Grade 10 — Term 1
5 study notes · 25 practice questions · Aligned with NIE syllabus
Counted in the Idasara Academy app, which you open with a free account. The free notes, revision, practice and library pages for each lesson are linked below.
This term in the Idasara Academy app has 5 lessons (NIE Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). For each lesson, this page gives you the points you must know and one exam-style question with its answer. None of it needs an account.
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Lessons in This Term
People
What you must know
- Stative verb trap: Writing 'I am knowing him' or 'She is having three pens' is grammatically invalid in G.C.E. O/L marking; write 'I know him' and 'She has three pens'.
- Third-person singular concord: Ensure verbs take -s/-es with he/she/it in Simple Present (e.g., 'He speaks clearly', not 'He speak clearly').
- Paper 1 Test 3 & Test 4 biographical writing: Always format paragraphs with clear topic sentences introducing the person's identity and key attributes.
Try one question
Select the most appropriate adjective to complete the sentence: 'Dr. Wickramasinghe is known for her ______ nature; she always listens patiently to every patient and never speaks harshly.'
- A. compassionate
- B. hesitant
- C. careless
- D. arrogant
Show the answer
Answer: A. compassionate. 'Compassionate' means feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others. The context clues ('listens patiently' and 'never speaks harshly') indicate gentle, caring behavior towards patients.
A model question written by Idasara on the exam pattern. It is not from a past paper.
On Your Way
What you must know
- Collective noun verb agreement: When the collection acts as a single unit, use a singular verb (e.g., 'A herd of wild elephants was spotted in the sanctuary').
- Direction clarity: Never combine contradictory spatial prepositions (e.g., avoid writing 'turn right opposite the shop' without indicating the junction).
- Map navigation tasks (Paper 1 Test 2 & Paper 2 Test 9): Identify start and end landmarks before writing step-by-step imperative guidance.
Try one question
Choose the correct prepositions to fill the blanks: 'Walk ______ Galle Road until you reach the clock tower, then turn right ______ Station Road.'
- A. across / over
- B. between / against
- C. under / through
- D. along / into
Show the answer
Answer: D. along / into. We use 'along' to denote movement following the length of a road or street ('along Galle Road'), and 'into' when indicating movement entering a specific new street or pathway ('turn right into Station Road').
A model question written by Idasara on the exam pattern. It is not from a past paper.
Travel
What you must know
- The 'being' vs 'been' passive trap: Present Continuous Passive strictly requires 'being' (e.g., 'The luggage is being weighed', NEVER 'is been weighed').
- Preposition with foot: Always write 'on foot', never 'by foot'.
- Reading travel timetables (Paper 1 Test 2): Accurately extract departure times, platform numbers, and destination codes without misreading footnotes.
Try one question
Identify the correct verb forms to complete this travel narration: 'While our train ______ through the Ella gap, heavy rain ______ to pour.'
- A. was passing / started
- B. has passed / had started
- C. passed / was starting
- D. is passing / starts
Show the answer
Answer: A. was passing / started. When a long background action in the past continuous ('was passing') is interrupted by a shorter, completed action, the simple past ('started') is used for the interrupting event.
A model question written by Idasara on the exam pattern. It is not from a past paper.
Let's Talk
What you must know
- Word order trap in reported questions: Writing 'He asked me where did I live' or 'He asked where was I going' loses marks; write 'He asked where I lived' and 'where I was going'.
- Never leave inverted commas in reported speech statements.
- Universal truths in direct speech do not backshift (e.g., 'The teacher said that the sun rises in the east').
Try one question
Choose the correct question tag to complete the conversational dialogue: 'You haven't submitted your project report yet, ______?'
- A. did you
- B. do you
- C. haven't you
- D. have you
Show the answer
Answer: D. have you. The main statement contains a negative auxiliary verb in the present perfect tense ('haven't submitted'). A negative statement requires a positive question tag using the same auxiliary verb ('have you?').
A model question written by Idasara on the exam pattern. It is not from a past paper.
Best Practices
What you must know
- Prohibition vs lack of obligation trap: Confusing 'must not' with 'need not' alters meaning drastically ('You must not pay' = it is forbidden to pay; 'You need not pay' = payment is free/optional).
- Modal verbs are always followed by the base form of the verb without 'to' (except 'ought to' and 'have to'): write 'should avoid', never 'should to avoid'.
- School code of conduct writing (Paper 1 Test 7): Use modal verbs accurately to distinguish compulsory regulations from advisory guidelines.
Try one question
Change the following active directive into the correct passive voice sentence: 'We must segregate household waste before recycling.'
- A. Household waste must be segregated before recycling.
- B. Household waste was segregated before recycling.
- C. Household waste had to be segregated before recycling.
- D. Household waste must segregate before recycling.
Show the answer
Answer: A. Household waste must be segregated before recycling.. For modal verbs in the passive voice, the construction is: object + modal + be + past participle (V3). Here, 'household waste' + 'must' + 'be' + 'segregated'.
A model question written by Idasara on the exam pattern. It is not from a past paper.
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