Skip to content

Read the following passage… (English 2023 2/5/1 Q2)

questionbuddy.in/q/cbse-10-english-2023-2-5-1-q2-carefully-unsafe-water-kills-more

EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2023, set 2/5/1 · 10 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2023: question 2

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2023, paper 2/5/1, section A, question 2, for 10 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q2 · 10 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedReading (unseen passages)

Read the following passage carefully:

1 Unsafe water kills more people each year than do war and all other forms of violence combined. Meanwhile, our drinkable water sources are finite: less than 1 percent of the Earth's freshwater is actually accessible to us. Without action, the challenges will only increase by 2050, when global demand for freshwater is expected to be one-third greater than it is now.

2 Water is uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Known as a "universal solvent", water is able to dissolve more substances than any other liquid on Earth. Water pollution is the release of substances into subsurface groundwater or into lakes, streams, rivers, estuaries, and oceans to the point where the substances interfere with beneficial use of the water or with the natural functioning of ecosystems. In addition to the release of substances, such as chemicals, trash, or microorganisms, water pollution may also include the release of energy, in the form of radioactivity or heat, into bodies of water. The key causatives of water pollution in India are urbanization, deforestation, industrial effluents and agricultural run-offs with the use of insecticides and pesticides. The other causes are social and religious offerings in water bodies and the use of detergents and fertilizers.

3 Water pollution can have disastrous consequences on the ecosystem. Furthermore, toxic chemicals can travel through the food chain and get into our bodies, causing diseases and death.

4 There is no single or simple answer to stop the water pollution crisis. However, there are many solutions to prevent water pollution, both in our daily lives and within industries. They are wastewater treatment, reducing plastic waste and water conservation. In addition to this, we must have water-efficient toilets, stormwater management and ozone wastewater treatment.

[Figure: Major Causes of Water Pollution chart, shown below]

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below: 10 x 1 = 10

  1. (i)

    Infer one reason for the following, based on information in para 1. Less than 1 percent of the Earth's freshwater is actually accessible to us.

    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    Select the appropriate option to fill in the blank: Water is uniquely vulnerable to __________.

    1. (A)season
    2. (B)pollution
    3. (C)water bodies
    4. (D)extreme weather conditions
    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/phrase from paragraph 2: vulnerable : resilient : : artificial : __________ (Clue: just as resilient is the opposite of vulnerable, similarly the opposite of artificial is __________.)

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Select the correct option to complete the following sentence: Water pollution can have disastrous consequences on _________.

    1. (A)the ecosystem
    2. (B)weather conditions
    3. (C)unexpected rainfall
    4. (D)flash floods
    1 mark
  5. (v)

    From the chart, identify two causes of water pollution in our homes.

    1 mark
  6. (vi)

    Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option: One of the solutions of preventing water pollution is __________.

    1. (A)building industries near water bodies
    2. (B)water conservation and reducing plastic waste
    3. (C)avoiding swimming
    4. (D)reducing farming
    1 mark
  7. (vii)

    Substitute the word 'causative' with one word similar in meaning in the following sentence: The key causative of water pollution in India must be addressed.

    1 mark
  8. (viii)

    According to the writer, water pollution is defined as ___________. (Para 2)

    1 mark
  9. (ix)

    List one way in which religious rituals impact water bodies.

    1 mark
  10. (x)

    Select the most suitable title for the passage from the following:

    1. (A)Water Pollution — A Concern
    2. (B)Unsafe Water — A Menace
    3. (C)Universal Solvent — Water
    4. (D)Global Concern — An Urgent Need
    1 mark

Figure in the paper: A circular flower-like chart titled 'Major Causes of Water Pollution'. At the centre is a circle labelled 'Causes of water pollution', surrounded by ten petal-shaped circles: Oil pollution, Oil spill, Septic tank, Water parks, Intensive farming, Pesticide, Swimming, Industrial waste, Household waste, Water storage tanks, and Nuclear waste. See it in the official paper.

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2023 board paper, set 2/5/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Read para 1 and para 2 for the exact phrases.

Hint 2

For (v), look at the chart and pick items found in a home.

Hint 3

For (x), choose the title that covers the whole passage, which is mostly about pollution.

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) Inference: drinkable water sources are finite, and pollution and rising demand reduce what we can use. (The scheme accepts any relevant answer.)

    1 mark

  2. (ii) Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid, so it is vulnerable to pollution: (B).

    1 mark

  3. (iii) The opposite of 'artificial' in para 2 is 'natural'.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) Para 3 says pollution can have disastrous consequences on the ecosystem: (A).

    1 mark

  5. (v) From the chart, two household causes are: septic tank and household waste. (Pesticide and water storage tanks are also accepted.)

    1 mark

  6. (vi) Para 4 lists water conservation and reducing plastic waste as solutions: (B).

    1 mark

  7. (vii) 'Causative' can be replaced by 'cause' or 'reason'.

    1 mark

  8. (viii) Water pollution is the release of substances such as chemicals, trash or microorganisms into subsurface groundwater, lakes, rivers, estuaries and oceans, so that they interfere with beneficial use or the natural functioning of ecosystems.

    1 mark

  9. (ix) Religious offerings made in water bodies pollute them.

    1 mark

  10. (x) The passage is mainly about water pollution, so the title is 'Water Pollution — A Concern': (B).

    1 mark

Answer: (i) any relevant reason; (ii) B; (iii) natural; (iv) A; (v) septic tank, household waste; (vi) B; (vii) cause; (viii) release of substances into water bodies that harm their use or ecosystems; (ix) religious offerings pollute water; (x) B

Where the marks are

  • Each sub-part correct (1 mark each, 10 marks)

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 2/5/1: 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.