Skip to content

Answer any one of the… (Class 10 English SQP 2024-25, Q10I)

questionbuddy.in/q/cbse-10-english-2024-25-sqp-q10i-both-poems-dust-snow-fire

EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Sample paper, session 2024-25 · 6 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 10 English sample paper 2024-25: question 10(I)

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2024-25, section D, question 10(I), for 6 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q10(I) · 6 marks · Long answerDust of Snow

Answer any one of the following two questions, in about 100-120 words. Both poems ‘Dust of Snow’ and ‘Fire and Ice’ use contrasting elements of nature to convey their respective messages about life and human emotions but they do it differently. Examine these differences.

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2024-25.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Think about what the snow and the crow stand for, and what fire and ice stand for.

Hint 2

Compare the speaker's feeling in each poem, then the message.

Hint 3

End with a concluding sentence that sets the two poems side by side.

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. Imagery: 'Dust of Snow' uses light, pure imagery, the snow shaken from a hemlock tree by a crow. It suggests that small moments in nature can lift the human spirit. 'Fire and Ice' uses fire and ice as images of destruction and intensity. They stand for desire and hatred and show the darker side of human emotion.

    2 marks

  2. Emotional response and message: In 'Dust of Snow' the speaker feels gratitude and renewal, as a small unexpected moment changes his mood and saves part of his day. In 'Fire and Ice' the tone is fearful and reflective. The speaker weighs which force will end the world, and these inner forces may shape the fate of humanity.

    2 marks

  3. Conclusion: So while 'Dust of Snow' stresses beauty and renewal in the smallest things of nature, 'Fire and Ice' explores the destructive power of human desire and hatred. The treatment of contrast is therefore very different.

    1 mark

  4. The answer is written as a cohesive paragraph of about 100-120 words with correct grammar and spelling.

    1 mark

Answer: Dust of Snow: gentle imagery, gratitude and renewal; Fire and Ice: destructive imagery, fear and reflection on human desire and hatred.

Where the marks are

  • Contrast in imagery of the two poems (content, up to 3 marks across points)
  • Contrast in emotional response and message
  • Expression: organised, cohesive paragraph (2 marks)
  • Accuracy (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Dust of Snow (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Dust of Snow, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paperSample paper 2024-25: 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.