Maharashtra SSC English (Second/Third Language) Practice Paper 1 with Answers | Class 10

Q.1 (A) Do as directed (Attempt any four) : (8 marks)

(1) Complete the following words by using correct letters : (2) (i) kn_wledge (ii) bea_tiful (iii) sci_nce (iv) gove_nment

(2) Put the following words in alphabetical order : (2) (i) mirror, market, monkey, melody. (ii) bright, brush, brain, broad.

(3) Punctuate the following : (2) (i) mother asked me have you finished your homework (ii) what a lovely garden this is

(4) Make four words (minimum of three letters each) using the letters in the word : (2) ‘Independence’

(5) Write the related words as shown in the example : (2) [Web diagram: centre box “Speak”; the related word “Politely” is printed in a box above it; four blank boxes are joined to the centre, one each at the top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right.]

(6) Complete the word-chain of ‘Nouns’. Add four words, each beginning with the last letter of the previous word : (2) garden → ................ → ................ → ................ → ................

Q.1 (B) Do as directed : (2 marks)

(1) Attempt any one : (1) (a) Make a meaningful sentence by using the phrase : ‘in spite of’ OR (b) Add a clause to the following sentence to expand it meaningfully : She smiled.

(2) Attempt any one : (1) (a) Add a prefix or suffix to make new words : (i) honest (ii) comfort. OR (b) Make a meaningful sentence using any one of the following words : (i) honest (ii) comfort.

Q.2 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities : (10 marks)

(The passage is an original account written on the subject of the lesson ‘Unbeatable Super Mom – Mary Kom’.)

A1. Complete the following sentences : (2) (i) Mary Kom’s parents were .................... (ii) The boxer who inspired Mary was .................... (iii) Her father learnt about her boxing from .................... (iv) In 2012 she won ....................

Mary Kom grew up in Kangathei, a small village in the Churachandpur district of Manipur. Her parents were poor farmers, and as the eldest child she helped them in the fields and looked after her younger brothers and sisters. At school she loved sports, especially athletics.

In 1998 a boxer from Manipur, Dingko Singh, won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Bangkok. His victory inspired Mary to take up boxing. She trained hard, but she kept it a secret from her father, who feared that she might get hurt. He came to know about it only when he saw her photograph in a newspaper after she had won the state boxing championship in 2000.

In 2005 she married Onler Kom, and in 2007 she became the mother of twin sons. Many people thought that her boxing career was over. With her husband’s support, however, she returned to the ring and won her fourth world title in 2008. In 2012 she won a bronze medal at the London Olympics and became the first Indian woman boxer to win an Olympic medal. In 2018 she won her sixth world title in New Delhi. Because she reached the top of her sport while bringing up her children, people proudly call her a ‘super mom’.

A2. Complete the following web : (2) [Web diagram: centre box “Mary Kom’s achievements”; four blank boxes joined to it.]

A3. Find from the passage the words which mean : (2) (i) motivated (ii) something kept hidden (iii) help (iv) came back

A4. Do as directed : (2) (i) His victory inspired Mary to take up boxing. (Change into the passive voice) (ii) She won a bronze medal at the London Olympics. (Frame a ‘Wh’ type question to get the underlined part as an answer)

A5. Personal Response : (2) ‘Hard work and the support of the family help us to achieve our dreams.’ Explain in 3/4 sentences.

Q.2 (B) Read the following passage and do the activities : (10 marks)

(The passage is an original account of the life of Joan of Arc, the heroine of the lesson ‘Joan of Arc’.)

B1. Rewrite and state whether the following sentences are ‘True or False’ : (2) (i) Joan was born in a rich family in Paris. (ii) Joan heard voices which she believed were those of saints. (iii) The English freed the city of Orléans. (iv) In 1920 the Church made Joan a saint.

Joan of Arc was born around 1412 in Domrémy, a village in north-eastern France. She was the daughter of a peasant farmer and never learnt to read or write. At that time France was losing a long war against England, and the English controlled a large part of the north of the country.

When she was about thirteen, Joan began to hear voices which she believed were those of saints. The voices told her to drive the English out and to see that Charles, the uncrowned prince, was crowned king. In 1429, when she was only about seventeen, she persuaded Charles to give her armour and a horse. Dressed like a soldier, she led the French troops to Orléans, a city which the English had surrounded for months, and freed it in just nine days. Soon after that, Charles was crowned King Charles VII at Reims, and Joan stood beside him.

In 1430 she was captured by the Burgundians, who were on the side of the English, and handed over to the English. She was tried at Rouen and found guilty. On 30th May 1431, when she was about nineteen, she was burnt at the stake. Twenty-five years later a new trial declared her innocent, and in 1920 the Church made her a saint. Today she is remembered as a symbol of courage and faith.

B2. Give reasons for the following : (2) Joan of Arc is remembered as a symbol of courage because ............ (i) ........................................................ (ii) ........................................................

B3. Write antonyms from the extract : (2) (i) guilty × .................... (ii) released × .................... (iii) south × .................... (iv) old × ....................

B4. Do as directed : (2) (i) Joan was only about seventeen. She led the French troops. (Combine the sentences using ‘Though’) (ii) Choose the correct ‘passive voice’ of : The Church made her a saint. (The options are given in the next question.)

B5. Personal Response : (2) Which quality of Joan of Arc would you like to have? Why?

Q.2 (B) B4. (ii) Choose the correct ‘passive voice’ of : The Church made her a saint.

Q.3 (A) Read the following summary of the poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and do the activities : (5 marks)

(The poem by Robert Frost is in your textbook and is not reproduced here. The summary below is original.)

The speaker is travelling alone on horseback on the darkest evening of the year. He stops between a wood and a frozen lake to watch the woods fill up with falling snow. He thinks that the owner of the woods lives in the village and will not see him stopping there. His little horse finds it strange to stop where there is no farmhouse near, and it shakes its harness bells as if to ask whether there is some mistake. The only other sounds are the sweep of a gentle wind and the soft fall of snowflakes. The speaker finds the woods lovely and feels like staying, but he remembers that he has promises to keep and a long way to go before he can sleep.

One line from the poem : “The woods are lovely, dark and deep”

A1. Write whether the following sentences are ‘True’ or ‘False’ : (2) (i) The speaker stops near the woods on the darkest evening of the year. (ii) The owner of the woods watches the speaker. (iii) The horse shakes its harness bells. (iv) The speaker decides to spend the night in the woods.

A2. Complete the following web : (2) [Web diagram: centre box “What the speaker sees or hears near the woods”; four blank boxes joined to it.]

A3. Name the figure of speech in the line : (1) “The woods are lovely, dark and deep”

Q.3 (B) Appreciation of the poem : (5 marks)

Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the points given below :

The Old Banyan Tree

At the edge of the village the old tree stands,
Holding the sky in its hundred hands;
Its roots hang down like an old man’s beard,
And it shelters all, the loved and the feared.

The weary farmer, the wandering goat,
The sparrow trying its morning note,
The children who swing from its roots and play —
It turns not a single one away.

It asks no money, it wants no praise,
It spreads its shade through the burning days;
O let me grow as the years go by
Like the banyan, generous, rooted and high.

— (an original poem written for this practice paper)

Points : Title (½) • Name of the poet (½) • Rhyme scheme (1) • Figure of speech (any one) (1) • Theme/Central idea (in 2/3 lines) (2).

Q.4 (A) Read the following passage and do the activities : (10 marks)

A1. Complete the following sentences from the passage : (2) (i) Dr Kalam was born on .................... (ii) His birthplace was .................... (iii) As a boy, to help his family, he .................... (iv) He became the President of India in ....................

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. His father owned a boat, and the family was not rich, so young Kalam distributed newspapers to help at home. After school he studied physics at St Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, and then aeronautical engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology.

In 1969 he moved to the Indian Space Research Organisation, where he became the project director of SLV-3, India’s first indigenous satellite launch vehicle. In July 1980 it placed the Rohini satellite in orbit. Later, at the Defence Research and Development Organisation, he led the programme that developed missiles such as Agni and Prithvi, which earned him the title ‘Missile Man of India’. He also played a key role in the Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998.

He received the Bharat Ratna in 1997 and served as the eleventh President of India from 2002 to 2007. Children loved him because he always asked them to dream big and work hard. He died on 27th July 2015 while he was delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.

A2. Rearrange the following events as per their occurrence in the passage : (2) (i) Dr Kalam became the President of India. (ii) Dr Kalam studied at the Madras Institute of Technology. (iii) SLV-3 placed the Rohini satellite in orbit. (iv) Dr Kalam received the Bharat Ratna.

A3. Match the synonyms : (2) [Match the columns — A : (i) home-grown (ii) handed out (iii) important (iv) created; B : (a) key (b) developed (c) indigenous (d) distributed.]

A4. Do as directed : (2) (i) Dr Kalam was born at Rameswaram. [Frame a ‘Wh’ type question to get the underlined part as an answer] (ii) Children loved him. (Add a question tag)

A5. Personal Response : (2) Who is your role model? Why?

Q.4 (B) Summary Writing : (5 marks)

Read the passage given in Q. No. 4(A) and write a summary of it. Suggest a suitable title to the summary.

Q.5 (A) A1. Informal Letter : (5 marks) (alternative to A2)

Suppose you are Aditya/Aditi Patil from 12, “Shanti Kunj”, Kothrud, Pune. Read the following advertisement and write a letter to your friend inviting him/her to take part in the cycle rally with you. Make use of the points in the advertisement. You may add your own points.

[Advertisement : “PEDAL FOR A GREEN CITY” — Cycle Rally 2026; Date : Sunday, 15th March 2026; Time : 7 a.m.; Starting point : Shaniwar Wada, Pune; Distance : 10 km; Open to all above 12 years; Free T-shirt and certificate to every rider; Helmet compulsory; Register before 10th March 2026; Organised by : Green Earth Club, Pune; For registration and enquiry : The Secretary, Green Earth Club, Tilak Road, Pune; greenearth@xyz.com]

Q.5 (A) A2. Formal Letter : (5 marks) (alternative to A1)

Suppose you are Aditya/Aditi Patil from 12, “Shanti Kunj”, Kothrud, Pune. Read the following advertisement and write a letter to the Secretary, Green Earth Club, requesting him/her to register a group of 20 students of your school for the rally. Ask about the safety arrangements on the route. You may add your own points.

[Advertisement : “PEDAL FOR A GREEN CITY” — Cycle Rally 2026; Date : Sunday, 15th March 2026; Time : 7 a.m.; Starting point : Shaniwar Wada, Pune; Distance : 10 km; Open to all above 12 years; Free T-shirt and certificate to every rider; Helmet compulsory; Register before 10th March 2026; Organised by : Green Earth Club, Pune; For registration and enquiry : The Secretary, Green Earth Club, Tilak Road, Pune; greenearth@xyz.com]

Q.5 (B) B1. Dialogue writing : (5 marks) (alternative to B2)

(a) Prepare a dialogue from the jumbled sentences : (1) (i) I want to become a doctor. (ii) What do you want to become in future? (iii) Because I want to treat poor patients in villages. (iv) Why have you chosen that profession?

(b) Complete the following dialogue : (1) A : Which book are you reading these days? B : ...................................................................... A : Why do you like it? B : ......................................................................

(c) Write a dialogue between a student and the school librarian about ‘The habit of reading’. (3) (Write minimum three meaningful exchanges)

Q.5 (B) B2. Drafting a speech : (5 marks) (alternative to B1)

Imagine that you are going to deliver a speech on ‘Save Water, Save Life’ in the morning assembly on World Water Day. Write a speech using the following points : Water is essential for all life. • Causes of water shortage. • Simple ways to save water at home and school. • Add your own points.

Q.6 (A) A1. Information Transfer — Non-verbal to verbal : (5 marks) (alternative to A2)

Read the information given in the following table. Write two paragraphs based on it. Give a suitable title to it :

[Table with two columns — “Mobile phone : Uses for students” : (i) Online classes and study material. (ii) Quick contact with parents in an emergency. (iii) Learning apps and dictionaries. (iv) Information about exams and results. | “Mobile phone : Harmful effects” : (1) Waste of time on games and videos. (2) Strain on the eyes and poor sleep. (3) Less outdoor play. (4) Risk of meeting strangers online.]

Q.6 (A) A2. Verbal to Non-verbal : (5 marks) (alternative to A1)

Read the information given below and represent it in the form of a tree-diagram. Give a suitable title to it :

People travel and carry goods by three main means of transport : land, water and air. On land we use roads and railways. Buses, cars and bicycles run on roads, while goods trains and passenger trains run on railways. Water transport is of two kinds : inland water transport on rivers and canals, which uses boats and barges, and sea transport, which uses large ships. Air transport is the fastest; aeroplanes carry passengers over long distances, and helicopters reach hilly and remote areas. Each means has its own advantages.

[Tree diagram template : Title — blank box at the top; Types — three blank boxes; Sub-types — two blank boxes under each type; Examples — one line under each sub-type.]

Q.6 (B) B1. News Report : (5 marks) (alternative to B2)

Read the following headline and prepare a news report with the help of the given points : Headline • Dateline • Lead/Introduction • Short continuing paragraph.

[Headline in a cloud : “Students Plant 500 Saplings in Village Drive”]

Q.6 (B) B2. Develop a story : (5 marks) (alternative to B1)

Develop a story with the help of the given beginning. Suggest a suitable title : On my way back from school, I found a wallet lying on the road ...................................

Q.7 Translation : (5 marks)

(a) Translate the following words into your medium of instruction (any four) : (2) (1) Courage (2) Friendship (3) Library (4) Forest (5) Honest (6) Journey.

(b) Translate the following sentences into your medium of instruction (any two) : (2) (1) Always speak the truth. (2) Switch off the fan when you leave the room. (3) Plant trees around your house. (4) Respect your elders.

(c) Translate the following proverbs into your medium of instruction (any one) : (1) (1) Where there is a will, there is a way. (2) Practice makes a man perfect.