ENGLISH CORE

Practice Paper (Term 1)

CLASS XII
SUBJECT CODE 301
SCHOOL CODE 25267
QUESTION PAPER SET 1

Time: 15 Minutes Max. Marks 10

(1.00-1.15 pm)

General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections.
2. Section A-READING has 6 questions. Attempt a total of 5 questions, as per specific
Instructions for each question.
3. Section B-WRITING SKILLS has 3 questions. Attempt a total of 2 questions, as per
specific instructions for each question.
4. Section C-LITERATURE has 6 questions. Attempt 3 questions, as per specific instructions
for each question.
5. All questions carry equal marks.
6. There is no negative marking
7. Q.16 is compulsory. It is not a part of the Literature Section. You have to upload the
filled in OMR SHEET in this Question.

READING

I. Read the passage given below:

Travel is a bug that was in me when I was born, probably inherited from my
father. In 24 years of travelling widely through India, I have been most
fascinated by those little islands that dot the Bay of Bengal off the East Coast of
India. Yes, I am talking about the Andaman Islands. Andamans somehow
seemed almost sinister, with images of being haunted, bleak and scary, until my
parents actually returned from a trip to Port Blair and told us about these serene
islands. We immediately awaited the first opportunity to take a break and check
them out. Finally, the D-Day came and we were all ready. We boarded the
aircraft and to our surprise found that there were several empty seats. On
enquiry, we learnt that all supplies to the Andamans including newspaper and
meat go from the mainland and so there is always more cargo and less people.

Port Blair airport is a small, old airport that was constructed in 1947. On my
way to the hotel, I noticed that there are none of the usual auto rickshaws that
noisily wend their way through most Indian towns. There was only one traffic
signal in the entire town and the roads were more ups- and-downs than level.
This was all surprising for a person like me who has lived in the coastal towns
of Chennai and Mumbai.

The colour of the sea was an unpolluted blue, a colour that I had not seen in any
of the beaches in India. It was calm and beautiful. I was thrilled with the fact
that we were going to spend entire ten days there. All we had to do was sit in
the open restaurant, look at the sea, enjoy the cool breeze and feel good.

The Andaman Islands are a group of several islands, so most of our sightseeing
was by boats. There are a total of more than 356 islands there. Even the oldest
boatman, Rathnam, had seen only 200 of them. I figured that 10 days was surely
not enough to get a full picture of this place, so I started to store every sight,
every sound and every smell. The sound and light show at the jail sent a shiver
down my spine. (This trip was before the movie ‘Kalapani’ was released). The
realisation that those who fought for our Independence had lived, struggled,
suffered and even died here left an impact.

I.Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any five out of the
six questions by choosing the correct option:

Q.1 What kind of a passage is this?

A. Fiction
B. Travelogue
C. Persuasive
D. Biography

Q.2 Why was the author interested in taking a trip to Andaman Islands?

A. It had a haunted, bleak and scary image.

B. As his parents had recently taken a trip there.
C. He loved travelling.
D. He was largely fascinated by what his parents told him about the island.

Q.3 Why was the author surprised when he reached Port Blair?

A. The airport was very small.

B. There was only one traffic signal in the entire town.
C. Living in a busy city, he had never expected such a town.
D. All of the above.

Q.4 What is the meaning of the phrase ‘sent a shiver down my spine’?
A. Felt very upset
B. Felt very excited
C. Felt very relaxed
D. None of these

Q.5 The synonym of ‘sinister’ in the first paragraph is...............

A. threatening
B. auspicious
C. benigns
D. good

Q.6 One thing that left a major impact on the author was...............

A.the serenity of the place

B.the wholesome experience
C.vastness of the islands
D.the realisation that freedom fighters had lived, struggled and died there.

WRITING

II. Answer any two out of the three questions given below:

Q.7 What is the correct form of writing date in all the letters?

A. 21 Aug 21
B. 21st August 21
C. 21st Aug' 21
D. 21 August 2021

Q.8 A notice can only be about

A. a meeting
B. an event
C. an Excursion
D. all of these

Q.9 What should be the proper sequence of ideas in an article?

A. Introduce-analyse-conclude-suggest
B. Introduce-suggest-analyse-conclude
C. Introduce-analyse-suggest-conclude
 D. Introduce-analyse-conclude

LITERATURE

This section has sub-sections: III, IV, V. There are a total of six questions
in the section.
Attempt any one question from each sub-section.

III. Answer any one out of the two questions given below:

Q.10 Why did Douglas go to swim at Lake Wentworth?

A. To showcase his skills for all who had doubted him.

B. To honour the efforts of his swimming instructor.
C. To build on his ability of swimming in a natural water body.
D. To know for sure that he had overcome his fear of drowning in water

Q.11 How does the ‘unnoted’ pupil present a contrast to others ? (An
Elementary School Classroom in a Slum)

A. He appears to be in a world of dreams.

B. He dreams about a squirrel playing under the tree.
C. He seems to be healthier than others.
D. He sits in the dimmest part of the classroom.

IV. Answer any one out of the two questions given below:

Q.12 Choose the term which best matches the statement, ‘The young men echo
the lament of their elders’

A. Acceptance
B. Reflection
C. Reiteration
D. Doubtfulness

Q.13 Who do you think Saheb is referring to as ‘they’, in the given sentence?
“When they build one, I will go.”

A. The officials
B. The inhabitants of Seemapuri
C. The teachers
D. The journalists

V. Answer any one out of the two questions given below:

Q.14 Identify the tone of Pablo Neruda in the following line: Perhaps the Earth
can teach us....
A. Confident and clear about the future events.
B. Dramatic about the prediction he made.
C. Convinced about the sequence of events to follow.
D. Uncertain, yet hopeful about the possibility.

Q.15 “Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put up at the town-hall!”
Who is called ‘the wretches’ here?

A.People of France
B.Germans
C.Prussians
D.None of these

Q.16 You are required to upload the image of the OMR Sheet.