Reading Skills · Class 10 English · Words and Expressions: 90 MCQs with answers

Q1. Read the paragraph: "Walk to school two days a week. You will arrive more alert, you will know your neighbourhood better, and the road outside the gate will be a little less crowded at eight o'clock." What is the writer's main purpose?

Q2. A question asks you to choose the most suitable title for a discursive passage. Which approach is the soundest?

Q3. A question asks for the tone of a passage. What should you do first?

Q4. Read the lines: "In the first week of the new millet snack, the school canteen had sold out by ten o'clock every morning. By the third week, the canteen had doubled its order." What can you infer?

Q5. Which of these sentences states an opinion rather than a fact?

Q6. Read the paragraph: "For years the warnings of the local fishermen were brushed aside. Only when the catch fell by half did the officials begin to listen." Which word or phrase in it means 'ignored'?

Q7. Read the sentence: "The speaker's argument was compelling, and even the doubters in the hall began to nod." Which word could replace 'compelling' without changing the meaning?

Q8. Read the paragraph: "The first speaker was hesitant, pausing often and looking at his notes. The second was assured, speaking clearly and meeting the eyes of the audience." Which word in the paragraph is the opposite of 'hesitant'?

Q9. Read the lines: "The school garden was planted by Class 7 in spring. By the monsoon it was supplying the canteen with spinach and tomatoes." What does 'it' refer to?

Q10. Choose the connective that best fills the blank: "The survey found that most residents wanted more parks. ______, the council set aside two plots of land for gardens."

Q11. Read the paragraph: "Handwritten letters take time to write and days to arrive, yet many people keep them for decades because each one carries the writer's effort." Complete the statement with the correct word from the brackets: Letters are kept because they feel ______ (personal / quick).

Q12. You have about 20 minutes for the discursive passage. Which plan uses the time best?

Q13. How should you approach a question that begins "All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 2 EXCEPT"?

Q14. A student unsure of an MCQ writes "B or C" as the answer. According to the marking scheme, what will the student receive?

Q15. Explain the difference between the main idea of a passage and a supporting detail, with an example of each.

Q16. How can a reader work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word in a passage without a dictionary?

Q17. A school library (fictional) recorded books borrowed: January 120, February 150, March 90, April 180. In which month were the fewest books borrowed?

Q18. A school library (fictional) lent 120 books in January and 180 in April. How many more books were borrowed in April than in January?

Q19. In a fictional survey of 80 residents of Riverside Colony, 20 said they would use a weekend farmers' market. What fraction of the residents is that?

Q20. In a fictional class of 60 students, 18 said they read a newspaper every day. What percentage of the class is that?

Q21. A fictional report says: "Visits to the school clinic fell from 60 in June to 25 in August, after drinking-water filters were installed in July." What reason for the fall does the report itself suggest?

Q22. A fictional report says: "Of the 300 respondents, nearly two-thirds favoured a longer lunch break." Who are the 'respondents'?

Q23. A fictional report says: "The council's tally showed 412 votes for the new bus route and 188 against." What does 'tally' mean here?

Q24. A fictional report opens: "To plan next year's sports budget, the school asked 500 students which games they play at least once a week." What was the main purpose of the survey?

Q25. A fictional report compares how much time Class 8 and Class 12 students spend on screens, study, sport and reading after school. Which is the most suitable title?

Q26. A fictional table shows members of the school eco-club: 2023 – 24, 2024 – 31, 2025 – 40. Complete the statement with the correct word from the brackets: Membership ______ each year (increased / decreased).

Q27. A fictional report gives the number of students in each sports club, but says nothing about their marks. A question asks whether club members score higher in exams. What is the best answer?

Q28. What is meant by the 'frame' of a data passage, and why should you read it before the figures?

Q29. Why should an answer to a data question quote the figure and its unit?

Q30. Read the paragraph: "Public libraries were once places where people only borrowed books. Today many run coding clubs, lend laptops and hold job-search workshops. For families without a computer at home, the library has become the one free place to get online." What is the main idea?

Q31. Read the paragraph: "A single plastic bottle can take centuries to break down. Yet the real problem is not one bottle but habit: a city of a million people that buys one bottle each a day throws away a million bottles by nightfall." Which option states its main idea?

Q32. Read the lines: "Of course, the people who push to the front of every queue are never in a hurry to hold the door for anyone. Their time, it seems, is simply worth more than ours." What is the tone?

Q33. Read the paragraph: "Some call repair shops a thing of the past. But a phone that is repaired rather than replaced saves money, keeps metal out of landfills and supports a skilled local trade. Throwing away what can be fixed is a habit we can no longer afford." What is the writer's stance on repairing phones?

Q34. Read the lines: "Every dripping tap in our building wastes water we will soon run short of. The tank ran dry twice last month. If we do not fix the leaks this week, we may not have a choice next summer." Which tone word fits best?

Q35. Read the sentence: "The committee's so-called plan, drawn up in a single afternoon, will hardly fix a problem that has grown for ten years." Which words most clearly show the writer's critical attitude?

Q36. A passage opens with the question, "When did you last spend an hour with nothing to do?" Why is the writer most likely to begin this way?

Q37. Assertion (A): An answer to an inference question should be supported by words in the passage. Reason (R): Inference questions test what the passage implies, not the reader's personal opinion.

Q38. Read the paragraph: "Uniforms, their supporters say, remove the pressure to dress expensively. Critics reply that pressure simply moves to shoes, bags and phones. Both sides agree on one thing: children notice who has what." Which sentence presents a counter-argument?

Q39. Read the sentence: "The village council was sparing with praise but generous with help." What does 'sparing' mean here?

Q40. Read the sentence: "Planting a hundred trees in a city of millions may seem a drop in the ocean, but every forest began with a few saplings." What does 'a drop in the ocean' mean here?

Q41. Read the lines: "Many buses in the town now run on electricity, and the air near the bus stand is noticeably cleaner. This has encouraged the council to replace its rubbish trucks too." What does 'This' refer to?

Q42. Read the lines: "Online classes saved many hours of travel. However, students missed the chance to ask quick questions after the lesson." What is the function of 'However' here?

Q43. Read the paragraph: "Regular practice builds skill, just as regular watering keeps a plant alive." Complete the analogy: practice : skill :: ______ : ______

Q44. Read the paragraph: "Board games are returning to living rooms. Families who once sat in separate rooms with separate screens are rediscovering the noisy pleasure of playing together, and shops report their best sales in years." Which sentence best summarises it?

Q45. A 2-mark question asks: "Why does the writer think local markets matter?" Which answer is most likely to earn both marks?

Q46. A writer states: "The town's new rules on noise are a welcome, long-overdue step." What is the writer's stance on the rules, and which words reveal it?

Q47. Why must an answer to an inference question be supported by evidence from the passage?

Q48. How do connectives such as 'however', 'moreover' and 'therefore' help a reader follow an argument?

Q49. Describe, step by step, how you would tackle a 400-450-word discursive passage in the board examination, in about 100-120 words.

Q50. Explain how a reader can identify the tone and stance of a discursive passage, with examples, in about 100-120 words.

Q51. A fictional survey asked 240 students of Greenfield School about their favourite drink at lunch: water 96, fruit juice 72, tea 48, milk 24. Which drink was chosen by exactly 30 per cent of the students?

Q52. In a fictional recycling drive, Class 6 collected 45 kg of paper and Class 9 collected 15 kg. Which statement is correct?

Q53. A fictional museum recorded yearly visitors (in thousands): 2019 – 40, 2020 – 35, 2021 – 50, 2022 – 70, 2023 – 80. Which description of the trend is most accurate?

Q54. A fictional museum's yearly visitors (in thousands) were: 2019 – 40, 2020 – 35, 2021 – 50, 2022 – 70, 2023 – 80. Between which two years did visitor numbers rise the most?

Q55. A fictional survey at one school in Pune found that 70 per cent of its students prefer online quizzes to paper tests. What can a careful reader conclude?

Q56. A fictional report says: "On average, the students of Class 9B spend 40 minutes a day on homework." Which statement must be true?

Q57. In a fictional poll on a new school timetable, 45 per cent approved, 25 per cent disapproved and 15 per cent were undecided. What does the remaining share most likely represent?

Q58. Assertion (A): A rise in a share from 20 per cent to 30 per cent is a rise of 10 percentage points. Reason (R): Percentage points measure the plain difference between two percentages.

Q59. A bar chart from a fictional survey of 100 Class 10 students shows hours of sleep on school nights: 5 hours – 12 students, 6 hours – 30, 7 hours – 38, 8 hours – 20. What percentage of the students slept fewer than 7 hours?

Q60. A pie chart shows how a fictional school science club spent ₹20,000: prizes 40 per cent, snacks 15 per cent, equipment 35 per cent, printing 10 per cent. How much was spent on equipment?

Q61. A fictional club spent ₹20,000 in all: 40 per cent on prizes and 15 per cent on snacks. How much more did it spend on prizes than on snacks?

Q62. A fictional table of daily water use at Hill View School shows: kitchen 1,200 litres, toilets 2,000 litres, garden 800 litres, drinking taps 500 litres. All of these statements are true EXCEPT:

Q63. A question asks: "Why does the report describe the fall in outdoor play as worrying?" Where should you look for the answer?

Q64. A table's heading reads "Average time spent on homework (minutes per day)". A student writes that Class 10 spends "95 hours" on homework. What mistake has the student made?

Q65. A fictional survey at Oakwood School found that 65 per cent of students skip breakfast on exam days, and many said they had no time. Which recommendation follows most directly from this finding?

Q66. A fictional table shows that a town library had 150 members in 2020 and 300 in 2025. Which statement is true according to the table?

Q67. In a fictional survey, the share of students who own a smartwatch rose from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. Explain why this is both a 5-point rise and a 50 per cent rise.

Q68. In a fictional vote, 21 of 30 girls and 28 of 50 boys chose a science fair over a sports day. Which group was keener, and why?

Q69. Explain, step by step, how you would read and answer a 200-250-word factual passage that includes a table, in about 100-120 words.

Q70. Why is it important to know what a set of data does not show? Explain with examples, in about 100-120 words.

Q71. Read the paragraph: "When the town opened a cycle lane along the river, the council expected a few enthusiasts. Within a year the lane carried more commuters at rush hour than the road beside it, and the council began planning a second lane." Which of these can be inferred? 1. The council underestimated how many people would use the lane. 2. Many people were willing to cycle when a safe route existed. 3. The road beside the river was closed to cars.

Q72. Read the paragraph: "Our grandparents mended clothes, reused jars and bought vegetables loose in cloth bags. They did not call it sustainability; they called it common sense." All of the following can be reasonably inferred EXCEPT:

Q73. A writer claims: "Students who eat breakfast concentrate better in the first lesson." Which piece of evidence would support this claim most strongly?

Q74. A writer argues: "The new flyover will end traffic jams in our city for good." Which fact, if true, would most weaken this argument?

Q75. Read the two paragraphs. Paragraph 1: "Community kitchens in the town now cook the surplus from vegetable markets for anyone who needs a meal." Paragraph 2: "Volunteers say the work has changed them: students who came for a certificate stay for the friendships." Which option gives the main idea of each paragraph?

Q76. Read the paragraph: "In our school, students who joined the reading club borrowed more library books than those who did not. Clearly, the reading club turns students into readers." Why is the writer's conclusion weak?

Q77. A writer argues that homework should be banned because her younger brother dislikes it. How convincing is this argument? Give a reason.

Q78. A writer argues: "Every school should have a vegetable garden. Children who grow food waste less of it, learn science by doing, and spend time outdoors. A garden costs little, and older students can run it." Evaluate how convincing this argument is, in about 100-120 words.

Q79. In a fictional town, the share of students cycling to school rose from 20 per cent in 2023 to 30 per cent in 2025. Which statement describes this change correctly?

Q80. A fictional survey of 150 students of Sunrise School found: 90 own a bicycle; 60 of the bicycle owners ride it to school; 30 students live more than 5 km away. Which of these conclusions does the data support? 1. More than half the students own a bicycle. 2. Two-thirds of the bicycle owners ride to school. 3. Students living far away do not own bicycles.

Q81. A fictional survey of how Class 10 students travel to school gives: walk 44 per cent, bus 36 per cent, cycle 20 per cent. Is the statement "Most students walk to school" true or false, and why?

Q82. A fictional report notes that in Maple Town, ice-cream sales and the number of swimming-pool visits both rose sharply in May. Which conclusion is justified by these figures alone?

Q83. A fictional report says: "Reading for pleasure rose among our students this year." Its table shows hours a week: last year 3.5, this year 2.5. What should a careful reader conclude?

Q84. In a fictional election for class monitor, Asha won 46 per cent of the votes, Ravi 34 per cent and Neel 20 per cent. Which statement is accurate?

Q85. In a fictional vote on a school trip, 30 of the 40 students in Class 9A said yes, and 36 of the 60 students in Class 9B said yes. Which statement is correct?

Q86. A fictional online poll on a school website asked visitors whether the school needs a swimming pool, and 90 per cent said yes. Why should a reader be cautious about this result?

Q87. A fictional report says the school's evening coaching classes were attended by 80 students in the first week and 30 in the fourth week, and that the classes ended at 8 p.m. Which inference is most reasonable?

Q88. A fictional report finds that students who sleep eight hours score higher in maths. Why can it not be said, from this alone, that sleep causes higher marks?

Q89. A fictional report states that '40 per cent of respondents want a longer break'. What else would you need to know to judge how important this finding is?

Q90. A fictional canteen report gives weekly sales before and after a price change. Poha: 60 then 45. Sandwich: 50 then 70. Idli: 40 then 55. Samosa: 90 then 40. The report concludes: "Students are choosing healthier food." Evaluate this conclusion in about 100-120 words.