NIOS Class 10th English April 2025 Question Paper Solution - Part B

NIOS Question Paper PART - B

SECTION – A

          “READING”               

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

One warm afternoon, a tortoise, a hare and a penguin sat on the sandy beach of an island. On the other side of the island stood a lighthouse. (1)

"Let's have a race to the lighthouse," said the hare.

"Sounds like fun!" brayed the penguin.

At the count of "One ....... Two ......... Three ...... Go!" the hare bounded ahead. The penguin walked as fast as she could and the tortoise crept forward slowly but steadily. Soon, they came to a large pond. Neither the hare nor the tortoise had any idea how to get across the water and going round the pond would take them far out of their way.

The penguin decided to help her friends. She told the tortoise to latch onto her stubby tail so that he would not sink. Then, the hare climbed on to the floating shell of the tortoise. The penguin paddled across the pond with her head held up.

After crossing the water, the three animals looked gratefully at one another. Then they set off again towards the distant lighthouse.

Soon the three came to a wall. The tortoise could not imagine how be would get over the wall. Even the penguin was too short to hop over the wall. But the hare got up on her hind legs and stretched her length so that she acted as an animal ramp. The penguin and the tortoise climbed carefully up her back to the top of the wall. Then the hare hopped to the upper part of the ledge and bounded down to the ground on the other side. She propped herself against the wall like a sliding board, and the tortoise and the penguin skidded right down. All the animals wished each other well, and continued on their way to the lighthouse.

Soon they came to a dense thicket of bushes and thorny vines. The penguin and the hare could not even walk sideways without getting caught in prickly shrubs.

So the tortoise began to snap at the vines with his strong jaws. Soon he had pruned a narrow path through the thorny thicket. Then he moved backwards so that his hard- shelled back spread the branches even further. The hare and the penguin walked behind the tortoise as if they were following a miniature tractor. (2)

Finally, they reached the other side of the thicket, the tortoise, the hare and the penguin hugged each other. Then they began walking towards the lighthouse side by side. They reached the lighthouse together. (3)

Each understood that it isn't always the fastest or even the slow and steady that wins the race. By helping each other, all three were winners.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions:

Q17. Who were sitting on the sandy beach and what did they plan to do?

Answer- The tortoise, the hare, and the penguin were sitting on the sandy beach. They planned to have a race to the lighthouse on the other side of the island.

Q18. Who is called the miniature tractor and why?

Answer- The tortoise is called the miniature tractor because he used his strong mouth to cut the thorny plants and then moved backward, pushing the branches aside with his hard shell. This made a clear path for the hare and the penguin to follow, just like they were walking behind a small tractor.

Q19. Who won the race and what did each of the animals understand?

Answer- All three animals the tortoise, the hare, and the penguin won the race together. Each of them understood that it isn't always the fastest or even the slow and steady that wins the race. By helping each other, all three were winners.

Q20. Pick out the words that mean:

(a) ran very fast

Answer - bounded

(b) to make a loud and unpleasant sound

Answer - brayed

✅ Click here to get all the questions ✨

Click Here- SECTION B

Click Here- SECTION C

Click Here- SECTION D