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In a world of possessions… (Class 10 English 2024, Q7a)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2024, set 2/5/1 · 5 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2024: question 7(a)

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

Q7(a) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedThe Ball Poem

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, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.
(The Ball Poem)

  1. (i)

    Fill in the blank with one word.
    When the speaker says "People will take balls, Balls will be lost always, little boy", his tone is __________.

    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    The poet says that money is external. What inference can be drawn from this statement? Answer in about 40 words.

    2 marks
  3. (iii)

    Which of the following best describes the speaker's attitude towards material possessions?

    1. (A)indifferent
    2. (B)emotional
    3. (C)casual
    4. (D)respectful
    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Identify the poetic device used in "And no one buys a ball back".

    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2024 board paper, set 2/5/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Think about how the speaker talks to the boy: is he sentimental or plain-spoken?

Hint 2

Ask what money can and cannot buy, and what 'external' contrasts with.

Hint 3

The repeated initial consonant sound in 'buys a ball back' names the device.

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) The tone is practical (also acceptable: realistic / matter-of-fact / instructive). The speaker states plainly that loss is unavoidable.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) The statement means that money can only buy an object to replace a lost ball. It cannot restore the love, memory and feeling attached to it, or the pain of losing it. The boy's loss is emotional and personal, so a new ball will not heal it.

    2 marks

  3. (iii) Option (A) indifferent. The speaker treats possessions as replaceable and external, not worth clinging to.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) The poetic device is alliteration: the repeated 'b' sound in 'buys' and 'ball back'.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) practical; (ii) money cannot buy back the emotional value of what is lost; (iii) A; (iv) alliteration

Where the marks are

  • Tone given as practical or a similar word (1 mark)
  • Inference: money cannot replace the love or emotion attached to the ball (2 marks)
  • Option A indifferent (1 mark)
  • Alliteration identified (1 mark)

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 2/5/1: 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.