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Read the given extract and… (Class 10 English 2025, Q6a)

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

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 6(a)

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

Q6(a) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedTwo Stories about Flying

Read the given extract and answer the questions.

That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then nobody had come near him. The day before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had, in fact, seen his elder brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle and all the morning the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff taunting him for his cowardice.

  1. (i)

    Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket :
    The use of the phrase 'proud cackle' adds to a sense of ________ (noise/pride) in the extract.

    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    How do the parents teach their young to be independent ?

    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    Describe the contrasting reactions of the parents to their children giving reasons.

    2 marks
  4. (iv)

    The word 'devour' in the above extract most nearly means

    1. (A)scared
    2. (B)gobbled
    3. (C)preserved
    4. (D)cooled
    1 mark

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

A cackle that is 'proud' suggests a feeling.

Hint 2

Look at what the parents did with the other chicks.

Hint 3

'Devour' means to eat greedily.

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) pride

    1 mark

  2. (ii) They teach them to skim the waves and dive for fish, perfecting them in the art of flight.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) Towards the elder brother the parents were proud: they circled around him with a proud cackle when he caught his first herring. Towards the young seagull they were harsh: he was afraid to fly, so they taunted him for his cowardice and left him to starve.

    2 marks

  4. (iv) Option (B) gobbled.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) pride; (ii) teaching them to skim the waves and dive for fish; (iii) proud of the brother, taunted the fearful young gull; (iv) B

Where the marks are

  • (i) Pride (1 mark)
  • (ii) Teaching flying, skimming or diving (1 mark)
  • (iii) Reaction to the brother (1 mark) and to the young seagull (1 mark)
  • (iv) B (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.