Download CBSE Class 12 Board Exam Question Paper of English 2017
Time allowed 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
General Instructions
(i) This paper is divided into three sections: A, B and C.
All the sections are compulsory.
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and
question, wherever necessary. Read these instructions very carefully and follow
them faithfully.
(iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word Unlit while
answering the questions.
Section - A (Reading) 30
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions
that follow 12
1 We sit in
the last row, bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull
crossroads of the city, and we are soon in open countryside, with fields of
sunflowers as far as the eye can see, their heads all facing us. Where there is
no water, the land reverts to desert. While still on level ground, we see in
the distance the tall range of the Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism
laid horizontally on the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the
peaks are under permanent snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all
around. Heaven Lake lies part of the way up this range, about 2,000 metres
above sea-level, at the foot of one of the higher snow-peaks.
2 As the bus
climbs, the sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm
to wear: it is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man
behind me is eating overpoweringly smelly goats' cheese. The bus window leaks
inhospitably but reveals a beautiful view. We have passed quickly from desert
through arable land to pasture, and the ground is now green with grass, the
slopes dark with pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past
moss-covered stones; it is a Constable landscape. The stream changes into a
white torrent, and as we climb higher I wish more and more that I had brought with me something wanner than the
pair of shorts that have served me so well in the desert. The stream (which, we
are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our Mow ascent.
About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake, and look for a place to stay at the foot,
which is the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am happy to
note that there are thick quilts on the beds.
3 Standing
outside the cottage we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long,
sardine-shaped and fed by snowmelt from a stream at its head. The lake is an
intense blue, surrounded on all sides by green mountain walls, dotted with
distant sheep. At the head of the lake, beyond the delta of the inflowing
stream. is a massive snow-capped peak which dominates the vista; it is part of
a series of peaks that culminate, a little out of view, in Mount Bogda itself.
4 For those
who live in the resort, there is a small mess-hall by the shore. We eat here
sometimes, and sometimes buy food from the vendors outside, who sell kabab and
naan until the last buses leave. The kababs, cooked on skewers over charcoal
braziers, are particularly goodi highly spiced and well-done.iflorse's milk is
available too from the local Kazakh herdsmen, but I decline this. I am to
affected by the cold that Mr. Cao, the relaxed young man who runs the mess,
lends me a spare pair of trousers, several sizes too large but more than
comfortable,Once I am warm again, I feel a pre-dinner spurt of energy — dinner
will be long in coming — and I ask him whether the lake is good for swimming
in.
5
"Swimming r M. Cao says. "You aren't thinking of swimming, are
6 I thought
I might,. I confess. 'What's the water like
7 He doesn't
answer me immediately, turning instead to examine some receipts with
exaggerated interest. M. Cao, with great off-handedness, addresses the air.
'People are often drowned here,. he says. After a pause, he continues.
"When w. the last one ?" This question is directed at the cook, who
is preparing a tray of mantou (squat, white steamed bread rolls), and who now
appears, wiping his doughy hand across his forehead. “Was it the Beijing
athlete r asks Mr. Cao.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage
complete the statements given below with the help of the options that follow: 1x4=4
(a) One benefit of sitting in the last row of the bus was
that
(i) the narrator
enjoyed the bumps.
(ii) no one
stared at him.
(iii) he could
see the similowers.
(iv) he avoided
the dullness of the city.
(b) The narrator was travelling to
(i) Mount Bogda.
(ii) Heaven Lake.
(iii) a 2,000-metre high snow-peak.
(iv) Urumqi.
(c) On reaching the destination the narrator felt relieved
because
(i) he had got away from the desert.
(ii) a difficult journey had come to an end.
(iii) he could watch the snow-peak.
(iv) there were thick quilts on the beds.
(d) Mount Bogda is compared to a
(i) a horizontal desert surface.
(ii) a shining prism.
(iii) a Constable landscape.
(iv) the overcast sky.
Answer the questions given below briefly: 1x6=6
(e) Which two things in the bus made the narrator feel
uncomfortable ?
(f) What made the scene look like a Constable landscape ?
(g) What did he regret as the bus climbed higher ?
(h) Why did the narrator like to buy food from outside ?
(i) What is ironic about the pair of trousers lent by Mr.
Cao ?
(j) Why did Mr. Cao not like the narrator to swim in the
lake ?
(k) Find words from the passage with mean the same as the
following: 1x2=2
(i) sellers (Para 4)
(ii) increased (Para 7)
2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions
that follow: 10
1 Thackeray
reached Kittur along with small British army force and a few of his officers.
He thought that the very presence of the British on the outskirts of Kittur
would terrorise the rulers and people of Kittur, and that they would lay down
their arms. He was quite confident that he would be able to crush the revolt in
no time. He ordered that tent be erected on the eastern side for the fighting
forces, and a little away on the western slopes tent be put up for the family
members of the officers who had accompanied them. During the afternoon and
evening of 20th October, the British soldiers were busy making arrangements for
these camps.
2 On the 21st
morning, Thackeray sent his political assistants to Kittur fort to obtain a
written assurance from all the important officers of Kittur rendering them
answerable for the security of the treasury of Kittur. They, accordingly, met
Sardar Gurusiddappa and other officers of Kittur and asked them to comply with
the orders of Thackeray. They did not know that the people were in a defiant
mood. The commanders of Kittur dismissed the agent's orders as no documents
could be signed without sanction from Rani Chennamma.
3 Thackeray was
enraged and sent for the commander of the Horse Artillery, which was about 100
strong, and ordered him to rush his artillery into the Fort and capture the
commanders of the Desai's army. When the Horse Artillery stormed into the fort,
Sardar Gurusiddappa, who had kept his men on full alert, promptly commanded his
men to repel and chase them away. The Kittur forces made a bold front and overpowered
the British soldiers.
4 In the
meanwhile, the Desai's guards had shut the gates of the fort and the British
Horse Artillery men, being comple.ly overrun and routed, had to get out through
the escape window. Rani's soldiers chased them. out of the fort, killing a few
of them until they retreated to their camps on the outskirts.
5 A few of the
British had found refuge in some private residences, while some were hiding in
their tents. The Kittur soldiers captured about forty persons and brought them
to the palace. These included twelve children and a few women from the British
officers' camp. When they were brought in the presence of the Rani, she ordered
the soldiers to be imprisoned. For the women and children she had only
gentleness, and admonished her soldiers for taking them into custody. At her
orders, these women and children were taken inside the palace and given food
and shelter. Rani came down from her throne, patted the children lovingly and
told them that no harm would come to them.
6 She, then, sent
word through a messenger to Thackeray that the British women and children were
safe and could be taken back any time. Seeing this noble gesture of the Rani,
he was moved. He wanted to meet this
gracious lady and talk to her. He even thought of trying to persuade her to
enter into an agreement with the British to stop all hostilities in lieu of an
inam (prize) of eleven villages. His offer was dismissed with a gesture of contempt.
She had no wish to meet Thackeray. That night she called Sardar Gurusiddappa
and other leading Sardars, and after discussing all the issues came to the
conclusion that there was no point in meeting Thackeray who had come with an
army to threaten Kittur into submission to British sovereignty.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage,
complete the statements given below with the help of the options that follow: 1x2=2
(a) Thackeray was a/an
(i) British tourist
(ii) army officer.
(iii) advisor to the Rani of Kittur.
(iv) treasury officer.
(b) British women and children came to Kittur to
(i) visit Kittur.
(ii) enjoy life in tenth.
(iii) stay in the palace.
(iv) give company to the army officers.
Answer the following questions briefly: 1 x6=6
(c) Why did Thackeray come to Kittur?
(d) Why did Kittur officials refuse to give the desired
assurance to Thackeray ?
(e) What happened to the Horse Artillery ?
(f) How do we know that the Rani was a noble soul ?
(g) How, in your opinion, would the British women have felt
after meeting the Rani ?
(h) Why did the Rani refuse to meet Thackeray ?
(i) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the
following 1x2=2
(i) aggressive/refusing to obey (Para 2)
(ii) entered forcibly (Para 3)
3. Read the passage given below and answer the questions
that follow:
The most alarming of man's assault upon the environment is
the contamination of air, earth, rivers and sea with lethal materials. This
pollution is for the most part irrevocable; the chain of evil it initiates is
for the most part irreversible. In this contamination of the environment,
chemicals are the sinister partners of radiation in changing the very nature of
the world; radiation released through nuclear explosions into the air, comes to
the earth in rain, lodges into the soil, enters the grass or corn, or wheat
grown there and reaches the bones of a human being, there to remain until his
death. Similarly, chemicals sprayed on crops lie long in soil, entering living
organisms, passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death. Or
they pass by underground streams until they emerge and combine into new forms
that kill vegetation, sicken cattle, and harm those who drink from once pure
wells.
It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life
that now inhabits the earth and reach a state of adjustment and balance with
its surroundings. The environment contains elements that are hostile as well as
supporting. Even within the light of the sun, there are short-wave radiations
with power to injure. Given time, life has adjusted and a balance reached. For
time is the essential ingredient, but in the modern world there is no time.
The rapidity of change and the speed with which new
situations are created follow the heedless pace of man rather than the
deliberate pace of nature. Radiation is no longer the bombardment of cosmic
rays; it is now the unnatural creation of man's tampering with the atom. The
chemicals to which life is asked to snake adjustments are no longer merely
calcium and silica and copper and all the rest of the minerals washed out of
the rocks and carried in the rivers to the sea; they are the synthetic
creations of man's inventive mind, brewed in his laboratories, and having no
counterparts in nature.
(a) On the basis of your understanding of the above passage,
make notes on it using headings and sub-headings. Use recognisable abbreviations
(wherever necessary—minimum four) and a format you consider suitable. 5
(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. 3
SECTION B — (Writing
skills) 30
4. Your friend, P.V. Sathish, has invited you to attend the
wedding of his sister, Jaya. You find that you have an important paper of
pre-board examination on the day of the wedding. Thus you cannot attend the
event. Write in about 50 words a formal reply to the invitation expressing your
regret. You are Puneet/Puneeta Vij, M-114, Fort Road, Chennai. 4
OR
You are Vikram/Sonia, an electronics engineer who has
recently returned from the U.S. and looking for a suitable job in the IT
industry. Draft an advertisement in about 50 words for the Situations Wanted
column of a national newspaper. Your contact number is 9193010203
5. Mountview Public School, Kalka is run by an NGO to give
quality education to the children of the deprived sections of society. The
Principal of the school feels that blackboards in the classrooms need to be
replaced. She decides to ask the chairperson of the NGO named 'Education for
All' for funds. Write her letter in 120 -150 words. Her name is Shweta Pandit. 6
OR
National Book Trust organised a week-long book fair at Anna
Grounds, Chennai. You visited the fair and bought a few books. You were pleased
with the arrangements, enthusiasm of the visitors and the fact that books have
not yet lost their relevance in the world of the Internet. Write a letter in
120 - 150 words to the editor of a local newspaper to express your feelings.
You are Lalit/Latha, 112, Mount Road, Chennai.
6. Every teenager has a dream to achieve something in life.
What they are going to become tomorrow depends on what our youth dream today.
Write an article in 150 - 200 words on 'What I want to be in life'. You are
Simranjit/Smita. 10
OR
History Society of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Krishna Nagar sent a
group of students to visit a place of historical interest. You, Anant/Anita,
were its leader. Write a report in 150 - 200 words for the school newsletter on
the tour, describing the place, its history, how you reached there and all that
you have learnt.
7. Holi is a festival of colours. It expresses pure and
simple joy. Sometimes --- we start throwing coloured water and that too on
strangers. As the Head boy / girl of your school write a speech in 150 - 200
words that you will deliver in the morning assembly of your school, describing
why Holi is played and how it should be played. 10
OR
"It is cruel to put stray dogs to sleep." Write a
debate in 150 - 200 words either for or against the motion.
SECTION C —
(Literature Textbooks and Long Reading Text) 40
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that
follow: 1x4=4
At back of the dim class
One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream,
Of squirrel's game, in tree room, other than this.
(a) Why is the class dim ?
(b) How is the young child different from others ?
(c) What is he doing ?
(d) What is a tree room ?
OR
Aunt Jennifer's fingers fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band
Site heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.
(a) What is Aunt Jennifer doing with her wool?
(b) Why does she find it difficult to pull her ivory needle?
(c) What does 'wedding band' stand for?
(d) Describe the irony in the third line.
9. Answer any four of the following questions in 30—40 words
each. 3x4=12
(a) Why were some elderly persons occupying the back benches
that day ? (The Last Lesson)
(b) Why did Jansie discourage Sophie from having dreams ?
(c) Having looked at her mother, why does Kamilla Das look
at the young children ?
(d) How would keeping quiet affect life in and around the
sea ?
(e) Why did the Maharaja decide to get married ?
(f) What is mother Skunk's role in the story ?
10. Answer the following question in 120—150 words : 6
"For the children it is wrapped in wonder, for the
elders it is a means of survival." What kind of life do the rag-pickers of
Seemapuri lead ?
OR
The peddler believed that the whole world is a rattrap. How
did he himself get caught in the same ?
11. Answer the following question in 120—150 words: 6
In India, the so-called lower castes have been treated
cruelly for a long time. Who advised Bama to fight against this prejudice, when
and how ?
OR
To choose between professional loyalty and patriotism was a
dilemma for Dr. Sadao. How did he succeed in betraying neither ?
12. Answer the following question in 120—150 words: 6
Attempt a character sketch of Dr. Kemp as a law-abiding
citizen.
OR
Lammeter sisters have money but not class or education. What
do you think about them ?
13. Attempt the following question in 120—150 words: 6
Why and how did Griffin burglarise the vicarage ?
OR
How did Silas' treatment of Sally Oates affect his life at
Ravdoe ?
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