YADI CENTRAL SCHOOL

Year-End Examination-2021

Model Answer and Marking Scheme

Class: XII Subject: English Paper II (Reading and Literature)

Question Expected Answer Marks

1a
Short story
Question1
1. Alice says, “I found a new mole today on my new body”. What is the literary device used by Alice? 1
- Imagery
2. Mirror Image is narrated in 1
- Non-linear form
3. The Elephant is written by Slawomir Mrozek. It is a 1
- political satire.

4. “Three thousand rabbits were a poor substitute for the noble giant” is an example of 1
- satire.
5. The strength of the two drinks that Mary fixes - her drink is weak and Patrick’s is strong, is an example of 1
- symbolism
For long, humans have been looking for immortality at all costs. Do you think this will lead to our eventual 5
Question 2. dehumanization?
1 1 - (Open-ended: They should write about a utopian fantasy and subsequent failure in the quests of immortality)
2 What point of view is Lamb to the Slaughter told from? Why is that important? 5
- 'Lamb to the Slaughter' is told by an outside narrator from a limited third person perspective. Dahl chooses to
only reveal what Mary Maloney is aware of. This is important because the limited information creates suspense
for the reader as the audience only knows what Mary knows about the investigation going on in her home. Along
with Mary, the reader waits to see if Mary will get away with murdering her husband.
Question 3. In many science fiction stories, the existence of God is denied. Could we call science fiction as an atheist literary 10
genre?
[Open-ended: Answers would be given if they write about the nihilism of god)
1
2 How does Roald Dahl use dramatic irony to enhance the overall effect on the readers in his story, Lamb to the 10
Slaughter?
- There are not many people that would suspect a quiet, kind housewife of brutally killing her husband, let alone a
pregnant, happy housewife. In “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl, Mary Maloney, the housewife of police
officer Patrick Maloney turns out to be a cold blooded killer. Given she's six months pregnant and overwhelmed
with emotions because she just found out her husband is leaving her, she continues to make dinner. In a moment
of complete anger, she murders Patrick and sets of a series of dramatic events. Roald Dahl uses dramatic irony (a
case when the reader knows something the characters don't) to create suspense in the reader and leave them
wanting more.
Dahl uses dramatic irony when he has Patrick say, “Don't make supper for me. I'm going out.” Patrick has
already told Mary that he is leaving her, and she still wants to make him dinner. This creates dramatic irony
because Patrick doesn't know she is going to kill him, and he won't ever being going out. Leaving the reader
wondering is she's going to actually kill him or not.
Dahl uses dramatic irony when he has Mrs. Maloney refer to Patrick in the present tense, when in fact he is
already dead. “Patrick's decided he's tired and doesn't want to eat out tonight." Mrs Maloney tells Sam. This
creates dramatic irony because Mrs. Maloney knows that Patrick is dead, but Sam does not. The reader is left in
the suspense of knowing she killed him, and with the chance of someone finding out she is a murderer.
Dahl creates dramatic irony when he has Mrs. Maloney call the police, after she killed Patrick and gone to the
market. She comes home and acts like she just found him dead on the floor. “Quick! Come quick! Patrick's
dead!” She tells the police. This creates dramatic irony because the reader knows she killed him, but the police
do not. It creates suspense in the reader because the reader is waiting with curiosity to see if the police will figure
out what happened.
 Dahl uses dramatic irony when he has Sam talk to the police and say, “...acted quite normal...very cheerful...
wanted to give him a good supper... peas... cheesecake... impossible that she...” This creates dramatic irony
because Sam is saying the it is impossible that Mary Maloney killed him, when in fact she did kill him. The
reader knows she killed Patrick, but Sam and the police do not. Again, this leaves the reader with the thought of
her guilt, and wondering if she would ever pay for the crime she committed.

Dahl uses dramatic irony when Mrs. Maloney asks the police to eat the murder weapon. “It'd be a favor to me if
you'd eat it up. Then you can go on with your work afterwards.” They creates dramatic irony because the
murderer Mary Maloney is asking the police to eat the murder weapon. The reader knows it is the murder
weapon, but the police do not. It creates suspense in the reader because the reader is wondering if the police will
finally figure out who killed Patrick Maloney.
Roald Dahl uses dramatic irony (a case when the reader knows something the characters don't) in “Lamb to the
Slaughter” to develop a feeling of suspense in the reader, leaving them wanting more. There is constant repetition
of dramatic irony throughout the entire story. When Dahl has Patrick say that he is going out, and the reader
knows that Mary is about to kill him, which creates dramatic irony because the reader knows something the
characters do not. Dahl uses dramatic irony when he has Mary Maloney call the police after she's murdered
Patrick, acting as though she just found him. This short story demonstrates the mind of a psychopathic killer.

3 Imagine yourself as one of the children who witnessed the elephant’s flight. Write a satirical account of the event and 10
how it affected you.
- (Open-ended: They should first write how ecstatic they were to watch the elephant. After that, they should write
about witnessing the elephant’s flight. Then, should share how it actually affected to their thinking, beliefs,
emotions, trust, and others.)
Section B: Why did the ‘thieves and kidnappers’ find Africa as a great place for their trade? 1
Essay - Africa remained so vulnerable because of constant sickness and civil disorder.
Question 1.
1.
 2. Why did they create their ‘first new song on alien soil’ in very different manner? 1
- They were captured from different places and had no common language to communicate.

3. What importance is there for the civil war in the development of Negro music? 1
- It ended slavery and gave them opportunity to be in creative togetherness.
4. Why was there no labour mobility in the plantations? 1
- Because the masters prevented them from making contacts with other slaves in other plantations.
5. Jazz music can be described as the ultimate outcome of ….. 1
- African civil war
Question 2. Explain the term slavery in context to the passage given above. 5
1 - Slavery in extreme concept is a condition in which one human being is owned by another. A slave is considered
by law as property, or chattel, and was deprived of most of the rights ordinarily held by free persons.
In this story, triggered by sickness, firearms and the moral confusion brought about by new religions, Africa was
laid wide open to the guile of the slavers who collected their victims from tribes.
- They were forced to believe in new belief system (religion).
- People were let to work in plantation and never let to meet with others (no labour mobility in the plantation
system, and the masters tried their best to prevent contact between slaves other than their own).
2 Why did Negro slave music not develop before the Civil war? 5
- They were never set to free from slave labour.
- Never let to contact one another.
- They were in parochialism and bondage.
- No common language.
- They communicated through signs.
Question 3 Explain the change that overtook Negro slave music after the civil war and also write why such a change took place? 10
1. With no common language, no common culture, no common music, they learnt to speak to each other in sign language
or – as time went by – in the tongues of their masters. And it was in these languages – French, Spanish, Portuguese
and English – that they made up their first new song on alien soil. Turning to their new religion for comfort and
 inspiration, as well as to the tribal instinct from chant and rhythm, the Negroes gave birth to a new kind of music.
Tribal music, as such ceased to exist. Few, if any, of the ancient ritual remained intact. But as the exiled Africans
began to make up their new religious songs, or spirituals as they came to be called, they built them around the dimly
remembered, already half distorted remnants of tribal culture. This was a new music – neither European nor African:
a genuine synthesis, which brought out new musical elements not previously manifest in either of the parent idioms.
Each plantation developed its own repertoire of songs and dances. But since there was no labour mobility in the
plantation system, and since the masters tried their best to prevent contact between slaves other than their own, each
local growth of music remained largely out of contact with all others. Small wonder then, that American Negro music
should have remained in incoherent form, flourishing here and languishing there, rudimentary in one plantation and
highly complex in another.

The civil war changed all this. It took place because uprooted by the war, set free from slave labour, thrown together
with other men from other plantations in the short lived Negro regiments that helped defeat the confederate troops,
the Negro, released from parochialism as much as from bondage, became a wanderer on the face of America.
Just as the troubadours of another age had linked the East with the West in Europe and Asia, moving with the
Crusaders into Arab territory and carrying the wealth of Mohammedan culture back to Christian lands, so the Negro
singers of the New America, now linked not only the scattered groups of their own people, but helped to link
Americans of all races by giving them the ground work of what was to become their first common musical language
– jazz. That groundwork was the blues, the music of a rootless, alien people first finding the link of community.
ii. Make critical evaluation of the passage, bringing out the main thought content, specially throwing light on the 10
literary aspects.
- The passage talks about how slavery affected their own music. They did not have language of their own. With no
common language, no common culture, no common music, they learnt to speak to each other in sign language, or
– as time went by – in the tongues of their masters. And it was in these languages – French, Spanish, Portuguese
and English – that they made up their first new song on alien soil.
But they created their own music with the taste of their own age-old song.
- At the end, after the war, they could make their own composition of musical lyrics- Jazz.
Section: The figure of speech used in the line, “In hushed and happy twilight heard” is 1
Poetry - alliteration
Question I
 1.
2. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? 1
-. ababbccaa
3. The poem “ The Heart of the Tree” is a 1
- lyric
4. Which of the following is an example of personification? 1
A. He plants a friend of sun and sky.

5. A line which is repeated in every stanza of a poem is called 1

- refrain

Why do you think this poem is a call for the concern about the future of the Earth? 5
- The poem ‘The Heart of the Tree’ by Henry Cuyler Bunner is the most relevant to the current times when we are
Question 2 [2 facing ecological problems. Survival has become difficult due to rapid urbanisation. Loss of trees can lead to loss o
1. mankind. Climate change and problems associated with the environment make the picture of the future very dark. In
such a case, the necessary action required is that of planting trees. It is not just a tree that we plant but we are layin
the foundation for a forest. A forest is a home for many animals and birds and is also a source for many things that
are needed by humans. The atmospheric processes are interdependent on trees. Thus, when the poet makes use of
different aspects to tell us about the benevolent act of planting a tree, he is indirectly making an appeal regarding th
future of Mother Earth.
2. Why does the poet begin the poem, ‘The Heart of the Tree’ with a question? What is the figure of speech used here? 5
- When the poet begins the poem with a question, as an immediate effect it leaves the readers pondering on what mig
be the answer. It makes us curious to know the perspective from which the poet sees it.
In our present poem, ‘The Heart of the Tree’, the question ‘What does he do who plants a tree?’ is rather simple an
common. We all know that the man who plants a tree also helps other people and animals live on earth. But we g
interested to find out something new that the poet might bring to the regular argument. And Bunner does so by arguin
that the man ‘plants a friend of the sun and sky’, ‘plants a flag of breezes free’ and so on. This new perspective
thought is what we are amazed at. And the poet is successful in doing so by opening the poem with a question.
The figure of speech used here is rhetorical question.
Question 3 Deduce possible themes of the poem. Elaborate by quoting relevant lines or phrases from the poem. 10
 i. - The usefulness of trees
- Greatness of one who plants trees
- Appreciation for natural beauty
- Responsibility for future generations
- Duties to fellow men and nation

ii. The poet states: “A nation’s growth from sea to sea Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.” Do you agree with the poet? 10
Why or why not?
- Actually the poet means to say that plantation is a symbolic act of goodness which inspires other many good acts.
The act of plantation starts from progressive thought in the man’s heart who plants a tree. So, this act sets a
progressing tone in the right direction.
If taken literally, forests help a nation financially by providing it with useful resources like wood, honey, rubber,
medicinal elements and so on. Plantation curbs the evils of deforestation like desertification, global warming and
climate change. Trees also help in keeping pollution in check, leading to more healthy living. That indirectly
helps in utilizing a nation’s human resources more effectively, leading to a nation’s growth.
SECTION What does Antonio offer as bond against any future infidelity by Gratiano or Bassanio? 1
Drama - His soul
Question 1
1.
2 “If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chaste as Diana, unless I be obtained by the manner of my father's 1
will...”
In the above line by Portia, the literary device used is
- Allusion
3 When Shylock talks to Jessica about Launcelot, how does he describe Launcelot? 1
- Kind but lazy
4 What Greek Mythology character is Bassanio referring to when he says that gold is not all there is in life? 1
- Midas
5 What theory did Pythagoras have that Gratiano thinks relates to Shylock? 1
 - That humans and animals can swap souls.
Question 2 Compare Bassanio’s logic in selection with Morocco’s and Aragon’s. How does his elimination process differ 5
from theirs?
1 - Bassanio's choice has nothing to do with greed or ownership. Morocco loves the idea of gold, status,and riches.
Aragon likes silver because of money. Bassanio refuses gold because he knows that "all that glisters is not gold."
He refuses silver because "common drudge 'tween man and man." He chooses lead because the outside
frequently does not tell what is inside thus a person's true worth lies within.

2 “Behold, there stand the caskets, noble prince: 5

If you choose that wherein I am contain’d,
Straight shall our nuptial rites be solemnized:
But if you fail, without more speech, my lord,
You must be gone from hence immediately.”
If you were the chooser before the casket, which one would you choose? Why?
- (Open-ended: Marks will be awarded for the reason not choosing the other two casket and reason for choosing
the casket)
Question 3 Imagine you are Jessica. Write a letter to your father, Shylock, the Jew, explaining why you eloped with 10
1. Lorenzo and how you worked out the plan, highlighting your relationship with Shylock.
(Open-ended- Marks will be given for: 1. Content. 2. Reasons. 3. Grammar.
2 How do the women in The Merchant of Venice defy traditional gender roles? 10
- Portia is an independently wealthy woman who competently runs her estate without the help of a man.
Suitors seek to marry her, and her comments in Act 1 indicate she might like the companionship of a
partner. However, her willingness to remain "as chaste as Diana" the rest of her life rather than disobey
her father's wishes shows she feels no need to marry except, perhaps, to rid her home of unappealing
suitors. In Act 3 she agrees to marry Bassanio and gives him a ring. Traditionally the man gives the
woman a ring. Portia also immediately takes charge of the problem with Antonio, offering Bassanio
whatever money he needs to free his friend, breaking with the tradition that the man controls the purse
strings. Most importantly, in Act 4 Portia relishes playing the part of a man and proves herself more
intelligent than any of the men in court when she finds a way to save Antonio's life through a close reading
of his contract. Finally, when Portia confronts Bassanio in Act 5 about the lost ring, she brazenly claims to
have had an affair with "Balthazar," showing a level of sexual liberation not typical of Renaissance
women. Nerissa's defiance of gender roles involves many of the same actions as Portia's. She, too, gives
her husband a ring and impersonates a man. Nerissa distinguishes herself with her plain-spoken nature.
She does not mince words or hold back her honest feelings, whether with Portia in Act 1 or with Gratiano
in Act 5. Jessica also defies gender expectations with her outwardly rebellious behavior. Unlike Portia,
Jessica is all too happy to defy her father's wishes, an act frowned upon in Jewish and Christian society
alike. In Act 2 she conducts a secret courtship with a Christian man and boldly steals her father's money to
run away with him. Her disguise as a boy reflects her rejection of the traditionally feminine. Although
society places her below her husband, her conversations with Lorenzo in Acts 3 and 5 indicate they relate
to one another as equals based on mutual love and respect.