CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper 2014 Set J

SECTION- A

(READING) 

A1. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

MY FEATHERED FRIENDS

We lived in a village where the border of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi met. Our house was on the slopes of hills in Tanzaina surrounded by a forest of tall trees. It was very tranquil, with no hustle and bustle of the city. In such surroundings, birds were aplenty to see. Almost every one of the expatriate community had turned into a bird watcher of sorts. Most of us had a field guide to African birds, an illustrated manual which was very handy. Some of us who were these elusive, feathered friends any time of the day. Thus began a love affair with these feathered creatures. 

We would argue with each over the correct identity of these birds as some of the birds were migratory and were only rarely seen. We made a point of seeing as many birds as possible which were illustrated in that book. Any strange whistle or sound brought us running to our doorsteps with our binoculars to see if a new species had arrived. Birds like bulbuls, sunbirds, wax bills, warblers were regular visitors.

The birds provided us company from dawn to dusk. Of rare occurrence was the bird, tropical boubou. These birds always moved about in pairs and make a peculiar bell-like sound, where the ‘tong’ is made by one and the ‘clang’ by the other of the pair. And equally rare was the landing of a huge tawny eagle, triple the size of a hen, in the verandah o four house. Its size and looks were grightening and we breathed a sigh of relief when it flew away. Now that I am back in India, I miss all my feathered friends. The only birds I can hear early in the morning are the cuckoos. I reminisce about my time in Afriaca and think about it with nostalgia. I remember one Sunday morning when the lark was singing in the trees overlooking the valley of the Kagera river, the poem ‘Pippa’s Song’ by R.L.Stevenson came to my mind. The lark’s on the wing and all’s right with the world. It was truly right at that moment in my world.

A1.1. Complete the following sentences:

   a) The writer’s house was very peaceful because------------------------------.

   b) Almost every expatriate there had become a birdwatcher because-----------------------.

   c) As soon as they heard a strange whistle or sound, the people’s reaction was-------------------.

   d) Back in India, the narrator remembers her days------------------and-------------------were----------------------- two kinds of birds they rarely saw.

   e) The author remembers how a lark------------------------------.

A2. Read the passage very carefully 

Please refer to attached file for CBSE Class 10 English Communicative Sample Paper 2014 Set J