AHSEC – Class 12 | English Solved Question Paper -2016

On the basis of your reading of passage answer the following questions: (See paper 2014, Q.NO 1)

a) What did Gandhi eat in his last meal? 2

b) Who were the persons present when Gandhi ate his last meal? 2

c) What was the problem that had been dropped into Gandhi’s lap? 2

d) Why did Abha show Gandhi the nickel-plated watch? 2

e) Who were the timekeepers of Gandhi? 1

f) What is the cattle fare referred to? 1

ENCLOSURE:

1. Testimonials

2. Bio- data

BIO-DATA

SKILLS:

– Excellent written and verbal communication skills

– Working knowledge of Tally, Excel, MS-Word.

Achievements:

– Games secretary of Tinsukia college student Union(2014-2015)

– Winner of Inter –college Debate Competiton (2014-2015)

Hobby: Interacting with people, reading books, cricket etc.

Language Known: Hindi, English, Bengali, Assamese.

5. Change the form of narration in the following sentences: 2×2=4

a) “How long do you have to wait for your train?” the woman asked me. “About an hour,” I replied.

Ans: The woman asked me how long she had to wait for your train. I replied that she had to wait about an hours.

b) I asked Ranjan where Neena lived. Ranjan replied regretfully that he didn’t know.

ANS: I said to Ranjan,” where does Neena live?’’. Ranjan replied,’’ sorry! I don’t know’’.

6. Change the voice of any three of the following sentences: 3×1=3

a) She handed me the letter. Ans: A letter was handed to me by her.

b) They laughed at us. Ans: we were laughed at by them

c) The stranger made an attempt to break into the house.

Ans: An attempt was made by the stranger to break into the house.

d) The student was told to leave the room. Ans: The teacher told the student to leave the room.

e) Have they done the work? Ans: Has the work been done by them?

7. Rewrite any five of the following sentences using the verbs given in brackets in their correct tense forms: 5×1=5

a) We ……………….. (do) our lessons when the lights went out. Ans: were doing

b) I usually ……………. (go) to bed at 11 o’clock. Ans: go

c) All the answers to the questions ……………… (be) wrong. Ans: are

d) He ……………. (sit) in the library when I saw him. Ans: was sitting

e) Your letter ……………… (reach) me yesterday. Ans: reached

f) I ………………. (wait) for you since morning. Ans: have been waiting

g) Football ……………….. (play) everywhere in the world. Ans: is played

8. Rewrite any four of the following sentences filling in the blanks with the appropriate prepositions: 4×1=4

a) The train arrived ……………………. the platform a minute ago. Ans: at

b) The children were looking forward …………………. Their visit to Kaziranga. Ans: to

c) I have to finish this report ………………… tonight. Ans: by

d) The girl standing ……………………. The two boys is their sister. Ans: between

e) Douglas jumped …………………. The swimming pool. Ans: into

f) The office is closed ……………………. Second and fourth Saturdays. Ans: On

9. Rewrite any four of the sentences as directed: 4×1=4

a) No other boxer is as great as Mary Kom. (Change into comparative degree)

Ans: mary kon is greater than any other boxer.

b) None but Anita can do the sum. (Change into affirmative)

Ans: only Anita can do the sum

c) Everybody must admit that Tendulkar is a great cricketer. (Change into negative)

Ans: Nobody can deny that Tendulkar is a great cricketer

d) I know his name. (Change into a complex sentence)

Ans: I know what his name is.

e) He hoped that he would win the prize. (Change into a simple sentence)

Ans: Hopefully he would win the prize.

f) Is it not a foolish idea? (Transform into a statement)

Ans: It is a wise Idea.

                                                                        SECTION- D

10. Read one of the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:

a) “Now we will count to twelve

And we will all keep still.

for once on the face of the Earth

let’s not speak in any language,

let’s stop for one second,

And not move our arms so much.”

Questions:

i. How long does the poet want to stay still? 1

Ans: The poet wants to stay still till he counts to twelve.

ii. Why does he ask us to keep still and not use any language? 2

Ans: The poet ask us to keep still and not use any language because this will provide necessary respite from rush and hurry.People of this world indulge in unnecessary debates and disputes. The poet urges them to stop speaking in any language. They should speak through their hearts.

iii. What does the poet mean by ‘not move our arms so much’? 1

Ans: By ‘not move our arms so much’ the asks us to stop fighting and quarreling among ourselves.

Or /

b) “A thing of beauty is a joy forever:

Its loveliness increases, it will never

Pass into nothingness; but will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.”

Questions:

i. Who is the poet of these lines and what is the title of the poem? 2

Ans: John Keats is the poet of these lines and the title of the poem is ‘A Thing Of Beauty’

ii. Why is a thing of beauty a joy forever? 1

Ans: John Keats, a great Romantic poet, considers that a thing of beauty is a joy forever. It is a constant source of happiness and pleasure. Its loveliness increases every moment. A thing of beauty is never devalued. It never passes into nothingness.

iii. What is a bower? 1

Ans: A bower is the shady place under a tree.

11. Answer any three of the following questions in 30-40 words: 3×2=6

a) Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

Ans: Sprinting trees and merry children coming out from the doors suggest fresh life and warm energy. The poet has used this imagery to bring out the contrast between children, who are energetic and full of life, and her mother, who is old, pale and lifeless.

b) What is the exotic moment the poet Pablo Neruda wishes for?

Ans: The poet refers to the moment of stillness and quietness as an exotic moment because it will initiate peace and brotherhood. In this moment a bliss of extra-ordinary calmness would prevail on the whole earth.

b) Name the things of nature that are constant sources of beauty.

Ans: Every little or big thing of nature is a thing of beauty and a source of pleasure such as the sun, the moon, trees old and young, daffodil flowers, small streams with clear water, mass of ferns and blooming musk-roses.

c) What is the message that John Keats wants to give through ‘A Thing of Beauty’?

Ans: The very first line of the poem conveys the message of the poet. John Keats was a worshipper of beauty. The message that the poem conveys is that a thing of beauty gives us endless joy. It helps us to come out of sadness and hopelessness. The memory of such a thing is a source of everlasting happiness.

d) ‘Of all the thousand selfish cars’ some stop there but not for buying something. Why do they stop there at all?

Ans: Generally the cars, passing through the highways does not stop at the roadside stand. If any car stop there, it is only to use the yard to back and to turn round the car. Sometime cars stop only to ask their way ahead or to ask for a gallon gas (petrol)

e) Who will soothe the rural poor out of their wits and how?

Ans: The greedy people will be the good-doers. They will dominate the lives of the poor rural folk.They will cunningly try to exploit them. These people are crueler than the beasts of prey.They only want to earn huge profits for themselves by exploiting the poor and innocent people. They will sleep comfortably in their beds all day but ‘prevent the poor’ from sleeping peacefully.

12. Answer any five of the following questions: 5×1=5

a) What did Franz think ‘for a moment’?

Ans: For a moment Franz thought of running away and spending the glorious day outdoors in a more pleasurable manner.

b) What does Saheb look for in the garbage dumps?

Ans: Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. Sometimes he finds a rupee, even a ten rupee note. If luck favours, he can find a silver coin too.

c) Where has Saheb come from?

Ans: Saheb has come from Dhaka in Bangladesh

d) What position did John Rowntree hold before leaving Shillong a few days after independence?

Ans: Senior Conservator of forest of Assam.

e) Who was Rajkumar Shukla?

Ans: Rajkumar Shukla was a poor sharecropper of champaran district.

f) What was Gandhi’s politics intertwined with?

Ans: Gandhi’s politics intertwined with the pratical day to day problem of the millions.

g) For whom does Sophie ask Danny Casey an autograph?

Ans: Sophie asks Danny Casey an autograph for Derek.

h) How was Geoff employed?

Ans: Geoff was employed as apprentice mechanic.

13. Answer any five of the following questions in 30-40 words: 5×2=10

a) Why did Franz want to spend his day out of doors?

Ans: Franz feared a scolding at school as he had not prepared his lesson on participles, on which his French teacher M Hamel was to question the class that day. Besides, the warm and bright weather, the chirping of birds and the sight of the marching of Prussian soldiers also tempted Franz to stay away from school.

b) What are M. Hamel’s views about the French language?

Ans: M. Hamel loved his native language very much. He understood the beauty and importance of his language. M Hamel praised the French language, calling it the most beautiful, the clearest, and the most logical language in the world. He asked them to guard or preserve their language among themselves and never forget or lose it.

c) What is the irony inherent in Saheb’s full name?

Ans: Saheb was a ragpicker of Seemapuri. His full name was ‘Saheb-E-Alam’, which means lord of the universe. The irony lies in the meaning of his name itself. According to his name, he should be a king and enjoy all the luxuries of life. But unfortunately, he is a barefoot rag picker, who lacks even the basic necessities.

d) Why do the your inhabitants of Firozabad end up losing their eye-sight?

Ans: : The young boys and girls of Firozabad work with their fathers and mothers. They have flickering oil lamb in front of them. They weld pieces of glass in bangles. Their eyes get more used to dark than to the light outside. Many of them lose their eyesight before they become adult.

b) Give a brief description of Peacock Island.

Ans: Peacock island was located in the middle of river Brahmaputra.When viewed from Rowntree’s bungalow on the other bank, it offered a splendid view with the dome of a Hindu Temple just visible through the trees. The author said jockingly that he never discovered peacocks but only monkeys on the island.

c) Why was the Champaran episode so significant in Gandhi’s life?

Ans: The Champaran episode was really very significant in Gandhi’s life. It was an effort to remove the distress(कष्ट) of poor peasants. The success of Champaran justified Gandhi’s ways and means. It gave a message. The Britishers who were dreaded and unquestioned could now be challenged by the Indians. The success of Champaran was the success of peaceful Civil Disobedience in modern India.

d) What was incongruous about the delicate bow which fastened the apron strings of Sophie’s mother?

Ans: Sophie’s mother was wearing an apron and its strings were fastened with a delicate bow(झुकना) which displayed the status of their family and the busy mother in managing the household. This also explains the character of Sophie, why she likes to lead a sophisticated life.

14. Answer any one of the following questions in 80-100 words: 1×5=5

a) Draw a character sketch of M. Hamel as it is shown in ‘The Last Lesson’.

Ans: M. Hamel was a French teacher. He had been serving in the school of Alsace for last forty years. He had great regard for his language. He became melancholic when the order had come from Berlin that in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine only German language will be taught because he felt that his students would be deprived of the right to learn their own mother tongue. On the last day of this school he wore his best dress which he wore only on inspection and prize days. Though he was strict and disciplinarian, still on the day of his last class he did not scold Franz for coming late and for failure to recite the rules of participles. He did not blame him rather he blamed himself and people of Alsace which showed his analytical outlook. M. Hamel was emotional too, his emotions were seen when he could not utter a single word as his voice choked. He just wrote on the black board” Vive la France” i.e. long live France and made gesture that the school was over. M. Hamel was a person who loved his motherland and his language. As per him French was the most logical and the most beautiful language in the world. He was a strong person. Though his heart was broken still he had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last. He was a man of discipline with love for his land and language.

Or /

b) Describe Rowntree’s experience of crossing a flooded river on horseback.

ANS: Once, the narrator crossed a flooded river on horseback. With difficulty, he persuaded his horse to plunge into the water, then slopped over his croup and hung on to his tail, which he was able to use as a rudder. When the narrator pushed the horse to the right, it veered to the left and when he pushed to the left, the horse veered to the right and in this way, eventually they made a safe landing on the other side of the river.

Or /

c) ‘The battle of Champaran is won,’ Gandhi exclaimed. Explain the context in which this was said.

ANS: The lawyers played a very vital role in the Champaran movement. The news of Gandhi’s advent spread among the lawyers of Muzaffarpur. They called on Gandhi to brief him. Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fees from the poor sharecroppers. Law courts were useless for them.

The lawyers from Bihar were again in the news. Gandhi was going to be tried in the court. Rajendra Prasad, and several other prominent lawyers had arrived from Bihar to support him. Gandhiji asked the lawyers what they would do if he was arrested. The lawyers first replied that they would return home, but when Gandhiji asked them for a solution about the injustice to the sharecroppers, they realised their mistake. They thought that when a total stranger was ready to go to jail for the poor peasants, their going home would be utterly shameful.

They decided to follow Gandhiji into jail. This made Gandhiji exclaim, “The battle of Champaran is won’, as he was happy to have convinced the lawyers and won their trust.

15. Answer any one of the following questions in 125-150 words: 1×7=7

Describe Tishani’s journey to the end of the earth – The Antarctic region, and his experience during that journey. (Not In syllabus now)

Or

‘Though both Mr. Lamb and Derry suffers from a physical disability their attitudes to life are different’. Justify the relevance of this statement with reference to the story of “On the Face of it”?

Ans: . Derry’s main problem is his burnt face. One side of his face was eaten up by acid. He suffers from a tremendous sense of inferiority complex. He is always conscious that his face is “bad”, “terrible” and “the ugliest thing”. People are “afraid” of him. He tries to escape people. He allows himself to be alienated from the world. On the other hand, Mr. Lamb doesn’t allow his physical disability to come in his way. He accepts life as it comes. He has a positive attitude towards life, things and people. He doesn’t find solace in escapism. Children tease him by calling “Lamey-Lamb” but he doesn’t mind it. One of his legs was blown off in the war. But he is full of life and enjoys it at his best. He enjoys sitting in the sun, reading books and growing weeds and flowers.

Derry is withdrawn and defiant. He doesn’t trust people. He is touchy and hyper-sensitive. Mr. Lamb is open-minded and open-hearted. All are welcome. He loves everybody and everything. He teaches derry how to handle people and things.

16. Answer any four of the following questions in 30-40 words: 4×2=8

a) What was Zitkala’s idea regarding short, shingled hair?

Ans: Zitkala Sa’s mother had taught her that shingled hair was worn by mourners, cowards, and unskilled warriors caught in war. She had a great deal of love for her traditions and her hair. For her the hair meant much closer to her culture. To save her identity, to uphold her civilization and pride so she fought against the attempts of the authorities to cut her hair.

b) What did Annan say about his community to the narrator?

Ans: Annan told the narrator that they belonged to a ‘low’ caste. The people of his community were not respected, honoured or given any importance. The members of their community can attain honour and dignity if they study and prosper. If they become learned, people will come to them of their own accord.

c) How has Antarctica remained relatively pristine? (Not In syllabus now)

d) What explanation was given by the chief astrologer to the query of the little Tiger King?

Ans: On knowing that his death would come from a tiger, the little tiger king asked the astrologer the manners of his death. The chief astrologer told him that because he was born in the hour of the bull and the bull and the tiger are enemies, the reason of his death would be a tiger.

e) Why aren’t there any curtains at the windows of Mr. Lamb’s house?

Ans: Mr. lamb loves outside world. He does not believe in shutting things out. He wants to feel the beauty of this world. He likes to hear the sound of wind blowing outside and the birds chirping outside. So he does not have curtains at his window. He also likes light and darkness.

f) Why and how did Derry enter Mr. Lamb’s garden?

Ans: Derry entered Mr. Lamb’s garden by walking slowly and cautiously through the long grass and round a screen of bushes and finally by climbing over the ground.

Derry entered Mr. Lamb’s garden with an intention to spend some time at an empty place. He thought it was an empty place.