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Answer any four of the following… (English 2025 2/6/1 Q8)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2025, set 2/6/1 · 12 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 10 English 2025: question 8

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2025, paper 2/6/1, section C, question 8, for 12 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q8 · 12 marks · Long answerThe Sermon at Benares

Answer any four of the following five questions in about 40-50 words.

  1. (i)

    "Not from weeping or from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary his pain will be greater and his body will suffer."
    Validate this preaching of Buddha with reference to the story 'A Sermon at Benares'. (A Sermon at Benaras)

    3 marks
  2. (ii)

    'The Ball Poem' deals with the undertones of loss and responsibility. How is the poem very relatable to our lives and what important message/s do we learn from it? (The Ball Poem)

    3 marks
  3. (iii)

    The story, 'Mijbil the Otter', has it all - emotions, humour, certain surprising incidents and the freshness of a new and unique type of story. Explain how Maxwell has highlighted these in his story. (Mijbil - The Otter)

    3 marks
  4. (iv)

    "He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards, he was no longer afraid." Describe the young seagull's feelings, emotions and experiences, just before this moment. (Two Stories about Flying)

    3 marks
  5. (v)

    The idea of beauty is a one-dimensional cultural conception or one that has been created by human beings themselves. Comment on the statement with reference to the conventional ideas of beauty in the poem 'For Anne Gregory'. (For Anne Gregory)

    3 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

Pick the four sub-parts you remember best from the lessons.

Hint 2

For each, note two points from the text and write them in 40-50 words.

Hint 3

Keep the sentences linked and clear so the expression mark is earned.

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) Buddha says that grief and weeping bring no peace. They only increase pain and make a person sick and pale. In the sermon, Kisa Gotami learns that death comes to every house, so one who seeks peace should pull out the arrow of lamentation and accept the truth.

    3 marks

  2. (ii) The poem shows a boy's grief at losing his ball. It teaches him his first lesson in responsibility. Everyone suffers losses, and we learn that nothing material is permanent. Money cannot replace the feeling of loss, but one must accept it and move on.

    3 marks

  3. (iii) Maxwell writes with emotion about his bond with Mijbil, who slept entangled with him, and his sadness at seeing him bleeding in the cage. There is humour in Mijbil splashing in the bathroom and causing chaos on the plane. People mistook him for a walrus or a squirrel. Mijbil also invented his own games, which keeps the story fresh.

    3 marks

  4. (iv) The young seagull was terrified of his first flight and of the vast sea below. He doubted that his wings would hold him. His family had left him alone. He stayed staring, hungry, because he could not fly to get food. Then, pushed by his mother's food and his own hunger, he leapt and found he could glide.

    3 marks

Answer: Any four sub-parts answered; (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) are shown above.

Where the marks are

  • Each sub-part: two relevant value points (2 marks) and expression (1 mark), 3 marks each for any four

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from The Sermon at Benares, 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.