Half Yearly Assessment - September-2024
Class-12
Subject: English Core
Time: 90 Minutes
Μ.Μ.-40
General Instructions:
(i) Attempt all the questions as per instructions.
(ii) Attempt all the parts of a question together
(iii) Marks are indicated in front of each question. Write your answer as per the marks allotted to it.
(iv) For Multiple choice questions tick (/) the correct answer.
Section-A
1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing correct options given. 5
Maharana Pratap ruled Mewar only for 25 years. However, he accomplished so much grandeur during his reign that his glory surpassed the boundaries of countries and time, turning him into an immortal personality. He along with his kingdom became a synonym for velour, sacrifice and patriotism. Mewar, had been a leading Rajput kingdom even before Maharana Pratap occupied the throne. Kings of Mewar, with the cooperation of their nobles and subjects, had established such traditions in the kingdom, which augmented their magnificence despite the hurdles of having a smaller area under their command and less population. There did come a few thorny occasions when the flag of the kingdom seemed sliding down. Their flag, once again heaved high in the sky thanks to the gallantry and brilliance of the people of Mewar. The destiny of Mewar was good in the sense that barring a few kings, most of the rulers were competent and patriotic. This glorious tradition of the kingdom almost continued for 1500 years since its establishment, right from the reign of Bappa Rawal. In fact, only 60 years before Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga, drove the kingdom to the pinnacle of fame. His reputation went beyond Rajasthan and reached Delhi. Two generations before him, Rana Kumbha, had given a new stature to the kingdom through victories and developmental work. During his reign, literature and art also progressed extraordinarily. Rana himself was inclined towards writing and his works are read with reverence even today. The ambience of his kingdom was conducive to the creation of high-quality work of art and literature. These accomplishments, were the outcome of a long-standing tradition sustained by several generations. The life of the people of Mewar must have been peaceful and prosperous during a long span of time, otherwise, such extraordinary accomplishment in these fields would not have been possible. This is reflected in their art and literature as well as their loving nature. They compensate for lack of admirable physique by their firm but pleasant nature. The ambience of Mewar remains lovely, thanks to the cheerful and liberal character of its people.
Questions
(a) Difficulties in the way of Mewar were:
(i) lack of cooperation of the nobility.
(ii) ancient traditions of the kingdom.
(iii) its small area and small population.
(iv) the poverty of the subjects
(b) Mewar was lucky because:
(i) all of its rulers were competent.
(ii) most of its people were competent.
(iii) most of its rulers were competent.
(iv) only a few of its people were incompetent.
(c) Whose reign was crucial as well as proved tobe his nemesis of Mewar?
(i) Maharana Pratap
(ii) Rana Sanga
(iii) Rana Kumbha
(iv) Bappa Rawal
(d) Who is the earliest King of Mewar mentioned in the passage?
(i) Bappa Rawal
(ii) Rana Sanga
(iii) Rana Kumbha
(iv) Maharana Pratap
(e) What was incorrect about Rana Kumbha's contribution to the glory of Mewar?
(i) He had given a new stature to the kingdom through victories.
(ii) He made his kingdom special with developmental work.
(iii) During his reign, literature and art progressed extraordinary.
(iv) He himself was never seen inclined towards writing.
2. Read the following passage carefully and make notes on it and also supply a suitable title 4+1=5
Shop till you drop is no longer a problem that only women with money in their purses and time on their hands suffer from. Excessive shopping and insatiable appetite for goods are causing problems in all countries which have hitherto promoted naked consumerism because personal debts are mounting, creating innumerable dificulties for credit card businesses. Millions are gripped by an insatiable appetite to spend and visit the frequent sales that keep occurring in New York, Milan, London or Paris. People can become compulsive buyers of anything from household gadgets, food, clothes, to cars. Compulsive buying has now been diagnosed as a disease and is the result of the growing advertising campaigns and competition in which shops and firms undercut each other with huge price discounts. If shops are closed and it is too late, there is always the possibility of shopping through the net. The addiction to shopping is spreading all over the world. In UK, 2.5 million people are gripped by the shopping fever. In America, a shopper's paradise, the number is much more at 15 million. With rising/incomes, millions of Indians could join the league of 'shopoholics'. It is called 'oniomania' which is a compulsive disorder that drives people to buy in a repetitive and uncontrolled manner regardless of consequences. Self-help groups are springing up to help compulsive shoppers. Because people affected by this problem suffer greatly from feelings of isolation, guilt and fear. It can lead to a breakdown of relationships under the burden of debt and deceit. Women are more vulnerable than men to this addiction because they tend to believe that to be valued by society, they have to look good. They are more insecure about their image and while they are shopping, they get a boost to their self- image from the attention they get from shop assistants. They come back feeling beautiful and successful. Men too are now joining the ranks of keen shoppers.
Section B- Writing Skills
3. Attempt any one of the following: 5
a. You are Asma/Ashish, the head girl/boy of XYZ international school. Your school soon going to publish the annual magazine next month. Write a notice for the notice board of your school inviting students to submit write-ups,
Ans.
XYZ International School
NOTICE
September 27, 2024
This is to inform all the students that our school is going to publish the annual magazine next month. Students can submit their write-ups & essays to their respective class teachers, before the submission date i.e. Oct 10, 2024. All students from 9th to 12th are eligible to submit their write-ups. The best write-ups will be selected and will be selected for annual school magazine. For more details please contact.
Asma/Ashish
Head Girl/Boy.
b. Bal Vidya Public School, Bhilai, urgently requires a post-graduate teacher to teach political science for which they have placed an advertisement in The Bhilai Express. You are Sanjay/Sanjana Sharma from 21, Vasant Marg, Bhilai. Draft a letter including a CV, applying for the advertised post.
Ans.
21, Vasant Marg,
Bhilai
27 Sep, 2024
The Principal
Bal Vidya Public School
Bhilai
Subject: For the post of Post Graduate Teacher to teach Political Science.
Dear Sir
I have to come notice by newspaper that you have advertised for the post of Post Graduate Teacher to teach Political Science. I wish to apply for the same post. With this application my complete bio-data is attached.
If you give me chance, I will do my best under your guidance.
Thanking you
Yours truly
Sanjay Sharma
Section C-Grammar
4. Attempt any six of the following: 6x1=6
a. I wish I ..........(accept) the offer. (Choose correct form of verb)
(i) had accepted
(ii) accepted
(iii) has accept
(iv) has accepted
b. A vegetarian is a person who never ...........(eat) meat. (Choose correct form of verb)
(i) eat
(ii) eats
(iii) is eating
(iv) has eaten
c. Someone is knocking at the door. (Choose correct voice)
(i) At the door someone is knocking.
(ii) Someone at the door is knocking.
(iii) The door is being knocked at by someone.
(iv) The door is knocked at by someone.
d. Ram said, "Might is Right". (Choose correct indirect speech)
(i) Ram said that might was right.
(ii) Ram told that might was right.
(iii) Ram said that might is right.
(iv) Ram said that right is might.
e. All ...........books were lying at sixes and sevens. (Fill suitable article)
(i) a
(ii) an
(iii) no article
(iv) the
f. Engines .........not run without lubricants. (Fill suitable Modal)
(i) can
(ii) could
(iii) will
(iv) should
g. The ring is made of........ gold. (Fill suitable article)
(i) a
(ii) an
(iii) no article
(iv) the
h. I ...........help you. (Choose correct form of verb)
(i) helped
(ii) shall help
(iii) am helping
(iv) helps
Section D (Prose and Poetry)
5. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow 5x1=5
Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the sharecroppers. He said, "I have come to the conclusion that we should stop going to law courts. Taking such cases to the courts does litte good. Where the peasants are so crushed and fear-stricken, law courts are useless. The real relief for them is to be free from fear." Most of the arable land in the Champaran district was divided into large estates owned by Englishmen and worked by Indian tenants. The chief commercial crop was indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to plant three twentieths or 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. This was done by long-term contract.
Questions:
a. Name the lesson these lines have been taken from?
(i) Deep Water
(ii) Lost Spring
(iii) The Last Lesson
(iv) Indigo
b. Most of the arable land in Champaran was owned by.......?
(i) Indian Farmers
(ii) Englishmen
(iii)Indian tenants
(iv) None of the above
c. According to Gandhiji the real relief for the sharecroppers is ...........?
(i) to be free from slavery
(ii) to be free from agriculture
(iii) to be free from fear
(iv) to be free from debts
d. Most of the arable land in Champaran was worked by?
(i) Indian farmers
(ii) English farmers
(iii) Indian peasants
(iv) Indian tenants
e. Which was the chief commercial crop?
(i) Wheat
(ii) Indigo
(iii) Rice
(iv) Barley
OR
Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear
The thought of so much childish longing in vain,
The sadness that lurks near the open window there,
That waits all day in almost open prayer
For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car,
Of all the thousand selfish cars that pass,
Just one to inquire what a farmer's prices are.
Questions:
a. Name the poem this stanza has been taken from:
(i) My Mother at Sixty-six
(ii) Aunt Jennifer's Tigers
(iii) Keeping Quiet
(iv) A Roadside Stand
b. Name the Poet.
(i) Robert Frost
(ii) Pablo Neruda
(ii) Kamala Dass
(iv) John Keats
c. What does I stand for in the poem?
(i) Owner of the Stand
(ii) City car who stopped on the stand
(iii) Poet of the Poem
(iv) Farmer
d. Who are 'pitiful kin' in the poem?
(i) social agencies
(ii) government officials
(iii) city people with cars
(iv) the poor rural folk and farmers
e. What did the speaker want someone to do?
(i) to give money
(ii) to give things
(ii) to buy something from the shops
(iv) none of the above
6. Answer the question in about 100 words:
What are Geoff Green's reasons for including high school students in 'Students on Ice' expedition? (Journey to the end of the Earth)
Ans. At page no .... Of fair note book
OR
How did Edla bring about a change in the Peddler? (The Rattrap)
Ans. She said that they should not send way a man on Christmas eve. She treated him with kindness and offered him food. This kind gesture changed the peddler's heart and made him return the money he had stolen from the crofter. In this way, Edla brought a change in peddler's life.
7. Answer the following in about 20 words: (Attempt any three) 3x2=6
(i) How did the rag pickers of Seemapuri view garbage? (Lost Spring....)
Ans. Q No. 2 at page no. .... in fair note book
(ii) Why was Gandhiji's visiting Lucknow in 1916? (Indigo)
Ans. Gandhi had gone to Lucknow in December 1916 to attend the annual convention of the Indian National Congress party. There he met a peasant named Rajkumar Shukla who came to meet Gandhiji from Champaran, Bihar. He urged Gandhiji to help the poor peasant of Champaran.
(ii) What made the chief astrologer place his finger on his nose? (The Tiger King)
Ans. Q No. 2 at page no. .... in fair note book
(iv) How did Hana help Dr. Sadao? (The Enemy)
8. Answer the question in about 50 words:
How does beauty help us when we are burdened with grief? (A Thing of Beauty
OR
What will 'counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve? (Keeping Quiet)