Class XII – English Sample Paper – 4

Sample paper 4

English Core (301)

Class-XII exam 2025-26

Time Allowed: 3 hrs.                                                                                             Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:

Read the following instructions very carefully and follow them :

i. This question paper has 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.

ii This question paper contains three sections :

Section A: Reading Skills

Section B: Creative Writing Skills

Section C: Literature.

iii. Attempt all questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the correct question number and part thereof in your answer sheet.

iv. Separate instructions are given with each question/part, wherever necessary.

v. Adhere to the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

        SECTION A – READING SKILLS                                                   22

1. Read the following passage.                                                                                        12

1. Read the following passage.

1. India is the largest producer of milk globally, contributing over 22% of the world’s milk supply. The country’s transformation into a dairy giant began with Operation Flood in the 1970s, an initiative led by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Operation Flood, also known as the White Revolution, aimed to create a nationwide milk grid, increase milk production, and establish a reliable dairy infrastructure. As a result, India moved from being a milk-deficient country to becoming the top producer of milk, with key dairy-producing states including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Punjab.

2. Milk production in India is largely driven by small-scale farmers who own just a few cattle. These farmers contribute to a vast network of dairy cooperatives, which collect, process, and distribute milk across the country. The cooperative model, pioneered by organizations like Amul, ensures that small farmers receive fair compensation for their milk. It also provides consumers with affordable dairy products such as milk, butter, curd, and paneer. Dairy farming is a critical source of income for millions of rural households, and it plays a significant role in supporting the rural economy.

3. Dairy products hold cultural and economic importance in India. Milk is an essential part of the daily diet and is used in many traditional dishes, such as kheer, paneer, and ghee. Milk also has religious and cultural significance, being offered during rituals and used in festivals and celebrations. Demand for dairy products has grown steadily due to the country’s increasing population, rising income levels, and urbanization. This growing demand has fueled the expansion of the dairy industry, leading to the modernization of milk processing facilities and improvements in cold storage and transportation.

4. Despite its success, India’s dairy industry faces several challenges. Fluctuations in milk prices can destabilize the incomes of small farmers, who depend heavily on the consistency of dairy sales. Additionally, climate change poses a significant threat, as rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns affect the availability of water and feed for livestock. The health and productivity of cattle are also ongoing concerns, with a need for better veterinary services, breeding practices, and nutrition.

5. The future of India’s dairy industry lies in adopting sustainable practices and investing in technological innovations. Improvements in breeding techniques, cattle feed, and cold storage systems will be crucial for the industry to meet the growing demand for milk while ensuring the livelihoods of farmers and protecting the environment.

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.

i. According to paragraph 1, what was the goal of Operation Flood in the 1970s?                              1

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ii. How do dairy cooperatives benefit small-scale farmers, as mentioned in paragraph 2?                    1

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iii. Read and complete the following sentence suitably.                                                                           1

The phrase “the cooperative model” in paragraph 2 suggests that India’s dairy industry is structured in a way that supports farmers through collective efforts.

Choose the correct response from the two options to complete the sentence.

The cooperative model benefits small farmers because _____.

(A) it helps them get fair compensation for their milk

(B) it allows them to access milk at lower prices

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iv. Complete the following with ONE example, with reference to paragraph 3 :                                            1

Milk is important in Indian culture because _____.

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v. Why does the writer mention climate change in paragraph 4? Because                                            1

(A) Climate change threatens the sustainability of dairy farming by affecting water and feed supplies for livestock.

(B) Climate change will boost the dairy industry’s productivity.

(C) It increases the demand for dairy products in rural areas.

(D) It helps stabilize milk prices in India.

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vi. Provide ONE textual evidence with reference to paragraph 4, to support the following :          1

Fluctuations in milk prices affect the incomes of small-scale farmers.

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vii. In the line, ‘The future of India’s dairy industry lies in adopting sustainable practices and investing in technological innovations’ (Paragraph 5), what does the phrase ‘sustainable practices’ suggest about the future of the dairy industry?                                                                                                                 2

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viii. Complete the analogy with ONE word from paragraph 1:

Operation Flood: White Revolution :: dairy cooperatives: _____

(A) government

(B) livestock

(C) Amul

(D) milk

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ix. Why is it fair to say that the statement ‘Milk holds cultural and economic importance in India’ in paragraph 3 uses factual language?                                                                                                               1

(A) It refers to the role of milk in religious rituals and as a part of the daily diet.

(B) It explains how milk consumption is limited to rural areas.

(C) It describes the scientific reasons for milk production.

(D) It highlights the effect of dairy products on climate change.

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x. Assess the potential challenges or benefits of adopting technological innovations in India’s dairy industry, as suggested in paragraph 5.

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2. Read the following carefully.                                                                                                                    10

1. India’s demographic advantage is evident with an average age of just 27 in 2020, meaning that the country is predominantly youthful. However, despite this, the unemployment crisis persists. The primary cause is the lack of alignment between the skills that the youth possess and the demands of new industries, despite the rapidly expanding range of career options and job roles.

2. One of the key reasons for this skill gap is that many Indian students are only aware of a limited set of career options, even though 250 career paths exist across the country. A recent survey conducted by Mindler, an online career-counseling platform, revealed that students are only familiar with seven career options, leaving them unaware of the diverse opportunities that could better suit their skills.

3. The survey was conducted among 10,000 participants aged 14-20 and revealed that 93% of students were aware of only seven career paths: law, engineering, medicine, accounts and finance, design, computer applications and IT, and management. The figure included highlights the common career options considered by students, with engineering as the most preferred at 23.53%, followed by accounts and finance (11.81%), computer applications and IT (9.56%), and medicine (8.08%).

4. Despite 250 available career paths in 40 domains covering 5,000 job types, Indian students are largely unaware of the options beyond the most common careers. This lack of awareness could jeopardize the potential benefits of India’s youthful demographic, preventing the country from reaping the rewards of its demographic dividend.

5. Parents and teachers can play a critical role in expanding their children’s awareness of new career options. By staying informed and making use of available tools, parents can provide guidance that aligns with their child’s strengths, rather than pushing them toward the most familiar career choices.

6. If parents utilize career counseling and technology effectively, they can make better informed decisions regarding their children’s future careers, helping them achieve personal and professional growth.

Answer the following questions, based on given passage.

i. Complete the following suitably.                                                                                                               1

In the introduction, the researcher links India’s youthful population with the unemployment crisis to highlight _____.

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ii. What would the following be classified as?                                                                                            1

To investigate the limited career awareness among Indian students and its effects on their professional prospects.

Select the appropriate response.

(A) Secondary objective

(B) Research outcome

(C) Method of analysis

(D) Primary objective

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iii. Give two points to support why career counseling is critical in the context of India’s youth, as described in the passage.                                                                                                                              2

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iv. Paragraph 3 includes words – ‘career options’ and ‘skill gap.’                                                           1

Classify the following sentences as ‘career options’ or ‘skill gap’:

Sentence 1: Students are aware of only a limited number of career choices, even though more options exist.

Sentence 2: Employers are looking for skills that students do not possess, leading to unemployment.

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v. Read the following :                                                                                                                                     1

Seema prefers to pursue engineering, which is a popular career option among students. Her neighbor Mohan is interested in accounts and finance, but struggles with deciding on a career. Arindam, who lives across the street, is unsure of his choices and feels pressured to choose management as it seems safer.

Select the option that identifies the correct career paths Seema, Mohan, and Arindam are considering.

(A) Seema – engineering; Mohan – accounts and finance; Arindam – management

(B) Seema – medicine; Mohan – law; Arindam – engineering

(C) Seema – law; Mohan – design; Arindam – IT

(D) Seema – design; Mohan – engineering; Arindam – medicine

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vi. Why is the lack of career awareness among Indian students considered a major issue, despite having access to 250 career options?                                                                                                                 1

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vii. Analyse how parental involvement and career counseling can help bridge the skill gap among Indian students. (Paragraph 5)                                                                                                                              2

Ans. Parental involvement and career counselling can help students make more informed choices by aligning their interests with a broader range of career options. This, in turn, helps bridge the skill gap by providing students with the guidance they need to develop relevant skills for emerging industries.

viii. What is the ultimate goal for stakeholders, based on the insights from the study?

(A) Increase the number of available job roles

(B) Improve career awareness and counseling for students

(C) Reduce the number of common career choices available

(D) Promote traditional career paths like medicine and law

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SECTION B – CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS           18

All the names and addresses used in the questions are fictitious. Resemblance, if any, is purely coincidental.

3. Attempt any one of the two, (A) or (B), in about 50 words.                                                1 x 4 = 4

A. 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.

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B. Your school is celebrating Grandparents’ Day next week. Write a notice in 50 words to be put up on the school notice board informing students of the celebration and requesting them to be present with their grandparents. You are Samir/Suman, Head Boy/Head Girl ABC Sen. Sec. School, Delhi.

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4. Attempt any one of the two, (A) or (B), in about 50 words.                                                1 x 4 = 4

A. Modern Public School, Delhi is organising an inter school music competition. You have decided to invite noted classical musician. Mohan Gandhi as the judge and guest of honour. Draft a formal invitation for him in 50 words. You are Neeraj/Neetu, Cultural Secretary.

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B. As the principal of a reputed college, you have been invited to inaugurate a Book Exhibition in your neighbourhood. Draft a reply to the invitation in not more than 50 words, expressing your inability to attend the function. You are Tarun/Tanvi.

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5. Attempt any one of the two, (A) or (B), in 120-150 words.                                                  1 x 5 = 5

A. You are Raj/Rati, 115, Ram Nagar, Noida. Read the advertisement given below and write a letter to the advertiser, applying for the job. Also give your detailed resume, which you would send along with your letter of application for the job. (120-150 words) Wanted experienced Post Graduate Teacher in Chemistry to teach Classes XI and XII in a reputed ICSE affiliated residential school. Fluency in English is a must. Working knowledge of computers is preferable; salary commensurate with experience and expertise. Please apply to: Box No. 205, C/O The Hindu, Noida.

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B. 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 (120-150 words)

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6. Attempt any one of the two, (A) or (B) in 120-150 words.                                                   1 x 5 = 5

A. You are Anurag/Anjali, a reporter with a national daily. You have heard that a multistorey building near the main railway station has collapsed causing panic in the area. You rush to the site of the accident along with your team. Write a report in 120 – 150 words mentioning the time and place of the accident, number of casualties, the cause of the accident and the rescue operation conducted by the authorities.

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B. There is a vast pool of women talent in our country. Given encouragement and opportunities, women can excel in every field. They are contributing to the nation’s progress as scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs, sports persons, etc. There is no limit to what they can achieve. Write an article in 120-150 words on “Women Empowerment”. You are Ram/Roma.

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SECTION C- LITERATURE                                             40

7. Read the following extracts and solve any one of the given two, (A) or (B).                              1 x 6 = 6

A. Now we will count to twelve

And we will all keep still.

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.

(Keeping Quiet)

i. Why is the poet asking the people not to speak?

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ii. Read the assertion and the reason below, with reference to the given extract.

Assertion : The poet urges people to pause and embrace silence and stillness for a moment.

Reason : The poet believes that by stopping all activity and speech, even for a short time, humanity can reflect on its actions.

Choose the correct option regarding their relationship:

(A) Both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.

(B) Both the assertion and the reason are true, but the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion.

(C) The assertion is true, but the reason is false.

(D) The assertion is false, but the reason is true.

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iii. Complete the following suitably.

“Not move our arms” in the given extract refers to _____.

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iv. Select the correct option from those given in brackets, to fill in the blank.

During counting to twelve, the poet wants us to remain _____ (noisy/quiet).

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v. Which poetic form has been used in the given extract?

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vi. Select the option that is NOT true.

(A) During this moment, we will forget our differences and experience a strength of togetherness.

(B) When we stop for a second, we get an opportunity to introspect our follies.

(C) We will realize the harm we are causing to the world with our words and actions.

(D) We should always remain lazy.

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OR

When Aunt is dead, her temfied hands will lie

still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.

The tigers in the panel that she made

Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

(Aunt Jenifer’s Tigers)

i. Identify the figure of speech in ‘terrified hands’.

(A) Transferred epithet

(B) Imagery

(C) Hyperbole

(D) Synecdoche

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ii. Which issue is the poet addressing through this poem?

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iii. Select the correct option from those given in brackets, to fill in the blank.

The rhyming scheme of the poem is _____ (aabb/aaab).

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iv. Read the assertion and the reason below, with reference to the given extract.

Assertion : Even after Aunt Jennifer’s death, the tigers she created will continue to symbolize freedom and fearlessness.

Reason : The tigers represent Aunt Jennifer’s inner strength and confidence, which she displayed in her life through her actions.

Choose the correct option regarding their relationship:

(A) Both the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.

(B) Both the assertion and the reason are true, but the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion.

(C) The assertion is true, but the reason is false.

(D) The assertion is false, but the reason is true.

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v. Aunt Jennifer’s life is ringed with ordeals. ‘Ringed’ has a significant meaning here. What is it?

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vi. Complete the following suitably.

Aunt Jennifer faced ordeals from the oppressive male _____ society.

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8. Read the following extracts and solve any one of the given two, (A) or (B).                              1 x 4 = 4

A. 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.

(On the Face of It)

i. Why Mr. Lamb always keeps gate of his garden open?

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ii. What does the phrase ‘gate’s always open’ show about the speaker?

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iii. The extract shows the speaker to be _____.

(A) overthinker

(B) genial

(C) pessimistic

(D) None of these

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iv. Name the writer of the given extract.

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B. Yes, I’ve taken the obvious step: I talked to a psychiatrist friend of mine, among others. I told him about the third level at Grand Central Station and he said it was a waking dream wish fulfillment. 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. Well, who doesn’t? Everybody I know wants to escape, but they don’t wander down into any third level at Grand Central Station.

(The Third Level)

i. Why did the narrator go to a psychiatrist?

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ii. What is ‘waking dream wish fulfillment’ according to the psychiatrist in the lesson?

(A) Charley’s finding, of a Third Level at Grand Central Station.

(B) Charley’s realisation of his wish to visit Galesburg Illinois.

(C) Charley’s escaping into his daydreaming everyday.

(D) Charley’s post stamp collecting habit.

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iii. Complete the sentence appropriately.

The third level, according to Charley, was _____.

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iv. What does the psychiatrist explain to Charley?

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9. Read the following extracts and solve any one of the given two, (A) or (B).                              1 x 6 = 6

A. It seemed a long way down. Those nine feet were more like ninety, and before I touched bottom my lungs were ready to burst. But when my feet hit bottom I summoned all my strength and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. I imagined I would bob to the surface like a cork. Instead, I came up slowly. I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water – water that had a dirty yellow tinge to it.

(Deep Water)

i. Why did the nine feet deep pool seem ninety to Douglas?

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ii. The expression “I imagined I would bob to the surface like a cork” implies that

(A) Frightened, Douglas was not able to shout for help.

(B) Douglas accepted his failure and ultimate death.

(C) Though Douglas was frightened he was not out of his wits.

(D) Douglas was afraid to die.

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iii. Pick the word from the given extract which means to ‘make a quick, short movement up and down.

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iv. What does the speaker mean by I summoned all my strength?

(A) That he called up his strength.

(B) That he accumulated his strength.

(C) That he gathered his strength.

(D) All of these

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v. Where did the given event take place?

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vi. ‘It seemed a long way down. What was the author referring to?

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B. He was involved, he told the court, in a ‘conflict of duties’- on the one hand, not to set a bad example as a lawbreaker; on the other hand, to render the ‘humanitarian and national service’ for which he had come. He disregarded the order to leave, not ‘for want of respect for lawful authority, but in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience.’ He asked the penalty due.

(Indigo)

i. List any two details about Gandhiji discussed in the extract.

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ii. Why did Gandhiji call fighting for the rights of the poor farmers ‘national service?

(A) Because he wanted all sharecroppers throughout the country to unite against the landlords.

(B) Because the plight of the sharecroppers was the same throughout the country.

(C) Because the sharecroppers of Champaran were leading the fight.

(D) Because the sharecroppers refused to be convinced by the commission.

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iii. What was the consequence of the court proceeding?

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iv. Pick evidence from the extract that helps one infer that Gandhiji disobeyed the authority.

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v. Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the extract?

(A) Gandhiji – an authoritarian

(B) Gandhiji – a humanitarian and nationalist

(C) Gandhiji – a lawbreaker

(D) Gandhiji – a political activist

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vi. Complete the sentence appropriately.

The ‘conflict of duties’ refers to _____.

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10. Answer any five of the following six questions in 40-50 words each :                              5 x 2 = 10

i. Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios? (Poets and Pancakes)

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ii. Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler? (The Rattrap)

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iii. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’? (My Mother at Sixty-Six)

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iv. Describe the endless fountain of immortal drink. (A Thing of Beauty)

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v. Why did Aunt Jennifer choose to embroider tigers on the panel ? (Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers)

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vi. What does the title ‘Lost Spring’ convey? (Lost Spring)

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11. Answer any two of the following three questions in 40-50 words each :                              2 x 2 = 4

i. Why did the Maharaja decide to get married? (The Tiger King)

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ii. Why did Zitkala-Sa resist the cutting of her hair? (Memories of Childhood)

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iii. What indicates that Dr. Sadao’s father was a very traditional and conventional man? (The Enemy)

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12. Answer any one of the following two questions, in about 120-150 words.                              1 x 5 = 5

A. Describe the difficulties the bangle makers of Firozabad have to face in their lives. (Lost Spring)

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B. Imagine a child from the farmer’s family migrates to the city for their education. As the child, write back to your family telling them whether you would or would not want to turn into a city-person. Use the context of the poem “A Roadside Stand” in mind to pen down this letter.

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13. Answer any one of the following two questions, in about 120-150 words.                             1 x 5 = 5

A. In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings? (On the Face of It)

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B. How did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his Kingdom? How was he able to avert the danger? (The Tiger King)

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