Students can access the CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English with Solutions and marking scheme Term 2 Set 8 will help students in understanding the difficulty level of the exam.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 English Term 2 Set 8 with Solutions
Time Allowed: 2 Hours
Maximum Marks: 40
General Instructions:
- The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING and LITERATURE.
- Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
Section – A
Reading (14 Marks)
Question 1.
Read the passage given below:
There is a time when everyone has to face grief. When someone dear to oneself dies, one is left in a state in which grief and shock overcome the ordinary life. One is left in a situation when one feels there is nothing one can do. Grief and mourning are always associated with death. It also happens with other kinds of losses. It could be the loss of one’s job, loss of one’s house or the loss of a close friend.
5. The best people able to cope with these are those who come from cultures that have strict, formal and intensive mourning ritual. In India, we have diverse rituals which nowadays are being discarded. But these help in surmounting the crisis. The near and dear ones come to share the grief and apply balm with their words of solace. In a modern society, one is expected to act as if nothing has happened, but research has shown that mourning is an essential part
10. of coming to terms with loss. There comes a time when one has to give up one’s grief and rejoin the main stream of life. Mourning in itself passes through these phases. Firstly, it is in the nature of shock and disbelief. A feeling of numbness overtakes. The brain is not in a position to accept. It so happens that one expects the arrival of the lost one, thinking that nothing will change and he/she will be with the lost one. In the second phase, one realises the truth that the loss has actually happened,
15. and it was not a dream. It is then that one feels the pain. Then one recollects the old moments and the memory of guilt creeps in. Here, the affected person displays odd behaviour and has difficulty in activities like eating and sleeping. One may remain in this stage for weeks, months and sometimes years.
In the next phase, one experiences relief from pain and negative feeling. This leads to the 20. positive side. Then one feels one must make alternative arrangements or replacements. Here, one is ready to cope with the situation. One knows one cannot recover what one has lost, but is conscious of the future, accepts the loss and is ready for the alternative.
On passing through all the stages of grief, it seems that time has passed like a river under the bridge. This shows that mourning has been successful. One cannot forget the loss but one 25. comes to terms with the reality.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY EIGHT questions from the nine given below. (1 x 8)
(A) Cite a point in evidence, from the text, to suggest that the writer’s opinion of mourning being a successful step in overcoming the loss. (1)
(B) State the way the people in modern society are expected to react to a loss that is evident from lines 7-12 and provide a reason for your choice. (1)
(C) The writer says that the best people to cope with loss are the ones who ‘come from a strict mourning culture’. Why does he think so? (1)
(D) Why does the writer say that a person who loses his loved one displays odd behaviours? (1)
(E) Rewrite the given sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with another one, from lines 20 – 25.
Ram panicked when his experiment didn’t go well because he didn’t have any other set-up for the competition. (1)
(F) What does the use of the phrase ‘feeling of numbness’ suggest in the context of the writer’s viewpoint of grief? (1)
(G) Select a suitable phrase from lines 15-25 to complete the following sentence appropriately.
I don’t understand why Amanda is being so reckless. She needs to have ……… that no matter how hard Ms. Casey tries not to let her in the cheerleading team again. (1)
(H) Grief and mourning are always associated with death. What are the other kinds of losses other than the ones given in the passage? (1)
(I) Analyse the better way of coping with a loss – ignorance or acceptance. (1)
Answer:
(A) As per the passage, a research states that mourning is an essential part of coming to terms with loss. As there are many phases of grief and disbelief in the loss of a lost one, mourning helps pass the affected person through these phases by making him understand and accept the loss over time.
(B) The people in modern society are expected to react as if nothing has happened. I think the reason behind it is that people think ignorance or suppressing emotions might help them overcome the loss or their feeling of sorrow.
(C) As per the writer, the best people to cope with loss are the ones belonging to a strict mourning culture because mourning makes it easy for the brain to accept that the loss has actually happened. It helps a person to overcome his pain by reliving it through lamenting.
(D) The writer says that a person, who loses a loved one, displays odd behavior because it is a big emotional damage that he goes through. So, in that grieving phase, he loses his control over all activities like eating or sleeping, and it takes a lot of time for him to get back to his normal lifestyle.
(E) alternative arrangements
(F) The writer uses the phrase ‘feeling of numbness’ to express that when a person experiences a loss of his loved one, his body, mind and soul is not ready to accept it. His emotions get so disturbed that he doesn’t even feel alive for a period of time.
(G) come to terms with reality
(H) The other kinds of loses that a person may face in his life are divorces, loss of a relationship with a close one, family fued, best friend tiffs, failure in exams, poor performance in a competition, losing after several trials, etc.
(I) The better way of coping with a loss is definitely acceptance. Ignorance may work only for a few hours or days but it keeps the guilt alive always. However, once you accept the Loss, you move on forever.
Question 2.
Read the passage given below:
On August 4th, the United Nations (UN) released the secretary-general’s policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on the world’s education system. The policy’s brief points to the fact that the closure of schools and other learning spaces have impacted 94% of the world’s student population (up to 99% in
5. low and lower-middle-income countries). It suggests that despite the delivery of lessons by radio, TV and online, and efforts of teachers and parents, many students still do not have access to education. It highlights how learners with disabilities, those from marginalised communities, displaced and refugee students,
10. and those in remote areas are at highest risk of being left behind. And it warns that the knock-on effects on child nutrition, child marriage and gender equality could be enormous.
The cumulative impact of all these on children may lead to a “generational catastrophe” that could waste human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate.
15. entrenched inequalities. This is not good news for any nation, more so for those in the low and lower-middle-income segments such as India. According to UNESCO, nearly 321 million Indian children have been at home since 2020 March-end. There is no clarity on when schools will reopen.
20. In the last few decades, especially since the enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, India has seen a surge in school enrolments and infrastructure development in the primary and secondary segments. But the learning outcomes have not kept pace. The pandemic has now exacerbated this existing challenge. In addition, the extended period of closure means students don’t have access to midday meals; 25. and with parental incomes under strain, there could be a spike in drop-out rates, especially among girls.
While the focus must be now be ensuring the safety of students, teachers and staff, and putting in place protocols for school reopening, there has to be an extensive assessment of the learning loss and well-thought-out plans.
30. to bridge the learning gap, and schemes to retain students. This entails tweaking the syllabus and changing pedagogy. This forced break must also be used to align the sector to the National Education Policy (NEP), which was released last week, especially to its foundational learning goals. Last but not least, governments will have to arrange for funds.
35. required for the sector. This will be a challenge post-COVID-19, but starving the education sector of finances will be irresponsible, for it is crucial to meeting India’s development goals and creating an inclusive society.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY SIX out of the seven questions given below. (1 x 6)
(A) What does the researcher mean by ‘exacerbate entrenched inequalities’? (1)
(B) What grave reality does the survey on the effect of COVID on Indian school kids from school closure shows for girls? (1)
(C) With reference to fig. 1, write possible reasons about the impact on children in China due to COVID. (1)
(D) What can be concluded for the methods used by the schools for keeping up with regular studies, with reference to fig. 3?
(E) The school closures may also lead to ill child nutrition. Substantiate. (1)
(F) Why are ‘placing protocols’ recommended as a significant step on school reopening? (1)
(G) Identify a word from lines 25-35 indicating the pattern of teaching a particular academic subject. (1)
Answer:
(A) By the given phrase, the researcher means that COVID has disrupted the entire education system in the world which may worsen the already rigid inequalities that are prevalent for children, especially in low-income segment countries like India.
(B) The survey shows that the loss in parental income under the COVID strain will lead to a big drop-out rate and the nearest target for that would be girls because parents in India would prefer their sons to daughters for continuing their studies.
(C) In fig.l, it is evident that the Chinese students are the most affected school kids. This may be due to a large number of cases of virus, high number of students’ enrolments, more schools, and a high population in the nation.
(D) Clearly in fig. 3, we can see that in spite of schools taking actions like referring their entire studies over online classes, app tutorial and webinars, nothing is proving to overcome the impact on t children as the number of students affected world wide are only rising.
(E) The school closures will surely affect the child nutrition as several of the children rely upon the ‘mid-day meal’ schemes for their daily nutrition and with the closure of schools, they will have no access to it.
(F) Placing protocols is very crucial on schools reopening because we must not forget that the presence of deadly viruses is still lingering. Crowded places like schools, including little children who aren’t able to keep their own safety properly, are at a higher risk.
(G) Pedagogy
Section – B
Writing (8 Marks)
Question 3.
You are Raj Krishna Agrawal, the Principal of St. Eve Modern School. You were invited to inaugurate the local book exhibition by the community. Draft a formal reply accepting the invitation. (3)
Answer:
Mr. Raj Krishna Agrawal thanks the community people for inviting him to inaugurate the local book exhibition in the city on Sunday, the 13th of April, 20XX, at 2.00 p.m. He accepts the invitation and is honored to be the Guest of Honour for the event. He will reach the venue at 1.50 p.m. sharp.
Regards
Mr Raj Krishna Agrawal
Principal, St. Eve Modern School
Question 4.
Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
(A) St. Agnes School, Ahemdabad, requires two sports coaches (one male and one female). Each should be a degree holder in physical education as well as an SAI-certified coach in athletics. You have seen their advertisement and you know that you have these qualifications. Write an application in 120- 150 words along with your resume. You are Brijnesh/Uma Patel of M-42, Saras Road, Ahemdabad.
OR
(B) Your state government has banned the use of plastic bags. Your are Sonali Singh Chadda. As a reporter of The Times of India, write a report in about 120-150 words on how the ban is being ignored and what damage the indiscriminate use of plastic bags is causing to the environment, covering all the details like people still seen with poly bags, plastic clogs drains, kill wildlife, non-biodegradable, toxic, etc.
Answer:
M-42
Saras Road
Ahmedabad
30th September, 20XX
The Principal
St. Agnes School
Ahmedabad
Subject: Application for the post of sports coach.
Sir/Ma’am,
This is with reference to your advertisement in The Gujarat Times, dated 28th September, 20XX, for the post of a sports coach.
I wish to apply for the same. I have all the qualities that would suit the post best. I am a certified SAI Coach in Athletics and I hold a bachelor degree in Physical Education. I have served as a Sports Coach in Mitabai Public School, Anand for three years and then joined the AVA Academy of Coach, Ahmedabad, from where I got my SAI certification.
I will be highly thankful to you if you shortlist me for the personal interview. I am enclosing my resume for your perusal.
Yours faithfully,
Brijnesh/Uma Patel
Resume
Father’s Name : Mr Akhilesh Patel
Name : Uma Patel
Address : M-42, Saras Road, Ahmadabad
Date of Birth : 4th or March, 19XX
MaritaL Status : Unmarried
EducationaL Qualifications : BPEd from Asaram Institute, Anand SAI certification in athletics from AVA Academy of Coach, Ahmadabad
Job experience : Sports Coach in Mitabai Public School, Anand for three years
Expected salary : negotiable
Caution :
Students often write irrelevant details of the candidate in the job letters. Avoid giving any confusing details of the candidate in both the body and the bio-data in the letter. Never give different details of the candidate in the body of the letter and the bio-data.
OR
Plastics Ban Ignored, threat to Environment
keeps going on
By Sonali Singh Chadda, Staff Reporter,
The Times of India
New Delhi, 12th August, 20XX: The government has banned the production and use of plastic bags in our country. But unfortunately, nobody seems to follow the rule. Not only people are seen using a huge number of poly bags daily but are also seen discarding them in the drains uncaring about the fact that they will block the flow of drain water. Polybags are a threat to our environment. They cause pollution, kill wildlife and are responsible for using up the natural resources of the earth. They are one of the main factors that litter the landscape. If burnt, they will infuse the surrounding air with toxic fumes.
The main problem of plastic bags is that they are non-biodegradable. The decomposition of plastic takes around a thousand years, so with the plastic rubbish produced each day it is likely that this problem will never be solved. While the government works out ways to lessen the impact of polybags on the environment, the citizens of the nation should too follow the ways laid.
Caution :
Students often get confused when they do not get sufficient details in the questions about any generic topic. In these questions, it is always better to write general information. Avoid giving any factual data without a backing.
Section – C
Literature (18 marks)
Question 5.
Answer ANY FIVE of the six questions given below, with in 40 words each. (2 x 5)
(A) How was the crofter ‘generous with his confidences’ when he spoke to the peddler? (2)
(B) ‘Gandhi was a visionary’. Substantiate the statement in regard with the chapter ‘Indigo’.
You may begin your answer like this: Gandhi had a great quality of sightedness…
(C) Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wool’. Expound both the literal and metaphoric meanings of the statement. (2)
(D) Validate why is grandeur associated with the ‘mighty dead’? (2)
(E) Why does Jack insist that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother? (2)
(F) Rationalize what clues the answer sheet of Evans provided to the Governor. (2)
Answer:
(A) The crofter was generous with his confidences with the peddler. He told the peddler that he had been a crofter but now his cow supported him. He further added that the cow would give milk for the creamery every day, and that last month, he had received thirty kronors as payment from it. The crofter didn’t even think once before telling tales to the peddler.
(B) Gandhi had a great quality of sightedness and observation in him. He was definitely a visionary who saw that the peasants of Champaran need to be free from the shackles of their fear from the British and then fight for their rights. He knew that the fear in them is greater than their desire for justice.
(C) Literally, the statement means that as Aunt Jennifer has grown old and weak, she doesn’t have enough strength to pull through the needle. Metaphorically, her nervousness and fright from her household circumstances has made it difficult for her to pull throw the needle.
(D) The mighty dead rulers had sacrificed their precious lives for the sake of their nations and others. They are often associated with ‘grandeur’ because they lived a glorious and a heroic life.
(E) Jack does not want his daughter to have a negative opinion about a mother. He wants Jo to accept that a mother can never take any wrong decision for her children. Thus, from a mother’s perspective, he justifies Mommy Skunk hitting the wizard.
(F) The answer sheet had been cleverly attached to the last page of the question paper by Evans to outwit his opponents and mislead the police. It was from his answer-sheet that the police got the clue that Evans had hit McLeery whom Evans was himself impersonating. The six figure reference was a clue to a place that landed him in the middle of Chipping Norton.
Question 6.
Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120 words each. (4 x 2)
(A) In the poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’, John Keats compares a beautiful thing to things like a ‘bower’ and ‘endless fountain of immortal drink’. Expound in about 120-150 words. (4)
(B) The story ‘the Rattrap’ is based on a rattrap seller who thinks the world to be nothing but a rattrap. Explain how he himself ended up being caged in the same rattrap. Examine the story in the light of this statement, in about 120-150 words. (4)
(C) The question paper and correction slip had a crucial role to play in catching Evans in the chapter ‘Evans Tries an O-level. Substantiate with reference to text, in about 120-150 words. (4)
Answer:
(A) In this poem, John Keats says that a thing of beauty provides a soothing joy to our minds and souls forever. As a man’s life is full of trials and tribulations, he faces a lot of dilemmas and gloom. The things of beauty provide a relief from those everyday dilemmas to men. The poet then compares the thing of beauty with a ‘bower’ which is a cool shady sideway near the cold crystal water streams that gives a nice soothing place to rest in scorching heats. A beautiful thing similarly soothes a man’s stressed mind.
Next, he compares a thing of beauty to ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink’. He says that all these beautiful things are a gift of nature which shower endlessly and continues forever. The imprints of beautiful things are permanent on our minds. They provide an endless source of inspiration. In fact, fountain of immortal drink refers to grandeur of heroism which inspires us and gives one the courage to flight for a cause.
(B) In the story, the peddler gets a revelation that this world is a huge ‘rattrap’ for human beings. It tempts people in the form of worldly riches, joys and materials as baits. When a person tries to get it for himself, he gets trapped into it forever. But later, when he gets easy access to steal the crofter’s thirty Kroners, he does it without giving the crofter’s trust a thought.
In this way, he himself gets attracted to the bait in the form of those thirty Kroners and then gets into the trap by finally stealing the money. He runs into the wood with the stolen money in his pocket, to get out of the place in order to avoid being caught by someone for it.
Later, when he finds that he is lost and is just spinning around the forest like a maze, he realizes that he is caught in the same rattrap that he thinks people end up in. when he loses his way in the forest, with the few kroners in his pocket.
(C) Indeed, the question paper and correction ’ slip had a crucial role to play in catching Evans. In one instance, we see that the Governor received a call from the Assistant Secretary of the Examination Board saying that there was a correction slip, which was not attached to the question paper. The Secretary requested the Governor if he could read out the correction to Evans. The correction read ‘zum goldenen Lowen’.
In reality, it was not a correction but an indication informing Evans about the location he needed to reach after his escape. Later, when the Governor learned about Evans’ escape, Rev. McLeery, who was Evans in real, showed him the question paper at the back of which, instructions were given to help Evans escape. These instructions were to misguide the prison authorities.
The paper also helped the Governor at the end. By putting together the index and centre numbers, the Governor got the hint of Evans location. With the six digit reference and the help of a survey map, the Governor got the hint that Evans had escaped to a place called Chipping Norton.