on my back’

       c. Describe two personality traits of the speaker.

2. She dreamt to-night she saw my statue,

    Which like a fountain with an hundred spouts

    Did run pure blood; and many lusty Romans

    Came smiling, and did bathe their hands in it:

    a. Whom does ‘she’ refer to? Who is the speaker?

    b. How was the dream interpreted?

   c. Discuss two characteristic traits of the speaker.

3. I know not gentlemen, what you intend,

    Who else must be let blood, who else is rank:

    If I myself, there is no hour so fit

    As Caesar’s death hour, nor no instrument

    Of half that worth as those your swords, made rich

    With the most noble blood of all this world.

     a. Who does the ‘gentlemen’ refer to?

     b. What does the speaker demand from the gentlemen?

     c. What does the speaker say about Caesar?

4 Mark Questions

Question. What is the effect of Antony’s speech on the mob? How is this achieved?

Question. Shakespeare has painted a realistic picture of ‘mob behaviour’ in this play.

Question. How does the mob behave? What character traits of the mob are revealed?

5 Mark Questions

Question. The play ‘Julius Caesar’ epitomizes true friendship. Now write a letter to your friend highlighting the values that enrich friendship.

Question. Compare and contrast the speeches of Brutus and Antony. Why do you think Antony was bent on winning over the hearts of the mob? 

Julius Caesar 2

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. Shall Caesar send a lie?

    Have I in conquests stretch’d mine arm so far,

    To be afraid to tell graybeards the truth?

    a. What is the ‘lie’ mentioned in these lines?

    b. What does ‘graybeards’ refer to?

    c. What does the speaker think about himself? Which traits of his character can you identify?

2. The noise of battle hurtled in the air,

    Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan,

    And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.

   O Caesar! These things are beyond all use,

    And I do fear them.

   a. Why was Calpurnia perturbed?

   b. What does the term ‘beyond all use’ mean?

   c. Identify any two character traits displayed by the speaker.

3. He hath brought many captives to Rome

    Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

    Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

    When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:

    Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

    Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

    a. What were Antony’s sentiments at the time?

    b. Caesar hath wept- What does this tell us about him?

    c. Why is Antony speaking in this vein?

Four Mark Queations

1. You know not what you do: do not consent

    That Antony speak in his funeral:

    a. What had Brutus consented to? Why did Cassius warn him?

    b. Do you agree that Brutus was a poor judge of character? How did it lead to his downfall?

2. My credit now stands on such slippery ground

    That one of two bad ways you must conceit me,

    Either a coward or a flatterer. 2+2=4marks

    a. Who is speaking to whom? What is the speaker’s intention?

    b. Do you think Antony was being disloyal to Caesar? What values does Antony exhibit?

5 Mark Question

1. If thou dost bend and pray and fawn for him

   I spurn thee like a cur out of my way

   Caesar was indeed an able General and a brave conqueror. Do you think this gave him the right to be arrogant and over confident? Give reasons for your answer highlighting how this proves to    be his undoing.

A SHADY PLOT – 1

Read the extracts given below and answer the following questions.

1. “Pretty soon my mind began to wander off on other things, decidedly

    unghostly and material things, such as my wife’s shopping and how on

    earth I was going to cure her of her alarming tendency to take every new

    fad that came along and work it to death.”

    a. Why did the narrator’s mind begin to wander off on other things?

    b. What was the narrator’s profession?

    c. “Taking up every new fad is alarming”. Do you agree with the statement? Give reasons.

2. You’re to exert your influence. Get all your friends and acquaintances to

     stop using the Ouija board, and then we’ll start helping you to write”.

     a. Who are ‘you” and “we”?

     b. Why did the speaker ask the listener to exert influence?

     c. Do you agree that usage of Ouija board is acceptable? Mention any two ways by which free time can be utilized in a better way.

3. “I threw a protecting husbandly arm about her to catch her when she

     should faint. But she didn’t swoon. A broad, satisfied smile spread over her face.”

     a. What made the narrator assume that his wife would faint?

     b. Why do you think the wife had a broad, satisfied smile spread over her face?

     c. What are the values suggested by the narrator’s behavior at the time of distress?

Four Marks Questions

Answer the following questions.

Question. What made Lavinia decide to leave her husband and then decide not to  do so? What one should learn from John Hallock and Lavinia’s life?

Question. “A shady Plot” is a different kind of ghost story. Give reasons to prove it. Is it good to believe in superstition? Does it affect / help one’s life?

Five Marks Question

Suppose you are the writer. Draft a letter to your friend telling him what is essential to write a story, and what things can distract one from writing. What would you suggest to your friend to become a good writer?

A Shady Plot by Elsie Brown -- 2

ERCs

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. “It’s those Ouija board fanatics. There was a time when we had

     nothing much to occupy us and used to haunt a little on the

     side, purely for amusement but not any more. We’ve had to give

     up haunting almost entirely. We sit at a desk and answer

     questions now. And such question!”

    a. Why did the ghost give up haunting? 

    b. What is revealed from the ghost’s expression ‘And such questions……!”? 

    c. Which aspect of human frailty does the author describe here? 

2. “I found others who had suffered similarly, and between us we organized ‘The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau.’”

   a. Who founded ‘The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau’

   b. Why was the writer’s Inspiration Bureau formed? 

   c. Mention a positive trait of the ghost revealed from the extract? 

3. “Understand, I haven’t quite reached the point where I can give my whole time to writing, and being bookkeeper at a lumber company does help with the grocery bills and pay for Lavinia’s fancy shopping.”

    a. Name the two occupations the narrator pursued. 

    b. What is the tone of John Hallock in the above given lines?

    c. What quality of John Hallock gets surfaced in the given extract? 

II. 1. John Hallock in ‘A Shady Plot’ embodies the typical middle class sprit. Explain. 

    2. The story ‘A Shady Plot’ depicts the role of trust in human relationships. Elucidate. 

III. You are inspired by ‘The Writers Inspiration Bureau’ in ‘A Shady Plot’. If you are given a chance to form an organisation to help people who would you choose to help and why?

Rime of the ancient mariner 

ERCs

1. Ah! well a day! What evil looks

    Had I from old and young!

    Instead of the cross, the Albatross

    About my neck was hung.

a. Who is the “I” referred to here?

b. Who hung the albatross around the speaker’s neck and why?

c. Who was held responsible for their misery? Justify your answer.

2. Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head

    The glorious sun uprist:

    Then all averred, I had killed the bird

    That brought the fog and mist.

    a. Why has the sun been described as ‘glorious’?

    b. Name the poetic device used in the above lines.

    c. These lines indicate a change in the sailors’ attitude. What is that change?

3. And I had done a hellish thing 

    And it would work ‘em woe:

    For all averred, I had killed the bird

    That made the breeze to blow

    Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,

    That made the breeze to blow!

    a. What ‘hellish thing’ had the speaker done?

    b. Explain ‘And it would work ‘em woe’.

    c. Why was the act considered ‘hellish’?

Four mark questions

Question. What were the mariners’ reaction to the killing of the albatross? Do you think that the sailors were justified in the punishment they meted out to the ancient mariner?

Question. Water, water, everywhere

    And all the boards did shrink;

    Water, water, everywhere,

    Nor any drop to drink.

    Identify the figure of speech in the above lines. Explain it.

    What does the poet want to highlight through the above image?

Five mark question

Why do the mariners express varied reactions to the killing of the bird?

OZYMANDIAS

ERCs

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: 

1. “Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

     The hand that mocked them, and the heart fed.”

    a. Whose hand is being referred to here?

    b. What is the reference to ‘Which yet survive’?

   c. Though the sculptor knows the king as a cruel dictator, his sculpture is a fine piece of art. What quality of an artist should every individual imbibe?

2. “I met a traveller from an antique land

     Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert.” 

     a. What did the traveller chance upon?

     b. What was his reaction?

    c. In India, the tourist spots and monuments are in bad shape. The reason for this is negligence and ignorance towards our cultural heritage.

      Mention the qualities that will be appreciated in the Indian tourists.

3. “.............Round the decay

   Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

   The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

   a. What does the word ‘sands’ refer to?

   b. What does the expression ‘Round the decay’ mean?

   c. What lesson do you learn from the life of Ozymandias?

4 mark questions 

I. I. The sculptor reads the passions of Ozymandias and transports it into his work of art.

    a. What do you understand about the character of King Ozymandias? 

    b. What traits of the sculptor can be imbibed towards developing one’s craftsmanship skills? 

2. “There is a great man who makes every man feel small. But the real great man is the one who makes every man feel great”.

     a. In which category of great men would you place Ozymandias? Why? 

     b. What qualities should a person have, according to you, to be really great?

    Give an example of one such person from real life. 

5Mark Question

Answer the following questions in 80 – 100 words : 

I. People with might and power are not always respected. What should be the qualities in a person that will gain him respect amongst his people. 

2. The poem ‘Ozymandias’ highlights the hollow conception of man that objects such as statues, monuments and memorials can immortalize him. 

    a. How far do you agree with this perception? Explain with reference to ‘Ozymandias’. 

    b. What, in your opinion, can make a man immortal?

ERCs

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: 

1. Each word spoken in a play is like a fruit in a tree. Not everyone in the audience has access to it . But you, the actor must know how to pluck it, get at it’s essence and serve it up to the audience for their edification. ‘

   a. Who is the speaker and who is he speaking to?

   b. What is the duty of an actor?

   c. What is the impact of the above mentioned words on the listener?

2. Patol Babu suggested a rehearsal but Baren Mullick shook his head

    Impatiently. ‘There’s a large patch of cloud approaching the sun,’ he said,

    ‘This scene must be shot in sunlight.’

    a. Why did Patol Babu suggest a rehearsal ?

    b. Why was the response negative?

    c. What characteristic quality of the film world do you get from the above lines?

3. ‘Counting your chickens again before there’re hatched, are you? No wonder you could never make a go of it .’

    ‘But it is the real thing this time ! Go and make me a cup of tea will you?

     And remind me to take some ginger juice tonight. It’s very good for the throat.’

    a. Who are the persons exchanging these words?

    b. What does the speaker wish to convey in the first two lines?

    c. How does the listener change the mockery into an opportunity?

4. Now he had completely got over his apathy .All he felt now was a keen anticipation and suppressed excitement. It was the feeling he used to feel twenty years ago just before he stepped on to the stage.

    a. How did Patol Babu get over his apathy?

    b. Why did he feel ‘suppressed excitement’?

    c. What brought about a complete welcome change in Patol Babu?

4 mark questions

Question. What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic?

Question. How did Gogon Pakrashi’s advice come in handy for Patol Babu? What value does it highlight that can be emulated in our daily situation?

Question. How did Patol Babu convince himself to do the role that had just one word, ‘OH!’, for him to say?

Question. Why do you think that Patol Babu went away without having any payment for his role?

Question. Who was Mr Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role?

Question. How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man?

5 mark questions

Question. After performing his role as best as he could, Patol Babu does not wait for getting paid for the role. He goes away with the feeling of satisfaction that he has performed his small role with dedication and perfection. Motivated by his story, you decided to write an email to your younger sister about the value of putting in one’s best in everything one does. What other values would you focus on? Write in about 120 words with reference to the lesson PATOL BABU,FILM STAR.

Question. How was Patol Babu emboldened by his mentor Gogon Pakrashi’s advice? How is it relevant to our daily life?

Please refer to the link below for CBSE Class 10 Communicative English VBQs Part 1