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Read the following text: (1)… (English 2025 2/4/1 Q1)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2025, set 2/4/1 · 10 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 1

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2025, paper 2/4/1, section A, question 1, for 10 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q1 · 10 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedReading (unseen passages)

Read the following text:

(1) Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is now high on the international agenda and ESD is seen as a way to encourage greater sustainable consumption and production, to counter the effects of climate change, address threats to biodiversity and provide more effective disaster risk reduction. Education for Sustainable Development is seen by UN as a lifelong process from early childhood to higher and adult education and goes beyond formal education. As values, lifestyles and attitudes are established from an early age, the role of education is of particular importance for children! ESD has often been associated with curriculum projects linked with recycling; energy and water conservation; pollution reduction and sustainable consumption – all developed to contribute towards achieving a more sustainable future.

(2) Research from developmental psychology, longitudinal studies, social–cultural analysis, and neuroscience have all shown that it is in the early years that children have the greatest capacity to learn, and it is in these years that many of our fundamental attitudes and values are first put into place. Children are already investigating issues related to recycling, energy conservation, waste disposal and changes in their local environment. ESD in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is of great significance. The development of ESD and ECCE requires more than just curriculum development. It provides the possibility of a transformational reconstruction.

(3) UNICEF reports show that children under the age of eight represent the highest percentage of affected population in today's global emergencies. A UNESCO survey has shown that the ministries of education, environment and sustainable development in 97 UN member states identify poverty as the highest priority area to be addressed in achieving sustainable development. In fact, reductions in poverty and inequality are widely recognised as the priority in efforts to create a more sustainable world. At a global level, millions of children start school carrying the handicap that comes with the experience of malnutrition, ill-health and poverty. Yet, equitable access to high-quality pre-school programmes remain a problem in both rich and poor countries. Sustainable development projects that enable rapid progress in maternal health, child nutrition and survival already exist, even in some of the world's poorest countries. Linking health and education agenda has been recognised as extremely important.

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above:

  1. I

    Complete the following with a suitable explanation with reference to paragraph (1).

    ESD is now high on the international agenda because ________.

    1 mark
  2. II

    Based on the given passage, How does UN view ESD as a lifelong process? What are the critical areas of emphasis? (Paragraph 1)

    2 marks
  3. III

    List two curriculum projects that ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) has been linked with. (Paragraph 1)

    1 mark
  4. IV

    Complete the following suitably:

    Many of our fundamental attitudes and values are put into place in the early years as ________. (Paragraph 2)

    2 marks
  5. V

    Substitute the underlined word with the correct word from paragraph (2):

    ESD in Early Childhood Care and Education provides the possibility of transformational reconstruction.

    1. (A)positive change
    2. (B)power to reform
    3. (C)negative impact
    4. (D)creative
    1 mark
  6. VII

    What remains a problem in both rich and poor countries? What has been recognised as crucial? (Paragraph 3)

    1 mark
  7. VIII

    Complete the sentence with the correct response:

    The writer's tone in the passage is ________.

    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2025 board paper, set 2/4/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Go back to the exact paragraph named in each part and find the sentence that answers it.

Hint 2

For (V), pick the meaning that matches 'transformational' in a hopeful context.

Hint 3

For (VIII), think about whether the writer is emotional or just presenting facts.

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) ESD is now high on the international agenda because it is seen as a way to encourage sustainable consumption and production and to counter the effects of climate change (also: address threats to biodiversity; provide better disaster risk reduction).

    1 mark

  2. (II) The UN sees ESD as a lifelong process that begins in early childhood, continues through higher and adult education, and goes beyond formal schooling. Its critical areas of emphasis are values, lifestyles and attitudes, which are formed early (or curriculum projects on recycling, conservation etc.).

    2 marks

  3. (III) Two curriculum projects: recycling; energy and water conservation (or pollution reduction, sustainable consumption).

    1 mark

  4. (IV) ...as children have the greatest capacity to learn in these years, and many basic attitudes and values are first formed then (or children already investigate recycling, energy conservation and waste disposal).

    2 marks

  5. (V) Option (A): positive change.

    1 mark

  6. (VI) Option (C): UNICEF reports show that children under eight make up the highest percentage of the population affected in global emergencies.

    1 mark

  7. (VII) Equitable access to high-quality pre-school programmes remains a problem in both rich and poor countries; linking the health and education agenda has been recognised as crucial.

    1 mark

  8. (VIII) The writer's tone is informative / formal / objective.

    1 mark

Answer: (I) it counters climate change and encourages sustainable consumption; (II) lifelong from early childhood; emphasis on values, lifestyles, attitudes; (III) recycling, energy and water conservation; (IV) early years give greatest capacity to learn; (V) A; (VI) C; (VII) equitable pre-school access; linking health and education; (VIII) informative/objective

Where the marks are

  • (I) Gives a valid reason from para 1 (1 mark)
  • (II) Lifelong process explained and one critical area (1+1 marks)
  • (III) Any two projects (1 mark)
  • (IV) Any two reasons from para 2 (2 marks)
  • (V) Option A (1 mark)
  • (VI) Option C (1 mark)
  • (VII) Both parts: access problem and health-education link (1 mark)
  • (VIII) Suitable tone (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Reading (unseen passages)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Reading (unseen passages), one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2025 board paper, set 2/4/1: 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.