ICSE Class 10th English Literature Exam 2024 : Most Important Question with Solution for Last-Minute Revision

Question 1 - Choose the correct answers to the questions from the given options

(Do not copy the question, write the correct answers only.)

(i) What does Shylock demand from Antonio?

(a) A pound of flesh
(b) Six thousand ducats
(c) An apology
(d) compassion

Ans: (a) A pound of flesh

(ii) What does Portia ask for when Bassanio steps up to take the casket test?

(a) A banquet
(b) Music to be played
(c) A garland
(d) Applause

Ans: (b) Music to be played

(iii) What does Portia mean when she tells Bassanio, ‘… I am lock’d in one of them:’?

(a) That she was locked in a cell and unable to escape.
(b) That she was a prisoner in her father’s house.
(c) That her portrait lay hidden in one of the caskets.
(d) That she was bound firmly by her promise to her father.

Ans: (c) That her portrait lay hidden in one of the caskets.

(iv) Which of the following lines contains the same literary device as the one in Wordsworth, “Ten thousand saw I at a glance,”

(a) A hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze;
(b) A fair breeze blow, the white foam flew The furrow followed free,
(c) Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing
(d) Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me —

Ans: (a) A hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes and on thy forehead gaze;

(v) Why does a quarrel break out between Nerissa and Gratiano in the final Act of ‘The Merchant of Venice’?

(a) Gratiano admits that he had given away the ring which Nerissa had given to him.
(b) Nerissa admits that she had accompanied Portia to Venice disguised as a lawyer’s clerk.
(c) Gratiano is annoyed with Nerissa for giving away his ring to a stranger in Venice.
(d) Nerissa is angry with Gratiano for leaving for Venice on the very day they were married.

Ans: (a) Gratiano admits that he had given away the ring which Nerissa had given to him.

(vi) How does Lorenzo recognize Portia even before he sees her when the two young women return from Venice?

(a) by the clothes she wears
(b) by the sound of her voice
(c) by the perfume she wears
(d) by her touch

Ans: (b) by the sound of her voice

(vii) Which of the following statements is NOT true of Sibia?

(a) She had long golden hair
(b) She had to work hard from her early years
(c) She was twelve years old
(d) She had no money to buy glass beads at the bazaar

Ans: (a) She had long golden hair

(viii) What had the little match girl’s grandmother told her about falling stars?

(a) When a star falls, a soul goes up to God.
(b) If she made a wish when she saw a star fall, her wish would come true.
(c) A falling star meant that it would be a cold winter.
(d) When a star falls, an angel dies.

Ans: (a) When a star falls, a soul goes up to God.

(ix) Choose the option that lists the sequence of events in the correct order.

1. Joe sighed in relief - he realised that this meant his wife no longer resented Maggie's presence.
2. After supper, Joe went to the bedroom where Maggie lay waiting.
3. Joe looked in through the window and saw Maggie in conversation with his wife Jane.
4. He entered the house noisily and Jane hurried into the kitchen to make him his supper.

(a) 1, 2, 3, 4
(b) 2, 4, 1, 3
(c) 1, 3, 2, 4
(d) 3, 1, 4, 2

Ans: (c) 1, 3, 2, 4

(x) Select the option that shows the correct relationship between statements (1) and (2) from All Summer in a Day.

1. One day, while in the school shower room, Margot had clutched her hands to her ears and covered her head, screaming and refusing to let the water touch her.
2. Margot realised that she was different from the others and that the children knew this difference and stayed away.

(a) 1 is the cause for 2
(b) 1 is an example of 2
(c) 1 is independent of 2
(d) 1 is a contradiction of 2

Ans: (b) 1 is an example of 2

(xi) At the running broad jump trials Jesse Owens exclaims, “Did I come 3000 miles for this?” Which of the following words best describes Jesse’s mood?

(a) envious
(b) frustrated
(c) confused
(d) thwarted

Ans: (b) frustrated

(xii) The fickle-mindedness of his followers made the central character in Browning’s poem The Patriot feel _________ .

1. ambitious
2. disillusioned
3. bitter
4. optimistic

(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 1

Ans: (b) 2 and 3

(xiii) What is the caged bird in Maya Angelou’s poem, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ blinded by?

(a) Her narrow cage
(b) Her rage
(c) The sun’s orange rays
(d) Her fears of the unknown

Ans: (b) Her rage

(xiv) What was Abou Ben Adhem doing when the angel appeared in his room one night?

(a) writing in a book of gold
(b) sleeping soundly
(c) walking in the moonlight
(d) asking questions

Ans: (b) sleeping soundly

(xv) What special human quality does the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’ celebrate?

(a) rivalry
(b) jealousy
(c) empathy
(d) selfishness

Ans: (c) empathy

DRAMA
(The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)

Question 2 - Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Bassanio: A gentle scroll. —-- Fair lady, by your leave; [Kissing her]
I come by note, to give and to receive.
Like one of two contending in a prize,
That thinks he has done well in people’s eyes
Hearing applause and universal shout
Giddy in spirit, still gazing in a doubt
Whether those peals of praise be his or no;

(i) Where did Bassanio find the ‘gentle scroll’? What ‘prize’ had Bassanio just won?

Ans: Bassanio found the ‘gentle scroll’ in the leaden casket from which he found the portrait of fair Portia. His winning of the hand of Portia was the ‘prize’ for Bassanio as so many suitors were trying to win her hand.

(ii) Explain why Bassanio said he felt ‘Giddy in spirit, still gazing in a doubt’.

Ans: Bassanio felt ‘giddy in spirit, still gazing in doubt’ as he thought that he was one of two competitors for a prize who thought he had done well in the eyes of spectators, looking around in some doubt as to whether those shouts of applause were for him or not. He was still in doubt whether he had really won the fair lady Portia.

(iii) Soon thereafter, Portia gives Bassanio a ring as a token of her love. What does this gift symbolise?

Ans: Portia gave Bassanio a ring as a token of her affection. The gift symbolized their mutual trust and love for each other. If ever he parted with the ring or lost it or gave it away, this would mean that his love for her was dead and she would accuse him of the breach of trust.

(iv) What assurance does Bassanio give her while accepting this gift?

Ans: Bassanio assured Portia that he would never part with the ring she had given him. Giving her an assurance of his love, he told her that he would keep the ring secure on his finger. It would go only after his life was no more. That is, he would keep it as long as he lived.

(v) What does Portia urge Bassanio to do when she learns that his friend Antonio is in trouble? What aspect of her character do her words reveal?

Ans: Portia urged Bassanio to leave for Venice at once and take as much gold and money he needed to return the borrowed money to Antonio. In no case should such a good friend come to trouble; This shows Portia’s compassionate heart and generous nature to help someone in distress.

Question 3 - Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Shylock: Shall I not have barely my principal?
Portia: Thou shalt have nothing but the forfeiture,
To be so cut taken at thy peril, Jew

(i) What is the ‘forfeiture’ Portia mentions? How will it prove perilous for Shylock?

Ans: Portia is saying in this quotation from Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” that Shylock will not receive his principal amount of money, but just the forfeiture, which is the punishment for failing to comply with the conditions of the loan agreement.

(ii) What does Portia go on to tell Shylock about the laws of Venice, as applicable for a foreigner?

Ans: Portia goes on to tell him that if a foreigner (in this case, Shylock) kills or attempts to kill a Venetian citizen (Antonio), the victim gets to claim half of the foreigner’s property, and the state claims the other half.

(iii) How does Gratiano mock Shylock at this point?

Ans: How does Gratiano respond to the proceedings? He mocks Shylock through out the proceedings, once Portia shows the loop whole Gratiano says “Daniel” so he is mocking Shylock

(iv) What ‘mercy’ does the Duke now offer to Shylock?

Ans: Portia orders Shylock to beg for the duke’s mercy. The duke declares that he will show mercy: he spares Shylock’s life and demands only a fine, rather than half of the Jew’s estate. Shylock claims that they may as well take his life, as it is worthless without his estate.

(v) How does Shylock react to the Duke’s decision on his punishment? What are your feelings for Shylock at this point in the play? Give reasons.

Ans: When the duke asks Shylock how he expects to receive mercy when he offers none, Shylock replies that he has no need for mercy, as he has done nothing wrong. Just as the slave-owning Christians of Venice would refuse to set their human property free, Shylock will not relinquish the pound of flesh that belongs to him.

PROSE - SHORT STORIES (Treasure Trove – A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories)

Question 4 - Read the extract from Ray Bradbury’s short story, ‘All Summer in a Day’ given below and answer the questions that follow:

The girl standing in the open, held out her hand
“Oh look, look,” she said, trembling.
They came slowly to look at her opened palm.
In the center of it, cupped and huge, was a single raindrop. She began to cry,
looking at it. They glanced quietly at the sun.
“Oh. Oh”

(i) How old were ‘they’? Where were they living? What had they been doing until the girl called their attention to the raindrop?

Ans: The narrator was twelve and his brother fourteen year old and they lived in a small village.

(ii) Mention any three ways in which their lives on this planet differed from life on earth.

Ans: The everyday life on this planet differs from life on Earth because it is continuously raining on Venus for seven years due to the dense clouds. The Sun is visible only once in seven years, and that also only for an hour or two. The people there lived underground because of the water on the ground everywhere.

(iii) Why does the girl begin to cry when she looks at the raindrop?

Ans: The girls started wailing when she felt a raindrop in her cupped hands. And looking at that raindrop she started crying since she could realise the end of their brief summer in their life. They realised that it would start raining again. Soon the sun faded away behind the stir of mist. Their smiles had vanished as a cold wind began to blow.

(iv) Describe the dramatic change in the weather immediately after the raindrop fell.

Ans: After rain drop fell weather change dramatically, the sun faded behind the mist and a cold wind started with a bloom of thunder and lightning began while sky became dark as mid night. after that the sound of heavy downpour resumed and its sound like vast avalanche.

(v) What feelings do ‘they’ experience at the end of the story? What had they done earlier that made them feel this way?

Ans: At the end of story Children felt guilty themselves. They have locked the Margot in the closest out of jealously and not allowed to her to see the sun. Such made them feel these way.

Question 5 - Read the following extract by Jesse Owens from ‘My Greatest Olympic Prize’, and answer the questions that follow:

An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you. I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the take-off board for a foul.

(i) When and where is this story set? What reason does the narrator, Jesse Owens, give for the heightened nationalistic feelings at this time?

Ans: This story is set in the time of the Berlin Olympic Games of 1936. Because Hitler childishly insisted that his performers were members of a ‘master race’, heightened nationalistic feelings at this time were at an all-time high.

(ii) In which event had Owens been confident of winning a gold medal? Why?

Ans: Jessie Owens gained, sweated and disciplined himself for six years. He had already made a world record in the long jump in the last year. So he expected to win the gold medal easily this time.

(iii) What had made Owens angry enough to make mistakes?

Ans: At the time of broad-jump trials, Jessie Owens was started to see a tall boy hitting the .pit at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps Jessie felt angry when he was told that Hitler had kept him under wraps obviously to win the jump with.hirn. Jessie was disturbed to think if Luz Long won, it would add some new support to the Nazis’ Aryan-superiority theory. Jessie was so disturbed that he made mistakes in his trial jumps.

(iv) Name Owens’ rival who approached him at this point?

Ans: Luz Long, a German, was Jessie Owens’ rival. On noticing Jessie Owens feeling disgusted, Luz Long counseled Jessie to focus on the jump by giving him a valuable tip. He said to Jessie, “Why don’t you draw a line a few inches in back of the board and aim at making your take off there?”

(v) How did the two athletes perform in the finals? What does Jesse Owens consider his ‘Greatest Olympic Prize’? Why?

Ans: The two athletes gave their best possible performance in the finals. They improved upon their previous records. As it turned out, Luz broke his own past record. But in doing so, he pushed Owens on to peak performance. When Owens won the medal, Long congratulated him by shaking his hand with him, without bothering about having to face the wrath of Hitler. To Jessie Owens, the greatest Olympic prize was not a gold medal but his new and noble friendship with Luz Long. He was happy to learn that the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.

Question 6 - Read the following extract from the poem ‘Abou Ben Adem’ by Leigh Hunt and answer the questions that follow:

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace

(i) What did Abou Ben Adhem see when woke from a deep sleep one night?

Ans: One night when Adhem was awakened from a deep dream of peace, he saw that his room was filled with moonlight making it appear rich and bright like a lily in bloom. He also saw an angel writing something in a book of gold. A deep dream of peace shows his meditative state of mind.

(ii) What did Abou Ben Adhem ask the angel? What was the angel’s response?

Ans: He asked the angel what he wrote. The angel replied that he was writing the names of those who loved God, but Abou’s name was not there. Abou requested the angel to write his name in the list of those who loved their fellowmen. The next night the angel come again and showed Abou the names of those whom God had blessed.

(iii) What did Abou request the angel to do when he learnt that his name did not appear among the names of those who loved the Lord? What does this reveal to us of Abou Ben Adhem's character?

Ans: Abou requested the angel to write his name as one who loved his fellowmen. The angel did so and vanished.

(iv) When and how did the angel appear to Abou Ben Adhem again? What did the angel show Abou this time?

Ans: The next night the angel come again and showed Abou the names of those whom God had blessed. Abou was surprised to see that his name was written on top. In these lines the poet tells us that one night Abou Ben Adhem awoke from a peaceful dream and saw an angel in his room.

(v) What does the poet mean by ‘May his tribe increase!’? Why do you think he says this? What is the central message of the poem?

Ans: The phrase, ‘may his tribe increase,’ means that may the number of good people like Abou Ben Adhem increase in this selfish and wicked world. The narrator wants more and more people like ben adhem . He want people to love his fellowmen just like ben adhem does. The narrator, through his poem has shown great respect and admiration to abou ben adhem.

Question 7 - Read the extract from David Roth’s poem, ‘Nine Gold Medals’ given below and answer the questions that follow:

And the banner above and nine smiling faces
Said more than these words ever will
Said more than these words ever will.

(i) What was ‘special’ about the athletes who were participating in this Sports Meet? What special quality of theirs does the poem celebrate?

Ans: In the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’, poet David Roth has highlighted the display of emotions of nine runners who participated in the Special Olympics. The athletes had come to participate in the ‘Special Olympics’ meant for differently-abled persons. They were determined to win the hundred-yard race.

The poem celebrates the human quality of true sportsmanship and empathy for the fallen athlete.

(ii) Which race was the highlight of the day? What was the signal that the athletes waited for? How many athletes participated in this race?

Ans: The last event of the day was the hundred-metre race. Nine young athletes were participating in this event. They were well-poised, waiting for the pistol shot as a starting signal of the special Olympics. Halfway through the race the youngest athlete stumbled and fell down on the tracks.

(iii) How does the poet describe the state of mind of the athletes as they lined up for the race? Who won the race?

Ans: The poet says that he is sure that what he witnessed was true as he was telling the readers about the incident. The runner who fell down uttered a moaning cry of frustration and sadness. He had fallen in the race and his dream of winning the race was shattered.

(iv) If you had to give this poem an alternate title, what would you call it? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans: I would give an alternative title for the  poem lines composed in a wood on a windy day as ” The winds of the breeze ” because here the narrator of the poem is trying to explain on how the whether on that day looked like which is windy caused by the breeze and how the wind from the breeze effected the environment around her like the grass, the trees, the earth and the ocean. Basically the narrator is talking about the winds of the breeze.

(v) Give a brief account of what happened after the youngest athlete fell to the ground. Why do you think the author use the word ‘strange’ to describe the behaviour of the athletes?

Ans: The youngest athlete dreamt of winning a medal in the Special Olympics. However, when he fell down on his knees to the ground, he felt all of his dreams and efforts of winning the medal were shattered and his hopes were dashed. He had trained hard but did not get the opportunity to show his talent.

Nine gold medals summary encourages human compassion and cooperation. It draws inspiration from the nine differently-abled athletes in a Special Olympic event. Further, it is about a race which takes place between these runners.