Chapter 6: Amanda!

Important questions — the ones the board asked most (8)

1. Q1Long answer6 marksAsked: 2025

   Answer any one of the following two questions in 100 - 120 words : (a) Amanda and Valli both represent a longing for freedom. Examine the above observation with reference to the two texts. (Amanda and Madam Rides the Bus) OR (b) In 'The Ball Poem', Berryman explores the themes of loss, growing up, and transformation. Mandela also experienced loss of freedom and suffering along with his countrymen during his growing years on the basis of his race and colour. Compare and contrast the commonality of themes in both the texts. (The Ball Poem and Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom)

2. Q2Case-based5 marksAsked: 2023

   7. (A) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : Don't eat that chocolate Amanda ! Remember your acne, Amanda ! Will you please look at me when I'm speaking to you Amanda ! (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care; life in tower is tranquil and rare, I'll certainly never let down my bright hair) (i) The Speaker's tone is (a) loving. (b) hopeful. (c) instructive. (d) indifferent. (ii) Complete the analogy with a word from the extract : rare : uncommon :: peace : .................... (iii) State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE : Amanda did not want anyone to invade her privacy and silence. (iv) Select the appropriate option : Amanda's mother is continuously ............. Amanda. (a) encouraging (b) reprimanding (c) motivating (d) disappointing (v) Which word in the extract is opposite in meaning to the word 'dull' ? (a) dreary (b) shady (c) bright (d) angry OR (B) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : He stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage, On pads of velvet quiet, In his quiet rage. He should be lurking in shadow, Sliding through long grass Near the water hole Where plump deer pass.

   

   Medha Ma’am

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   Model answer · Amanda extract, poem comprehension

   1. 1.(i) The speaker's tone is (c) instructive. The speaker keeps telling Amanda what to do and what not to do. She says "Don't eat that chocolate, Amanda!" and "Will you please look at me when I'm speaking to you, Amanda!"1 mark
   2. 2.(ii) rare : uncommon :: peace : tranquil. The word "tranquil" means calm. Amanda uses it for the peaceful life in Rapunzel's tower.1 mark
   3. 3.(iii) True. Amanda imagines that she is Rapunzel, living alone in a tower where life is "tranquil and rare". She says she will "never let down" her bright hair, so nobody can climb up and disturb her privacy and silence.1 mark
   4. 4.(iv) Amanda's mother is continuously (b) reprimanding Amanda. She scolds her about eating chocolate, about her acne and about not looking at her while she speaks.1 mark
   5. 5.(v) The word in the extract that is opposite in meaning to 'dull' is (c) bright, as in "my bright hair".1 mark

   • For the analogy, write the word from the extract itself: "tranquil".
   • For each multiple-choice part, write both the option letter and the word, for example "(b) reprimanding".
   • For the TRUE/FALSE part, support "True" with the line about never letting down her bright hair.

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

3. Q3Case-based5 marksAsked: 2023

   (A) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : [passage] (i) The Speaker's tone is (a) loving. (b) hopeful. (c) instructive. (d) indifferent. (ii) Complete the analogy with a word from the extract : rare : uncommon :: peace : ...................... (iii) State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE : Amanda did not want anyone to invade her privacy and silence. (iv) Select the appropriate option : Amanda's mother is continuously ............ Amanda. (a) encouraging (b) reprimanding (c) motivating (d) disappointing (v) Which word in the extract is opposite in meaning to the word 'dull' ? (a) dreary (b) shady (c) bright (d) angry OR (B) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow : [passage] (i) 'Quiet rage' refers to the tigers .............. (a) helplessness (b) he has not been able to hunt (c) his prey has not come to the water hole (d) he is not free (ii) He is lurking in shadows because ........... (iii) Complete the sentence appropriately : It is clear that metaphor is the poetic device used for 'pads of velvet' because ................... (clue-explain how metaphor applies here). (iv) Find a word from the extract which means - to walk with measured, stiff or haughty strides : (a) steps (b) lurking (c) pads (d) stalk (v) State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE : The tiger is stealthily waiting for the deer to come to the water hole.

   

   Medha Ma’am

   AskMedha’s AI teacher

   Hear it from Medha Ma’am · 180 s

   Model answer · Amanda, extract-based questions

   1. 1.(i) (c) instructive. The speaker keeps telling Amanda what to do and what not to do: "Don't bite your nails, Amanda!", "Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!" and "Did you finish your homework, Amanda?" Her tone is one of constant instruction.1 mark
   2. 2.(ii) Tranquil. 'Rare' and 'uncommon' mean the same thing, so the missing word must mean the same as 'peace'. In the extract, Amanda says that "life in a tower is tranquil and rare". Tranquil means calm.1 mark
   3. 3.(iii) True. Amanda wants to be left alone. She imagines herself as a mermaid who is the "sole inhabitant" of the sea, and as an orphan for whom "The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet."1 mark
   4. 4.(iv) (b) reprimanding. Amanda's mother keeps scolding her for small things, such as biting her nails, eating chocolate and sulking. She even says, "You're always so moody, Amanda!"1 mark
   5. 5.(v) (c) bright. In the line "I'll certainly never let down my bright hair!", the word 'bright' means shining and lively. That is the opposite of 'dull'.1 mark

   • Write the option letter and the word together, for example "(b) reprimanding".
   • For the analogy, write the single word "Tranquil" and give its meaning, calm.
   • After "True", quote "The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet."

   Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme

4. Q4Short answer3 marksAsked: 2026

   How are the daydreams that Amanda has different from her reality ? (Amanda)

   How the model answer begins

   1. Amanda's reality is filled with restrictions and constant nagging from her mother. She is scolded for small things like biting her nails, hunching her shoulders, slouching, not finishing her homework, not tidying her…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
5. Q5Short answer3 marksAsked: 2024

   Explain why Amanda wants to be an orphan. Refer to the given lines, from the text – I am an orphan, roaming the street. I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet. The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet. (Amanda)

   How the model answer begins

   1. Amanda wants to be an orphan because she is fed up with being watched and nagged by her parents all the time. She is not really an orphan. She only imagines herself to be one, roaming the street alone with no one to…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
6. Q6Short answer3 marksAsked: 2024

   In one instance, Amanda considers herself to be an orphan. What connotation does it entail ?

   How the model answer begins

   1. When Amanda imagines herself to be an orphan, it means she wants to escape the nagging of her mother, who keeps ordering her to finish her homework, tidy her room and clean her shoes. To Amanda, an orphan is unmonitored…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
7. Q7Short answer3 marksAsked: 2023

   What impression do you form about Amanda in the poem ?

   How the model answer begins

   1. Amanda is a sensitive and imaginative child who remains lost in her own world. Her mother has nagged her with instructions about biting her nails, hunching her shoulders and slouching, but Amanda's mind is far away in…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
8. Q8Short answer3 marksAsked: 2023

   Amanda gets a list of instructions from her mother of dos and don'ts. What do these tell you about the relationship between Amanda and her mother?

   How the model answer begins

   1. The list of dos and don'ts shows that Amanda and her mother do not get along, because her mother is a nagging mother. She keeps correcting Amanda with orders like "Don't bite your nails" and "Stop that slouching and sit…

   The full answer from Medha Ma’am →

Questions parents and students ask

How many marks does "Amanda!" carry in CBSE Class 10 English?

In the CBSE papers of 2023–2026, this chapter carried about 1 marks and about 0 questions a year; by marks it ranks 22 in English.

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

The 8 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 8 written questions of this chapter, with answers, are in the AskMedha app.

Do the answers follow the board’s marking scheme?

Yes. CBSE publishes its marking schemes; every model answer here is written point by point to the marks the board’s own scheme gives, and checked by a second, independent model.