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Read the passage given below : (1)… (English 2023 2/1/1 Q1)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2023, set 2/1/1 · 10 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2023: question 1

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2023, paper 2/1/1, section A, question 1, for 10 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q1 · 10 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedReading (unseen passages)

Read the passage given below :

(1) If you’re like most kids, you may love snow. Not only can it get you out of school, but it’s also fun to play with. Who doesn’t love to sled and build snowmen ? Snow can also be dangerous, too. You may have heard your parents talk about how difficult it can be to drive in snow. Car accidents aren’t the only dangers created by snow. If you’re ever skiing in the mountains, you’ll want to be aware of avalanches. An avalanche is a sudden flow of snow down a slope, such as a mountain. The amount of snow in an avalanche will vary based on many things, but it can be such a huge pile that it can bury the bottom of a slope in dozens of feet of snow.

(2) Avalanches can be caused by many things. Some of them are natural. For example, new snow or rain can cause built up snow to loosen and fall down the side of a mountain. Earthquakes and the movement of animals have also been known to cause avalanches. Artificial triggers can also cause avalanches. For example, snowmobiles, skiers, gunshots and explosives have all been known to cause avalanches. Avalanches usually occur during the winter and spring, when snowfall is greatest. As they are dangerous to any living beings in their path, avalanches have destroyed forests, roads, railroads and even entire towns.

(3) Warning signs exist that allow experts to predict – and often prevent – avalanches from occurring. When over a foot of fresh snow falls, experts know to be on the lookout for avalanches. Explosives can be used in places with massive snow build-ups to trigger smaller avalanches that don’t pose a danger to persons or property. When deadly avalanches do occur, the moving snow can quickly reach over 80 miles per hour. Skiers caught in such avalanches can be buried under dozens of feet of snow. While it’s possible to dig out of such avalanches, not all are able to escape.

(4) If you get tossed about by an avalanche and find yourself buried under many feet of snow, you might not have a true sense of which way is up and which way is down. Some avalanche victims have tried to dig their way out, only to find that they were upside down and digging themselves farther under the snow rather than to the top ! Experts suggest that people caught in an avalanche try to “swim” to the top of the moving snow to stay close to the surface. Once the avalanche stops, do your best to dig around you to create a space for air, so you can breathe easier. Then, do your best to figure out which way is up and dig in that direction to reach the surface and signal rescuers.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below :

  1. (i)

    Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option : Avalanche can be caused by

    1. (a)new snow or rain.
    2. (b)heavy winds.
    3. (c)high altitude.
    4. (d)global warming.
    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    Comment on warning signs exist which allow experts to predict avalanches in two sentences.

    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    Mention two reasons which destroyed the natural scenery.

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘massive’ :

    1. (a)tiny
    2. (b)lengthy
    3. (c)bulky
    4. (d)extensive
    1 mark
  5. (v)

    The writer will agree with one of the given statements (paragraph 4)

    1. (a)People caught in the Avalanche can try to swim to the top.
    2. (b)Put on an oxygen Mask.
    3. (c)Digging is not possible.
    4. (d)Should not come close to the surface.
    1 mark
  6. (vi)

    Select the option that corresponds to the following relation below : You may not have an idea of which way is up and which way is down.

    1. (a)The crowd will gather at Gate No. 1 and disperse from Gate No. 2.
    2. (b)Due to the torrential rain, there was a heavy flooding.
    3. (c)The guest felt uneasy and uncomfortable watching the child’s performance.
    4. (d)The more the effort, the bigger the gain.
    1 mark
  7. (vii)

    The major causes which do not trigger an avalanche :

    1. (a)Earthquakes
    2. (b)Snow fall
    3. (c)Rain
    4. (d)Plastic waste
    1 mark
  8. (viii)

    Explosives can be used in places ___________. (complete the sentence)

    1 mark
  9. (ix)

    The word ‘deadly’ in the (3) paragraph most nearly means

    1. (a)likely to cause death
    2. (b)harmful
    3. (c)very boring
    4. (d)scary
    1 mark
  10. (x)

    Select the most suitable title for the above passage :

    1. (a)Avalanches
    2. (b)Adventure with Snow
    3. (c)Ice Games
    4. (d)Calamity
    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2023 board paper, set 2/1/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Locate each answer in the paragraph the question names.

Hint 2

For vocabulary questions, test each option in the sentence.

Hint 3

For the title, pick the option that covers the whole passage.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. (i) (a) new snow or rain. Paragraph 2 says new snow or rain loosens built-up snow so that it falls.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) When more than a foot of fresh snow falls, experts know an avalanche may occur. This lets them stay alert and take preventive steps, such as triggering small avalanches with explosives.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) Any two: avalanches caused by earthquakes / snowmobiles / skiers / gunshots / explosives. Avalanches destroy forests, roads, railroads and even towns.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) (a) tiny. 'Massive' means huge, so its opposite is tiny.

    1 mark

  5. (v) (a) People caught in the avalanche can try to swim to the top. Paragraph 4 gives this advice.

    1 mark

  6. (vi) (a) gather/disperse. The sentence pairs opposites (up/down), and gather/disperse is also an opposite pair.

    1 mark

  7. (vii) (d) Plastic waste. The passage never mentions it as a cause of avalanches.

    1 mark

  8. (viii) ...where massive snow builds up, to trigger smaller avalanches that pose no danger to people or property.

    1 mark

  9. (ix) (a) likely to cause death. 'Deadly avalanches' are those that can kill.

    1 mark

  10. (x) (a) Avalanches. The whole passage is about their causes, warning signs and survival.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) a; (ii) over a foot of fresh snow lets experts watch out and take preventive steps; (iii) any two of earthquakes, snowmobiles, skiers, gunshots, explosives; (iv) a; (v) a; (vi) a; (vii) d; (viii) where massive snow builds up; (ix) a; (x) a

Where the marks are

  • (i) new snow or rain (1 mark)
  • (ii) over a foot of snow gives a warning, so preventive action is possible (1 mark)
  • (iii) any two triggers (1 mark)
  • (iv) tiny (1 mark)
  • (v) option a (1 mark)
  • (vi) gather/disperse (1 mark)
  • (vii) plastic waste (1 mark)
  • (viii) where massive snow builds up (1 mark)
  • (ix) likely to cause death (1 mark)
  • (x) Avalanches (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Reading (unseen passages)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Reading (unseen passages), one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2023 board paper, set 2/1/1: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.