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Self-doubt and fear often… (Class 10 English 2025, Q10a)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2025, set 2/5/1 · 6 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 10(a)

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

Q10(a) · 6 marks · Long answerTwo Stories about Flying

Self-doubt and fear often act as barriers to success. On the other hand, curiosity leads to learning new things. Justify the statement citing instances from 'His First Flight' and 'Madam Rides the Bus'.

Answer in about 100-120 words.

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2025 board paper, set 2/5/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Take the seagull for fear and Valli for curiosity.

Hint 2

State the fear or curiosity, then what happened.

Hint 3

Close by joining both ideas to the statement.

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. In 'His First Flight', the young seagull's fear of falling and doubt that his wings would support him kept him on the ledge while his family flew. When he was forced off, he fell, but he found he could fly, and he enjoyed flying with his family. Self-doubt had been the only barrier.

    2 marks

  2. In 'Madam Rides the Bus', Valli's curiosity about the world beyond her village drove her to save money and plan a bus journey. She saw lovely scenery and a busy bazaar, though she also witnessed death for the first time. Curiosity taught her new things.

    1 mark

  3. Expression: coherent, linked paragraph of about 100-120 words with a conclusion that fear limits and curiosity opens up learning.

    2 marks

  4. Accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

    1 mark

Answer: Fear held the seagull back until he flew; curiosity led Valli to learn new things.

Where the marks are

  • Any three value points, with at least one from each chapter (3 marks)
  • Expression (2 marks)
  • Accuracy (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Two Stories about Flying, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2025 board paper, set 2/5/1: 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.