Class 12 English (Elective): CBSE Sample Question Papers (2024-25) | CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Humanities - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

 Page 1


Page | 1 
 
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 
ENGLISH ELECTIVE- CODE 001 
CLASS XII - (2024-2025) 
 
Total Time: 3 hours                                                                                                       Marks: 80  
General instructions 
i. This paper is divided in THREE sections. 
A. SECTION A -READING 
B. SECTION B – GRAMMAR & WRITING  
C. SECTION C- TEXTBOOK 
ii. Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary. Read 
the instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
iii. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
                                                        SECTION A- READING                                          20 Marks 
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:  
 
12x1=12 
(1) The postmaster’s office was located in the village of Ulapur. He was a young man 
from Calcutta. Stationed here, away from the known limits of civilisation, he often 
felt like a fish out of water. The plantation workers nearby seemed to have their 
own community. Social miscegenation between two different classes of people 
seemed all but impossible. 
 
(2)  In truth, the boy from the city wasn’t good at mixing with people. Uprooted and 
exiled to a foreign land, his feelings oscillated between arrogance and shame. He 
rarely met any of the villagers.  At times, he tried writing. He wrote poems: poems 
in which the marrow of life seemed to resonate with the faint tremble of young 
leaves, where the memory of existence was rejuvenated by the sight of rain 
clouds—and yet, in his heart of hearts, he knew that the only way he’d welcome 
the sight of a new life would be if some fantastical djinn from the Arabian Nights 
arrived at night, unawares, and secretly swept away this maze of maddening 
vegetation. He longed for the security of metalled roads, of tall houses which 
blocked the sight of clouds in the open sky. The city was spreading its tentacles, 
calling him back. 
 
(3) The postmaster’s salary was meagre. He had to cook his own meals and his 
housework was under the care of an orphan girl called Ratan. Ratan was thirteen 
years old and called him dadababu. Her marital prospects seemed bleak. 
Evenings would arrive with plumes of smoke rising from the cowshed. The 
postmaster would light his lamp. The flame would sputter as he’d call out, 
“Ratan?” 
Ratan would be waiting for this call. But on its arrival, she’d rush into the room, 
feigning surprise. 
 “You called, dadababu?” 
“Are you busy?” 
“Well, I need to go and make the fire . . .” 
“You can afford to do that later, can’t you? Do be a dear and dress my tobacco..” 
 
(4) 
 
 
 
Ratan would enter with the coal-filled hookah, blowing on it feverishly. The 
postmaster would snatch it from her hands and ask, quite suddenly, “Ratan, do 
you remember your mother?” Memories would flow back in. Her father, she 
remembered, loved her more than her mother. She remembered his smile clearly, 
 
Page 2


Page | 1 
 
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 
ENGLISH ELECTIVE- CODE 001 
CLASS XII - (2024-2025) 
 
Total Time: 3 hours                                                                                                       Marks: 80  
General instructions 
i. This paper is divided in THREE sections. 
A. SECTION A -READING 
B. SECTION B – GRAMMAR & WRITING  
C. SECTION C- TEXTBOOK 
ii. Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary. Read 
the instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
iii. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
                                                        SECTION A- READING                                          20 Marks 
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:  
 
12x1=12 
(1) The postmaster’s office was located in the village of Ulapur. He was a young man 
from Calcutta. Stationed here, away from the known limits of civilisation, he often 
felt like a fish out of water. The plantation workers nearby seemed to have their 
own community. Social miscegenation between two different classes of people 
seemed all but impossible. 
 
(2)  In truth, the boy from the city wasn’t good at mixing with people. Uprooted and 
exiled to a foreign land, his feelings oscillated between arrogance and shame. He 
rarely met any of the villagers.  At times, he tried writing. He wrote poems: poems 
in which the marrow of life seemed to resonate with the faint tremble of young 
leaves, where the memory of existence was rejuvenated by the sight of rain 
clouds—and yet, in his heart of hearts, he knew that the only way he’d welcome 
the sight of a new life would be if some fantastical djinn from the Arabian Nights 
arrived at night, unawares, and secretly swept away this maze of maddening 
vegetation. He longed for the security of metalled roads, of tall houses which 
blocked the sight of clouds in the open sky. The city was spreading its tentacles, 
calling him back. 
 
(3) The postmaster’s salary was meagre. He had to cook his own meals and his 
housework was under the care of an orphan girl called Ratan. Ratan was thirteen 
years old and called him dadababu. Her marital prospects seemed bleak. 
Evenings would arrive with plumes of smoke rising from the cowshed. The 
postmaster would light his lamp. The flame would sputter as he’d call out, 
“Ratan?” 
Ratan would be waiting for this call. But on its arrival, she’d rush into the room, 
feigning surprise. 
 “You called, dadababu?” 
“Are you busy?” 
“Well, I need to go and make the fire . . .” 
“You can afford to do that later, can’t you? Do be a dear and dress my tobacco..” 
 
(4) 
 
 
 
Ratan would enter with the coal-filled hookah, blowing on it feverishly. The 
postmaster would snatch it from her hands and ask, quite suddenly, “Ratan, do 
you remember your mother?” Memories would flow back in. Her father, she 
remembered, loved her more than her mother. She remembered his smile clearly, 
 
Page | 2 
 
 
 
the smile he’d carry home when he returned every evening. His face would return 
to her like a revenant, and the little girl, still lost in thought, would proceed to sit 
on the floor by the postmaster’s feet. Looking at the young man, she’d remember 
how she had a brother once. She’d remember the past like it was only yesterday; 
how they’d played by that old pond, using a branch as a fishing pole! She’d find 
herself remembering bits of insignificant things. The larger tragedies of life were 
murky. 
(5) There were days of magnetic nostalgia—sitting on the wooden plank by the hut, 
the postmaster would find himself remembering his own history—as he’d think of 
his little brother, his sister, of everyone he’d left behind. He was infinite and 
infinitesimal, engulfed by a gaping emptiness—if only, if only he had someone to 
share this with! 
And just like that, all of nature was echoing his abyssal vacancy. 
My heart is in free fall. Won’t anyone catch it? 
 
(6) On one afternoon during monsoons, Ratan walked into the postmaster’s room 
and found him lying on his cot under a pile of blankets and was running a fever.  
Something was happening to Ratan. The pale fire of steady resolution crackled 
under her skin. In the force of an instant, she assumed the authority of a mother. 
Rushing out of the hut, she called the local doctor, stayed awake for the entirety 
of the night, crushing herbs, and feeding them to her patient, punctuating the 
stillness of this frightening night with the words, “Are you feeling better, 
dadababu?” 
 
(7) It took the postmaster weeks to recover from his illness. When he had completely 
recuperated, he thought to himself, “Enough is enough!” He had to get out of here. 
He had to. He immediately wrote a letter to his superiors in Calcutta asking for a 
transfer on medical grounds. Her duties relieved, Ratan spent her days outside 
his room, book in hand, waiting for that old call. But the call never arrived. Finally, 
after weeks of waiting, Ratan was called in one evening. Nursing secret 
excitement and tender trepidation, she walked into the room. 
“Dadababu, you called?” 
“Ratan,” he began, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” 
“Where are you going, dadababu?” 
“I’m going home.” 
“When will you come back?” 
The postmaster pursed his lips. 
“I don’t think I will.” 
Ratan stood still for a while. Words seemed to be losing their way in the labyrinth 
of her silence.  
           “Dadababu, will you take me with you?” 
            The young man stared at the girl and then laughed. 
            “That’s ridiculous!” 
             Shaken, she burst into tears. 
 “Listen, Ratan. I never thanked you for everything you did. Now that I’m leaving, 
I want to give you something. Keep this. It’ll make your ends meet for some time 
at least.” The postmaster handed her a pouch. Peering inside, Ratan found that it 
contained all of her master’s earnings. Stunned, the little girl fell onto the floor, 
clutching the postmaster’s feet. 
“Dadababu!” she stuttered, “I b-beg of you! You don’t have to give me anything! 
Please! Please! I don’t want your kindness! No one—no one has to take charge 
of me!” 
And she ran out, vanishing into the mist enveloping the hut. 
 
 
Page 3


Page | 1 
 
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 
ENGLISH ELECTIVE- CODE 001 
CLASS XII - (2024-2025) 
 
Total Time: 3 hours                                                                                                       Marks: 80  
General instructions 
i. This paper is divided in THREE sections. 
A. SECTION A -READING 
B. SECTION B – GRAMMAR & WRITING  
C. SECTION C- TEXTBOOK 
ii. Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary. Read 
the instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
iii. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
                                                        SECTION A- READING                                          20 Marks 
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:  
 
12x1=12 
(1) The postmaster’s office was located in the village of Ulapur. He was a young man 
from Calcutta. Stationed here, away from the known limits of civilisation, he often 
felt like a fish out of water. The plantation workers nearby seemed to have their 
own community. Social miscegenation between two different classes of people 
seemed all but impossible. 
 
(2)  In truth, the boy from the city wasn’t good at mixing with people. Uprooted and 
exiled to a foreign land, his feelings oscillated between arrogance and shame. He 
rarely met any of the villagers.  At times, he tried writing. He wrote poems: poems 
in which the marrow of life seemed to resonate with the faint tremble of young 
leaves, where the memory of existence was rejuvenated by the sight of rain 
clouds—and yet, in his heart of hearts, he knew that the only way he’d welcome 
the sight of a new life would be if some fantastical djinn from the Arabian Nights 
arrived at night, unawares, and secretly swept away this maze of maddening 
vegetation. He longed for the security of metalled roads, of tall houses which 
blocked the sight of clouds in the open sky. The city was spreading its tentacles, 
calling him back. 
 
(3) The postmaster’s salary was meagre. He had to cook his own meals and his 
housework was under the care of an orphan girl called Ratan. Ratan was thirteen 
years old and called him dadababu. Her marital prospects seemed bleak. 
Evenings would arrive with plumes of smoke rising from the cowshed. The 
postmaster would light his lamp. The flame would sputter as he’d call out, 
“Ratan?” 
Ratan would be waiting for this call. But on its arrival, she’d rush into the room, 
feigning surprise. 
 “You called, dadababu?” 
“Are you busy?” 
“Well, I need to go and make the fire . . .” 
“You can afford to do that later, can’t you? Do be a dear and dress my tobacco..” 
 
(4) 
 
 
 
Ratan would enter with the coal-filled hookah, blowing on it feverishly. The 
postmaster would snatch it from her hands and ask, quite suddenly, “Ratan, do 
you remember your mother?” Memories would flow back in. Her father, she 
remembered, loved her more than her mother. She remembered his smile clearly, 
 
Page | 2 
 
 
 
the smile he’d carry home when he returned every evening. His face would return 
to her like a revenant, and the little girl, still lost in thought, would proceed to sit 
on the floor by the postmaster’s feet. Looking at the young man, she’d remember 
how she had a brother once. She’d remember the past like it was only yesterday; 
how they’d played by that old pond, using a branch as a fishing pole! She’d find 
herself remembering bits of insignificant things. The larger tragedies of life were 
murky. 
(5) There were days of magnetic nostalgia—sitting on the wooden plank by the hut, 
the postmaster would find himself remembering his own history—as he’d think of 
his little brother, his sister, of everyone he’d left behind. He was infinite and 
infinitesimal, engulfed by a gaping emptiness—if only, if only he had someone to 
share this with! 
And just like that, all of nature was echoing his abyssal vacancy. 
My heart is in free fall. Won’t anyone catch it? 
 
(6) On one afternoon during monsoons, Ratan walked into the postmaster’s room 
and found him lying on his cot under a pile of blankets and was running a fever.  
Something was happening to Ratan. The pale fire of steady resolution crackled 
under her skin. In the force of an instant, she assumed the authority of a mother. 
Rushing out of the hut, she called the local doctor, stayed awake for the entirety 
of the night, crushing herbs, and feeding them to her patient, punctuating the 
stillness of this frightening night with the words, “Are you feeling better, 
dadababu?” 
 
(7) It took the postmaster weeks to recover from his illness. When he had completely 
recuperated, he thought to himself, “Enough is enough!” He had to get out of here. 
He had to. He immediately wrote a letter to his superiors in Calcutta asking for a 
transfer on medical grounds. Her duties relieved, Ratan spent her days outside 
his room, book in hand, waiting for that old call. But the call never arrived. Finally, 
after weeks of waiting, Ratan was called in one evening. Nursing secret 
excitement and tender trepidation, she walked into the room. 
“Dadababu, you called?” 
“Ratan,” he began, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” 
“Where are you going, dadababu?” 
“I’m going home.” 
“When will you come back?” 
The postmaster pursed his lips. 
“I don’t think I will.” 
Ratan stood still for a while. Words seemed to be losing their way in the labyrinth 
of her silence.  
           “Dadababu, will you take me with you?” 
            The young man stared at the girl and then laughed. 
            “That’s ridiculous!” 
             Shaken, she burst into tears. 
 “Listen, Ratan. I never thanked you for everything you did. Now that I’m leaving, 
I want to give you something. Keep this. It’ll make your ends meet for some time 
at least.” The postmaster handed her a pouch. Peering inside, Ratan found that it 
contained all of her master’s earnings. Stunned, the little girl fell onto the floor, 
clutching the postmaster’s feet. 
“Dadababu!” she stuttered, “I b-beg of you! You don’t have to give me anything! 
Please! Please! I don’t want your kindness! No one—no one has to take charge 
of me!” 
And she ran out, vanishing into the mist enveloping the hut. 
 
 
Page | 3 
 
(8) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I 
 
 
 
 
 
II 
 
 
 
 
 
 
III 
 
 
 
 
 
IV 
 
 
 
 
 
V 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sighing, the postmaster picked up his bags, and walked to the riverbank where a 
boat was waiting for him. When the boat finally slid into the current, it was then 
that the postmaster felt the sudden weight of crushing grief that his heart was 
gravitating with. “I should turn back,” he thought to himself. “Let me take her with 
me; she, who has always been neglected. She, who has never been welcomed.” 
But by then, the wind had begun pushing the sails. The lukewarm heart of the 
voyager consoled itself with eternal philosophy: ‘life was a river of partings and 
departings, of death and uprooting, of longing and belonging. What was the use 
of looking back? Who belonged to whom in this world?’ 
But Ratan’s little heart harboured no such philosophy. She had been circling the 
old hut cradled in the river of her own tears. Perhaps she nursed a tender hope 
that her dadababu would return one day. Anchored by its roots, she refused to 
move away from the debris of her own heartbreak. (1155 words) 
 ‘The Postmaster by Rabindranath Tagore’ - translated from the Bengali by Utsa Bose 
 
On the basis of your reading of the above excerpt, choose the correct option 
to answer the following questions: (Any twelve) 
 
What was the postmaster's relationship with the villagers? 
A. Close and friendly 
B. Distant and aloof 
C. Hostile 
D. Collaborative 
 
The postmaster’s decision to leave reveal about his character shows that 
he is __________ 
A. determined and resolute 
B. indifferent and uncaring 
C. hopeful and optimistic 
D. weak and indecisive 
 
What all would Ratan recall while conversing with the postmaster? 
A. A lot of things about her mother 
B. Large tragedies of her life 
C. Her father, brother and many insignificant things 
D. Her father, brother and many significant things 
 
What does the postmaster mean when he thinks- ‘My heart is in free fall.’? 
A. His heart is aching 
B. His heart is longing for love 
C. His heart is longing to explore 
D. His heart is throbbing at a fast pace 
 
Statement 1: Ratan refuses to take the salary offered by the postmaster.  
Statement 2: Ratan is annoyed at the postmaster’s refusal to take her along with 
him. 
A. Both 1 & 2 are correct and 2 is the reason for 1. 
B. Both 1 & 2 are correct and 2 is not the reason for 1. 
C. 1 is correct and 2 is incorrect. 
D. Both 1 & 2 are incorrect. 
 
 
 
Page 4


Page | 1 
 
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 
ENGLISH ELECTIVE- CODE 001 
CLASS XII - (2024-2025) 
 
Total Time: 3 hours                                                                                                       Marks: 80  
General instructions 
i. This paper is divided in THREE sections. 
A. SECTION A -READING 
B. SECTION B – GRAMMAR & WRITING  
C. SECTION C- TEXTBOOK 
ii. Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary. Read 
the instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
iii. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
                                                        SECTION A- READING                                          20 Marks 
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:  
 
12x1=12 
(1) The postmaster’s office was located in the village of Ulapur. He was a young man 
from Calcutta. Stationed here, away from the known limits of civilisation, he often 
felt like a fish out of water. The plantation workers nearby seemed to have their 
own community. Social miscegenation between two different classes of people 
seemed all but impossible. 
 
(2)  In truth, the boy from the city wasn’t good at mixing with people. Uprooted and 
exiled to a foreign land, his feelings oscillated between arrogance and shame. He 
rarely met any of the villagers.  At times, he tried writing. He wrote poems: poems 
in which the marrow of life seemed to resonate with the faint tremble of young 
leaves, where the memory of existence was rejuvenated by the sight of rain 
clouds—and yet, in his heart of hearts, he knew that the only way he’d welcome 
the sight of a new life would be if some fantastical djinn from the Arabian Nights 
arrived at night, unawares, and secretly swept away this maze of maddening 
vegetation. He longed for the security of metalled roads, of tall houses which 
blocked the sight of clouds in the open sky. The city was spreading its tentacles, 
calling him back. 
 
(3) The postmaster’s salary was meagre. He had to cook his own meals and his 
housework was under the care of an orphan girl called Ratan. Ratan was thirteen 
years old and called him dadababu. Her marital prospects seemed bleak. 
Evenings would arrive with plumes of smoke rising from the cowshed. The 
postmaster would light his lamp. The flame would sputter as he’d call out, 
“Ratan?” 
Ratan would be waiting for this call. But on its arrival, she’d rush into the room, 
feigning surprise. 
 “You called, dadababu?” 
“Are you busy?” 
“Well, I need to go and make the fire . . .” 
“You can afford to do that later, can’t you? Do be a dear and dress my tobacco..” 
 
(4) 
 
 
 
Ratan would enter with the coal-filled hookah, blowing on it feverishly. The 
postmaster would snatch it from her hands and ask, quite suddenly, “Ratan, do 
you remember your mother?” Memories would flow back in. Her father, she 
remembered, loved her more than her mother. She remembered his smile clearly, 
 
Page | 2 
 
 
 
the smile he’d carry home when he returned every evening. His face would return 
to her like a revenant, and the little girl, still lost in thought, would proceed to sit 
on the floor by the postmaster’s feet. Looking at the young man, she’d remember 
how she had a brother once. She’d remember the past like it was only yesterday; 
how they’d played by that old pond, using a branch as a fishing pole! She’d find 
herself remembering bits of insignificant things. The larger tragedies of life were 
murky. 
(5) There were days of magnetic nostalgia—sitting on the wooden plank by the hut, 
the postmaster would find himself remembering his own history—as he’d think of 
his little brother, his sister, of everyone he’d left behind. He was infinite and 
infinitesimal, engulfed by a gaping emptiness—if only, if only he had someone to 
share this with! 
And just like that, all of nature was echoing his abyssal vacancy. 
My heart is in free fall. Won’t anyone catch it? 
 
(6) On one afternoon during monsoons, Ratan walked into the postmaster’s room 
and found him lying on his cot under a pile of blankets and was running a fever.  
Something was happening to Ratan. The pale fire of steady resolution crackled 
under her skin. In the force of an instant, she assumed the authority of a mother. 
Rushing out of the hut, she called the local doctor, stayed awake for the entirety 
of the night, crushing herbs, and feeding them to her patient, punctuating the 
stillness of this frightening night with the words, “Are you feeling better, 
dadababu?” 
 
(7) It took the postmaster weeks to recover from his illness. When he had completely 
recuperated, he thought to himself, “Enough is enough!” He had to get out of here. 
He had to. He immediately wrote a letter to his superiors in Calcutta asking for a 
transfer on medical grounds. Her duties relieved, Ratan spent her days outside 
his room, book in hand, waiting for that old call. But the call never arrived. Finally, 
after weeks of waiting, Ratan was called in one evening. Nursing secret 
excitement and tender trepidation, she walked into the room. 
“Dadababu, you called?” 
“Ratan,” he began, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” 
“Where are you going, dadababu?” 
“I’m going home.” 
“When will you come back?” 
The postmaster pursed his lips. 
“I don’t think I will.” 
Ratan stood still for a while. Words seemed to be losing their way in the labyrinth 
of her silence.  
           “Dadababu, will you take me with you?” 
            The young man stared at the girl and then laughed. 
            “That’s ridiculous!” 
             Shaken, she burst into tears. 
 “Listen, Ratan. I never thanked you for everything you did. Now that I’m leaving, 
I want to give you something. Keep this. It’ll make your ends meet for some time 
at least.” The postmaster handed her a pouch. Peering inside, Ratan found that it 
contained all of her master’s earnings. Stunned, the little girl fell onto the floor, 
clutching the postmaster’s feet. 
“Dadababu!” she stuttered, “I b-beg of you! You don’t have to give me anything! 
Please! Please! I don’t want your kindness! No one—no one has to take charge 
of me!” 
And she ran out, vanishing into the mist enveloping the hut. 
 
 
Page | 3 
 
(8) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I 
 
 
 
 
 
II 
 
 
 
 
 
 
III 
 
 
 
 
 
IV 
 
 
 
 
 
V 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sighing, the postmaster picked up his bags, and walked to the riverbank where a 
boat was waiting for him. When the boat finally slid into the current, it was then 
that the postmaster felt the sudden weight of crushing grief that his heart was 
gravitating with. “I should turn back,” he thought to himself. “Let me take her with 
me; she, who has always been neglected. She, who has never been welcomed.” 
But by then, the wind had begun pushing the sails. The lukewarm heart of the 
voyager consoled itself with eternal philosophy: ‘life was a river of partings and 
departings, of death and uprooting, of longing and belonging. What was the use 
of looking back? Who belonged to whom in this world?’ 
But Ratan’s little heart harboured no such philosophy. She had been circling the 
old hut cradled in the river of her own tears. Perhaps she nursed a tender hope 
that her dadababu would return one day. Anchored by its roots, she refused to 
move away from the debris of her own heartbreak. (1155 words) 
 ‘The Postmaster by Rabindranath Tagore’ - translated from the Bengali by Utsa Bose 
 
On the basis of your reading of the above excerpt, choose the correct option 
to answer the following questions: (Any twelve) 
 
What was the postmaster's relationship with the villagers? 
A. Close and friendly 
B. Distant and aloof 
C. Hostile 
D. Collaborative 
 
The postmaster’s decision to leave reveal about his character shows that 
he is __________ 
A. determined and resolute 
B. indifferent and uncaring 
C. hopeful and optimistic 
D. weak and indecisive 
 
What all would Ratan recall while conversing with the postmaster? 
A. A lot of things about her mother 
B. Large tragedies of her life 
C. Her father, brother and many insignificant things 
D. Her father, brother and many significant things 
 
What does the postmaster mean when he thinks- ‘My heart is in free fall.’? 
A. His heart is aching 
B. His heart is longing for love 
C. His heart is longing to explore 
D. His heart is throbbing at a fast pace 
 
Statement 1: Ratan refuses to take the salary offered by the postmaster.  
Statement 2: Ratan is annoyed at the postmaster’s refusal to take her along with 
him. 
A. Both 1 & 2 are correct and 2 is the reason for 1. 
B. Both 1 & 2 are correct and 2 is not the reason for 1. 
C. 1 is correct and 2 is incorrect. 
D. Both 1 & 2 are incorrect. 
 
 
 
Page | 4 
 
VI 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VIII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IX 
 
 
 
 
 
X 
 
 
 
XI 
 
 
 
XII 
 
 
 
 
XIII 
 
 
 
 
XIV 
 
 
XV 
What does the image of the "faint tremble of young leaves" symbolize in the 
poem? 
A. The postmaster's longing for the city 
B. The beauty of nature 
C. The fragility of life 
D. The growth and renewal of life 
 
What literary device is used in the phrase “life was a river of partings and 
departings”? 
A. Metaphor 
B. Simile 
C. Hyperbole 
D. Personification 
 
The postmaster often felt like a ‘fish without water’ in Ulapur because: 
A. His urban background made him a bad mixer in an unfamiliar place like 
Ulapur. 
B. He was always thirsty and hungry. 
C. The villagers were cordial with him. 
D. He had forgotten his native place.  
 
What does the river symbolize in the final paragraph? 
A. The postmaster's journey to a new life 
B. Ratan's grief and isolation 
C. The passage of time 
D. The inevitability of change 
 
And just like that, all of nature was echoing his abyssal vacancy.’’ What does this 
tell about the mental condition of the postmaster? 
 
Tagore seems to be suggesting that the powerful natural world is capable of 
influencing those who come into contact with it—for better or for worse. Justify it 
with an example from the story.  
 
 Complete the sentence appropriately. 
      Ratan could not reconcile herself to the postmaster’s ‘eternal philosophy’ and     
 therefore chose to ___________________ 
 
State whether the following opinion is TRUE or FALSE. 
When the postmaster fell ill, Ratan took up the role of a dictator and called the 
doctor.  
 
What does the postmaster mean when he thinks, “Who belonged to whom in this      
world?” 
 
In paragraph 3, the narrator says, “But on its arrival, she’d rush into the room, 
feigning surprise. “Which of the following expressions correctly display the 
meaning of ‘feigning surprise’?  
A. genuinely surprised 
B. pretending to be surprised 
C. trying earnestly to be surprised 
D. elated at being surprised” 
 
Page 5


Page | 1 
 
SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 
ENGLISH ELECTIVE- CODE 001 
CLASS XII - (2024-2025) 
 
Total Time: 3 hours                                                                                                       Marks: 80  
General instructions 
i. This paper is divided in THREE sections. 
A. SECTION A -READING 
B. SECTION B – GRAMMAR & WRITING  
C. SECTION C- TEXTBOOK 
ii. Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary. Read 
the instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
iii. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
                                                        SECTION A- READING                                          20 Marks 
1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:  
 
12x1=12 
(1) The postmaster’s office was located in the village of Ulapur. He was a young man 
from Calcutta. Stationed here, away from the known limits of civilisation, he often 
felt like a fish out of water. The plantation workers nearby seemed to have their 
own community. Social miscegenation between two different classes of people 
seemed all but impossible. 
 
(2)  In truth, the boy from the city wasn’t good at mixing with people. Uprooted and 
exiled to a foreign land, his feelings oscillated between arrogance and shame. He 
rarely met any of the villagers.  At times, he tried writing. He wrote poems: poems 
in which the marrow of life seemed to resonate with the faint tremble of young 
leaves, where the memory of existence was rejuvenated by the sight of rain 
clouds—and yet, in his heart of hearts, he knew that the only way he’d welcome 
the sight of a new life would be if some fantastical djinn from the Arabian Nights 
arrived at night, unawares, and secretly swept away this maze of maddening 
vegetation. He longed for the security of metalled roads, of tall houses which 
blocked the sight of clouds in the open sky. The city was spreading its tentacles, 
calling him back. 
 
(3) The postmaster’s salary was meagre. He had to cook his own meals and his 
housework was under the care of an orphan girl called Ratan. Ratan was thirteen 
years old and called him dadababu. Her marital prospects seemed bleak. 
Evenings would arrive with plumes of smoke rising from the cowshed. The 
postmaster would light his lamp. The flame would sputter as he’d call out, 
“Ratan?” 
Ratan would be waiting for this call. But on its arrival, she’d rush into the room, 
feigning surprise. 
 “You called, dadababu?” 
“Are you busy?” 
“Well, I need to go and make the fire . . .” 
“You can afford to do that later, can’t you? Do be a dear and dress my tobacco..” 
 
(4) 
 
 
 
Ratan would enter with the coal-filled hookah, blowing on it feverishly. The 
postmaster would snatch it from her hands and ask, quite suddenly, “Ratan, do 
you remember your mother?” Memories would flow back in. Her father, she 
remembered, loved her more than her mother. She remembered his smile clearly, 
 
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the smile he’d carry home when he returned every evening. His face would return 
to her like a revenant, and the little girl, still lost in thought, would proceed to sit 
on the floor by the postmaster’s feet. Looking at the young man, she’d remember 
how she had a brother once. She’d remember the past like it was only yesterday; 
how they’d played by that old pond, using a branch as a fishing pole! She’d find 
herself remembering bits of insignificant things. The larger tragedies of life were 
murky. 
(5) There were days of magnetic nostalgia—sitting on the wooden plank by the hut, 
the postmaster would find himself remembering his own history—as he’d think of 
his little brother, his sister, of everyone he’d left behind. He was infinite and 
infinitesimal, engulfed by a gaping emptiness—if only, if only he had someone to 
share this with! 
And just like that, all of nature was echoing his abyssal vacancy. 
My heart is in free fall. Won’t anyone catch it? 
 
(6) On one afternoon during monsoons, Ratan walked into the postmaster’s room 
and found him lying on his cot under a pile of blankets and was running a fever.  
Something was happening to Ratan. The pale fire of steady resolution crackled 
under her skin. In the force of an instant, she assumed the authority of a mother. 
Rushing out of the hut, she called the local doctor, stayed awake for the entirety 
of the night, crushing herbs, and feeding them to her patient, punctuating the 
stillness of this frightening night with the words, “Are you feeling better, 
dadababu?” 
 
(7) It took the postmaster weeks to recover from his illness. When he had completely 
recuperated, he thought to himself, “Enough is enough!” He had to get out of here. 
He had to. He immediately wrote a letter to his superiors in Calcutta asking for a 
transfer on medical grounds. Her duties relieved, Ratan spent her days outside 
his room, book in hand, waiting for that old call. But the call never arrived. Finally, 
after weeks of waiting, Ratan was called in one evening. Nursing secret 
excitement and tender trepidation, she walked into the room. 
“Dadababu, you called?” 
“Ratan,” he began, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” 
“Where are you going, dadababu?” 
“I’m going home.” 
“When will you come back?” 
The postmaster pursed his lips. 
“I don’t think I will.” 
Ratan stood still for a while. Words seemed to be losing their way in the labyrinth 
of her silence.  
           “Dadababu, will you take me with you?” 
            The young man stared at the girl and then laughed. 
            “That’s ridiculous!” 
             Shaken, she burst into tears. 
 “Listen, Ratan. I never thanked you for everything you did. Now that I’m leaving, 
I want to give you something. Keep this. It’ll make your ends meet for some time 
at least.” The postmaster handed her a pouch. Peering inside, Ratan found that it 
contained all of her master’s earnings. Stunned, the little girl fell onto the floor, 
clutching the postmaster’s feet. 
“Dadababu!” she stuttered, “I b-beg of you! You don’t have to give me anything! 
Please! Please! I don’t want your kindness! No one—no one has to take charge 
of me!” 
And she ran out, vanishing into the mist enveloping the hut. 
 
 
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(8) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I 
 
 
 
 
 
II 
 
 
 
 
 
 
III 
 
 
 
 
 
IV 
 
 
 
 
 
V 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sighing, the postmaster picked up his bags, and walked to the riverbank where a 
boat was waiting for him. When the boat finally slid into the current, it was then 
that the postmaster felt the sudden weight of crushing grief that his heart was 
gravitating with. “I should turn back,” he thought to himself. “Let me take her with 
me; she, who has always been neglected. She, who has never been welcomed.” 
But by then, the wind had begun pushing the sails. The lukewarm heart of the 
voyager consoled itself with eternal philosophy: ‘life was a river of partings and 
departings, of death and uprooting, of longing and belonging. What was the use 
of looking back? Who belonged to whom in this world?’ 
But Ratan’s little heart harboured no such philosophy. She had been circling the 
old hut cradled in the river of her own tears. Perhaps she nursed a tender hope 
that her dadababu would return one day. Anchored by its roots, she refused to 
move away from the debris of her own heartbreak. (1155 words) 
 ‘The Postmaster by Rabindranath Tagore’ - translated from the Bengali by Utsa Bose 
 
On the basis of your reading of the above excerpt, choose the correct option 
to answer the following questions: (Any twelve) 
 
What was the postmaster's relationship with the villagers? 
A. Close and friendly 
B. Distant and aloof 
C. Hostile 
D. Collaborative 
 
The postmaster’s decision to leave reveal about his character shows that 
he is __________ 
A. determined and resolute 
B. indifferent and uncaring 
C. hopeful and optimistic 
D. weak and indecisive 
 
What all would Ratan recall while conversing with the postmaster? 
A. A lot of things about her mother 
B. Large tragedies of her life 
C. Her father, brother and many insignificant things 
D. Her father, brother and many significant things 
 
What does the postmaster mean when he thinks- ‘My heart is in free fall.’? 
A. His heart is aching 
B. His heart is longing for love 
C. His heart is longing to explore 
D. His heart is throbbing at a fast pace 
 
Statement 1: Ratan refuses to take the salary offered by the postmaster.  
Statement 2: Ratan is annoyed at the postmaster’s refusal to take her along with 
him. 
A. Both 1 & 2 are correct and 2 is the reason for 1. 
B. Both 1 & 2 are correct and 2 is not the reason for 1. 
C. 1 is correct and 2 is incorrect. 
D. Both 1 & 2 are incorrect. 
 
 
 
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VI 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
VIII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IX 
 
 
 
 
 
X 
 
 
 
XI 
 
 
 
XII 
 
 
 
 
XIII 
 
 
 
 
XIV 
 
 
XV 
What does the image of the "faint tremble of young leaves" symbolize in the 
poem? 
A. The postmaster's longing for the city 
B. The beauty of nature 
C. The fragility of life 
D. The growth and renewal of life 
 
What literary device is used in the phrase “life was a river of partings and 
departings”? 
A. Metaphor 
B. Simile 
C. Hyperbole 
D. Personification 
 
The postmaster often felt like a ‘fish without water’ in Ulapur because: 
A. His urban background made him a bad mixer in an unfamiliar place like 
Ulapur. 
B. He was always thirsty and hungry. 
C. The villagers were cordial with him. 
D. He had forgotten his native place.  
 
What does the river symbolize in the final paragraph? 
A. The postmaster's journey to a new life 
B. Ratan's grief and isolation 
C. The passage of time 
D. The inevitability of change 
 
And just like that, all of nature was echoing his abyssal vacancy.’’ What does this 
tell about the mental condition of the postmaster? 
 
Tagore seems to be suggesting that the powerful natural world is capable of 
influencing those who come into contact with it—for better or for worse. Justify it 
with an example from the story.  
 
 Complete the sentence appropriately. 
      Ratan could not reconcile herself to the postmaster’s ‘eternal philosophy’ and     
 therefore chose to ___________________ 
 
State whether the following opinion is TRUE or FALSE. 
When the postmaster fell ill, Ratan took up the role of a dictator and called the 
doctor.  
 
What does the postmaster mean when he thinks, “Who belonged to whom in this      
world?” 
 
In paragraph 3, the narrator says, “But on its arrival, she’d rush into the room, 
feigning surprise. “Which of the following expressions correctly display the 
meaning of ‘feigning surprise’?  
A. genuinely surprised 
B. pretending to be surprised 
C. trying earnestly to be surprised 
D. elated at being surprised” 
 
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2. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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II 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
III 
 
 
 
 
IV 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
V 
Read the poem ‘A Noiseless Patient Spider’ by Walt Whitman given below:       
 
A noiseless patient spider, 
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated, 
Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, 
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, 
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them. 
And you O my soul where you stand, 
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, 
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, 
Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold, 
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul. 
 
Based on your understanding of the poem, answer FOUR of five given 
questions. 
 
The poem uses spider as a metaphor for: 
 
A. Human beings’ tireless efforts for survival. 
B. Human soul’s search for meaning and purpose in life. 
C. Human beings’ striving for power. 
D. Human soul’s search for anarchy. 
 
How has the poet described the existence of both the spider and the soul? 
 
A. solitary, detached 
B. isolated, gregarious 
C. amiable, explorative 
D. imaginative, isolated 
 
Complete the sentence appropriately. 
The poet’s use of Repetition in ‘It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament’ 
indicates __________.   
 
The mood of the poem is: 
 
A. Gloomy and baffling 
B. Reflective and mocking 
C. Poignant and nostalgic 
D. Pensive and sedate  
 
What does the image of ‘gossamer thread’ suggest? 
 
4x1=4 
3 
 
(1) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2) 
 
 
Read the passage given below. 
 
Education opens up new opportunities to access new information and technology 
that enables an individual to make the right decisions in both personal and 
professional life. It allows children to understand policies, rights, laws from the 
young age which will be helpful in the future. As 65% of the population of India is 
situated in rural areas, emphasizing on rural education will help boost the overall 
economy. Furthermore, it will also help in reducing migration of people from rural 
areas to cites of employment and create new opportunities. 
And to further increase the literacy and growth rate, the government of India has 
launched many initiatives and the goal is to increase the enrolment rate and also 
to encourage the already enrolled students to attend regularly.  (125 words) 
4x1 =4