Sample Paper - 2009
Class- XII
Subject – ENGLISH CORE (301)
Q1. Read the following passage and answer the questions
1. In the hospital, I was thinking about the most exceptional people I’ve known. They were the ones who kept going when others quit; the ones who found ways to do what everyone else thought couldn’t be done. They didn’t just hold down a job or work hard. They were reaching deeper inside and finding something more. They made a greater difference. I don’t believe they would have understood these words - “he held the frame so we both could see the inscription” - “the way I did.”
2. “I remember my parents and other adults in my hometown saying, “Study hard and work hard but don’t let your dreams get too big. If you do that, you’ll only be disappointed.’
3. “Learn to fit in and go along,’ they said, ‘that’s what successful people do.’ I got very good at fitting in and going along.” His voice trailed off.
4. “Robert, you’re going to hear the same kinds of things from people around you. They’re well-intentioned but they’re wrong. What if I hadn’t accepted it? What if everyday I had questioned yesterday’s definition of my best? What if I’d listened to my own heart instead of their words? Then I might have kept looking deeper and giving the world more of the best that was hidden inside me.”
5. “And if I’d done that,” he said, “more of the best would have come back tome, and to this family, and to you, Robert. But it won’t,” he said, “because I didn’t do it.”
6. “So this is my challenge to you-to live these words.” He handed me the frame. There was no glass in it; I ran my fingertips over the words and felt the brittle paper . “But grandfather,” I said, not wanting to disappoint him but unsure of how to accomplish what he was asking me, “maybe when I’m older...”
7. “Age has nothing to do with it. Every day you can learn something more about who you are and all the potential that’s hidden inside you. Every day you can choose to become more than you have been. I’m asking you straight right now.”
8. “But how?”
9. “By looking inside yourself. By testing new possibilities. By searching for what matters most to you, Robert. Few of us ever do that for ourselves. Instead, we hold our breath. We look away. We get by or go along. We defend what we have been. We say, “It’s good enough.” I pray you don’t wake up one day and say, “I’ve been living my life wrong and now it’s too late to make it right.”
10. Young as I was, I could still see the pain his regret was causing him, and even then I recognized that the gift he was giving me was as much in honesty as in the specific words he was so determined for me to hear.
11. “Robert, all of us are mostly unused potential. It’s up to you to become the most curious person you know and to keep asking yourself, What is my best? Keep finding more of it every day to give to the world. If you do that, I promise that more of the best than you can ever imagine - and in many ways beyond money - will come back to you.”
12. And it has. Despite my struggles and mistakes along the way, I have learned that there are opportunities, for each of us that exist beneath and beyond conventional thinking and self imposed limits. What my grandfather realized too late that he had not done, he challenged me to do. In this book, I pass the challenge to you.
(599 words) (An excerpt from The Other 90% by Robert K. Cooper)
Q.a. Who, according to the writer, are exceptional people? (2)
Q.b. What, according to his parents, did ‘successful’ people do? (2)
Q.c. What does one need to do to “become more than you have been”? (2)
Q.d. Explain the phrase “looking inside yourself”. (1)
Q.e. What did the writer learn from his struggles and mistakes? (1)
Q.f. Find words from the passage which mean the same as:- (4x1)
a) of unusual high quality (para 1)
b) hard but easily broken (para 6)
c) possibility for developing (para 11)
d) following accepted customs and traditions (para 12)
A.2. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: 08 marks
Cosmetic surgery is the latest beauty mantra in
During their practising years, students must aim to train under renowned surgeons in the field, and soak up as much as possible from their expertise. Being an apprentice to a good surgeon will not only give you the much required exposure to the reality of the cosmetic operations but will also build your confidence and client base. The practising years are crucial because in cosmetic surgery, perfect results are essential. Medical science is not a stagnant field, and hence one must also keep abreast of the latest in the field of cosmetic surgery.
The biggest profit for a truly dedicated cosmetic surgeon is the beautiful result of his work and the client’s satisfaction. After training under reputed cosmetic surgeons, one can either seek employment in a hospital as a full time surgeon or open up a private clinic, or do both. If you are good, people will come to you. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising for a cosmetic surgeon. (460words)
a) Make notes on the passage given above in any format using recognizable abbreviations. Give a suitable title to the passage. 5
b) Write a summary based on the notes you have made in about 80 words. 3
Section B : Advanced Writing Skills : 35 Marks
3)
OR
5 marks
The English Department is organizing its Annual Inter-School Extempore. Write a letter to Mr. Sahil Choudhry, Chief Editor ‘Times Daily’, inviting him to be one of the judges for the event. You are Rita/Ramesh, President, English Club,
4) You are Aman/Amrita Khanna, Principal,
OR
10 marks
‘What people read is what people believe.’ You are concerned about the ongoing controversy regarding media’s role in sensationalizing news, moulding public opinion and moral policing. Write a letter to the editor emphasizing on media
responsibility. (200 words)
5) According to you, the newspaper has a very important role in forming public opinion and raising awareness regarding issues of social and public concern. The common man believes that the information provided in the newspaper is authentic and reliable. You are Vijay/Vijaya. Write a letter to the editor of a national daily expressing your views on the responsible role of newspapers.
OR
10 marks
Teenagers today are getting hooked on to the latest gadgets. Write an article on ‘The advantages of technology versus its adverse effects’. ‘You are Sharan/Shalini’ Use the input given below: (200words)
Gadgets : mobiles, ipods, computers,Greater affluence : easy availability,Impact on health : sedentary lifestyle, obesity, eating habits; Impact on academic performance,Social impact : absence of social interaction,Improved communication : global vision, easy connectivity, faster information exchange.
6) To commemorate the 150th year of the mutiny of 1857 your school is organizing a special programme. You are Suresh/ Sita, head girl of
OR
10 marks
You saw the following advertisement in the Times of India. You think you are eligible to apply for the post mentioned. Write an application in response to the advertisement. Applications are invited by Sundaram Business Services a division of Sundaram Finance Limited. For the post of HEAD-HR, a middle management position, reporting to the Head of the Division, in Chennai.
Applicant should be around 35 years of age with postgraduate qualification in HR from a reputed institution, should have minimum five years experience in HR functions. Should be conversant with the best HR practices in the industry and should have implemented robust performance monitoring/appraisal system and productivity linked incentive schemes. Apply with full particulars and the emoluments expected, within a week to chief HR Manager, Sundaram Business Services, No.-05, Shanti Colony, Arya Nagar,
Chennai-04
SECTION C :LITERATURE
Q 7) A) Read the extracts given below & answer the questions that follow: (4 marks)
And asked for some city money to feel in hand
To try if it will not make our being expand,
And give us the life of the ‘moving- pictures’ promise
That the party in power is said to be keeping from us
i) Why is the poet critical of the ruling government (2)
ii) Explain ‘make our being expand’ (1)
iii) What does life of the ‘moving pictures’ imply (1)
OR
Break O break open till they break the town
and show the children to green fields, and
Run azure on gold sands make their world
History theirs whose language is the sun.
a) What should they break? (1)
b) What kind of a world does the poet imagine for these children? (1)
c) What does the word ‘sun’ symbolize? (2)
Q8).Answer any three in 30-40 words (2x3=6)
a)How is inactivity different from death? What does the poet mean by ‘to have no truck with death’?
b)Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting through this difference?
c) What is the poet’s familiar ache and why does it return?
d) ‘The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint’, says Robert Frost. What was his real complaint?
e) What spreads the pall of despondence over our dark spirits? How is it removed?
Q9.Answer the following questions in 30-40 words (5 x 2 = 10)
a) Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?
b) What is the example of national integration that Asokmitran refers to?
c) What are Denis Brian’s views about interviews?
d) ‘I crossed to oblivion and the curtain of life fell’. Why did
e) Explain ‘For children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents’.
Q10. Answer he following in 125-150 words. (10)
Compare and contrast the character of the Ironmaster with that of his daughter.
OR
Comment on the significance of the title “Going Places”.
Q11..Answer the following questions in 30-40 words ( 4 x 2 = 8)
a) What did the dewan do on hearing the threat of losing the job from the Maharaja?
b) What efforts did Zitkala-Sa make to save her hair from being cut?
c) What arguments does
d) In which context did Charley say, “eggs were thirteen cents a dozen in 1894”?
Q12. Answer he following in 125-150 words. (10)
“Should Wizard hit Mommy” is not just a bedtime story but it raises certain moral questions. Justify.
OR
Dr. Sadao’s character is an amalgamator of right and wrong. Discuss.
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