Class 12 FREE Online practice paper 3 english
SECTION-A
READING [20 marks]
- Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: [10]
1) The Scandinavian countries are much admired all over the world for their enlightened social policies. Sweden has evolved an excellent system for protecting the individual citizen from high-handed or incompetent public officers. The system has worked so well that it has been adopted in other countries like Denmark, Norway, Finland and New Zealand. Even countries with large populations are now seriously considering imitating the Swedes.
2) The Swedes were the first to recognise that public officials like civil servants, police officers, health inspectors or tax collectors can make mistakes or act over-zealously in the belief that they are serving the public. As long ago as 1809, the Swedish Parliament introduced a scheme to safeguard the interest of the individual. A parliamentary committee representing all political parties appoints a person who is suitably qualified to investigate private grievances against the State. The official title of the person is ‘Justiteombudsman, but Swedes commonly refer to him as the ‘J.O.” or ‘Ombudsman.
(3) The Ombudsman is not subject to political pressure. He investigates complaints large and small that come to him from all levels of society. As complaints must be made in writing, the Ombudsman receives an average of 1200 letters a year. He has eight lawyer assistants to help him, and he examines every single letter in detail. There is nothing secretive about the Ombudsman’s work, for his correspondence is open to public inspection. If a citizen’s complaint is justified, the Ombudsman will act on his behalf. The action he takes varies according to the nature of the complaint. He may gently reprimand an official or even suggest to parliament that a law be altered. The following case is a typical example of the Ombudsman’s work.
4) A foreigner living in a Swedish village wrote to the Ombudsman complaining that he had been ill-treated by the police, simply because he was a foreigner. The Ombudsman immediately wrote to the Chief of Police in the district asking him to send a record of the case. There was nothing in the record to show that the foreigner’s complaint was justified and the Chief of Police stoutly denied the accusation. It was impossible for the Ombudsman to take action on the complaint, but when he received a similar complaint from another foreigner in the same village, he immediately sent one of his lawyers to investigate. The lawyer ascertained that a policeman had indeed dealt roughly with foreigners on several occasions. The fact that the policeman was against foreigners could not be recorded in prejudiced the official files. It was only possible for the Ombudsman to find this out by sending one of his representatives to check the facts on the spot. The policeman in question was severely reprimanded and was informed that if any further complaints were received against him, he would be prosecuted. The Ombudsman’s prompt action in the matter at once put an end to an unpleasant practice which might have gone unnoticed.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, complete any ten of the statements given below with the help of options that follow: [1 x 10 = 10]
(a) Scandinavian countries are much admired all over the world because :
(i) of their incompetent public officers.
(ii) of Swedish massages.
(iii) of their enlightened social policies.
(iv) of all the above reasons.
(b) Swedes were the first to recognise that public officials :
(i) too can make mistake.
(ii) were protecting the interest of the citizens.
(iii) visiting foreign countries.
(iv) joining political parties.
(c) The Ombudsman is the :
(i) chief of a police.
(ii) name of a Swedish gang.
(iii) lightest rank of the judge.
(iv) official investigator of private grievances.
(d) The foreigner living in the Swedish village was:
(i) humoured by the police.
(ii) ill-treated by the police.
(iii) robbed by the local thugs.
(iv) captivated by the scenic beauty.
(e) Ombudsman has assistants to help him.
(i) eight lawyer
(ii) six policeman
(iii) 1200 letter
(iv) common man to check the facts.
(f) Ombudsman sent
(i) lawyers
(ii) policemen
(iii) his representative
(iv) foreigner
(g) Ombudsman could not take action against the policeman for ill-treatment because
(i) the officer was his friend
(ii) his lawyers were on leave
(iii) there was no record of the complaint
(iv) all of these
(h) What is the meaning of the word ‘incompetent’ as given in para-1?
(i) Amateurish
(ii) Expert
(iii) Dexterous
(iv) Capable
(i) Which word means similar to eagerly’ as given in para-2?
(i) Recognise
(ii) Safeguard
(iii) Zealously
(iv) Grievance
(j) What is the meaning of the word ‘correspondence’ as given in para-3?
(i) Letter
(ii) People
(iii) Complaint
(iv) Blueprint
(k) Which word means similar to ‘confirm’ as given in para-4?
(i) Complaint
(ii) Investigate
(iii) Reprimand
(iv) Ascertain
- Read the given passage and on the basis of your reading of the passage answer any ten out of eleven questions by choosing the correct option. [1 x 10 = 10]
(1)In terms of the total energy consumed by different sectors, the largest consumer is understandably the industrial sector, which accounts for nearly half the total energy used in the country today. This is followed by the transport sector which consumes about 25%, the household sector (about 14%) and the agricultural sector (about 9%). This last sector has shown considerable increase in energy use over the last four decades. Among the primary fuels, the relative proportion of coal has dropped from nearly 80% to 40% and that of oil has gone up from 17% to 44% over the same period.
(2) Total energy consumption in India today is equivalent to 291 million tons of oil of which 26% comes from wood. On a per capita basis it works out to about one litre of oil per day, which is extremely low by international standards. The future energy demand depends upon the level of development envisaged and also on the sections of people to be affected by it.
(3) The energy disparity between the urban and the rural population is at present as wide as between nations on a worldwide scale. There is apparently a greater need to provide energy in the rural areas and to improve the efficiency of energy use than merely to increase the national figures for energy consumption limiting its use to those who are getting the bulk share already. With the projected rate of population growth, improving upon the per capita energy consumption is a Herculean task as our coal reserves and the capacity to import oil cannot be increased beyond a point. There is clearly no escape from the utilisation of renewable energy sources in a big way if the gap between the desired levels of energy supply and available resources has to be kept at the minimum.
(a) Which of the following styles has been adopted by the author?
(i) Highly subjective with bias for rural people
(ii) Objective, descriptive, lacking clarity
(iii) Unsubstantiated arguments and views
(iv) Data-based, objective, positive, solution oriented
(b) The author is laying greater emphasis on which of the following?
- Efficient use of energy
- Increasing national indices for energy consumption
- Controlling population growth
(i) Only A
(iii) Only C
(ii) Only B
(iv) All the three
(c) Which of the following shows correctly the different sectors consuming energy arranged in ascending order?
- Agriculture
- Household
III. Industrial
- Transport
(i) III, IV, II, I
(ii) III, II, I, IV
(iii) I, IV, II, III
(iv) I, II, IV, III
(d) According to the passage, the energy requirement of the future will be decided on the basis of which of the following?
- Total energy already consumed by us in the past
- Level of development of oil industry
- Profile of the affected people
(i) Only A
(iii) Only C
(ii) Only B
(iv) Both B & C
(e) ‘There is clearly no escape’ means
(i) There is a problem, but not without solution
(ii) There is hardly any alternative except
(iii) There is also no solution to this
(iv) There is a way out, but it is ambiguous
(f) The author feels that increasing per capita use of energy is
(i) A routine matter
(ii) Rather difficult, but not impossible
(iii) Not at all desirable
(iv) An immensely difficult task
(g) Which of the following statements is true?
(i) The household sector has shown considerable increase in energy use
(ii) Use of oil has increased from 40% to 80%
(iii) Industrial sector uses nearly 50% of total energy used in India
(iv) Energy consumption in India is 26% of world consumption
(h) ‘The energy disparity as wide as ….. worldwide scale, the first sentence of third paragraph means
(i) Developed countries consume more energy than developing countries
(ii) World wide scale is different for rural and urban areas.
(iii) Disparity in urban and rural is observed in all nations
(iv) In no other nation such disparity is observed
(i) Which of the following has been suggested by the author as the best possible solution to overcome energy crisis?
(i) Importing large quantities of coal
(ii) Reducing share of bulk users
(iii) Exploration of oil reserves
(iv) Maximisation of renewable sources
(j) Which of the following has been mentioned as a major hurdle in enhancing per capita consumption of energy in India?
(i) Disparity in use of energy in rural and urban areas
(ii) Increased use of energy in agricultural sector.
(iii) Present level of development in India
(iv) None of these.
(k) Which word in para-3 means similar to difference?
(i) Bulk
(ii) Efficiency
(iii) Disparity
(iv) Renewable
SECTION-B
WRITING SKILLS [16 marks]
- You are Nikki/Natasha of 91, Lakshmi Nagar, Delhi and wish to let out a portion of your newly built house. Draft an advertisement in not more than 50 words for publication in the ‘To-Let’ column of The Hindustan Times, giving all necessary details like location, type of accommodation to be rented out, rent expected, contact address, telephone number, etc.
OR
You lost your wristwatch in your school auditorium. Write a notice in not more than 50 words for your school notice board giving a detailed description of the watch. You are Anirudh/Arundhati of class XII of Springfield School, Pune. [3]
- As the Director of a famous dance academy, you have been invited to judge a dance competition of differently abled children organised by an NGO. Draft a reply in not more than 50 words confirming your acceptance. You are Anita/Arjun.
OR
As head librarian of St. Joseph Modern School, Pune, draft a formal invitation in not more than 50 words to the inauguration of new leisure reading section in your school library. [3]
- You are Shubham/Sakshi of B-32 Sati Nagar, Kanpur. Write a letter in 120-150 to the editor of a National newspaper expressing your concern about the pathetic condition of roadways bus stand especially during monsoons as the potholes gets filled with water and create great nuisance.
OR
Your daughter is an introvert and does not like to meet new people. She is scared of public speaking and does not participate, in any of the school activities. This is a matter of concern to you. You are keen on getting her to join the Centre for Image Development, South Extention-1, New Delhi, the premiere institute for personality development. Write a letter in 120-150 words to the director of the centre seeking information, such as process of admission, fee structure, duration of the course, etc. You are Nalini/Naveen, D-127, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi. [5]
- Cultural Society of St. Anthony’s Sr. Sec. School, Faridabad, recently organised Literary Week, to pay tribute to the greatest Indian writers of all times. Write a report in 120-150words about the event for your school’s newsletter. You are Christina/George, Secretary.
OR
You are Bala/Nethra Vaidyanathan. You feel highly disturbed to see that in spite of government legislation against the dowry, cases of bride-burning are on the increase as per the newspaper reporting. Write an article in 120-150words on the topic ‘ Dowry System. Down with [5]
SECTION-C
Literature Textbooks [44 marks]
- Read the given extracts and answer questions of any two out of them. [1 x 8 = 8]
(a) Whenever I looked up from my writing I saw M. Hamel sitting motionless in his chair and gazing first at one thing, then at another, as if he wanted to fix in his mind just how everything looked in that little school-room. Fancy!
(i) Who is T’ in the given lines?
(a) Franz
(b) M. Hamel
(c) An old man
(d) A student
(ii) M. Hamel is sad because
(a) there were old people
(b) students have not done their homework
(c) it was his last lesson
(d) all of these
(iii) Who is the writer of this chapter?
(a) Alphonse Daudet
(b) Anees Jung
(c) Louis Fischer
(d) A.R. Barton
(iv) Which word in the extract means ‘still’?
(a) Fancy
(b) Little
(c) Motionless
(d) Gazing
(b) The young girl opened the package, which I was so badly done up that the contents came into view at once. She gave a little cry of joy. She found a small rattrap, and in it lay three wrinkled ten kronor notes. But that was not all.
(i) The name of the young girl is ……………. .
(a) Jo
(b) Clare
(c) Jennifer
(d) Edla
(ii) Who left the package for the young girl?
(a) Croftor
(b) Ironmaster
(c) Peddler
(d) None of these
(iii) Why did the girl give a little cry of joy?
(a) She was scared.
(b) She was unhappy.
(c) She was happy.
(d) She was angry.
(iv) The gifts signify that the person who gave it
(a) is very generous
(b) has some extra rattraps
(c) has a change of heart
(d) was very sad
(c) Friends everywhere. People come in ………….. everybody knows me. The gate’s always open. They come and sit here. And in front of the fire in winter. Kids come for the apples and pears. And for toffee. I make toffee with honey. Anybody comes. So have you.
(i) The above lines are taken from the chapter
(a) Evans Tries an O level
(b) On the Face of it
(c) Should Wizard hit Mommy?
(d) The Last Lesson
(ii) Who is the speaker of these lines?
(a) Jackson
(b) M. Hamel
(c) Evans
(d) Mr. Lamb
(iii) What does the phrase ‘gate’s always open’ show about the speaker?
(a) That he is very warm and welcoming.
(b) That he has no lock on the gate.
(c) That he has some extra apples.
(d) That he likes some people to come.
(iv) The extract shows the speaker to be
(a) pessimistic
(b) genial
(c) overthinker
(d) none of these
- Read the given extracts and answer questions of any one of them. [1× 4 = 4]
(a) Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes, but after the airports security
check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
(i)The trees seemed to sprint because
(a) the air is blowing
(b) movement of the trees is backward
(c) poet is dreaming
(d) trees are weak
(ii) …………….. children are coming out of their homes.
(a) Sad
(b) Poor
(c) Happy
(d) Angry
(iii) Who is looking at whom?
(a) The poet at her mother
(b) The poet at school children
(c) The poet at wizard
(d) The poet at airport
(iv) The poet of the above lines is
(a) Stephan Spender
(b) Robert Frost
(c) Kamala Das
(d) Adrienne Rich
(b) It would be an exotic moment
Without rush, without engines,
We would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
(i) What would be the exotic moment?
(a) When everyone keeps quiet.
(b) When there is glorious war.
(c) When there is no rush.
(d) Both (a) and (c)
(ii) The moment is stranger because
(a) the poet is alone
(b) there are young trees
(c) there is no rush or noise
(d) none of these
(iii) By engines the poet means
(a) factories
(b) automobiles
(c) none of these
(d) both of these
(iv) The poet of the above line is
(a) Pablo Neruda
(b) Stephen Spender
(c) John Keats
(d) Adrienne Rich
- Answer any eight of the given questions very briefly. [1 x 8 = 8]
(1) Describe the children of the classroom of a slum school.
(2) What was the significance of the bulletin board near the town hall?
(3) Why did Gandhiji chide the lawyers?
(4) Why were the young trees described as sprinting?
(5) Who is the unlucky heir?
(6) Mention two things of beauty that add joy to our life.
(7) Where does Saheb start to work?
(8) When does Douglas begin to learn swimming?
(9) What gift did the peddler leave for Edla?
(10) How does Jo want the story to end?
- Answer any five of the following questions in 30-40 words each : [2 × 5 = 10]
(1) What had they put up on the bulletin board at the town hall?
(2) In the poem Keeping Quiet, whom is the poet urging to keep quiet? How does he want them to do it?
(3) What did the peddler do for a living?
(4) How do we know that garbage has different significance to both children and adults?
(5) What do you think helped Douglas conquer his fear of water?
(6) What will happen when Aunt Jennifer is dead?
- Answer any two of the given questions in 30-40 words. [2 x 2 = 4]
(1) Why did Charley run away from the third level?
(2) Why does Jo call the Skunk’s mother stupid? (3) How did Derry’s handicap damage his life?
- Answer any one of the following questions in 120-150 words: [5]
(i) How do ragpickers of Seemapuri go on living?
(ii) Describe the prevalent patriarchy as shown in Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers.
- Answer any one of the following questions in 120-150 words: [5]
(i) What precautions were taken by the prison officers to prevent Evans from escaping?
(ii) Give a character sketch of Hana.