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Read the given extract… (Class 10 English SQP 2025-26, Q7a)

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EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Sample paper, session 2025-26 · 5 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English sample paper 2025-26: question 7(a)

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2025-26, section D, question 7(a), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q7(a) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedThe Ball Poem

Read the given extract A and answer the questions.

A. He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.
(The Ball Poem)

  1. I

    What emotions are most appropriately conveyed by the phrase ‘desperate eyes’ and ‘epistemology of loss’? i) despair ii) anger iii) frustration iv) confusion v) helplessness. Select the correct option. A. i, iii B. i, iv, v C. ii, iii, iv D. iv, v

    1. (A)i, iii
    2. (B)i, iv, v
    3. (C)ii, iii, iv
    4. (D)iv, v
    1 mark
  2. II

    What does the phrase ‘how to stand up’ suggest about the boy’s emotional growth?

    2 marks
  3. III

    Which phrase from the extract conveys the poet's idea that loss is universal?

    1 mark
  4. IV

    Fill in the blank with a phrase to suitably complete the sentence. The loss of his ball symbolises _______ in life.

    1 mark

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2025-26.

Hints

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

Hint 1

For (I), decide which feelings suit a boy who is helpless and confused rather than angry.

Hint 2

For (II), ask what a person must learn to do after losing something precious.

Hint 3

For (III), look for the words that say many people share this experience.

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) Option B (i, iv, v). 'Desperate eyes' shows despair and helplessness, and 'epistemology of loss' shows the boy's confusion as he tries to understand loss. Anger and frustration do not fit, because he is accepting the loss rather than resisting it.

    1 mark

  2. (II) 'How to stand up' shows the boy learning to face the pain of loss and cope with it. It marks his emotional growth, because he begins to accept that grief is part of life and that he must recover and go on.

    2 marks

  3. (III) 'Most know' (from 'And most know many days'). It shows that loss is a universal experience.

    1 mark

  4. (IV) The loss of his ball symbolises the inevitable hardships / the first encounter with grief in life.

    1 mark

Answer: (I) B; (II) learning to face and cope with loss, which shows emotional growth; (III) 'most know'; (IV) the inevitable hardships / first encounter with grief

Where the marks are

  • Chooses option B, i, iv, v (1 mark)
  • Explains that 'how to stand up' means learning to confront and cope with loss (1 mark)
  • Links it to emotional growth, acceptance and recovery (1 mark)
  • Identifies 'most know' (1 mark)
  • Completes the blank with 'the inevitable hardships' or an equivalent (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: The Ball Poem (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from The Ball Poem, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paperSample paper 2025-26: 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.