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Read the following extract… (Class 10 English 2024, Q7B)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2024, set 2/1/1 · 5 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 10 English 2024: question 7(B)

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2024, paper 2/1/1, section C, question 7(B), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q7(B) · 5 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedThe Ball Poem

Read the following extract and answer the questions:

No use to say 'O there are other balls
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where his ball went.

I would not intrude on him,
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions. People will take
Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external
He is learning.....

  1. (i)

    Which of the following best describes the speaker's attitude towards the boy's reaction to losing his ball?

    1. (A)indifferent as the ball is inexpensive
    2. (B)sympathetic, understanding the depth of the boy's loss
    3. (C)mocking, finding the boy's reaction exaggerated and unnecessary.
    4. (D)panicked, sharing the boy's distress over the lost ball.
    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    Comment on the use of metaphor in the above extract.

    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    Explain the phrase 'all his young days into the harbour' with reference to the extract.

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Briefly state in about 40 words the boy's journey from 'shaking grief' to 'he is learning' in the above extract.

    2 marks

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2024 board paper, set 2/1/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

The speaker says 'I would not intrude', so he respects the boy's feelings.

Hint 2

Ask what the ball stands for beyond being a toy.

Hint 3

The last line 'He is learning' tells you what the boy gains from the loss.

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) Option B. The speaker does not intrude and understands that the boy's grief is deep, even though the ball is cheap.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) The ball is a metaphor for possessions and for the innocence of childhood. Losing it stands for loss in general.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) As the boy stares at the harbour, his childhood memories and happy days seem to sink with the ball. The loss marks his move from childhood to maturity, since he 'senses first responsibility'.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) The boy first freezes in deep grief, rigid and trembling. Then he realises that things are lost for ever and that money cannot buy back what is lost. This is his journey from innocence to maturity, as he learns that loss is inevitable.

    2 marks

Answer: (i) B; (ii) The ball is a metaphor for possessions and childhood innocence; (iii) His childhood seems lost with the ball, marking a transition to maturity; (iv) He moves from innocent grief to the mature realisation that loss is inevitable.

Where the marks are

  • Chooses option B (1 mark)
  • Identifies the ball as a metaphor for possessions or childhood innocence (1 mark)
  • Explains the phrase as childhood passing into maturity (1 mark)
  • Shows the journey from innocence to the realisation that loss cannot be undone (2 marks)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: The Ball Poem (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from The Ball Poem, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2024 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.