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Read the following extract and… (English 2025 2/3/1 Q6b)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2025, set 2/3/1 · 5 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 6(b)

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2025, paper 2/3/1, section C, question 6(b), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q6(b) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedThe Midnight Visitor

Read the following extract and answer the questions:

“It’s not my balcony,” Ausable said with extreme irritation. “It belongs to the next apartment.” He glanced explanatorily at Fowler. “You see,” he said, “this room used to be part of a large unit, and the next room — through that door there — used to be the living room. It had the balcony, which extends under my window now. You can get onto it from the empty room two doors down — and somebody did, last month. The management promised to block it off. But they haven’t.”

(The Midnight Visitor)

  1. (i)

    What was the management supposed to do regarding the balcony?

    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    Which of the following was the reason that irritated Ausable about the balcony?

    1. (A)its size and layout
    2. (B)its location relative to his apartment
    3. (C)its accessibility from the neighbouring unit
    4. (D)its maintenance by the apartment management
    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    How does Ausable’s detailed explanation of the balcony’s history and current accessibility contribute to the atmosphere of suspense or tension in the story? Answer in about 40 words.

    2 marks
  4. (iv)

    Fill in the blank with the correct word from the brackets. The reference to ‘last month’ and ‘now’ adds to a sense of __________ (reconciliation/mystery).

    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2025 board paper, set 2/3/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Look for what the management promised but did not do.

Hint 2

Ask why an open balcony would worry Ausable.

Hint 3

For (iii), think about how the detail makes the reader uneasy about what will happen.

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 management was supposed to block off the balcony to prevent unauthorised access.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) C. Ausable is irritated by its accessibility from the neighbouring unit.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) The detailed account of how someone climbed onto the balcony last month, and how it is still open, creates unease. It shows the room is vulnerable to intruders, builds tension and foreshadows what may happen next.

    2 marks

  4. (iv) mystery

    1 mark

Answer: (i) to block off the balcony; (ii) C; (iii) the detail builds suspense and foreshadows danger; (iv) mystery

Where the marks are

  • (i) Block off the balcony (1 mark)
  • (ii) C (1 mark)
  • (iii) Suspense and foreshadowing (1+1 marks)
  • (iv) mystery (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from The Midnight Visitor, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2025 board paper, set 2/3/1: 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.