Class 12 English: CBSE Sample Question Paper- Term II (2021-22)- 2 | Sample Papers for Class 12 Commerce PDF Download

Class-XII
Time: 120 Minutes

General Instructions: 

1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections- READING, WRITING and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

I. Read the passage given below: 

1. I saw ‘Jaws’, the popular shark movie, the summer it came out, in 1975 and became paranoid about sharks. Though I kept swimming after Jaws, it was always with the vague fear that a shark’s teeth could tug on my leg at any moment. Never mind that there’d been only two shark bites since 1900 on the Connecticut coast, where I lived.
2. So, when I got this assignment for the National Geographic magazine, I decided to accept and do   5 what I’d never wanted to do: swim with the sharks. I had to go to a place in the Bahamas known as Tiger Beach and dive with tiger sharks, the species responsible for more recorded attacks on humans than any shark except the great white. It was to be my first dive after getting certified—which meant it would be my first dive anywhere other than a swimming pool or a quarry—and without a diver’s cage. Most people who got wind of this plan thought I was either very brave or very stupid.
3. But I just wanted to puncture an illusion. The people who know sharks intimately tend to be the least afraid of them, and no one gets closer to sharks than divers. The divers who run operations at Tiger Beach speak lovingly of the tiger sharks the way people talk about their children or their pets. In their eyes, these sharks aren’t man-eaters any more than dogs are.
4. The business of puncturing illusions is never just black and white. My fellow divers had hundreds  15 of dives under their belt and on the two-hour boat ride to the site in the morning of our first dive, they kept saying things like, “Seriously, I really can’t believe this is your first dive.” All this was okay with me until I reached the bottom and immediately had to fend off the first tiger shark, I had ever laid eyes on. However, when I watched the other divers feeding them fish and steering them gently, it became easy to see the sharks in a very benign light.
5. I think it would be unfair not to mention that though tiger sharks are apex predators. They act as a crucial balancing force in ocean ecosystems, constraining the numbers of animals like sea turtles and limit their behaviour by preventing them from overgrazing the sea grass beds. Furthermore, tiger sharks love warm water, they eat almost anything, have a huge litter and are the hardiest shark species.
6. If the planet and its oceans continue to warm, some species will be winners and others will be losers, and tiger sharks are likely to be winners.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY EIGHT questions from the nine given below.
Q.1. Cite a point in evidence, from the text, to suggest that the writer's post-Jaws fear was not justified.

Q.2. State any one trait of the writer that is evident from lines 4-8 and provide a reason for your choice.

Q.3. People thought the writer was ‘either brave or very stupid’. Why did some people think that he was ‘very stupid’?

Q.4. Why does the writer say that people who know sharks intimately tend to be least afraid of them?

Q.5. Rewrite the given sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with another one, from lines 7-15.
Some academicians think that reward, as a form of discipline, is a simple right or wrong issue.

Q.6. What does the use of the phrase ‘benign light’ suggest in the context of the writer ’s viewpoint about the tiger sharks?

Q.7. Select a suitable phrase from lines 11-19 to complete the following sentence appropriately.
I agree the team will find this experience tough, but competing will be easier next time after they get this tournament ______________ .

Q.8. Apex predators serve to keep prey numbers in check. How can we say that tiger sharks are apex predators?

Q.9. Analyse why having a large litter is one of the features that empowers tiger sharks to emerge winners if global warming persists.

II. Read the following passage.
Changing food preferences have brought about rapid changes in the structure of the Indian diet. The rapid proliferation of multinational fast-food companies and the influence of Western culture have replaced traditional home-cooked meals with ready-to-eat, processed foods thus increasing the risk of chronic diseases in urban Indians. Therefore, nurturing healthy eating habits among Indians from an early age would help to reduce health risks.
To date, little is known about the quality and quantity of foods and beverages consumed by urban Indian adolescents. This lack of evidence is a significant barrier to the development of effective nutrition promotion and disease prevention measures.
Therefore, a self-administered, semi-quantitative, 59-items meal-based food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was developed to assess the dietary intake of adolescents. A total of 1026 students (aged 14–16 years) attending private, English-speaking schools in Kolkata completed the survey.

A sample percentage of the food consumption pattern is displayed

The survey results report poor food consumption patterns and highlights the need to design healthy eating initiatives. Interestingly, while there were no gender differences in the consumption of legumes and fried snacks, the survey found more females consumed cereals, vegetables and fruits than their male counterparts.
In conclusion, the report suggested that schools ought to incorporate food literacy concepts into their curriculum as they have the potential of increasing the fruit and vegetable intake in teenagers. Additionally, healthy school canteen policies with improved availability, accessibility, variety and affordability of healthy food choices would support the consumption of nutritious food in students.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer ANY SIX out of the seven questions given below.

Q.1. What does the researcher mean by ‘changing food preferences’?

Q.2. Why was this survey on the food consumption of adolescents undertaken?

Q.3. With reference to above figure, write one conclusion about students' consumption of energy dense drinks.

Q.4. What can be concluded by the ‘no intake’ data of fruit consumption versus energy dense snacks, with reference to above figure?

Q.5. There were no gender differences observed in the consumption of healthy foods, according to the survey. Substantiate.

Q.6. Why is ‘affordability ’ recommended as a significant feature of a school canteen policy?

Q.7. Identify a word from lines 6 - 13 indicating that the questionnaire was specifically designed to be completed by a respondent without the intervention of the researcher collecting the data.

III. You are Dr. Stanzin, a certified art therapist from Leh. You have been invited by G. D Public School, Jammu, to conduct a seminar for students on 'Art Therapy the Way Forward'. This seminar is to introduce students to the usefulness of Art in analysis. Write your reply, in about 50 words accepting the invitation.

25, Jammu Estate
Jammu
11 October 20XX
The Principal
G. D. Public School
Jammu
Subject: Acceptance of Invitation
Sir
Thanks for your invitation for a seminar on ‘Art Therapy – The Way Forward’ and your concern for introducing students to the usefulness of Art in dealing with personal and social problems.
I would like to utilize this opportunity to share my experiences with the young minds of your esteemed school.
I hereby consent to conduct the same.
Yours sincerely
Dr Stanzin

IV. Attempt ANY ONE from (A) and (B) given below.
(A) You have read an advertisement in The National Times for the post of Chartered Accountant in Happy Times Industry, Kanpur. You believe you possess the requisite qualifications and experience and would prove to be an asset to the company. Apply for the post giving your complete bio-data stressing your suitability for the job. You are Amrendra Singh of 2, Kailash Puri, Delhi. (120-150 words).
OR
(B) A massive fire due to short circuit gutted 50 odd shops in the congested area of Sadar Bazar in Delhi leading to loss of life and property. As a reporter with ‘The Tribune’, write the report for the newspaper. (120-150 words).

(A) 
2, Kailash Puri
Delhi
14 March, 20xx
The Area Manager
Happy Times Industry
Kanpur
Subject : Application for the Post of Chartered Accountant
Sir
This is with reference to your advertisement published in ‘The National Times’, dated 13 March, 20xx for the post of a chartered accountant. I want to present myself as one of the candidates for the same.
I am a young man of 26. I did my chartered accountancy in 2012 and since then I have acquired sufficient experience, working with various reputed companies.
Now, I would like to switch over to your prestigious organisation for better career prospects.
I hope my qualifications will meet your requirements. My resume is attached herewith for your perusal.
Thank you
Yours sincerely
Amrendra Singh

OR
(B) 

50 Shops Gutted in fire at Sadar Bazar XYZ (A Correspondent of ‘the tribune’)

Delhi March 12, 20XX: Fifty shops were gutted in a massive fire that broke out at Sadar Bazar in Central Delhi on Saturday night. Though no casualty was reported but property worth about Rs. 4 crore was destroyed.
According to the Delhi Fire Service. “A call was received at the fire control room at 9-50 p.m. In all, 27 fire-tenders were pressed into service. It took more than two hours to douse the flame completely,” said a DFS official. The blaze spread from the garment store to a jewellery shop and then to 50 odd shops in the area. Two business man who were passing along the street had seen the sparks but before they could inform the shop owner, the garments hanging outside had caught the fire. It immediately spread to the neighbouring shops.
The exact cause of fire has not been ascertained yet. According to the police, prima facie it appeared that the fire started due to an electric short-circuit in the garment shop, said a local police officer.
The businessmen in Sadar Market alleged that faulty wiring is the major problem in the market, which is prone to short-circuits. A huge loss is estimated as the shops had loads of articles and goods due to festive season but still no compensation had been announced against to incur loss.

(V) Attempt ANY FIVE of the six questions given below, within 40 words each.

Q.1. Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?

The crofter was talkative and friendly with the peddler. He was more than happy when he saw him standing at his door because he led a lonely life. He had no family and he lived there alone. He felt elated to have some company and someone to share his things and to confide in. Being a generous host, he offered porridge and tobacco to his guest and played mjolis with him.

Q.2. Though the sharecroppers of Champaran received only one-fourth of the compensation, how can the Champaran struggle still be termed a huge success and victory?

Gandhiji’s persistent efforts, firm determination, and resolution led to his success in Champaran. He went to Champaran at the request of an illiterate peasant and there he listened to the grievances of the sharecroppers and started the Civil Disobedience Movement. He became victorious and the landlords withdrew their claims over their estates and were reverted back to the farmers. They learnt courage and realised that they too, can be defenders. The landlords obliged to surrender part of their money and prestige. Thus, Gandhi ji broke the deadlock between farmers and landlords.

Q.3. What rich beauty has the heaven given us?

Heaven has blessed us with unending beauty in nature that encircles and makes our life beautiful eternally whenever we think of it. Like an eternal fountain from the brink of heaven, beauty blesses us with joy forever.

Q.4. How was the Skunk’s story different from the other stories narrated by Jack?

Roger Skunk’s story was different from the other stories narrated by Jack because in all the other stories, the family lived happily after meeting the wizard. But in Skunk’s case, his mother was not satisfied with the change. Jo, on hearing this story, insisted that her father should change the story and tell that the wizard took a stick and hit the mommy.

Q.5. Why did the prison officers call Evans, ‘Evans the Break’?

Evans was also known as ‘Evans the Break’, as he had run away thrice from the jail. He was considered a pleasant sort of a chap by the prison authorities. He was good at imitations but was a congenital kleptomaniac. He wanted to sit for examination so as to use the opportunity to escape from the prison.

Q.6. In the poem, Aunt Jennifer ’s Tigers, what is the contrast between the reality of Aunt’s life and her imagination?

In the poem, Aunt Jennifer ’s Tigers, Aunt Jennifer is portrayed as a timid and nervous lady who is living a fearful existence but in contrast to this, she embroiders tigers which are the symbol of boldness, courage and fearlessness. They are the masters of their kingdom where no one lives a life devoid of freedom.

(VI) Answer ANY TWO of the following in about 120-150 words each.

Q.1. How did Jo want the Roger Skunk story to end? Why?

The world of children is quite different from that of adults. Their world is a dreamy and magical world. It is a world of fantasy and romance. There is no place for ugliness and stink in their world. Roger Skunk is the hero of the story. Jo never wanted her hero to be so ugly and stinky. It offends her fairness and justice. Therefore, Jo disapproves of Jack’s ending of the story of Roger Skunk. She wants her father, Jack, to tell the same story in a different way. The wizard must take his magic wand and hit Roger’s mommy hard for not understanding Roger’s feelings. Little Jo wants ‘that stupid mommy‘ to be punished. Her crime is that she went to the wizard and compelled him to make her son smell bad again. Jo wants him to smell nice so that he can play with other little animals. She doesn’t want Roger to feel sad and lonely for no fault of his.

Q.2. Why did Gandhiji consider freedom from fear more important than legal justice for the poor peasants of Champaran?

The ruthless exploitation of the poor farmers by the landlords of Champaran prompted the farmers to fight endless legal battle against the landlords with the help of eminent lawyers. However, the battles were inconclusive. Terror-stricken peasants had no voice to raise and no relief in the courts against the unfair dealings of the landlords. When Gandhi ji came on scene, he viewed the entire situation and declared that there was no point in getting into litigations as law courts would hardly be able to do justice to the peasants. He felt that it was necessary to teach these down-trodden farmers how to be courageous. Until and unless, they got over the terror of the Britishers, they would never experience any sense of relief, he realized. Therefore, he gave priority to empowering and emboldening the peasants rather than waging legal battles for them. After that, Gandhi ji decided to accept a settlement of 25% of the compensation money as what mattered more to him was the moral victory of the farmers and making the landlords realise their own dishonesty and surrender the money as well as their prestige. Thus, Champaran episode marked the beginning of a total transformation of the poor and exploited peasants. Within a few years, the British planters abandoned their estates, which reverted to the peasants.

Q.3. How did the crofter tempt the peddler to steal his money? How did it change the peddler’s life?

The crofter was a lonely man. He was more than happy when the peddler knocked at his door. He shared his confidence with him and told him that he had thirty kronors in a leather pouch. The peddler stole thirty kronors from the crofter’s house, but he realized that he could dare not continue on the public highway, and must turn off the road into the woods. During the first few hours, this caused him no difficulty. Later in the day, it became worse, for it was a big and confusing forest which he had gotten into. He tried to be sure to walk in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth so strangely that he walked on, without coming to the end of the forest and realised that he had been caught in a rattrap. He was no more a free person. He had to be cautious. On hearing the sound of the hammer, he moved towards it and reached an iron mill. The master’s daughter Edla took him home for Christmas Eve. She showed kindness and humane feelings towards him, which changed him, altogether. He returned the thirty kronors to Edla and became a reformed man as he had been risen to the status of a captain.