FM/02/2021

TAKSHASHILA RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

1ST MONTHLY EXAMINATION
CLASS XII
ENGLISH (301)

Time : 1½ Hrs. Max. Marks: 40

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. This paper is divided into two parts: A and B. All the questions are compulsory.
2. Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read
these instructions very carefully and follow them.
3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

PART - A (20 Marks)

Multiple choice questions
1. Reading Comprehension (5 Marks)
A. Indian tourism industry is growing at rapid rate. The World Travel & Tourism
Council calculated that tourism generated INR 6.4 trillion or 6.6% of the nation‟s GDP
in 2012. It supported 39.5 million jobs, 7.7%of its total employment. The sector is
predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 7.9% from 2013 to 2023. This gives
India the third rank among the countries with the fastest growing tourism industries
over the next decade. India‟s rich history and its cultural and geographical diversity
make its international tourism appeal large and diverse.
B. Mehrangarh Fort located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, is one of the largest forts in India and
a place of major tourist attraction. Though the fort was originally started in 1459 by
Rao Jodha, founder of Jodhpur, most of the forts which stands today dates from the
period of Jaswant Singh (1638-78). The foundation of the fort was laid on May 12,
1459 by Jodha on a rocky hill, 9 kms to the south of Mandore with the trusted aid of
Rao Nara. This hill was known as Bhaucheeria, the mountain of birds.
C. According to a legend, to build the fort Rao Jodha had to displace the hill‟s sole
human occupant, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji, the lord of birds. Upset at being
forced to move Cheeria Nathji cursed Rao Jodha with “Jodha! May your citadel ever
suffer a scarcity of water”. Rao Jodha managed to appease the hermit by building a
house and a temple in the fort, very near the cave, the hermit had used for
meditation. Even today, the area is plagued by drought every 3 to 4 years.
D. The fort‟s walls, which are up to 36 meters (118 ft) high and 21 meters (69 ft) wide,
protect some of the most beautiful and historic places in Rajasthan. Entry to the fort is
gained through a series of seven gates. The imprints of cannonball hits, by attacking
armies of Jaipur, can still be seen on the second gate. To the left of the fort is the
chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending the fort.
 E. Within the fort, several brilliantly crafted and decorated places are found which are
known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards. Of these, Moti Mahal
(Pearl Palace), phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Sheesha Mahal (Mirror Palace), Sleigh
Khana, and Daulat Khana are notable. The museum in the fort is one of the most well –
stocked museums in Rajasthan. In one section of the fort museum there is a selection
of old royal palanquins, including the elaborate domed gilt Mahadol palanquin
which was won in a battle from the Governor of Gujurat in 1730. The museum
exhibits the heritage of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated
period rooms. One can also see royal cradles, miniatures, musical instruments,
costumes, and furniture in the museum.
F. Meharangarh is made of two words: „Mihir‟ in Sanskrit means Sun – deity; and „garh‟
in Sanskrit means fort; i.e „Sun – fort‟. According to Rajasthani language
pronunciation conventions, „Mihirgarh‟ has changed to „Mehrangarh‟; the Sun – deity
has been the chief deity of the Rathore dynasty.
G. The 500 year old fort is a popular site for filming. The movie The Dark Knight Rises
was shot here.
H. The ramparts of the fort are home to not only several excellently preserved old
cannons (including the famous Kilkila) but also offer a breathtaking view of the city.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer any five of the questions given below
with the help of the option that follow. (1×5=5)

i. Indian tourism industry may grow at an annual average rate of ______ over the next decade.
a. 6.6%
b. 7.7%
c. 7.8%
d. 7.9%
ii. The foundation of the fort was laid by ______ with the help of _________.
a. Rao Nara, Rao Jodha
b. Rao Jodha, Rao Nara
c. Rao Nara, Kiran Singh Soda
d. Rao Jodha, Jaswant Singh
iii. „Conceal‟ is the antonym of ______ para E.
a. Intricate
b. Exhibit
c. Gilt
d. Elaborate
iv. „Plagued‟ in para C means _______.
a. Bounded
b. Troubled
c. Interior
d. Exterior
v. „Forecast‟ is the synonym of _______ in para A.
a. Calculated
b. Decade
c. Predicted
 d. Diversity
vi. Kirat Singh Soda was known for _______.
a. Cannon balls
b. Slaying soldiers
c. Defending the fort
d. Allying with enemies
2. Read the following passage carefully: (5 Marks)
A. The art which admits the exact reproduction are such that the disciple is on the same
level as the creator, and so it is with their fruits. These are useful to the imitator, but
are not of such high excellence as those which cannot be transmitted as an inheritance
like other substances. Among these, painting is the first. Painting cannot be taught on
him on whom nature has not conferred the gift of receiving such knowledge, as
mathematics can be taught, of which the disciple receives as much as the master gives
him.
B. It cannot be copied, as letters can be, in which the copy equals the original. It cannot
be stamped, in the same way as sculpture, in which the impression is in proportion to
the source as regards the quality of the work. It does not generate countless children,
as do printed books.
C. It alone remains noble, it alone confers honour on its author and remains precious
and unique, and does not beget children equal to itself. And it is more excellent by
reason of this quality than by reason of those which are everywhere proclaimed. Now
we do not see the great monarchs of the East going about veiled and covered up from
the fear of diminishing their glory by the manifestation and the divulgation of their
presence? And we do not see the pictures which represent the divine deity are kept
covered up with inestimable veil?
D. Their unveiling is preceded by great sacred solemnities with various chants and
diverse music. When they unveiled, the vast multitude of people who are there
flocked together, immediately prostrate themselves and worship. They invoke those
whom such pictures represent that they may regain their lost holiness and win
external salvation, just as if the deity were present in the flesh.
E. This does not occur in any other art or work of man. If you say that is owing to the
nature of the subject depicted, rather than to the genius of the painter, the answer is
that the mind of man could satisfy itself equally well in this case, were the man to
remain in bed and not make pilgrimages to places which are perilous and hard to
access as we so often see is the case.
F. But if such pilgrimages continually exist, what is then their unnecessary cause? You
will certainly admit that it is an image of this kind, and all the writings in the world
could not succeed in representing the semblance and the power of such deity.
G. Therefore it appears that this deity takes pleasure in the pictures and is pleased that it
should be loved and revered, and takes a greater delight in being worshipped in that
rather than in any other semblance of itself. By this reason, it bestows grace and gifts
of salvation according to the belief of those who meet together in such place.

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer any five of the questions given below
with the help of the option that follow. (1×5=5)
 i. Exclusive features of art _________.
a. Can‟t be stamped like sculpture
b. Do not confer honour on its maker
c. Never equal the original
d. Both a & c
ii. Deitic representation through art attracts _________.
a. Elderly people
b. Young children
c. Pilgrims
d. Pilgrimage
iii. The author thinks that _________.
a. Skills can be inherited
b. Skills can‟t be guaranteed as inheritance
c. Skills are useful to an imitator
d. Skill is not bestowed by parents
iv. Painting is taught only to those ________.
a. Who are painters children
b. Whom nature has given it
c. Who desire
d. Who learn it whole heartedly
v. Art can be ________
a. Passed on to everyone
b. Passed exclusively to offsprings
c. Cannot be passed to everyone
d. Both a & c
vi. Before the veil is removed from the deity there is _________.
a. Clearing of the deity
b. People prostrate before it
c. Charting
d. Laud blaming music
3. Literature Textbooks. (10 Marks)

Read the extracts given below and answer any one of the following questions. (1×4=4)

A. Poor man! It was in honour of his last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes, and
now I understood why the old men of the village were sitting there in the back of the room.
It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more. It was their way
of thanking our master for his forty years of faithful service and showing their respect for
the country that was theirs no more.
i. „They‟ refers here to ______.
a. Children
b. Students
c. Villagers
d. Women
ii. Respect is being shown to ________.
a. France
 b. Germany
c. Prussia
d. Berlin
iii. The master had served the nation by _______.
a. Teaching
b. Working as a gardener
c. Soldier
d. Labour
iv. All are present in a __________.
a. Field
b. Garden
c. Classroom
d. Ground
B. “I have nothing else to do,” he mutters, looking away.
“Go to school,” I say glibly, realizing immediately how hollow the advice must sound.
“There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one I will go.”
“If I start a school, will you come?” I ask, half-joking. “Yes”, he says, smiling broadly.
i. Who has nothing else to do?
a. The banana seller
b. Mahesh
c. Sahib
d. The narrator
ii. What does the person spoken to does?
a. Cooks
b. Is a rag picker
c. Is a bangle seller
d. Is a driver
iii. „I‟ has migrated from________.
a. Hyderabad
b. Bangladesh
c. Seemapuri
d. Firozabad
iv. The author advised to whom to go to school?
a. All the children
b. All the bangle seller
c. All rag pickers
d. Only Saheb
4. Read the extracts given below and answer any one of the following questions. (2×1=2)
A. 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 realized with
pain....
 i. The narrator was driving _________.
a. From the airport to home
b. From her home to the airport
c. From the railway station to home
d. From her home to the railway station
ii. The narrator noticed that her mother looked like __________
a. A new born
b. A corpse
c. Young
d. All of the above
B. Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example,
With ships and sun and love tempting to steal ---
For lives that shyly turned in their cramped holes
From fog to endless night?.....
i. Shakespeare is wicked because__________.
a. He tempts the children
b. He makes the children realize their deprived state
c. Mocks them
d. All of the above
ii. „From fog to endless night‟ means _________.
a. Struggle from morning to night for existence
b. It‟s foggy winter night
c. Life is full of endless struggle and darkness
d. Both a & c
5. Attempt any four questions given below: (1×4=4)
i. Franz thinks: “Will they make them sing in German even the pigeons?” what could this
mean?
a. German would use brutal force and manhandle everyone
b. Harsh and stringent orders will be passed
c. The Germans would rob France of its native tongue
d. When people are deprived of their essence even the surroundings are affected.
ii. “Trees sprinting” is a poetic device. It is ________
a. Metaphor
b. Personification
c. Repetition
d. Alliteration
iii. Stephen Spender uses the word „Catacombs‟ to imply _____ of the slum children.
a. Poverty ridden
b. Poverty stricken
c. Near-death existence
d. Safe and sound world
iv. Author Anees Jung is pained to see the bangle makers shadowed by _______.
a. The stigma of poverty and caste
b. The autocracy of the landlords
c. The callous attitude of the factory owners
d. The attitude of the law keepers
 v. According to Anees Jung, the „perpetual state of poverty‟ of the children not wearing
footwear is because ______.
a. It‟s a tradition
b. They are comfortable without it
c. Of poverty
d. It‟s a ritual

PART - B
Subjective Questions: (20 Marks)
Writing Skill (8 Marks)
6. After class 12, students are apprehensive about choosing the course and the college. The
„Mission Admission‟ organized by the Times of India is a great platform for college aspirants.
It would help them to get knowledge about emerging opportunities in various streams.
Write an article in 120-150 words emphasizing the need of career counselling to help
students with the admission process. (4)
OR
You are a press reporter. Write a report in 120-150 words on the recent cattle catching drive
launched by MCD to clear stray cattle from Delhi roads. (4)

7. As Shreya/Shrey, write a speech for the morning assembly in your school on „Junk the Junk
Food‟ to create an awareness among the students in about 120-150 words. (4)
OR
Does getting more degrees really help in getting employment in this fast competitive scene
of unemployment? Write a debate in 120-150 words either for or against the topic.
(4)
Literature Textbooks: (12 Marks)
8. Answer any two of the following questions in 30-40 words. (2×2=4)
i. What kind of mother‟s face has been described in „My Mother at Sixty-six‟?
ii. How is Mukesh‟s attitude from that of his family?
iii. How were the parents and M. Hamel responsible for the children‟s neglect of the French
language?
9. Answer any two of the following questions in 30-40 words. (2×2=4)
i. What arguments does Charley offer to show his disagreement with the psychiatrist‟s
diagnosis?
ii. Where did Charley go after reading Sam‟s note and why? What did he come to know
about it?
iii. Why did the Maharaja decide to get married? Or What is the reason for the Tiger
King’s sudden decision to marry?
10. Answer any one of the following questions in 100-120 words. (1×4=4)
i. What is the situation of the slum children? How can it be improved?
ii. The astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King came to be true. Do you
agree with this statement?