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Read the following extract and… (English 2025 2/2/1 Q7b)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2025, set 2/2/1 · 5 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 7(b)

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2025, paper 2/2/1, 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 · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedThe Trees

Read the following extract and answer the questions.

The leaves strain toward the glass
small twigs stiff with exertion
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof
like newly discharged patients
half-dazed, moving
to the clinic doors.

(The Trees)

  1. (i)

    How does the comparison between the boughs and newly discharged patients contribute to the theme or message of the poem? Answer in about 40 words.

    2 marks
  2. (ii)

    Complete the sentence with the appropriate option.

    The imagery and descriptions in the poem create a mood of ______________________.

    1. (A)satisfaction and elation
    2. (B)transition and uncertainty
    3. (C)confusion and chaos
    4. (D)pessimism and certainty
    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    Fill in the blank with one word.

    The stiff movement of the twigs in the above extract suggests the ______________.

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Why does the poet describe the bough as 'shuffling'?

    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2025 board paper, set 2/2/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Think about how patients walk when they have just left a hospital.

Hint 2

The trees have been cramped for long. How would that change how they move?

Hint 3

For (ii), choose the mood that combines change with doubt.

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) Comparing the boughs to newly discharged patients shows a period of adjustment after long confinement. The trees, like patients just out of care, are unsteady and unsure. This supports the theme of transition from restriction to freedom.

    2 marks

  2. (ii) (B) transition and uncertainty.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) The stiff movement of the twigs suggests the struggle (or strain) to break free.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) 'Shuffling' shows the boughs, long cramped indoors, moving slowly and unsteadily, like half-dazed patients who are still adjusting.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) Shows adjustment and struggle during transition; (ii) B; (iii) struggle; (iv) slow, unsteady, disoriented movement after confinement

Where the marks are

  • Comparison linked to adjustment, struggle or transition (2 marks)
  • Option B (1 mark)
  • One word such as struggle, strain or confinement (1 mark)
  • Shuffling means slow, disoriented movement after being cramped (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: The Trees (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from The Trees, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2025 board paper, set 2/2/1: 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.