AHSEC – Class 12 Question Paper: Alternative English’ 2016

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2016
ALTERNATIVE ENGLISH
Full Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 30
Time: Three Hours.
The figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions.
GROUP – A
(VIBGYOR)
(NEW SYLLABUS)

1. Answer any five of the following: 1×5=5
  1. For how long had the Verger been working at St. Peter’s?
  2. Where has the new vicar come from?
  3. What name does R. K. Narayan propose for his most ambitious work?
  4. What does R. K. Narayan lack and yet does not regret?
  5. Whose voice does Mriganko Babu recognize in the voice of the Scarecrow?
  6. Where does Mriganko Babu’s driver go to fetch petrol?
  7. How much money had Della managed to save for Jim’s present?
  8. What was the full name of Jim?
  9. What is the name of the philosopher mentioned by the person sitting at the table next to Robert Lynd’s at the lounge of the hotel?
  10. To whom does Lynd compare himself in his eagerness in desiring wisdom?
2. Answer any five of the following: 2×5=10
  1. How did the Verger regard his official dress?
  2. What business did Albert Edward Foreman set up and where?
  3. What is R. K. Narayan’s philosophy that leaves his indifferent to a hike in the price of petrol?
  4. What are the things that Narayan values and what cause these to be lost?
  5. Where had Mrigankoshekhar Mukhopadhyay been invited and why?
  6. Why was Mriganko Babu terrified?
  7. What were the prized possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs?
  8. What does Della expect Jim to say when he returns and sees her?
  9. What does Lynd expect philosophers to do?
  10. Why was the stealing of the lamp unprofitable to the thief?
3. Answer any three of the following: 4×3=12
  1. Why was the bank manager in Mangham’s tale surprised? Why did it seem the most extraordinary thing he had ever heard?
  2. Why is the acquisition of a sophisticated imported car “an irrelevancy and a nuisance” for Narayan?
  3. What did Mriganko Babu do on reaching home and why?
  4. Why did Jim say their presents were “too nice to use just at present”?
  5. In spite of not being any wiser, does Lynd lose faith in books? What does he still believe?
4. Explain with reference to the context any two of the following: 4×2=8


  1. “The last vicar knew that, sir,” he replied. “He said it didn’t make no difference. He always said there was a great deal to much education in the world for’ is taste.”
  2. I began to fear that at his rate (I was obliged to visit the workshop every other week to shed my savings). I should soon reach the brink of bankruptcy effortlessly.
  3. So Della did it. Which instigates the reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating?
  4. Certainly, I do not think of telling myself, “ This waiter is my kinsman, he is the offspring of Zens.” Besides, even if he were, why should the offspring of Zens wait so badly?
5. Answer any five of the following: 1×5=5
  1. Who is recounting the tale of Sita in Toru Dutt’s Poem?
  2. Who is the ‘poet-anchorite’ referred to in the poem ‘Sita’?
  3. Who is the ‘I’ in the poem ‘The Brook’?
  4. Who does the brook rush down to join?
  5. Whom did the narrator of ‘Ozymandias of Egypt’ meet?
  6. What is a sonnet?
  7. What season is referred to in the poem ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’?
  8. Where did the knight meet the lady?
  9. Who is the ‘Thou’ in the poem ‘Village Song’?
  10. What is the name of the river mentioned in the poem ‘Village Song’?
6. Answer any four of the following: 2×4=8
  1. Whose are the heads that are bowed in sorrow in the poem ‘Sita’?
  2. What are the fishes that inhabit the brook?
  3. What was inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Ozymandias?
  4. Who did the knight see in his dream?
  5. What are the things that the speaker in ‘Village Song’ is afraid of?
7. Answer any three of the following: 4×3=12
  1. Describe the dwelling of the poet-anchorite in ‘Sita’.
  2. What is the refrain in the poem, ‘The Brook’? Bring out the profundity in it.
  3. What do the words on the pedestal of the statue of Ozymandias imply?
  4. Describe the experience of the knight in ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’.

  5. What is implied by the words, “Unless Thou succour my footsteps and guide me, Ram re Ram! I shall die” , in ‘Village Songs’?
8. Explain with reference to the context any one of the following: 5×1=5
  1. ‘Tis hushed at last
And melts the picture from their sight away,
Yet shall they dream on it until the day!

  1. Nothing besides remains, round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away,

  1. I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.
GROUP – B
(VIBGYOR & EFFUSION)
(NEW & OLD SYLLABUS)

9. Change any five of the following sentences as per the directions given in the brackets without changing the meaning: 1×5=5
  1. Who does not know that the sun rises in the east? (Change into affirmative)
  2. I will always remember the horror of the floods. (Change into negative)
  3. There is no cloud without a silver lining. (Change into affirmative)
  4. This is not the correct way of answering the question. (Change into interrogative)
  5. He will do the work all by himself. (Change into interrogative)
  6. One can never forget a good friend. (Change into interrogative)
  7. Only authorized personnel may enter through these gates. (Change into negative)
  8. Are all of them going for the movie? (Change into affirmative)
10. Add tag questions to any five of the following: 1×5=5
  1. You are very intelligent, _____.
  2. He can finish the assignment by tomorrow, _____.
  3. It is very cold today, _____.
  4. All students must wear their uniform, _____.
  5. He hopes to win the competition, _____.
  6. We will all go for a picnic, _____.
  7. The little white dog is wearing a red collar, _____.

  8. She is very stylish, _____.
11. Fill in the blanks of any five of the sentences given below with suitable prepositions: 1×5=5
  1. The cat has licked the cream _____ the jug.
  2. My house is _____ the side of the post office.
  3. The bird _____ that tree is a painted stork.
  4. The dog dived _____ the bed at the sound of the Diwali crackers.
  5. Aditya dived from the spring board _____ the pool,
  6. You must never hop _____ a moving train.
  7. All the time, while dad fussed around, the pen was _____ his pocket.
  8. The children laughed in glee to see the monkey’s _____ their cage.
12. Rewrite any five of the following sentences using the verbs given in brackets in their correct forms:    1×5=5
  1. They ____ (start) early to reach the root bridge before dark.
  2. The children ____ (chatter) nineteen to the dozen when the teacher entered.
  3. Rupam ____(leave) for the football match long before Partha arrived.
  4. They ____ (plan) to go for the concert when Neel strode in.
  5. Rahul ____ (learn) to play the guitar, isn’t he?
  6. She ____ (watch) the T.V. too much for her own good.
  7. Papon ____ (sing) folk songs very beautifully.
  8. MLTR ____ (perform) in Shilpagram last December.
13. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Manali, the very name of the place evokes a strange mountain mystique, stirring the spirit of adventure even in the most laid back traveler. The view of the snow clad peaks in and around Manali, at the height of over 7,000 feet above sea level is like a journey into the heavens. Mountain peaks and ridges stand out in bold relief against the skyline.
As for tourists, whether domestic or foreign, travel to Manali and its surrounding areas is an unforgettable experience. Deep purple crevices over sheer cliffs reach down towards the valley. Silver streaks of water glistening in the clear sunlight cascade down the perpendicular slopes. The pinewood trees flank the sides of sheltered ravines and ascend in irregular, un spoilt and undulating formation towards rock crowned crests.
Manali derives its name from “Manavalaya” i.e. the abode of ‘Manu’. The words ‘Manav’ and ‘Manushya’ are derived from the root word ‘Manu’. ‘Manu’ was the only survivor of the ‘Mahapralaya’ – the great flood –  and is supposed to have fathered the human race. A visit to the temple of Manu is a must. It is the only shrine in the country dedicated to the great Manu Rishi.
Manali, apart from tourists who are in for a good holiday, beckons the adventure lovers in large numbers each year. In the lap of these mountains, one can be sure to achieve what he or she is looking for, whether it be mountaineering, rock climbing, white water rafting, skiing, heliskiing, high altitude jeep safari and bicycling, paragliding, hiking or trekking,. With all the basic amenities available in Manali, it is the right base camp for any activity.
  1. What does the name ‘Manali’ evoke? 2
  2. How high are the peaks at Manali? 1
  3. What trees grow on the sides of ravines? 1
  4. From what does Manali derive its name? What does it mean? What is the legend behind the name?   1+2+3
  5. What activities does Manali have for adventure seekers? 5

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