Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English with Solutions Set 4 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English Set 4 with Solutions
Time : 3 Hours
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
- 15 Minute prior reading time allotted for Q-paper reading.
- The Question Paper contains THREE Sectians-Reading, Grammar & Writing and Literature.
- Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
Section – A
Reading Skills (20 Marks)
Question 1.
Read the passage given below: (1 x 10 = 10)
From the newspaper that you are holding in your hands, textbooks and notebooks that are a part of your daily school routine to tiny scraps that you use to send a secret message to your friend while in a class, one thing that is common in all these is paper. So ubiquitous, .so common place, that most of us don’t even stop to think about how it came to be in the first place. And yet there were times when people didn’t have a piece of paper to jot down their most fascinating ideas.
The need for it: Writing predated paper, as you might well know from the ancient stone y carvings that you read about in history. Stone definitely wasn’t conducive to writing and even though papyrus, parchment and silk were better alternatives, the search was on for a surface to write on. It was Cai Lun who provided a tangible solution to this problem.
Having entered the service of the Imperial Palace in the year 75, Cai Lun worked as a ‘Chinese court official. Thirty years later, he came up with his idea of making sheets of paper. It is believed that Cai Lun presented his paper to Han Ho Ti, the Emperor of the ruling Han Dynasty. The Emperor was mightily impressed and commended Cai Lun for a job well done.
Paper-making process : Early form of paper, like the ones Cai Lun showed his Emperor, was primarily produced from hemp waste.
This fibrous plant waste was soaked in water before it was thoroughly beaten down into a pulp. The pulp was then collected using a large sieve, probably made of some cloth and then , allowed to dry. Fibres of bamboos, mulberries, old rags, fishnets and an assortment of other materials were then mixed with the dried pulp, which was then flattened out and made to dry again, giving us paper. Paper wasn’t used as a writing material right away.
It was first employed as a wrapping material for bronze mirrors and even as protective padding for medicines. But before long, people realized that this paper was much easier to work with than parchments or papyrus, and far less expensive to produce than writing materials made of silk The Chinese widely started using paper as a material to write and document by the third century, employing it both as a tool for administration and a medium to transfer knowledge.
Guarded as a secret: Even though the methodology of producing paper was closely guarded by the Chinese, it slowly started spreading to other Asian countries such as India, Japan and Korea with the passage of time. And when the Arabs defeated Chinese in the Battle of Talas in 751, they also took the secret of making paper with them the Central Asia and Western Asia soon started seeing paper mills, but it was nearly a millennium after Cai Lun produced a paper that paper mills sprouted in Europe.
Based on your reading of the passage, answer the following questions given below:
(A) According to the author, why do we not think about how was paper first invented?
As it is …………………. [1]
Answer:
used everywhere by everyone
Explanation: It is clearly given in
the passage that using paper is so commonplace, which means that it is used everywhere by people, that we barely think about its first making.
(B) Choose an option that was NOT used for writing in the ancient times.
(1) Silk
(2) Papyrus
(3) Parchment
(4) Stones
(5) Paper
(6) Envelope
(a) 1,4 and 6
(b) 2 and 5
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 5 and 6 [1]
Answer:
(d) 5 and 6
(C) For what was the paper first used in the era of the Han Dynasty? [1]
Answer:
For wrapping bronze mirrors and padding medicines to protect them.
(D) Han Ho Ti, the ruling emperor, was impressed by Cai Lun. Select an option which states the reason behind it.
(a) Cai Lun was a well orator in the kingdom.
(b) Cai Lun made a brilliant discovery.
(c) Cai Lun was King’s best man.
(d) Cai Lun was the most literate of them all [1]
Answer:
(b) Cai Lun made a brilliant discovery.
Explanation: Cai Lun made a discovery of ‘paper’ which amazed the people then emperor of Han Dynasty, Han Ho Ti as it impressed him a lot Hence, (b) is the right answer.
(E) Complete ‘ the given sentence with reference to the passage.
People realised that paper was the better alternative for writing because its was more ……………….. and less …………………. [1]
Answer:
convenient; expensive
(F) How did the secret of paper making process transfer to the Arabs?
(a) They defeated China in the war of Talas and then grabbed the secret.
(b) They annexed China and terrorized the for the secret.
(c) They learned the process from the Chinese traders.
(d) China shared their secret with the Arabs for getting crude. [1]
Answer:
(a) They defeated China in the war of Talas and then grabbed the secret.
(G) Early form of paper was produced from ……………..
(a) Hemp waste
(b) Mulberries
(c) Bamboos
(d) Fishnets [1]
Answer:
(a) Hemp waste
(H) Writing on paper today has become so ‘ubiquitous’. What does it mean? [1]
Answer:
It means thqt it has become ordinary
Explanation: The term ‘ubiquitous’ means to be very common.
(I) Which word from the passage can SUBSTITUTE ‘write down’? [1]
Answer:
Jot down
(J) What does the word ‘sprouted’ mean as per the passage? [1]
Answer:
Spread
Question 2.
Read the passage given below. (1 x 10 = 10)
In the market for a new pet? May be something a bit exotic? For many consumers, reptiles and amphibians are just the things: geckos, monitors, pythons, tree frogs, boas, turtles and many more species are available in seemingly endless varieties, many brilliantly coloured, some exceedingly rare.
Exotic reptiles and amphibians began surging in popularity in the early 1990s, not only in the United States but also in Europe and Japan. From 2004 to 2014, the European Union imported nearly 21 million of these animals; an estimated 4.7 million households in the United States owned at least one reptile in 2016. But popularity has spawned an enormous illegal trade, conservationists say. Many reptiles sold as pets are said to have been bred in captivity and sales of those animals are legal. In fact, many were illegally captured in the wild.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) identified 18 instances in which reptiles and amphibians are exported as captive bred, but likely are not The examples included Indian star tortoises from Jordan, red-eyed tree frogs from Nicaragua and savanna monitors from Ghana and Togo.
Dozens of countries export reptiles and other exotic animals labeled captive bred, but Indonesia stands out. At least 80 per cent of the 5,000 plus green pythons, for instance, annually exported from the country as captive bred were caught illegally in the wild, depleting some island populations.
Plucking animals from the wild is cheaper and easier than setting up a breeding operation. This is especially true for low-profit animals like Tokay geckos, which are traded at such high volumes that it would not make economic sense to invest in breeding them.
Generally, villagers capture animals in forests and fields and sell them to middlemen who hand them off to legal reptile farms. The owners of the farms acquire government paperwork certifying that the animals were captive bred. Once a wild-caught animal is exported with paperwork certifying it as captive bred, officials in countries like the United States have little choice but to allow it in.
Based on your reading of the passage, answer the following questions.
(A) Choose the option that lists the exotic animals that are in demand of the pet trade.
(1) Tree frogs
(2) Tigers
(3) Wild boars
(4) Boa
(5) Gecko
(6) Turtles
(a) 1,3,4 and 6
(b) 3, 5 and 6
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 4 and 5 [1]
Answer:
(c) 2 and 3
(B) Does the following statement agree with the information given in the passage. The exotic animals are mostly bred in captivity for pet trade.
True-if the statment agrees with the information.
False-if the statement contradicts with the information.
Not Given-If there is no information on this. [1]
Answer:
False
Explanation: The popularity of the keeping exotic wild animals as pets has given a boost to the illegal methods like catching them illegally from the wild rather than breeding them in captivity for pet trade. Hence, it is false.
(C) What makes officials of foreign countries helpless towards illegal pet trade? [1]
Answer:
The certifying paper work for the wild animals being captive-bred.
(D) Select the correct reason why wild animals are being caught illegally in the wild and not bred for pet trade.
(a) As it removes the cost of breeding operations
(b) As it takes a lot of time
(c) As it is an unpopular method
(d) As it is less wanted by the customers [1]
Answer:
(a) As it removes the cost of breeding operations
Explanation: It is clearly given in the passage that ‘plucking animals from the wild is cheaper and easier than setting up a breeding operation’. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(E) As per the given data in the passage, the number of households in United States which owned at least one reptile are:
(a) 20 million
(b) 2.0 million
(c) 47 million
(d) 4.7 million [1]
Answer:
(d) 4.7 million
(F) Which country tops the list of illegal export of reptiles and amphibians? [1]
Answer:
Indonesia
(G) Complete the given statement. The exotic animals pet trade became popular in the ………………. [1]
Answer:
early 1990s
(H) The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species identified as many as ………………… instances of illegal supply marked as ‘captive-bred’. [1]
Answer:
18
(I) Choose the correct trade chain as given in the passage.
(a) Villager – middlemen – customer – reptile farm owner
(b) Reptile farm owner – middlemen – villager – customer
(c) Villager – customer – reptile farm owner – middlemen
(d) Villager – middlemen – reptile farm owner – customer [1]
Answer:
(d) Villager – middlemen – reptile farm owner – customer
(J) Complete the given sentence with reference to the data in the passage. Between 2000 to 2014, the EU imported ……………… millions of the exotic animals for pet trade. [1]
Answer:
21
Section – B
Creative Writing Skills (20 marks)
Question 3.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following:
You are Amit/Amita, class monitor of XII-A, St. Marks High SchooL Write a notice in not more than 50 words for the school notice board informing the students about a debate competition to be held for the students of class XII.
OR
You are the Managing Director of Tulip Inc You have changed the current location of the office from LG-12, Gandhi Nagar, Ahmedabad to 9/33, Link road, Ahmedabad. Draft a notice to be given in the newspaper informing the public about the change in not more than 50 words. [5]
Answer:
ST. MARKS HIGH SCHOOL
NOTICE
11th October, 20XX
Inter-Section Debate Competition
This is to bring to the notice of the students of qlass Xllth that an inter-section debate compe¬tition is being organized by the school as per the details given below:
Date: 18th October, 20XX
Time: 10 AM onwards
Venue: School Auditorium
Those students who wish to participate in it, may give their names to the respective class teachers before 15th October 20XX.
Amit/Amita
OR
TULIP INC AHMEDABAD
NOTICE
28th May, 20XX
Change of Address
This is to inform all that we have changed our current office location from LG-12, Gandhi Nagar, Ahmedabad to 9/33, Link Road, Ahmedabad. People are requested to contact us at our new office address. For details, contact the undersigned.
Xyz
Managing Director
Tulip Inc
Question 4.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following:
Your school, Holi Public School, is planning to organise the Annual Sports Day in the ‘ school premises. Draft a formal invitation on behalf of the principal in not more than 50 words to invite the mayor of the city for the event giving all the essential details.
OR
You have been invited to a party by your close friend, Rahul/Ruchika, to celebrate his success in IIT. Write an informal reply to the invitation in not more than 50 words. You are Navpreet/Nandini. [5]
Answer:
Holi Public School
Agra
17th November, 20XX
Mr. Ayush Bonsal
Mayor
Agra
Subject: Invitation for Annual Sports Day at
school
Sir,
It gives us immense pleasure to inform you that we are celebrating our school’s 20th Annual Sports Day on 13th November, 20XX, 10:00 am onwards, in the school playground. We shall consider it a great honor if you could grace the occasion as the Chief Guest for the event and give away the prizes to the winners.
Yours faithfully.
Principal
Holi Public School
OR
14-N, Ram Nagar
Jaipur
15th July, 20XX
Dear Rahul/Ruchika
I am glad to hear about your success in the NT. I congratulate you on the same. Thank you very much for your pleasant invitation to the success party. I’ll be attending it on 20th July, t 20XX at 7.00 pm.
With best wishes.
Navpreet/Nandini
Question 5.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following:
Reports of violence against the the elderly in your city are really disturbing. The recent murder of an old couple has depressed you. It seems the police are not taking adequate steps to make the elderly feel safe and secure. Write a letter in 120-150 words to the Editor, ‘Agra Times’ to draw the attention of the authorities to the problem and take effective steps to deal it.
OR
You are Avesh/Anvesha Kapoor, H-3, Lawyer’s Colony, Indore. You have seen an advertisement in ‘The Hindu’ for the post of Marketing Manager in TCS. Apply with a complete bio-data for the same to the HR Manager, TCS Ltd., Indore. [5]
Answer:
Mary High School,
M123, ABC Colony
Agra
22nd April, 20XX
The Editor
Agra Times
Agra
Subject: Effective measures to be taken for the safety of the old in the city.
Sir/ma’am,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to bring your attention to the chaos in the city due to the risk to old people living alone. As a responsible resident of the area, I write to draw the attention of the authorities of the city to take corrective measures to curb the problem and to make elders of the city feel safe.
The recent murder of the elderly couple is not very shocking for the residents of the area. The couple was living alone in their house as their daughters live in other cities for jobs. There was no one to take care of them and keep them safe. The murderers are aware of the fact that this area of the city is foil of such elderly couple who live alone. The situation is extremely dangerous and risky for them and we all are scared for our loved ones.
I believe that highlighting it through your newspaper would bring it to the attention of the proper authorities so that they can take appropriate and legal steps to ensure the safety of the elderly at the earliest
Thanking you,
Yours respectfully,
Xyz
OR
H-3,
Lawyer’s Colony
Indore
24th January, 20XX
The HR Manager
TCS Ltd,
Indore
Subject: Application for the Post of Marketing
Manager.
Sir/ma’am,
In response to your advertisement in the The Hindu’ dated 22nd January, 20XX, I wish to be considered for the post of the Marketing Manager in your company. I am confident that my qualifications and experience are suitable for the post mentioned in the advertisement.
I am enclosing my bio-data, all testimonials and attested copies of my certificates along with this letter. I hope to receive a positive response from your company.
Thanking you
Yours faithfully
Avesh/Anvesha Kapoor
End: Biodata, testimonials, attested copies of certificates.
BIO-DATA
Name: Alka/Alpesh Rai
Name: Avesh/Anvsha Kapoor
Father’s Name: Mr. P.K. Kapoor
Date of Birth: 5th September, 19XX
Marital Status: Single
Nationality: Indian
Educational Qualifications: (i) MBA (Marketing), College of Business Management, Indore (ii) B.Sc from Indore College, Indore
Experience: One year at Accenture Limited as a Marketing Manager
Languages Known: English, Hindi, German and French
Strength: Good time management, Positive team spirit & leadership
Hobbies: Reading, Travelling & Painting
Permanent Address: H-3, Lawyer’s Colony, Indore
Correspondence Address: HIG- 72, Lodhi Marg, Indore
Contact No.: 91234xxx
Email ID: avesh/anveshak@gmaiLcom
References (i) Vinita JaiswaL HR, Accenture Ltd, 96756xxxxxx
(ii) Rohit Kalra, Accountant, Accenture, 97609xxxxxx
Question 6.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following:
You are Amit/Amita Singh, Bat Vidya Mandir, BhopaL There was a Fancy Dress Show held in your school on the occasion of Children’s Day this year. Write a report in about 1200-150 words on ‘The Fancy Dress Show’ for your school magazine. Use the following cues:)
- Creative themes for Senior and Junior Sections
- Students dressed up brilliantly in different characters
- Prize distribution ceremony at the end
- Runner-ups given Consolation prizes
OR
You are Agni Malhotra, a student of class XII. You are happy that many schools now accept the ‘no detention policy’ for junior classes. Express your views by writing a speech on the same topic in not more than 150 words to be delivered in your school. [5]
Answer:
The Fancy Dress Show
By Amit/Amita Singh
On the occasion of Children’s Day, i.e., 14th November, 20XX, Bal Vidya Mandir celebrated through organizing a Fancy Dress Show for the students of the schooL The theme for the event was ‘Freedom Fighters’ for the Junior Section while it was ‘Cinematic Heroes’ for the Senior Section of the schooL The little children were lovingly dressed up as Bhagat Singh, Veer Bahadur Shatri, Subhash Chandra Bose, etc. In the senior section, the students were dressed up as vivid cinematic superheroes like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachhan, Rekha, Vaijyantimala, etc
The event was closed with the award giving ceremony where, Sohail Khan of class IV-A was the winner for the Junior Section while Aarti Yadav of Class- XII – D, won the first prize for the Senior Section. The runner-ups were given consolation prizes. The event was a success as both the students and the audience were extremely happy and excited.
OR
Good Morning Principal, respected staff members and my dear school mates. Today I, Agni Malhotra of class XII, stands before you to express my views on the topic ‘No Detention Policy is a Savior for Young Students’.
It is true that in the cut throat competition among students in schools today, the amount of pressure and stress upon the young vulnerable minds is extremely high. Students as young as mere 5 or 6 year old have to go through several tests and exams to pass their class to enter the next one. But in the process, they lose their innocence, joy and peace of mind.
However, the ‘no detention’ policy has come as their savior. Students now don’t have to worry about their promotion and so they can upgrade their minds by engaging into growing activities. This policy has halved the pressure on the students, they can engage in developmental skills.
No detention policy is also good for the students who are interested in sports. They get time to hone their gaming and spots skills. Therefore, I believe that the ’no detention policy’ is a boon for the young minds.
Thank You!
Section – C
Literature (40 marks)
Question 7.
Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE of the two given by answering the questions that follow: (1 x 6 = 6)
A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness, but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
(A) In the poem, why does John Keats say that ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’?
(a) Because it has a long-lasting impres-sion on the mind.
(b) Because it keeps us feeling depressed
(c) Because it stays with us for a short period.
(d) Because it creates meaningless memories. [1]
Answer:
(a) Because it has a long-lasting impression on the minds.
Explanation: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ ‘because it has a long-lasting impression on our minds. The beautiful memories of looking at a thing of beauty, stays with us forever. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(B) It will never, Pass into nothingness.
What does the given phrase mean?
(a) become great
(b) develop
(c) fade away
(d) get Vivid [1]
Answer:
(c) fade away
Explanation: The given phrase means ‘to be turned into a nothingness or fade away’. Hence, (c) is the right answer.
(C) ………. ’but will keep A bower quiet for us’.
Identify the meaning of the term ‘bower’. [1]
Answer:
a cool shady place
Explanation: A ‘bower’ refers to a cool shady place under a tree that is used by people to take rest on a hot sunny day.
(D) The poet refers to the breaths to be ‘quiet’. Choose a reason behind using the term ‘quiet’.
(a) It brings a calm sleep.
(b) It makes a person insomniac
(c) It makes one very tired.
(d) It makes the person inactive. [1]
Answer:
(a) It brings a calm sleep.
Explanation: By ‘quiet’, the poet means that the sleep that a bower given one is so soothing and calm that it lightens the breathing and makes a person relaxed. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(E) List the poetic device used in the line ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’. [1]
Answer:
epigram
Explanation: In the line, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’, there is epigram. Epigram refers to a short witty statement that is used as a theme for complementing or satiating in the poem.
(F) Pick the correct rhyme scheme of the extract.
(a) aabbc
(b) abbbc
(c) aabbb
(d) abbca [1]
Answer:
(a) aabbc
OR
Driving from my parent’s
home to Cochin last Friday
morning, I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
Pain that she was as old as she
looked but soon
(A) Which literary device is used in ‘her face ashen like that of a corpse’? [1]
Answer:
simile
Explanation: The line uses the word ‘like’ for drawing a comparison. This shows that the poetic device used in the given line is simile.
(B) Why was the narrator sad after looking at her mother?
(a) Her mother was old and nearing death.
(b) Ger mother has become ugly with age.
(c) She will have to leave her mother alone.
(d) She couldn’t stay away from her mother. [1]
Answer:
(a) Her mother was old and nearing death.
Explanation: The poet was sad after looking at her mother as she could see the signs of ageing and weakness on her face. Her mother was nearing death. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(C) Identify the correct meaning of the term ‘corpse’.
(a) Old woman
(b) Dead body
(c) fine lines
(d) inactive body [1]
Answer:
(b) Dead body
(D) The narrator’s mother looked like a corpse because:
(a) She had wrinkles on her face.
(b) Her face was pale and lifeless due to old age.
(c) She was sleeping welL
(d) She had a dull complexion. [1]
Answer:
(b) Her face was pale and lifeless due to old age.
(E) Identify the tone of the poem towards the end. [1]
Answer:
gloomy
(F) What do you understand by the phrase ‘Ashen face’?
(a) Face is dull and tanned.
(b) Face is full of dark spots.
(c) Face is full of wrinkles.
(d) Face is pale and lifeless. [1]
Answer:
(d) Face is pale and lifeless
Question 8.
Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE of the two given by answering the questions that follow. (1 x 4 = 4)
DERRY: Aren’t you interested?
MR LAMB: You’re a boy who came into the garden. Plenty do. I’m interested in anybody.
Anything. There’s nothing God made that doesn’t interest me. Look over there-.over beside the far watL What can you see?
DERRY: Rubbish.
MR LAMB: Rubbish? Look, boy, look..what do you see?
DERRY: Just….grass and stuff. Weeds.
MR LAMB: Some call them weeds. If you like, then~.a weed garden, that There’s fruit and there are flowers, and trees and herbs. All sorts. But over there-weeds. I grow weeds there. Why is one green, growing plant called a weed and another ‘flower’? Where’s the difference. It’s all life-, growing. Same as you and me.
DERRY: We’re not the same.
(A) “I’m interested in anybody”. What does this suggest about Mr. Lamb?
(a) His disinterest in people.
(b) His longing for a company.
(c) His hate for lack of company.
(d) His obsession with strangers. [1]
Answer:
(b) His longing for a company.
Explanation: Mr. Lamb was a person who used to live alone. So, he craved and (b) longed for people’s company and was interested in anybody who comes to his garden. Options (a), (c) and (d) aren’t , suggesting the true meaning of the line. Hence, (b) is the right answer.
(B) How can you justify Derry’s approach to-wards life from the given extract.
(a) optimistic
(b) elated
(c) negative
(d) cheerful [1]
Answer:
(c) negative
Explanation: Derry catled the grass and weeds ‘rubbish’. This shows his (c) negative approach in life. Options (a), (b) and (d) all show positivity that was not present in Derry’s attitude towards life. Hence, (c ) is the right answer.
(C) Identify the characteristic of Mr. Lamb as inferred from the extract. [1]
Answer:
optimism
Explanation: Mr. Lamb had optimism in him as he was a person with a positive attitude towards life. In the extract he said “Where’s the difference. It’s all life.” looking at the weeds and the flowers. This shows his positivity towards everything.
(D) Where’s the difference. It’s all life ………….. [1]
What does Mr. Lamb want to say through the given line?
(a) Nothing is spedaL
(b) Everything is ordinary.
(c) Everything has its own beauty.
(d) Nothing is different. [1]
Answer:
(c) Everything has its own beauty.
Explanation: With the given phrase, Mr. Lamb wanted to say that things like weed and flowers are not different in what they provide people – ‘beauty of nature’. Their appearance doesn’t make them lesser than other things. He doesn’t mean any of (a), (b) or (d). Hence, (C) is the right answer.
OR
But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day. Late in the morning, my friend Judewin gave me a terrible warning. Judewin knew a few words of English; and she had overheard the paleface woman talk about cutting our long, heavy hair, Our mothers had taught us that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among our people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards!
We discussed our fate some moments, and when Judewin said, “We have to submit, because they are strong,” I rebelled.
(A) Zitkala – Sa had to adapt ‘eating by for-mula’. This means to:
(a) eat at a desk with cutlery
(b) eat as scheduled by a bell
(c) eat with other people
(d) eat on time [1]
Answer:
(b) eat as scheduled by a bell
Explanation: The way western culture eats was tiresome for Zitkala-Sa since she did not know how to adjust to eating by the belL Hence, the correct answer is option (b). Options (a), (c) and (d) cannot be inferred from the extract Consequently, they are incorrect answers.
(B) What importance does ‘long hair’ hold for Zitkala-Sa’s people.
(1) Long hair symbolised good health and strength.
(2) They prized their long hair and wore them long.
(3) Having long hair did not mean any-thing much.
(4) They were old fashioned and back-ward.
(a) (1), (2)
(b) (2), (3)
(c) (2), (4)
(d) (1), (3) [1]
Answer:
(a) (1), (2)
Explanation: From the way Zitkala-Sa reacted, it can be inferred that long hair was associated with good health and strength and so her people prized their hair and wore them long. Hence, option (a) is the correct answer. Options (b), (c) and (d) are all partially correct answers. They are therefore not the correct answer.
(C) Choose the correct opposite ideas that are stated in the given extract.
(a) Long hair and Short hair
(b) Strength and Weakness
(c) Freedom and Oppression
(d) Trials and Tribulations [1]
Answer:
(c) Freedom and Oppression
Explanation: The pair of opposite ideas explored in this extract is the freedom to follow one’s own beliefs and not be oppressed by anyone. Option (c) is therefore the correct answer. Options (a), (b) and (d) are not the accurate pairs of ideas explored in the extract Hence, they are not the correct answer.
(D) Identify the word that is the opposite of ‘rebelled’. [1]
Answer:
Obliged.
Question 9.
Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE of them by answering the questions: (1 x 6 = 6)
Gemini Studios was the favourite haunt of poets like S.D.S.Yogiar3, Sangu Subramanyam, Krishna Sastry and Harindranath Chattopadhyaya4. It had an excellent mess which supplied good coffee at all times of the day and for most part of the night. Those were the days when Congress rule meant Prohibition and meeting over a cup of coffee was rattier satisfying entertainment.
Barring the office boys and a couple of clerks, everybody else at the Studios radiated leisure, a pre-requisite for poetry. Most of them wore khadi and worshipped Gandhiji but beyond that they had not the faintest appreciation for political thought of any kind.
(A) Which of the following means the same as ‘mess’ as given in this extract?
(a) a messy room
(b) disorder and confusion of mind
(c) a large public room for meals
(d) a place to keep all the mess [1]
Answer:
(c) a large public room for meals
Explanation: ‘Mess’ is another word for ‘a room in which members eat their meals’. Hence, the correct option is option (c).
(B) Why did people go to Gemini Studios’ mess?
(a) As they could get good coffee day and night.
(b) As they could not get good coffee elsewhere.
(c) As they wanted to meet filmmakers.
(d) As they could see the film stars. [1]
Answer:
(a) As they could get good coffee day and night
Explanation: The poets frequented the Gemini Studios’ mess because they got good coffee all day and a large part of the night. Hence, the correct answer is (a). Options (b), (c) and (d) are all incorrect because there is no evidence for them in the extract.
(C) List a word that can SUBSTITUTE the term ‘Prohibition’ as given in this extract. [1]
Answer:
banned.
(D) The word ‘pre-requisite’ mean ………………
(a) to understand the basic steps of a process
(b) need as a prior condition for some-thing else
(c) not needed to make a thing/process complete
(d) not needed in the process of making or after [1]
Answer:
(b) need as a prior condition for something else
Explanation: ‘Pre-requisite’ means a precondition for something. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
(E) Explain the political thoughts of the people at Gemini Studios.
(a) very strong
(b) critical
(c) not much interested
(d) highly interested [1]
Answer:
(c) not much interested
(F) Which of the following words means the same as faintest’?
(a) slightest
(b) strongest
(c) strangest
(d) fastest [1]
Answer:
(a) slightest
OR
Sophie’s father was scooping shepherd’s pie into his mouth as hard as he could go, his plump face still grimy and sweat – marked from the day.
“She thinks money grows on trees, don’t she. Dad?’ said little Derek, hanging on the back of his father’s chair.
Their mother sighed.
Sophie watched her back stooped over the sink and wondered at the incongruity of the delicate bow which fastened her apron strings. The delicate-seeming bow and the crooked back. The evening had already blacked in the windows and the small room was steamy from the stove and cluttered with the heavy breathing man jn his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat She went to look for her brother, Geoff.
(A) What kind of the ‘status’ does Sophie’s family have as per the given extract.
The family belonged to …………… [1]
Answer:
labour class
Explanation: From the extract, it can be inferred that Sophie’s father is sweaty from the day, the room is small, the mother is working hard over the sink and they think a lot about money which shows that they belong to a labour class.
(B) From the extract, it can be inferred that Sophie’s father could be having a:
(a) physically tough job
(b) financially stable job
(c) work from home job
(d) smart job [1]
Answer:
(a) physically tough job
(C) Identify the word that means same as the term ‘incongruity’.
(a) discrepancy
(b) similarity
(c) consistency
(d) unanimity [1]
Answer:
(a) discrepancy
Explanation: ‘Incongruity’ means a mismatch, a discrepancy. So, option (a) is the correct answer. Options (b), (c) and (d) are incorrect options because they are the antonyms of ‘incongruity’, meaning consistency. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(D) What did Sophie’s family feel about her?
(a) content
(b) discontent
(c) exhausted
(d) proud [1]
Answer:
(c) exhausted
Explanation: In the extract, when Sophie walked into her house, her brother made that comment about money, her mother sighed, and her father continued to eat They appeared tired of Sophie. So, option (d) is the correct answer.
(E) The phrase ‘blacked in the windows’ mean …………………. [1]
Answer:
It means that it was turning dark.
(F) Sophie felt a ‘tightening in her throat*. This means that Sophie was
(a) excited
(b) suffocated
(c) nervous
(d) scared [1]
Answer:
(b) suffocated
Question 10.
Attempt ANY FIVE out of the six questions given below, in 40-50 words each. (5 x 2 = 10)
(A) In the chapter ‘Lost Spring’, what was the irony in Saheb’s name? [2]
(B) The office boy thought that Subbu had a big advantage and not real talent. Justify. [2]
(C) How is total inactivity on Earth in winter months still has life? [2]
(D) What is the main symbol as used in the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’? [2]
(E) The ironmaster saw the stranger lying close to the furnace in a very strange way. Expound. [2]
(F) What was the misery of the peasants of Champaran in the chapter ‘Indigo’? [2]
Answer:
(A) In the chapter ‘Lost Spring’ Saheb was a m ragpicker who used to search garbage for a living. However, his full name was Saheb-e-alam which means the lord of the universe. Thus, it was quite ironical to what he actually does. He didn’t even have a pair of slippers to wear.
(B) According to the office boy, Subbu had a big advantage of being born into a Brahmin family. Other than that, Subbu was in no way superior to the office boy as per the latter’s belief. The office thought that Subbu got work opportunities only due to his high caste.
(C) According to the poet in ‘Keeping Quiet’, in winter months everything seems to be inactive and dead. However, there is still life going on underneath the silence. For instance, a seed that seems to be still and dead in winters, grow into a healthy tree later.
(D) In the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’, the poet has used the symbol of tigers. The tigers represent bravery, might, courage, strength, confidence and zeal. The way they roam in the forest unbothered, symbolises the inner desire of Aunt.
(E) The iron master saw the stranger lying close to the furnace in a very strange way because he was trying to recognise him as he believed to know him. So, he walked up to him and looked him over very carefully. Then he mistook him for an old acquaintance who was a comrade from his regiment.
(F) In the chapter ’Indigo’, the peasants of Champaran were forced by the British landlords to plant 15 per cent of their holding with indigo and then surrender the entire harvest as rent for the estate. Later, when synthetic indigo was developed and indigo plantation was no longer profitable, the landlords asked the peasants to pay them compensation for releasing their land from the 15% arrangement.
Question 11.
Attempt ANY TWO out of the three questions given below, in 40-50 words each. (2 x 2 = 4)
(A) What was the story that Mr. Lamb told Derry regarding a man who hid himself in his room? [2]
(B) Comment on the tone of Zitkala-Sa when she said “I felt like sinking to the floor” [2]
(C) The ‘journey to the end of the earth’ by Tishani Doshi included many locations and time zones. Comment. [2]
Answer:
(A) Mr. Lamb told Derry the incident of a timid man who hid himself in his room and refused to come out as he didn’t want to face any fatal accident because he didn’t want to die. But in the end,’ he died inside his room because a picture hanging on the wall fell on his head and killed him.
(B) Zitkala-Sa said “I felt like sinking to the floor” when she felt so ashamed and embarrassed due to her clinging dress, when her shawl was removed from her shoulders forcefully.
(C) Tishani Doshi boarded the Russian research vessel the Akademik Shokalskiy to reach the ‘end of the Earth’ which is ‘Antarctica’. She started from Madras (Chennai), crossed nine time zones in a hundred hours to watch the desolate, bare, expansive landscape of the snowy continent.
Question 12.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following questions in 120-150 words.
Do you think that Gandhiji succeeded in his Champaran campaign in the chapter ‘Indigo*? Justify the statement with a rationale.
OR
The incident was ‘nightmarish’ for Douglas. Which ‘incident’ has been referred to here from the chapter ‘Deep Water’. How did this ‘incident’ cling on his heart for a long time? [5]
Answer:
The main motive of Gandhiji in his Champaran campaign was not only to get the money refunded in to the poor sharecroppers but also to liberate them from the fears of the British. Gandhiji realized that the peasants were afraid of the British.
In order to win any battle against the British, it was very important that the peasants had to get rid of the terror of the British from their minds. Gandhiji taught them to be self-reliant. He proved this when he was offered the help from C.F. Andrews to provide justice in the sharecroppers’ case but he refused to seek his help to win the battle against them.
Later, the peasants got over their fear of the British and when they won the case and got the money refunded even just half of the asked amount, they learnt that they had their own rights and nobody could take it from them, not even the powerful British.
OR
When Douglas was just a child of three or four years, he was knocked down by the waves at California beach. The waves swept over him and he was buried under them. This incident terrorized him and he developed an aversion for water. Later, when a young boy tossed . Douglas into the deep end of the pool, his fear resurfaced. This incident of drowning into water for the second time was a nightmarish experience for him.
He struggled hard to come up for air in the pool His legs were almost paralysed, his lungs ached, his head throbbed and he felt suffocated. He tried all his best to push himself up to the surface of the swimming pool but all his efforts went in vain. However, he was saved in time. This incident proved to be clinging on to his heart for a very long time.
Question 13.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following questions in 120-150 words.
The Tiger King went all the way to hunt the hundred tigers. He used all his wits into achieving his aim of killing all the tigers to save him from his end. Expound with reference to the story ‘The Tiger King’.
OR
What incident changed Bama’s perspective of life for the people of her creed forever? How did she fight against the evil of ‘untouchability’ through education? [5]
Answer:
When the future Tiger King was born, the astrologers made a prediction that he would one day die at the hands of a tiger. This shaped the whole Tiger King’s life. He grew up and killed his first tiger and showed the dead beast to the State astrologer. The state astrologer said that the king can kill ninety-nine tigers but he has to be afraid of the hundredth one. To get started’ on his hundred tigers, the king banned hunting by everyone but him.
He bribed a high-ranking British officer by gifting diamonds from a famous British jewellery store in Calcutta to stop him on going tiger hunt After he exhausted Pratibandapuram’s tiger in ten years hunting seventy tigers, he used marriage as a political tool to get access to another state’s tiger population. His own Dewan saheb sneaked a tiger into his presence to help him reach his count of hundred.
OR
Bama had a brush against untouchability as a third-grade student On the way back from school, she used to watch the mesmerising sights of an Indian street bazaar with its food stalls and entertainers. One day she noticed an elder from her street carrying a packed of fried vadai for the landlord in a careful way so as not to pollute it for the upper caste landlord. While she initially found it funny, later she was told the entire story by her older brother Annan. That is when she realised the unfairness and inhumanity of the practice. This enraged her a lot.
Her brother told her to study well and educate herself so that people would come to her on their own. She followed his advice and stood first in her class which drew people to her and they became her friends. She fought against the scourge of untouchability by becoming a contemporary author specialising in social justice issues like untouchability.