How many marks does "Martha" carry in Bihar Board Class 10 English?

In the Bihar Board papers of 2021–2026, this chapter carried about 2 marks and about 3 questions a year; by marks it ranks 17 in English.

Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "Martha"?

The 4 questions above are from the board’s real papers, each with the years it was asked; the most-asked come first with their full model answers. All 4 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.

Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?

BSEB does not publish a marking scheme. Each answer is written point by point on a structure derived from past papers and checked by a second, independent model; it is never called the board’s official scheme.

Bihar Board Class 10 · English · Matric exam 2027

Chapter 8: Martha

This chapter’s questions from Bihar Board (BSEB)’s real papers of 2021–2026 — the 4 asked most often, 3 with the full model answer, 1 with how the answer begins — and objective questions with the board’s key.

marks a year (about): 2
questions a year (about): 3
rank in English: #17

From 6 years of papers, 2021–2026 · full chapter-wise marks

Chapter 8 notes (PDF) →

VVI questions — the ones the board asked most (4)

Q1Short answer2 marksAsked: 2023
How did the children feel when Martha's story progressed ?
Medha Ma’am
AskMedha’s AI teacher
Model answer · children's feelings, Martha
1. 1.As Martha's story progressed, the children were completely absorbed and spellbound by it. They lolled on their elbows and stared at ease, listening to her voice and her grave small lovely head, which seemed to carry half the meaning of the words she said, so that the children were thrilled by her tranquil, dream-like storytelling.1 mark
2. 2.Gradually, as the story went on, the children grew frightened and felt a sense of fear and uneasiness. Martha's beauty and voice faded away till hazel and summer sun and all were gone, and like clouds in the height of the sky, the children's hearts stood still in the hush of an age gone by, leaving them uneasy.1 mark
- Write 'spellbound' and 'absorbed' for the first point, describing how the children stared at ease and lolled on their elbows.
- Write 'frightened' and 'uneasy' for the second point, mentioning that their hearts stood still in the hush of an age gone by.
- Use the exact phrase 'hush of an age gone by' to show the fear that grew in the children.
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme
Q2Short answer2 marksAsked: 2024
How do the children sit to listen to Martha's story ?
Medha Ma’am
AskMedha’s AI teacher
Model answer · Martha, how children sit
1. 1.The children sit on the grass around Martha in a circle to listen to her story. Martha would sit with her two slim hands clasped round her bended knees while the children sat around her on their elbows.1 mark
2. 2.While Martha told her story, the children lolled on their elbows and stared at ease, listening quietly and attentively, fully absorbed in the tranquil mood of her story.1 mark
- Mention that they sit on the grass, around Martha, as if in a circle.
- Use the words 'quietly' and 'attentively' to describe how they listen.
- Include that they lolled on their elbows and stared at ease.
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme
Q3Short answer2 marksAsked: 2025
How does the poem 'Martha' end ?
Medha Ma’am
AskMedha’s AI teacher
Model answer · ending of the poem Martha
1. 1.The poem 'Martha' ends with the realization that all that remains of Martha's stories is a faint memory. Helen and the other children who once sat listening to Martha now find that her beauty and her stories have become dim in their minds, all fordone and forgot, like clouds high in the sky.1 mark
2. 2.The poet describes how, with the passing of time, the memory of Martha's voice telling her stories is gradually fading away. As her voice ran on, her beauty would fade till hazel and summer sun and all were gone, and the hearts of the listeners stood still in the hush of an age gone by.1 mark
- Mention 'faint memory' along with Martha's stories fading in the first paragraph.
- Use the exact line 'all fordone and forgot' to show the ending.
- Include 'her voice ran on' and 'hush of an age gone by' to show time passing in the second paragraph.
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not Bihar Board’s official scheme
Q4Short answer2 marksAsked: 2026
What does the poet think of Martha's eyes ?
How the model answer begins
1. The poet thinks that Martha's eyes are clear grey and beautiful. He describes them as tranquil as dreams, so calm that they seem like a blue lake of peace in which the story itself seems to be told.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →

Objective questions with the board’s key (10)

1. Bihar Board 2026
'The Listener' and 'Arabia' have been written by
- (A) Walter de la Mare ✓
- (B) William Cowper
- (C) Puran Singh
- (D) Vidyapati
Answer: (A)
2. Bihar Board 2026
Martha had a ....................... chin.
- (A) narrow ✓
- (B) fat
- (C) thick
- (D) broad
Answer: (A)
3. Bihar Board 2026
Martha's stories were as tranquil as
- (A) dreams ✓
- (B) night
- (C) silence
- (D) sleep
Answer: (A)
4. Bihar Board 2026
Martha’s .................... conveyed half of the stories.
- (A) expressions ✓
- (B) behaviour
- (C) dress
- (D) character
Answer: (A)
5. Bihar Board 2026
One day, the old woman is visited by some ................. people.
- (A) old
- (B) sick
- (C) young ✓
- (D) rich
Answer: (C)
6. Bihar Board 2026
The old woman is ........................... but wise.
- (A) ill
- (B) blind ✓
- (C) deaf
- (D) ugly
Answer: (B)
7. Bihar Board 2026
Martha's hands were
- (A) strong
- (B) slim ✓
- (C) fat
- (D) ugly
Answer: (B)
8. Bihar Board 2025
In Martha's stories, fairies and gnomes ....................... out in leaf-green light.
- (A) stole ✓
- (B) ran
- (C) came
- (D) walked
Answer: (A)
9. Bihar Board 2025
Martha's stories seemed like a ................. one saw at night.
- (A) film
- (B) dream ✓
- (C) star
- (D) moon
Answer: (B)
10. Bihar Board 2025
Who wrote the poem 'Martha'?
- (A) D. H. Lawrence
- (B) S. T. Coleridge
- (C) T. S. Eliot
- (D) Walter de la Mare ✓
Answer: (D)

Questions parents and students ask

How many marks does "Martha" carry in Bihar Board Class 10 English?: In the Bihar Board papers of 2021–2026, this chapter carried about 2 marks and about 3 questions a year; by marks it ranks 17 in English.
Which are the most important (VVI) questions of "Martha"?: The 4 questions above are from the board’s real papers, each with the years it was asked; the most-asked come first with their full model answers. All 4 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.
Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?: BSEB does not publish a marking scheme. Each answer is written point by point on a structure derived from past papers and checked by a second, independent model; it is never called the board’s official scheme.

The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone

Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 60 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.

Start About the course

Medha Ma’am is an AI teacher, not a live tutor. Every answer is checked twice; a person takes responsibility.