MBOSE Class X English
Live now35 chapters · SSLC papers 2020–2026, solved
Chapters
Chapter 1 · A Letter to God
Study this chapterA poor farmer whose crop is ruined by hail writes to God for money, showing unshakeable faith, and the story ends with an ironic twist.
- About the story
- The house and the hope of rain
- Raindrops like new coins
- The hailstorm
- The sorrowful night and Lencho's faith
- The letter to God
- At the post office
- The postmaster's plan
- Lencho's reply
- Characters
- Irony, themes and devices
- Vocabulary and language
Chapter 1 · Fire and Ice
Study this chapterThe poet wonders whether the world will end in fire or ice, using them to stand for desire and hatred, both strong enough to destroy it.
- About the poem and the poet
- Lines 1–2: two opinions
- Lines 3–4: the poet sides with fire
- Lines 5–9: ice would also suffice
- Meaning and themes
- Poetic devices and rhyme
- Vocabulary
Chapter 2 · Two Stories about Flying
Study this chapterA young seagull overcomes his fear to make his first flight, and a pilot lost in a storm is guided home by a mysterious plane.
- About the two stories
- His First Flight: alone on the ledge
- His First Flight: watching the family
- His First Flight: hunger
- His First Flight: the mother's trick
- His First Flight: the flight
- His First Flight: the green sea
- The Black Aeroplane: the night flight
- The Black Aeroplane: the storm and the risk
- The Black Aeroplane: lost in the storm
- The Black Aeroplane: the strange aeroplane
- The Black Aeroplane: the mystery
- Characters and themes
- Vocabulary and language
Chapter 2 · The Ball Poem
Study this chapterA boy loses his ball, and in his grief the poet sees him learning a hard lesson: that loss is part of growing up.
- About the poem and the poet
- The ball is lost (lines 1–4)
- The boy's grief (lines 5–9)
- Money and possessions (lines 9–14)
- Learning to stand up (lines 15–18)
- Meaning and themes
- Poetic devices and vocabulary
Chapter 3 · From the Diary of Anne Frank
Study this chapterA thirteen-year-old Jewish girl explains why she starts a diary, tells her family's story, and wins over a strict teacher with her witty essays.
- Anne Frank and her diary (background)
- Why Anne keeps a diary
- A brief sketch of Anne's life
- School and the promotion meeting
- Mr Keesing and the three essays
- Characters and themes
- Vocabulary and language
Chapter 3 · Amanda!
Study this chapterA girl nagged constantly by an adult escapes into daydreams of freedom, imagining herself as a mermaid, an orphan or Rapunzel.
- About the poem
- Stanza 1: manners
- Stanza 2: the mermaid
- Stanza 3: duties
- Stanza 4: the orphan
- Stanza 5: chocolate and acne
- Stanza 6: Rapunzel
- Stanza 7: the ending
- Meaning and themes
- Poetic devices and vocabulary
Chapter 4 · Glimpses of India: Tea from Assam
Study this chapterOn a train journey to Assam, two friends pass endless tea gardens and learn the legends and history of how people came to drink tea.
- Part III only: Tea from Assam
Chapter 4 · The Trees
Study this chapterTrees kept inside a house break free and move out into the forest, a picture of nature, and perhaps of women, claiming their freedom.
- About the poem and the poet
- Lines 1–7: the empty forest
- Lines 8–16: the struggle
- Lines 17–24: the poet inside
- Lines 25–32: breaking free
- Meaning and themes
- Poetic devices and vocabulary
Chapter 5 · Madam Rides the Bus
Study this chapterEight-year-old Valli secretly saves up for her first bus ride to town, and the trip brings her joy, wonder and a first brush with death.
- About the story
- Valli and her wish
- Getting on the bus
- The new bus and the scenery
- The elderly man and the elderly woman
- Planning and saving
- The journey to town
- In the town
- The return journey and home
- Characters and themes
- Vocabulary
Chapter 5 · The Tale of Custard the Dragon
Study this chapterA comic ballad about a dragon called Custard, mocked as a coward, who alone finds the courage to fight a pirate.
- About the poem and the poet
- Belinda and her pets
- Custard's appearance
- The boasts and the teasing
- The pirate
- Who ran, who fought
- After the fight
- Meaning and themes
- Devices and vocabulary
Chapter 6 · The Sermon at Benares
Study this chapterGrieving for her dead son, Kisa Gotami learns from the Buddha that death comes to everyone, and that wisdom lies in accepting it.
- The life of the Buddha
- Kisa Gotami's grief
- The search for mustard seed
- The sermon
- Themes
- Language
Chapter 6 · For Anne Gregory
Study this chapterA young woman wants to be loved for herself and not for her beautiful yellow hair, and the poet teases that only God could manage that.
- About the poem and the poet
- Stanza 1
- Stanza 2
- Stanza 3
- Meaning, themes and devices
Chapter 1 · The Proposal
Study this chapterA nervous man comes to propose marriage to his neighbour's daughter, but the visit collapses into comic quarrels over land and dogs.
- About the play
- The characters
- Lomov's arrival
- Lomov's soliloquy
- The Oxen Meadows quarrel
- Chubukov joins the quarrel
- Natalya learns of the proposal
- The dog quarrel
- The ending
- Themes and characters
- Language
Chapter 1 · A Triumph of Surgery
Study this chapterTricki, a pampered little dog, falls ill from being overfed by his loving owner, and a sensible vet cures him with simple care.
- About the story
- Tricki's condition
- Tricki falls ill
- The cure
- Gifts and the return
- Themes and characters
Chapter 2 · The Thief's Story
Study this chapterA young thief steals from the kind man who is teaching him to read and write, but trust and the hope of learning bring him back.
- About the story
- Meeting Anil
- Life with Anil
- The theft
- The night of thinking
- The ending
- Themes and characters
Chapter 3 · A Question of Trust
Study this chapterA gentlemanly thief who plans every robbery carefully is himself outwitted by a charming woman who tricks him into opening a safe.
- Horace Danby
- The plan
- The young lady
- The arrest
- Themes
Chapter 4 · Footprints without Feet
Study this chapterGriffin, a scientist who has made himself invisible, uses his secret for a string of crimes while staying one step ahead of the law.
- The footprints
- The London store
- Drury Lane
- At Iping
- The clergyman and the inn
- The headless man
- Themes
Chapter 5 · The Necklace
Study this chapterMatilda borrows a diamond necklace to look rich at a party, loses it, and spends ten hard years paying for a replacement, only to learn it was fake.
- Matilda and her husband
- The invitation and the dress
- The necklace
- The ball and the loss
- Replacing the necklace
- Ten years of hardship
- The twist
- Themes
Chapter 6 · Bholi
Study this chapterBholi, a slow and neglected girl, gains confidence through school and finally finds the courage to refuse a greedy bridegroom.
- Bholi's childhood
- Going to school
- The first day at school
- The proposal
- The wedding
- The ending
- Themes
Chapter 1 · Reading Comprehension
Study this chapterLearn to read unseen passages, including ones with tables and charts, and answer questions on them accurately and quickly.
- Unseen factual and discursive passages, with data given as a table, bar chart, line graph or pie chart
Chapter 2 · Formal Letters
Study this chapterLearn to write clear, polite formal letters to officials and editors, with the right format, tone and content.
Chapter 3 · Articles
Study this chapterLearn to write a short, engaging article for a newspaper or school magazine, with a catchy title and well-organised ideas.
Chapter 4 · Analytical Paragraphs
Study this chapterLearn to describe what a chart, graph or table shows in a clear paragraph, picking out the main trends and comparisons.
Chapter 5 · Tenses
Study this chapterLearn how the different tenses show when something happens, and how to use them correctly in your speech and writing.
- Present tenses
- Past tenses
- Future tenses and time clauses
- Mixed practice and sequence of tenses
Chapter 6 · Modals
Study this chapterLearn to use modals like can, may, must, should and would to show ability, permission, duty, advice and possibility.
- Ability, permission and possibility
- Necessity, prohibition and advice
- Requests, offers and other uses
Chapter 7 · Subject-Verb Agreement
Study this chapterLearn to make the verb agree with its subject, even in tricky sentences with collective nouns or words like everyone.
- Finding the real subject
- Either, neither and always-singular words
- Amounts, titles, collective nouns and quantities
Chapter 8 · Determiners
Study this chapterLearn to use determiners such as a, the, some, any, much and many correctly before nouns.
- Articles and demonstratives
- Quantifiers
- Distributives, numbers and others
Chapter 9 · Reported Speech
Study this chapterLearn to change what someone said into reported speech, and back, without changing its meaning.
- Statements
- Questions
- Orders, requests, exclamations, wishes and suggestions
Chapter 10 · Active and Passive Voice
Study this chapterLearn to switch sentences between the active and passive voice, and to know when each one works better.
- Changing statements
- Questions and commands
- Passive into active and mixed
Chapter 11 · Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs
Study this chapterLearn to choose the right prepositions and to use common phrasal verbs, whose meaning changes with the small word that follows the verb.
- Time and place
- Fixed prepositions
- Phrasal verbs
Chapter 12 · Gap Filling, Error Correction and Omission
Study this chapterLearn to fill gaps, correct errors and supply missing words in a passage, using your knowledge of tenses, articles, prepositions and more.
- Verb forms and patterns
- Relative pronouns and connectors
- Spot the error and the omission
Chapter 13 · Sentence Reordering and Sentence Making
Study this chapterLearn to arrange jumbled words into correct sentences and to use words correctly in sentences of your own.
- Jumbled words
- Jumbled sentences
- Using words correctly
Chapter 14 · Idioms and Phrases
Study this chapterLearn the meanings of common idioms and phrases, and how to use them to make your English more natural and lively.
- Idioms the board has set
- Other common idioms
- Choosing the right idiom
Chapter 15 · Informal Letters and E-mails
Study this chapterLearn to write warm, well-organised letters and e-mails to friends and family, with the right format and a friendly tone.
Chapter 16 · Story Writing
Study this chapterLearn to turn an outline, an opening line or a title into a well-shaped story with a clear plot, lively characters and a strong ending.