Series ENG/12/2 Set ~ 2

Roll No. Q.P Code 12/2/2

Candidates must write the Q.P Code
on the title page of the answer-book.

• Please check that this question paper contains 16 printed pages.

• Q.P. Code given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written on the title
page of the answer-book by the candidate.
• Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions.
• Please write down the serial number of the question in the answer-book before
attempting it.
• 15 Minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question paper will be
distributed at 10:15 a.m From 10.15a.m to 10.30 a.m, the students will read the question
paper only and will not write any answer on the answer –book during this period

ENGLISH (CORE)
Time Allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80

General Instructions:

1. 15 - minute prior reading time allotted for Q - paper reading.

2. The Question Paper contains THREE sections - READING, WRITING and

LITERATURE.

3. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the correct
question number in your answer sheet to indicate the option/s being attempted.
 [
SECTION A – READING SKILLS
1
2
]
1 Read the text carefully and answer the questions:
Punctuality is a necessary habit in public affairs of a civilized society. Without it
nothing could ever be brought to a conclusion, everything would be in a state of
chaos. Only in a sparsely populated rural community is it possible to disregard
it. In the ordinary living there can be some tolerance of unpunctuality. The
intellectual, who is working on some abstruse problem, has everything
coordinated and organized for the matter in hand. He is therefore forgiven, if
late for the dinner party. But people are often reproached for unpunctuality
when their only fault is cutting fine. It is hard for energetic, quick - minded
people to waste time, so they are often tempted to finish a job before setting out
to keep an appointment. If no accidents occur on the way, like punctured tires,
diversion of traffic, sudden descent of fog, they will be on time. They are often
more industrious, useful citizens than those who are never late. The over -
punctual can as much be a trial to others as the unpunctual. The guest who
arrives half an hour too soon is the greatest nuisance. Some friends of my family
had this irritating habit. The only thing to do was to ask them to come half an
hour later than the other guests. Then they arrived just when we wanted them.
If you are catching a train, it is always better to be comfortably early than even a
fraction of a minute too late. Although being early may mean wasting a little
time, this will be less than if you miss the train and have to wait an hour or so
for the next one. And you avoid the frustration of arriving at the very moment
when the train is drawing out of the station and being unable to get on it. An
even harder situation is to be on the platform in a good time for a train and still

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to see it go off without you. Such an experience befell a certain young girl the
first time she was travelling alone. She entered the station twenty minutes
before the train was due since her parents had impressed upon her that it
would be unforgivable to miss it and cause the friends with whom she was
going to stay to meet her. She gave her luggage to a porter and showed him her
ticket. To her horror, he said that she was two hours too soon. She felt in her
handbag, for the piece of paper on which her father had written down all the
details of the journey and gave it to the porter. He agreed that a train did come
into the station at the time on the paper and that it did stop, but only to take on
water, not passengers. The girl asked to see a timetable, feeling sure that her
father could not have made such a mistake. The porter went to fetch one and
arrived back with the station master, who produced it with a flourish and
pointed out a microscope ‘o’ beside the time of the arrival of the train at his
station. This little ‘o’ indicated that the train only stopped for water. Just at that
moment, the train came into the station. The girl, tears streaming down her face,
begged to be allowed to slip into the guard’s van. But the station master was
adamant: rules could not be broken. And she had to watch that train disappear
towards her destination while she was left behind.

1. Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option.

It is better to reach the platform before the train arrives because .

a. You will have time to relax at the station

b. It’s good to waste some time in life

c. It can help you avoid frustrations of work

d. It’s better than watching the train leave in front of your eyes

2. Comment on the writer’s reference to the features of energetic and quick

- minded people.

3. List the two ways which can hinder a punctual person from reaching a
place on time.

( Clue: Think about the obstruction one may face)

4. Select the option that conveys a similar meaning of ‘inflexible’, in the

passage.

a. Over - punctual

b. Energetic

c. Adamant
d. Abstruse

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 5. Find a word opposite in meaning to clear/obvious in the passage:

a. community

b. abstruse

c. diversion

d. industrious

6. Reaching early may mean wasting a little time. Based on your

understanding of the given passage, justify how reaching early does not
always mean wasting time.

7. Why is it fair to say that punctuality necessary in a civilized society?

8. Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference, with respect

to the following:

Some friends of my family has this irritating habit of arriving half an

hour too soon. We can deal with them by .

9. The over - punctual can be as much a trial to others as the unpunctual

a. He has everything coordinated and organized

b. He believes that the early bird gets the worm

c. He is wasting as much time as the unpunctual ones

d. There is hardly any difference between the unpunctual and over

punctual

2 Read the text carefully and answer the questions: [10]

1. When plastic waste is burnt, a complex weave of toxic chemicals is released.
Breaking down Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) used for packaging, toys and coating
electrical wires. It produces dioxin, organochlorine which belongs to the family
of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). A recent Dioxin Assessment Report
brought out by the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) says
the risk of getting cancer from dioxin is ten times higher than reported by the
agency in 1994. 2. The Delhi government is giving the green signal to a
gasification project which will convert garbage into energy without removing
plastic waste. This way, no air pollution will be caused and the ash produced
can be used as manure. The project built with Australian assistance will cost
200 crore. It will generate 25 megawatts of power and gobble 1,000 tons of
garbage every day. 3. Technologies like gasification are a form of incineration.
Incineration merely transfers hazardous waste from a solid form to air, water
and ash. Toxins produced during incineration include acidic gases, heavy metals
as well as dioxins and furans. 4. Municipal solid waste contains a mix of plastics.

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Breaking down this waste emits hydrochloric acid which attacks the respiratory
system, skin and eyes, resulting in coughing, vomiting and nausea. Polyethylene
generates volatile compounds like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, both
suspected carcinogenic. Breathing styrene from polystyrene can cause
leukemia. Polyurethane is associated with asthma. Dioxin released by PVC is a
powerful hormone disrupter and causes birth defects and reproductive
problems. 5. Even the best run incinerators in the world have to deal with
stringent norms. In Germany, air pollution devices accounted for two - thirds
the cost of incineration. Despite such efforts, the European Dioxin Inventory
noted that the input of dioxin into the atmosphere was the highest from
incineration. 6. In the chart, we see the share of global plastic waste that is
discarded, recycled or incinerated from 1980 through to 2015. Prior to 1980,
recycling and incineration of plastic was negligible; 100 percent was therefore
discarded. From 1980 for incineration and 1990 for recycling, rates increased
on average by about 0.7 percent per year. In 2015, an estimated 55 percent of
global plastic waste was discarded, 25 percent was incinerated and 20 percent

recycled.
5. Indian garbage has a low calorific content of about 800 kg and it has high
moisture and requires additional fuel to burn. Toxics link calculates that the
electricity generated from such technology will cost between 5 and 7 per unit,
which is six times higher than conventional energy. India has chosen a dioxin
preventive route and burning of chlorinated plastics is prohibited under
Municipal Solid Waste and Biomedical Rules. Nearly 80 percent of Indian
garbage is recyclable or compostable.

1. Does the following statement agree with the information given in

paragraph 6? Discarded plastic waste produces greenhouse gas
emissions when exposed to sunlight in both air and water if it is not
recycled or disposed of in a controlled manner. Select from the
following: True - if the statement agrees with the information False - if
the statement contradicts the information Not Given - if there is no
information on this

2. Do you think that garbage from India has a high calorific

content?Support your answer with reference to the passage.

3. Based on the given graphical representation of data in the passage,

choose the option that lists the statements that are TRUE.

1. In the year 2015, the incinerated plastic waste disposal was 80%.

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 2. In the year 1980, the share of discarded plastic waste was 100%.

3. Discarded plastic waste was 60% in the year 2010.

4. Recycled plastic waste in the year 2000 was less than 70%.

Choose the correct option:

(i) 1,2 and 3

(ii) 2 and 3

(iii) 1 and 4

(iv) 1,3 and 4

4. Complete the sentence based on the following statement. Burning plastic

waste is harmful and causes cancer. We can say this because
.

5. Which statements are NOT TRUE according to the passage?

a. India has adopted a preventive measure under which burning of

chlorinated plastics is prohibited.

b. USEPA says that the risk of getting cancer from dioxin is hundred
times higher than reported by the agency in 1994.

c. Incineration merely transfers hazardous waste from a solid form

to air, water and ash.

d. Hydrochloric acid attacks the digestive system, nose and eyes

which results in diabetes and nausea.

a. 1 and 3

b. 3 and 4
c. 1 and 2

d. 2 and 4

6. Garbage can be converted into energy by .

a. gratification

b. a chemical process

c. gasification
d. incinerators

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 7. The Delhi government is giving the green signal to a gasification project
which will convert garbage into energy without removing plastic waste.
Explain what is the purpose of the waste - to - energy project?

8. Complete the given sentence by selecting the most appropriate option.

The respiratory system, skin, and eyes are affected by .

a. Polyethylene

b. Hydrochloric acid

c. Polystyrene

d. Dioxin

SECTION B – CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS

3 Many residents of Ajay Complex, Bhopal have undertaken the responsibility of [4]
feeding the street dogs in the Complex. As Raina/Rahul, President of R.W.A.,
draft a notice in 50 words to fix feeding spots and timings to avoid
inconvenience to other residents.
OR

An orange alert has been sounded in your city because of extreme temperature
due to the cold wave. Schools have been shut for a week. As Principal, Derry
Public School, draft a notice in 50 words informing parents of the same. Mention
day, date and duration. You are Dr. Sen.

4 You are Dr. Shailesh Gupta, an eminent educationist. You have been invited to [4]
preside over on Inter - Zonal Declamation competition by Neha the President of
English Literary Club of Government Model Sr. Sec. School, Sector - 19,
Chandigarh. Write a letter of acceptance of the invitation.
OR
You are Sachin Bansal, the Head Boy of Springdales Pubic School, Gurgaon. Your
school is holding an inter - school T - 20 cricket championship from 2 Oct. to 8
Oct, 20XX.Write a formal invitation to Sh. B.S. Bedi, the legendary cricketer, to
inaugurate the championship on 2 Oct. 2019 at 10 a.m. at yourschool premises.

5 Day by day lavish weddings are becoming more and more fashionable. Hotels, [5]
farm houses and banquet halls are booked months in advance. Even lower
middle class families are entertaining thousand plus guests. Write a letter to the
editor of a national daily advocating simple weddings. You are Rani/Raj, 121

7 P.T.O
 Bank street, Kanpur.
OR

Apollo InternationalSchool, Karnalrequires sports coaches and some other

teachers. Each should be a degree holder in physical education as well as anSAI
- certified coach in athletics. You have seen their advertisement and you know
that you have these qualifications. Write an application in 120 - 150 words
along with your resume. You are Praveen/Praveena, M - 114, Najafgarh, Delhi.

6 Dance, as shown in some reality shows on TV, seems to be a mix of gymnastics [5]
and PT exercises. Actually, it is neither. India has a rich tradition of classical and
folk dances. Write an article in 150 - 200 words on the need to have a reality
show exclusively based on Indian classical dances. You are Anu/Arun.
OR

The Principal of your school retired after rendering 35 years of meritorious

service. A grand function was held to give him a hearty send - off. Write a report
in 150 - 200 words for publication in your school magazine describing the
celebrations. You are Sudha/Sandeep of XI - A.

SECTION C - LITERATURE

7 Read the text carefully and answer the questions: We have imagined for the [6]
mighty dead;

All lovely tales that we have heard or read;

An endless fountain of immortal drink,

Pouring unto us from heaven’s brink.

1. The phrase immortal drink refers to:

8 P.T.O
 a. blessings of our ancestors.

b. the teachings of nature.

c. a life - giving force.

d. the beauty of heaven.

2. All lovely tales evoke the feeling of:

a. sadness and nostalgia.

b. only nostalgia.

c. inspiration and pride.

d. only pride.
3. On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to
the two statements given below.

(1) Beautiful things are gifts from God for all of us.

(2) Beautiful objects of nature are forever like a never - ending portion
of a drink.

a. (1) can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.

b. (2) can be inferred from the extract but (1) cannot.

c. Both (1) and (2) can be inferred from the extract.

d. (2) is the reason for (1) and can be inferred from the extract.

4. The literary device used by the poet in the following lines is .

An endless fountain of immortal drink,

Pouring unto us from heaven’s brink.

a. personification

b. allegory

c. imagery

d. synecdoche

5. Answer in one word:

The word (from the extract) which means verge or threshold is .

9 P.T.O
 6. The benefits of a thing of beauty for humans include .

a. healthy body

b. calm mind

c. struggle - free life

d. better relationships

e. hope to carry on

Choose the most appropriate option.

a. Only (v)

b. (i), (ii) and (v)

c. (i), (iii) and (iv)

d. (ii) and (iv)

OR

Read the text carefully and answer the questions: I saw my mother beside
me

doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that

of a corpse and realised with pain

that she was as old as she looked but soon

put that thought away, and looked out at Young

Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

out of their homes.
1. Choose the option that displays the same poetic device as used in the
expression ashen like that of a corpse .

a. He was a lion in the battle.

b. The flood swallowed more than a dozen villages.

c. He walked as slowly as a snail.

d. The tree blocks the free flow of water.

2. Choose the correct option that best explains the reason for the poet to
put that thought away.

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 a. The mother’s face was pale and ugly.

b. It was unbearable for her to see her mother sleeping.

c. She was troubled by the thought of her mother’s perpetual state

of exhaustion.

d. She was deeply pained by the thought of the mother’s imminent

death.

3. What do the expressions doze open mouthed describe about the poet’s
mother?

a. She is sleeping and relaxing.

b. She is aged and exhausted.

c. She is tired of travelling.

d. She is not in a mood to talk to her daughter.

4. Answer in ONE word.

The poet uses the image of sprinting trees to emphasize the to

the ageing mother.

5. On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to
the two statements given below.

(1) The poet portrays typical mother - daughter love and affection.

(2) The poet is horrified by the thought of losing her.

a. (1) can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.

b. (2) can be inferred from the extract but (1) cannot.

c. Both (1) and (2) can be inferred from the extract.

d. (2) is the reason for (1) and can be inferred from the extract.

6. What mood does the expression merry children spilling bring in?

a. Happiness and enthusiasm

b. Innocence and playfulness

c. Laziness

d. Joy

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8 Read the text carefully and answer the questions: [4]
You lose all earthly sense of perspective and time here. The visual scale ranges
from the microscopic to the mighty: midges and mites to blue whales and
icebergs as big as countries (the largest recorded was the size of Belgium).

Days go on and on and on in surreal 24 - hour austral summer light, and a

ubiquitous silence, interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving ice
sheet, consecrates the place. It’s an immersion that will force you to place
yourself in the context of the earth’s geological history. And for humans, the
prognosis isn’t good.

1. Select the option that correctly fits the category of microscopic to the
mighty out of the ones given below.

a. Trace of a skin cell: trace of a bird’s egg

b. A grain of rice: field of wheat

c. A scoop of ice cream: an ice - cream cone

d. A drop of water: Pacific Ocean

a. 1, 2

b. 3, 4

c. 1, 3

d. 2, 4

2. Choose the option listing the elements that influences one to think of
earth’s physicality.

a. Breakage of an iceberg from a glacier

b. Midges and mites

c. A regular seen avalanche

d. Summer light in the Southern hemisphere

a. 1, 2

b. 3, 4

c. 1, 4

d. 2, 3

3. Complete the sentence appropriately, with reference to the extract.

12 P.T.O
 Choose the phrasethat refers to the range of things one can see .

4. How did Antarctica amaze the writer when he first saw it?

OR

Read the text carefully and answer the questions: The dewan went home
convinced that if the Maharaja didn’t find the tiger soon, the results could be
catastrophic. He felt life returning to him only when he saw the tiger which had
been brought from the People’s Park in Madras and kept hidden in his house.

1. The phrase Life returning to him here means

a. change things in a better way.

b. resurrect things that are inactive.

c. change things as per the situation.

d. none of these

2. What was the dewan convinced of,as per the extract?

3. Complete the sentence appropriately, with reference to the extract.

The sight of relieved dewan of all his worries.

4. Select the most suitable title for the given extract.

a. Dewan’s Quick Fix

b. TheMystery Unfolds

c. The Conclusion

d. The Last Resort

9 Read the text carefully and answer the questions: [6]

It takes longer to build a school,’I say, embarrassed at having made a promise
that was not meant. But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak
world.

After months of knowing him. I ask him his name, ‘Saheb - e - Alam,’he
announces. He does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning - lord of
the universe - he would have a hard time believing it. Unaware of what his
name represents, he roams the streets with his friends, an army of barefoot
boys who appear like the morning birds and disappear at noon. Over the
months, I have come to recognise each of them.

1. What is the most likely reason for the narrator’s embarrassment?

13 P.T.O
 It could be because -

a. She was not able to build the school in time.

b. She does not know the name of the boys.

c. She is guilty of giving a false hope to the boy.

d. She is not aware of his bleak world.

2. Rewrite the sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with its

inference.

He was oblivious to the literal meaning of his name.

3. On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to
the two statements given below.
(1) The boy’s name was ironical.

(2) The boy had a hard time believing it.

a. (1) Can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.

b. (1) cannot be inferred from the extract but (2) can.

c. (1) is true but (2) is false.

d. (2) is the reason for (1).

4. Select the option that describes the literary device used in the
expression ’ an army of barefoot boys who appear like morning
birds ’.

a. Metaphor

b. Simile
c. Hyperbole

d. Alliteration

5. Rationalise, to support the given opinion:

The boy had many hollow promises in his bleak world.

6. Replace the underlined word with its antonym from the extract.

The narrator forgot each of their faces.

OR

14 P.T.O
Read the text carefully and answer the questions:

Poor man! It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday
clothes, and now I understood why the old men of the village were sitting there
in the back ofthe room. It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not
gone to school more. It was their way of thanking our master for his forty years
of faithful service and of showing their respect for the country that was theirs
no more.

1. Select the suitable word from the extract to complete the following
analogy:

Honour: Respect :: : Regretful

2. Based on the above extract, choose the statement that is FALSE for the
villagers.

a. They had gathered to bid farewell to M.Hamel.

b. They expressed their gratitude towards M.Hamel.

c. They regret not learning their mother tongue seriously.

d. They were more willing to welcome a replacement for M.Hamel.

3. Why does the narrator refer to M. Hamel as Poor man! ?

a. He empathizes with M. Hamel as he had to leave the village

b. He believes that M. Hamel’s “fine Sunday clothes” clearly reflected

that he was not rich.

c. He feels sorry for M. Hamel as it was his last French lesson.

d. He thinks that M. Hamel’s patriotism and sense of duty resulted in

his poverty.
4. Which of the following idioms might describe the villagers’ act of
attending the last lesson most accurately?

a. ’Too good to miss’

b. ‘Too little, too late’

c. ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’

d. ‘Too cool for school’

5. Rationalise, to support the given opinion.

BesidesM. Hamel, there was one thing more that brought the old men of

15 P.T.O
 the village there.

6. Complete the sentence with an appropriate explanation, as per the

extract.

M Hamel was wearing his best dress in .

10 Answer any five of the following questions in 40 - 50 words each: [10]

1. ‘All we have to fear is fear itself’. When did Douglas learn this lesson?

2. Why did the poet ask us to count up to twelve in the poem Keeping
Quiet?

3. How does a thing of beauty provide shelter and comfort? (A Thing of

Beauty)

4. How was the Maharaja able to save his kingdom?

5. What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural

indigo?

6. How did William Douglas’s fear of water start?

11 Answer any two of the following questions in 40 - 50 words each: [4]

1. When did India and other countries form the part of Antarctica?

2. Were the minions of Maharaja loyal to him, why or why not?

3. How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of

humankind? (Journey to the End of the Earth)

12 The importance of safe and sound sleep is demonstrated in the given lines: [5]
13 The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.What are the ways in
which we attempt to overcome them? (The Third Level)
OR

What is role of the stamp - collection in the story?

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