MGD GIRLS’ SCHOOL

ASSESSMENT-2 (2020-21)
Set-II
Code - 301
SUBJECT: ENGLISH CORE TIME : 90 Mins.
CLASS: XII M.M. : 50
General Instructions:
• This paper has THREE questions.
• Section A- READING has 18 questions. Attempt a total of 14questions, as per specific instructions for each
question.
• Section B-WRITING SKILLS has 12 questions. Attempt a total of 10 questions, as per specific instruction for
each question.
• Section C-LITERATURE has 30 questions. Attempt 26 questions, as per specific instruction for each
question.
• All questions carry equal marks.
• There is no negative marking.
• A Reading Time of ten minutes is set along with Writing Time 1½ hr.
• The answers are to be neatly written in a notebook.
• Click a clear picture of the answers.
• Name of the student, class, section and page number should be written on each page.
• Save the image as PDF on your device with correct question number.
Go to MS Teams and upload all images (answers) as Add Work within the submission time and Turn in your
assignment.

I. Read the passage given below:

A survey was conducted on student preferences with respect to the most popular means of
communication among them. Surprisingly, the students didn’t seem much interested in
traditional means of communication.
Only 7% were interested in writing letters to their friends or kins as compared to those who
preferred e-mails.

(2) However, the chief competition is between users of Instant Messenger and those of
telephone lines. The users of fax line as a medium of communication are only marginal.
There are supporters of text messaging also. Overall, the survey had a mixed response
from the students.
(3) The students have indicated that they out of the choices given in the survey
questionnaire, they have indicated the most preferred option. But, most of the students
are of the view that video calling needs to be mentioned in the questionnaire as it is the
most effective and most popular means of communication. Further, voice messages are
the second most preferred means of communication.

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Based on your understanding of the above passage, answer any eight out of the ten
questions given below, by choosing the most appropriate option:
1. Which means of communication is liked by more than one-fourth of the
students, as per the given figure?
• Telephone
• Text Message
• E-mail
• Fax
2. Which means of communication is liked by exactly one-tenth of the students?
• Letter
• Fax
• E-mail
• Letters
3. What is the overall response of the students to the survey?
• Biased
• Unbiased
• Mixed
• None of these
4. What is the correct order of the medium of communication in decreasing
order of preference?
• Voice message, Text message, Instant Messenger, Fax
• Text message, Instant Messenger, Voice message, Fax
• Instant Messenger, Fax, Voice message, Text message
• Text message, Instant Messenger, Fax, Voice message
5. Pick out the word or phrase from the passage which means the same as
'study' (used in Para 1)
• Survey
• Popular
• Communication
• Kins
6. Pick out the word or phrase from the passage which means opposite to
'gradual' (used in Para 2)
• Chief
• Instant
• Marginal
• Mixed
7. How much of the students prefer either of telephones or text messages as
medium of communication?

• Option 1

• Option 2

• Option 3

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 • Option 4

8. According to the passage, which of the following statement is correct?

• The survey was about means of communication.

• The survey was about student's preferences of means of communication.
• The survey was about traditional means of communication.
• The survey was about Internet users.
9. Which of the following statement is true, as per the passage?
• More students preferred using email.
• More students preferred writing letters.
• More students preferred using telephones.
• None of the statement is correct.
10. ‘Preference’ would mean the same as, according to the passage
• Choice
• Advantage
• Weightage
• Choosing

II. Read the passage given below: (6)

(1) Whaling is the hunting of whales for food and oil. Whaling was once conducted around
the world by sea faring nations in pursuit of the giant animals that seemed as limitless
as the oceans in which they swam. However, since the mid-20th century, when whale
population began to drop catastrophically, whaling has been conducted on a very
limited scale. It is now the subject of great scrutiny, both by formal regulatory bodies
and by non-governmental organizations.
(2) Whaling has been documented in many sources – from Neolithic cave art to present-
day annual reports of the International Whaling Commission. Prehistoric inhabitants of
far northern coastal regions, lacking adequate agriculture, developed successful whaling
techniques using Stone Age weapons. By the time the Inuit (Eskimo) of eastern and
western North America were first encountered by Europeans, they had already
mastered whale hunting, and many Inuit methods were used as recently as 1900. For
the Inuit, a captured whale supplied food, fuel, and light; sinews provided cordage, and
bones were used for tools and construction. Not until the 20th century, when floating
factory ships came into use, did other civilizations succeed in the same efficient use of
the whole carcass. Elsewhere, from the first intensive hunting of whales in the early
17th century to the early 20th century, little more than blubber and baleen was used, and
the remainder of the animal was discarded. Each successive discovery of new whaling
grounds resulted in the near disappearance of a particular species. The efficiency of
modern hunting methods hastened this trend.
(3) International whaling developed in stages that were determined by changing demand,
diminishing stocks, and advancing technology. A lengthy primitive stage eventually led
to commercial whaling; new markets and technical and chemical advances then
produced modern whaling, which led to virtual extinction of the quarry and a return to a
primitive stage. The commercial stages were dominated overwhelmingly by northern
Europeans and Americans – first the Dutch, then the British and Americans, and finally
the Norwegians and British. Only at the very end, when Europeans no long found the
trade profitable, did they surrender the remaining whales to the Russians and Japanese.

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(4) The graph below shows number of two common types of whales in Antarctica between
1985 and 2010.

Based on your understanding of the above passage, answer any six out of the eight
questions given below, by choosing the most appropriate option:
11. Around when did the whale population start dropping largely?
• Beginning of 19th century
• Mid 20th century
• Early 21st century
• Just recently
12. What is the earliest documented source of whaling?
• Paleolithic cave art
• Mesolithic cave art
• Neolithic cave art
• Monolithic cave art
13. Who are Inuits?
• The whales predominantly found in Antarctica.
• The people predominantly found in Antarctica.
• The people living in cold areas of eastern and western North America
• The people living in cold areas of Siberian desert in Russia
14. Who started the commercial whaling?
• Dutch
• British
• Russians
• Japanese
15. Which of these pictorials represents the correct relationship between hunting
of Mink whales and Sei whales in 1990?

• Option 1

• Option 2

• Option 3

• Option 4

16. In the year 1985, the difference between the number of Mink Whales hunted
and Sei Whales hunted was __________.
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 • 1000
• 15000
• 16000
• 14000
17. Catastrophically, in the passage, would mean same as
• Lamentable
• Terrible
• Disastrous
• Grave
18. Which of the following statement is correct?
• Changing demand led to International Whaling
• Diminishing stocks led to international whaling
• Advanced technology led to International Whaling
• All the statements are correct.
(III) Answer ANY FOUR of the five questions given, with reference to context below:
The President of R.W.A. Malabar Heights, Pune, has to put up a notice to inform
residents about a power-cut for their residential area.
Choose the most appropriate option:
19. Select the appropriate title for the notice.
• Choosing Own Power Cuts
• Scheduled Power Cut
• The Need to Save Power
• Power and Resident Safety
20. Select the option that lists the most accurate opening for this notice.
• Greetings and attention please, to one and all in Malabar Heights.
• This notice is written to share some news with you all about.
• This is to inform all the residents of Malabar Heights about.
• I wish to share with all officials of R.W.A. Malabar Heights that.
21. Select the option with the information points to be included in the body of the
notice.
(1) Opinion about regular power cuts
(2) Resolution for power cuts
(3) Reason for the power cut
(4) Timings of the power cut
(5) Complaint against regular power cuts
(6) Date of the power cut
• (1) and (4)
• (2), (3) and (5)
• (2) and (6)
• (3), (4) and (6)
22. Would this notice reflect the name of the R.W.A.?
• Yes, because it is the issuing body.
• No, because it is understood through the signature.
• Yes, because it makes it informal.
• All the statements are correct
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 23. Select the appropriate conclusion for this notice.
• Stay informed
• Collaboration solicited
• Stay prepared
• Inconvenience regretted
(IV) Answer ANY SIX of the seven questions given, with reference to context below:
Write a letter to the Editor of the Hindu on the fear that is spreading among people
due their anxiety over the widespread terrorism in the world. Give suggestions to curb
such antisocial activities. You are Vikram.

Choose the most appropriate option:

24. Vikram should project terrorism as a
• Communal Issue
• National Issue
• Global issue
• Individual issue
25. The concern that Vikram expresses through his letter is about
• People as victims of terrorism
• People falling in the vicious circle of terrorism
• People living in unrest and amidst violence
• People living in peace

26 Vikram writes his letter to the Editor as a/an

• Individual to attract the attention of Editor towards him

• Individual to attract the attention of readers towards him
• Individual to attract the attention of the readers towards the problem
• Individual to attract the attention of the Editor towards the problem

27. You feel that the problem of terrorism should be presented with
A. Understanding and delving deep into the root cause of problem
B. Sarcasm and blaming the governments for the failure to curb it
C. Hatred and cursing the people involved in it
D. Criticism and condemning the act of terrorism

28. This letter can be categorized as a/an

• Informative one
• Individual to attract the attention of readers to the problem
• Effect-cause one
• Cause-effect one.

29. Pick one of the statements which help the writer to conclude his letter
• I ’m sure, you will take an initiative to curb the problem of terrorism.
• I am hopeful about your positive response to my letter.
• I am sure your intervention will set right the
• I am sure you will aware the readers about the problem by publishing it.

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 30. The letter will be impressive only when it has the following features

Format-clarity of expression-fluency-relevance
• Format-verbose-strong expression-relevance
• Format-strong language-relevance-fluency
• Format-irrelevance-fluency-humorous

LITERATURE

This section has sub sections: V, VI, VII, VIII, IX. There are a total of 30 questions in the
section. Attempt any 26 questions from the subsections V to IX.
V. I. Read the extract given below to attempt questions that follow:
" Sometimes I think Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new
corridors and staircases like roots. There’s probably a long tunnel that nobody
knows about feeling its way under the city right now, on its way to Times Square
and maybe another to Central Park. And maybe that’s how the tunnel I got into.
But I never told my psychiatrist friend about the idea.”
31. The above extract isn’t an example of
• Allegory
• Analogy
• Imagery
• Metaphor
32. Charley decided not to tell his psychiatrist friend about his idea. Choose the
option that reflects the reaction Charley anticipated from his friend--------------
• ‘That’s such a lovely comparison. Why don’t you become a writer, Charley?’
• “Oh Charley. It is so sad to see your desperation to run away! So very sad.”
• “Maybe that’s how you entered the third level. Who would have thought!”
• “You need help, my raving friend. You are way too invested in this crazy
thought!”
33. The idiom ‘feeling its way’ implies------------movement
• Swift
• Tentative
• Circular
• Disorganized
34. This extract has been taken from the unit:
• Deep Water
• The third level
• Last Lesson
• Lost Spring
35. The word ‘Probably’ in the extract means same as:
• As the case maybe
• In all probability
• To all appearance

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 • Seemingly

VI. Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow:
It had happened when I was ten or eleven years old, I had decided to learn to swim.
There was a pool at the YMCA in Yakima that offered exactly the opportunity. The
Yakima River was treacherous. Mother continually warned against it, and kept fresh
in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the YMCA pool was safe.
36. What does 'it' refer to?
• Going to school
• Joining a swimming club
• His decision to learn swimming
• None of the above
37. ‘The opportunity’, in the extract refers to
• The narrator learning to drive.
• To learn swimming safely
• To save others from drowning
• None of the above
38. Why is Yakima River referred to as treacherous?
• It had dangerous water animals
• Several drownings took place in it
• Its water was poisonous
• None of the above
39. Why was YMCA pool safe?
• It had expert coaches.
• Its water was transparent.
• It was only two to three feet deep at the shallow end.
None of the above
40. The mother kept the detail of each drowning fresh in the narrator’s mind
• So that he was cautious
• So that he was afraid
• He was an intelligent fellow
• He was always curious.

VII. Read the extract given below to attempt questions that follow:
Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,
This map becomes their window and these windows
That shut upon their lives like catacombs,
‘Break O! break open till they break the town
And show the children to 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 theirs whose language
is the Sun.
41. Name the poem from which this stanza has been taken.
• Keeping Quiet
• Aunt Jennifer's tigers
• A thing of beauty
• An Elementary school classroom in a slum
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 42. ‘Break the town’, in the extract implies
• Causing damage in the town
• Break the shackles of the slum to come out of the dirty surrounding
• Damage the property
• Create a new space
43. Name the literary device used in 'Like catacombs'.
• Metaphor
• Simile
• Personification
• None of these
44. ‘Run naked into the books’, implies
• Hope for children in materialistic world
• Parents help slum children.
• People in power help them.
• Slum children should read voraciously, to free from shackles.
45. ‘Run azure on the gold sand’, refers to
• Possibility of spring on the desert sand
• To feel the real world full of opportunities
• Economic Empowerment
• All the statements stand true.

VIII. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
The man moaned with pain in his stupor but he did not awaken.
"The best thing that we could do would be to put him back in the sea, "Sadao said,
answering himself. Now the bleeding had stopped for the moment, he stood up and
dusted the sand from his hands.
"Yes, undoubtedly that would be best, "Hana said steadily. But she continued to stare
down at the motionless man.
"If we sheltered a white man in our house we should be arrested and if we turned him
over, a prisoner would certainly die," Sadao said.
"The kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea, "Hana said. But neither of
them moved. They stared with curious repulsion upon the inert figure.

46. In which of the following options can the underlined words NOT be replaced
with 'stupor'?
• She hung up the phone feeling as though she had woken up from a slumber
• The manager complained about the employee's sluggishness.
• He seemed to be in trance when the doctor called upon him last week.
• Seeing him a daze, the lawyer decided not to place him in the witness box.
47. The word ‘moaning’ in the passage means
• groaning
• mumbling
• crying in pain
• complaining

48. Pick the idiom that best describes the situation in which Sadao and Hana
were
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 • To be like a fish out of water
• Like water off a duck’s back

• To be dead in the water

• To be in hot water
49. The word ‘steadily’ in the passage, would mean same as

• Steady-going

• regular
• substantial
• None of the above
50. ‘Handing him over’ in the extract would mean
• Send him back to the sea
• Give him to the police as a prisoner
• Send him for medical treatment
• None of the statements stand true
IX. Attempt the following:
51. Which of the following situations, according to Franz, could have been
advantageous for him when he was late for his class?
• If M. Hamel would be teaching on the blackboard
• If there would be commotion in the class
• If Hauser would help him to sneak in without getting noticed.
• If he walked in quietly when everyone would be preoccupied with participles
52. ‘I crossed to ‘oblivion’, and the curtain of life fell’, what does oblivion mean
here? (Deep Water)
• pavilion
• changing room
• unconsciousness
• death
• 53. What symbol from nature the poet uses to prove that keeping quiet is not
total inactivity?
• Sun
• Soil
• Earth
• Nature
54. Which of the following is a conclusion that can be drawn from the story The
third level?
• Reality is indeed stranger than fiction.
• With all its worries, modern life is not worth living.
• Past and future are mere illusions.
• human greed and distractions have no end
55. Why does the poet think that wars that are fought have no survivors?
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 • Wars are fought for personal gains
• Both(iii) and (iv) are correct
• None is alive to celebrate the victory
• Wars are devastating.
56. What statement does Neruda make about wars?
• Wars are of varied kinds-internal, green wars, wars with gas, with fire etc.
• Wars are wasteful and cause irrecoverable loss and damage to property and life
• Wars never yield any winners, and the loss is far greater than what can be measured
• All statements stand true.
57. What poetic device is used in Trees Sprinting?’
• Metaphor
• Alliteration
• Personification
• Anaphora
58. What is inferred from 'Waking dream wish fulfilment'?
• A pleasant wish that makes one remember the past
• A pleasant wish that takes one to the future
• A pleasant wish which inspires to work
• A pleasant wish that makes one forget the present
59. ‘She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes’. This implies….
• She is married but has lost the charm in her eyes
• She is a married woman who has lost her grace and beauty
• Though she is married, she is devoid of happiness
• She is a married woman who has lost her eyesight
60. Franz saw a huge crowd assembled in front of the bulletin board, but did not
stop. How would you evaluate his reaction?
• Shock and awe
• Disappointment and anxiety
• Confusion and distress
• Curiosity and Uncertainty

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