KARNATAKA ICSE SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION

ICSE STD. X Preparatory Examination 2025

Subject – ENGLISH LANGUAGE – PAPER 1

Duration: 2 hrs Maximum Marks: 80 Date: 08.01.2025

[ANSWER KEY]
Question 1
[Do not spend more than 30 minutes on this question]
Write a composition in about 300-350 words on any ONE of the following: [20]
(i) You have recently been to a holiday resort and found the service to be excellent. Describe your
experience at the resort, the surroundings, its natural beauty, the games you played and what you
liked best in and around the resort.
Words of sight and sound must form the main body of this composition – a clear description
of the sights and sounds – what was liked best in and around the resort.

(ii) Narrate an incident in detail where you found yourself in great difficulty when a miracle helped
you come out of it.
A first-person account that has to be narrated from within the plausible experience of a Class
X student – a clear description of the difficulty experienced and the miracle that helped solve
the difficulty.

(iii) Home food can never replace hotel food or fast food. Give your views either for OR against the
statement.
Views either for or against to be accepted – a clear stand to be taken with convincing
justifications and illustrations.

(iv) Write an original short story which begins with: It happened that at dusk we were passing the
deserted house when …………...
Story must be original – not to fall back on a borrowed theme.

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(v) Study the picture given below. Write a story or an account of what the picture suggests to you.
Your composition may be directly about the subject of the picture or you may take suggestions
from it but there must be some clear connection between the picture and the composition.

A wide interpretation will be accepted – any relevant ideas taken from the picture should
be accepted – however, a mere itemization / listing / description of the picture is to be
avoided.

Question 2
[Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this question]
Attempt any ONE of the following: [10]
(i) An open space in your locality used by the children as a playground is being turned into a
rubbish dump. Write a letter to the Mayor of your city pointing out the nuisance, the danger and
the health hazards of this. Request that action be taken to stop this immediately.
Formal Letter
Marking scheme: 3 +2 + 5
Format: 3 marks
Content: Nuisance + Danger + Health hazard + 1 Suggestion.
(½) + (½) + (½) + (½)
Language and Expression: 5 marks.

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(ii) You are a boarder in a different city. Write a letter to your mother describing a school concert
you are a part of. Describe your feelings, your learnings and the changes before and after the
concert.
Informal Letter
Format: 2.5
Content: feelings + learnings + changes before +Changes after
(½) + (½) + (½) + (½)
Language and Expression: 5 marks.

Question 3
(i) You are the School Sports Captain of your school. Write a Notice inviting students of Std IX
and X to give their names for various sports events to be held on the occasion of the Annual
Sports Day of your school. [5]
Notice Writing
Caption: 1
Event: 1
Date: ½
Time: ½
Venue: ½ + ½
Target audience: ½ + ½

(ii) Write an email to two famous sports players from your city to be the Guests of Honour at the
Sports Meet. [5]
E- Mail Writing
To address: ½
Subject: ½
Salutation: ½
Opening Sentence: ½
Body: 2
Closing Sentence: ½
Subscription and signature: ½

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Question 4
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
(i) For each of the words given below, choose the correct meaning (as used in the passage) from the
options provided: [2]
1. interjected (line 20)
(b) interrupted

2. fancy (line 23)

(d ) think

(ii) Which word in the passage is the opposite of sadly? [1]

(c) gaily

(iii) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:

(a) As per Jane, what important thing did she forget during the whole afternoon?
Ans: During the whole afternoon, the important thing she had forgotten the whole
afternoon was to take the dress pattern with her. (1)

(b) What response did Carrywood give to Jane’s enquiry?

Ans: To Jane’s enquiry, Lord Carrywood said it had been his fate to see ‘Lousie
thrice. /she had left cards with them that ‘noon’. (1+1)

(c) State in your words what happened at Selfridge’s.

Ans: At Selfridge’s: Jane thinks that she perhaps might have left and Louise at the
silk counter. / She might have told Louise to wait there for a moment while she went
to look at the silks in a better light / and may have forgotten about her / when she
(Jane) found she hadn’t Susan’s pattern with her. (½+½+½+½)

(d) What happened when Jane visited Mornay’s?

Ans: Malcolm gave her two theatre tickets, / which she believed she had probably left
them at Mornay’s. (1+1)

(e) Where was Louise? What was she doing there?

Ans: Louise had been upstairs al the afternoon, / reading the Faerie Queens to Emma,
the second kitchen - maid. (1+1)

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(iv) In not more than 50 words, summarise, in a grid format, Jane’s experiences at various stages. [8]
Points:
1. Absent minded Jane felt she was unusually clever for having called on people and
shopping.
2. At Harrods and Selfridge she tried matching the silk dress.
3. She realised that she had forgotten to take the pattern.
4. At Carrywoods, she had left behind the cards.
5. At Mornays, Malcolm gave her two theatre tickets.
6. She left behind the theatre tickets.

Question 5
(i) Fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not
copy the passage but write in correct serial order, the word or phrase appropriate to the blank
space. [4]
Example: (0) was pattering
Answers:

1) had been raining

2) was flooded

3) administration

4) rescuing

5) proved

6) were also engaged

7) to save

8) hit

(ii) Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word: - [4]

(a) on
(b) in
(c) out
(d) besides
(e) for

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 (f) by
(g) on
(h) in

(iii) Join the following pairs of sentences to make one complete sentence without using and, but or so.
Choose the correct option. [4]
1. Nicholas was not to join the party. He was in disgrace.
(c) Nicholas was not to join the party as he was in disgrace.

2. On Monday morning, they both arrived early. They both waited impatiently for the results.
(b) On Monday morning, they both having arrived early, waited impatiently for
the results.

3. Fanny cooked Willy dinner. They ate by a fire.

(d) Fanny cooked Willy dinner which they ate by a fire.

4. A Primus, is a little camping stove. You light it at the top.

(c) A Primus, is a little camping stove that you light at the top.

(iv) Choose the correct option to rewrite the following sentences according to the instructions given
after each sentence: [8]
1. He had never seen anything of this kind before.
(Begin with: It was the…………… )
(a) It was the first time he had seen something of this kind.

2. She spoke as though her heart was fluttering.

(Begin with: The manner ……………)
(b) The manner in which she spoke suggested that her heart was fluttering.

3. She always contradicted him.

(Begin with: There was ……………)
(a) There was never an occasion when she did not contradict him.

4. Anything that hinted at corruption always filled him with disgust.

(End with: …………… corruption.)
(b) He was always filled with disgust at anything that hinted at corruption.

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5. Katherine was a tall, fair – haired girl with splendid movements.
(Begin; Tall and …………….)
(b) Tall and fair – haired, Katherine was a girl with splendid movements.

6. The President said, “Long live our country!”

(Change the narration.)
(c) The President wished that their country lives long.

7. The Christmas night was intensely cold. Even Santa could not be on time for the party.
(Replace intensely with too.)
(a) The Christmas night was too cold for even Santa to be on time for the party.

8. It was probably the first time in twenty years that anyone had smiled in that lumber room.
(Begin: In ……………)
(c) In all probability, it was the first time in twenty years that anyone had smiled
in that lumber room.

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