First Term Examination 2014-15

CLASS XII ENGLISH Time allowed: 3 hours

Maximum Marks: 85

General Instructions:
1. This paper is divided into three Sections: A, B and C. All sections are compulsory.
2. Your answer should be to the point. Try to stick to the prescribed word limit while
answering the questions.

SECTION A: READING 20 marks

Q 1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: 12 marks

1. First, a warning. The journey is tough, steep and peppered with hairpin bends. If
you are not a hardened traveller, by the time you reach Tawang your head is likely to
be spinning. Add to it the breeze which pierces through all your protective clothing
and you could well be wondering what prompted you to make this arduous trip to such
Himalayan heights.
2. To get acclimatized to high altitude, the recipe is simple and strict take it easy on
the first day, lest you find yourself out of breath and panting. Tuck yourself in a warm
bed and sip some thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup) and begin your adventures the
following day.
3. In fact when you get up the next morning, you will scarcely believe what you see.
The picture postcard beauty of the hill station in Arunachal Pradesh will simply take
your breath away. The scenery is pristine and the Himalayan ranges are lush with
pine, oak and rhododendron forests. There is also a rich growth of bamboo, which is
the favorite food of the red panda found in this part of the North east.
4. Located about 10,000 feet above sea level, the Tawang monastery is the second
oldest monastery in Asia, which explains the rush of tourists to this remote settlement.
The magnificent monastery overlooks the valley and surrounded by mountains that
seem to be towering around it like guards. The monasterys enormous yellow roof and
white walls stand out like a beacon. The place is completely isolated from the world.
5. One of the biggest attractions of the monastery is the three storey dukhang
(assembly hall) that has a magnificent eight-meter-high gilded image of Buddha.
6. The ancient library, leading onto the parkhang (main courtyard) has an excellent
collection of old scriptures, images and thankas (traditional paintings and monastery
or gompa in local language is over 350 years old and is an important centre of
pilgrimage for Buddhists.
7. The sixth Dalai Lama was born here. Also known as the Galden Namgyan Lhatse,
the monastery is a repository of Tibetan Buddhist culture.
8. Tawang does not have an airport or railway station of its own. It is connected with
other towns in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam by road. Reaching Tawang from
Kolkata is braving a long but rewarding journey. The drive through the picturesque
mountain country is spectacular and can leave you breathless as you wind around
steep hill-roads and maneuver sharp hairpin bends. In parts, the road can be rather
treacherous. This is definitely not a drive for the faint-hearted.
9. The journey to Tawang starts from Guwahati on a bus or a taxi to Bomdila. Past the
Dirang valley with its old dzong (fort), the road climbs sharply to Sela Pass at 13,940
feet. This barren, desolate landscape is softened by a serene lake that lies below Sela
Pass.
10. Tawang has one main street and a warren on alleys to the houses that climb up the
hillside towards the towering monastery. It also has one quaint little bazaar which sells
products ranging from talismans and prayer wheels to garish sunglasses and
transistors. The snack stalls are a plenty offering solja, the yak butter tea, thukpa and
hot momos, the delicious steamed meat dumpling with chilli sauce.

1.1 Answer the following questions:
a. Why is the journey up Twang so arduous? (2)
b. What should a visitor do to acclimatize to high altitude? (1)
c. Why do people like to visit Tawang? (2)
d. Describe the Tawang monastery. (2)
e. How can one reach Tawang? (2)

1.2 Find words or phrases which convey the same meaning as the following. (3)
a. Extremely attractive ( Para 4)
b. Holy place (Para 6)
c. Huge, in great (Para 3)

Q 2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: 8 marks

1. The tests of life are its plus factors. Overcoming illness and suffering is a plus
factor for it moulds character. Steel is iron plus fire, soil is rock plus heat. So lets
include the plus factor in our lives.
2. Sometimes the plus factor is more readily seen by the simple-hearted. Myers tells
the story of a mother who brought into her home - as a companion to her own son - a
little boy who happened to have a hunchback. She had warned her son to be careful
not to refer to his disability, and to go right on playing with him as if he were like any
other boy.
3. The boys were playing and after a few minutes she overheard her son say to his
companion: Do you know what you have got on your back? The little boy was
embarrassed, but before he could reply, his playmate continued: It is the box in
which your wings are and some day God is going to cut it open and then you will fly
away and be an angel.
4. Often it takes a third eye or a change in focus, to see the plus factor. Walking along
the corridors of a hospital recently where patients were struggling with fear of pain
and tests, I was perturbed. What gave me fresh perspective were the sayings put up
everywhere, intended to uplift. One saying made me conscious of the beauty of the
universe in the midst of pain, suffering and struggle. The other saying assured me that
God was with me when I was in deep water and that no troubles would overwhelm
me.
5. The import of those sayings also made me aware of the nether springs that flow into
peoples lives when they touch rock bottom or lonely or even deserted. The nether
springs make recovery possible, and they bring peace and patience in the midst of pain
and distress.
6. The forces of death and destruction are not so much physical as they are psychic
and psychological. When malice, hate and hard-heartedness prevail, they get
channeled as forces of destruction. Where openness, peace and good-heartedness
prevail, the forces of life gush forth to regenerate hope and joy. The life force is
triumphant when love overcomes fear. Both fear and love are deep mysteries, but the
effect of love is to build whereas fear tends to destroy. Love is often the plus factor
that helps build character. It helps us to accept and to overcome suffering. It creates
lasting bonds and its reach is infinite.
7. It is true that there is no shortage of destructive elements - forces and people who
seek to destroy others and in the process, destroy themselves - but at the same time
there are signs of love and life everywhere that are constantly enabling us to overcome
setbacks. So lets not look only at gloom and doom - lets seek out positivity and
happiness. For it is when you seek that you will find what is waiting to be discovered.

a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes onit using headings
and sub-headings. Use recognizable abbreviations,wherever necessary.
b) Write a summary of the passage in not more than 80 words using the notes made
and also suggest a suitable title.

SECTION B: ADVANCED WRITING SKILLS 35 marks

Q 3. You are Sumesh of No. 24 Ashoknagar Road, Kolkata. You desire to sell your car.
Draft an advertisement for the newspaper. (5)
OR
Your sister is getting married and you have been asked to draft a formal invitation.
Draft an invitation on behalf of your parents.

Q 4. You have participated in CBSE Intel Science Quiz for 2011 at Ambani Auditorium.
Write a report of the same to be published in the newspaper. (10)
OR
Your school has organized an Exhibition-cum-Sale of the items made by the students
in their work-experience classes. You had an excellent and overwhelming response
from the parents and the visitors. The proceeds of the sale have been donated by your
school in a function to Helpline India; an organization for supporting the orphans.
Make a report of the same in 125 words to be published in your school
bulletin/magazine.

Q 5. You are an educationist and feel strongly about the flaws in the existing system of
education particularly examination. You feel that the system neglects the talents and
skills of students and is restricted to classroom teaching. Write a letter to the editor of
an English newspaper making a case for education beyond classroom teaching. Sign
yourself as Dr. Manoj Lamba. (10)
OR
Read the newspaper clipping and apply for the post considering you to be Ragini/Raju.

D.A.V. PUBLIC SCHOOL, CHENNAI
Requires a competent PGT in English E.Q. M.A from a recognized University.
Minimum 5 years experience of teaching + 2 classes, fluency in spoken English is a
pre-requisite. Pay scale as per Govt. Grade. Apply within seven days with complete
bio-data to Richard Crashaw Principal

Q 6. In monsoon season, outbreak of malaria and dengue is quite common. Your science
teacher has asked you to write an article for the school magazine on the topic The
Killer Disease-Dengue. Write the article in about 200 words. (10)
OR
31st of May is being celebrated by your school as World No Tobacco Day. Your
teacher has asked you to prepare a speech on the hazards of smoking. Write your
speech.

SECTION C: LITERATURE 30 marks

Q 7. Read the extract given below and answer the questions thatfollow: 4 marks

Break O break open 'till they break the town
And show the children green fields and make their world
Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues
Run naked into books, the white and green leaves open
History is theirs whose language is the sun

a. Explain: .till they break the town 1
b. What does green fields and gold sands symbolize? 1
c. Explain: let their tongues run naked into books. 2
OR

Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I' II count upto twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

(i) What does the Earth teach us? 2
(ii) What does the poet mean to achieve by counting upto twelve? 1
(iii) What is the significance of 'keeping quiet? 1

Q 8.Answer any two of the following questions in 30 - 40 words each: 2 x 2= 4 marks

a. According to Pablo Neruda, what is it that human beings can learn from Nature?
b. Why does Spender call Shakespeare wicked and the map a bad example?
c. What is the significance of the parting words of the poet and her smile, in My
Mother at Sixty-six?
Q 9.Answer any six of the following questions in 30 - 40 words each: 2 x 6 = 12 marks

a. For Franz, what was much more tempting than going to school and why?
b. Mention any two hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
c. How did Douglas overcome the old terror?
d. Even though the Maharaja lost Rs. 3 lac, he was still happy. Why?
e. Why did Roger Skunk go in search of the wizard?

Q 10. Answer any one of the following in about 100 125 words: 5 marks

Do you think Dr. Sadao's final decision was the best possible one under the
circumstances? Why/Why not? Explain with reference to the story, 'The Enemy'.
OR
Write a character sketch of Jack in Should Wizard hit Mommy.

Q 11. Read the following and answer the question that follows: 5 marks

With reference to the big boy who pushed Douglas into the pool we realize that many
a times we fail to understand others fears and weaknesses and make fun of them
without realising how much harm we are doing to the psyche of the person. What
qualities does a person need to imbibe in order not to undermine others?