English Language & Literature — CBSE Class 10 board question

Pranjal (Pranjol) was born and brought up on a tea plantation in Assam, so tea gardens were a familiar, everyday sight for him. When Rajvir excitedly cried "Hey, a tea garden!", Pranjol remained unmoved and casually remarked, "Assam has the largest concentration of plantations in the world. You will see enough gardens to last you a lifetime!" His indifference was natural — what was new and breathtaking for Rajvir was routine for him.

Rajvir, on the other hand, was seeing the lush green tea country for the first time. He had never seen so much greenery before and was deeply fascinated. He had also researched tea beforehand, which added to his curiosity and excitement. Thus, familiarity bred indifference in Pranjol, while novelty bred enthusiasm in Rajvir.

Source: Glimpses of India – Tea from Assam, Chapter 5

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• The examiner expects a contrast between the two characters, using textual evidence (Pranjol's dialogue + Rajvir's reaction).
• Key phrase to include: "born and brought up on a plantation" — this is the textbook's own explanation.
• Avoid writing too generally; anchor every point to what happens in the chapter.
• 3 marks = 3 clear points: Pranjol's indifference (reason), Rajvir's excitement (reason), brief conclusion on the contrast.