CREST English Olympiad Class 10 Previous Year Paper

Q.1

Choose the most suitable alternative in accordance with the correct use of tense:

Q.2

Read the passage and fill in the blank:

Stammering is a habit disorder linked with a lack of self-confidence. Basically, for a child to understand a language, there are four stages. The first is learning to understand the spoken language, and the second is speaking. Both of these usually develop around the age of two.
The third stage is speaking complex sentences, which develops at around three, and the fourth is when the child recognises the written alphabet. In 80% of children, while the third and fourth stages are at play, the first two get disturbed because something new is being incorporated in the mind.
This is absolutely normal. But what over-cautious mothers do is fret a lot, and the child develops a fear which later manifests itself as stammering. In fact, most textbooks on stammering state in bold that - 'Had there not been any over-cautious mothers, hardly anyone would have suffered from stammering'. Fluency can be incorporated in the speech of such patients through hypnosis.

The second stage of a child's understanding the language is ______________.

Q.3

Read the passage and answer the question:

We humans are used to thinking that our minds separate us from other animals. But new studies show that animals are quite intelligent and sensitive.
Animal intelligence isn't found only in mammals. It can be found in other animals, such as birds. Although we sometimes call people 'birdbrain' as an insult, our feathered friends can be very smart. Some can solve puzzles. For example, ravens can untie knots. Some birds can use tools. Some crows, for example, use twigs as spears. Some birds can even use our language. An African Grey parrot named Alex does more than just imitate human sounds. This parrot can name dozens of objects. It also seems to understand the ideas of "same and different amount".
Animals are able to feel emotions, too. This ability can be as painful for them as it is for humans. For example, some baboons live in groups where the leaders control through fear. Low-ranking baboons can live in a constant state of stress. This stress can cause health problems, just as it does in humans.
Some animals feel sadness when a family member dies. Elephants show interest even in decades-old elephant bones. Like humans, they are connected to each other in many ways.

What would be a good title for the above passage?

Q.4

Choose the correct option to fill in the blank:

Although she speaks five languages, she did not do ___________ on the translation exam.

Q.5

Choose a suitable option which expresses the same sentence in indirect/direct speech:

Johnny asked Wilson whether the latter was in his senses.

Q.6

Choose the synonym for the word in quotes:

She is not seen even smiling these days, she is rather 'pensive'.

Q.7

Choose the most suitable option to fill in the blank:

Seeing the sunrise on the highest peak was a _______ to behold.

Q.8

Choose the most suitable option to fill in the blank:

Patient: Good evening, doctor! I am your new patient and scheduled for an appointment today. Could you please re-schedule it for tomorrow, as I have to go out of station today?
Doctor: In that case, you can come back a week later.
Patient: That would be too late. ___________________________

Q.9

Read the passage and fill in the blank:

Stammering is a habit disorder linked with a lack of self-confidence. Basically, for a child to understand a language, there are four stages. The first is learning to understand the spoken language, and the second is speaking. Both of these usually develop around the age of two.
The third stage is speaking complex sentences, which develops at around three, and the fourth is when the child recognises the written alphabet. In 80% of children, while the third and fourth stages are at play, the first two get disturbed because something new is being incorporated in the mind.
This is absolutely normal. But what over-cautious mothers do is fret a lot, and the child develops a fear which later manifests itself as stammering. In fact, most textbooks on stammering state in bold that - 'Had there not been any over-cautious mothers, hardly anyone would have suffered from stammering'. Fluency can be incorporated in the speech of such patients through hypnosis.

Stammering is caused because of ________________________________.

Q.10

Read the passage and fill in the blank:

In front of the house lay a small beach. Peter liked to stretch out on the sand when it was warmed by the sun. From the back door, he would walk along a path to the water's edge and gaze at the sea.

When nothing interesting was happening on the water, he would kneel and scoop up a handful of sand. He let it run through his fingers until only small stones and shells remained. Then, with a large sweep of his arm and all the strength he could muster, Peter would hurl the shells as far as he could into the water.

At other times, he would lie on his back and gaze up at the clouds, his hands idly sifting through the sand at his sides. He never stopped playing with the sand, letting it run through his fingers, even while being absorbed by the changing clouds.

Occasionally, fishing boats came close enough to the shore for Peter to see what the fishermen were doing. Then, with his hands clasped, he would watch intently, his whole body swaying with the boat from side to side. When the fishermen drew in their nets or cast them, Peter would do the same with an imaginary net of his own from his place on the beach.

On this small beach, Peter had a world of his own.

This passage mainly tells us about _________________________.