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Read the following extract and… (English 2025 2/3/1 Q7b)

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

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 7(b)

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2025, paper 2/3/1, 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-basedAmanda!

Read the following extract and answer the questions:

Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!
(There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me —
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

(Amanda)

  1. (i)

    How does the poet reinforce the contrast between what the narrator wants and what Amanda desires?

    2 marks
  2. (ii)

    What tone is conveyed through the repetition of Amanda’s name in the line?

    1. (A)loving
    2. (B)instructive
    3. (C)indifferent
    4. (D)playful
    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    How does the imagery of the emerald sea with the mermaid contrast with Amanda’s actions?

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Select the option that applies the same rhyme scheme as the lines of the given extract.

    1. (A)Sitting by the pond / Waving my wand / Awaiting my dearest / I looked above and beyond / Awaiting my love / A sudden sound, fluttered the dove / The crackle stopped, as so did my heart
    2. (B)Sitting by the pond / Holding tight to my bond / I looked above and beyond / Awaiting my love / I heard her come, a sudden sound / The crackle stopped, as so did my heart
    3. (C)I sat beside the pond with her / Awaiting for her to come / I looked above and beyond / Awaiting my love / A sudden sound, I turned back / The crackle stopped, as so did my heart
    4. (D)Sitting by the pond / Awaiting my love / I looked above and beyond / A sudden scream, I looked around / Then a shadow fell and there was no sound / The crackle stopped, as so did my heart
    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

Whose voice is outside the brackets and whose is inside?

Hint 2

Is the repeated name said lovingly or to give orders?

Hint 3

Mark the end-rhymes of the extract's lines with letters and match them with the options.

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 narrator wants Amanda to be well behaved and disciplined, while Amanda wishes to be left alone, free of nagging. The poet uses direct, commanding speech for the narrator, in contrast with Amanda's passive, quiet thoughts placed in parentheses.

    2 marks

  2. (ii) B) Instructive

    1 mark

  3. (iii) The sea stands for calm, freedom and vastness, whereas Amanda's actions of nail-biting and hunching show her discomfort and restlessness.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) A) Sitting by the pond... (rhyme scheme AABACCD, matching the extract)

    1 mark

Answer: (i) discipline vs wish for freedom, shown by direct speech vs parenthesis; (ii) B; (iii) calm freedom vs restlessness; (iv) A

Where the marks are

  • Contrast between narrator's wish for discipline and Amanda's wish to be left alone (1 mark)
  • Direct assertive speech vs Amanda's passive parenthetical expression (1 mark)
  • Instructive (1 mark)
  • Sea shows tranquility and freedom, contrasting Amanda's restlessness (1 mark)
  • Option A (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Amanda! (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Amanda!, 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.