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Read the following text: (1)… (English 2025 2/6/1 Q1)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2025, set 2/6/1 · 10 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 1

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2025, paper 2/6/1, 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) Creativity is our most precious resource and the most inexhaustible one. As anyone who has ever spent any time with children knows, every single human being is born creative; every human being is innately endowed with the ability to combine data and perceptions, materials and ideas and devise new ways of thinking and doing. What fosters creativity? More than anything else: the presence of other creative people, contrary to that creativity is the province of great individual geniuses. In fact creativity is a social process. Our biggest creative breakthrough comes when people learn from, compete with, and collaborate with other people.

(2) Cities are centres of creativity. With their diverse populations, dense social networks and public spaces, people can meet spontaneously and spark or catalyse new ideas. With their infrastructure for finance, organization and trade, they allow the idea to swiftly reach its destination.

(3) A study tracking the decline of unconventional thinking ability as children age, states that while 98 percent of 3 to 5 years olds exhibited creative thinking, this dwindled to 10 percent among 13 to 15 years olds and a mere 2 percent among 25 years olds. Thus, adulthood witnesses the erosion of innate creativity. There is a variance in creative vitality across cities. Although all cities harbour creative individuals by default, some are saturated with leaders, institutions, and people that inhibit creativity.

(4) Creativity (or the lack of it) follows the same general contours of the great socio-economic divide - our rising inequality - that plagues us. According to estimates, roughly one-third people are able to do work which engages our creative faculties to some extent, whether as artists, musicians, writers, techies, innovators, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, journalists or educators. That leaves a group termed "the other 66 percent", in which their creativity is subjugated, ignored or wasted.

(5) Creativity itself is not in danger. It is flourishing all around us - in science and technology, arts and culture, in our rapidly revitalizing cities. But we still have a long way to go if we want to build a truly creative society that supports and rewards creativity of each one of us.

(Created for academic usage / 410 words)

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above:

  1. (i)

    The central idea of this passage is that:

    1. (A)social interaction is necessary to nurture creativity.
    2. (B)creativity and ideas are gradually declining in all societies.
    3. (C)the creativity divide is widening in societies in line with socio-economic trends.
    4. (D)more people should work in jobs that engage their creative faculties.
    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    Select the option that is true for the assertion and reason given below:
    Assertion: Creativity is the province of great individual genius is not true.
    Reason: Creativity is a social process.

    1. (A)Both the Assertion and Reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation and assertion.
    2. (B)Both the Assertion and Reason are true but the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion.
    3. (C)The Assertion is true, but the Reason is false.
    4. (D)The Assertion is false, but the Reason is true.
    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    Identify the word in paragraph 1 which means something that cannot be used-up or depleted.

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    What important trends does a study tracking the decline in creative thinking ability in children reveal? Answer in about 40 words.

    2 marks
  5. (v)

    Read the given prompt and select the correct option in the brackets to fill in the blank.
    Our biggest creative breakthrough comes when people learn from, compete with, and collaborate with other people.
    Creativity is thus a ________ (economic, industrial, social) process.

    1 mark
  6. (vi)

    According to the passage, where does creativity thrive apart from arts and culture?

    1 mark
  7. (vii)

    Complete the following with a suitable reason:
    About thirty-three percent citizens engage their creative faculties in tasks that use ________.

    1 mark
  8. (viii)

    In the context of the last paragraph, explain how does the passage view the future of creativity in society.

    2 marks

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2025 board paper, set 2/6/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Re-read paragraph 1 for the word meaning 'cannot be used up' and for what fosters creativity.

Hint 2

For (iv), look at the percentages in paragraph 3 and compare them age group by age group.

Hint 3

For (viii), the last paragraph has both a positive claim and a 'but' pointing to remaining work.

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) A. The passage says creativity is fostered most by the presence of other creative people and is 'a social process'. Options B, C and D cover only side points.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) A. The Assertion is true because creativity is not limited to great geniuses. The Reason is true and explains it: since creativity is a social process, it grows through ordinary people learning from and collaborating with one another.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) inexhaustible (paragraph 1: 'the most inexhaustible one').

    1 mark

  4. (iv) The study shows creative thinking falling steeply with age. About 98% of 3–5 year olds show creative thinking, but only 10% of 13–15 year olds do. Among 25 year olds it is a mere 2%, so adulthood erodes innate creativity.

    2 marks

  5. (v) social

    1 mark

  6. (vi) Apart from arts and culture, creativity thrives in science and technology (and in rapidly revitalizing cities).

    1 mark

  7. (vii) About thirty-three percent of citizens engage their creative faculties in tasks that use their talents as artists, musicians, writers, techies, innovators, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, journalists or educators (any one).

    1 mark

  8. (viii) The passage is optimistic: creativity itself is not in danger, as it is flourishing in science, technology, arts and cities. It adds that we still have a long way to go to build a truly creative society that supports and rewards everyone's creativity.

    2 marks

Answer: (i) A; (ii) A; (iii) inexhaustible; (iv) 98% at 3–5 years falls to 10% at 13–15 and 2% at 25; (v) social; (vi) science and technology; (vii) any one creative occupation, e.g. arts, music, writing, innovation; (viii) creativity is not in danger, but a society that rewards everyone's creativity is yet to be built

Where the marks are

  • (i) Correct option A (1 mark)
  • (ii) Correct option A (1 mark)
  • (iii) 'inexhaustible' (1 mark)
  • (iv) Any two figures/trends from the study (1+1 marks)
  • (v) 'social' (1 mark)
  • (vi) Science and technology (1 mark)
  • (vii) Any one valid creative field (1 mark)
  • (viii) Future is not in danger (1) and a truly creative society must still be built that rewards creativity (1)

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 2/6/1: 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.