English Competency-Based Questions (Revised)| Class 12 | CBSE Board Exam 2024-25

English Core Competency-based Questions | Class 12 | CBSE

• The Last Lesson

• Lost Spring

• Deep Water

• The Rattrap

• Indigo

• Poets and Pancakes

• The Interview

• Going Places

The Last Lesson

Q1. “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” A language loses its significance when it becomes the victim of colonial expansion. Justify with reference to the story.

Q2. M. Hamel went on to talk of the French language, saying that it was the most beautiful language in the world — the clearest, the most logical.. Explain the emotions of M. Hamel attached to French language in this context.

Q3. Suggest some instances given in the text that might raise a question about M. Hamel’s “faithful service” as a teacher.

Q4. “I was amazed to see how well I understood it.” Why do you think Franz found the grammar lesson so easy to understand?

Q5. Franz saw a huge crowd assembled in front of the bulletin board, but did not stop. How would you evaluate his reaction?

Q6. Little Franz is the narrator of the story. The name ‘Franz’ means ‘from France’. In what way does the story being told as a first-person narrative of Franz impact your reading and understanding of the story? Provide at least one evidence from the text to support your opinion.

Long Answer-Type Questions ( 5 Marks/ 120-150 words)

Q1 Throughout the story, the reader encounters Franz’ account of how school usually was, and what it was like on the last day of class with M. Hamel. In what way can the story be seen as a comment on schooling in general? Do you think the story might also provide advice on what good education entails? Substantiate your argument with relevant instances from the text.

Q2. M. Hamel distributed new copies that looked like little French flags, and ended the class with an emphatic “Vive La France!”. What do you think might have caused Hamel to demonstrate a sudden surge of patriotism in him? Explain with reference to the story.

Q3. Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. Justify this statement with reference how Hamel demonstrated his last lesson in the story.

Q4. What impact did the Franco-Prussian War have on the school in the village of Alsace, France? Substantiate with reference to the text.

Lost Spring

Q1. ‘But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world’. Explain the context in which the statement was said.

Q2. Why do you think the metaphor 'gold' is used in relation to garbage in the story? Explain with reference to the story.

Q3. Rag picking has accomplished itself as a skill and form of art in Seemapuri. What factors are responsible for abject poverty among the slum dwellers?

Q4. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Discuss the statement in the light of Saheb's rag picking.

Q5. Why was the author’s advice to Saheb to go to school considered as ‘hollow’?

Q6. Saheb’s full name, Saheb-e-Alam, means ‘lord of the universe’. Explain the irony involved in the statement.

Q7. Why do you think the author uses a hyperbole when he says that in Firozabad, families make ‘bangles for all the women in the land?

Q8. Do you think Mukesh can contradict the author's claim of his dream looming like a mirage? Give a reasoned answers.

Q9. ‘She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes.’ Mention the health hazards in working in badly lit and poorly ventilated furnaces.

Q10. Write two instances to prove that the young men echo the lament of their elders in Firozabad.

Long Answer-Type Questions

Q1.Poverty is not just lack of money; it is not having the capability to realise one’s full potential as a human being. (Amartya Sen). Justify the statement in the light of realising Saheb's & Mukesh's potentials in life.

Q2. War and conflict displace people from their homes/ nations. How is this relevant for Saheb & his family?

Q3. Mukesh insists on being his own master. ‘‘I will be a motor mechanic’’, he announces. Why do you think the author does not agree with Mukesh in this context? Do you think Mukesh can realise his dream one day?

Q4. Explain the societal problem in which the bangle makers of Firozabad are caught in Anees Jung’s ‘Lost Spring’.

Q5. How does the story, ‘Lost Spring’ highlight the apathy of society and those in power to end the vicious cycle of poverty? Support your answer with textual evidence.

Q6. God-given lineage condemn thousands of children to a life of abject poverty and interfere in realizing their dreams. How has this been issue been portrayed in the story? Do you think Mukesh can be an exception in this regard? Justify your answer with reference to your reading of Mukesh's character traits.

Deep Water

Q1.Getting rid of fear is an extremely difficult task. Elucidate with reference to the chapter “Deep Water”.

Q2. Describe both the physical and emotional impacts that the misadventure at the YMCA pool had on the narrator.

Q3. “My introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears.” Describe the author's nightmarish experience.

Q4. How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of water?

Q5. How did Douglas make his terror flee with his visit to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire?

Long Answer-Type Questions

Q1.Roosevelt said, ‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ Discuss the role of the swimming instructor & the narrator's subsequent efforts in conquering his fear of water.

Q2. “My introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears.” Discus the significance of the references to the natural world in the chapter “Deep Water”.

Q3. There are instances older children bullying younger ones, especially in school scenarios. How would you relate this practice to William Douglas’ experience at the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool? What is the attitude of the modern youth being reflected through such incidents? Explain.

The Ratrap

Q1.How does the peddler’s conception of the world as a rattrap breed in his mind?

Q2. Despite his philosophical insights, the vagabond fails to resist temptations. What would you attribute this to? Explain with reference to any instance from the text.

Q3. Why did the peddler knock on the cottage by the roadside? How was he treated by the owner of the cottage?

Q4. Why did Edla invite the peddler to stay with her family?

Q5. ‘The man was just as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and tobacco.’ What was the outcome of this?

Q6. Why did the peddler not reveal his identity to the ironmaster? Justify your answer.

Q7. How did the identity of the peddler brought to light?

Q8.How did the peddler realise that he himself had fallen into the rattrap? Give an example to support your answer.

Q9. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation? Explain.

Q10. Why do you think the peddler felt unwonted joy to think ill of the world?

Q11.Why was Edla so kind towards the peddler even after he was discovered?

Q12.How did the peddler react after the ironmaster discovered that he was not the Captain?

Q13. How did the peddler pay his gratitude to ironmaster & his daughter?

Q14. What kind of hospitality was extended to the peddler on his visit to the ironmaster's house?

Long Answer-Type Questions (5 Marks)

1. How did the concept of 'bait' illustrated through the character peddler in the story? Explain with the help of instances given in the story.

2. Both the crofter & Edla Wilmanson were kind towards the peddler. But the peddler's attitude towards the both was a mismatch. Why do you think Edla was more persuasive than the crofter in the transformation of the peddler? Make a comparative answer with instances from the text.

3. Trust is a difficult choice, which may or may not be rewarded. Examine this statement in the light of peddler's action with respect to the crofter & the ironmaster.

4. The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others. To what extent do you think is the society responsible for man's predicament. Justify your answer in respect to the treatment meted out to the peddler from the lesson 'Rattrap' & Derry from 'On the Face of It.'

5. The peddler's instance calls for a need to integrate people from the marginalized sections into the mainstream society. Justify the statement with respect to Edla's demonstration of love, compassion and charity.

Indigo

Q1.The peasants were themselves the most crucial agents in the success of the Champaran Civil Disobedience. Expand.

Q2. How did Gandhiji begin his mission in Champaran?

Q3. Gandhi was a lawyer himself. Examine how his professional expertise helped in Champaran.

Q4. How did Gandhiji tell the court that he was involved in ' a conflict of duties'?

Q5. What were the terms of the indigo contract between the British landlords and the Indian farmers?

Q6. 'The battle of Champaran is won.' When and why did Gandhi utter these words?

Q7. What made the Lieutenant Governor drop the case against Gandhi?

Long Answer-Type Questions

Q1.Describe Gandhiji's contribution for social & cultural upliftment of the people of Champaran?

Q2. Explain the possible reasons for Gandhi’s quick popularity among the peasants of Champaran.

Q3. What according to Gandhi is self-reliance? How can one be self-reliant? Justify with reference to the lesson 'Indigo' by Louis Fischer.

Q4. Gandhi was impressed by the sharecropper's tenacity and this led to a series of events which led to a series of events with a far-reaching impact on our freedom struggle. Discuss.

Q5. Gandhi's focus was more on making the peasant free from fear. How is fear a deterrent for the people to realise their true potential? Illustrate your answer with respect to the peasants and William Douglas in the lesson ' Deep Water.

Poets & Pancakes

Sample Questions with Answers

CBSE Sample Paper Questions 2023-24

1. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given.

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms

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. (A Thing of Beauty)

(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 power they exerted 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) The use of the word "brink" in the extract suggests that the immortality that is being poured onto us is on the verge of overflowing. This creates a powerful image of ___________.

(v) Select the option that is NOT true about the lack of punctuation at the end of line 1 in the extract. A. Creates a sense of continuity and flow that connects the line with the second line.B. Encourages the reader to continue reading seamlessly without any pause. C. Creates a sense of anticipation and expectation for the reader. D. Encourages a revisit to the ideas in the preceding lines.