Details

Campus GIIS Ahmedabad Date 10. 08.2021

Name of student Class 12
Name of Cyclic Test 2 Student Roll
examination No.
Subject English Core
Session 2021-22
Duration 2.30 Hours
Maximum marks 50 Marks

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. Please write in dark blue or black pen.

2. The number of marks is given at the end of each question or part question.
3. Please write down the serial number of the question before attempting.

EXAM-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

1. This paper is divided into two parts: A and B. All questions are compulsory

2.Read the instructions very carefully and follow them.

3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit.

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 PART A

1. Read the following passage carefully:

Many of us believe that ‘small’ means ‘insignificant’. We believe that small actions and choices do not have
much impact on our lives. We think that it is only the big things, the big actions and the big decisions that really
count. But when you look at the lives of all great people, you will see that they built their character through small
decisions, small choices and small actions that they performed every day. They transformed their lives through
step-by-step or day-by-day approach. They nurtured and nourished their good habits and chipped away their bad
habits, one by one. It was their small day-to-day decisions that added up to make tremendous difference in the
long run. Indeed, in matters of personal growth and character building, there is no such thing as an overnight
success.

Growth always occurs through a sequential series of stages. There is an organic process to growth. When we
look at children growing up, we can see this process at work: the child first learns to crawl, then to stand and
walk and then finally to run. The same is true in the natural world. The soil must first be tilled and then the seed
must be sown. Next, it must be nurtured with enough water and sunlight and only then will it grow into trees
laden with ripe fruits.

Gandhi understood this organic process and used this universal law of nature to his benefit. Gandhi grew in small
ways, in his day-to-day affairs. He did not wake up one day and find himself to be the ‘Mahatma’. In fact, there
was nothing much in his early life that showed signs of greatness. But from his mid-twenties onwards, he
deliberately and consistently attempted to change himself, reform himself and grow in some small way every
day. Day by day, hour by hour, he risked failure, experimented and learnt from mistakes. In small as well as large
situations, he took up the responsibility rather than avoiding it.

People have always marvelled at the effortless way in which Gandhi could accomplish the most difficult tasks.
He displayed a great deal of self-mastery and discipline which was amazing. These things did not come easily to
him. Years of practice and disciplined training went into making his success possible. Very few saw his
struggles, fears, doubts and anxieties, or his inner efforts to overcome them. They only saw the victory, but not
the struggle.

This is a common factor in the lives of all great people: they exercise their freedoms and choices in small ways
that make great impact on their lives and their environment. Each of their small decisions and actions, add up to
have a profound impact in the long run. By understanding this principle, we can move forward, with confidence,
in the direction of our dreams. Often when our ‘ideal goal’ looks too far from us, we become easily discouraged,
disheartened and pessimistic. However, when we choose to grow in small ways, by taking small steps one at a
time, our achievement becomes easy.

Based on your understanding of the above passage, answer the questions given below by choosing the most
appropriate option:

1. The main idea in the first paragraph is that:

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 1. big things, big actions and big decisions make a person great.
2. small actions and decisions are important in one’s life.
3. overnight success is possible for all of us.
4. personal changes are not important.
2. What does the writer mean by saying ‘chipped away at their bad habits’?
1. Steadily gave up bad habits.
2. Slowly produced bad habits.
3. Gradually criticized bad habits.
4. Did not like bad habits.
3. Which of the following statements is true in the context of the third paragraph? (
1. Gandhi became great overnight.
2. Gandhi showed signs of greatness in childhood itself.
3. Every day Gandhi made efforts to change himself in some small way.
4. Gandhi never made mistakes.
4. What is done by great people to transform their lives?
1. They approach life on a day-to-day basis.
2. They build character in small ways.
3. They believe in performing every day.
4. All of these.
5. How can we grow in small ways?
1. By getting disheartened.
2. By dreaming little.
3. By taking small steps one at a time.
4. None of these.
6. How did Gandhiji become ‘Mahatma’?
1. By risking failure.
2. By learning from mistakes.
3. By taking up responsibilities.
4. All of the above.
7. When our ideal goal looks too far from us, we become….’?
1. discouraged
2. disheartened
3. pessimistic
4. All of the above.
8. The word which means’ very great or that you feel very strongly’ in the last paragraph is…’?
1. profound
2. pessimistic
3. impact
4. None of the above.
9. What made people wonder about Gandhiji?
1. His choices
2. His struggles
3. Effortless way in which he accomplished the most difficult tasks
4. All of the above.

10. According to the passage, growth occurs….

1. Sequentially
2. Randomly
3. Intermittently

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 4. None of the above

2. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow: (6x1=6)
(A) My breath was gone. I was frightened. Father laughed, but there was terror in my heart at the
overpowering force of the waves. My introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool revived unpleasant
memories and stirred childish fears. But in a little while I gathered confidence. I paddled with my new
water wings, watching the other boys and trying to learn by aping them. I did this two or three times on
different days and was just beginning to feel at ease in the water when the misadventure happened.

i. Choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.

Statement 1: The author’s father laughed to mock his son’s inability to swim. Statement 2: The author wanted
to swim just to prove to his father that he can swim.

a) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.

b) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.
c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.
d) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.
ii. My introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish
fears.” It can be inferred that this was a clear case of

a) suppression
b) oppression
c) depression
d) repression

iii The misadventure that took place right after the author felt comfortable was that

a) the author slipped and fell into the swimming pool.

b) a bully tossed him into the pool for the sake of fun.
c) his coach forgot to teach him how to handle deep water.
d) his father couldn’t help him from drowning into the water.

(B) “Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.

Like rootless weeds, the hair torn around their pallor: The tall girl with her
weighed-down head. The paper- seeming boy, with rat’s eyes. The stunted, unlucky
heir of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease, his lesson, from the desk.
At back of the dim class
one unnoted, sweet and young.
i. The phrase ‘weighed-down head’ DOES NOT refer to being

a) burdened by poverty.

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b) ashamed at her plight.
c) distressed due to difficulties.
d) dizzy with a headache.

ii. The ‘gusty waves’, most likely, indicate

a) survival and struggle.

b) verve and brightness.
c) drudgery and dullness.
d) animation and alertness.

iii. Pick the option that enumerates the tone of the poet in this extract.

1. apprehensive
2. compassionate
3. resentful
4. thoughtful
5. disillusioned
6. woeful

a) 2, 4 and 6
b) 1, 4 and 5
c) 3, 5 and 6
d) 1, 3 and 6

3. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.(4x1=4)
(A) If we were not so single-mindedabout
keeping our lives moving,and for once could
do nothing, perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves withdeath.

i. Look at the images given below. Choose the image to which the above extract can be seen as an
appropriate response.

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a) Option (i)
b) Option (ii)
c) Option (iii)
d) Option (iv)

ii. What do you think is the mood of the poet in the above extract?

a) gloomy, cynical
b) reflective, inspired
c) introspective, aware
d) critical, demotivated

iii. Pick the option that DOES NOT complete the given sentence suitably, asper the extract.
Threatening ourselves with death _ _

a) feeds on the fear of death.

b) challenges finiteness of life.
c) keeps us rushing through life.
d) makes us restless and impatient.

iv) What might the “huge silence” signify?

a) melancholy
b) understanding
c) discomfort
d) flexibility

PART B

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 4. The present-day youth are greatly stressed due to cut-throat competition and consumerist culture. Write an
article in 150-200 words on the causes of the stress on the modem generation suggesting suitable
solutions. 6 marks
5. You are appalled to see that people are not following social distancing in malls and other public
places posing a threat to others and increasing the risk of the spread of COVID. Write a letter to the
editor of ‘The Times of India’ expressing your concerns and suggesting some measures to curb this.

8 marks

6. Answer any three of the following questions in 30 – 40 words each: (3x2=6)

(a) In a world that is constantly running after ‘more’ chasing the next new thing, would it be fair to
think of Neruda’s call as merely a fanciful idea??

(b) . If you were given the responsibility to ensure that children of the slums have a life of mental
and physical freedom, what would be the first few things you would do towards the same??

(c) Seemingly small everyday wins are actually the greatest learnings of life.
Comment on the statement with reference to the chapter “Deep Water”.

(d) Sadao and Hana have a moral compass which urges them to save the prisoner’s
life. Do we all need this moral compass? Why?

7. Answer the following questions in 120-150 words: (2x5=10)

(a) Imagine that the bully who threw Douglas into the pool, reads this chapter and realizes his
mistake. As the bully, write a dairy entry penning down your response to Douglas’perseverance
and your own feelings of guilt and regret.
(b) Imagine Tom reaches home safely. He has fully recovered and the war has now come
to an end. He owes his life to Sadao and Hana and is forever indebted to them. Years
later, he has been invited on a radio show as a war hero where he recounts his
tribulations and the experience of being granted a new life by a Japanese couple.