DAV SUSHIL KEDIA VISHWA BHARATI SCHOOL

JAWALAKHEL, LALITPUR

PRACTICE QUESTION 2024-2025

SET 3

English: XII F.M: 80

Time: 3hrs. P.M: 40

General Instructions:

A. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING and LITERATURE.

B. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
SECTION A

Reading Skills (22 marks)

1.Read the following passage carefully: 12

Often, people are getting their news online as the convenience and accessibility of online news is difficult
to compete with.

Physical newspapers are typically large, need to be folded and aren’t always free, making them an overall
hassle. With virtual media outlets being available to nearly everybody at the click of a button, it comes as
no surprise that it’s grown to be a dominant form of news consumption. However, it’s important for
readers to consider exactly what they’re consuming when getting their news through an app versus a
paper, namely the influence of an algorithm.

A search algorithm is a set of rules made to put forward content the reader is more likely to engage with
and filter out what they will ignore. Based on one’s viewing history, an app or service determines what
kind of content the user enjoys, then recommends similar content from that point onwards. Algorithms
give the viewer what they want, that’s undeniable, but it’s also the problem.

Digital media experts warn readers to be cautious of how an algorithm processes content. These systems
show a reader more of what they want, but in the process, they block out any pieces that aren’t in sync
with their observed beliefs for the sake of customer service. The result is a person who is always given
the same type of content, rarely venturing outside of their own viewpoints.

There is, fortunately, a way for readers to still get their news without risking the entrapment of an
algorithm: classic print newspapers which are not limited by any ruleset constantly tailoring the words
offered to the reader. News in print needs to satisfy every type of reader with only one copy, allowing it
to offer a wide scope of topics. Printed news offers its viewership more freedom over what they choose
to read.
While an algorithm purposely chooses and narrows potential news, a physical paper’s diversity grants its
news a more exploratory nature. Taking the time to engage with every part of a physical paper puts a
variety of subjects, views and information on display for readers.

It’d be naive to believe that print newspapers are completely free from bias or a certain degree of
filtering. Still, a physical newspaper will almost never be as narrow in scope as the suggestions of a digital
media outlet will be.

A. Answer the following questions, based on the above passage:

I. Online news is becoming popular because it’s 1

a. economically affordable.

b. readily accessible.

c. less cumbersome.

d. more interesting.

II. The phrase ‘venturing outside of their own viewpoints’ in para 4 most nearly means 1

a. stepping into someone’s shoes.

b. challenging others’ opinions.
c. combining traditional beliefs with modern ideology.
d. moving away from one’s personal opinions.

III. Complete the sentence with evidence from the text. 1

Online readers are unaware that the news they read on a digital platform is ......

IV. Share evidence from the text in about 40 words to support the view that though algorithms give the
reader what they want to read, they are also the problem. 2

V. Why according to the writer is reading news online becoming increasingly popular? 2

VI. State two reasons in support of why a newspaper is a better source of news than online apps. 2

VII. From the passage we understand that the writer concedes that newspapers too are ....... 1

VIII. The passage suggests that the reader while reading news online must be 1

a. focused
b. discerning
c. indifferent
d. attentive

IX. Read the headlines A – E given below : 1

a. NEWSPAPERS – FREEDOM OF SPEECH

b. INTERNET – THE NEWS ENTERTAINER
c. ONLINE NEWS – A LIMITED PERCEPTION
d. NEWSPAPER VS ONLINE NEWS APPS
 e. NEWS – A BIASED PERSPECTIVE

Identify the option that displays the headline that does not correspond with occurrences in the passage.

2. Read the following passage carefully: 10

In a rapidly changing world, transition from school to work has become more complex and challenging
for young people, as finding employment is difficult for the youth. If academic studies may be an
excellent path to successful career and lives, other types of education like ‘Vocational Education and
Training (VET) programmes are more than ever being emphasized by governments globally to support
work-ready professionals with relevant on-the-job experience to match the needs of various industries.

According to the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), India aims to skill 400 million people by
2025. Vocational training programmes, such as Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) provide training in
fields such as engineering, health care, hospitality, construction and more. According to NSDC estimates,
India is expected to witness significant job creation. With the help of this training, opportunities for self-
employment have been enhanced. As of July 2021, over 1×5 million candidates have been placed in
various jobs after acquiring vocational training.

Vocational training programmes also encourage entrepreneurship by providing aspiring entrepreneurs

with the knowledge and skills required to establish and operate their own businesses. The NSDC states
that out of the 12 million people entering the workforce in India every year, only 4×5 million are skilled,
highlighting the need for further vocational training initiatives. Vocational training plays a significant role
in India by addressing the skill gap, improving employability, fostering entrepreneurship, and driving
economic growth. This contributes to the nation’s overall development and individual prosperity.

Answer the following questions, based on the above passage:

I. What are the problems faced by many young people when they shift from school to work? 1

a. Finding employment

b. Transition

c. Loneliness

d. Social anxiety

II. Why are governments promoting Vocational Education and Training programmes ? 1

III. Infer why the National Skill Development Corporation of India has increased its efforts to skill 400
million people in 2025. Answer in about 40 words. 2

IV. Share evidence from the text, in about 40 words, to support the view that vocational training
improves self-employment. 2
V. Identify the entrepreneur from the three people who has acquired vocational training. 1

a. Ravi : I am working as a carpenter and getting very high wages.

b. Narain : I have acquired the skill of cooking and will work for an established hotel.

c. Bani : After doing a course in fashion designing, I have opened my own boutique.

VI. How does vocational training help in bridging the skill gap ? 1

VII. Complete the sentence appropriately.

The NSDC states that less than half the people entering the workforce in India are skilled so…………1

VIII. State True or False : 1

The title ‘Improve Your Skills, Gain Better Jobs’ is appropriate for this passage.

SECTION B

Creative Writing Skills (18 marks)

Note: All details presented in the questions are imaginary and created for assessment purpose.

3. Attempt any one of the two, (a) and (b), in about 50 words. 4

a. S.P. Public School has decided to organize a carnival in the school grounds. Write a notice to be put up
on the school notice board inviting students to participate in the carnival. Mention date, time, types of
stalls. Invent other necessary details. You are Mayank/Megha Sethi, Head boy/girl of the school.

OR

b. You are Siddheshwar/Swati, Secretary of Pratik Housing Society. Write a notice for the society’s notice
board informing the residents about the demonstration session on ‘Fighting Fire’ organised by the City
Fire Brigade. The session will be held on Sunday at 11 am. It would be very useful for everyone to attend
the session. Invent necessary details.

4. Attempt any one of the two, (a) and (b), in about 50 words. 4

a. Global Public School, Hawapuri is organizing an inter-school mime contest. You are Jagjeet/Jyoti, Class
XII, Cultural Secretary of the school. You have been asked to send an invite on behalf of the Principal to
the renowned mime artist Arnold to be the Chief Guest. Draft a formal letter of invitation. Invent
necessary details.

OR

b. You are Chandrajeet/Chandni. Your father Colonel Jai Singh is a retired army officer who was also an
ace swimmer. Your housing society is organising a swimming competition and invites your father to
preside over the function. He accepts it and asks you to draft a reply accepting the invitation on his
behalf. Write an appropriate formal letter of acceptance. Invent necessary details.

5. Attempt any one of the two, (a) and (b), in 120 – 150 words. 5
a. You are Anil/Anu Lamba, a fresh graduate. You come across an advertisement for a part time job which
will give you time to pursue higher education. You wish to apply for the position advertised. Write to
Retail Sales Associate, AJ Retailers, Gulab Nagar along with your bio-data, expressing your interest in the
advertised post.

OR

b. You are Animesh/Anisha, a resident of Ambernath, Mompur. While walking you see a lot of
construction debris dumped on the roadside claiming the footpaths and creating garbage dumps. As you
are a concerned citizen, you decide to write a letter to the editor of a national daily, sharing your concern
for the insensitive attitude of builders dumping their construction debris on roadsides endangering
peoples’ health and barring paths for walking.

6. Attempt any one of the two, (a) and (b), in 120 – 150 words. 5

a. Parents may consider giving their teenagers mobile phones for security purposes, but it results in
“possible misuse and side effects”.

You are Amrit/Amrita. Write an article for your school magazine on ‘Possible Misuse and Side Effects of
Mobile Phones Used by Teenagers’.

OR

b. You are Kritin/Kritika of H.N. Public School, Shripur. Your school recently organised a Science
symposium on the topic ‘Important Discoveries of Science and how they have helped Mankind’. Write a
report on the event for your school magazine.

SECTION C

(Literature Textbook and

Supplementary Reading Text) (40 marks)

7. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given

two, (a) and (b) : 6

A. “Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways

(A Thing of Beauty)

I. The message in the above extract as per Keats is: 1

a. For all earthly nuances, a thing of beauty is the cure.

b. Beauty of the beloved lies in the eyes of the beholder.

c. Nature provides ample objects to make us sad.

d. There is beauty in death.

II. State whether ‘True’ or ‘False’ :

‘Sweet memories bind us to this earth’. 1

III. Complete the sentence appropriately:

‘Wreathing a flowery band…’ 1

IV. Why has Keats used the phrase, ‘Spite of despondence’? 1

V. ‘Gloomy days’ – Which figure of speech is used here? 1

VI. The poet attributes the trials and tribulations one encounters in the journey of life to : 1

a. unhealthy and o’er darkened ways.

b. a flowery band.

c. we wreathing.

d. on every morrow.

OR

B. ... and realized with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon

put that thought away, and looked out at Young

Trees sprinting ...

(My Mother At Sixty-six)

I. What does the use of the word ‘and’ at the beginning of the line, ‘and realised with pain…’
suggest ? 1
II. Why was the poetess’s heart in pain ? 1
a. She saw her enfeebled mother.
b. The poetess herself was unwell.
c. She did not want to go back to Cochin.
d. The jerks of the car caused the pain.
III. What does the line ‘but soon she put that thought away’ mean? 1

IV. She started ‘looking out’ because: 1

a. she wanted to distract herself.

b. she found interesting visuals.
c. the colourful flowers caught her attention.
d. she was feeling impatient.
V. Which poetic device is used in ‘Trees sprinting’ ? 1
VI. There is a contrast between the images within the car and outside. What does the image of
‘Young Trees’ signify? 1
8.Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two, (a) and (b).
4

a. “Antarctica, because of her simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity, is the perfect place to study how
little changes in the environment can have big repercussions. Take the microscopic phytoplankton —
those grasses of the sea that nourish and sustain the entire Southern Ocean’s food chain. These single-
celled plants use the sun’s energy to assimilate carbon and synthesise organic compounds in that
wondrous and most important of processes called photosynthesis. Scientists warn that a further
depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of phytoplankton, which in turn will affect the lives
of all marine animals.”

(Journey to the End of the Earth)

I. Antarctica is a perfect place to study ecological evolution because . 1

II. Phytoplanktons can be defined as : 1

a. microscopic grasses of the sea.

b. plants at the bottom of the sea.

c. multi-celled plants.

d. small viruses in the ice-covered areas.

III. What, according to the scientists, will impact the activities of the phytoplankton ? 1

IV. What is the reaction of human beings when they come to Antarctica ? 1

OR

B. “At midnight when the town slept in peace, the dewan and his aged wife dragged the tiger to the
car and shoved it into the seat. The dewan himself drove the car straight to the forest where the
Maharaja was hunting. When they reached the forest the tiger launched its satyagraha and
refused to get out of the car. The dewan was thoroughly exhausted in his efforts to haul the
beast out of the car and push it down to the ground.
On the following day, the same old tiger wandered into the Maharaja’s presence and stood as if
in humble supplication, “Master, what do you command of me ?” It was with boundless joy that
the Maharaja took careful aim at the beast. The tiger fell in a crumpled heap.

(The Tiger King)

I. Complete the sentence appropriately:

The reason for the dewan and his aged wife to drag the tiger to the car was . 1

II. The author described the tiger’s action as ‘satyagraha’ because 1

a. he was poor in health, old, and weak.
b. he had become a maneater, and only ate humans.
c. he did not like the dewan and his wife’s ways of handling him.
 d. he refused to comply with what the dewan wanted.
III. What is the role of the dewan? 1
IV. Explain the phrase ‘in humble supplication’. 1

9. Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two, (a) and (b):
6

A. While I was thinking of all this, I heard my name called. It was my turn to recite. What would I not
have given to be able to say that dreadful rule for the participle all through, very loud and clear, and
without one mistake ? But I got mixed up on the first words and stood there, holding on to my desk, my
heart beating, and not daring to look up.

I heard M. Hamel say to me, ‘I won’t scold you, little Franz; you must feel bad enough. See how it is !
Every day we have said to ourselves, “Bah! I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.” And now you see
where we’ve come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow. Now
those fellows out there will have the right to say to you, ‘How is it; you pretend to be Frenchmen, and
yet you can neither speak nor write your own language?’ But you are not the worst; poor little Franz.
We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with.”

(The Last Lesson)

I. What was the mental state of Franz when his name was called out? 1
II. ‘My heart beating and not daring to look up.’ The reason for this state of Franz was : 1
a. The news that it was the last French lesson shocked him.
b. He made a big mistake of coming late.
c. He had not learned participles.
d. He was guilty of standing in front of the billboard listening to his teacher.
III. What made M. Hamel say to Franz : “You must feel bad enough” ? 1
IV. Give one word for, ‘Every day we have said to ourselves, ‘Bah!

I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow.’ 1

V. What makes M. Hamel say – ‘You pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak
nor write your own language’ ? 1
VI. M. Hamel says, ‘We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with’ as : 1
a. he was reproachful because he made them do his personal work, and went fishing when he felt
like.
b. he was dissatisfied with their lack of interest in studies.
c. he was unhappy with their lack of attendance.
d. he was unhappy with their lackadaisical attitude.

OR
b.“I sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note,” Saheb says, his eyes lighting up. When you can find
a silver coin in a heap of garbage, you don’t stop scrounging, for there is hope for finding more. It seems
that for children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents. For the children it
is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.

One winter morning I see Saheb standing by the fenced gate of the neighborhood club, watching two
young men dressed in white, playing tennis. “I like the game,” he hums, content to watch it standing
behind the fence. “I go inside when no one is around,” he admits. “The gatekeeper lets me use the
swing.”

Saheb too is wearing tennis shoes that look strange over his discoloured shirt and shorts. “Someone gave
them to me,” he says in the manner of an explanation.

(Lost Spring)

I. What reasons does Saheb give for children like him indulging in scrounging ? 1
II. “When you can find a silver coin in a heap of garbage, you don’t stop scrounging.” The expression
‘don’t stop scrounging’ in the context, denotes 1
a. hope
b. experimentation
c. impossibility
d. illusion
III. Explain the expression : ‘For the children it is wrapped in wonder.’ 1

IV. Why does Saheb stand and watch the two men playing tennis? 1

V. The gatekeeper, in allowing Saheb to use the swing shows: 1

a. empathy

b. greed

c. cynicism

d. indifference

VI. Saheb explained that someone had given the shoes to him because . 1

10. Answer any five of the following six questions in 40 – 50 words each : 5X2=10

I. Why did Gandhiji visit Muzaffarpur on his way to Champaran? Who received him there? (Indigo)

II. What complex did Douglas have when he had to get into the pool? What did he do about it? (Deep
Water)

III. Why did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter ? (The Rattrap)
IV. What does the line, “Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to
earth suggest to you?
V. What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under
apparent stillness?
VI. What does ‘The God That Failed’ refer to? (Poets and Pancakes)
 11. Answer any two of the following three questions in 40 – 50 words each : 2X2=4
I. How did Charley often get lost on the Grand Central Station?
II. Why does Mr. Lamb feel Derek should not detach himself from people ? (On The Face Of
It)
III. How did Dr. Sadao succeed in an atmosphere of war and narrow nationalism ? (The
Enemy)
12. Answer any one of the following two questions in 120 – 150 words : 5
a. You are Pablo Neruda the poet of ‘Keeping Quiet’. After reading the poem of Frost you
discovered that you and he share the same passion, to help the have-nots of the society.
“Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear The thought of so much childish longing in vain, The
sadness that lurks near the open window there, That waits all day in almost open prayer”

Write a letter to Mr. Robert Frost expressing your desire to start a blog with him to appeal to the masses
to help the ‘have-nots’ in their personal capacity. They can start by gradually selecting small pockets of
neighbourhood localities and extending help to them. Begin your letter to Frost like this :

Dear Robert,

I recently read your poem ‘A Roadside Stand and …….

You may end this way :

I hope we will make it together and rock the neighbourhood. Warmly,

Pablo Neruda

OR

b. Aunt Jennifer, Sophie’s mom, Mukesh’s grandmother, and the poet’s mother meet in a park
nearby. They discuss one another’s lives. You are Kamala Das and are sitting with your mother
and listening to their discussion. You decide to give a speech in the women’s forum about the
‘Responsibility of being a Woman’. With reference to the above text, compose this draft. Give
suggestions. You may begin this way :

Good morning everyone. Based on the lives of these women….. You may end this way :

To conclude, I’d like to say that ……..

13. Answer any one of the following two questions in 120 – 150 words : 5

I. Louisa, the protagonist’s wife in ‘The Third Level’ is amazed at Sam’s

suggestions that her husband is unhappy.

In her state of anger, she expresses her feelings by writing in her diary. As Louisa, Charley’s wife, write
this diary entry. Support your response with reference to the story.

You may begin this way :

“I have been married to Charley for a few years now and I have always known him to be an intelligent
man with an imaginative mind. However, his recent obsession with finding the Third Level has
……”

OR

b. Zitkala-Sa, after growing up and completing her education goes to teach in a girls’ school. On the
first day she is overwhelmed by the sight of so many happy girls. Her mind flies back to when she
entered her own school on the first day. She comes back and writes in her diary how she felt on
her first day at school and how the situation has changed in modern times with ‘Democracy’ as
the buzz word and a girl child getting special attention.

As the grown up Zitkala-Sa, create a diary entry, expressing these thoughts and concluding with… ‘Let
that which has happened in the past now be forgotten as it has gone now.” You may begin like this : “I
find myself reflecting on an event that happened many years ago… ” (Memories of Childhood)

The End