ENGLISH PRACTICE PAPER

CLASS 12 – ENGLISH (CORE)

📘 Time: 3 Hours    Maximum Marks: 80

A. Reading Section (20 Marks)

Q1. Reading Comprehension (10 Marks)

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Education is not merely the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think. In today’s world, where information is available in abundance, it is not the quantity of knowledge but the quality of thought that determines success. True education inspires curiosity, develops critical thinking, and nurtures creativity.

(a) What is the real aim of education according to the passage?
(b) What determines success in today’s world?
(c) What does true education inspire and develop?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means “plentiful.”

Q2. Note Making (10 Marks)

Read the following passage and make notes on it, using suitable abbreviations wherever necessary. Also, write a short summary.

Pollution has become one of the most serious environmental issues. Air pollution, caused by vehicles and industries, affects health. Water pollution, due to industrial waste and domestic sewage, threatens aquatic life. Soil pollution reduces fertility. Strict laws, public awareness, and eco-friendly technology are the key solutions.

B. Writing Section (16 Marks)

Q3. Notice Writing / Classified Ad (4 Marks)

You are the Head Boy/Head Girl of your school. Write a Notice inviting students to participate in the “Literary Week Celebration” to be held next month.

Q4. Letter to the Editor / Job Application (6 Marks)

Write a letter to the Editor of a national daily expressing concern over increasing air pollution in your city and suggesting possible measures.

Q5. Article Writing (6 Marks)

Write an article on the topic “The Importance of Mental Health for Students.”

C. Literature Section (44 Marks)

(I) Flamingo – Prose (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = 20 Marks)

Q6. Very Short Answer Questions (1 × 4 = 4 Marks)

(Answer in one line each)
a) Who was Franz?
b) What is the theme of Lost Spring?
c) What lesson did Douglas learn in Deep Water?
d) Why was the peddler surprised when the ironmaster invited him home in The Rattrap?

Q7. Short Answer Questions (2 × 3 = 6 Marks)

(Answer in about 30–40 words each)
a) How did M. Hamel make his last lesson special?
b) What message does Indigo convey?
c) How did the tiger king meet his end?

Q8. Long Answer Question (1 × 5 = 5 Marks)

Write the character sketch of Sophie or Franz in about 120 words.

Q9. Value-Based / Analytical Question (1 × 5 = 5 Marks)

“The lesson Deep Water shows that determination and courage can help us overcome fear.”
Explain with reference to the story.

(II) Flamingo – Poetry (1, 2, 3 = 10 Marks)

Q10. Very Short Answer (1 × 2 = 2 Marks)

a) Who is the poet of My Mother at Sixty-six?
b) What is the central idea of Keeping Quiet?

Q11. Short Answer (2 × 3 = 6 Marks)

a) How does Kamala Das capture the poet’s emotions in My Mother at Sixty-six?
b) What does Pablo Neruda appeal for in Keeping Quiet?

Q12. Reference to Context (2 Marks)

Read the lines and answer:

“She was as old as she looked, but soon
Put that thought away…”
(i) Who is ‘she’ here?
(ii) What thought did the poet put away?

(III) Vistas – Supplementary Reader (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = 14 Marks)

Q13. Very Short Answer (1 × 4 = 4 Marks)

a) Who is Charley in The Third Level?
b) What did Dr. Sadao do for the enemy soldier?
c) Why does Derry avoid people in On the Face of It?
d) What is the main theme of The Interview?

Q14. Short Answer (2 × 3 = 6 Marks)

a) Describe how Gandhi’s principles triumphed in the Indigo incident.
b) What is the significance of the title The Enemy?

Q15. Long Answer (1 × 4 = 4 Marks)

Compare and contrast the characters of Derry and Mr. Lamb from On the Face of It.