Pre-boards Examination

Class 12

Sub- English.

Time-3hours. Full Marks-80

Section A(22marks)

A.Read the text given below:

1. While the Centre plans to offer JEE (Main) in regional languages too,
results of NEET-UG 2020 reveal that of the nearly 7.7 lakh candidates
who qualified, over 1.3 lakh took the test in 10 Indian languages, with
25,701 such students among the top 1 lakh.

2.The healthy percentage of successful students in various languages

shows that domain knowledge is not limited to those fluent in English.
However, such students often face a major language hurdle as technical
lessons are imparted in English. They should be given free English
tuitions to enable them to keep pace with the course. Efforts can also
be made to publish technical books in other Indian languages

3. Apart from English, NEET-UG is offered in 10 Indian languages-Hindi,

Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, and
Urdu. Experts say if these exams had not been conducted in regional
languages, many candidates would have struggled to qualify as they
may not have been comfortable in English
 AFTER ENG $ HINDI,GUJRATI MOST PREFERRED

No. of candidates qualified till 80000rank(language wise)

Rank English Hindi Telegu Assames Gujrati Marathi Tamil Bengal Kannad Oriya Urdu
range e i a

1-20000 17155 2445 0 0 246 3 50 95 1 6 0

20001- 25051 4099 0 1 543 5 92 199 4 7 0

50000

50001=80 25250 3757 4 11 640 15 91 221 5 5 1

000

total 67456 10301 4 12 1429 23 233 515 10 18 1

No. of candidates registered for NEET UG 2020(Language wise)

appeared qualified Qualification %

English 10.8L 6.4L 58.9

Hindi 1.8L 86871 48.7

Assamese 3644 652 17.9

Bengali 29335 12734 43.4

Gujarati 47579 24575 51.7

Kannada 642 260 40.5

Marathi 5029 863 17.2

Odia 567 237 36

Tamil 12848 5039 39.2

Telegu 1191 329 27.6

Urdu 1721 129 7.5

4. Welcoming the plans to offer JEE (Main) in regional languages,
experts said this would help candidates who study in vernacular
language at the senior secondary level. Educationist and CBSE ex-chief
Ashok Ganguly said since admission to engineering colleges is based on
one exam, students in vernacular medium shouldn't be deprived of a
level-playing field.

5. "But these students will definitely find it difficult to appear in JEE

(Advanced). It would be better to fix some state quota for colleges like
NITs and their exam be held separately with option to appear in
regional languages but for national quota, the medium should only be
English. In any case, a student from vernacular medium will find it
difficult to continue in IIT. So JEE (Advanced) must be continued in
English medium."

Answer the following questions, based on the given passage:

(a) What did the experts opine about the plans to offer JEE (Main) in
regional languages? 2

(b) Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the statement

which is not correct. 2

(i) NEET-UG 2020 exam was conducted in ten regional languages

including Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. (ii) NEET-UG 2020 exam was
conducted in ten regional languages including Marathi, Odia, English
and Assamese. (iii) NEET-UG 2020 exam was conducted in ten regional
languages including Kannada, Marathi, Odia and Tamil. (iv) NEET-UG
2020 exam was conducted in ten regional languages including Hindi,
Assamese, Bengali and Gujarati.
(c) Among regional languages, the highest number of qualifying
candidates are from which language. 1

(d) Based on the graphical chart given in the passage, choose the option
that correctly states the number of appeared candidates in Tamil and
Gujarati language. 1

(e) Pick the option that lists TRUE statements according to the given
percentage of qualified candidates. 1

1. After English and Hindi, Gujarati is the most preferred language.

2. After Marathi and Tamil, Urdu is the most preferred language.

3. After Gujarati and Bengali, Tamil is the most preferred language.

4. After Marathi, Odia and Telugu are the least preferred languages.

(i) 1 and 3 (ii) 2 and 4

(iii) 1 and 2 (iv) 1 and 4

f)What sort of difficulties will the students face later on? What will be
its better solution? 2

(g)Complete the sentence appropriately:- 1

Some students should be given free English tuitions to keep pace with
the technical course.It is because_______.

(h) State True or False. 1

Apart from English, NEET-UG is offered in 10 Indian languages.

B.Read the passage and answer the questions given below:-

Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes
when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but
very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world
sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which
comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new,
when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed,
finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the
pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the
still larger cause of humanity.

At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and

trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her
success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has
never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her
strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself
again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of
opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us.
Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and
accept the challenge of the future?

Freedom and power bring responsibility. That responsibility rests upon

this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of
India. Before the birth of freedom we have endured all the pains of
labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some
of those pains continue even now. Neverthless, the past is over and it is
the future that beckons to us now. That future is not one of ease or
resting but of incessant striving so that we may fulfil the pledges we
have so often taken and the one we shall take today. The service of
India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending
of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The
ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every
tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are
tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.

-Jawaharlal Nehru

QUESTIONS

1. Express in your own words: (a) we made a tryst with destiny; (b) at
the stroke of the midnight hour; (c) when the world sleeps; (d) when
we step out from the old to the new; (e) we take the pledge of
dedication; (f) at the dawn of history; (g) India discovers herself again;
(h) with the memory of sorrow. 0.5x8=4

2.In what does the "service of India" consist, according to the author? 1

3. What are the ideals which India has never forgotten? 1

4.Mention some of the responsibilities of freedom and power. 2

5.This speech is concerned with the living as well as the dead. In what
way does Nehru appeal to his listeners? What motive urges Nehru to
rouse the India of today to action? 2

6. Quote the line that has a direct reference to Mahatma Gandhi. 1

Section B(18marks)

C. Very soon your school is going to be a centre for CBSE examinations.

You have seen that during lunch break, students of junior classes keep
going around the examination rooms and make a noise. You are Navtej/
Navita, Head Boy/Head Girl, Akash Public School, Ajmer. Write a notice
in about 50 words warning such students not to go near the
examination rooms. 4

D.You are Faiz/Falak Mazumdar living at 39, Udampur Colony, Shimla. You decide
to hold a dinner party to congratulate your grandparents on their golden wedding
anniversary. Draft a formal invitation in not more than 50 words to all family
members to attend a grand dinner at home . 4

OR

As the Principal of a reputed college, you have been invited to

inaugurate a Book Exhibition in your neighbourhood. Draft a reply to
the invitation in not more than 50 words, expressing your inability to
attend the function. You are Tarun/Tanvi.

E.You are Navtej/Navita, Secretary, Environment Club, Akash Public

School, Agra. You, along with a group of students, went on a 3-day tour
of Corbett National Park. You found how the tourists abused the
available facilities and thus endangered 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. 5

OR

You are Minu Sen, employed as an Asst. Manager for Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) in your current company in Hyderabad. You saw
the given advertisement in the newspaper and wish to apply for the
position advertised. 5
 CREDIT SAGA Pvt. Ltd

Required- Corporate Social Responsibility Manager (CSR) Head

Job Responsibilities:

♦ Define strategy for Credit sage's CSR value of 1% of people's time, 1% of products and 1% of profits to the society.

◆ Develop various CSR initiatives in the company's adopted village

♦ Strategise and initiate various community benefit schemes and liaison with NGO's, Govt. Bodies etc. Preferred Skills &
qualifications

◆ Bachelor or Master's degree in Sociology/Public Relations

◆ Strong interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written)

◆ Proven experience in CSR project management and execution

◆ Proven experience working with non-profit organizations or Corporate CSR

Send your bio-data within 10 days to Gagan Vij, HR Head, Credit Saga Pvt. Ltd., Nashik

For further details please check our website--www.sage.com/careers/csr

F.You are Anuj, a student of Class XII. Whenever you are stressed, you
listen to music and get relaxed. You strongly believe that music
destresses you and refreshes your body and mind.

Based on your experience, write an article on 'Music as Therapy' for a

health magazine highlighting the healing power of music. Use the
following cues along with your own ideas to compose this article:

•music establishes connection with self

•music helps in self-expression
•comforts body, mind & soul
•improves one's mood. 5
OR

The efforts of 400 volunteers working with the NGO, 4Literacy, in the
district of Malkangiri, Odisha, was lauded by the District Collector, Shri
V. Singh (IAS). As a staff reporter of 'The Odisha Bhaskar', write a report
about this in 120-150 words covering all the details of the event, such
as training, teaching and infrastructure involved in the 'Each One Teach
One' campaign, initiated by the district administration in association
with the NGO. 5

Section C(40marks)
G.Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:- 1×6=6

1. 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

put that thought away (My Mother at Sixty-six)

(a) How is the poet feeling in the given lines?

(i) Perplexed. (iii) Surprised

(ii) Fearful. (iv) Nostalgic

(b) What is the significance of the words - 'she was as old as she
looked'?

(c) What do the words 'ashen like that of a corpse's' DO NOT imply?

(i) Helplessness. (iii) Fear

(ii) Acceptance. (iv) Poet's misery

(d) State whether the following statement is True or False.

The poetic device used in the words 'I saw my mother beside me' is the
same as used in the sentence 'The room filled with a deafening silence'.

(e) What message does the extract convey about ageing?

f)Complete the sentence appropriately.

'Doze and open-mouthed' suggests that the mother______.

H.But he had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last. After
the writing, we had a lesson in history, and then the babies chanted
their ba, be, bi, bo, bu. Down there at the back of the room old
Hauser had put on his spectacles and, holding his primer in both
hands, spelled the letters with them. You could see that he, too, was
crying; his voice trembled with emotion, and it was so funny to hear
him that we all wanted to laugh and cry. Ah, how well I remember it,
that last lesson! All at once the church clock struck twelve. Then the
Angelus.

(a) List any two sensory details present in this extract.

(b) What qualities of M. Hamel come to the forefront during the Last
Lesson?

(i) cranky, miserable, dedicated, resigned

(ii) patient, dignified, emotional, courageous

(iii) calm, nostalgic, disappointed, patriotic

(iv) proud, reproachful, persistent, heroic

(c) Complete the sentence about Old Hauser appropriately.

The phrase that "his voice trembled with emotion" suggests

that_______

(d) Pick evidence from the extract that helps one infer that the
atmosphere in the class was bitter sweet.

(e) State whether the following statement is True or False.

The adults knew well how to read or write their mother tongue.

f)Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the
extract?
1.M. Hamel distributed new copies that i) 'Remorse is memory

looked like little French flags, and ended the class with awake'(Emily Dickinson)

an emphatic "Vive La France!".

2. Hauser sat at the (ii) 'A House big called

Tomorrow'(Alberto Rios)
end of the class, thumbing his primer, desperately trying

to learn with the children, even as he cried.

3. M. Hamel shared how Alsace always put off learning, (iii) 'For Whom the Bell
 and how its people always thought they had plenty of time. Tolls' (John Donne)

4. The class ended when the churchclock struck twelve. And (iv) 'Do Not Go gentle into that
then the Angelus.Simultaneously,Prussian trumpets sounded Good night'. (Dylan Thomas)
under the school windows.

(a) 1- (i); 2- (ii); 3 - (iii); 4 - (iv)

(b) 1-(ii); 2- (iii); 3 (iv); 4 - (i)

(c) 1-(iii); 2- (iv); 3-(i); 4- (ii)

(d) 1-(iv); 2-(i); 3-(ii); 4- (iii)

I."The master ought not to heal the wound of this white man," he said
bluntly to Hana. "The white man ought to die. First he was shot. Then
the sea caught him and wounded him with her rocks. If the master
heals what the gun did and what the sea did they will take revenge on
us.

"I will tell him what you say," Hana replied courteously. But she
herself was also frightened, although she was not superstitious as the
old man was(The Enemy). 1×4=4

(a) Complete the sentence appropriately.

Hana is being courteous because_______.

(b) "The master ought not to heal the wound of this white man". Who
said this?

(i) The cook

(ii) The old gardener

(iii) Yumi

(iv) The driver

(c) State one reason for the old man called to be superstitious.

(d) What can we infer about the old man apart from the fact that he
was superstitious?

J. Attempt ANY FIVE of the following six questions, in about 40-50

words. 2×5=10

(a) Franz thinks, 'Will they make them sing in German, even the
pigeons'? What does this mean?

(b) 'The old man was just as generous with his confidences as with his
porridge and tobacco'. What personal information did he impart to his
guest?( The Rattrap)

(c) 'In consequence, Gandhi received a summon to appear in the court

next day." Which event of the previous day led to this state of affairs?

(d) What does the line, "Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to
bind us to earth" suggest to you?

(e) Together they have imposed the baggage on the child that he
cannot put down'. Who do 'they' refer to? What is the 'baggage' and
why can the child not get rid of it?

(f) What message does the poet want to give through the poem, 'Aunt
Jennifer's Tigers'?

K. Attempt ANY TWO of the following three questions, in about 40-50

words. 2x2=4
(a) 'But now we are both looking...' What does this refer to? Explain

(b) "Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of
themselves." What is the relevance of this statement in the context of
the Antarctic environment?(Journey to the End of the Earth)

(c) In what sense is the friendship between Mr Lamb and Mr Derry

fruitful?

L. Attempt ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 120-150

words . 5
a)Do you remember what beauty is the poet talking about in 'A Thing of
Beauty'? People good at heart enjoy every sphere of life.

In The Rattrap, "He walks and walks the whole year long and there is
probably not a single place in the whole country where he is welcome and
can feel at home. Wherever he turns he is chased away. Always he is afraid
of being arrested and cross-examined. I should like to have him enjoy a day
of peace with us here -just one in the whole year."The tramp is fraud, but he
displays the beauty of his heart. On the other hand, the ironmaster's
daughter is just opposite to her father.

Write a paragraph enumerating how do the tramp and the daughter

exchange the beauty of their hearts at the right time taking into account the
picture of the poem in your mind also.

b)What are phytoplankton?How are they important to our ecosystem?

M.Attempt ANY ONE of the following two questions, in about 120-150

words. 5

1..What is Umberto 's opinion on the success of his novel?

2. What is the role of nature in Keats' poem?

****THE END****