Class 12 English: CBSE Sample Question Paper- Term I (2021-22)- 2 | English Class 12 PDF Download

Class-XII

General Instructions: 

1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections.
2. Section A – READING has 18 questions. Attempt a total of 14 questions, as per specific instructions for each question.
3. Section B – WRITING SKILLS has 12 questions. Attempt a total of 10 questions, as per specific instructions for each question.
4. Section C – LITERATURE has 30 questions. Attempt 26 questions, as per specific instructions for each question. 
5. All questions carry equal marks. 
6. There is no negative marking.

I. Read the passage given below:
Donated Organs and their Transportation 

1. Once an organ donor’s family gives its consent and the organs are matched to a recipient, medical professionals are faced with the onerous challenge of transporting organs while ensuring that the harvested organ reaches its destination in the shortest possible time. This is done in order to preserve the harvested organs which involves the police especially the traffic police department. 
2. The traditional method of transporting organs by road is referred to as a “green corridor”. The first green corridor in India was created by Chennai Traffic Police in September 2008 when they accomplished their task of enabling an ambulance to reach its destination within 11 minutes during peak hour traffic. That organ saved a nine-year-old girl whose life depended on the transplant. Similarly, such green corridors have been created by traffic police of various cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, etc. 
3. Experts point out the lack of a robust system to transport organs to super-speciality hospitals in least possible time. National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), the country’s apex organ donation agency, is now framing a proposal to airlift cadaver organs and will send a report to the Union Health Ministry. “Cadaver organs have a short life and so transplant should be done within a few golden hours.” Director (NOTTO) expressed, “Therefore, we are preparing a proposal for airlifting organs at any given moment.” 
4. (4) Most states do not have enough well-trained experts to retrieve or perform transplant procedures. Also, there is an acute shortage of advanced healthcare facilities to carry out a transplant. So, it is referred to 
5. other big centres in metropolitan cities. Organs retrieved from Aurangabad, Indore, Surat and Pune are sent to Mumbai as these cities do not have super-speciality healthcare centres and informed officials. 
6. “In India, about fifty thousand to one lakh patients are suffering from acute heart failure and need heart transplant at any point of time. In a private set-up, a heart transplant costs ₹ 15-20 lakhs, which is followed up by postoperative medication of about ₹ 30,000 per month lifelong.” Moreover, the risk factor is a great hindrance.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any eight out of the ten questions by choosing the correct option.
Q.1: The first green corridor in India was created in: 
(a) New Delhi 
(b) Chennai 
(c) Mumbai 
(d) Pune 

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q.2: The onerous task that the author is talking about in para 1 is:
(a) finding organ donors.
(b) finding doctors capable of performing transplants.
(c) to carry the harvested organ in the shortest possible time.
(d) to arrange the requisite facilities for the transplant.

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q.3: Most of the people do not go for the heart transplant as:
(a) it is very risky.
(b) it is very painful.
(c) it may cause death of the recipient.
(d) the cost is prohibitive.

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q.4: Most states refer organ transplant cases to big hospitals because:
(a) they don’t have well trained experts.
(b) the patients don’t trust local doctors.
(c) the state hospitals are very crowded.
(d) they don’t have a pool of harvested organs.

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Q.5: Apart from Chennai, where were other green corridors created?
(a) Delhi NCR
(b) Pune
(c) Mumbai
(d) All of the above

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.6: How much does a heart transplant cost a patient in a private hospital?
(a) Rs. 15-20 lakhs
(b) Rs. 20 lakhs 
(c) Rs. 20-25 lakhs
(d) None of these

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Q.7: Pick out the word/phrase from the passage which is similar in meaning to ‘save’ (Para 1).
(a) Onerous
(b) Preserve 
(c) Harvest
(d) Retrieve

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q.8: Pick out the word/phrase from the passage which is opposite in meaning to ‘destructed’ (Para 2).
(a) Accomplished
(b) Created 
(c) Transplanted
(d) Advanced

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q.9: What is meant by the word ‘retrieve’ (Para 4).
(a) Get back
(b) Recover 
(c) Set right 
(d) Regain

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q.10: The organisation which is framing a proposal to airlift Cadaver organs is:
(a) Union Health Ministry
(b) Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation
(c) National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation
(d) State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation

Correct Answer is Option (c)

II. Read the passage given below: 

1. Andy Dehart is a shark expert and TV presenter who lives in the United States of America. He has had a lifelong interest in sharks and is always trying to look for ways to educate the public about them. Many people think that sharks have little or no intelligence, but Andy points out that recent studies have shown that many shark species possess powerful problem-solving abilities and social skills. “Sharks do not want to attack humans,” he asserts. “There is no shark species that eats humans as part of its regular diet. In most shark attack cases, the shark leaves after realising that it has mistakenly bitten a human and not its intended prey.”
   
2. In Andy’s opinion, all shark fishing should be stopped until the shark populations have had time to grow again. We then need to do a better job of managing the fishing of sharks. However, even if the direct fishing of sharks is stopped, many will still be killed when they are caught up in the nets of boats fishing for other species of fish. 
3. When Andy was a boy, his father worked for a national oceanic organisation, and Andy travelled with him all over the Caribbean. He grew up by the coast and he has been connected with the sea for as long as he can remember. He also lived near one of the best aquariums in America. Andy then went on to build a career working with sharks in an aquarium environment. More recently, he has been involved with television and the making of programmes about the sharks. 
4. Andy and his wife had their first child two years ago. They were amused and amazed to see to what extent their work with animals has proved to be useful in bringing up their daughter. They know how to observe her behaviour and teach her how to do things by rewarding her. 
5. Andy loves sharks and is very passionate about their survival and protection. He feels extremely lucky to have had opportunities working at the National Aquarium and the television station which presents the Nature Channel. He never wastes a moment in either place that could be spent educating people about sharks. He does admit that it is probably not possible for everyone to love sharks as he does. However, he does hope to persuade people personally or through the media to respect sharks and the critical role they play in our environment. His main objective is to keep spreading awareness that sharks are not dangerous man-eaters but essential creatures in our oceans, as they provide ecological balance and help to control other species.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any six out of the eight questions by choosing the correct option.
Q.11: How can it be proved that many shark species are intelligent?
(a) Their problem solving and social skills 
(b) Their social skills
(c) Eating humans and their immediate realization humans
(d) Their oceanic organisation

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Q.12: Why does Andy believe that sharks only attack humans by mistake?
(a) They don’t eat humans as a part of their diet.
(b) They leave after realising that it has mistakenly bit humans.
(c) Human is not its intended prey.
(d) All of these

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.13: How did Andy’s work help him when bringing up his daughter?
(a) He know how to teach her things by rewarding her.
(b) He taught her by reprimanding her. 
(c) He taught her to observe behaviour of others.
(d) Connection of animals to the daughter’s keenness.

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Q.14: According to the graph, how many sharks were caught in 1990?
(a) 650,000
(b) 700,000
(c) 700
(d) 800

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q.15: How does Andy hope to educate people about sharks?
(a) Through his work at the National Aquarium 
(b) Through the media
(c) Through the Nature Challenge
(d) All of these

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.16: Even after the ascending trend, in which year the number of number of sharks caught remained the same?
(a) 1970
(b) 1975
(c) 1980
(d) 1985

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Q.17: How long has Andy been interested in sharks?
(a) Lifelong
(b) Since he was a boy
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) Neither (a) nor (b)

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q.18: What is the main objective of Andy?
(a) Build a career working with sharks in an aquarium
(b) Keep spreading awareness that sharks are not man-eaters 
(c) Sharks are the essential creatures in our oceans
(d) Both (b) and (c)

Correct Answer is Option (d)

III. Answer any four out of the five questions given below.
Q.19: Which of the given advertisements is written by an employer? 
(a) Educational 
(b) Situation Wanted 
(c) Situation Vacant 
(d) To-let

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q.20: Classified advertisements are always written ____________.
(a) inside a box
(b) with jargons 
(c) along with promotional pictures
(d) by an employer 

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Q.21: Where is the designation of the issuing authority written in a Notice?
(a) On the top right hand side corner of the Notice.
(b) On the bottom right hand side corner of the Notice. 
(c) Just below the signature of the issuing authority
(d) Just above the signature of the issuing authority

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q.22: What is written on top of a Classified Advertisement? 
(a) Date 
(b) Subject 
(c) Name of Institution 
(d) Heading

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.23: Notice is a type of ______________.
(a) letter
(b) report
(c) article
(d) None of these

Correct Answer is Option (d)

IV. Answer any  six of the seven questions given below.
Q.24: An Article is a ___________________ piece of writing.
(a) informal and long
(b) formal and informational
(c) long and winding
(d) informational and main 

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q.25: Heading of an Article should be:
(a) catchy and appealing.
(b) long and descriptive. 
(c) capital and bold.
(d) detailed and sparkling

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Q.26: Byline of an Article contains:
(a) theme of the Article.
(b) central idea of the Article. 
(c) extra piece of information.
(d) name of the writer of the Article.

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.27: Which of the following is the characteristic of Article Writing?
(a) Passive voice
(b) Emotive language
(c) Rhetorical questions
(d) All of these 

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.28: What should be done to make your Article look synchronised?
(a) Stick to your opinion and go on repeating it.
(b) Present strong arguments for your ideas supporting them with evidence or elaboration.
(c) Introduce a new point at the beginning of each paragraph to strengthen your ideas.
(d) Both (b) and (c)

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.29: Why should the first and last paragraph be in synchronization with each other?
(a) To confuse the readers.
(b) To form connection with the topic before concluding.
(c) To make the Article look impressive and leave a lasting impression.
(d) They should never be in synchronization with each other.

Correct Answer is Option (b) 

Q.30: Which of the following should NOT be used to end the Article?
(a) Conclusion 
(b) Food for thought
(c) Thank you note
(d) Summing up the ideas discussed

Correct Answer is Option (c) 

V. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow:
“I have nothing else to do,” he mutters, looking away. “Go to school,” I say glibly, realising immediately how hollow the advice must sound.
“There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one, I will go.”
“If I start a school, will you come?” I ask, half-joking. “Yes,” he says, smiling broadly.
A few days later I see him running up to me. “Is your school ready?” “It takes longer to build a school,” I say, embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.
Q.31: Saheb’s muttering and ‘looking away ’ suggests his
(a) anger 
(b) shyness
(c) embarrassment 
(d) anxiety

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Saheb was embarrassed at the thought of not going to school and just doing the menial work of rag-picking.

Q.32: Of the four meanings of ‘glibly ’, select the option that matches in meaning with its usage in the extract.
(a) Showing a degree of informality
(b) Lacking depth and substance
(c) Being insincere and deceitful
(d) Speaking with fluency

Correct Answer is Option (b)

Q.33: Who do you think Saheb is referring to as ‘they ’, in the given sentence? “When they build one, I will go”
(a) The officials
(b) The inhabitants
(c) The teachers
(d) The journalists

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The government officials.

Q.34: Select the option that lists the feelings and attitudes corresponding to the following:
(1) I ask half-joking 
(2) ...he says, smiling broadly
(a) (1) part arrogance, part seriousness (2) hesitation
(b) (1) part amusement, part irritation (2) submissiveness
(c) (1) part concern, part hurt (2) pride
(d) (1) part humour, part earnestness (2) self-belief

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The author was teasing Saheb (part humour) and also intended to open a school, but lacked resources (part earnestness).
Saheb was confident that he would attend the school, if given a chance (self belief).

Q.35: Select the option that lists reasons why Saheb’s world has been called ‘bleak’.
(1) The absence of parental presence
(2) The poor socio-economic conditions
(3) His inability to address problems
(4) His lack of life-skills
(5) The denied opportunities of schooling
(a) (1) and (4)
(b) (2) and (5)
(c) (3) and (5)
(d) (2) and (4)

Correct Answer is Option (b)
no money, no proper house, no education- so the world is dark and bleak.

VI. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow:
Tiny vestiges of the old terror would return. But now I could frown and say to that terror, “Trying to scare me, eh? Well, here’s to you! Look!” And off I’d go for another length of the pool. This went on until July. But I was still not satisfied. I was not sure that all the terror had left. So, I went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island, and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. I swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke and back stroke. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. The old sensation returned in miniature.
Q.36: Why did Douglas go to swim at Lake Wentworth?
(a) To showcase his skills for all who had doubted him.
(b) To honour the efforts of his swimming instructor.
(c) To build on his ability of swimming in a natural water body.
(d) To know for sure that he had overcome his fear of drowning in water.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
William Douglas went to Lake Wentworth just to check whether he had overcome the fear or still tiny vestiges of fear were still left.

Q.37: Select the option that lists the correct inference based on the information in the extract.
(a) Triggs Island and Stamp Act Island are both located in Lake Wentworth.
(b) Lake Wentworth is a part of Triggs Island.
(c) Stamp Act Island is two miles away from New Hampshire.
(d) Lake Wentworth is connected via docks to New Hampshire.

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Triggs Island and Stamp Act Island both are located in Lake Wentworth.

Q.38: What was the reason for the ‘return’ of terror?
(a) Superstitions about the dock at Triggs Island
(b) Recent reports about drowning incidents
(c) Prior drowning experiences
(d) Warnings by experienced swimmers

Correct Answer is Option (c)
He had harsh memories of childhood when he was drowned to death by a bully.

Q.39: Douglas mentions that the old sensation returned in miniature.
He means that he felt the familiar feeling of fear ________. 
(a) at irregular intervals
(b) on a small scale 
(c) repeatedly
(d) without notice

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Q.40: How did Douglas handle the ‘old sensation’?
(a) Addressed it 
(b) Avoided it 
(c) Submitted to it
(d) Stayed indifferent to it

Correct Answer is Option (a)
He faced the frightening situations to overcome his fear.

VII. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow:
The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper seeming boy, with rat’s eyes. The stunted, unlucky heir Of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease, His lesson, from his desk. At back of the dim class One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream…
Q.41: The poet draws attention to the problem of ____________ while describing the boy as paper-seeming.
(a) malnutrition 
(b) untidiness
(c) isolation
(d) abandonment

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Undernourished and that is why very lean and thin just like a paper.

Q.42: Which option has the underlined phrase that applies the poetic device used for ‘rat’s eyes’?
(a) He shut up like a clam when interrogated.
(b) She runs as swift as a gazelle. 
(c) He is considered the black sheep of the family. 
(d) She ran away chattering with fear.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Poetic device used is Metaphor. Here there is comparison between the eyes of a child with the eyes of a rat, but the comparison is implied.

Q.43: Select the correct option to fill the blank.
The tall girl’s head is weighed down due to the ___________.
(a) effect of diseases
(b) need for concentration 
(c) desire to remain unnoticed 
(d) burdens of poverty

Correct Answer is Option (d)
She feels embarrassed and humiliated due to poverty and continuous problems. Hence she is unable to lift her head up.

Q.44: The literal meaning of ‘reciting’ refers to delivering the lesson aloud. What does its figurative meaning refer to?
(a) Showing extra interest in the lesson. 
(b) Carrying his father ’s disease.
(c) Resigning to his disease and condition.
(d) Voicing the poor conditions, he lives in.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
'reciting a father ’s gnarled disease,'
The stunted boy has inherited the disease from his father.

Q.45: How does the ‘unnoted’ pupil present a contrast to others?
(a) He appears to be in a world of dreams.
(b) He struggles with the fulfilment of dreams. 
(c) He seems taller than most.
(d) He sits in the dimmest part of the classroom.

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Oblivious to his surroundings, he appears to be in a world of dreams.

VIII. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow: 
He said I was unhappy. That made my wife kind of mad, but he explained that he meant the modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it, and that I just want to escape. Well, who doesn’t? Everybody I know wants to escape, but they don’t wander down into any third level at Grand Central Station. But that’s the reason, he said, and my friends all agreed. Everything points to it, they claimed.
My stamp collecting, for example; that’s a ‘temporary refuge from reality.’ Well, maybe, but my grandfather didn’t need any refuge from reality.
Q.46: Why did Sam’s verdict make Charley ’s wife ‘mad’?
(a) It made it difficult for her to accept that Charley would consult a psychiatrist.
(b) It seemed to suggest to her that she was the cause of Charley ’s unhappiness. 
(c) It made her aware of Charley ’s delicate state of mind.
(d) It offended her that Charley and Sam collectively accused her.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
It was an obvious response from a wife as he thought that she was being blamed for Charley's panic state.

Q.47: Sam’s explanation to the reaction of Charley ’s wife was ____________ in nature.
(a) critical 
(b) aggressive 
(c) clarifying 
(d) accusatory

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Sam clearly stated that she was not responsible for Charley's state, rather it was the prevailing condition of World War that was worrisome.

Q.48: Select the option that signifies the condition of people of the ‘modern world’ mentioned in the extract.
(1) unsure
(2) lazy
(3) offensive
(4) anxious
(5) afraid
(a) (1) and (3)
(b) (2) and (5) 
(c) (2), (3) and (4) 
(d) (1), (4) and (5)

Correct Answer is Option (d)

Q.49: Select the option that displays a cause-effect set.

(a) a
(b) b
(c) c
(d) d

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Insecurity is not letting anyone stay at peace. Everyone is in panic mode and wants to escape to be free of tension.

Q.50: Why didn’t Charley ’s grandfather need refuge from reality?
(a) He was too busy to bother.
(b) He had chosen to deny his reality.
(c) He lived in peaceful times.
(d) He was a very secure person.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
In his times the world was in harmony. It was not chaotic.

IX. Attempt the following.
Q.51: In ‘Keeping Quiet’ the poet does not want the reader to confuse his advice for ________ with total inactivity.
(a) experimentation
(b) relaxation
(c) isolation
(d) introspection

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Introspection is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings.

Q.52: On his way to school, Franz says that he had the strength to resist and chose to hurry off to school.
The underlined phrase suggests that Franz was :
(a) hesitant.
(b) threatened. 
(c) tempted. 
(d) repentant.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Franz preferred to run in the open fields, and enjoy all the other trivial things like seeking birds’ eggs instead of learning his lessons. The bright weather, woods, fields and chirping of birds have tempted him to spend the day outdoors.

Q.53: Select the suitable option for the given statements, based on your reading of 'Lost Spring'. 
(1) The writer notices that Saheb has lost his carefree look. 
(2) Saheb has had to surrender his freedom for `800 per month.
(a) (1) is false but (2) is true.
(b) Both (1) and (2) are true.
(c) (2) is a fact but unrelated to (1).
(d) (1) is the cause for (2).

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Saheb had got a job at the tea stall and so he was no longer free to move around. His freedom was lost for 800 bucks.

Q.54: Select the option that lists the qualities of Douglas’ trainer. 
(1) adventurous 
(2) generous 
(3) patient 
(4) methodical 
(5) encouraging 
(6) courageous 
(a) (1) and (6) 
(b) (3), (4) and (5) 
(c) (2) and (5) 
(d) (1), (4) and (6)

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The trainer didn't hurry, panic or rushed for things with Douglas. He trained him step by step and was encouraging at every step.

Q.55: The metaphor ‘lead sky ’, is used by Stephen Spender to bring out :
(a) the image of sky-high constructions in the slum.
(b) a response to death and destruction. 
(c) the strong dreams and aspirations of the children.
(d) a sense of hopelessness and despair.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
It brings in light the bleak future and prospects which the slum education brings for the children.

Q.56: Sadao’s servants leave his house, but none of them betrays the secret of the American P.O.W. Select the option that explains this. 
(a) The servants truly believed that they must not be a part of the household which sheltered a prisoner of war, but their love and loyalty to Sadao made them keep the secret safe.
(b) The servants knew that any information about the P.O.W. would result in punishment for them and their families which is why they revealed nothing.
(c) The servants were superstitious and scared with a white man on the premises and consequently, chose to remove themselves and stay silent about the situation.
(d) The servants did not want to incur the wrath of Dr. Sadao and lose their jobs, therefore they chose to exit instead, and return later.

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The servants showed their loyalty towards their country by leaving the house of Sadao and remained silent to show their loyalty to their master too.

Q.57: Classify (1) to (4) as fact (F) or opinion (O), based on your reading of The Third Level.
(1) First day covers are never opened.
(2) Grand Central is growing like a tree.
(3) President Roosevelt collected stamps. 
(4) Sam was Charley ’s psychiatrist. 
(a) F-1,3,4; O-2
(b) F-2, 3; O-1,4
(c) F-2; O-1,3,4
(d) F-3,4; O-1,2

Correct Answer is Option (a)
1, 3, 4 are facts Grand Central was growing with its branches spread out was an opinion of Charley.

Q.58: Identify the tone of Pablo Neruda in the following line: Perhaps the Earth can teach us….
(a) Confident and clear about the future events.
(b) Dramatic about the prediction he made.
(c) Convinced about the sequence of events to follow.
(d) Uncertain, yet hopeful about the possibility.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
'Perhaps' shows uncertainty.

Q.59: Dr. Sadao mutters the word ‘my friend’ while treating the American P.O.W. in the light of the circumstances, we can say that this was :
(a) humorous.
(b) climactic.
(c) ironical.
(d) ominous.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
An enemy can't be a friend.

Q.60: The sight of young trees and merry children, on the way to Cochin, is _______ the poet’s aging mother.
(a) like a divine assurance for
(b) in sharp contrast to 
(c) a distraction from pain for 
(d) the bridge between the poet and

Correct Answer is Option (b)
young vs old; active and agile vs inactive and static.