SAMPLE QUESTION
PAPER (2019-20) ENGLISH
(CORE) (Code – 301)
CLASS XII
Time allowed: 3
Hrs.
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. This paper
is divided
into three sections: A, B
and C. All the sections are compulsory.
2. Separate instructions
are given with each
section and question, wherever necessary. Read these instructions very carefully and follow them
faithfully.
3. Do not exceed the
prescribed word limit while
answering the
questions.
SECTION-A
READING: 20 Marks
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1.
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Read the
passage given
below :
LIFE BEYOND ACADEMICS
1. Academics has always been an essential part of human development. It prepares
us to
survive in the outside world and establish
an identity of our own. But, is an individual’s development restricted to merely academics? In India, from an early age, we have been taught that education is limited to the boundaries of academics only;
the
idea of getting out into the field, for gaining practical experience, is always
considered a hoax. This has hindered students’
development. But, the truth is that education represents a considerably broader field than we know of it. Our teaching,
from the basics, has been
focused on getting good grades
and job offers, rather than being creative and unique.
2. In the 21stcentury, the pure academic type of education is slowly paving way for a
whole new
type. The paradigm shift in
the whole education
system is evident. People have now come to understand that education is a 360 degree activity that should focus on
students’ overall development, rather than restricting him/her to the classroom.
3. Co-curricular activities that take place outside
the classroom but reinforce
or supplement classroom curriculum, in some way, have become a point of
focus today. These activities help in the growth of the
child, in more than one way. Participating in such
activities helps youngsters grow mentally, socially and individually. Intellectual development of a student is developed in the classroom, but for the aesthetic development such
as team- building, character- building, and physical growth,
students must step out into the outside world. For instance, if a student is a part of
school football team, he/ she will learn team- work and coordination, in a practical manner, which
cannot be taught in the class.
4. Similarly, in colleges and institutions, there is a need for practical exposure
so that the students can experience
the actual working of an industry. For example, taking a
student to a manufacturing firm will give him/ her the real insight and better learning
of the industry. Catering to this change, most professional colleges including B-
schools, have started providing practical exposure to students through regular
guest lectures, industrial visits, conferences,
seminars, cultural festivals, and so on.
With industry visits, students are able to better identify their prospective areas of work in the overall organizational function. Moreover, they
help enhance interpersonal skills and communication techniques. In addition, guest lectures are equally important for
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all – round development of students. It is a great way for students to gain maximum
exposure, as guest speakers talk about their real- life experiences and not what is there in
the
text books.
5. Through such events, students are made to
participate and coordinate different events wherein, they get to
know how exactly things are managed. Classroom
teaching provides the foundation, and co-curricular or extra- curricular activities provide practical exposure and opportunities to
implement what students learn in the classroom. This helps in
developing
the overall personality
of
the
students, inculcating various soft –
skills in them, which otherwise are difficult to teach. Clearly, life beyond academics creates
creative
and empowered professionals.
(507 Words)
1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer any five
of the questions given below by choosing the most appropriate option:
a. Students' development is hindered by
i. limiting education to academic
boundaries. ii. getting
out to the field.
iii. being creative
and unique. iv.gaining practical knowledge.
b. The shift in the education system means i. to restrict
to
classroom activities.
ii. to focus on academic development.
iii.to ignore 360 degree activity.
iv.to focus on overall
development.
c. Co- Curricular activities
that
take place outside the classroom
do not
help in i. teamwork and co-ordination.
ii. mental and
social
growth. iii. intellectual development.
iv. character building.
d. Guest speakers talk about
i. all round development.
ii. their
real
life experiences.
iii. what is in
text books. iv. gaining exposure.
e. Classroom teaching provides
i. practical
exposure
ii. opportunities to implement what is learnt in
classroom iii. chance to learn soft skills
iv. the foundation
f. Life beyond academics facilitates i. organizational functions
ii. creativity
iii. professional fields
iv. industrial visits
1.2 Answer the following
questions briefly :
a. From earlier times what has not
been the focus of education?
b. Where should students go for aesthetic development?
1x5=5
1x5=5
c. What kind of co- curricular activities have become points of focus today?
d. What will give
children a better insight
into industry?
e. Why are
soft
skills difficult to teach in the classroom?
1.3 Pick out
the words/phrases from the passage which
are similar
in meaning
to the following:
i. untrue (Para 1)
ii. cooperative effort (Para
3)
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1x2=2
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2.
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Read the
passage given
below:
BALANCING THE
SCALES
Artificial intelligence
(AI) is making a difference to
how legal work is done, but it isn’t
the threat it is made out to be. AI is making impressive progress
and shaking up things all
over the world
today. The assumption that advancements in technology and artificial intelligence will render any profession defunct is just that, an assumption and
a false one.
The only purpose this assumption
serves is creating mass panic and
hostility towards embracing technology that is meant
to
make our
lives easier.
Let us understand what this means explicitly for the legal world.
The
ambit of AI
includes recognizing human speech and objects, making decisions based on data,
and translating languages. Tasks that can be defined as ‘search-and-find’ type can
be performed by AI.
Introducing AI
to this profession will
primarily be for the
purpose of automating
mundane,
tedious tasks that require
negligible human intelligence.
The
kind of
artificial intelligence
that is
employed by industries in
the current scene, when extended to
law
will enable quicker
services
at
a
lower
price.
AI
is meant to
automate a number of tasks that take up precious working hours lawyers could be devoting to tasks that require discerning, empathy, and trust-
qualities that cannot be
replicated by even the most sophisticated form of AI. The legal profession is one of
the oldest professions in the world.
Thriving over a 1000 years; trust,
judgement, and diligence are the pillars
of this profession. The most important pillar is the
relationship
of trust between a lawyer and
clients, which can only
be achieved through
human connection
and interaction.
While artificial intelligence can be useful in scanning
and organizing documents pertaining to a case, it cannot perform higher-level tasks such as sharp decision-
making, relationship-building with valuable clients and writing legal briefs, advising
clients, and appearing in court. These are over and above the realm of
computerization.
The smooth proceeding of a case is not possible without sound legal research. While presenting cases lawyers need
to
assimilate information in the form of legal research
by referring to a
number of relevant cases to
find those
that will favour their client’s motion. Lawyers
are even required to thoroughly know the opposing
stand
and supporting legal
arguments they can expect to prepare a watertight defense strategy.
AI, software that operates on natural language enables electronic discovery of
information relevant to a case, contract reviews, and automation generation of legal
documents.
AI utilizes big-data analytics which enables visualization of case data. It also allows
for creation of a
map of the cases which were cited in previous cases and
their
resulting verdicts, as per the website Towards Data Science. The probability of a
positive outcome
of a case can be predicted by leveraging predictive analytics with
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3
machine learning. This is advantageous to firms as they can determine the return on
investment in
litigation and
whether
an
agreement or arbitration
should
be
considered.
(484 Words)
(a) On the basis of your understanding of the
above passage, make notes on it
using headings and
sub-headings. Use
recognizable
abbreviations (wherever necessary-minimum four) and a format you consider
suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it.
(b) Write a summary of the
passage in about 80 words.
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4
4
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SECTION : B
WRITING SKILLS
: 30 Marks
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3.
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Your institute, Golden Care Hospital, has decided to organise
an ‘Organ Donation
Camp’ to generate awareness
about the cause. Draft a Poster giving all the necessary details. (50 words)
OR
Your school is planning to organise a talk on
the ‘Importance of Promoting Art
Education’ at all levels. You plan to invite The Director, Delhi School of Art, as a Key Note Speaker. As CCA Coordinator of Vidya Mandir Vidyalaya, draft an invite for the
same giving all the necessary details.
(50words)
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4
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4.
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You feel that India will face a severe water crisis by the year 2020. Write a letter to
the Editor of The
National Daily expressing your concern
about it and requesting
individuals
and authorities
to take
steps to
avert
this
crisis. You
are Shalini/
Shaheen. (120-150
words)
OR
Your school has decided to add a few books to the library. The school wants to
encourage reading habit amongst students. As the Librarian of the Venkateshwar International school place an
order with
Pearl Publishers
for books for all age levels.
Give all
necessary details.
(120-150 words)
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6
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5.
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Taking selfies has become
a rage and is a global phenomenon.
It has cost us
several lives and also immortalised
several moments. Write an article
for a National Daily on
the trend of taking selfies and its impact on people. You are Aditi/ Aditya.
(150-200
words)
OR
A massive fire
due to short
circuit gutted 50 odd shops in
the congested area of
SadarBazar in Delhi
leading to loss of life and
property. As a reporter with The
Tribune write the report for the newspaper.(150-200
words)
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10
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6.
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Several Environment Activists have
recently stopped
several development projects
due to their
impact on the
environment. Progress
will naturally result in
some
destruction and harm. As Geeta/ Girish write a Speech to be given in
the
assembly
on how both might be possible.
(150-200 words)
OR
'Aggression and sledging
are an essential part of Sports.'Write a debate in
150-
200 words either for or against the motion. You are Shivam/Shivani.
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10
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4
SECTION: C
(LITERATURE: TEXT BOOKS)
(Marks : 30)
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7.
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Read
the extract given below and briefly answer the questions that follow each:
a. The
little old house was out with a little new shed,
In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,
A roadside stand that too pathetically pled..
1. Why had a
new shed been put up?
2. Which traffic is referred
to
here?
3. Why is the stand’s existence said to be ‘pathetic?
4. '..That too pathetically pled' .Name the figure of speech used.
b. I laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to
me?" It fled and I swam on.
1.Who is 'I' here? Who
is being addressed to as Mr. Terror?
2.Why has Mr. Terror been addressed so?
3 Why did the narrator laugh?.
4.Why did Mr. Terror leave?
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1x4=4
1x4=4
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8.
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Answer any five of the following
questions in 30 -40 words each:
a. Who did M. Hamel
blame when Franz was unable to answer a question on
French participles?
b. Why does Anees Jung say that the bangle makers are caught in
a vicious
web?
c. What was
the
content of the letter written by the peddler to Edla?
d. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?
e. How did 'The World' help Charley to confirm his doubts regarding the existence of a third level?
f. How did the woodland creatures react
to
the skunk’s new
smell?
g. What happened on the seventh day after Dr Sadao had typed the letter?
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2x5=
10
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9.
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Answer the following question in 120-150 words:
How did Gandhiji
succeed in getting justice for the Indigo sharecroppers?
OR
Author has used gentle and subtle
humour to
point out human foibles
and idiosyncrasies in
the lesson ' Poets and
Pancakes'. Elucidate.
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6
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10.
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Answer the following question in 120-150 words:
Compare and
contrast the
characters of Mr. Lamb and
Derry.
OR
How did the mistakes
committed by the prison authorities help
Evans in escaping
from
the prison?
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6
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5
