CBSE Class 10 Board Exam English Language and Literature Syllabus

English Language and Literature syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English Language and Literature in CBSE Class 10 Board Exam, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Reading Skills

   3 topics

   • Discursive Passage
     • Inference and analysis questions
     • Vocabulary in context
   • Case-based Factual Passage
     • Interpreting charts, tables and data
   • Note-making and summarising
2. 2

   Writing Skills and Grammar

   3 topics

   • Formal Writing
     • Formal letters (complaint, enquiry, order)
     • Analytical and descriptive paragraphs
   • Grammar
     • Tenses
     • Modals
     • Subject-verb concord
     • Reported speech (commands, requests, questions)
     • Determiners and prepositions
   • Editing and omission exercises
3. 3

   First Flight - Prose

   6 topics

   • A Letter to God
   • Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
   • Two Stories about Flying
   • From the Diary of Anne Frank
   • Glimpses of India
   • The Sermon at Benares
4. 4

   First Flight - Poetry

   6 topics

   • Dust of Snow and Fire and Ice
   • A Tiger in the Zoo
   • How to Tell Wild Animals
   • The Ball Poem
   • Amanda!
   • The Trees and Fog
5. 5

   Footprints Without Feet - Supplementary Reader

   7 topics

   • A Triumph of Surgery
   • The Thief's Story
   • The Midnight Visitor
   • A Question of Trust
   • Footprints without Feet
   • The Making of a Scientist
   • Bholi

English Language and Literature flashcards for CBSE Class 10 Board Exam

22 of 49 cards from the English Language and Literature deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In the CBSE Class 10 English exam, what is a 'Discursive Passage' and what kind of questions does it carry?

   A Discursive Passage is a reasoning/argumentative or descriptive prose passage (around 600-700 words) that tests inference, vocabulary, and interpretation. It carries both objective-type (MCQ/short) and analytical comprehension questions.

2. How does a Case-based Factual Passage differ from a Discursive Passage in CBSE English?

   A Case-based Factual Passage is fact/data-heavy, often with charts, tables, or statistics, testing literal comprehension and data interpretation. A Discursive Passage is argumentative/descriptive and tests inference, opinion, and analysis.

3. What are the two essential stages in CBSE note-making?

   Stage 1: Make notes with a title, sub-headings, points/sub-points using abbreviations and indentation. Stage 2: Write a summary (about 50 words) of the notes in connected prose, usually with a key to abbreviations used.

4. List the standard abbreviation rules acceptable in CBSE note-making.

   Use recognized abbreviations (govt., &, etc., e.g.), short forms of repeated words with a key, symbols (=, +, →), and no full sentences. A key explaining abbreviations should be provided.

5. What are the prescribed formats of Formal Letter writing in CBSE Class 10?

   Sender's address, date, receiver's designation/address, subject line, salutation (Dear Sir/Madam), body (introduction, content, conclusion), complimentary close (Yours faithfully/sincerely), and sender's name.

6. In CBSE Formal Writing, what is the standard structure of an Analytical Paragraph?

   An introduction interpreting the chart/data/topic, a body presenting and analysing the main features or trends in connected prose (about 100-120 words), and a brief concluding statement. No personal opinion; objective tone.

7. Name the main grammar topics tested in CBSE Class 10 English.

   Tenses, Modals, Subject-verb concord, Determiners, Reported (indirect) speech, and Clauses (commands, requests, questions, statements).

8. In CBSE 'Editing and Omission' exercises, what does the omission task require?

   A word has been left out in each line; the student must identify the position and supply the missing word, writing the word before and after the blank along with the omitted word in the answer format.

9. How are 'Editing' (error correction) gap-filling answers presented in CBSE?

   Each line has one incorrect word; the student writes the incorrect word and the correct word side by side (e.g., 'is — was'), maintaining the prescribed table/format.

10. In 'A Letter to God', who is the protagonist and what does he write his letter to God for?

    Lencho, a poor farmer, writes to God asking for 100 pesos to recover after a hailstorm destroyed his ripe corn crop.

11. Why does Lencho call the post-office employees 'a bunch of crooks' in 'A Letter to God'?

    He received only 70 of the 100 pesos he asked God for; firm in his faith, he believed God sent the full amount and that the post-office workers stole the remaining 30 pesos.

12. What is the central theme of 'A Letter to God' by G.L. Fuentes?

    Unshakable faith in God; it contrasts Lencho's blind, complete faith with the human kindness of the postmaster, highlighting both faith and irony.

13. In 'Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom', what historic event is described?

    Mandela's inauguration as the first Black President of South Africa on 10 May 1994, marking the end of apartheid.

14. According to Mandela, what are the 'twin obligations' every man has?

    Obligations to his family (parents, wife, children) and obligations to his people, community, and country.

15. What two definitions of courage does Mandela give in 'Long Walk to Freedom'?

    Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it; a brave man is not one who does not feel afraid, but one who conquers that fear.

16. In 'His First Flight' (Two Stories about Flying), how does the young seagull finally learn to fly?

    Driven by extreme hunger, when his mother brings food but stays just out of reach, he dives off the ledge for the fish, and his outstretched wings catch the air, making him fly.

17. In 'The Black Aeroplane' (Two Stories about Flying), who guides the lost pilot through the storm?

    A mysterious black aeroplane appears and guides him safely through the storm clouds; later he finds no other plane was flying that night, leaving the rescue unexplained.

18. What is the central theme common to 'Two Stories about Flying'?

    Both stories explore overcoming fear and uncertainty to achieve freedom/safety, emphasizing courage, faith, and the mysteries of life.

19. In 'From the Diary of Anne Frank', why does Anne call her diary 'Kitty'?

    Anne treats her diary as a trusted friend and confidante named 'Kitty', because she felt she had no true friend to share her deepest feelings with.

20. Who is Mr. Keesing in 'From the Diary of Anne Frank', and how does Anne win him over?

    Mr. Keesing is Anne's strict maths teacher who punishes her for talking by setting essays on being 'a chatterbox'. She wins him over with witty, humorous essays, and he eventually allows her to talk and takes her jokes in good spirit.

21. Name the three lessons/places covered in 'Glimpses of India'.

    (1) 'A Baker from Goa' by Lucio Rodrigues, (2) 'Coorg' by Lokesh Abrol, and (3) 'Tea from Assam' by Arup Kumar Datta.

22. In 'Coorg' (Glimpses of India), what is said about the origin and bravery of the Coorgi people?

    Coorgis are believed to descend from Greeks or Arabs (possibly Alexander's army); they are famously hospitable and brave, and the Coorg Regiment is among the most decorated in the Indian Army.

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