Unseen Passage for CBSE Class 10 English: The Class 10 English question paper in CBSE Board Exams includes a section comprising questions based on an unseen passage. Such questions are designed to test the student’s comprehension skills. To score good marks in the unseen passage based question, students should carefully read the passage, understand the context, and then answer the questions based on their understanding.
The unseen passages provided below are perfect for the last-minute practice, helping you enhance your comprehension skills and test your ability to quickly grasp information. Practising with these passages will also help you improve your time management during the exam. You can check the answers to all questions to evaluate your performance and identify areas where you might need improvement. Check all the solved unseen passages below.
CBSE Class 10 English Unseen Passages (Solved)
Passage 1
Subhash Chandra Bose passed through quarters inhabited by Englishmen and also met a large number of them in the tram cars. The British using these cars were purposely rude and offensive to Indians in various ways. The sensitive mind of Subhash revolted against such insulting and rude behavior of the British. On many occasions, there was an exchange of hot words between him and misbehaving British. Majority of the students of the Presidency College, where he studied, were free thinkers. The college continued to be a storm centre and was looked upon by the British Government “as a hotbed of sedition, rendezvous of revolutionaries” and was frequently searched by the police. The first two years of his life were greatly influenced by the group, which styled itself as the neo-Vivekananda group and Subhash developed intellectually during this period. The group generally followed the teachings of Rama Krishna and Vivekananda with special emphasis on social service as means of spiritual development and was non-aligned to a revolutionary group. The shock of the Great World War roused his political consciousness. He graduated at the age of 22 and enrolled himself for the postgraduate with experimental psychology as a special subject.
CBSE Class 10 English Syllabus for Board Exam 2025
His father, however, wanted him to go to England to appear for the Indian Civil Services. In spite of his mental reservations, Subhash took it as a challenge. In England, he was greatly impressed with the freedom allowed to students at Cambridge. Every student behaved in a dignified manner. Notwithstanding his preoccupation with his studies, he displayed his public spirit and fearlessness throughout his stay in England. He and K. L. Gouba were selected by the Indian Majlis, to represent the British Government the difficulties the Indian students encountered for admission to the University Officers’ Training Corps. Though he took a harsh view of the British high handedness and racial arrogance, he did admire their qualities which exacted him. He himself behaved there in a dignified way and was of the view that Indians who go abroad, must consider themselves to be unofficial ambassadors of the country, who should uphold their country’s prestige. He was quite serious in purpose and disliked anybody wasting time on trivialities.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
(i) Who were selected by the Indian Majlis?
a) Subhash Chandra Bose and KL Gouba
b) Jawahar Lal Nehru
c) Mahatma Gandhi
d) none of the above
(ii) Majority of the students of the Presidency college were _______________.
a) radical
b) arrogant
c) unhappy
d) free thinkers
(iii) Whose teachings did the group generally followed?
a) Mahatma Gandhi
b) Rabindranath Tagore
c) Rama Krishna
d) Lala Lajpat Rai
(iv) Subhash Chandra’s father wanted him to go to England and appear for what?
a) Barrister’s exam
b) Indian Civil Services
c) Start the freedom movement
d) Judiciary exam
(v) At what age Subhash enrolled for his postgraduation?
a) 20 years
b) 25 years
c) 22 years
d) 21 years
(vi) Where is Cambridge University?
a) England
b) Germany
c) United States of America
d) France
(vii) What does 'inhabited by' mean in the passage?
a) Occupied by
b) living with
c) destroyed by
d) owned by
(viii) Identify synonym of trivial
a)Insignificant
b) simple
c) significant
d) rare
Answers:
i) (a)Subhash Chandra Bose and KL Gouba
ii) (d)free thinkers
iii) (c)Rama Krishna
iv) (b) Indian Civil Services
v) (c) 22 years
vi) (a) England
vii) (a) Occupied by
viii) (a) Insignificant
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Passage 2
One day Nandu rode his horse to the village fair. On his way back he met Somendra, the merchant. The merchant was a crafty man, ready to do anything to earn some money. The villagers knew this. In fact no one knew what trick he would be up to next. Now, Nandu was poor and had no one in the world to call his own except a beautiful, white horse. He loved it more than anything else in the world. The merchant had his eye on the horse for a long time and tried to think of a way to get it for himself. Seeing Nandu, the merchant thought, Nandu is a simpleton. Let me see if I can trick him out of his horse. So he said to Nandu, You live all alone. How do you manage? What does a young boy like you need with a horse? Sell it to me and I shall make you rich in return. Nandu replied, "No I don’t want to sell my horse."
But the merchant refused to give up so easily. He offered Nandu more money. Finally, when the offer reached five hundred gold coins, Nandu paused and said. Five hundred gold coins seems like a good price. But I have a condition. If you agree to it, I shall give you my horse. "What is it?", the merchant asked impatiently. "Give me the money right now and I shall give you my horse when I have given you ten lashes." After all he would resell the horse for over a thousandgold coins in the market. He would take twenty lashes for such a gain. He agreed instantly. He ran home and got the money for Nandu and brought along his whip as well. Nandu counted the money carefully. He then took the whip and the lashes fell on the merchant’s back in quick succession. By the eighth lash the merchant was almost in tears but he told himself that there were only two lashes to go and the horse would be his. The merchant held his breath waiting for the final lashes. But Nandu had mounted his horse and was riding off. "Wait!", shouted the merchant in anger. "What about the last lashes? Where are you going with the horse? We had a deal.
Nandu stopped and said, "I agree to give you the horse only after I had given you ten lashes. But it is upsetting my horse. I’ll give you the last lashes later. Till then goodbye!" "Come back you cheat!", the merchant shouted. But the crowd that had gathered around agreed with Nandu. A deal was a deal. Till the last lash was given, the horse could not belong to the merchant. Nandu rode away richer by five hundred gold coins and Somendra waited in vain for several days for the final lash which never came.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
i)Why did the merchant offer to buy Nandu’s horse?
a) He was very fond of the horse and wanted it for himself
b) It was his way of helping Nandu who was poor.
c) The horse would be useful for carrying goods to the market.
d) He hated Nandu and wanted to deprive him of something he loved.
ii)Which of the following is TRUE in the context of the passage?
1. Nandu was an orphan.
2. The merchant was very persevering.
3. The merchant was fond of Nandu's horse.
a) None
b) Only 1
c) Both 1 & 2
d) All 1, 2 and 3
iii)Why did Nandu set the condition of giving the merchant ten lashes?
a) To discourage the merchant from buying his horse.
b) To demonstrate how painful a whipping was so that the merchant would never hit the horse.
c) To bargain with the merchant to offer more money.
d) To outwit the merchant who was trying to cheat him.
iv)Why did the bystanders take Nandu’s side in the argument?
1. They hoped that Nandu would give them a reward from the five hundred gold coins he had earned.
2. They were sure that the merchant would ill treat the horse and wanted to prevent that from happening.
3. They knew that the merchant was a cheat and Nandu would be miserable without his horse of whom he was very fond.
a) Only 1
b) Both 1 & 3
c) Only 3
d) None of these
v)What reason did Nandu cite for not giving the merchant the final lashes?
a) His horse was distressed by the whipping.
b) He realised that the merchant was in great pain and took pity on him.
c) He was following the advice of the people around.
d) He had changed his mind about selling his horse.
vi)Which of the following can be said about Nandu?
1. He was very cunning.
2. He needed money.
3. He was cruel to people but loved animals.
a) None of these
b) Both 1 & 2
c) Both 2 & 3
d) All 1, 2 and 3
vii)Choose the word that is synonym of “crafty”
a) skilled
b) naive
c) cunning
d) honest
viii) Choose the word that is synonym of “PAUSED”
a) Halted
b) Relaxed
c) Ended
d) Stuck
Answers:
i) (a)He was very fond of the horse and wanted it for himself
ii) (d) All 1, 2 and 3
iii) (d)To outwit the merchant who was trying to cheat him
iv) (c) Only 3
v) (a) His horse was distressed by the whipping.
vi) (a)None of these
vii) (c)cunning
viii) (a) Halted
Passage 3
Cardamom, the Queen of all spices, has a history as old as the human race. It is the dried fruit of a herbaceous perennial plant. Warm humid climate, loamy soil rich in organic matter, distributed rainfall and special cultivation and processing methods all combine to make Indian cardamom truly unique in aroma, flavour, size and it has a parrot green colour. Two types of cardamom are produced in India. The first type is the large one, which has not much significance as it is not traded in the future market. It is cultivated in North-eastern area of the country. The second type is produced in the Southern states and these are traded in the future market. These are mainly cultivated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. As per the future market rules, only 7 mm quality was previously traded in exchanges. But later, it relaxed its norms, and now 6 mmquality is also traded in the exchanges. The small variety, known for its exotic quality throughout the world, is now traded in India’s commodity future exchanges. Traditional auction markets also exist for trading in small cardamom in the country. Cardamom is an expensive spice, second only to saffron. It is often adulterated and there are many inferior substitutes from cardamom-related plants such as Siam cardamom, Nepal cardamom, Winged Java cardamom, etc. However, it is only Elettaria cardamom which is the true cardamom. Indian cardamom is known in two main varieties: Malabar cardamom and Mysore cardamom.
The Mysore variety contains levels of cineol and limonene and hence is more aromatic. India was the world’s largest producer and exporter of cardamom till the 1980s. By 1990s Guatemala emerged as the leading producer and exporter of cardamom. The main harvest season of cardamom in India is between August-February. Cardamom reaches yielding stage two years after planting. The primary physical markets of cardamom are Kumily, Vandenmedu, Thekkady, Puliyarmala in Kerala and Bodynaikkannur and Cumbam in Tamil Nadu. Cardamom auctions also take place in Sakalespur and Sirsi in Karnataka. North India is the main market for cardamom produced in the country. Normally, domestic demand goes up during the major festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra and Eid. Colour, size and aroma are the major variables that shape cardamom prices in the Indian market.
Cardamom price formation in India is also influenced by the output in Guatemala as that country controls the global markets. Kerala is the main producer of cardamom and contributes up to 60% in total production. Karnataka produces around 25% cardamom of the total production. Ooty is the main producer of cardamom in Tamil Nadu and contributes around 10-15% of the total production. Besides India, Guatemala also produces around 2,200-ton cardamom. On the other hand, India produces nearly 1,000-2,000-ton cardamom per year. Due to low quality of cardamom from Guatemala, it remains available at cheaper rates. Moreover, cardamom of Indian origin fetches $ 3-4 per kilogram higher rates than the ones from Guatemala.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions:
(i) Indian cardamom is unique because of its?
a) aroma, flavour and size
b) parrot green colour
c) processing methods
d) all of these
(ii) Which of the following is not the features of second type of the cardamom?
a) It is produced in the Southern states
b) it is not traded in the future market
c) It is produced in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
d) It is produced in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
(iii) What is special about the Mysore quality of cardamom?
a) It is more expensive than saffron.
b) It contains cineol and limonene
c) It is the least aromatic
d) It is the true cardamom
iv) Which of the following is true about the role of Guatemala cardamom in the global market?
a) Guatemala is the second largest producers and exporter of cardamom in the world.
b) It has no control on global market.
c) Guatemala produces around 2200-ton cardamom per year.
d) None of these
v) The main market for cardamom in our country is:
a) Assam and Meghalaya
b) Maharashtra and Gujrat
c) Kerala and Karnataka
d) North India
vi) Which of the following is the adulterated cardamom?
a) Elettaria cardamom
b) Winged Java cardamom
c) Malabar cardamom
d) Mysore cardamom
vii) Find words from the options given below which mean the same as “permanent”:
a) unique
b) perennial
c) exotic
d) old
(viii) Make poor in quality by adding another substance:
a) adulterated
b) emerged
c) contribute
d) remain
Answers:
i) (d)all of these
ii) (d)It is produced in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
iii) (b) It contains cineol and limonene
iv) (c) Guatemala produces around 2200-ton cardamom per year.
v) (c)Kerala and Karnataka
vi) (b)Winged Java cardamom
vii) (b)perennial
viii) (c)aroma
Passage 4
Mind management is a way to control one’s mind. To do this, we need to be cautious about our thinking process and also need a high level of understanding and meditation as well. Understanding is wisdom – 80 percent of people are knowledgeable, while 20 per cent are wise. Knowledgeable men take sides without reason. They feel sad seeing deprived people but jealous when they see happy people. They work in the guidance of others’ inspiration, take unnecessary responsibility to keep themselves disturbed.
A wise person does not stand for or against any idea without concrete reason. He works according to the situation and capacity. He looks at everything intellectually. To him, failure is a stepping stone for future success. So, depression and conflict are not seen. Like the phrase ‘Stop, Look, go’, first one should see, and this needs patience. Meditation is necessary to control and manage mind which then becomes an easy task.
Unless we control or manage our mind, it is difficult to achieve success and peace. Psychologists say every interest is first born in the mind as a seed. Then it continues to grow. Later it takes its real form which everybody can see. The interest that first appears in the mind remains weak for the first three minutes and it becomes strong within the next five minutes. All the negative aspects should be deleted within the first three minutes. If not taken out, they would become stronger later and you can never throw them out. After taking control over the mind, we can control passion, interest and unrest. Mind management is essential for a peaceful, successful and healthy life.
The age of computers has thrown us on the escalator of aspirations but has robbed us of simple charms like falling asleep. The compulsions of hectic schedules burden the mind and cause stress. However, the joys that elude us can be regained by practising power meditation. It creates tranquillity, simplifies life and cleanses the mind. It helps control indolence, ego and anger and builds confidence and patience. With power meditation, negative thoughts get dissipated and a sense of happiness is achieved.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
i) Mind management is essential ..............................
a) for a peaceful, successful, and a healthy life
b) to remain fit
c) for a wealthy life
d) to dominate others
ii) Traits exhibited by knowledgeable people are ..............................
a) they take sides without reason
b) they are sympathetic to the deprived people
c) they are jealous of happy people
d) all of the above
iii) we can control -------
a) passion
b) unrest
c) interest
d) all of these
iv) ----- percent of people are knowledgeable and ------- percent are wise.
a) 60; 40
b) 90; 10
c) 80; 20
d) 50; 50
v) choose the trait of a wise man.
a) feels jealous seeing happy people
b) takes sides without reason
c) works according to the situation
d) takes unnecessary responsibility
vi) The age of computers has robbed us of simple charms of life. True/ False
vii) Meditation causes -----
a) simplifies life
b) creates tranquillity
c) cleanses the mind
d) all of these
viii) Find the word from the passage which means the same as “based on facts, not on ideas”. (Para 2)
a) soft
b) concrete
c) different
d) difficult
Answers
i). a) peaceful, successful and healthy life
ii) d) all of these
iii) d) all of these
iv) c) 80;20
v) c) works according to a situation
vi) true
vii) iv)all of these
viii) ii) concrete
Also Check:
CBSE Class 10 English Practice Paper for Board Exam 2024 with Solutions
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