ENGLISH – CORE SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER CLASS XII TERM 2

SECTION A – READING (14 marks)

1. Read the passage given below.

I saw ‘Jaws’, the popular shark movie, the summer it came out, in 1975 and became paranoid about sharks. Though I kept swimming after Jaws, it was always with the vague fear that a shark’s teeth could tug on my leg at any moment. Never mind that there’d been only two shark bites since 1900 on the Connecticut coast, where I lived.

So, when I got this assignment for the National Geographic magazine, I decided to accept and do what I’d never wanted to do: swim with the sharks. I had to go to a place in the Bahamas known as Tiger Beach and dive with tiger sharks, the species responsible for more recorded attacks on humans than any shark except the great white. It was to be my first dive after getting certified—which meant it would be my first dive anywhere
other than a swimming pool or a quarry—and without a diver’s cage. Most people who got wind of this plan thought I was either very brave or very stupid.

But I just wanted to puncture an illusion. The people who know sharks intimately tend to be the least afraid of them, and no one gets closer to sharks than divers. The divers who run operations at Tiger Beach speak lovingly of the tiger sharks the way people talk about their children or their pets. In their eyes, these sharks aren’t man-eaters any more than dogs are.

The business of puncturing illusions is never just black and white. My fellow divers had hundreds of dives under their belt and on the two-hour boat ride to the site in the morning of our first dive, they kept saying things like, “Seriously, I really can’t believe this is your first dive.” All this was okay with me until I reached the bottom and immediately had to fend off the first tiger shark, I had ever laid eyes on. However, when I watched the other divers feeding them fish and steering them gently, it became easy to see the sharks
in a very benign light.

I think it would be unfair not to mention that though tiger sharks are apex predators. They act as a crucial balancing force in ocean ecosystems, constraining the numbers of animals like sea turtles and limit their behaviour by preventing them from overgrazing the sea grass beds. Furthermore, tiger sharks love warm water, they eat almost anything, have
a huge litter and are the hardiest shark species. If the planet and its oceans continue to warm, some species will be winners and others will be losers, and tiger sharks are likely to be winners.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY EIGHT questions from the
nine given below.

i Cite a point in evidence, from the text, to suggest that the writer’s post-Jaws fear was not justified.

Ans: Not justified as stated in the text that there were only 2 shark attacks reported in 75 years i.e., from 1900 – 1975, so it was highly unlikely that he had anything to fear.

ii State any one trait of the writer that is evident from lines 5-10 and provide a reason for your choice.

Ans : Adventurous/ Courageous/ Bold/ Experimental
Because he feared the tiger sharks/ was aware of the fact that they were dangerous, yet accepted, as his very first assignment, that required him to face them.

iii People thought the writer was ‘either brave or very stupid’. Why did some people think that he was ‘very stupid’?

Ans: because he was risking his life and could be bitten by the sharks as other people were/ side-lined the popular notion that tiger sharks are dangerous/ did not pay due attention to the fact that he was walking into obvious danger without the required expertise

iv Why does the writer say that people who know sharks intimately tend to be least afraid of them?

Ans : because they find the sharks to be harmless/ as docile as pets—the sharks feed on the food they offer and seem as docile as pets

v Rewrite the given sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with another one,from lines 10 – 20.
Some academicians think that reward, as a form of discipline, is a simple right or wrong issue.

Ans: Some academicians think that reward, as a form of discipline, is a simple black and white issue.

vi What does the use of the phrase ‘benign light’ suggest in the context of the writer’s viewpoint about the tiger sharks?

Ans: What does the use of the phrase ‘benign light’ suggest in the context of the writer’s viewpoint about the tiger sharks?

vii Select a suitable phrase from lines 15-25 to complete the following sentence appropriately.
I agree the team will find this experience tough, but competing will be easier next time after they get this tournament __________________________.

Ans : Select a suitable phrase from lines 15-25 to complete the following sentence
appropriately.
I agree the team will find this experience tough, but competing will be easier next
time after they get this tournament __________________________.

viii Apex predators serve to keep prey numbers in check. How can we say that tiger sharks are apex predators?

Ans : Apex predators serve to keep prey numbers in check. How can we say that tiger sharks are apex predators?

ix Analyse why having a large litter is one of the features that empowers tiger sharks to emerge winners if global warming persists.

Ans :Analyse why having a large litter is one of the features that empowers tiger sharks to emerge winners if global warming persists.

2. Read the passage given below.

Changing food preferences have brought about rapid changes in the structure of the Indian diet. The rapid proliferation of multinational fastfood companies and the influence of Western culture have replaced traditional home-cooked meals with ready-to-eat, processed foods thus increasing the risk of chronic diseases in urban Indians. Therefore, nurturing
healthy eating habits among Indians from an early age would help to reduce health risks.

To date, little is known about the quality and quantity of foods and beverages consumed by urban Indian adolescents. This lack of evidence is a significant barrier to the development of effective nutrition promotion and disease prevention measures.

Therefore, a self-administered, semi-quantitative, 59-item meal-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed to assess the dietary intake of adolescents. A total of 1026 students (aged 14–16 years) attending private, English-speaking schools in Kolkata completed the survey.

A sample percentage of the food consumption pattern is displayed (Fig. 1)

The survey results report poor food consumption patterns and highlights the need to design healthy eating initiatives. Interestingly, while there were no gender differences in the consumption of legumes and fried snacks, the survey found more females consumed cereals, vegetables and fruits than their male counterparts.

In conclusion, the report suggested that schools ought to incorporate food literacy concepts into their curriculum as they have the potential of increasing the fruit and vegetable intake in teenagers. Additionally, healthy school canteen policies with improved availability, accessibility, variety and affordability of healthy food choices would support the consumption of nutritious food in students.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY SIX out of the seven
questions given below.

i. What does the researcher mean by ‘changing food preferences’?

Ans: Urban population’s transition from healthy home-cooked meals to ready-to-eat-processed foods

ii. Why was this survey on the food consumption of adolescents undertaken?

Ans : ▪ understand the food consumption pattern of urban adolescents and
▪ make recommendations based on the data.

iii. With reference to fig.1, write one conclusion about students’ consumption of energy-dense drinks.

Ans : Close to 47% drink three or more servings of energy dense beverages while a mere 5% said ‘no’ to more than one serving of the beverage.

FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED CANDIDATES
What do you understand by the term food frequency, as stated in lines 12-13?

Ans :Refers to the rate of intake of food and beverages (drinks) consumed over a specified period of time. It could even refer to portion size.

iv. What can be concluded by the ‘no intake’ data of fruit consumption versus energy dense snacks, with reference to fig.1?

Ans: Nearly half the respondents (45%) did not consume any servings of fruit in contrast to 95% that had some form of energy dense snack.

FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED CANDIDATES

Comment on the significance of incorporating food literacy concepts into student curriculum.

Ans : It is important because reading about the advantages of a healthy diet would assist an increased intake of fruits and vegetables in teenagers

v. There were no gender differences observed in the consumption of healthy foods, according to the survey. Substantiate.

Ans :Females had more nutritious dietary intake as they consumed more cereals, vegetables and fruits compared to their male counterparts.

vi. Why is ‘affordability’ recommended as a significant feature of a school canteen policy?

Ans :The consumers are school children and therefore food should be affordable

vii. Identify a word from lines 9 – 18 indicating that the questionnaire was specifically designed to be completed by a respondent without the intervention of the researcher collecting the data.

SECTION B – WRITING

3. You are Natasha, residing in Pune. Your cousin, from the same city is hosting your grandmother’s eightieth birth anniversary and has extended an invite to you. He has
also requested your assistance for arrangements needed. Draft a reply of acceptance, in not more than 50 words.

• Reference to invitation
• Acceptance of invitation
• Confirmation of date, time and venue
• Comment on extending assistance

4. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
A. You are Shantanu, residing at Ghar B-94, Balimela Road, Malkangiri. You come across the following classified advertisement in a local daily. Write a letter, in about 120-150 words, applying for the position of a volunteer for the Each One Teach One campaign.

• Covering Letter
• Reference to the advertisement
• Conveying suitability for the position
• Submission of application
• Resume / Bio data as separate enclosure
• Profile of self
• Educational Qualifications
• Any other relevant information

OR

B. The efforts of 400 volunteers working with the NGO, 4Literacy, in the district of Malkangiri, Odisha, was lauded by the District Collector, Shri V. Singh (IAS). As a staff
reporter of ‘The Odisha Bhaskar’, write a report about this in 120-150 words covering all the details of the event, such as training, teaching and infrastructure involved in the ‘Each One Teach One’ campaign, initiated by the district administration in association with the NGO.

• what – the efforts of 400 volunteers in the Each One Teach One campaign lauded by the District Collector
• who were taught and what was taught
• when & where
• details of the volunteer work
• training received by the volunteers by the NGO and district administration
• the infrastructure – classrooms, blackboard etc.
• Any other valid relevant information

SECTION C – LITERATURE

5. Attempt ANY FIVE of the six questions given below, within 40 words each.

i. A mistaken identity led to a discovery of a new one for the rattrap peddler. How did this impact him?’
Ans: • Gave him the power to clear his conscience
• Brought out his latent goodness
• Lent him conviction to become a better human/ a
chance at elevating himself from being a thief
• Allowed him the opportunity to behave in a
dignified manner befitting that of a Captain

ii. As the host of a talk show, introduce Rajkumar Shukla to the audience by stating any two of his defining qualities. You may begin your answer like this: Meet Rajkumar Shukla, the man who played a pivotal role in the Champaran Movement. He ……
Ans :• Determined/ Resolute
• Persevering
• Dedicated
• Any other valid quality

iii. Adrienne Rich chose to express her silent revolt through her poem, Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, just as Aunt Jennifer did with her embroidery. Explain.

Ans: Adrienne Rich, through her poem, criticizes the traditional institution of marriage, in her times, suggesting that it oppresses women. Similarly, Aunt Jennifer, a victim of an unhappy marriage, under a domineering husband, chooses embroidery to vent her angst.
Both use their creative outlet as a form of protest against societal expectations.

iv. Rationalize why Keats uses the metaphor ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’ in his poem, A Thing of Beauty.

Ans: • Things of beauty are just like the immortal drink of the gods that flow continuously and never die
• Just as the endless fountain of immortality is an elixir of life, similarly things of beauty are constant/ perennial in providing everlasting joy/ motivation/bliss

v. How do you think Derry’s mother contributes to his sense of alienation and isolation? (On the Face of It)

Ans : • Mother is overprotective and doesn’t understand her son’s longing for companionship.
• She treats him with a sense of pity and robs him of his dignity by perpetually treating him like a helples victim

vi. Validate John Updike’s open-ended title, ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy?’

Ans : The story title is a question that suggests agreeing with Jo, who believes in justice for the skunk, or the father, who believes that mothers cannot err. Both seem right.
The author leaves it open-ended for the reader to allow flexibility and creative insight
(any other valid purpose)

6. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120-150 words each.

i. How does Keats’ poem, A Thing of Beauty appeal richly to the senses, stimulating the reader’s inner sight as well as the sense of touch and smell? Write your answer in about 120-150 words.

Ans : Introduction
Keats’ descriptions allow for a deeper perception of the imaginary, converting it into a life-like experience stimulating the reader’s inner sight as well as the sense of touch and smell. Justification (any 2-3)
• Keats establishes this with powerful imagery and word play
• The cooling comfort of the bower, dancing daffodils in its green environs, the babbling stream and the midforest brake with the musk rose blooms evoke our imagination, sense of hearing, touch and smell.
• The stories of mighty and the doom that befalls them appeals to our intellect
• The endless fountain may be an allusion of the fountain of youth however it has a sublimating effect on the reader.
• Keats poetic descriptions presents beauty that appeals to our senses and gives delight.

ii. Colin Dexter, the author of Evans Tries an O-level employs the red herring technique of intentionally misleading readers by placing false clues to keep the plot enigmatic. Substantiate with reference to text, in about 120-150 words.

Ans: Introduction
The stage is set – a maximum security prison and a kleptomaniac with a record of breaking out of prison Analysis (any 3-4)
• Evans’ grubby appearance, jovial manner and friendly banter distracts from sharp intelligence and extraordinary talent for deception
• The silly but filthy looking bobble hat (a knit beanie with a pom-pom on top) distracts, giving readers the appearance of a comical character
• ‘Number two Handkerchief’ neatly placed on the bed, where’s number one?
• The first mention of Reverend Stuart McLeery exiting his bachelor flat in Broad Street.
• Mention of the nail file and then reference to McLeery’s meticulously manicured fingers
• Illusion of Mc Leery having grown thinner and then ‘Mc Leery’ slumped in a chair
• Clues in the question paper, a chase all over town

iii. Biographies include features of non-fiction texts – factual information and different text structures such as description, sequence, comparison, cause and effect, or
problem and solution. Examine Indigo in the light of this statement, in about 120-150 words.

Ans: Introduction
Focus on Indigo being an excerpt of a biography and thus having features of fiction as well as non-fiction texts.

Examination
Substantiation to support the point that it includes—
• Factual information (any 2)
• Text structures (examples of any 2 different features)
✓ explanation;
✓ content recorded in order of occurrence;
✓ points of comparison between people;
✓ action and impact;
✓ problem-solution/ conflIct resolution
(The learner is expected to elaborate on both aspects—factual information + text structure)