Glimpses of India – important questions for Boards 2027

CBSE Class 10 English

1. VSA · 1 mark

   Mention one image of a place or its people that comes to mind when you think of India.

   Answer

   I picture Coorg’s misty hills and evergreen forests, with coffee plantations tucked beneath tree canopies and welcoming homes.

2. SA · 2 marks

   Name two popular tourist destinations in India and briefly describe what attracts visitors to each.

   Answer

   Coorg attracts visitors with misty hills, evergreen forests, coffee plantations, wildlife, and the scenic Brahmagiri hills. Darjeeling draws travellers for Himalayan views and tea gardens, where visitors can enjoy cool weather and learn about tea cultivation.

3. MA · 3 marks

   Name one Indian region where tea is grown and one where coffee is grown, and briefly explain what makes each region suitable for that crop.

   Answer

   1. Assam is a tea-growing region. Its warm, humid conditions and abundant rainfall support tea plants, while plantations helped make Assam famous for tea. 2. Coorg in Karnataka is known for coffee estates. Its monsoon rainfall, forested hills and mild weather provide suitable growing conditions; coffee plantations thrive beneath tree canopies, and the post-monsoon season is especially pleasant for visitors.

4. LA · 5 marks

   Identify parts of India that show French and Portuguese influences. Describe one feature or historical connection associated with each influence.

   Answer

   India’s colonial past is reflected in regional architecture, food and cultural traditions. 1. Puducherry is the best-known centre of French influence. Its French Quarter, with colonial-era streets, villas and buildings, reflects the region’s historical connection with France. 2. Chandannagar in West Bengal was also a French settlement. Its colonial buildings and French Institute preserve this historical association. 3. Goa shows strong Portuguese influence because it remained under Portuguese rule until 1961. Old Goa’s churches, including the Basilica of Bom Jesus, reflect Portuguese-era Catholic architecture. 4. Portuguese traditions also shaped Goan food: leavened, oven-baked bread is a Portuguese gift to India, and village bakers, called pader, continue the tradition. These places preserve the distinctive cultural legacies of French and Portuguese presence in India.

5. VLA · 6 marks

   Describe the trees’ movement out of the house and into the night. Include the speaker’s image of the trees stumbling forward and the wind rushing to meet them.

   Answer

   The poem presents the trees escaping from the house and returning to the forest. 1. During the night, the roots work to disengage themselves from cracks in the veranda floor, while the leaves strain towards the glass and the twigs stiffen with exertion. 2. The long-cramped boughs shuffle beneath the roof like newly discharged patients, half-dazed and moving towards clinic doors. This comparison conveys their awkward, effortful movement after being confined indoors. 3. The speaker sits inside with the doors open, writing long letters that scarcely mention the forest’s departure. The smell of leaves and lichen still reaches the rooms, and whispers fill the speaker’s head before becoming silent the next day. 4. The breaking glass marks the trees’ exit. They stumble forward into the night, and the winds rush to meet them, making their movement seem both difficult and welcomed by nature. 5. The moon appears to break like a mirror, with its pieces flashing in the crown of the tallest oak. The trees’ movement restores them to the forest and changes the moonlit night.

6. VVLA · 12 marks

   Describe the traditional baker’s kabai and the clothes worn by bakers later. Explain what the name “pader” refers to and the comment it could invite. How did bakers collect and record their bills?

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7. VVLA · 15 marks

   Define “rebuke”, “fragrance” and “heralding”. Give a brief example of how each word is used or could be used in the context of the passage.

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8. MCQ · 1 mark

   Which place is well known for its Portuguese influence? A. Goa B. Jaipur C. Shillong D. Agra

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9. SA · 2 marks

   Why was bread central to Goan celebrations and village life? Give examples from the text, including the role of the baker’s furnace.

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10. LA · 5 marks

    Explain the comparison of the moon to a broken mirror and describe where its pieces appear in the poem’s image.

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