Skip to content

Read the given extracts and… (Class 10 English 2026, Q7a)

questionbuddy.in/q/cbse-10-english-2026-2-4-1-q7a-extracts-sit-inside-doors-open

EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2026, set 2/4/1 · 5 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 10 English 2026: question 7(a)

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2026, paper 2/4/1, section C, 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 Trees

Read the given extracts and answer the questions for any ONE of the two given. I sit inside, doors open to the veranda / writing long letters / in which I scarcely mention the departure / of the forest from the house. / The night is fresh, the whole moon shines / in a sky still open / the smell of leaves and lichen / still reaches like a voice into the rooms. (Trees)

  1. (i)

    Comment on the portrayal of the narrator in the given extract.

    2 marks
  2. (ii)

    Complete the following suitably: The trees’ movement from the house to the forest, reflect the broader theme of _______.

    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    What has the poet hardly mentioned in her letter?

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    What kind of atmosphere is created through the given extract? Select the correct option(s): 1. nostalgia 2. serenity 3. detachment 4. loss 5. joy

    1. (A)1 and 4
    2. (B)Only 2
    3. (C)1, 2 and 3
    4. (D)2 and 5
    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 2/4/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Look at what the narrator does and notices: she sits quietly and senses the night.

Hint 2

Ask what the trees gain by going back to the forest.

Hint 3

For the atmosphere, decide which feelings are calm and positive.

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) The narrator is calm, reflective and observant. She sits quietly indoors writing long letters, yet notices the fresh night, the moon and the smell of leaves and lichen. She is also hopeful, since she is at peace with the forest's departure.

    2 marks

  2. (ii) The trees' movement from the house to the forest reflects the broader theme of liberation / desire for freedom and independence (breaking away from confinement and patriarchal restraint).

    1 mark

  3. (iii) She has hardly mentioned the departure of the forest from the house, that is, the trees moving back to the forest.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) The atmosphere is peaceful (2 serenity) and happy (5 joy). Nothing suggests nostalgia, loss or detachment. Option (D).

    1 mark

Answer: (i) calm, reflective, observant, hopeful narrator; (ii) liberation/freedom and independence; (iii) the departure of the forest from the house; (iv) D

Where the marks are

  • Two valid traits of the narrator, such as reflective, calm, observant or hopeful, with support (2 marks)
  • Theme: liberation/independence (1 mark)
  • Departure of the forest from the house (1 mark)
  • Option D, 2 and 5 (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: The Trees (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from The Trees, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 2/4/1: 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.