Please refer to Class 12 English Sample Paper Term 2 With Solutions Set B provided below. The Sample Papers for Class 12 English have been prepared based on the latest pattern issued by CBSE. Students should practice these guess papers for class 12 English to gain more practice and get better marks in examinations. The Term 2 Sample Papers for English Standard 12 will help you to understand the type of questions which can be asked in upcoming examinations.
Term 2 Sample Paper for Class 12 English With Solutions Set B
Section A – Reading
1. Read the following passage.
(1) Air pollution is an issue which concerns us all alike. One can willingly choose or reject a food, a drink or a life comfort, but unfortunately there is little choice for the air we breathe. All that is there in the air is inhaled by one and all living in those surroundings.
(2) Air pollutant is defined as a substance which is present while normally it is not there or present in an amount exceeding the normal concentrations. It could either be gaseous or a particulate matter. The important and harmful polluting gases are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The common particulate pollutants are the dusts of various inorganic or organic origins. Although we often talk of the outdoor air pollution caused by industrial and vehicular exhausts, the indoor pollution may prove to be as or a more important cause of health problems.
(3) Recognition of air pollution is relatively recent. It is not uncommon to experience a feeling of ‘suffocation’ in a closed environment. It is often ascribed to the lack of oxygen. Fortunately, however, the composition of air is remarkably constant all over the world. There is about 79 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent oxygen in the air the other gases forming a very small fraction. It is true that carbon dioxide exhaled out of lungs may accumulate in a closed and overcrowded place. But such an increase is usually small and temporary unless the room is really airtight. Exposure to poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide may occur in a closed room heated by burning coal inside. This may also prove to be fatal.
(4) What is more common in a poorly ventilated home is a vague constellation of symptoms described as the sick-building syndrome. It is characterized by a general feeling of malaise, headache, dizziness and irritation of mucous membranes. It may also be accompanied by nausea, itching, aches, pains and depression. Sick building syndrome is getting commoner in big cities with the small houses, which are generally over-furnished. Some of the important pollutants whose indoor concentrations exceed those of the outdoors include gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and organic substances like spores, formaldehydes, hydrocarbon aerosols and allergens. The sources are attributed to a variety of construction materials, insulations, furnishings, adhesives, cosmetics, house dusts, fungi and other indoor products.
(5) By-products of fuel combustion are another source of pollution in houses with indoor kitchens. It is not only the burning of dried dung and fuel wood which is responsible but also kerosene and liquid petroleum gas. Oxides of both nitrogen and sulphur are released from their combustion.
(6) Smoking of tobacco in the closed environment is an a major source of indoor pollution. It may not be high quantitatively, but significantly hazardous for health. It is because of the fact that there are over 3,000 chemical constituents in tobacco smoke, which have been identified as harmful for human health.
(7) Microorganisms and allergens are of special significance in the causation and spread of diseases.Most of the infective illnesses may involve more persons of a family living in common indoor environment. These include viral and bacterial diseases like tuberculosis.
(8) Besides infections, allergic and hypersensitivity disorders are spreading fast. Although asthma is the most common form of respiratory allergic disorders, pneumonia is not uncommon but more persistent and serious. These are attributed to exposures to allergens from various fungi, moulds, hay and other organic materials. Indoor air ventilation systems, coolers, air-conditioners, dampness, decay, pet animals, production or handling of the causative items are responsible for these hypersensitivity diseases.
(9) Obviously, the spectrum of pollution is very wide and our options are limited. Indoor pollution may be handled relatively easily by an individual. Moreover, the good work must start from one’s own house. (Extracted from ‘The Tribune’)
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY EIGHT questions from the nine given below.
Question. What is an air pollutant?
Answer.An air pollutant is a substance which is present while normally it is not there in an amount exceeding the normal concentrations.
Question. In what forms are the air pollutants present?
Answer.Air pollutants are present as gaseous or particulate matter. The harmful polluting gases are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The common particulate pollutants are the dusts of various inorganic or organic origins.
Question. Why do we feel suffocated in a closed environment?
Answer.We often feel suffocated in a closed environment due to the lack of oxygen.
Question. What is sick building syndrome? How is it increasing?
Answer.Sick building syndrome is a vague constellation of symptoms in a poorly ventilated room. Sick building syndrome is characterised by a general feeling of malaise, headache, dizziness and irritation of mucous membranes. It may also be accompanied by nausea, itching, aches, pains and depression. This syndrome is increasing in big cities which have an increasing number of small houses which are generally over furnished.
Question. How is indoor smoking very hazardous?
Answer.Indoor smoking is very hazardous because over 3,000 chemical constituents are present in tobacco smoke and these are harmful for human health.
Question. How can one overcome the dangers of indoor air pollution?
Answer.The dangers of indoor pollution can be avoided through well ventilated houses and improving greenery around houses. Also, it can be avoided by not smoking tobacco inside houses and by not burning coal inside closed rooms.
Question. In addition to infections, how are people getting affected by the indoor pollution?
Answer.Besides infections, allergic and hypersensitivity disorders are spreading fast. Asthma and pneumonia are attributed to exposures to allergens from various fungi, moulds, hay and other organic materials. Indoor air ventilation systems, coolers, air-conditioners, dampness, decay, pet animals, production or handling of the causative items are responsible for the hypersensitivity diseases.
Question. Find a word from the above passage which means the same as ‘giddiness’ (Para 4).
Answer.dizziness
Question (ix) Which word can replace ‘persistent’ in Para 8?
Answer.constant
2. Read the following passage.
Of the 197 million square miles making up the surface of the globe, the interconnecting bodies of marine water cover 71 per cent; the Pacific Ocean alone covers half the earth and averages nearly 14000 feet in depth. The continents- Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Antarcticaare the portions of the continental masses rising above the sea level. The submerged borders of the continental masses are the continental shelves, beyond which lie the deep-sea basins.
The oceans attain their greatest depths not in their central parts but in certain elongated furrows or long narrow troughs, called deeps. These profound troughs have a peripheral arrangement, notably around the border of the Pacific and the Indian oceans. The position of the deeps, like the highest mountains, are of recent origin, since otherwise they would have been filled with wastes from the lands. This suggestion is strengthened by the fact that the deeps are frequently the sites of worldshaking earthquakes. For example, the ‘tidal wave’ that in April 1946 caused widespread destruction along Pacific coasts resulted from a strong earthquake on the floor of the Aleutian Deep.
The topography of the ocean floor is none too well known, since in great areas the available soundings are hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. However, the floor of the Atlantic is becoming fairly well known as a result of special surveys since 1920. A broad well-defined ridge- the Mid Atlantic Ridgeruns north and south between Africa and the two Americas, and numerous other major irregularities diversify the Atlantic floor. Closely spaced soundings show that many parts of the oceanic floors are as rugged as mountainous regions of the continents. Use of the recently perfected method of echo sounding is rapidly enlarging our knowledge of submarine topography. During Second World War great strides were made in mapping submarine surfaces, particularly in many parts of the vast Pacific basin.
The continents stand on the average 2870 feet – slightly more than half a mile above the sea level. The following graph depicts the height of continents above sea levels with regard to North America, Europe and Asia. The highest point on the globe, Mount Everest in the Himalayas is 29000 feet above the sea; and as the greatest known depth in the sea is over 35000 feet or exceeds 12 miles. The continental masses and the deep-sea basins are relief features of the first order; the deeps, ridges, and volcanic cones that diversify the sea floor, as well as the plains, plateaus, and mountains of the continents, are relief features of the second order.
The lands are unendingly subject to a complex of activities summarized in the term erosion, which first sculpts them in great detail and then tends to reduce them ultimately to sea level. The modelling of the landscape by weather, running water and the other agents is apparent to the keenly observant eye and causes thinking people to speculate on what must be the final result of the ceaseless wearing down of the lands. Long before the science of Geology existed science of Geology, Shakespeare wrote, “The revolution of the times makes mountains level.”
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY SIX out of the seven questions given below.
Question. The revolution of the times as used in the final sentence means:
Answer.The revolution of the times means the passage of years.
Question. What information is imparted by the above passage?
Answer.It gives us the following information:
(a) Which continental subdivision is, on the average, 1150 feet above the sea level?
(b) How deep is the deepest part of the ocean?
Question. From the passage, it can be inferred that earthquakes:
Answer.occur more frequently in newly formed land or sea formations
Question. Strong earth quakes in the deeps result in ________.
Answer.tidal waves
Question. Molesting the land, with complex destructive activities results in __________.
Answer.levelling of land.
Question. What can be inferred about the height of continents above sea levels with regard to North America, Europe and Asia after studying the graph given in the passage?
Answer.North America averages 2300 feet; Europe averages only 1150 feet and Asia, the highest of the larger continental subdivisions, averages 3200 feet.
Question. Which word in the last para can be replaced by ‘make educated guess’?
Answer.speculate
Section B – Writing
Question.3. On behalf of your parents, draft a formal invitation to be sent to your friends and relatives on the occasion of your brother’s fifth birthday.
Answer.
Question.4. Attempt ANY ONE from (A) and (B) given below.
(A) Ranikhet district, Uttarakhand, on the occasion of Basant Panchami celebrations had organized a three-day cultural festival. You are Bhupinder/ Priyanka Bhisht. Your newspaper had deputed you to cover the inaugural event of this festival. As a newspaper reporter, use the given cues along with
your own ideas to write a report about the same in 120-150 words.
• Big crowds -main grounds of the marketplace
• Colourful decorations
• Inauguration-local panchayat member to inaugurate.
• Folk dance and songs
• Speeches
OR
(B) You are Aami/ Ajoy Sarkar of 83, Model Town, Guwahati, Assam. You are a sports enthusiast. Rangshala School, Guwahati, has advertised the requirement of a Sports teacher, in the local newspaper. You are excited and decide to apply for the post. Write a letter in 100-120 words, responding to the given advertisement, submitting your candidature with a detailed bio-data.
Answer.(A)
Basant Panchami in Ranikhet (5)
by Priyanka Bhisht, Staff Reporter
New Delhi, October 11, 20XX: The Uttarakhand Government has organised a three-day cultural event to mark the celebrations of Basant Panchami.
The event was inaugurated on Saturday by the local Panchayat member who had been a professional tourist guide in the past. The entire grounds of the marketplace have been specially decorated for the event. Stalls have been put up to promote the cultural and regional heritage of the state of Uttarakhand as well as the bordering regions of the states of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. The stalls of Almora, Chamoli, Haridwar and Uttarkashi won the hearts of the majority. The folk dances of region were showcased to revive the importance of these dances as they bind us to our roots. The event was also marked by speeches of the chief guest, the village sarpanch and a local tour operator.
The popularity of the event can be judged from the presence of thousands of locals and tourists for the entire day even after the formal inauguration ceremony was over.
OR
(B)
83, Model Town
Guwahati
Assam
October 11, 20xx
The Principal
Rangshala School
Guwahati
Subject: Application for the post of Sports Teacher
Sir,
I am Ajoy Sarkar, a SAI certified coach in hockey and a national level player in the game. I wish to apply for the position of ‘Sports Teacher (P.T.I)’ in your reputed school. I came to know about the vacancy through the advertisement in the local newspaper.
Please find my resume attached for the purpose. I would like to add that I am a very hardworking person with an aim of excelling in the game of hockey. My academic qualifications, age,and other eligibility conditions agree to those specified by the job requirements.
I thank you in anticipation of an early response.
Yours truly
Ajoy Sarkar
Section C – Literature
5. Attempt ANY FIVE of the six questions given below, within 40 words each.
Question. How did Gandhi shock the representative of the planters?
Answer.The representative of the planters thought Gandhi would demand repayment in full of the money they had extorted from the sharecroppers but Gandhi asked 50% amount and later settled even at 25% only.
Question. What is the significance of an image of the ‘endless fountain’?
Answer.The ‘endless fountain of immortal drink’ denotes the everlasting joy given by beautiful objects.It refers to the deeds of great men and women that have made them a source of inspiration for people of all times.
Question. By what bait had the peddler been fooled?
Answer.He stole the money from the gullible crofter. He was trapped in a situation which he always thought of and there seemed no way of his escape.
Question. How are Aunt Jennifer’s tigers different from her?
Answer.Aunt Jennifer created animals, i.e., tigers which were very different from her own docile character because they represented the fearlessness and freedom which she was deprived of. They also represented her secret longing to live a brave and fearless life like them.
Question. What change was expected by Jo at the end of the story of Roger Skunk?
Answer.Jo expected that Wizard would hit mommy because it was due to the mother’s action that Roger started smelling bad again.
Question. What was Mr Lamb’s perception about the Beauty and the Beast?
Answer.According to Mr Lamb the Beauty and the Beast are relative concepts, i.e., it can be thought of in opposite ways depending on what one compares it to. Mr Lamb means that different people hold different perceptions. While one person might find someone or something beautiful, another person might find that person or thing beastly.
6. Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120-150 words each.
Question. The story, ‘Evans Tries an O-Level’, is a statement against rehabilitation of criminals. Justify.
Answer.In rehabilitation of criminals, the criminals are given a chance to improve their ways. Some of their actions are ignored and by empathizing with them chances of improvement are made bright for them. However, after understanding the story we can conclude that between crime and punishment, it is mainly a battle of wits. In every battle the stronger side wins, where the potential could be physical or mental. The side which outsmarts the other wins. It is not always that a criminal gets punished. In the given story, although well trained, the police officials were easily fooled by clever Evans, who managed to escape from right under their nose and this happens not once or twice but four times in a row. So we can say that this story is a reverse statement for rehabilitation of criminals.
Question. How did the court scene at Motihari change the course of India’s struggle for freedom?
Answer.In Champaran, the peasants were greatly in fear of the British government. The cause of the problem was indigo and the greed of the landlords. They had forced the tenants to plant 15% of their holdings with indigo and surrender the entire produce to the landlords. When synthetic indigo came, the landlords were ready to release the above condition. They demanded compensation, the repercussions of which the peasants did not know and agreed to it.
Later, when the peasants came to know about synthetic indigo, they asked for their money back. The British hired thugs to oppose them. Gandhi realized that there was no need for lawyers. He realized that it was necessary to release them of their fear which was difficult to achieve as they were uneducated.
However, with his determination, he championed their cause. Soon, he led a movement of nonviolence and Satyagraha. Many farmers demonstrated around the courtroom where Gandhi was summoned. This made the British feel challenged. Sharecroppers from Champaran came barefooted to see Gandhi. Muzzafarpur lawyers too called on him. He explained what he had done was an ordinary thing. He had simply told the British that they could not order him in his own country. Gandhi tried to mould new free Indians who could stand on their own feet. This new realization gave him a direction to lead the freedom struggle and thus, proved to be a turning point in the course of India’s struggle for freedom. This was the first time Gandhi realised that India was capable of mass movements and it was after this episode that he started the national struggle for freedom across the country.
Question. The peddler thinks that the whole world is a rattrap. This view of life is true only of himself and of no one else in the story. Comment.
Answer.This view of life was true for the peddler because when he was offered food and shelter at the crofter’s house, which is like ‘bait’ for a rat, he took it, and stole the crofter’s money. He then tried to run away from being caught and but got lost in the forest as it was big and confusing. Thus, he considered the world as a big rattrap in which he had fallen and the crofter’s money was the bait. Now his own turn had come as he had let himself be fooled by the bait and had been caught in the trap. He knew that ironmaster had mistaken him for someone else, yet he went with him. The peddler was thus deprived of shelter, and got easily trapped by the temptations. The other characters in the story, the crofter, the ironmaster and his daughter have human values of love, compassion, and for them, the world is not a rattrap. They looked upon the world as a happy place to live and share the happiness with others. Thus, the Peddler’s view about the world as a rattrap is true for him only as he got caught into the traps for food, shelter, and money whereas the others were not tempted.
