PREBOARD PAPER(2021-22)

ENGLISH-CORE/CLASS XII

Time :2 Hrs. M.M. 40

General Instructions:

1.The Question paper contains THREE sections- READING , WRITING and LITERATURE.

2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

1. Read the following passage

The most alarming of man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth ,rivers and sea
with lethal materials .This pollution is for the most part irrevocable ; the chain of evil it initiates is for the
most part irreversible. In this contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister partners of radiation
in changing the very nature of the world; radiation released through nuclear explosions into the air, comes to
5the earth in rain ,lodges into the soil ,enters the grass or corn or wheat grown there and reaches the bones of
human being, there to remain until his death . Similarly , chemicals sprayed on crops lie long in soil, entering
living organisms passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death or they may pass by
underground streams until they emerge and combine into new forms that kill vegetation, sicken cattle and
harm those who drink from once pure wells.

10It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now inhabits the earth and reach a state of
adjustment and balance with its surroundings. The environment contains elements that are hostile as well as
supporting .Even within the light of the Sun ,there are short wave radiations with power to injure. Given time
life has adjusted and a balance reached. For time is the essential ingredient but in the modern world there is
no time.

15The rapidity of change and the speed with which new situations are created follow the heedless pace of man
rather than the deliberate pace of nature .Radiation is no longer merely calcium and silica and copper and all
the rest of the minerals washed out of the rocks and carried in the rivers to the sea; they are the synthetic
creations of man’s inventive mind brewed in his laboratory and having no counterparts in nature.
Based on your understanding of the passage , answer ANY EIGHT questions from the nine given below.
(1*8)
i. Cite a point in evidence ,from the text ,to suggest that man’s lash on nature is dangerous.
ii. State any trait of chemicals to convey that they are evil companions of radiation.
iii. It is mentioned in the text that time is valuable component. Why is it so?
iv. Why have radiations become handy in the hands of man?
v. Rewrite the given sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with other words, from lines 10 to 19
I thought she had every intent of assisting her friend __ emotionally ,physically and financially but what
went wrong that she had become antagonistic towards her friend.

vi What does the use of phrase ‘heedless pace’ suggest in the context of view point about the man?

vii Select a suitable phrase from lines 15 to 19 to complete the following sentence appropriately.

She boosted her natural mechanical ability and--------------------- with

Independent reading and study.

viii How can we say that the chain of evil pollution initiates is irreversible?

Ix Analyse why having a developed mind is one of the feature to

empower the man to contaminate the environment?

2. Read the passage given below.

Newspaper reading habit not only creates a habit of reading but also opens the doors to self improvement.
The practice of reading a newspaper has been associated with improvement in students’ attitudes towards
reading overall. Therefore , a case study was conducted at the Apex College , Mumbai to identify the
newspaper reading habits of the College Professionals( Graduates , Post Graduates and PHD students).
The purpose of the study was to study thoroughly the reading habits of the 21st century professionals in the
college, UG and PG students with the aim to identify their reading attitudes , purposes, preferences and
tastes . The data was collected using the questionnaire method. A total of 200 questionnaire were
distributed among the professionals and 143 filled in questionnaires were obtained from the respondents.
 The collected information was tabulated by using statistical method, table and percentage which is given
below:
Tables 1 and 2 clearly show the gender wise and degree wise distribution of questionnaires. Among the
total of 143 respondents, male are 44.06%and female are 55.94%

The below graph indicates the choices of various topics(admission/ notification, sports Games, for reading
news, advertisement, employment ) in newspapers as preferred by the professionals.
Below figure shows the average choice of newspaper reading among fisheries professionals. The
respondents were allowed to prefer multiple responses . The newspapers under study were The Hindu ,The
Times of India , Mumbai Mirror , Dainik Jagran and Amar Ujala

As far as the source of newspaper is concerned, 41.95%has mentioned they were reading library subscriptions
newspapers, 27.97%professionals pointed they were reading individually subscribed newspapers.
While ,18.88% respondents mentioned their preference for the source of newspaper was online mode, while
7,69%mentioned the college hostel was the source of newspapers. This study reveals that most of the
students are in the habit of reading newspapers but still they are not aware of the advantage of online
newspapers and news portals which can spontaneously update their knowledge by providing latest and nascent
information. Therefore , the library professionals must create more awareness of such news sources and
libraries must ensure that the students have access to wide variety of newspapers, so as to enable students to
read their preferred newspapers and enhance their knowledge base which can help them to be more productive
in their academics and lead a responsible life in the society.
Based on your understanding of the passage ,answer ANY SIX out of the seven questions given below:
1*6

i What does the researcher mean by newspaper preferences?

ii. Why was this survey on newspaper undertaken?

iii. With reference to table 1 , write one conclusion about professionals’

reading newspapers.

iv. Which two professionals showed most interest in responding to the

questionnaire as per table 2.

v Which two topics Phds do not read at all as per fig. 2?

vi As per the passage , what efforts can be taken to increase newspaper

reading among students?

vii What may be the possible reason(s) for most of the students to read newspapers in hard copy?

SECTION B__ WRITING (8)

3. Kids Happy School , Jaipur is going to organize a one –act play Competition in the school auditorium. You
have decided to invite noted stage artiste, Nalini(Danseuse) to grace the occasion. Draft a formal invitation
for her providing her all necessary details. You are Karuna / Karan , Cultural Secretary. (3)
4. You are Shilpa / Sameer living in Bangaluru. You have just completed your studies and are looking for a
job. While browsing through the Hindustan Times of 08.02.2022 , you come across the following
advertisement. Choose a post for which you think you are suitable. Send your application in response to
this advertisement. (5)

An upcoming food processing unit in Golagaon requires the following staff:

Food technologist: 2 yrs. Degree/diploma in food technology having 1-2 yrs lab experience
Accountant: B.Com. with minimum experience of 4-5 yrs in a manufacturing concern and
conversant with sales tax laws.
Receptionist: young female candidates fluent in English with good communication skills and
proficiency in computer/Net surfing with 2-3 yrs experience.
Please send your detailed resume within seven days to Manager ,Fancy Foods, Sector 68,
Golagaon.

OR
An NGO , ‘ Health for All’ organized a health check-up and vaccination camp in your school. You are
Ruchika / Raunak , and you visited the camp. Write a report for the same covering arrangements such as
registration, check-up, tests carried out , vaccination etc,
SECTION C- LITERATURE 18
5. Attempt ANY FIVE of the six questions given below, within 40 words each. (2*5=10)
i. How did the ironmaster’s daughter intercede for the vagabond when her father had asked him to leave at
once? What impact did it have on the tramp? 2
ii. Gandhiji was involved in a ‘conflict of duties’. What did he decide in the end and why? 2
iii. What picture of male chauvinism do you find in the poem ,’ Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’? 2
iv. What makes human beings love life inspite of troubles and sufferings? (A Thing of Beauty) 2
v. “ I ‘m not fond of curtains. Shutting things out.”says Mr. Lamb. How do these words reveal Mr. Lamb’s
personality? 2
vi. How did Jo disapprove of the way Jack ended the story of Roger Skunk?How did Jack react to her opinion?
(Should Wizard Hit Mommy) 2
6. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120-150 words each. (4*2=8)
i. “ Beauty is certainly a soft ,smooth, slippery thing, and therefore of a nature which easily slips in
and permeates our souls.” Validate the statement in the light of poem’ A Thing of Beauty’ 4
ii. The Governor and his staff did their best not to provide Evans a means of escape but the wily Evans
proved to be more than a match for them. It was he who had the last laugh and proved that they all
were ‘just another good-for-a-giggle”. Substantiate it with a reasoned answer. 4
iii. The Champaran episode was an attempt to alleviate the distress of thousands of poor peasants
Incorporating the role of Rajkumar Shukla elucidate how did Gandhiji become the savior of
sharecroppers of Champaran . 4