Class 10 English Half-Yearly Exam 2025 – MCQ Questions with Answers
1. What did Lencho do throughout the morning?
(a) Watched the river
(b) Watched the sky
(c) Watched the field
(d) Watched the valley
Answer: (c) Watched the field
2. “….. continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.”
Give the meaning of “deprivation” from the given option.
(a) Being treated differently
(b) Freedom from restrictions
(c) State of one’s not having one’s rightful benefits
(d) Had a very low opinion of
Answer: (c) State of one’s not having one’s rightful benefits
3. Who wrote the poem “Amanda”?
A) Robert Frost
B) Walt Whitman
C) Robin Klein
D) William Blake
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Answer: C (Robin Klein) Lesson: Amanda)
4. Arrange the following according to the sequence in which they take place in the story “A Letter to God” by G.L. Fuentes.
(i) Lencho is devastated at the loss of his crops
(ii) Lencho appeals to God by writing a letter
(iii) A sudden hailstorm strikes Lencho’s field
(iv) Lencho’s field is ripe with the corn
(a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
(b) (iv), (iii), (i), (ii)
(c) (iv), (iii), (i), (ii)
(d) (iv), (i), (ii), (iii)
Answer: (b) (iv), (iii), (i), (ii)
5. Examine the Assertion and Reason Statements related to the story “Nelson Mandela” and choose the correct option:
Assertion (A): The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my people.
Reason (R): The policy of apartheid discriminates and separates people on the basis of race.
(a) Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true and ‘R’ is the correct reason for ‘A’
(b) Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true and ‘R’ is the incorrect reason for ‘A’
(c) ‘A’ is false and ‘R’ is true
(d) ‘A’ is true and ‘R’ is false
Answer: (a) Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true and ‘R’ is the correct reason for ‘A’
6. “A plague of Locusts would have left more than this…” With reference to the prose piece, A Letter to God by G.L. Fuentes.
Choose the meaning of the underlined word given below:
(a) Insects
(b) Flies
(c) Animals
(d) Birds
Answer: (a) Insects
7. In the poem, A Tiger in the Zoo, the line “stalking the length of his cage” means –
(a) A tiger runs to and fro in his cage
(b) A tiger walks slowly in his cage
(c) A tiger takes measure of his cage
(d) A tiger sees the length of his cage
Answer: (b) A tiger walks slowly in his cage
8. Which word given below means moving slowly in the poem Amanda?
(a) Slouching
(b) Drifting
(c) Blissfully
(d) Ignoring
Answer: (b) Drifting
9. “It’s really getting bad now!” – Why does the speaker in the context of A Letter to God say so in the quoted line?
(a) Because the rain destroyed the speaker’s fields
(b) Because the rain changed into hailstorm
(c) Because the rain did not pass quickly
(d) Because the rain did not pass quickly and transformed into hailstorm
Answer: (d) Because the rain did not pass quickly and transformed into hailstorm
10. The workers decided to form _______ union. Choose the correct option.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) one
Answer: (a) a
11. Read the following statements with reference to the prose piece Coorg.
Statement 1: The fiercely independent people of Coorg are possibly of Greek or Arabic descent.
Statement 2: The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army and the first Chief of the Indian Army General Cariappa was a Coorgi.
(a) Statement 1 is true and Statement 2 is false
(b) Statement 1 is false and Statement 2 is true
(c) Both the statements are false
(d) Both the statements are true
Answer: (d) Both the statements are true
12. Consider the statements ‘A’ and ‘B’ and choose the correct answer:
A: Nisargadhama is an island in Coorg.
B: Mahaseer is a large freshwater fish found in Coorg.
(a) ‘A’ is incorrect and ‘B’ is correct
(b) ‘A’ is correct and ‘B’ is incorrect
(c) Both ‘A’ and ‘B’ are correct
(d) Both ‘A’ and ‘B’ are incorrect
Answer: (c) Both ‘A’ and ‘B’ are correct
13. Read the following sentence with reference to the Poem Amanda and identify the figure of speech used:
“There is a languid, emerald sea where the sole inhabitant is me – a mermaid drifting blissfully.”
(a) Metaphor
(b) Alliteration
(c) Simile
(d) Repetition
Answer: (a) Metaphor
14. “My country is rich in ________.” In which the speaker’s country is rich in? (Hint: Nelson Mandela)
(a) Hills and rivers
(b) Agriculture
(c) Gems and minerals
(d) Forests and lakes
Answer: (c) Gems and minerals
15. According to the author of Coorg, the people of Coorg are possibly descendants of the ________ or the ________.
(a) Arabs and Afghans
(b) Africans and Greeks
(c) Africans and Afghans
(d) Arabs and Greeks
Answer: (d) Arabs and Greeks
16. Where is Coorg?
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Telangana
(c) Karnataka
(d) Kerala
Answer: (c) Karnataka
17. Match the following and choose the correct option:
A) Mahaseer – (i) Tibetan Monks
B) Canoeing – (ii) Adventure
C) Kuffia – (iii) Fish
D) Bylakuppe – (iv) Arab
Options:
(a) A–i, B–ii, C–iii, D–iv
(b) A–iii, B–ii, C–ii, D–iv
(c) A–iii, B–ii, C–iv, D–i
(d) A–iii, B–ii, C–i, D–iv
Answer: (c) A–iii, B–ii, C–iv, D–i
18. ‘Peso’ is the currency of –
(a) The USA
(b) Latin America
(c) Spain
(d) Australia
Answer: (c) Spain
19. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a ________. (Hint: A Letter to God)
(a) Heavy Rain
(b) Storm
(c) Hail
(d) Shower
Answer: (a) Heavy Rain
20. “I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone.”
Choose the word opposite to the underlined word in the quoted sentence from Long Walk to
Freedom:
(a) Reduced
(b) Diminished
(c) Increased
(d) Decreased
Answer: (c) Increased
21. What does the tiger’s ‘quiet rage’ signify in the Poem A Tiger in the Zoo?
(a) The tiger’s anger against the night sky
(b) The tiger’s acceptance of its fate
(c) The tiger’s plot to escape from the cage
(d) The tiger’s intense frustration at being locked in the cage
Answer: (d) The tiger’s intense frustration at being locked in the cage
22. “I was not born with a hunger to be free. I was born free – free in ________ what I could know.”
Fill in the blank using correct option.
(a) every
(b) some
(c) a
(d) many
Answer: (a) every
23. “My boyhood freedom was an illusion.” Choose the correct meaning of the underlined word in the context of Nelson Mandela:
(a) Something that is always real
(b) Something that is fake
(c) Something that appears to be real but is not
(d) Something that is a dream
Answer: (c) Something that appears to be real but is not
24. Read the following lines from A Tiger in the Zoo –
“He should be lurking in shadow,
Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.”
The tiger should lurk near the water hole to –
(a) Refresh itself
(b) Drink water
(c) Catch its prey
(d) Terrorise the villagers
Answer: (c) Catch its prey
25. In Coorg, which period of the year is referred to as the “Season of Joy”?
(a) September to February
(b) September to December
(c) September to March
(d) September to January
Answer: (b) September to December
26. How is the “silence” described according to the poem Amanda?
(a) Silver
(b) Golden
(c) Platinum
(d) Diamond
Answer: (b) Golden
27. In the poem Amanda, what is imagined for Amanda when she pictures herself in a tower?
(a) Mermaid
(b) Orphan
(c) Rapunzel
(d) None of these
Answer: (c) Rapunzel
28. “The structure they created formed the basis of one of the harshest, most inhumane societies the world has ever known.”
What structure is Mandela talking about with reference to prose piece Nelson Mandela?
(a) Oppression of women and the girl child
(b) Discrimination against the Poor and Lower Caste
(c) Racial domination against the black people
(d) Poverty and suffering of the black people
Answer: (c) Racial domination against the black people
29. Read the following two statements from The Midnight Visitor and choose the correct option:
Statement 1: In the story, Ausable’s presence of mind is more effective than physical strength.
Statement 2: The Midnight Visitor revolves around the lesson that one should not be judged by one’s appearances only.
(a) Statement 1 is true and Statement 2 is false
(b) Statement 1 is false and Statement 2 is true
(c) Both the statements are false
(d) Both the statements are true
Answer: (d) Both the statements are true
30. Read the following statements with reference to A Question of Trust and choose the correct option:
Statement 1: Horace Danby is a successful locksmith but has a hidden passion for rare books.
Statement 2: The story concludes with Horace Danby being caught by the police, while the woman escapes with jewels.
(a) Statement 1 is true and Statement 2 is false
(b) Statement 1 is false and Statement 2 is true
(c) Both the statements are true
(d) Both the statements are false
Answer: (c) Both the statements are true
31. Choose the correct tense form of the verb given in bracket to complete the sentence below:
“Bishal _____ (have) his lunch before he came here.”
(a) had
(b) had had
(c) has had
(d) will have
Answer: (b) had had
32. Is there any ________ in the bench? Choose the correct option to fill the blank.
(a) place
(b) room
(c) vacancy
(d) seat
Answer: (b) room
33. He gave away ______ money he had to the beggar. Fill in the blank using correct option.
(a) little
(b) a little
(c) the little
(d) very little
Answer: (c) the little
34. Identify the ‘tense’ of the following sentence: “It has been raining since morning.”
(a) Simple Present
(b) Present Continuous
(c) Present Perfect Continuous
(d) Present Perfect
Answer: (c) Present Perfect Continuous
35. Name the poetic device used in the line: “He stalks in his vivid stripes.” (Hint: A Tiger in the Zoo)
(a) Metaphor
(b) Assonance
(c) Consonance
(d) Oxymoron
Answer: (b) Assonance
36. She went to the ______ for an inspection. Choose the correct option to fill in the blank.
(a) Sight
(b) Cite
(c) Shite
(d) Site
Answer: (d) Site
37. Select the correct combination of the sentences for the given sentences: “He is not sincere. He is not honest.”
(a) He is not sincere and honest
(b) He is not only sincere but also honest
(c) He is neither sincere nor honest
(d) He is either sincere or honest
Answer: (c) He is neither sincere nor honest
38. With reference to A Tiger in the Zoo, the poem draws a contrast between ______ and ______.
(a) Animals, human beings
(b) Tiger in a zoo, humans
(c) Tiger in a zoo, tiger in a forest
(d) Humans, tiger in a forest
Answer: (c) Tiger in a zoo, tiger in a forest
39. Choose the correct combination of the sentences for the given sentences: “She is very intelligent. She can solve any problem.”
(a) She is very intelligent and she can solve any problem
(b) Since she is intelligent, she can solve any problem
(c) She is so intelligent that she can solve any problem
(d) She is very intelligent, so she can solve any problem
Answer: (c) She is so intelligent that she can solve any problem
40. The synonym for “reluctant” is –
(a) Eager
(b) Willing
(c) Hesitant
(d) Enthusiastic
Answer: (c) Hesitant
41. She ______ to the US next month. Choose the correct option.
(a) is going
(b) will go
(c) goes
(d) has gone
Answer: (a) is going
42. We ______ dinner when the doorbell rang.
(a) have
(b) were having
(c) had
(d) had had
Answer: (b) were having
43. I don’t have ______ time to waste.
(a) much
(b) many
(c) few
(d) the little
Answer: (a) much
44. Choose the conjunction that combines the following two sentences:
Sentence 1: The old car was unreliable.
Sentence 2: It still had sentimental value.
(a) And
(b) So
(c) But
(d) Because
Answer: (c) But
45. ______ of the two options is acceptable.
(a) Every
(b) Both
(c) Either
(d) Each
Answer: (c) Either
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