CBSE Class 10 Board Exam English Language and Literature Flashcards

24 sample cards from the English Language and Literature deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. In Robert Frost's 'Dust of Snow', how does the crow shaking snow change the poet's mood?

   A crow shaking dust of snow from a hemlock tree onto the poet changes his sad mood, saving part of a day he had 'rued', showing that small natural moments can lift the spirit.

2. In 'Fire and Ice' by Robert Frost, what do fire and ice symbolize?

   Fire symbolizes desire, passion, and greed; ice symbolizes hatred, coldness, and indifference. Both are capable of destroying the world.

3. In 'A Tiger in the Zoo' by Leslie Norris, what contrast does the poem draw?

   It contrasts the tiger's caged, helpless life in the zoo (locked in a concrete cell, ignoring visitors) with the freedom and power it would have hunting in its natural jungle habitat.

4. What poetic technique and tone characterize 'How to Tell Wild Animals' by Carolyn Wells?

   It is a humorous/nonsense poem using irony and comic exaggeration; it ridiculously describes identifying dangerous animals by the deadly way they attack the observer.

5. In 'The Ball Poem' by John Berryman, what does the lost ball symbolize?

   The lost ball symbolizes the inevitable loss of cherished possessions and innocence; the boy must learn 'the epistemology of loss' — to cope with grief and accept that loss is part of growing up.

6. In 'Amanda!' by Robin Klein, who is being constantly instructed, and what does she long for?

   Amanda, a young girl, is constantly nagged and instructed by an adult/parent. She longs for freedom, solitude, and a life without nagging, imagining herself as a mermaid, an orphan, or Rapunzel.

7. What is the theme of 'The Trees' by Adrienne Rich?

   Trees moving from inside a house to the forest symbolize nature reclaiming its freedom and women breaking free from confinement; it celebrates the return to natural, rightful belonging.

8. In 'Fog' by Carl Sandburg, what metaphor is used to describe the fog?

   The fog is compared to a cat: it 'comes on little cat feet', sits silently looking over the harbour and city, then moves on — a metaphor of quiet, sudden, transient arrival and departure.

9. In 'A Triumph of Surgery', what is wrong with Tricki the dog and what is Dr. Herriot's 'cure'?

   Tricki is overfed and spoiled by Mrs. Pumphrey, becoming fat and ill. Dr. Herriot keeps him at the surgery on a strict diet and exercise (no special food), and Tricki recovers — a 'triumph of surgery' achieved without any surgery.

10. In 'The Thief's Story' by Ruskin Bond, who is Hari Singh and how does Anil change him?

    Hari Singh is a 15-year-old experienced thief. Anil befriends him, feeds him, and teaches him to read and write. This kindness and trust eventually stop Hari from stealing Anil's money, reforming him.

11. In 'The Midnight Visitor' by Robert Arthur, how does Ausable outwit Max?

    Secret agent Ausable invents a story about a balcony outside his window; when the spy Max, holding a gun, steps onto the non-existent balcony to escape a (fake) knock at the door, he falls to his death. There was no balcony at all.

12. In 'A Question of Trust' by Victor Canning, what is the irony involving Horace Danby?

    Horace Danby, a safe-cracker, is tricked by a charming woman pretending to be the house owner's wife; she takes the jewels he opened the safe for. Later he is arrested because his fingerprints are on the safe, and no one believes his true story.

13. In 'Footprints without Feet' by H.G. Wells, who is Griffin and what is his discovery?

    Griffin is a brilliant but lawless scientist who discovers how to make the human body invisible. He becomes an invisible man and misuses his power for theft and crime.

14. What muddy footprints reveal Griffin's presence in 'Footprints without Feet'?

    Although invisible, Griffin steps in mud, leaving fresh muddy footprints that appear on a clean staircase, betraying that an invisible man is present in the house.

15. In 'The Making of a Scientist', who is Richard Ebright and what was his first major scientific interest?

    Richard Ebright is a scientist who, as a child, collected butterflies (all 25 species of butterflies in his town), which sparked his lifelong scientific curiosity.

16. What major discovery did Richard Ebright make as a student in 'The Making of a Scientist'?

    He discovered the purpose of the gold spots on a Monarch butterfly's pupa (they produce a hormone needed for the butterfly's growth) and developed a theory about how a cell can 'read' its DNA.

17. According to 'The Making of a Scientist', what 'ingredients' made Ebright a scientist?

    A first-rate mind, curiosity, the will to win for the right reasons, and the constant encouragement of his mother who fostered his learning.

18. In 'Bholi' by K.A. Abbas, why is Sulekha called 'Bholi'?

    Sulekha is nicknamed 'Bholi', meaning a simpleton, because she was slow to learn, stammered, and had pock marks from smallpox, so she was considered backward.

19. How does education transform Bholi in the story 'Bholi'?

    School and her kind teacher give Bholi confidence and the courage to speak. At her wedding, she boldly refuses to marry the greedy old Bishamber who demanded dowry, choosing instead to serve her parents and teach at her school.

20. What is the central message of the story 'Bholi'?

    Education empowers individuals (especially girls), builds self-confidence and dignity, and the story also condemns the social evil of dowry.

21. What is the rule of Subject-Verb Concord with collective nouns in CBSE grammar?

    Collective nouns (team, family, committee) take a singular verb when treated as one unit ('The team is winning') and a plural verb when members act individually ('The team are arguing among themselves').

22. How are commands and requests converted into reported speech in CBSE grammar?

    Use a reporting verb like told/asked/ordered/requested + object + 'to'-infinitive. E.g., He said, 'Open the door' → He told me to open the door. Negative: 'Don't go' → He asked me not to go.

23. What is the difference between 'A Triumph of Surgery' and 'The Making of a Scientist' in terms of theme?

    'A Triumph of Surgery' shows that over-indulgence harms (discipline cures the spoiled dog Tricki), while 'The Making of a Scientist' shows that curiosity, hard work, and encouragement create success in Richard Ebright.

24. Compare the role of trust in 'The Thief's Story' and 'A Question of Trust'.

    In 'The Thief's Story', Anil's trust reforms Hari Singh into an honest person. In 'A Question of Trust', the thief Horace Danby's misplaced trust in a stranger leads to his being cheated and caught — trust uplifts in one, betrays in the other.

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