Class 12 English Sample Paper Term 1 Set B

Please refer to Class 12 English Sample Paper Term 1 Set B with solutions below. The following CBSE Sample Paper for Class 12 English has been prepared as per the latest pattern and examination guidelines issued by CBSE. By practicing the English Sample Paper for Class 12 students will be able to improve their understanding of the subject and get more marks.

CBSE Class 12 English Sample Paper for Term 1

Reading

I. Read the passage given below:

(1) If one early June morning, you are suddenly stopped in your walk by a ringing ‘pip-piu-pie-peepiu- piu’ call coming from the trees in your park or garden, you will feel your heart suddenly lifted. Look around and you may see two large, handsome, black-and-white birds with long coattails chasing each other among the trees. They are pied cuckoos, that have come from Africa, and are said to announce the arrival of the greatest show on earth-the Indian monsoon. Be assured, the curtains will rise in a month or so.
(2) To get a proper view of the onset of the monsoons, you really need to be stationed on the coastline of India or up in the hills. The grand show of grey clouds approaches like an airborne army, preceded by cool breezes, filling the air with electric charge so that you feel very happy. Spear of lighting flickers in the sky and the sound of thunder makes you feel excited. And then, it pours. The cracked earth without any green cover sucks down the flood of water and then Mother Nature goes mad. Seeds scattered or buried like grains of sand of pebbles in the ground suddenly come to life. Shoots of plants rocket skywards, roots plunge into the soft, spongy earth sucking up water and nutrients. It’s a hint the grasshoppers have been waiting for. And bugs, beetles, caterpillars, centipedes, etc. emerge in their billions, feasting on the fresh green plants in the fields (to the annoyance of many a farmers) as also on each other.
(3) There are miracles and there is music too: singing golden frogs appearing in large numbers in rain filled ditch, taking part in a group song that bollywood would have envied. They vanish the very next day. They’d been waiting patiently all through the blistering summer, deep underground, conserving whatever moisture they had soaked up. Fireflies wink through the trees in the hills, sending their greenish signals to one another in codes as precise as any we may use for our most secret messages.
(4) All this is what the birds have been waiting for. Most birds have spent the spring and summer courting and now it’s time to settle down. Baby birds need a lot of high protein at frequent intervals, which the rich supply of insect life so happily provides: caterpillars are eaten up in millions, as are furry moths, earthworms slurped down like noodles, spiky dragonflies beaten to bits to soften them up into baby food. The long-legged storks and herons get busy with fishing. As for the big guys like lions and tigers in the jungles: they too had it relatively easy during the summer when their thirsty prey came to the waterholes. Now, with water easily available, in streams and ponds all over, they need to work harder for their meals. But yes, this is, perhaps, compensated by the arrival of baby deer, and fawns are sweet and soft, not very experienced in the merciless ways of the lions and tigers, even if they may seem more like a snack than a main course meal. The animals get a rest from us, parks and sanctuaries too close down, not so much out of kindness as because the roads become impassable.
(5) And then, just as you are beginning to get tired of the green mould on your shoes, belts and bags, and of all the sniffles and snuffles that the rains also bring (bacteria and viruses also love this season), the clouds begin to disperse and float away in large armies. But before this happens, at least once, do go out in the midst of a downpour, raise your face to the heavens and dance and sing and celebrate this, the greatest show on earth.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any eight out of the ten questions by choosing the correct option.

Question 1. The winged messengers from Africa:
(A) bring rain from Africa.
(B) bring the message that the rains are coming soon.
(C) create a lot of horrible noise.
(D) are not welcome.

Question 2. Baby birds benefit from the rains because:
(A) the mummy bird cannot fly in the rain.
(B) they need a lot of noodles.
(C) the rain brings a lot of insects which they eat.
(D) they like wet nests.

Question 3. Humans don’t visit the animals in sanctuaries during the rainy season because:
(A) humans don’t like to get wet.
(B) the paths to the sanctuaries become waterlogged.
(C) baby animals are born in the sanctuaries.
(D) humans get bitten during the rainy season.

Question 4. The green mould that grows on leather comes:
(A) from the creepy insects that come with the rain.
(B) because grass becomes very green during the rainy season.
(C) because of the moisture in the air during the rainy season.
(D) from fluffy clouds in the sky.

Question 5. Lions and tigers have easy life during summer because:
(A) there is easy availability of water everywhere.
(B) they are not able to catch fawns.
(C) humans visit the sanctuaries a lot during summer.
(D) thirsty animals come to the waterholes as easy preys.

Question 6. With the rain, we find:
(A) that most of the birds court.
(B) that the clouds begin to disperse.
(C) parks and sanctuaries close down.
(D) clean shoes, belts and bags.

Question 7. Pick out the word or phrase from the passage which means the same as ‘declare’ (used in Para 1).
(A) Ringing
(B) Announce
(C) Arrival
(D) Call

Question 8. Pick out the word/phrase from the passage opposite in meaning to ‘vanishing’ (used in Para 2).
(A) Appearing
(B) Disappearing
(C) Waiting
(D) Conserving

Question 9. What does the word ‘mould’ (used in Para 4) mean in the passage?
(A) Furry growth of fungi
(B) Loose friable soil
(C) Pattern
(D) Fashion

Question 10. During summers, where do the frogs live?
(A) Deep underground
(B) In the ponds
(C) In gardens
(D) None of these

II. Read the passage given below:

(1) Indian Rhinoceros, (Rhinoceros Unicornis), also called greater one-horned Rhinoceros, the largest of the three Asian Rhinoceroses. The Indian Rhinoceros weighs between 1800 and 2700 kg. It stands 2 meters high at the shoulder and is 3.5 meters long. The Indian Rhinoceros is more or less equivalent in size to the white Rhinoceros of Africa and is distinguishable from the Javan Rhinoceros by its greater size, the presence of a large horn, tubercles on its skin and a different arrangement of skin folds.
(2) The Indian Rhinoceros occupies the world’s tallest grasslands, where at the end of the summer monsoon in October grasses reach 7 meters tall. They are primarily grazers, except during the winter when they consume a larger proportion of browse. The Indian Rhinoceros fights with its razorsharp lower outer incisor teeth, not with its horn. Such teeth, or tusks, can reach 13 cm in length.
(3) The Indian Rhinoceros previously occupied an extensive range across northern India and Nepal from Assam state in the east to the Indus River valley in the west. Today this species is restricted to about 11 reserves in India and Nepal. Nearly 2,300 individuals of breeding age remain in the wild and only one population, that of Kaziranga National Park in Assam state, contains more than 500 individuals.
(4) The Indian Rhinoceroses’ dung piles, or middens, are of interest not only as places where scent is deposited and as communication posts but also as sites for the establishment of plants. Indian Rhinoceroses can deposit as much as 25 kg in a single defecation. The Indian Rhinoceroses’ dung piles support interesting collections of over 25 species of plants whose seeds are ingested by Rhinoceroses and germinate in the nutrient-rich dung.
(5) A survey was conducted on the population of Rhinoceros unicornis between 1910 to 2005 and the result was interpreted in the form of a line graph.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any six out of the eight questions by choosing the correct option.

Question 11. Which teeth are used by the Indian Rhinoceros for fighting?
(A) Lower outer incisor
(B) Lower inner canine
(C) Upper outer molars
(D) Upper inner premolars

Question 12. Which of these statements is correct?
(A) The Indian Rhinoceros previously occupied an intensive range across southern India and Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu state in the south to Himachal Pradesh in the north.
(B) The Indian Rhinoceros previously occupied an intensive range across northern India and Nepal from Assam state in the east to the Indus River valley in the west.
(C) The Indian Rhinoceros previously occupied an extensive range across southern India and Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu state in the south to Himachal Pradesh in the north.
(D) The Indian Rhinoceros previously occupied an extensive range across northern India and Nepal from Assam state in the east to the Indus River valley in the west.

Question 13. Which of these pictorials represents the change in population of rhinoceros from 1959 to 1963?

Question 14. How much can a rhinoceros deposit in single defecation?
(A) 10 kg
(B) 25 kg
(C) 50 kg
(D) 100 kg

Question 15. What is the length of the period for which survey has been conducted?
(A) 75 years
(B) 95 years
(C) 105 years
(D) 115 years

Question 16. In which year was the population of the rhinoceros at its peak?
(A) 1959
(B) 1996
(C) 1995
(D) 1998

Question 17. What was the total number of rhinoceros in the year 1983?
(A) 500
(B) 750
(C) 1000
(D) 2000

Question 18. What is the scientific name of the Indian Rhinoceros?
(A) Rhinoceros Indiana
(B) Rhinoceros Unicornis
(C) Rhinoceros Asia
(D) All of these

Writing

III. Answer any four out of the five questions given below.

Question 19. Information about the ‘award’ is mentioned in ____________.
(A) Notice for the Meeting
(B) Notice for the object ‘Found’
(C) Notice for the object ‘Lost’
(D) None of the above

Question 20. Which of the following is optional in a Notice?
(A) Designation of the issuing authority.
(B) Signature of the issuing authority.
(C) Heading in the Notice.
(D) The word ‘Notice’.

Question 21. Notice is generally issued for ____________.
(A) employees
(B) everyone
(C) general masses
(D) a specific group

Question 22. What is the chief purpose of Notice Writing?
(A) To take information from authorities
(B) To inform others.
(C) To go against the system
(D) All of the above

Question 23. What is the purpose of enclosing Notice in the box?
(A) For fun
(B) For organised presentation
(C) It contains marks
(D) So that it doesn’t cross word limit

IV. Answer any six of the seven questions given below.

Question 24. Where should the writer provide ‘Food for Thought’ in an Article?
(A) Introductory Para
(B) Title
(C) Concluding Para
(D) It should not be provided.

Question 25. Which of the following is a requisite for the ‘Title’ of an Article?
(A) It should be short and crisp.
(B) It should be long and winding.
(C) It should be explanatory.
(D) It should be a long tail keyword.

You have realised the necessity of education and financial independence of women for their family, society and in turn for the nation. Write a letter to the Editor, ‘The National Times’ highlighting your ideas on the importance of education of women leading to a better status for them. You are Tarun/ Taruna,

B–7/9, Mall Road, Delhi.
B–7/9,
Mall Road
Delhi
24 June, 2019
The Editor,
The National Times,
Delhi
Subject– (26) _______________________
Sir,
Through the column of your esteemed daily, I would like to highlight the Importance of Women Education.
‘Education is a light – brighter than that of sun’. Education not only removes ignorance but also makes a person conscious, skilled and productive.
Despite many efforts, the level of women education in our country is still poor. Researches in many countries show if the mother is well educated then the children will be healthier and better–fed. They will perform better at school. Hence, women education contributes in the smooth running of family.
Female education is the (27) _________________. Education must be utilised as the best method of women empowerment and sustainable development. It is rightly said that we educate a man, we educate a man only, but if we educate a woman, we educate the whole family.
Let us first see the reasons why females are denied of their right to education. Unfortunately, social norms and cultural factors lead people to think that girls don’t require education. Secondly, a lot of parents are very fearful about sending their girls to school due to lack of safety.
Besides this, the girls are considered a valuable resource for household chores and agricultural work. Parents are more focused on teaching them how to cook and do other household chores. Poverty also plays an important reason behind the low rate of women’s education in India.
First of all, we have to understand what role women’s education in our society plays. Education is our (28) __________________ and no education system must face gender discrimination.
Through this letter, I appeal to all the parents to break the disparity between male and female education and must send their children to schools irrespective of their gender.
(29) __________________
(30) __________________
Taruna

Question 26. (A) Importance of Education
(B) Importance of Women/ Girl Education
(C) Important Women/ Girl Education
(D) Important Education of Women/ Girl

Question 27. (A) need for the hour
(B) need to the hour
(C) need in the hour
(D) need of the hour

Question 28. (A) fundamental human right
(B) fundamental human duty
(C) fundamentally proven human right
(D) fundamentally proven human duty

Question 29. (A) Thank you
(B) Thanking you
(C) Thanks and Regards
(D) Regards

Question 30. (A) Your Truly
(B) Yours truly
(C) yours truly
(D) your truly

Literature

This section has sub-sections: V, VI, VII, VIII, IX. There are a total of 30 questions in the section.
Attempt any 26 questions from the sub-sections V to IX.

V. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow:

She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes. “Ek waqt ser bhar khana bhi nahin khaya,”
she says, in a voice drained of joy. She has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime-that’s what she has reaped! Her husband, an old man with a flowing beard says, “I know nothing except bangles. All I have done is make a house for the family to live in.”
Hearing him one wonders if he has achieved what many have failed in their lifetime. He has a roof ove his head!
The cry of not having money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles, not even enough to eat, rings in every home. The young men echo the lament of the elders. Little has moved with time, it seems in Firozabad, years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream.

Question 31. ‘She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes.’ This implies that:
(A) She is married but has lost the charm in her eyes.
(B) She is a married woman who has lost her grace and beauty.
(C) Though she is married, her eyes are devoid of happiness.
(D) She is a married woman who has lost her eyesight.

Question 32. ‘He has a roof over his head!’ The tone of the author is ____________ .
(A) pessimistic
(B) empathetic
(C) sympathetic
(D) optimistic

Question 33. Choose the term which best matches the statement ‘The young men echo the lament of their elders.’
(A) Acceptance
(B) Reflection
(C) Reiteration
(D) Doubtfulness

Question 34. ‘Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream’. This shows that:
(A) The bangle makers are exhausted yet they are enterprising and have dreams.
(B) The drudgery of work has destroyed their willingness to improve their lot.
(C) The daily grind has stolen the dreams of the bangle makers and made them dull.
(D) The bangle makers have been working so hard that there’s no time to dream.

Question 35. What does the writer say about the street in which Mukesh’s house is situated?
(A) A fine street
(B) A wide street
(C) A street with civic amenities
(D) A stinking lane chocked with garbage

VI. 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.

Question 36. Who is ‘he’ here?
(A) Charley
(B) Sam
(C) American President
(D) Charley’s grandfather

Question 37. Who is Charley’s wife?
(A) Alicia
(B) Louisiana
(C) Louisa
(D) Alice

Question 38. What did Charley’s friends think about him?
(A) That he was an escapist.
(B) That he wanted to go to a safe place.
(C) That he didn’t want to face reality.
(D) All of the above

Question 39. Where did Charley find ‘refuge’?
(A) At the Third Level
(B) At the Second Level
(C) In Johanessburg
(D) In the Warfield

Question 40. A good number of scientific inventions sounded ridiculous and absurd till some brilliant minds gave them a concrete shape. This shows that:
(A) Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection.
(B) Logic doesn’t give way to future plans.
(C) Future plans have their roots in the past.
(D) Scientific inventions are termed as disasters.

VII. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow:

On sour cream walls, donations, Shakespeare’s head,
Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.
Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley.

Question 41. How were the walls built?
(A) With donations
(B) Capital contribution
(C) Waste material
(D) Brick and cement

Question 42. What do you find in the classroom?
(A) Children from various sections of society
(B) Undernourished children
(C) Unity in Diversity
(D) Polished and tiled surfaces

Question 43. What is the significance of the Tyrolese valley?
(A) It is in perfect synchronisation with the environment of the classroom.
(B) It is in contrast to the environment of the classroom.
(C) It has a striking balance with the environment of the classroom.
(D) The valley is also dull like the classroom.

Question 44. What does the word ‘Belled‘ mean here?
(A) The environment of the classroom.
(B) The environment of the valley.
(C) The shape of the valley.
(D) None of these

Question 45. “Civilized dome riding all cities.”
Which poetic device is used here?
(A) Simile
(B) Personification
(C) Metaphor
(D) Alliteration

VIII. Read the given extract to attempt questions that follow:

I found out that Sam bought eight hundred dollars’ worth of old–style currency. That ought to set him up in a nice little hay, feed and grain business; he always said that’s what he really wished he could do and he certainly can’t go back to his old business.

Question 46. Which place did Sam reach?
(A) Galesburg
(B) London
(C) New Castle
(D) Paris

Question 47. What was the date on the letter?
(A) Jan 18, 1894
(B) Jul 18, 1894
(C) Jan 18, 1994
(D) Jul 18, 1994

Question 48. How was Sam at new place?
(A) Happy
(B) Frustrated
(C) Trapped
(D) Irritated

Question 49. What was Sam’s occupation?
(A) Physician
(B) Physiologist
(C) Chemist
(D) Psychiatrist

Question 50. The capacity to oscillate between the past, present and future enables humans to plan for the future in the present by ____________.
(A) connecting with the past
(B) collections from the past
(C) nostalgic recollections from the past
(D) reaping benefits from the past

IX. Attempt the following.

Question 51. Which poetic technique is used by the poet to state indirectly, her fear of losing her mother through the pangs of death?
(A) Hyperbole
(B) Compare and contrast
(C) Allusion
(D) Onomatopoeia

Question 52. ‘But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world’. This suggests that:
(A) every day many fake promises are made to these poverty stricken masses.
(B) not many people make the poor people happy by making promises with them.
(C) it is very easy for the affluent people to make fake promises.
(D) promises keep the spirit of hopefulness alive in the poor people.

Question 53. “When people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.”
‘The key to the prison’ here means:
(A) Not to lose their language.
(B) Be attached to their language.
(C) Learn the conqueror’s language as soon as possible.
(D) Respect all the languages equally.

Question 54. What does the phrase ‘familiar ache’ mean?
(A) The pain poet had known, her fear from her youthful days.
(B) The pain poet had not known, her fear of getting old.
(C) The pain poet had known, her childhood fear.
(D) The pain poet had not known, her childhood fear.

Question 55. How can we understand that one is a thread, woven within the exquisite fabric of the cosmic order?
(A) By making noise
(B) By keeping quiet
(C) By meditating
(D) Both (B) & (C)

Question 56. “let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,”
Which poetic device is used here?
(A) Simile
(B) Metaphor
(C) Anaphora
(D) Allusion

Question 57. Mukesh’s example in the ‘Lost Spring’ gives a glimpse _________ in the torturous stories of exploitation.
(A) weakness
(B) depression
(C) solitude
(D) determination

Question 58. “Now I’ll count up to twelve and you keep quiet and I will go.”
Why does the poet wish to go at the end of the poem?
(A) He is tired and so wants to go to his home.
(B) He wants to meditate.
(C) He wants to transform more agitated souls.
(D) He wants to study in silence.

Question 59. Where did Sadao meet Tom?
(A) Flung from the river
(B) Flung from the ocean
(C) At the clinic
(D) In the bus

Question 60. Which profession did Sadao excel at?
(A) Surgery
(B) Medicine
(C) Surgery and medicine
(D) Veterinary