CBSE Class 12 English: Question Paper for 2018 (Term-II) | Toppers Answer Sheets for Class 12 PDF Download

 Page 1


1/2 1 P.T.O. 
Candidates must write the Code on the 
title page of the answer-book. 
 
 Series SGN  Code No.  
1/2
 
 
 
Roll No. 
 
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
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 limit while answering the 
questions.  
? Please check that this question paper contains 16 printed pages. 
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be 
written on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting 
it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question 
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the 
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the 
answer-book during this period. 
SET-2 
Page 2


1/2 1 P.T.O. 
Candidates must write the Code on the 
title page of the answer-book. 
 
 Series SGN  Code No.  
1/2
 
 
 
Roll No. 
 
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
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 limit while answering the 
questions.  
? Please check that this question paper contains 16 printed pages. 
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be 
written on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting 
it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question 
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the 
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the 
answer-book during this period. 
SET-2 
1/2 2 
 
 SECTION A — (Reading) 30 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
1 When you grow up in a place where it rains five months a year, wise 
elders help you to get acquainted with the rain early. They teach you 
that it is ignorant to think that it is the same rain falling every day. 
Oh no, the rain is always doing different things at different times. 
There is rain that is gentle, and there is also rain that falls too hard 
and damages the crops. Hence, the prayer for the sweet rain that helps 
the crops to grow. 
2 The monsoon in the Naga hills goes by the native name, khuthotei 
(which means the rice-growing season). It lasts from May to early or 
mid-October. The local residents firmly believe that Durga Puja in 
October announces the end of rain. After that, one might expect a 
couple of short winter showers, and the spring showers in March and 
April. Finally, comes the ‘‘big rain’’ in May; proper rainstorms 
accompanied by heart-stopping lightning and ear-splitting thunder. I 
have stood out in storms looking at lightning arc across dark skies, a 
light-and-sound show that can go on for hours. 
3 This is the season when people use the word sezuo or süzu to refer to 
the week-long rains, when clothes don’t dry and smell of mould, when 
fungus forms on the floor and when you can’t see the moon or the stars 
because of the rainclouds. But you learn not to complain. Rain, after 
all, is the farmer’s friend and brings food to the table. Rituals and 
festivals centre around the agricultural rhythm of life, which is the 
occupation of about 70 percent of the population. 
Page 3


1/2 1 P.T.O. 
Candidates must write the Code on the 
title page of the answer-book. 
 
 Series SGN  Code No.  
1/2
 
 
 
Roll No. 
 
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
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 limit while answering the 
questions.  
? Please check that this question paper contains 16 printed pages. 
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be 
written on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting 
it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question 
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the 
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the 
answer-book during this period. 
SET-2 
1/2 2 
 
 SECTION A — (Reading) 30 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
1 When you grow up in a place where it rains five months a year, wise 
elders help you to get acquainted with the rain early. They teach you 
that it is ignorant to think that it is the same rain falling every day. 
Oh no, the rain is always doing different things at different times. 
There is rain that is gentle, and there is also rain that falls too hard 
and damages the crops. Hence, the prayer for the sweet rain that helps 
the crops to grow. 
2 The monsoon in the Naga hills goes by the native name, khuthotei 
(which means the rice-growing season). It lasts from May to early or 
mid-October. The local residents firmly believe that Durga Puja in 
October announces the end of rain. After that, one might expect a 
couple of short winter showers, and the spring showers in March and 
April. Finally, comes the ‘‘big rain’’ in May; proper rainstorms 
accompanied by heart-stopping lightning and ear-splitting thunder. I 
have stood out in storms looking at lightning arc across dark skies, a 
light-and-sound show that can go on for hours. 
3 This is the season when people use the word sezuo or süzu to refer to 
the week-long rains, when clothes don’t dry and smell of mould, when 
fungus forms on the floor and when you can’t see the moon or the stars 
because of the rainclouds. But you learn not to complain. Rain, after 
all, is the farmer’s friend and brings food to the table. Rituals and 
festivals centre around the agricultural rhythm of life, which is the 
occupation of about 70 percent of the population. 
1/2 3 P.T.O. 
4 The wise learn to understand its ways. I grew up hearing my 
grandfather say, ‘‘It’s very windy this year. We’ll get good rain.’’ If the 
windy season was short and weak, he worried there might not be 
enough rain for the crops. I learned the interconnectedness of the 
seasons from childhood, and marvelled at how the wind could bring 
rain. Another evening, many rainy seasons ago, my paternal aunt 
observed the new moon and worried, ‘‘Its legs are in the air, we’re in 
for some heavy rain.’’ She was right. That week, a storm cut off power 
lines and brought down trees and bamboos. 
5 Eskimos boast of having a hundred names for snow. Norwegians in the 
north can describe all kinds of snow by an equal amount of names : 
pudder, powder snow, wet snow, slaps, extra wet snow, tight snowfall, 
dry snow, and at least 95 more categories of snow. Likewise, in India 
we have names and names for rain. Some are common, some are 
passing into history. 
6 The rains are also called after flowering plants and people believe that 
the blossoming of those plants draws out rain. Once the monsoons set 
in, field work is carried out in earnest and the work of uprooting and 
transplanting paddy in flooded terrace fields is done. The months of 
hard labour are June, July and August. In August, as the phrogü plant 
begins to bloom, a rain will fall. This August rain, also called phrogü, is 
a sign that the time for cultivation is over. If any new grain seeds are 
sown, they may not sprout; even if they do sprout, they are not likely to 
bear grain. The rain acts as a kind of farmer’s almanac.   
7 The urban population of school-goers and office-goers naturally dislikes 
the monsoon and its accompanying problems of landslides, muddy 
streets and periodic infections. For non-farmers, the month of 
Page 4


1/2 1 P.T.O. 
Candidates must write the Code on the 
title page of the answer-book. 
 
 Series SGN  Code No.  
1/2
 
 
 
Roll No. 
 
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
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 limit while answering the 
questions.  
? Please check that this question paper contains 16 printed pages. 
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be 
written on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting 
it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question 
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the 
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the 
answer-book during this period. 
SET-2 
1/2 2 
 
 SECTION A — (Reading) 30 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
1 When you grow up in a place where it rains five months a year, wise 
elders help you to get acquainted with the rain early. They teach you 
that it is ignorant to think that it is the same rain falling every day. 
Oh no, the rain is always doing different things at different times. 
There is rain that is gentle, and there is also rain that falls too hard 
and damages the crops. Hence, the prayer for the sweet rain that helps 
the crops to grow. 
2 The monsoon in the Naga hills goes by the native name, khuthotei 
(which means the rice-growing season). It lasts from May to early or 
mid-October. The local residents firmly believe that Durga Puja in 
October announces the end of rain. After that, one might expect a 
couple of short winter showers, and the spring showers in March and 
April. Finally, comes the ‘‘big rain’’ in May; proper rainstorms 
accompanied by heart-stopping lightning and ear-splitting thunder. I 
have stood out in storms looking at lightning arc across dark skies, a 
light-and-sound show that can go on for hours. 
3 This is the season when people use the word sezuo or süzu to refer to 
the week-long rains, when clothes don’t dry and smell of mould, when 
fungus forms on the floor and when you can’t see the moon or the stars 
because of the rainclouds. But you learn not to complain. Rain, after 
all, is the farmer’s friend and brings food to the table. Rituals and 
festivals centre around the agricultural rhythm of life, which is the 
occupation of about 70 percent of the population. 
1/2 3 P.T.O. 
4 The wise learn to understand its ways. I grew up hearing my 
grandfather say, ‘‘It’s very windy this year. We’ll get good rain.’’ If the 
windy season was short and weak, he worried there might not be 
enough rain for the crops. I learned the interconnectedness of the 
seasons from childhood, and marvelled at how the wind could bring 
rain. Another evening, many rainy seasons ago, my paternal aunt 
observed the new moon and worried, ‘‘Its legs are in the air, we’re in 
for some heavy rain.’’ She was right. That week, a storm cut off power 
lines and brought down trees and bamboos. 
5 Eskimos boast of having a hundred names for snow. Norwegians in the 
north can describe all kinds of snow by an equal amount of names : 
pudder, powder snow, wet snow, slaps, extra wet snow, tight snowfall, 
dry snow, and at least 95 more categories of snow. Likewise, in India 
we have names and names for rain. Some are common, some are 
passing into history. 
6 The rains are also called after flowering plants and people believe that 
the blossoming of those plants draws out rain. Once the monsoons set 
in, field work is carried out in earnest and the work of uprooting and 
transplanting paddy in flooded terrace fields is done. The months of 
hard labour are June, July and August. In August, as the phrogü plant 
begins to bloom, a rain will fall. This August rain, also called phrogü, is 
a sign that the time for cultivation is over. If any new grain seeds are 
sown, they may not sprout; even if they do sprout, they are not likely to 
bear grain. The rain acts as a kind of farmer’s almanac.   
7 The urban population of school-goers and office-goers naturally dislikes 
the monsoon and its accompanying problems of landslides, muddy 
streets and periodic infections. For non-farmers, the month of 
1/2 4 
September can be depressing, when the rainfall is incessant and the 
awareness persists that the monsoons will last out till October. One 
needs to have the heart of a farmer to remain grateful for the watery 
days, and be able to observe — from what seems to the inexperienced 
as a continuous downpour — the many kinds of rain. Some of the 
commonly known rain-weeks are named after the plants that 
alternately bloom in August and September. The native belief is that 
the flowers draw out the rain.  
8 Each rain period has a job to fulfil : October rain helps garlic bulbs to 
form, while kümünyo rain helps the rice bear grain. Without it, the 
ears of rice cannot form properly. End October is the most beautiful 
month in the Naga hills, as the fields turn gold and wild sunflowers 
bloom over the slopes, all heralding the harvest. Prayers go up for 
protecting the fields from storms, and the rains to retreat because the 
grain needs to stand in the sun and ripen. The cycle nears completion a 
few weeks before the harvest, and the rain does retreat so thoroughly 
from the reaped furrows that the earth quickly turns hard. The months 
of rain become a distant memory until it starts all over again. 
 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, complete the 
statements given below with the help of options that follow :  1 ? 4=4 
(a) The rains are called after flowering plants because  
(i) heavy rains kill plants. 
(ii) flowers grow in the rainy season. 
(iii) it is believed that the plants bring the rain. 
(iv) flowers grow all the year round. 
Page 5


1/2 1 P.T.O. 
Candidates must write the Code on the 
title page of the answer-book. 
 
 Series SGN  Code No.  
1/2
 
 
 
Roll No. 
 
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
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 limit while answering the 
questions.  
? Please check that this question paper contains 16 printed pages. 
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be 
written on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting 
it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question 
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the 
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the 
answer-book during this period. 
SET-2 
1/2 2 
 
 SECTION A — (Reading) 30 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
1 When you grow up in a place where it rains five months a year, wise 
elders help you to get acquainted with the rain early. They teach you 
that it is ignorant to think that it is the same rain falling every day. 
Oh no, the rain is always doing different things at different times. 
There is rain that is gentle, and there is also rain that falls too hard 
and damages the crops. Hence, the prayer for the sweet rain that helps 
the crops to grow. 
2 The monsoon in the Naga hills goes by the native name, khuthotei 
(which means the rice-growing season). It lasts from May to early or 
mid-October. The local residents firmly believe that Durga Puja in 
October announces the end of rain. After that, one might expect a 
couple of short winter showers, and the spring showers in March and 
April. Finally, comes the ‘‘big rain’’ in May; proper rainstorms 
accompanied by heart-stopping lightning and ear-splitting thunder. I 
have stood out in storms looking at lightning arc across dark skies, a 
light-and-sound show that can go on for hours. 
3 This is the season when people use the word sezuo or süzu to refer to 
the week-long rains, when clothes don’t dry and smell of mould, when 
fungus forms on the floor and when you can’t see the moon or the stars 
because of the rainclouds. But you learn not to complain. Rain, after 
all, is the farmer’s friend and brings food to the table. Rituals and 
festivals centre around the agricultural rhythm of life, which is the 
occupation of about 70 percent of the population. 
1/2 3 P.T.O. 
4 The wise learn to understand its ways. I grew up hearing my 
grandfather say, ‘‘It’s very windy this year. We’ll get good rain.’’ If the 
windy season was short and weak, he worried there might not be 
enough rain for the crops. I learned the interconnectedness of the 
seasons from childhood, and marvelled at how the wind could bring 
rain. Another evening, many rainy seasons ago, my paternal aunt 
observed the new moon and worried, ‘‘Its legs are in the air, we’re in 
for some heavy rain.’’ She was right. That week, a storm cut off power 
lines and brought down trees and bamboos. 
5 Eskimos boast of having a hundred names for snow. Norwegians in the 
north can describe all kinds of snow by an equal amount of names : 
pudder, powder snow, wet snow, slaps, extra wet snow, tight snowfall, 
dry snow, and at least 95 more categories of snow. Likewise, in India 
we have names and names for rain. Some are common, some are 
passing into history. 
6 The rains are also called after flowering plants and people believe that 
the blossoming of those plants draws out rain. Once the monsoons set 
in, field work is carried out in earnest and the work of uprooting and 
transplanting paddy in flooded terrace fields is done. The months of 
hard labour are June, July and August. In August, as the phrogü plant 
begins to bloom, a rain will fall. This August rain, also called phrogü, is 
a sign that the time for cultivation is over. If any new grain seeds are 
sown, they may not sprout; even if they do sprout, they are not likely to 
bear grain. The rain acts as a kind of farmer’s almanac.   
7 The urban population of school-goers and office-goers naturally dislikes 
the monsoon and its accompanying problems of landslides, muddy 
streets and periodic infections. For non-farmers, the month of 
1/2 4 
September can be depressing, when the rainfall is incessant and the 
awareness persists that the monsoons will last out till October. One 
needs to have the heart of a farmer to remain grateful for the watery 
days, and be able to observe — from what seems to the inexperienced 
as a continuous downpour — the many kinds of rain. Some of the 
commonly known rain-weeks are named after the plants that 
alternately bloom in August and September. The native belief is that 
the flowers draw out the rain.  
8 Each rain period has a job to fulfil : October rain helps garlic bulbs to 
form, while kümünyo rain helps the rice bear grain. Without it, the 
ears of rice cannot form properly. End October is the most beautiful 
month in the Naga hills, as the fields turn gold and wild sunflowers 
bloom over the slopes, all heralding the harvest. Prayers go up for 
protecting the fields from storms, and the rains to retreat because the 
grain needs to stand in the sun and ripen. The cycle nears completion a 
few weeks before the harvest, and the rain does retreat so thoroughly 
from the reaped furrows that the earth quickly turns hard. The months 
of rain become a distant memory until it starts all over again. 
 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, complete the 
statements given below with the help of options that follow :  1 ? 4=4 
(a) The rains are called after flowering plants because  
(i) heavy rains kill plants. 
(ii) flowers grow in the rainy season. 
(iii) it is believed that the plants bring the rain. 
(iv) flowers grow all the year round. 
1/2 5 P.T.O. 
(b) The rain is like a calendar for farmers because  
(i) it tells them when to sow and when to harvest. 
(ii) it tells them the birthdays of their children. 
(iii) each month has a time for plantation. 
(iv) different kinds of rain tell different things. 
(c) People who live in cities don’t like rain because  
(i) it brings mud and sickness with it. 
(ii) they are not bothered about the farmers. 
(iii) they don’t like the plants that grow during the rain. 
(iv) going shopping becomes difficult. 
(d) People pray asking the rain to retreat because  
(i) the fungus and mould need to dry. 
(ii) children don’t get a chance to play. 
(iii) the crops need the sun and heat to ripen. 
(iv) they like to pray. 
Answer the following questions briefly : 1 ? 6=6 
(e) Why do the elders want you to understand the rains in the Naga hills ? 
(f) What does Durga Puja mean to the farmers of the Naga hills ? 
(g) What kind of rain is called sezuo ? 
(h) What is the occupation of more than half the population of the Naga 
hills ?