Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Regional Office, Bhopal

2nd Pre Board Examination 2023-24

Class - XII
Subject -English [Core-301]

Time-3 hours M.M. 80

General Instructions:
1. There are three sections in the question paper i.e. READING, WRITING and
LITERATURE.
2. All questions are compulsory, however, there are internal choices in certain questions.
3. 15-minute prior reading of question paper allotted.

SECTION A: READING SKILLS [22 Marks]

1. Read the passage given below.

1. One of the greatest sailing adventures of the past 25 years was the conquest of the
Northwest Passage, powered by sail, human muscle, and determination. In 100 days, over
three summers (1986-88), Canadians Jeff Maclnnis and Mike Beedell accomplished the first
wind-powered crossing of the Northwest Passage.

2.In Jeff Maclnnis’s words…………our third season. We weave our way through the
labyrinth of ice, and in the distance we hear an unmistakable sound. A mighty bowhead
whale is nearby, and its rhythmic breaths fill us with awe. Finally we see it relaxed on the
surface, its blowhole quivering like a volcanic cone, but it senses our presence and quickly
sounds. We are very disappointed. We had only good intentions - to revel in its beautiful
immensity and to feel its power. Mike thinks how foolish it would be for this mighty beast to
put any faith in us. After all, we are members of the species that had almost sent the bowhead
into extinction with our greed for whale oil and bone. It is estimated that as many as 38,000
bowheads were killed off eastern Baffin Island in the 1800s; today there are about 200 left.

3.The fascinating and sometimes terrifying wildlife keeps us entertained during our
explorations. Bearded harp and ring seals greet us daily. The profusion of bird life is
awesome; at times we see and smell hundreds of thousands of thick-billed murres clinging to
their cliff side nests. Our charts show we are on the edge of a huge shoal where the frigid
ocean currents ups well and mix nutrients that provide a feast for the food chain. At times
these animals scare the living daylights out of us. They have a knack of sneaking up behind us
and then shooting out of the water and belly flopping for maximum noise and splash. A
horrendous splash coming from behind has a heart-stopping effect in polar bear country.
4. We have many encounters with the “Lords of the Arctic:’ but we are always
cautious, observant, and ever so respectful that we are in their domain. In some regions the
land is totally devoid of life, while in others the pulse of life takes our breath away. Such is
the paradox of the Arctic; It’s wastelands flow into oasis’ that are found nowhere else on the
face of the earth. Many times we find ancient signs of Inuit people who ‘lived here, superbly
attuned to the land. We feel great respect for them; this landscape is a challenge at every
moment.

5. We face a 35 mile open water passage across Prince Regent Inlet on Baffin Island that will
take us to our ultimate goal - Pond Inlet on Baffin Bay. The breakers look huge from the
water’s edge. Leaning into the hulls, like bobsledders at the starting gate, we push as hard as
we can down the gravel beach to the sea. We catch the water and keep pushing until we have
plunged waist deep, then drag ourselves aboard. Immediately, we begin paddling with every
ounce of effort. Inch by agonizing inch, Perception moves offshore. Sweat pours off our
bodies. Ahead of us, looming gray-white through the fog, we see a massive iceberg riding the
current like the ghost of a battleship. There is no wind to fill our sails and steady the boat, and
the chaotic motion soon brings seasickness. Slowly the wind begins to build. Prince Regent
Inlet now looks ominous with wind and waves. The frigid ocean hits us square in the face and
chills us to the bone.

6. We were on the fine edge. Everything the Arctic had taught us over the last 90 days was
now being tested. We funneled all that knowledge, skill, teamwork, and spirit into this
momentous crossing... If we went over in these seas we could not get the boat back up.
Suddenly the wind speed plummeted to zero as quickly as it had begun. Now we were being
pushed by the convulsing waves toward sheer 2,000 foot cliffs. Two paddles were our only
power. Sailing past glacier capped mountains, we approached the end of our journey. At
05:08 in the morning of our hundredth day, speeding into Baffin Bay, the spray from our twin
hulls makes rainbows in the sun as we complete the first sail powered voyage through the
Northwest Passage.

7. We have journeyed through these waters on their terms, moved by the wind, waves and
current. The environment has always been in control of our destiny; we have only tried to
respond in the best possible way. We’ve been awake for nearly 23 hours, but we cannot sleep.
The joy and excitement are too great. Our Hobie Cat rests on the rocky beach, the wind
whistling in her rigging, her bright yellow hulls radiant in the morning sunlight. She embodies
the watchword for survival in the Arctic - adaptability.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below.
i. The passage is about the . [1]
(a) author’s sailing adventure through the Northwest passage
(b) flora and fauna of the Arctic
(c) survival skills needed while sailing
(d) saving the Arctic
 ii. “Lords of the Arctic:’ (Para 4) refers to . [1]
(a) wind breakers
(b) Pond Inlet on Baffin Bay
(c) polar bears
(d) bowhead whales

iii. The author’s sailing vessel is named the . [1]

(e) Prince Regent
(f) Hobie Cat
(g) Perception
(h) Arctic

iv. ‘We were on the fine edge’ refers to…………………………………….. [1]

(a) the glacier capped mountains
(b) the ominous sail
(c) the frigid ocean
(d) intenseness of desire to reach destination

v. ………….. embodies the watchword for survival in the Arctic-adaptability. [1]

(e) The Hobie Cat
(f) Destiny
(g) Perception
(h) None of these

vi. Why does the author feel disappointed to see the bowhead whale disappear into the
ocean? [2]
vii. How does his sailing partner rationalise it? [2]
viii. What is the paradox of the Arctic? [1]
ix. What skills helped the author and his partner survive the adventure? [2]

2. Read the passage given below. [10]

1. Suspense was over when my high school results finally came out. But I was upset. I had not
done as well as I had expected. My father tried to console me. “Why are you worried? You
have done very well my dear.” “No, I have not Baba,” I protested, controlling my tears, and
wondering if I had disappointed him. “It does not really matter,” he assured me. “Do you
know what I got when I finished high school?” I looked into Baba’s face and waited for the
answer to his own question. “You know:’ he told me “I have never told you this. I got just a
third division. But, look at me, I have done quite well:’ Baba got a third division! I was almost
in shock, but the thought of my having done a lot better than that made me realize that I had
no reason to complain. I certainly felt better! “Everything is under control!” said Baba,
smiling. That was his favourite phrase. Posted in Kolkata, my father was then a senior official
in the Indian Railway Service, and an expert in goods traffic operations. He was soon to
become a director with the Railway Board. By the time he retired in 1981, he was general
manager of the Central Railways. By the time Baba passed away in November 2000, his name
had found place in several hearts as well. He was open, easy to know, and full of life. We
were extremely close, but I had so much more to learn about him from many things I came to
know after his death.
2. In September 2000, he was in hospital for treatment of cancer and given just two months to
live. When he found out, his reaction was an extremely rational one. He asked me to fetch
files from his cupboard, so that he could explain the details of my mother’s pension. He also
dictated his will from his hospital bed. “Everything is under control!” After Baba’s death,
Satish, our old family retainer, was inconsolable. We tried to cheer him up. “Your Baba had
scolded me only once in all these years!” he cried. Satish pointed to the watch on his left
hand. “I had been coming late for work and everyone in the family was complaining about it,”
said Satish. “Then, one day, your Baba gave me this watch and told me, ‘Now that you have a
watch, you can’t be late’. “ That was the scolding Satish received. On the fourth day after
Baba’s death, my sister and I had to perform a ceremony. Since several relatives were
expected, we decided to order lunch from a caterer in our locality, reputed for his home
cooked food. But, when we went to pay the owner, we got a surprise. He refused to accept
any money! “When I wanted to start my catering business, it was your father who lent me
money:’ he told us. It seems Baba never asked for it back. Now, after four or five years, the
caterer wanted to repay that debt. Of course, we made him accept the full payment for the fine
food and service. “It was Baba’s gift and it ought to remain so,” I told him.
3. Some days later, there was yet another piece of information as we were preparing for the
main ceremony. Vikram, my brother drove me to the local market. On recognizing our car,
the parking assistant, in his twenties, came running towards us and asked why he had not seen
its owner for long. We had to break the news to him and to our utter surprise, he started
crying. We were really surprised by this reaction from a stranger - until the man told us that
Baba used to pay his daughter’s school fees and buy her books.
It seems, it was on my father’s advice that he had even started sending the child to school.
More than three years after Baba’s death, as we were looking into Baba’s personal things, we
came across an old file with Baba’s certificates and I found among them, his high school
diploma from 1937, the one he told me about 30 years earlier, about the third division that had
made no difference in his life or career. It had made me see beyond mere marks and first
classes as the main road to success. But there was one more fact. Baba had actually got a first
division, a rare achievement in his day. Today, years after his passing, when I think of Baba, I
see a man who was able to sympathise with others so easily and touch their lives in such a
special way.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below:
i. Father’s revelation of his high school result to the narrator, was to . [1]
ii. “I was almost in shock ...” Pick the option in which the meaning of shock[ed] is not
the same as it is in the passage. [1]
(a) Julie was deeply in shock by her grandmother’s death.
(b) He completely shocked everyone with his news.
(c) When she went to China, She experienced culture shock.
(d) When the doctor noticed that the health of the patient was not improving, he
suggested shock therapy.
iii. After the reading of the passage, it can be concluded that the narrator’s father had
a/an……………… approach towards the people and society. [1]
iv. How did the father react to the narrator’s high school result? [2]
v. According to the passage, what does the narrator’s disappointment after seeing his result
show? [2]
vi. Pick the option that correctly states what DID NOT happen after the narrator’s father
passed away: [1]
(a) No one turned out for Baba’s condolence.
(b) Everybody in the nearby area praised Baba for his helping nature.
(c) The caterer refused to take the money.
(d) The narrator found Baba’s old file with the certificates and his high school
diploma in it.
vii. Pick out the option that correctly lists the final feelings of the narrator after finding his
father’s old file: [1]
1. frustrated
2. satisfied
3. hopeful
4. arrogant
5. pessimistic
6. disappointed
(a) 2 and 3 (b) 4 and 6
(c) 1 and 5 (d) 5 and 6

viii. Choose the correct synonym of ‘rational’ as given in para 2, from the options given
below: [1]
1. logical
2. reasonable
3. agitated
4. thoughtless
(a) 1 and 4 (b) 1 and 3
(c) 2 and 4 (d) 1 and 2

SECTION B: CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS [18]

3. Attempt ANY ONE of two, in about 50 words. [4]

A. As librarian of Crescent International School, Gwalior, draft a notice in not more than 50
words asking all students and teachers to return the library books they have borrowed, two
days before the commencement of the examination.

OR
B. Your school is organizing a SPICMACAY programme on the occasion of the World Dance
Day wherein the renowned Bharatanatyam dancer, Geeta Chandran would be giving a lecture
demonstration. As the President, Cultural Society of your school, draft a notice in about 50
words, informing the students about the same. You are Rakhsita/Rohit of MVN Public
School.
4. Attempt ANY ONE of the two questions, in about 50 words: [4]

A. As Secretary of the Literary Club of St. Anne’s School, Ahmedabad, draft a formal
invitation in not more than 50 words for the inauguration of the club in your school.
OR
B. You are Amit Dubey. You have received an invitation from the Director, Health Services,
Punjab who has invited leading medical practitioners of the state to attend a workshop on
‘child care’ on 25th October 2023 at 9 a.m. in New Hope Hospital, Ambala. Draft a formal
reply accepting the invitation in 50 words.

5. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below. [5]

A. You are a resident of Anand Colony and a member of the Resident Welfare Association.
During your morning walks, you have noticed that the parks are in a dismal condition. Due to
the neglect, the parks are no longer safe for residents to walk or children to play. Write a letter
to the editor of your local newspaper in about 120-150 words, expressing your views on the
situation and suggesting ways to improve and maintain the park. You may use the cues given
below. You are Sunaina/Satish, member RWA.

Condition of Parks : Suggestions :

- overgrown grass/trees - prune trees

- broken walking tracks - repair tracks etc.
- open pits - covering of open pits
- no lights - install solar lights
- no dustbins - benches and dustbins

B. You are Radhika/Rahul, currently working on probation as an Assistant Manager in Romy

Chain of Restaurants. You saw the following advertisement in the newspaper and wish to
apply for the position advertised. Write a letter of application along with your resume in about
120-150 words.

ROSE RESTAURANT
- A GOURMET DELIGHT

REQUIRED - SENIOR MANAGER

FOOD AND BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES :
● OVERSEE FINANCES OF THE FOOD & BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT
● SUPERVISION
PREFERRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS :
● DEGREE IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT
● 5 YEARS WORK EXPERIENCE
● EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS
6. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below: [5]

A. There is a shift from content based to skill based education. In addition to foundational
subjects, interesting courses such as design, digital competency and entrepreneurship are
being offered to students. This breakaway from conformity has brought out the latent
potential in students as they are now selecting courses based on their choice/interest and
talent. Write an article in 120-150 words expressing your views on the topic 'Changing
Trends in Education'. You may use the given input.

EARLIER : NOW :
- Limited subjects - Diverse subjects
- Rigid subject streams - Integrated syllabus
- Academic focus - Aptitude focus
- Rote learning - Technology based
- Pen and paper - Competency based

OR
B. Your school recently organised a workshop on ‘Active Listening’ for Students of class XI
and XII on 25th August 2023. As Shilpi Ahuja, member of the organising committee, draft a
report covering the event for your school newspaper. You can take the help of the following
cues.
● Purpose of the workshop
● Attendees
● Activities conducted
● Key messages or take away from the workshop
● Post workshop resources and information
● The impact of this workshop on students and their environment

SECTION C: LITERATURE[40Marks]
7. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given below: [6x1 = 6]

A. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
I saw my mother,
Beside me,
Doze, open mouthed, her face
Ashen like that
Of a corpse and realised with pain
That she was as old as she
Looked but soon
Put that thought away, and
Looked out at young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
Out of their homes,
i. Identify the phrase/sentence that indicates youthful energy.

ii. Which thought is the poet trying to put away?

a. Missing the flight
b. Fear of losing her mother
c. Leaving her mother behind
d. Reaching Cochin

iii. The poet’s mother is described as ‘open mouthed’ because ……….

a. She is curious
b. She is surprised
c. She was dead
d. She was dozing

iv. Complete the following analogy:

Children spilling: metaphor : : ________________ : personification

v. The sight of the children and trees helped the poet ______________ .
vi. In the given extract, the phrase ‘realised with pain’ indicates the poet’s
a. anxiety
b. desperation
c. troubled past
d. ill-health

OR

B. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

And such too is the grandeur of the doom

We have imagined for the mighty dead
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.

i. Which of the following themes is best represented in the given extract?

a. The beauty of nature

b. The power of imagination

c. The immortality of art and literature

d. the inevitability of death

ii. State whether the given statement is TRUE or FALSE, with reference to the extract.

By referring to the dead as "mighty", the poet emphasizes their importance and the
influence or impact they had on the people.
iii. Complete the sentence appropriately.

The "endless fountain of immortal drink" is an apt analogy for the tales of the mighty
dead because_______________________.

iv. Jot down the line/s of the extract that speak/s of imagery.

v. If you are asked to insert a line just after the first line in the given extract to maintain a
rhyme pattern, the last word of your line would be ……………………………….

(a) Said (b) Tomb (c) Think (d) None of these

vi. Which poetic device is used in ‘the mighty dead’?

a. Metaphor
b. Hyperbole
c. Oxymoron
d. Imagery

8. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given below: [4]

A. She crouched close to the sleeping face of the young American. It was a piteously
thin face she thought, and the lips were twisted. The man was suffering whether he
knew it or not. Watching him, she wondered if the stories they heard sometimes of
the sufferings of prisoners were true. They came like flickers of rumour, told by
word of mouth and always contradicted.

i. The above extract talks about …………………………

a. Necessity of War
b. War & Peace
c. Observance of War
d. War & Human Sufferings

ii. Which word in the above extract is the synonym of ‘confute’?

(a) Twisted
(b) contradict
(c) Flicker
(d) Rumour

iii. The young soldier was fighting with death because ………………….
iv. The soldier, talked about, belonged to…………………..
(a) the Japanese army
(b) the Chinese force
(c) the British army
(d) U.S. navy
 OR
B. Charley,
I got to wishing that you were right. Then I got to believing you were right. And,
Charley, it's true; I found the third level! I have been here two weeks, and right now, down
the street at the Daly's, someone is playing piano, and they are all out on the front porch
singing 'Seeing Nelly Home'. And I am invited over for lemonade. Come on back, Charley
and Louisa. Keep looking till you find the third level! It's worth it, believe me!

i. What was the feeling of Sam as conveyed in the letter? Choose the appropriate option.
a. surprise
b. doubt
c. excitement
d. anger
ii. What was Sam Weiner's reaction when Charley told him about the third level?
a. dismissal
b. acceptance
c. Neutral
d. puzzled
iii. The phrase 'Charley, it's true' in the context of the extract implies which of the given
options?
a. Sam is relaxed
b. Charley had migrated with Louisa
c. The existence of the third level
d. Sam had met Charley 's grandfather
iv. Sam wrote the letter to Charley in order to _______________.
9. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given below: [6]

A. Listening to them, I see two distinct worlds-one of the family, caught in a web of
poverty, burdened by the stigma of caste in which they are born; the other a vicious circle
of the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and
the politicians. Together they have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot put
down. Before he is aware, he accepts it as naturally as his father. When i see a flash of it
in Mukesh I am cheered. “I want to be a motor mechanic,” he repeats.
i. Who is being burdened under the baggage of two worlds?
a. The author Annes Jung
b. The middlemen of Seemapuri
c. The sahukars of Firozabad
d. Children born to bangle making family
ii. The phrase ‘stigma of caste’ here refers to the .
(a) grief stricken life of the bangle makers
(b) the untouchables living in Firozabad
(c) poor families living in the slums
(d) children unable to get proper food and clothes
iii. Pick the option that means the same as ‘vicious.
(a) Gentle (b) Soothing
(c) Cruel (d) Humane
iv. Mukesh’s dream that he wanted to be a motor mechanic, suggests that .
(a) he is passionate about driving
(b) he is just like other boys of his place
(c) he is completely different from all the members of his family
(d) he has to work to earn his livelihood.

v. Who is the narrator of the given extract?

vi. What is meant by the word ‘baggage’ here?

OR

B. The world had, of course, never been very kind to him, so it gave him unwonted joy to
think ill of it in this way. It became a cherished pastime of his, during many dreary plodding,
to think of people he knew who had let themselves be caught in the dangerous snare, and of
others who were still circling around the bait.
i. The peddler’s constant thought about the people who had been tempted to touch
the bait suggests that
(a) he did not like greedy people.
(b) he is always cautious when meeting his friends.
(c) he considers the whole world a rattrap.
(d) he is fed up with his poverty-stricken life.

ii. The peddler gets unusual joy in thinking .

(a) about his future dreams
(b) about his past
(c) about people, lured by wealth
(d) ill of the world
iii. The word ‘plodding’ means the same as following:

a. Lumbering b. Cautiously c. Tiptoe d. Loudly

iv. What is the mood of the peddler in these lines?

a. Gloomy b. Pensive c. Revengeful d. calm

v. What is the meaning of the phrase “unwonted joy”?

vi. What is the tone of the extract?

10. Answer ANY FIVE of the following in about 40-50 words each: [5x2=10]

a. Annes Jung’s pen picture of Seemapuri is very dismal. Explain.

b. Why was Gandhiji against taking help from C.F. Andrews?
c. How and why was M. Hamel dressed differently that day?
d. According to Keats what moves away the pain and suffering from human life?
e. How does Aunt Jennifer express her suppressed anger against her husband’s
dominance?
f. Which qualities of William Douglas did help him overcome his fear of water?

11. Answer ANY TWO of the following questions in about 40-50 words each: [2x2=4]

a. What was the purpose of transporting a bunch of youngsters to Antarctica?

b. Why did Hana have to wash the wounded man herself?
c. How did Zitkala-Sa defend cutting off her long hair?

12. Answer ANY ONE of the following questions in about 120-150 words: [5]

A. What did the French teacher tell his students in his last French lesson? What
impact did it have on them? Why?

OR

B. ‘Though Sophie and Jansie are friends but in their thinking and attitudes, they are
poles apart’. Elaborate the statement in the light of the story ‘Going Places’.

13. Answer ANY ONE of the following questions in about 120-150 words : [5]

A. What efforts were made by Dr. Sadao and Hana to save the life of the injured man?

OR
B. How can a visit to Antarctica be an enlightening experience? Elaborate.

…………..Come Prepared to Go with a Smile……………….