Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English with Solutions Set 5 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English Set 5 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)
Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron, a result of its long and labour intensive cultivation. Parts of the orchid family, vanilla beans are hand- pollinated on family farms. Each flower opens ’ for only one part of a day during the season, if it is not pollinated on that day, no pod is produced.
Once picked, the curing process, which involves drying the beans in the sun by day and allowing them to sweat in a box at night takes three to six months. The main producers of food grade vanilla, known as black vanilla because of the colour of the dried pods, are Madagascan, followed by Mexico and Tahiti. Vanilla from each country has its own distinctive characteristics but it is Madagascan vanilla that produces the creamy, sweet flavour beloved of Britons.
One can get vanilla extract all over the world but Madagascan vanilla is chosen because it has the greatest depth of flavour. There are three main commercial preparations of whole beans, powder and extract Extract is sold by the ‘fold’ – a unit that denotes the weight of vanilla beans per gallon. Silver Spoon, which distributes the American Nielsen-Massey vanilla brand in the U.K., said:
“The market price of vanilla has risen over the past 12 months and sharply over the last 12 weeks. This has been driven largely by a poor quality harvest in Madagascar. Soaring prices will hurt companies that use the ingredient in everything from soft drinks to cakes and perfumes But the pain will be felt most acutely by ice-cream makers, as it is the most expensive ingredient in the production process and some will be forced to pass on the increased cost to consumers.
When prices are high, market experts say, farmers are tempted to pick beans early. That leads to a less intense flavour, compounding problems in the market The high-value crop is also a target for criminals. There are reports that vanilla farmers in Madagascar harvested their 2015 crop prematurely, in fear of losing their production to thieves.
This, coupled with inadequate drying in order to increase profits from their crop has led to lower quality vanilla. The combination of high prices and poor quality means some manufacturers are turning to synthetic alternatives But many food brands are not open to using artificial flavourings.
Vanilla is every ice-cream company’s biggest- selling product You can bring out a niche flavour but vanilla will still be on top. You’ve just got to take the hit on it because customers would notice the difference.
Based on your reading of the passage, answer the following questions given below:
(A) Vanilla has a ‘labour-intensive cultivation’. What do you mean by the underlined phrase?
(a) Automatic cultivation
(b) Manual cultivation
(c) Machine cultivation
(d) Urban cultivation [1]
Answer:
(b) Manual cultivation
(B) List the country that has best-quality vanilla in the world. [1]
Answer:
Madagascar
Explanation: The phrase ‘labour-intensive cultivation’ refers to a process that includes labour or manual proceedings instead of any machines.
(C) Complete the given sentence.
…………………. is a unit that denotes the weight of vanilla beans per gallon. [1]
Answer:
fold
(D) How would the ice-cream sellers deal with the rising price of vanilla? [1]
Answer:
by increasing the selling price
Explanation: It is given in the passage that ice-cream manufacturers ‘will be forced to pass on the increased cost to consumers.’ Hence, it is the right answer.
(E) Choose the option that shows the two most expensive spices in the world.
(1) vanilla
(2) saffron
(3) clove
(4) cinnamon
(5) Cardamom
(a) (3) and (5)
(b) (2) and (4)
(c) (1) and (2)
(d) (4) and (4) [1]
Answer:
(c) (1) and (2)
(F) Does the following statement agree with the information given the passage.
‘Crop thieves’ are the major ‘concern’ for vanilla farmers.
True: if the statement agree with the information.
False: if the statement contradicts with the information.
Net Given: if there is no information on this. [1]
Answer:
True.
(G) Choose a word that means the same as ‘coupled’.
(a) Three times
(b) Doubled
(c) Conjugated
(d) Separated [1]
Answer:
(c) Conjugated
Explanation: The word ‘coupled’ means to be bonded or get connected with something. Here, (c) conjugated means the same. Hence, (c) is the right answer.
(H) What does it mean when the author says ‘synthetic alternatives’?
(a) Low-quality products
(b) Cheap ingredients
(c) Artificial options
(d) organic ingredients [1]
Answer:
(c) Artificial options
Explanation: By ‘synthetic alternatives’ the author means that some of the manufacturers are using artificialflavorings and ingredients as the prices of the natural vanilla rises. Hence, (c) is the right answer.
(I) Why did the market price of vanilla rise over the past 12 months?
(a) Due to poor quality harvest.
(b) Because farmers pick beans early.
(c) Because of thieves.
(d) Due to inadequate drying to make profit. [1]
Answer:
(a) Due to poor quality harvest
(J) The Madagascan Vanilla is chosen by people around the world due to its ……………….. [1]
Answer:
intense flavor
Question 2.
Read the passage given below. (1 x 10 = 10)
At a time when younger people are privileging smartphones, television and video games over other sources of entertainment, a nearly 55-year-old museum housing thousands of dolls from across the globe is still maintaining its old world charm and attracting not only children and teenagers, but also the visitors of alt age groups not surprising, as it actually transports you into a world where you can forget the woes of the present.
With over 7,500 dolls on display, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum in the capital not only entertains children but also teaches them about art culture and costumes of different cultures. The idea of dolls collection was born when eminent political cartoonist and journalist K. Shankar Pillai, better known simply as Shankar, received one as a gift from the Hungarian Ambassador in the early 1950s. “Shankar Ml so much in love with the doll that he began to collect costume dolls whenever he visited any country.
Soon, he was able to collect a good number of dolls as his visits to foreign nations were frequent. He began to exhibit the dolls across the country after he was able to collect a good number, but the frequent packing and unpacking was damaging the dolls.
Then the idea emerged of a permanent space for the dolls and that is how the museum was set-up. The museum is located in Nehru House on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in the building that houses the Children’s Book Trust, which was also set-up by Shankar.
The museum began in 1965 with 1,000 dolls. Now there are more than 7,500 from over 85 countries. The museum has the largest number of costume dolls in the world. Divided into two equal halves, one section of the museum is dedicated to Western countries like the UK the US, Australia and New Zealand, as also the Commonwealth of Independent States and the other half to Asian, African and Middle- East countries, as also India. Several countries gifted dolls to the museum to represent their country’s culture.
Apart from those dolls received in exchange, there are a good number of dolls made at the workshop attached to the museum, including authentic Indian dolls in traditional attire. The dolls are sent as “return gifts’ for the dolls gifted by various countries. Based on your reading of the passage, answer of the following questions.
(A) How does Shankar’s Dolls Museum teach its visitors about art, culture and costumes of different cultures?
(a) The dolts are dressed in traditional attires of their respective nations
(b) The dolls speak their respective regional languages
(c) The dolls have their country names written on them
(d) The dolls show their nations’ achievements [1]
Answer:
(a) The dolls are dressed in traditional attires of their respective nations.
(B) Completer the given sentence.
There are approx ………………. number of dolls in Shankar International Doll Museum which are collected from over …………….. countries. [1]
Answer:
7500; 85
Explanation: It is clearly given in the data in the passage that ‘now there are more than 7,500 from over 85 countries.’ Hence, it is the right answer.
(C) Choose an option that states a reason behind other foreign countries sending their traditional dolls as a ‘gift’ to the Shankar museum.
(a) To have a great business with India
(b) To represent their tradition and culture
(c) To repay the help they receive from India
(d) To provide it to under-privileged children [1]
Answer:
(b) To represent their tradition and culture
(D) Complete the sentence with inference to the given data.
The museum was started with ……………….. dolls in the year ………………… [1]
Answer:
1000; 1965
(E) Which word in the passage can SUBSTITUTE ‘legitimate’?
(a) Emerged
(b) Authentic
(c) Traditional
(d) Frequent [1]
Answer:
(b) Authentic
Explanation: The word that means the same as ‘legitimate’ is authentic as given in the passage. Hence, (b) is the right answer.
(F) In which city is Shankar’s international Dolls Museum situated? [1]
Answer:
Delhi
Explanation: It is given that the Shankar International Dolls Museum is situated in the ‘capital’ which means (a) Delhi. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(G) What according to the passage was causing the damage to dolls in the museum?
(a) Exhibitions across the country
(b) Frequent packing and unpacking
(c) Space scarcity
(d) large volume of the dolls [1]
Answer:
(b) Frequent packing and unpacking
(H) As per the given data, when did Shankar Pillai receive his first gift of doll? [1]
Answer:
1950s
(I) Choose an option that states a reason behind Shankar giving a ‘return gift’ to the foreign countries.
(a) As a token of thanks
(b) As a help
(c) as a token of business
(d) As a symbol of greatness [1]
Answer:
(a) As a token of thanks
Explanation: It is given in the passage that many countries gave Shankar their traditional dolls and as ‘return gifts’, Shankar gave them the Indian traditional dolls as a token to thank them for their gifts. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(J) List two sections that the dolls in the museum are divided as per the passage. [1]
1. …………………….
2. ……………………
Answer:
(1) Western countries section.
(2) Asian countries section.
Section – B
Creative Writing Skills (20 marks)
Question 3.
You are Kavita Kumari, class monitor of XII, St. Hopkins SchooL The class teacher has decided to take the students on an excursion to the Rail museum in the Delhi. Draft a notice in not more than 50 words, asking the interested students to submit their names and the fare for the same.
OR
You are Ravish Nanda, the Secretary of Green Park Apartments, Aligarh. You see that many residents of the society are not wearing a mask. They are socializing with their friends and relatives. As a Secretary of the society, write a notice in not more than 50 words to warn the residents for the same. [5]
Answer:
ST. HOPKINS SCHOOL
NOTICE
12th November, 20XX
School Excursion
This is to inform the students of class XII that the school is taking the students on an excursion to the Rail Museum in Delhi. The trip is scheduled for 17th November, 20XX. The interested students should give their names along with ₹ 1700 as fare for the same to the undersigned by 14th November.
Kavita Kumari
Class Monitor
OR
GREEN PARK APARTMENTS, ALIGARH
NOTICE
20th May, 20XX
Wearing a mask is mandatory
This is to inform all the residents of the Green Park Apartments that a fine of ? 500 will be charged if a resident is found not wearing a mask. Looking at the dreadful condition of COVID-19, it is mandatory for all the residents to continuously wear a mask when out in society.
Ravish Nanda
Secretary
Green Park Apartments
Question 4.
Draft an invitation in 50 words to be sent to your best friend to invite her to the bachelors’ party that you will be hosting a night before your sister’s wedding. You are Akansha Garg, a resident of 12/B, Ram Setu colony, Haridwar.
OR
You are Shlok Mehta, the captain of your school basketball team in Raipur. You have received an invitation from Holy Public School, Thane, to play a friendly exhibition match at their stadium. Write a formal reply to it. [5]
Answer:
12/B, Ram Setu Colony,
Haridwar
25th August, 20XX
Dear Priyanka,
I am glad to invite you to the bachelorette party of my sister Riya. I will be hosting it on 6th September, 20XX, a night before her wedding. We will have a blast at the party and I want you to be a part of it. The party will be held at Mason Mess Lounge, Phoenix Mall, Haridwar. The theme for the party is ‘Retro’.
Yours affectionately
Akansha Garg
OR
Shlok Mehta thanks the captain of the basketball team of Holy Public School, Thane for inviting him to play a friendly exhibition match at their stadium on 16th November, 20XX. He cordially accepts this invitation and hopes to reach Thane from Raipur with his team on 15th November, 20XX by evening.
Best wishes
Shlok Mehta
Question 5.
You are Amit/Amita, head of Environment Club, Mary High School, Mathura. You and your club visited Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan. You found how the tourists abuse the available facilities and thus endanger the environment. Write a letter in 120-150 words to the editor of a national daily highlighting the situation. Suggest ways through which the environment of the Park can be saved.
OR
You are Raj/Rajni Shah, 21/3, Guru Street, Mohali. You have read the advertisement given below. Write an application in 120-150 words along with a resume.
Amo re International, Mohali requires
Accounts Officers
Qualification: M. Com.
Experience: Minimum 5 years
Job requirement: Maintaining books of
accounts, preparation of Balance Sheet,
etc
Salary: Best in the Industry
Apply to: HR Manager, Al
4/N, New South Plaza, Mohali
Contact: 9214xxxxxxx [5]
Answer:
Mary High School,
Mathura
7th December, 20XX
The Editor,
The Times of India
New Delhi
Subject: Need to save the endangered environment of Ranthambore National Park
Sir/ma’am,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the concerned authority to the rampant abuse of tourist facilities available in the Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, which leads to the endangerment of the environment The park serves as a reservoir for tigers and other wild animals.
However, not many people know the fact that the magnificent beings of the park need to be kept in a very protected and safe environment Tourists throw litter and non-biodegradable plastics form their open jeeps or the windows of the closed jeeps. They also tease animals of the park on encountering them, which sometimes leads to casualties. The pollution and the noise from the tourist vehicles endanger the environment. The animals of the park are not suitable for such explicit environment.
Therefore, I feel that instead of fuel vehicles, e-vehicles-should be used for safari. Also, a penalty should be charge upon the tourist who found guilty littering the park or teasing the animals.
Yours sincerely,
Amit/ Amita
Head
Environment Club
OR
21/3,
Guru Street
Mohali
5th September, 20XX
The HR Manager,
Amore International
4/N, New South Plaza,
Mohali
Subject: Application for the post of Accounts officer.
Sir/ma’am,
This is with reference to your advertisement published in ‘Mohali Times’, dated 4th September, 20XX, that announced the vacancy for the post of accounts officer in your company. I would like to apply for the same.
I hold a masters degree in Accounts and I am very skilled at managing the balance sheet and book-keeping. I have a good experience of being Accounts Manager in Bico Ventures, Mohali, for five years. I am enclosing my Bio Data to enable you to assess my suitability for the given post.
Looking forward to a positive response!
Thanking you,
Yours Truly,
Raj/Rajni Shah
Encl.: Bio-data
BIO-DATA
Name: Raj/Rajni Shah
Father’s Name: Kamlendra Shah
Date of Birth: 15th April 19XX
Address: 21/3, Guru Street Mohali
Educational Qualifications: (i) M. Com.(Accounts) from Mohali University.
(ii) Diploma in Book-Keeping from SR college, Mohali
Experience: Accounts Manager in Bico Ventures, Mohali for five years
Salary Expected: Negotiable
References: (i) Mr. Sahil Dixit 12 Civil Line, Mohali, 9876xxxxxx
(ii) Mrs. Reshma Khan, Advocate, Bico Ventures, Mohali, 96543xxxxxx
Question 6.
You are the Sports Captain of Delhi Public School, Jhansi. The annual sports were conducted last month in your school. Write a report in 120-150 words on the conduct of the same. You are Nimesh/Nimita.
Use the given cues:
- Cricket Champion Chief Guest
- March Past by Houses
- Competitions for Juniors and seniors
- Winners awarded at the end
OR
You are Supriya Jha, Class monitor of Xll-A. Write a speech on the topic ‘The invention of mobile phones can be fatal if misused’ in 120-150 word to be delivered in the morning assembly. [5]
Answer:
The Annual Sports Meet
By Nimesh/Nimita, Sports Captain
Delhi Public School Jhansi organized its Annual Sports Meet on 2nd September, • 20XX on the occasion of World’s Sports Day. The Chief Guest of the event was Mr. Piyush Saxena, the Cricket Champion of the State. He was warmly welcomed by the Principal Mr. Avnish Kumar and the other respected staff members. The event started with welcoming the eminent personalities, followed by the March Past including the students from all the houses of the school The event also witnessed a competition among the students on different sports such as shot-put throws and lemon and spoon race for junior wing, table tennis and relay race for senior wing.
The winners in the respective categories were awarded by Mr. Piyush Saxena. The event was a huge success where students and parents felt delighted. After the event was over, Mr. Piyush was surrounded by a multitude of students who waited for long to take his autographs.
OR
Good morning Principal staff and my fellow school mates. Today I, Supriya Jha, the class monitor of XII-A, stands before you to express my views on the topic ‘The invention of mobile phones can be fatal if misused’.
The invention of mobile phones is one of the major advancements in human history. They are the easiest devices and probably, the most portable ones to share the information from one person to another despite the distances of millions of kilometers. Undoubtedly, the advantages of the mobile phones are many, especially for the students.
However, the disadvantages of mobiles are equally many. Adolescents and teenagers are continuously distracted from their studies or any other work because of their mobile phones. They are seen talking and texting at all places, even while walking on the road, while driving and even during classes. This leads to accidents and also their bad performances in academics. Social media is big distraction for the students. They are constantly engaged into being trendy and know what’s going on with their contemporaries and the general people, whom they don’t even know, which is wrong.
Hence, I believe that invention of mobile phones is miraculous but if misused, it becomes fatal.
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)
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
(A) List the poetic device used in the phrase ‘For simple sheep’. [1]
Answer:
Alliteration
Explanation: For simple sheep’ has alliteration in it. Alliteration is used to create a similar sound by repeating the same consonant in different words that are place close to each other.
(B) Select an option that represents an example of Antithesis in the given extract.
(a) The sun the moon
(b) Old and young
(c) Cooling covert
(d) Clear rills [1]
Answer:
(b) Old and young
Explanation: Antithesis is when two opposite terms are used to bring in a contrast. Here, ‘old and young’ is antithesis. Hence, (b) is the right answer.
(C) The …………………. help one to overcome the heat during the hot season. [1]
Answer:
cool rivers
(D) Trees sprout a ‘shady boon’. It means that the trees ………………..
(a) provide a dark fruit in summers
(b) provide a spoilt fruit in summers
(c) provide a boon of cool shade in the summer season.
(d) provide a boon of hot shade in the summer season [1]
Answer:
(c) provide a boon of cool shade in the summer season
(E) Choose an option that describes four thing of beauty present in the extract.
(1) Sun
(2) Moon
(3) Stars
(4) Daffodils
(5) Tress
(6) Flowers
(a) (1), (2), (4) and (5)
(b) (2), (3), (5) and (6)
(c) (3) and (6)
(d) (4) and (5) [1]
Answer:
(a) (1), (2), (4) and (5)
Explanation: The four things of beauty are: the sun, the moon, the trees and the daffodils. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(F) List the correct rhyme scheme nof the stanza. [1]
Answer:
aabbcc
OR
While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits
That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits.
And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day,
Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.
(A) Choose the option that DOES NOT means the same as ‘beneficent’.
(a) charitable
(b) altruistic
(c) maleficent
(d) munificent [1]
Answer:
(c) maleficent
Explanation: ’Beneficent’ means ‘inclined to be generous or to show concern for others’. Options (a), (b) and (d) are synonyms of ‘beneficent’ and mean the same, beneficial. Hence, these options are not the correct answer. Only option a (c) means the opposite, ’a harmful intent’. Hence, it is the correct answer.
(B) Identify two emotions of the poet when he says ‘enforcing benefits’.
(1) …………………..
(2) …………………. [1]
Answer:
(1) ironical,
(2) cynical
Explanation: A benefit is something that helps. Here the poet is being ironic and cynical when he says ‘enforcing benefits’, which means it will have the opposite effect of being beneficial
(C) Select an option that states a reason behind poet’s usage of the word ‘swarm’
(a) To compare the people to busy bees hovering around
(b) To give a sense of a large and an unpleasant crowd
(c) To bring out the idea of being alone in a large crowd
(d) To indicate the many people who would be ready to help [1]
Answer:
(b) To give a sense of a large and an unpleasant crowd.
Explanation: The sense of ‘swarm’ is a negative one. The poet tries to give a sense of many predators hovering around the prey. Hence, option (b) is the correct answer.
(D) Why would the rural folk’s sleeping habits be destroyed?
(a) They would be working at night, a time they usually slept.
(b) They would be sleeping in the day as well as night.
(c) They would not be able to sleep during the day as before.
(d) They would be working in the day as they usually did. [1]
Answer:
(a) They would be working at night, a time they usually slept.
Explanation: Accepting the ‘benefits’ offered by the predators would lead to the farmers working at night This is the time that they traditionally sleep. Hence option (a) as the correct answer.
(E) What does the phrase ‘out of their wits’ mean?
(a) To make someone foel loved
(b) To make someone very scared
(c) To make someone depressed
(d) To make someone excited [1]
Answer:
(b) To make someone very scared
(F) List the correct rhyme scheme of the given stanza. [1]
Answer:
abbcc
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)
Just then, an elder of our street came along from the direction of the bazaar. The manner in which he was walking along made me want to double up. I wanted to shriek with laughter at the sight of such a big man carrying a small packet in that fashion. I guessed there was something like vadai or green banana bhajji in the packet, because the wrapping paper was stained with oil He came along, holding out the packet by its string, without touching it I stood there thinking to myself if he holds it like that won’t the package come undone, and the vadais fall out?
The elder went straight up to the landlord, bowed low and extended the packet towards him, cupping the hand that held the string with his other hand. The landlord opened the parcel and began to eat the vadais.
(A) Choose an option that states the correct meaning of the phrase ‘to double up’ as given in the extract.
(a) say hello again
(b) smile sweetly two times
(c) bend down and get up
(d) laugh uncontrollably [1]
Answer:
(d) laugh uncontrollably
Explanation: To double up means to curl up with laughter or in pain. Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.
(B) State a word that is an opposite of the term ‘shriek’. [1]
Answer:
whimper
Explanation: The term shriek’, means a ‘high-pitched scream’. However, whimper means to murmur, which is the antonym.
(C) Choose the option that shows the word in a regional language as mentioned in the extract.
(a) elder
(b) vadai
(c) landlord
(d) parcel [1]
Answer:
(b) vadai
(D) Which of the following things can be inferred about young Bama from the given extract?
(a) Sensitive and thought about others
(b) Insensitive and laughed at others
(c) Hungry and only thought about food
(d) Angry at the way the food was wasted [1]
Answer:
(a) Sensitive and thought about others
Explanation: Young Bama was worried if the vadai would falL Hence, option (a) is the correct option.
OR
To visit Antarctica now is to be a part of that history; to get a grasp of where we’ve come from and where we could possibly be heading. 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. Imagine: India pushing northwards, jamming against Asia to buckle its crust and form the Himalayas; South America drifting off to join North America, opening up the Drake Passage to create a cold circumpolar current, keeping Antarctica frigid, desolate, and at the bottom of the world.
(A) Choose the option that states the correct meaning of the idiom, ‘to get a grasp’ as used in the extract.
(a) The art teacher asked students to lightly grasp their pencils.
(b) The doctors were trying to get a grasp of the situation.
(c) The neighbour asked security guard to properly grasp the sofa.
(d) The professor paused and asked, ‘Did you grasp what I said?’ [1]
Answer:
(b) The doctors were trying to get a grasp of the situation.
Explanation: The sentences in options (a), (c) and (d) do not use the idiom at all Consequently, they are incorrect options. Only option (b) uses the idiom accurately as in the extract So, option (b) is the correct answer.
(B) List the pair of opposite ideas as used in this extract.
(1) ………………..
(2) ………………. [1]
Answer:
(1) evolutipn,
(2) extinction
(C) Which of the following words means the same as ‘mind-boggling’?
(a) amazing
(b) ordinary
(c) confusing
(d) special [1]
Answer:
(a) amazing
(D) Choose the word that DOES NOT mean ‘jamming’ as given in the extract.
(a) ramming
(b) elbowing
(c) bulldozing
(d) yielding [1]
Answer:
(d) yielding
Explanation: Options (a), (b) and (c) are synonyms of ‘jamming’ as in the extract. Hence, they are not the correct answer. Only option (d) means the opposite, allowing. Hence, the correct answer is option (d).
Question 9.
Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE of them by answering the questions: (1 x 6 = 6)
Months passed. Shukla was sitting on his haunches at the appointed spot in Calcutta when Gandhi arrived; he waited till Gandhi was free. Then the two of them boarded a train for the city of Patna in Bihar.
There Shukla led him to the house of a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad who later became President of the Congress party and of India. Rajendra Prasad was out of town, but the servants knew Shukla as a poor yeoman who pestered their master to help the indigo sharecroppers. So they let him stay on the grounds with his companion. Gandhi, whom they took to be another peasant
(A) Shukla was sitting on his haunches. Choose the word that states the meaning of the term ‘haunches’.
(a) To sit on one’s legs
(b) To sit on a chair
(c) To sit with back straight
(d) To sit on one’s knees [1]
Answer:
(d) To sit on one’s knees
Explanation: The term ‘haunches’ means to sit on one’s knees. Hence, (d) is the right answer.
(B) The servants took Gandhi to be another peasant. Why?
(a) He was wearing a turban.
(b) He was weak.
(c) He looked starved.
(d) He was dressed plain. [1]
Answer:
(d) He was dressed plain.
Explanation: Gandhi was dressed in plain simple clothes. He appeared to be one from the peasants. Hence, (d) is the right answer.
(C) Why did Rajkumar Skukla wait for Gandhi to be free?
(a) To address the issue of sharecrop¬pers
(b) To fight for the rural people
(c) To help Rajkumar Shukla in job
(d) To teach people about trading [1]
Answer:
(a) To address the issue of sharecroppers
Explanation: Rajkumar Shukla waited for Gandhi to be free to accompany the former to Rajendra Prasad’s house for addressing the issue of the sharecroppers. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(D) Identify Rajkumar Shukla’s characteristic from the extract. [1]
Answer:
Determination
Explanation: It is given in the extract that even after “months passed, Shukla was sitting on his haunches at the appointed spot in Calcutta when Gandhi arrived” . This shows his determination.
(E) Why did the servants ?let him stay on the grounds”?
(a) As they were not allowed inside the house.
(b) As they were peasants.
(c) As they were untouchables.
(d) As they were arrogant. [1]
Answer:
(a) As they were not allowed inside the house
Explanation: As Rajendra Prasad was not available at his home, the servants asked Rajkumar Shukla and Gandhi to sit on the grounds as they were not allowed to wait inside the house. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(F) Who of the following is a ‘yeoman’?
(a) Teacher
(b) Old man
(c) Farmer
(d) Politician [1]
Answer:
(c) Farmer
OR
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 which 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.
(A) The extract talks about a ‘vagabond’. Identify him.
(a) Ironmill owner
(b) Old crofter
(c) Rattrap seller
(d) Mill labour [1]
Answer:
(c) Rattrap seller
Explanation: The ‘vagabond’ in the extract is the poor rattrap seller who earned his living by selling cages made ofsteel. Hence, (c) is the right answer.
(B) The vagabond ‘left to his own meditations’. What does the given phrase mean?
(a) He was lost in the crowd.
(b) He was a philosopher.
(c) He wanted to preach people as per his own thoughts.
(d) He was left alone with his thoughts. [1]
Answer:
(d) He was left alone with his thoughts.
Explanation: The vagabond was ‘left to his own meditations’ which means that he was left alone with his thoughts as there was nobody to make him understand or change his perspective.
(C) The vagabond had a ……………… that the world is a rattrap in the form of riches and joy. [1]
Answer:
revelation
(D) Why did the vagabond think the world to be nothing but a big ‘rattrap’?
(a) As it offers baits in the form of joys and riches.
(b) As it cages people in the jails.
(c) As it is also cheap like rattraps.
(d) As it is full of people who are dirty like rats. [1]
Answer:
(a) As it offers bait in the form of joys and riches.
Explanation: The vagabond think the world to be a big rattrap because like a rattrap offers cheese as a bait to trap rats, in the same way, the world offers riches and joys as bait and traps a person who gets lured by it. Hence, (a) is the right answer.
(E) What kind of approach did the vagabond appears to have in his life through the extract? [1]
Answer:
Negative / cold
Explanation: The vagabond appears to have a very negative or cold approach in his life.
(F) What does the word ‘monotonous’ mean?
(a) Same and boring.
(b) Same but different.
(c) Different and positive.
(d) Different and adventurous. [1]
Answer:
(a) Same and boring.
Question 10.
Attempt ANY FIVE out of the six questions given below, in 40-50 words each. (5 x 2 = 10)
(A) According to Keats, do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us? [2]
(B) What are the ‘ordeals’ Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by? Why is it significant that the poet uses the word ‘ringed’? [2]
(C) According to Christopher Sylvester, what is a barrier to not have read an interview? [2]
(D) Sophie feels conscious of a ‘vast world out there waiting for her’. Comment. [2]
(E) Getting rid of fear is an extremely difficult task. Elucidate with reference to the chapter “Deep Water”. [2]
(F) Despite his philosophical insights, the vagabond fails to resist temptations. What would you attribute this to? Explain with reference to any instance from the text. [2]
Answer:
(A) In the poem, Keats has repeated a notion, i.e„ ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.’ By this, he meant that the effect of a beautiful thing doesn’t fade away with time. It is permanent and everlasting.
(B) Aunt Jennifer is a suppressed household lady. She has to do her domestic chores that are no less than ordeals for her because she has to do them, irrespective of her wilL The word ‘ringed’ has been used to convey the restrictions and cage of marriage that Aunt is locked in.
(C) Christopher Silvester said everybody who is literate would have read an interview at some point in their lives. From this, it can be inferred that an illiterate person could not have read an interview and this implies that literacy is the barrier to not have read an interview.
(D) Sophie was a school-going teenager on the cusp of her adulthood. She therefore sensed the Vast world’ waiting for her and to which she wanted to belong. She believed she would feel like a home there.
(E) In the chapter ‘Deep Water’, Douglas once nearly drowned as a child at a beach which developed in him a terror of water. However, he overcame his fear of water after undergoing extensive swimming training under an expert This proves that getting rid of fear is an extremely difficult task as Douglas struggled a lot during his lessons.
(F) The peddler was a poor vagabond who used to sell rattraps for a living. Although he had philosophical insights for the worldly temptations, his hunger and poverty tempted him off the straight and narrow path. That is why, he had stolen the old crofter’s money who helped him.
Question 11.
Attempt ANY TWO out of the three questions given below, in 40-50 words each. (2 x 2 = 4)
(A) The tiger killing was completely banned in the state of Pratibandapuram. State with a rationale. [2]
(B) Zitkala-Sa mentions the indignities she had to suffer as a child. How do such indignities break the morale of a child? [2]
(C) Tishani Doshi lost her ‘earthly sense’ after visiting Antarctica. Expound. [2]
Answer:
(A) Asa result of the prophecy, tigerhunting was banned in the state of Pratibandapuram. Tigers were protected and any person who wished to harm a tiger would be punished. Only the Tiger King would hunt the hundred tigers in order to avoid his fate of being killed by the 100th tiger.
(B) Indignities break the morale of a child like it did to Zitkala-Sa. It robs them of their safety net and makes them vulnerable to all kinds of exploitation both as a child and later as an adult.
(C) Tishani Doshi stated that Antarctica stores 90% of the Earth’s total ice volume which was a chilling prospect physically and imaginatively. She compared it to walking on a giant ping-pong ball without any human markers like trees, houses, billboards and buildings. It made her lose her earthly sense of perspective.
Question 12.
Attempt ANY ON E of the following questions in 20-150 words.
Christopher Silvester declared a lot of things about the ‘interview’. Critically examine the proclamations made by him for the same.
OR
Describe the Gemini Studios’s make-up department as ‘national integration’ in the chapter ‘Poets and Pancakes’. Also, state the ‘hierarchy’ of work in the department. [5]
Answer:
Christopher Silvester declared the introduction to the Penguin Book of Interviews by stating that the interview is 130 years old. Today it was a staple of journalism. Anyone who’s literate today would have read one interview at least On the other hand, there were celebrities who have been interviewed many times.
Therefore, different people had different opinions on the function, merits and methods of the interview. Silvester continued that some people think that it is a source of truth and some perceive it as an art to be practised. Some of the people being interviewed see it as an unwanted intrusion into their lives.
OR
The make-Up department at the Gemini Studios had people from every state. There was first a Bengali, who left Then it was filled in succession with a Maharashtrian assisted by a Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and, of course, Tamils. They would apply layers of the pancake oh actors making them look hideously ugly.
There was a strict hierarchy of work in the – department The chief make-up person would appllj make-up for the chief actors and actresses. The senior assistant would apply make-up for the ‘second’ hero and heroine. The junior assistant would apply make-up for the main comedian. And so on and so forth. The last in the hierarchy was the office ’boy’ who would apply make-up on the actors who acted as the crowd.
Question 13.
Attempt ANY ONE of the following questions in 120-150 words.
Derry gets inclined towards Mr. Lamb in spite of being an introvert. Comment.
OR
How did Bama’s brother know that they were ‘not given any respect’ due to their caste in the chapter ‘We too are Human Beings’? Also state why did he suggest Bama to study hard. [5]
Answer:
Derry is an introvert due to his disability. He doesn’t like to be around people because they consider him frightful and ugly. They avoid him as they are afraid of him. His parents seem to be worried about him and his future.
But one thing that inclines Derry to Mr. Lamb is that both Derry and Mr. Lamb suffer from physical impairment While Derry has one side of his face disfigured and burnt by acid, the Mr. Lamb has a leg of tin because his real leg got blown off during the war.
Also, apart from the physical disabilities, Derry finds signs of loneliness and disappointment in Mr. Lamb’s life that is quite similar to his own but Mr. Lamb’s approach towards his life is very positive, different than Derry’s.
Mr. Lamb provides Derry a new approach to things. He tells him to see, hear, feel and think about things around him. He should not hate others as hatred is worse than acid because it burns the person from inside. He told Derry that he has all the God-given limbs. He must work towards making his life better. Mr. Lamb’s positivity and understanding of Derry as a person inclines Derry towards Mr. Lamb.
OR
Bama’s brother was back for the university holidays. He would often go to the neighbouring village to borrow books. When walking back, he would be stopped and asked questions by the landlord’s men. They didn’t recognise Annan and would ask him what his name and in which street he lived. Annan told Bama. the significance of these questions.
The moment he told them which street he was from; they would know his caste. People from their community were not given any respect But with education they could throw away the shackles of untouchability and indignity. So, that’s was why he asked Bama to study well so that people seek her out and befriend her. Following his advice Bama studied hard, came first in her class and many people became her friend.