R.L.K. SR. SEC.
SCHOOL, KHATIMA
HALF YEARLY EXAMINATION (2023-24)
Class: -12th (E)
Time:-3Hrs Sub: - English M.M. =80
Name: -______________________________ Roll No.________
Instruction-
All questions are compulsory.
The question paper divided into three sections-A, B and C
Section- ‘A’ (Reading)
1. Read the paragraph carefully and answer the following questions - 10
A poor farmer lived with his wife and son in a small village. One day, exhausted by the heat, he lay down
under the shadow of a tree to take a nap. All of a sudden he saw against cobra crawling out of an ant hill. The
Farmer thought to himself," Surly this snake must be a duty guarding my field, so far .I has not noticed it and
that is why all my farming is in vain. Let me pay my respects to it now and worship it thereafter." He left the
milk Bowl there and went back to his house. The next morning, he was surprised to see a gold coin in the Bowl.
Since then the farmer placed a bowl of milk every day and got back a gold coin the next morning. Soon the
farmer became rich and happy. One day the farmer had to go to a nearby city for a few days and so he directed
his son to place the milk Bowl near the ant hill every day. The son kept the milk Bowl and left only to find a gold
coin the next day .He then thought to himself". This ant hill must be full of gold coins. “I’ll kill the serpent and
take all of them." The next day, while placing the bowl of milk, the farmer's son struck the snake with a club.
But the serpent escaped and bit him with its sharp fangs instead. He was dead at once. When the farmer
returned, he learnt about his son's fate and grieved .The next morning; he took the bowl of milk and went to the
ant hill. The snake came out and said," Your grad made you overlook even the loss of your son. Your son struck
me in ignorance and I had bitten him to death .I cannot forget the blow on my head and you cannot forget the
loss of your son. Here after, the friendship between us is not possible." The snake gave a costly coin and
disappeared .The farmer returned home cursing the foolishness of his son.
Questions-
i. What did the farmer do to worship the cobra?
ii. What did the cobra give in return of the milk?
iii. What did the farmer's son thought on seeing the gold coin?
iv. What did he do to get all the gold?
v. What message does this passage convey?
2. Read head the following passage and Answer the questions that follow:- 12
The great defect of own civilization is that it does not know that what to do with its knowledge. Science has
given us bower fit for the gods yet we use it like small children. For example, we do not know to manage our
machines. Machines were made to be men's Servant’s yet he has grown so dependent on them that they are in
fair way to becoming is masters already most men &fend most of their lives looking after and waiting upon
machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be kept at the right temperature. And if they do
not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky and refuse to work ar burst with rage and blow up
and bread ruin and destruction all round them.
Se we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper.
Already find it difficult either to work on play without machines and a time may come when they will rub us
altogether just as we rule over animals.
And this brings me to the point at which I ask what do we do with all the time which the machines have
saved for us and the new energy they have given us? on the whole, it must be acknowledged, we do very little.
For the most part we use our time and energy to make more and better machines which will give us still more
time and still mare energy and what are we to do with them? The answer I think is what we should to become
more civilized. For the machines and the power which the machine has given us are not civilization in
themselves, but aids to civilization.
But you will remember that we agreed at the beginning that being civilized meant making and sixing
beautiful things, thinking freely and living nightly and maintaining justice equally between man and man.
Comprehension questions:-
(i) What is the main defect of our civilization?
(ii) What do we not know?
(iii) How will the machines rule man one day?
(iv) What is man doing with the energy and time which the machines have spared for man?
(v) Rewrite the following in noun forms:-
i. Manage
ii. Remember.
(vi) find out from the passage words which mean the same as:-
i. Fault
ii. Strict.
Section- ‘B’ (Writing)
3. You are Kamini/ Kamal of 21 /14 Civil Lines Indira Nagar, Agra. The main road leading to the colony has three
uncovered manholes which have caused a couple of accidents. These have become sources of danger for the
pedestrians and vehicle owner. Write a letter to the drawing attention of the municipal commissioner to this
problem of the residents, requesting him to take appropriate action (100-150) 5
Or
Write a short story in (150-200) words, with the help of the clues given below-
There was a thirsty crow__________________.
A few days back I saw a road accident ___________________.
4. Draft a notice on your school Board that your school was going to organise a ‘Blood Donation Camp’. You are
head boy/Girl of your school. 5
5. Write an article on any of the following in about 200-250 words:- 10
(i) Science and Technology.
(ii) Dowry System- A curse.
Section-‘C’ (Literature)
6. Read the stanza given below and answer that follow-. 6
"For once on the face of the Earth
Let's not speak in any language,
Let's stop for one second,
And not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
Without rush, without engines,
We would all be together
In a sudden strangeness."
Questions-
i. Name the poet.
ii. Name the poem.
iii. Why does the poet suggest a few moments of peace and silence in the world?
iv. What does the poet's mean "sudden strangeness".
v. Write opposite-
(i) Stop
(ii) Much
7. Answer the following question in about (30-40) words. 4
(i) What is kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Or
List the things or of beauty mentioned in the poem.
8. Read the passage carefully and answer the following question- 6
"My children this is the last lesson, I shall give you. The order has come from Berlin. The order has come from
Berlin to teach only German in the school of Alsace and Lorraine. The New master comes tomorrow. This is
your last French lesson. I want you to be very attentive."
(i) Name the chapter.
(ii) Who is "I" above in the passage?
(iii) What was the order?
(iv) Which language would be taught in the school of Alsace and Lorraine
(v) Write the opposite-
a) Last
b) New
c) Order
d) Come
9. Answer the following questions in about (30-40) words:- 25=10
(i) Who did M. Hamel blame for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz?
(ii) What does the third level refer to?
(iii) How was the peddler welcomed in the iron mill?
(iv) What will Dr. Sadao do to get rid of the man?
(v) List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran?
10. Write the answers of the following questions:- (any one) 6
(i) Gandhiji never contented himself with large political and economic solutions. What did he do for the
cultural and social backwardness in the Champaran villages?
(ii) What was the fear of Douglas? How did it come in the life of Douglas?
11. Long answer type questions-(any one) 6
(i) Draw a character sketch of Mr. Lamb
(ii) The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power how does the author employ the literary device of
dramatic irony in the story?
