Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English with Solutions Set 3 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English Set 3 with Solutions
Time: 2 Hrs.
Max. Marks: 40
General Instructions :
1. 15-minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
2. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING, and LITERATURE.
3. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the correct question number in your answer sheet to indicate the option/s being attempted.
Section-A
Reading Skills (20 marks)
I. Read the passage given below.
1. No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By changing word sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny variations in meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is soon to take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning.
Nor is this complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-called ‘primitive’ tribes have clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between ‘you and I’, ‘several other people and I’ and ‘you, another person and I’.
In English, all these meanings are summed up in the one, crude pronoun ‘We’. Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is. So, the question which has baffled many linguists is-who created grammar?
2. At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how grammar is created, someone needs to be present at the time of a language’s creation, documenting its emergence. Many historical linguists are able to trace modem complex languages back to earlier languages, but in order to answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to observe how languages started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is possible.
3. Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from a number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under colonizer’s rule. Since they had no opportunity to leam each other’s languages, they developed a make-shift language called a pidgin. Pidgins are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner.
They have little in the way of grammar, and in many cases, it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened, and who did what to whom. Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning understood. Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to be exposed to it at the time when they leam their mother tongue.
Slave children did not simply copy the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to create a new, expressive language. Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are termed creoles and they are invented by children.
4. Further evidence of this can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are not simply a series of gestures, they utilise the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken languages. Moreover, there are many different languages used worldwide. The creation of one such language was documented quite recently in Nicaragua.
Previously, all deaf people were isolated from each other but in 1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were taught speech and lip reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds, they began to invent their own sign system, using the gestures that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin. Each child used the signs differently, and there was ho consistent grammar.
However, children who joined the school later, when this inventive sign system was already around, developed a quite different sign language. Although it was based on the signs of the older children, the younger children’s language was more fluid and compact, and it utilised a large range of grammatical devices to clarify meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the same way? A new creole was bom.
5. Some linguists believe that many of the world’s most established languages were creoles at first. The English past tense -ed ending may have evolved from the verb ‘do’. ‘It ended’ may once have been ‘It end-did’. Therefore, it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by children.
Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are first trying to make sense of the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.
i. Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option.
Complexity in language is inherent to .
A. all the languages
B. English
C. Tribal languages
D. primitive languages
Answer:
A. all the languages
ii. Comment on the inference that the paragraph intends to bring out while explaining that grammar is
complex.
Answer:
The gist is that all linguists are baffled by the mystery as to who created grammar.
iii. List two emerging languages that came through the Atlantic slave trade.
Answer:
At first, a make-shift language emerged called a pidgin. Secondly, the slave children adapted to create a new expressive language that emerged with complex grammar systems. This new language was called creole.
iv. Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘easy’, from words used in paragraph 1.
A. sequences
B. variation
C. crude
D. complex
Answer:
D. complex
v. Pick out the option that correctly tells how the younger children’s minds work in the absence of grammatical
knowledge.
A. They create logical structures.
B. They imitate others.
C. They have innate grammatical machinery in their brains.
D. Both (A) and (B)
Answer:
D. Both (A) and (B)
vi. Based on your understanding of third paragraph what is according to you the basic difference between pidgin and creole?
Answer:
While creoles have fully developed vocabulary and patterned grammar, pidgin doesn’t have a well-
developed grammar.
vii. How can a sign language be pidgin?
Answer:
Sign language utilizes the same grammatical rules as it is used in spoken language. Deaf children while learning speech and lip-reading, started to invent their own sign system in the playground. They used the gestures that they used at home. This new language was again pidgin.
viii. Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference, with respect to the following:
In the development of a new sign language used by deaf children, the younger children’s language was more fluid and compact with large range of grammatical devices used to clarify meaning. In this way, consequently ………….
Answer:
a new creole was born.
ix. According to the passage, what can be attributed as a consequence of the Atlantic slave trade?
A. language’s creation arid documenting its emergence
B. evolution of some of the most recent languages
C. many word tricks can be performed to convey subtle differences in meaning
D. a statement can be turned into a question
Answer:
B. evolution of some of the most recent languages
x. Select the most appropriate title for the passage.
A. Development of languages
B. Pidgin and Creole
C. Children as progenitors to the development of language
D. All of the above
Answer:
A. Development of languages
II. Read the passage given below.
1. When plastic waste is burnt, a complex weave of toxic chemicals is released. While breaking down Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) used for packaging, toys and coating electrical wires, Dioxin is produced, an organochlorine compound which belongs to the family of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
A recent Dioxin Assessment Report brought out by the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) says that the risk of getting cancer from dioxin is ten times higher than reported by the agency in 1994.
2. Yet the Delhi government is giving the green signal to a gasification project which will convert the garbage into energy without removing plastic waste. Former transport minister Rajendra Gupta, the promoter of this project, says this is not necessary.
He claims no air pollution will be caused and that the ash produced can be used as manure. An earlier waste-to-energy project set-up in Timarpur failed. The new one, built with Australian assistance, will cost 200 crores. It will generate 25 megawatts of power and gobble 1,000 tonnes of garbage every day.
3. “Technologies like gasification are a form of incineration,” says Madhumita Dutta, central coordinator with Toxics Link, New Delhi. Incineration merely transfers hazardous waste from a solid form to air, water and ash, she points out. Toxins produced during incineration include acidic gases, heavy metals as well as dioxins and furans were: “The ‘manure’ will be hazardous and a problem to dispose,” says Dutta.
4. Municipal solid waste contains a mix of plastics. Breaking down this waste emits hydrochloric acid which attacks the respiratory system, skin and eyes, resulting in coughing, vomiting and nausea. Polyethylene generates volatile compounds like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, both suspected carcinogenic.
Breathing styrene from polystyrene can cause leukaemia. Polyurethane is associated with asthma. Dioxin released by PVC is a powerful hormone disrupter and causes birth defects and reproductive problems. There is no threshold dose to prevent it and our bodies have no defence against it.
5. “Even the best-run incinerators in the world have to deal with stringent norms, apart from contaminated filters and ash, making them hugely expensive to operate,” says Dutta. In Germany, air pollution devices accounted for two-thirds the cost of incineration. Despite such efforts, the European Dioxin Inventory noted that the input of dioxin into the atmosphere was the highest from incineration.
Global plastic waste by disposal, 1980 to 2015
Estimated hiire of global pIata waste h disposal method
6. How has global plastic waste disposal method changed over time? In the chart, we see the share of global plastic waste that is discarded, recycled or incinerated from 1980 through to 2015. Prior to 1980, recycling and incineration of plastic was negligible; loo percent was therefore discarded.
From 1980 for incineration and 1990 for recycling, rates increased on average by about 0.7 per cent per year. In 2015, an estimated 55 percent of global plastic waste was discarded, 25 per cent was incinerated and 20 percent recycled.
7. “India does not have the facility to test dioxin and the cost of setting one up is prohibitively expensive,” says Dutta. Besides, Indian garbage has a low calorie content of about 800 cal/kg, since it has high moisture and requires additional fuel to burn.
Toxics link calculates that the electricity generated from such technology will cost between 5-7 per unit, which is six times higher than conventional energy. India has chosen a dioxin preventive route and burning of chlorinated plastics is prohibited under Municipal Solid Waste and Biomedical Rules.
Nearly 80 percent of Indian garbage is recyclable or compostable. Resident associations, the informal sector and the municipal corporation can make Delhi’s garbage disappear in a sustainable manner. “Instead, the government promotes end-of-pipeline solutions,” says Dutta.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.
i. Does the following statement agree with the information given in paragraph 1?
The United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) says that dioxin which belongs to the family of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), is ten times more dangerous in spreading cancer than what was reported by the agency in 1994.
Select from the following:
True: if the statement agrees with the information.
False: if the statement contradicts the information.
Not Given: if there is no information on this.
Answer:
False
ii. Do you think the passage intends to create an awareness that ‘manure’ can also be hazardous?
Support your answer with reference to the text.
Answer:
Madhumita Dutta, a central coordinator with Toxics Link, New Delhi says that Incineration produces acidic gases, heavy metals as well as dioxins and furans: So the manure so formed will be hazardous to use.
iii. Based on the given graphical representation of data in the passage, choose the option that lists the statements
that are TRUE.
A. In the year 2015, the incinerated plastic waste disposal was 80%.
B. In the year 1980, share of discarded plastic waste was 100%.
C. Discarded plastic waste was 60% in the year 2010.
D. Both (B) and (C)
Answer:
D. Both (B) and (C)
iv. Complete the sentence based on the following statement.
The best-run incinerators in the world are hugely expensive to operate.
We can say this because ………………..
Answer:
incinerators have to deal with stringent norms, apart from contaminated filters and ash, which make them hugely expensive to operate.
v. Which statements are NOT TRUE according to the passage?
1. India has adopted a preventive measure under which burning of chlorinated plastics is prohibited.
2. USEPA says that the risk of getting cancer from dioxin is hundred times higher than reported by the agency in 1994.
3. Incineration merely transfers hazardous waste from a solid form to air, water, and ash.
4. Hydrochloric acid attacks the digestive system, nose, and eyes which results in diabetes and nausea.
A. 2and4
B. land3
C. 3and4
D. land 2
Answer:
A. 2and4
vi. Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option.
Garbage can be converted into energy by .
A. gasification
B. gratification
C. a chemical process
D. incinerators
Answer:
A.. gasification
vii. Why has India chosen a dioxin-preventive route for the disposal of plastics? Give one reason.
Answer:
This is because India does not have the facility to test dioxin and the cost of setting up one is prohibitively expensive.
viii. Complete the given sentence by selecting the most suitable option.
Since most of India’s garbage is recyclable or compostable, therefore resident associations, the informal sector and
the municipal corporation make Delhi’s garbage disappear in a ……………. manner.
A. suffer
B. help
C. eco-friendly
D. Strongly
Answer:
C. eco-friendly
ix. Complete the sentence appropriately with one/two words. Dioxin causes.
A. cancer
B. heart attack
C. hypertension
D. sickness
Answer:
A. cancer
x. Based on the reading of the text, state a point to challenge the given statement.
Incineration is the easiest and safest way to dispose of hazardous waste material and is being gradually adopted by countries all over the world.
Answer:
Toxins produced during incineration include acidic acid, heavy metals as well as dioxins and furans So the ‘ash’ produced to be used as ‘manure’ can be hazardous.
Section-B
Creative Writing Skills
III. All the names and addresses used in the questions are fictitious. Resemblance, f any, is purely coincidental.
1. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
A. You are Suyash, Head Boy of Shanti Public School. Write a notice in not more than 50 words urging the students to lend a helping hand in more and more numbers to the less privileged during Covid 19 crisis.
Answer:
Shanti Public School
NOTICE
17 August, 2OXX
Lend a Helping Hand
Your help and cooperation are required to make a difference in the lives of less privileged during the time of the Covid-19 crisis. Donate generously. Give your contribution to the Sports Teacher by 25th August, 2OXX. The money raised will help to rehabilitate them in clean shelters, ensuring proper health and sanitation by providing masks and sanitizers to them.
Suyash,
Head Boy
OR
B. You are Rohan, the NSS in charge of the XYZ Public School, Madurai. Write a notice informing students of a book donation drive for the children of a neighboring slum. Give out the venue and timings of the collection points.
Answer:
XYZ PUBLIC SCHOOL, MADURAI
NOTICE
14th March, 2OXX
Book Donation Drive
This is.to bring to the notice of all the students who wish to donate their books to the children of the nearby slum. Collection boxes have been placed in the library and in front of the canteen. The books can be donated from 10 a.m. to 4p. m. on 15th and 16th March. For further inquiries, contact the undersigned.
Rohan
NSS In-Charge
2. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
A. You are Hemant/Hema. You have been invited to attend a seminar on ‘Conservation of Water’ organized by department of water supply of your district. Send a formal reply in not more than 50 words accepting the invitation.
Answer:
Dear Sir,
It is my pleasure to accept the kind invitation of the Secretary of Delhi Jal Board to participate in the seminar on ‘Conservation of Water’ on Wednesday, 12th June, 2OXX at 10.00 a.m. at Kirti Stadium, New Delhi.
Thanks for the invitation.
Hema/Hemant
OR
B. Draft an invitation on behalf of Mr. & Mrs. Sharat Raj of 29, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, inviting their friends and relatives on the 1st birth anniversary of their son Tarun at their residence on 8th March 2OXX.
Answer:
Mrs & Mr. SHARAT RAJ
request the pleasure of your benign presence
on the auspicious occasion of the
FIRST BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
Of
their son
TARUN
at their residence
29, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi
at 5:30 p.m.
on
8th” MARCH, 2OXX
R.S.V.P.
Mrs & Mr. Sharat Raj
Phone -XXXXXXXXXX
3. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
A. You are Vinit/Vinita of 34, Model Town, Lucknow. Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper in 120-150 words expressing your concern over the increasing cases of chain snatching and daylight robbery in your locality.
Answer:
34, Model Town
Lucknow
5th May, 2OXX
The Editor
Lucknow Times
Lucknow
Subject: Increasing cases of chain snatching and daylight robbery
Dear Sir,
I am Virat/Vinita, a resident of Model Town, Lucknow. I am writing this letter to express my concern over the increasing cases of chain snatching and daylight robbery in our locality. It has become a menace and people are too scared to go out, especially the ladies.
Two days ago, an old lady was going to purchase vegetables in the evening from the local shop nearby when a motorcyclist came and snatched her chain from her neck and rode away. The old lady fell down and got minor injuries. In another case, a family had gone to attend their relative’s marriage and on their return they found their house looted.
The robbers had taken away jewellery and cash worth rupees 2 lac. One more incident happened when two men with their faces covered came close to an elderly man, sprinkled chili powder in his eyes and snatched away his watch and bag in broad daylight.
The sudden rise in the number of these incidents is a serious threat and it needs an immediate action. The police should be more alert regarding the safety and security of the life and property of the citizens. I hope my voice would reach the concerned authorities and expect a remedial action at the earliest.
Thanking you,
Your sincerely,
Vinit/Vinita
OR
B. You are Anchit/Anchal of 21, Brij Nagar, Rajkot. You saw an advertisement in The Hindustan Times for the post of Marketing Manager in a reputed firm in Mumbai. You would like to apply for the same. Write a letter to the Public Relations Officer, Chahat Enterprises, Mumbai, applying for the job. Write the letter in 100- 120 words submitting your candidature with a detailed bio-data.
Chahat Enterprises Mumbai
REQUIRES
MARKETING MANAGER
Minimum graduates with proficiency in COMPUTER & ACCOUNTS.
Interested to WALK IN INTERVIEW on:
30th April, 2OXX (Sunday)
IOE.0O a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
At Chahat Enterprises, Galaxy Road, Mumbai
Answer:
21, Brij Nagar.
Rajkot
20th April, 2OXX
Public Relations Officer
Chahat Enterprises
Mumbai
Subject: Application for the post of marketing manager
Sir,
In response to your advertisement published in The Hindustan Times dated April 15, 2Oxx, I wish to offer my services as one of the candidates. ¡ fulfil the conditions laid down in your advertisement. I have completed my MBA in Marketing Management from Bombay University with 91% marks. I have also got one-year of working experience in GET Enterprises, Mumbai. Enclosed herewith is my bio-data and testimonials for your reference.
BIO-DATA
Name: Anchit/Anchal
Father’s Name: A.S. Arora
Date of Birth: 3Vt July 1993
Communication Address: 21, Brij Nagar, Rajkot-XXXXXX
Phone- 98XXXXXXXX
E-Mail Address: anc123@gmai1.com
Nationality: Indian
Academic Qualifications:
(i) M.B.A.in Marketing Management, Symbiosis Institute, Pune
(ii) Hotel Management, Delhi University with 92% marks.
Experience: 3 years at GET Enterprises, Mumbai.
Strengths: Good communication skills, computer literate
Languages: Good command over spoken and written Hindi and English.
Hobbies: Reading and Sketching
References: 1. Ashok Gupta, Manager, STP LTd. Pune, Ph-XXXXXXXX)
2. Kiran Sharma, PRO, Ministry of Health, Delhi Govt. Delhi. Ph XX)000000(X
Hoping for a favorable response.
Your sincerely,
Anchit/Anchal
4. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
A. The increasing stress and today’s lifestyle have affected the people a lot. They are becoming the victim of many ailments and diseases and the only way to curb it, is to stay healthy. Write an article on the topic ‘Health and Fitness’ in 120-150 words. You are Mohan/Mohini. You may use the cues given below along with your own ideas.
- A healthy mind resides only in a healthy body.
- Avoid junk food.
- Regular exercise, and proper sleep.
- Prime Minister’s initiative of International Yoga Day.
- Eat healthily and stay fit.
Answer:
Health and Fitness
By MohanlMohinì
Health is the most important thing that a person should take care of. Leading a healthy lifestyle leads to happiness, success and achievements. Being healthy and fit means taking good care of the body. There is an age-old saying that a “Healthy mind resides only in a healthy body”. Good health of both mind and body is very essential for maintaining the required energy level to carry out the work and achieve success in life. It is the most important thing because if a person is healthy, then he or she is capable of doing any type of task.
Protecting your body by avoiding the intake of junk food, doing regular exercises, having proper food at proper time and sleep for the essential eight hours are some of the important instance that defines a healthy lifestyle. Being fit permits us to perform our activities without being lethargic, restless, or tired.
Even our Prime Minister has also focused on the fitness drive along with the successful initiative of International Yoga Day. It maintains our blood sugar and enhances our immunity level. A healthy and fit person is capable of enjoying life to the fullest, without any major medical or physical issues.
Being healthy is not only related to the physical well-being of a person, it also involves the mental stability or the internal peace of a person. One should take a healthy diet which includes eating green and fresh vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, minerals, proteins and vitamins essential for body. So in the end, I would like to say that ‘Eat healthily and stay fit.
OR
B. You are Sanjay/Sanjana. Recently when you were going to office in the morning, you witnessed a road accident. Write a report in 120-150 words for the local newspaper. Use the given cues along with your own ideas to write a report about the same.
- 15 kilts in Road Accident.
- The accident took place around 9:00 a.m.
- A speeding truck rammed a tempo and then hit another car.
- Injured taken to the local medical college.
- The Chief Minister expressed his condolences.
- A magisterial inquiry has been ordered, said by the ADG of Police.
Answer:
15 Killed in Road Accident
By Sanjana/Sanjay
25th August, 2OXX, xyz city: Fifteen people, including three women and two children, were killed after a speeding truck rammed a tempo and then hit another car which fell into a ditch in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district on Wednesday. The accident took place around 9:00 a.m. at the MoU crossing on NH-24 while I was on my way to the office. I stayed there for some time and saw that five people were injured and they were immediately taken to the local medical college with the help of other people.
Their condition is stated to be critical according to N.K. Agarwal, the emergency medical officer of the government district hospital. The Chief Minister expressed his condolences to the families of the dead. Search was on to locate the driver of the truck.
“A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to find out the reasons behind the accident”, said the police Commissioner of Ghaziabad division. Additional Director General of Police, Rakesh Mehra also visited the site. “We will organize a drive against overloading by truck drivers”, he told in an interview.
Section-C
Literature
Read the given extracts to attempt the questions with reference to context.
1. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given.
A. “Such the sun, the moon, Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon For simple sheep; and such are daffodils With the green world they live in; and clear rills That for themselves a cooling covert make ‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake, Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms; And such too is the grandeur of the dooms We have imagined for the mighty dead; All lovely tales that we have heard or read; Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.” (A Thing of Beauty)
i. The mood and thoughts of the poet in this extract is:
(i) Pensive ‘
(ii) Sensuous
(iii) Serene
(iv) Romantic
(v) Thoughtful
(vi) Advising
Choose the most appropriate option.
A. (i) and (vi)
B. (ii) and (v)
C. Only (iii)
D. Both (ii) and (iii)
Answer:
C Only (iii)
ii. Identify the phrase from the extract that suggests An everlasting beauty gifted by God.
Answer:
Endless fountain of immortal drink.
iii. Choose the option that displays the same poetic device as used in the phrase, ‘mighty dead’ in the extract.
A. Personification
B. Metaphor
C. Oxymoron
D. Alliteration
Answer:
C. Oxymoron
iv. Complete the following analogy correctly.
cooling covert: alliteration:: endless fountain of immortal drink: ………………..
Answer:
metaphor
v. On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to (1) and (2) given below.
(1) Trees offer shade which is a boon, for living creatures.
(2) Beauty is an unnecessary blessing from heaven.
A. (1) is the reason for (2).
B. (2) is the reason for (1).
C. (1) is true but (2) is not.
D. Both are true and are related.
Answer:
C. (1) is true but (2) is not.
vi. Fill in the blank with an appropriate word.
An apt title for the extract is ………………..
Answer:
Ode to Nature
OR
B. “If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing, perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness of never understanding ourselves and of threatening ourselves with death. Perhaps the Earth can teach us as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive. Now I’ll count up to twelve and you keep quiet and I will go.” (Keeping Quiet)
i. Choose the option that displays personification as used in the extract.
A. The trees danced in the wind.
B. Her head is spinning.
C. The horses are galloping.
D. That was an unruly night.
Answer:
A. The trees danced in the wind.
ii. What does the phrase “as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive” mean?
A. Nature is slowly dying.
B. Nature will be resurrected.
C. Thing in nature takes time to grow.
D. Nature is patient.
Answer:
C. Thing in nature takes time to grow.
iii. The idea of this extract includes. ……………………..
(i) Necessity of introspection
(ii) Alarming.
(iii) Pensive
(iv) Complaining
(v) Irritated
Choose the most appropriate option.
A. (i), (ii), and (iii)
B. (ii) and (iv)
C. Only (v)
D. Only (i)
Answer:
D. Only(i)
iv. Answer in ONE word.
When the poet says our sadness will be interrupted by the silence, he means. …………………
Answer:
we understand what our soul wants only in silence.
v. On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below. Statement (1): Nature takes time to rebuild itself.
Statement (2): We take care of nature and everything around us selflessly.
A. (1) is the reason of (2).
B. Only I is true and the reason of (2).
C. Both of them are false and are unrelated.
D. (1) is true but (2) is false.
Answer:
D. (1) is true but (2) is false,
vi. Which of the following is an apt title for the extract?
A. Lethal humans
B. The race of mankind
C. Selfish minds
D. The earth is dying
Answer:
B. The race of mankind
2. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given.
A. The Maharaja was equally determined. He refused to leave the forest until the tiger was found. As the days passed, the Maharaja’s fury and obstinacy mounted alarmingly. Many officers lost their jobs. (The Tiger King)
i. Mention an important value conveyed by the writer of ‘The Tiger King’.
Answer:
The environment and its animals should be preserved.
ii. Which of the following sayings fits the action of the ‘Tiger King’ the best?
A. Self-indulgence can be dangerous
B. Imagined scare can make powerful people commit stupidity
C. Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
D. Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely
Answer:
B. Imagined scare can make powerful people commit stupidity
iii. What suggestion was given to the dewan when he argued against the king’s order?
A. What suggestion was given to the dewan when he argued against the king’s order?
B. To bring a tiger from Madras
C. To resign from his position
D. To run away to a different state
Answer:
C. To resign from his position
iv. What is the irony at the end of the story?
Answer:
The proud killer of hundred tigers fell a victim to a toy tiger.
OR
B. It’s to understand the significance of Cordilleran folds and pre-Cambrian granite shields; ozone and carbon; evolution and extinction. When you think about all that can happen in a million years, it can get pretty mind-boggling. (Journey to the End of the Earth)
i. Complete the sentence appropriately, with reference to the extract.
The writer writes about the sign license of Cordilleran folds and pre-Cambrian granite shields. Precambrian granite shields are. ………………………..
Answer:
a large area of crystalline metamorphic rock of relatively low elevation that forms part of continental masses.
ii. Which of the following is closest to the text?
A. Antarctica should kept freezing and desolate
B. Antarctica should be kept freezing, desolate, and at the bottom of the world
C. Antarctica frigid, isolated, and at the bottom of the world
D. Taking care of small things will make big things fall in place
Answer:
D. Taking care of small things will make big things fall in place
iii. Select the most suitable title for the given extract.
A. The World – undisturbed
B. Evolutionary Footprints
C. Do or die
D. Both (A) and (B)
Answer:
D. Both (A) and (B)
iv. Why does Antarctica remain pristine?
Answer:
Antarctica remains pristine because it is untrampled by humans.
3. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given.
A. “No one can imagine how sad and monotonous life can appear to such a vagabond, who plods along the road, left to his own meditations. But one day this man had fallen into a line of thought, that really seemed to him entertaining. He had naturally been thinking of his rattraps when suddenly he was struck by the idea that the whole world about him-the whole world with its lands and seas, its cities and villages-was nothing but a big rattrap.
It had never existed for any other purpose than to set baits for people. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork, and as soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him, and then everything came to an end.” (The Ratt rap)
i. Select the option that completes the given sentence appropriately.
The phrase “left to his own meditations” in the given context would refer to ……………..
A. to follow his own exercise regime.
B. to meditate at night.
C. to do as he pleases.
D. to be left on his own.
Answer:
D. to be left on his own.
ii. Select the most suitable word from the extract and complete the following analogy:
offer: refuse:: ……………..: undesiring
Answer:
tempted
iii. Select the correct option to fill in the blank.
The reason behind falling for the bait is ……………..
A. gluttony
B. envy
C. greed
D. greed
Answer:
C. greed
iv. Based on the above extract, choose the statement that is TRUE.
The author draws a parallel reference between:
A. rich and poor.
B. thieves and vagabonds.
C. riches and joys, and cheese and pork
D. bait and greed
Answer:
C. riches and joys, and cheese and pork
v. Identify the textual clue that allows the reader to infer that the author is sympathetic towards the rattrap maker. (clue: a phrase or a clause)
Answer:
No one can imagine how sad and monotonous life can appear to such a vagabond, who plods along the road, left to his own meditations.
vi. Complete the sentence with an appropriate explanation, as per the extract.
The writer uses the word ‘bait’ to refer to the world because. …………………..
Answer:
it offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork.
OR
B. “I will learn to drive a car,” he answers, looking straight into my eyes. His dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his town Firozabad, famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry where families have spent generations working around furnaces, wielding glass, making bangles for all the women in the land it seems.
Mukesh’s family is among them. None of them knows that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass furnaces with high temperature, in dingy cells without air and light; that the law, if enforced, could get him and all those 20,000 children out of the hot furnaces where they slog their daylight hours, often losing the brightness of their eyes. Mukesh’s eyes beam as he volunteers to take me home, which he proudly says is being rebuilt. (Lost Spring)
i. The simile ‘dream looms like a mirage amidst the dust of streets’ indicates that his dream was:
A. A reality that seemed distant
B. Lost in the sea of dust
C. Illusory and indistinct
D. Hanging in the dusty air
Answer:
C. Illusory and indistinct
ii. Rewrite the sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with its inference.
None of them know that it is illegal for children like him to work in the glass furnaces.
Answer:
unlawful for
iii. On the basis of the sentence, “I will learn to drive a car, he answers, looking straight into my eyes.”, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.
(1) This sentence highlights that Mukesh was determined and ambitious.
(2) This sentence highlights that Mukesh was hopeful and fearless.
A. (1) can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.
B. (1) cannot be inferred from the extract but (2) can.
C. (1) is true but (2) is false.
D. (2) is the reason for (1).
Answer:
C. ‘(1) is true but (2) is false.
iv. Rationalise, to support the given opinion:
The law, if imposed could starve them to death due to unemployment.
Answer:
All the children of bangle makers have to supplement the incomes of their parents to prevent hunger and starvation because the income levels are far too low to manage even the most basic needs.
v. Replace the underlined word with its antonym from the extract.
Most of the time families in a successful business lead a settled life.
Answer:
Most of the time families in a successful business lead a vagabond’s life.
vi. What is the extract trying to highlight?
A. Stupid dreams of a poor child
B. Hopeful future for children in poverty
C. Ground reality of child labour
D. Implementation of strict laws in India
Answer:
C. Ground reality of child labour
V. Answer ANY FIVE of the following in about 40-50 words each.
i. The people in this story suddenly realise how precious their language is to them. What shows you this?
Why does this happen? (The Last Lesson)
Answer:
The crowd of villagers at and around the bulletin-board, the silent presence of the villagers in the class, the silence in place of the routine hustle and bustle of the school, the emotions gripping M. Hamel and Franz representing the teacher and the student community respectively, were all indicators of the realisation of the importance of their language to them.
In the story, M. Hamel said that people realise the importance of somebody or something in their lives very often only when they lose it or it is snatched away from them. Similarly, it was the order from Berlin that made the people realise the importance of their language for them.
ii. Explain how things of beauty that are ephemeral (short-lived) still provide us with everlasting joy.
(A Thing of Beauty)
Answer:
The universal element in the life of an individual is to make his life worthwhile with everlasting happiness. With reference to the poem, we see that the poet frequently refers to small, short lived life of daffodils, great martyrs, trees and their cooling shades, the fragrance of a fair musk-roses and many other small things that fill up life with joy.
The experience is there in our memory to recollect and enjoy these moments when we are all alone. The beautiful expression “but will keep/A bower quiet for us” exactly expresses this sentiment. The impact of infinite beauty resides in the collective memory of human beings. The poet beautifully sums up our eternal quest for joy, which enlivens our spirits in times of adversity.
iii. How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father? (Going places)
Answer:
Sophie’s father is an archetype of the lower-middle class father who has worked hard in uncompromising
conditions in order to earn a livelihood for his family. After his day’s work, he watched television instead of spending time with his family or sharing family responsibilities with his wife.
He expects Sophie to buy them a new house instead of engaging in her expensive dream ambitions if she gets a chance to earn money. His impoverished financial condition does not, however, stop him from watching the football match, or later, going to the pub for celebration. He is shown as a practical, but self-centered and short- tempered person.
iv. What are the probable causes of the passing cars to stop near the roadside stand? (A Roadside Stand)
Answer:
In the poem, the Roadside Stand, Robert Frost writes about the selfish needs of the rich people who stop their cars for their own selfish needs rather than helping the poor who have their roadside stands. They stop occasionally to inquire about the vegetables but have no intention of purchasing it. Some stop to reverse their cars while some just stop to ask the correct directions to their destinations.
v. Though the sharecroppers of Champaran received only one-fourth of the compensation, how can the Champaran struggle still be termed a huge success and victory? (Indigo)
Answer:
The Champaran struggle can be termed as a huge success and victory because of the following reasons. Gandhiji wanted to break the deadlock. The amount of the refund was not important but the landlords had been obliged to surrender part of the money and with it their prestige too. Lastly, the peasants had developed courage and learned to amplify themselves. They had overcome their fear.
vi. Why hds the mother been compared to the late winter’s moon? (My Mother At Sixty-Six)
Answer:
The late winter moon lacks lustre. The mother’s face was pale and withered. Moreover, the late winter moon suggested the end of the season and the mother too was nearing the end of her life, therefore, the poet compared her with the late winter’s moon.
VI. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 40-50 words each.
i. Why did Charley suspect that Sam had gone to Galesburg? (The Third Level)
Answer:
When Sam disappeared all of a sudden and no one knew about his whereabouts, Charley suspected he had gone to Galesburg as Sam was a city boy and liked Galesburg very much. Then Charley found an envelope mailed to Sam by his grandfather from his home in Galesburg and so it confirmed that Sam was indeed in Galesburg.
ii. How did Dr. Sadao help the American soldier to escape? (The Enemy)
Answer:
Dr. Sadao gave his boat to the young American soldier, arranged food for him, gave him Japanese clothes, a black cloth to wrap around his blonde head and some valuable information which helped him escape successfully. ”
iii. What was the incident that made Bama laugh as well as feel provoked and angry? (Memories of Childhood) ‘ Answer:
Bama saw an elderly man on the street carrying a packet of ‘Vadais’ by the strings and walking gingerly, holding the parcel away from his body. Bama found his manner of carrying the parcel very funny. But her brother explains to her how the higher caste people believed that if the lower caste people touched the parcel, it would be polluted. That’s why the elder was carrying it in that manner. This provoked and angered Bama. i
VII. Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 120-150 words.
i. The prose sections, Poets and Pancakes and The Interview, give us an insight into the techniques of ” interview and its effect on the interviewee, the interviewer as well as the audience who partake their own experience and the role conflict that comes across a wide spectrum.
Imagine yourself to be a career counsellor in a reputed school, say like in Delhi Public School, ; Shashtripuram, Agra. You have to apprise the final year students about the interviews through the awareness created by the two Chapters with which they have been acquainted with. Write a speech that you have to deliver to make the senior students aware of the challenges ahead.
Answer:
Dear Sons and daughters,
Welcome to this session of awareness campaign for facing a new challenge. The topic is about ‘Facing interviews’, ‘facing brickbats for being successful’ and a host of other challenges that you will face in your life. Without any doubt the intention is also to give you all a deeper insight with the two lessons that you have read in your text books, Poets and Pancakes and The Interview from your textbook ‘Flamingo’.
The art of questionnaire can be a deliberate attempt to see whether a candidate is able to fit in the company or an institution without coming into the zone of conflict. Tactful handling of different situations matters more than anything else.
If you go through the chapter Poets and Pancakes, you will x find a real life character Kothamangalam Subbu, a Brahmin, and it is surprising to say that he did not have any appreciable lead over an ‘office boy’ in formal education.
Yet, despite this drawback he was second in command in the Gemini Studios. He had the ability to look cheerful even after having a hand i in a flop movie. Apart from being an excellent manager he had a command over literary qualities of the movies that he made. Along with these noble qualities he was an amazing actor and a philanthropist. 1
He could present men and women for any new project of film making. Interviews seek exactly those 1 qualities.
On the other extreme is the other chapter, The Interview. The function of interview is elaborately ; discussed. The pros are that in its highest form, interview is a source of truth, and it is an art.
The cons of course, are how the interviewee feels about it. Celebrities find themselves as its victims. According to: V.S. Naipaul he ‘feels that some people are wounded by interview and lose a part of themselves’. There are other challenges too.
Rudyard Kipling considered interview as an offence against his person, as an assault, a crime that merited punishment. Yet at the other extreme we find him perpetrating the same assault on Mark Twain! Yet Kipling is of the opinion that ‘no respectable man would ask it, much less x give it!’.
Dear children, despite these opinions over interviews that you go through, they are here to stay. Your – challenge is to face them without losing your calm demeanor and face them cheerily.; I hope, even if in future you all happen to become celebrities, when the interviewers stalk you, you won’t lose your poise. That will be a true success of putting the academics into practice.
Thank you for hearing me out.
Have a nice day.
OR
ii. The poem, A Thing of Beauty talks about the beautiful things in nature and the intrinsic beauty of the ‘ world in its purest form. The prose selection Indigo is about Gandhiji’s Satyagraha in Champaran and his first-hand experience of village life. Construct a conversation between Gandhiji and Keats discussing beauty in rustic settings in 120-150.
You may start with, ‘Keats: Mr. Gandhi, where do you think is the real beauty?
Answer:
Keats: Mr. Gandhi, where do you think is the real beauty? In the city or in the village?
Gandhiji: That is not an easy question, John. First of all, we need to understand that everyone’s idea of beauty is different. What is beautiful to you may not be at all attractive to me. I would like to know your answer to your own question.
Keats: Well, you are right in saying that everybody has a different idea of beauty and perspective plays a major role in this.
Gandhiji: That is right. I have been to England and have seen the cities of India as well but what has really caught my appreciation is the rural expanse of my country. Even the villages of England that I saw on my travels have fascinated me to their own degree.
Keats: Villages have a rawness to them that is not easily found in cities and towns.
Gandhiji: I cannot agree more, John.
VIII. Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 120-150 words.
i. Jack Finney , while returning from office decides to write about a science fiction about travelling to future , from 1894 to the 1945. As if in a flash of sixth sense he wants to visit Japan. He is surprised to find that in his dreams he saw two cities in rubble. He is not able to figure out which ones he saw in rubbles. However, he is amazed to see the same pictures that he saw in his dreams-Hiroshima and Nagasaki burning and the devastating blast that burnt it down. Imagine yourself to be Jack Finney and express these thoughts.
Answer:
If only people could believe me, it was exactly on the day in 1919 that the news of Einstein’s theory was validated by Eddington, I dreamt of this horrible scenes of two cities burning. The horrible First World War had barely ended in 1918. For me it was cataclysmic. How could I dream of two cities burning, that too in Japan! A premonition of sorts? I noted the dream in my personal diary dated, March 31,1919.
Or was it Pearl Harbour? Later when I read about the bombings in Japan in 1945,1 checked it out with the leading newspapers about such a devastation, it gave me an eerie feeling to see the photographs that came on the first page. I was horrified. How could my premonition be so accurate? Or did I travel into the future? My personal diary is nowhere to be found. So unfortunate of me! How will people believe me?
OR
ii. Both Mr. Lamb and little boy Derek have experienced loneliness in their life in their own personal ways and yet their reaction to it has been at two extremes. Mr. Lamb has taken his isolation in his stride in a positive way and young boy Derek has a scare of being laughed at, the scare of being pitied or even bullied. When the two meet, we find Derek, despite all his inhibitions, bonding a close friendship with Mr. Lamb. Later Derek grows up to be a successful man working in a multinational company. You wish to include a cameo of both in your upcoming blog post. As a part of research, compare and contrast the experience of the two and their response/s to these experiences, in 120 -150 words.
Answer:
Optimistic Outlook or Pessimistic Outlook
Anirudhya Kanjilal on September 23,2022
It was just a few days back I met a young man Derek, a young successful professional who had come to work on a project with an MNC that had hired him. Everyone would be taken aback to see his hideous face bum on his left side but he seemed to be immune to the embarrassment that could have set him in. He was a brilliant professional, who knew his job well.
Good part was that he could easily befriend anyone with his inoffensive manner. Luckily, I was his closest friend. It was just my inquisitiveness that I enquired if he ever faced embarrassment due to his face. In his own genuine cheery demeanor, he asked if he should feel bad on being called Mr. Sidebum. I blushed.
He continued to say that it fits and doesn’t trouble him. At last they got tired of teasing and heckling and started appreciating his professional excellence. And when I asked him what he did in his free time, he said, “I read books”. Then he told me everything about some Mr. Lamb, whom he calls his spiritual master, and his encounter with him. Verily, I am proud to be a friend of Derek. Even Mr. Lamb has become and idol for me.