Professional Documents
Culture Documents
12 English Core Sp10
12 English Core Sp10
Maximum Marks: 40
Time Allowed: 90 minutes
General Instructions:
READING
Question No. 1 to 10 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
It has been compared to a set of intricately carved Chinese workboxes: within each opened box lies
another, similar. Even today, when the Forbidden City is open to western eyes it retains a sense of
mystery. Just as it is impossible to know exactly what may be hidden within a given box, so many of the
secrets of Beijing’s stately place complex may never be revealed.
The building of the Forbidden City was undertaken by the third Ming emperor, Young Lo, who ruled
between 1403 and 1423 after he had finally ousted the Mongols from Beijing. An estimated workforce
of 100000 craftsmen and a million labourers set to work, fashioning the city’s 800 palaces, 75 halls,
numerous temples, pavilions, libraries, and studios, all linked by gardens, courtyards, and pathways: in
the city, which from its inception was forbidden to outsiders, 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing
dynasties reigned, shielded behind a moat and a wall 35 ft high-until the republican revolution begin in
1911.
The Forbidden City is an architectural masterpiece whose beauty lays not so much in any one building
as in the ordered layout of the whole and the exquisite combination of colours used in its decoration.
Altogether, it reflects the Chinese view that the emperor was the son too. Heaven was the mediator
responsible for order and harmony on earth. The formal entrance to the city is the Meridian Gate,
where a drum and bell were sounded whenever an emperor passed by. The vast courtyard beyond the
gate contains a section of the Golden River. Shaped like an archer’s bow and spanned by five marble
bridges, it leads to the Gate of supreme Harmony-deemed centre of the Chinese world. In this splendid
chamber, the emperor presided over the Dragon Throne and grand ceremonies were held on festive
occasions. Behind it stand the Hall of Complete Harmony, where the emperor prepared for audiences
with envoys from abroad. No emperor ventured from the Forbidden City at all if he could avoid it. He
entertained visitors in the most northerly of the three-state imperial buildings, the Hall of Preserving
Harmony.
North of these halls and repeating their layout is a group of three places that comprise the imperial
residential quarters. Two of these, the place of Heavenly Purity and the Place of Earthly Tranquillity,
were the residences of the emperor and empress respectively. Between them, lie the Hall of Union,
symbolically uniting the emperor and empress, Heaven and Earth, young and yin, male and female.
Beyond the places lie the imperial gardens, where pools, rockeries, temples, libraries, theatres,
pavilions, and pine, and cypress trees complement the symmetry of the buildings
9. By who was the Forbidden City build and in what period did he rule?`
a. The rule of republics after 1911
b. Various Ming Emperors in the 15th century
c. 24 different emperors until 1911
d. Young Lo – 1403-23
10. Which out of the following describes the Forbidden City?
a. It is similar to a Chinese workbox
b. It is an architectural masterpiece built with an exquisite colour combination
c. The city has palaces, halls, temples, and all other utilities.
d. It is open to western eyes and retains a sense of mystery
Question No. 11 to 18 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
1. My father has always been a passionate man. He has always been passionate about the people of
the Everest region – so much so that in 1960 he began the first of the many projects aimed at
improving their lives. In 1975 he had begun building his second hospital in the Himalayas when
tragedy struck our family. My mother and my youngest sister Belinda were flying into the
mountains to join him when their small aeroplane crashed soon after take-off from Kathmandu.
2. I was in Assam when I first heard of the accident. I flew straight to Kathmandu and met my father
and oldest sister Sarah on a narrow lane on the outskirts of the city. Any hope I had clung to, that
my mother and sister were still alive, was extinguished the moment I saw father – bowed and
broken. I knew then that Mum and Belinda would never return.
3. It was years before Dad fully came out of this period of darkness. Only by plunging himself into
more adventure sand ever more projects in Nepal, could he get through it. He has built 42 schools
and hospitals there.
4. As I grew up, some of Dad’s restlessness rubbed off on me. I know many people think there must
be some compulsion for the son of Sir Edmund Hillary to climb mountains.
They assume that there was some imperative etched in stone that says, “Thou shalt climb
mountains” – and in particular Everest, whether you like it or not. But for me, it’s simpler than
that. I think families are like factories: the Hillary family is a limited production mountaineering
establishment.
5. Today, at the age of 48, I am an inveterate mountain man. I have been on more than 30
mountaineering expeditions, from the Himalayas to the Antarctic. And yes, I have climbed Everest
– twice.
6. 6. I treasure the same things that drew my father to climbing –the tremendous camaraderie
involved, the intensity and adrenaline buzz especially in dangerous places where your life depends
upon making the right call. I guess that I am luckier than most because I am able to fall back on all
that my father has taught me.
11. The author’s father was passionate about the people of the Everest region; so he ________.
a. Built schools and hospitals everywhere
b. Climbed mountains
c. Worked on the improvement of their lives
d. Invited all the family to stay there
12. The plane crash in 1975 led to the ________.
a. Creation of many schools and hospitals
b. The author’s father becoming depresses
c. Turning Point in the author and his father’s life
Question No. 19 to 23 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
A highly placed IT professional settled in London is looking for prospective marriage candidate.
Answer the following in this context.
b. i
c. iv
d. iii
20. Which of the following is a perfect way to start this advertisement?
a. Looking for a suitable
b. Both Proposal invited for/from and Alliance invited for/from
c. Alliance invited for/from
d. Proposal invited for/from
21. Which of the followings should be mentioned in this advertisement?
i. Educational/Professional qualifications
ii. Name of the company s/he is working in
iii. Qualities sought
iv. Family details
a. i and ii
b. All of these
c. i, ii, iii
d. ii, iii, iv
22. Which of the followings should be the heading of this kind of advertisement?
a. Bridegroom wanted
b. Both bridegroom wanted and bride wanted
c. None of these
d. Bride wanted
23. Which of the following should be avoided in this advertisement?
i. Age
ii. Income
iii. Height
iv. Build
a. i
b. iv
c. iii
d. ii
WRITING -B
Question No. 24 to 30 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
The consumption of processed food and inactive lifestyle is posing problems of obesity. You are writing
a letter to the editor expressing your concern regarding the issue.
24. Suppose you are writing your letter on a computer, how should you align your text?
a. centre
b. right
c. left
d. justified (spread to end the line)
25. Which of the following, you will not need in a formal letter?
a. checking spellings
b. using correct sentences
c. using pictures
d. using paragraphs
26. The subject of letter to the editor should be ________.
a. long
b. none of these
c. irrelevant
d. brief and relevant
27. You will write your name and address in the ________ of the letter.
a. top left corner
b. top right corner
c. centre
d. bottom left
28. Which of these would you avoid using in your letter?
a. I am
b. Cannot
c. Do not
d. Wouldn't
29. What will you write on the top of your letter on the left side?
a. sender's address
b. subject
c. subscription
d. salutation
30. Where should you write the date in your letter?
a. under recipient address
b. under your address
c. above recipient address
d. above your address
LITERATURE
Question No. 31 to 35 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
b. Stealing
c. Working as a domestic help
d. Washing clothes
34. Why does the second speaker think his advice sounded hollow?
a. For it was purposeless
b. For it was not trustworthy
c. For it would never be accomplished
d. For it was senseless
35. Which word in the extract means ‘insincere or superficial'?
a. Glibly
b. Hollow
c. Mutter
d. Advice
Question No. 36 to 40 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. The
old sensation returned in miniature. I laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can
do to me?" It fled and I swam on.
Question No. 41 to 45 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
41. Choose the option that displays the same literary device as in the given lines of the extract.
her face
ashen like that
of a corpse…
a. Just as I had I had this thought, she appeared and ...
b. I like to think aloud when ...
c. I think like everyone else who ...
d. My thoughts were as heavy as lead that evening when ...
42. What thought did she put away?
a. She put away her fear that her mother would live long.
b. She put away her fear that her mother would not live long.
c. None of these
d. She put away her fear of travel.
43. Choose the option that best applies to the given extract.
1. a conversation
2. an argument
3. a piece of advice
4. a strategy
5. a recollection
6. a suggestion
a. Only 1
b. 1, 3 & 6
c. 2, 4 & 5
d. Only 5
44. Choose the book title that perfectly describes the condition of the poet’s mother.
Title 1 : You’re Only Old Once! by (Dr. Seuss)
Title 2 : The Gift of Years (by Joan Chittister)
Title 3 : Somewhere Towards the End (by Diana Athill)
Title 4 : The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (by Philippa Perry)
a. Title 1
b. Title 3
c. Title 4
d. Title 2
45. Assertion: The poet wards off the thought of her mother getting old quickly.
Reason: The poet didn’t want to confront the inevitability of fate that was to dawn upon her mother.
a. Assertion can be inferred but the Reason cannot be inferred.
b. Assertion cannot be inferred but the Reason can be inferred.
c. Both Assertion and Reason can be inferred.
d. Both Assertion and Reason cannot be inferred.
Question No. 46 to 50 are based on the given text. Read the text carefully and answer the
questions:
46. Pick the option that best describes the word dereliction as used in the passage.
i. evasion
ii. deterioration
iii. negligence
iv. carelessness
v. dilapidation
vi. management
a. i, iii and iv
b. ii, iv and vi
c. ii, iii and vi
d. i, iv and v
47. At the end of the conversation with the General, Sadao felt
a. relieved and guilt-free
b. refreshed and self-conscious
c. conceited and egotistic
d. rejuvenated and guilt-free
48. Read the analysis of the General based on the given extract. Choose the option that fills in the given
blanks most appropriately: The General (i) ________ power but is (ii) ________ of the obligations of his job.
He is so (iii) ________ with his health that he forgets to send the assassins to kill the prisoner. Due to his
(iv) ________ interests, he doesn’t want to expose Sadao and agrees to keep the prisoner’s escape a
secret.
a. i. relishes
ii. weary
iii. self-absorbed
iv. selfish
b. i. fancies
ii. apathetic
iii. negligent
iv. worthless
c. i. fantasizes
ii. lonely
iii. consumed
iv. vested
d. i. desires
ii. concerned
iii. indisposed
iv. narrow
49. Pick the option that best matches the idioms with hand with their meanings.
Idioms Meanings
(i) hand in glove (a) in the care of somebody good and knowledgeable
(iii) tip one’s hand (c) do harm to someone who has been kind to you
(iv) bite the hand that feeds you (d) two or more people who are in collusion
a. (i) - (b), (ii) - (c), (iii) - (d), (iv) - (a)
b. (i) - (d), (ii) - (a), (iii) - (b), (iv) - (c)
c. (i) - (a), (ii) - (iv), (iii) - (c), (iv) - (ii)
d. (i) - (c), (ii) - (a), (iii) - (d), (iv) - (b)
50. The antonym of patriotism is:
a. jingoism
b. chauvinism
c. nationalism
d. treachery
51. To whom is the poet requesting to be still in the poem, Keeping quiet?
a. Doctors
b. Soldiers
c. Children
d. Human race
52. Where did Saheb belong from in the prose titled Lost Spring?
a. Hyderabad
b. Dhaka
c. Rourkela
d. Kolkata
53. Who is the author of the prose Lost Spring?
a. William Douglas
b. Anees Jung
c. Louis Fischer
d. Alphonse Daudet
54. Who used to warn Douglas against swimming in the Yakima river?
a. Douglas' mother
b. Big bruiser of a boy
c. Instructor
d. Douglas' father
55. What did the faces of children in the slum areas reflect?
a. Poverty
b. All of these
c. Hopelessness
d. Malnourishment
56. In the prose The Third Level, why did Charley and his wife search for the third level with a firm belief
of its existence?
a. They wanted to prove its existence
b. They wanted to assure themselves
c. They were assured that it existed
d. They wanted to visit an old-styled subway
57. What is the meaning of Waking dream wish fulfillment? (Third level)
a. A pleasant wish that takes one to the future
b. None of these
c. A pleasant wish that makes one forget the present
d. A pleasant wish which inspires to work
To practice more questions & prepare well for exams, download myCBSEguide App. It provides
complete study material for CBSE, NCERT, JEE (main), NEET-UG and NDA exams.
58. What is the rhyming meter of the poem, Keeping quiet?
a. Enclosed rhyme
b. Free verse
c. Alternate rhyme
d. Monorhyme
59. What was the second thing that happened on the seventh day? (The Enemy)
a. All the servents came back to Sadao's house
b. A messenger arrived from the general
c. Hana left the house
d. Sadao operated the American
60. What is sun symbolic of in the poem, An elementary school classroom in a slum?
a. Knowledge
b. Degeneration
c. Oppression
d. Anger
Solution
READING
1. (a) Gate of Supreme Harmony
Explanation: Gate of Supreme Harmony
2. (c) Unites the emperor and the empress
Explanation: Unites the emperor and the empress
3. (c) Place of Earthly Tranquillity
Explanation: Place of Earthly Tranquillity
4. (d) Hall of Preserving Harmony
Explanation: Hall of Preserving Harmony
To practice more questions & prepare well for exams, download myCBSEguide App. It provides
complete study material for CBSE, NCERT, JEE (main), NEET-UG and NDA exams.
5. (b) Dragon Throne
Explanation: Dragon Throne
6. (a) inception
Explanation: inception
7. (c) exquisite
Explanation: exquisite
8. (a) symmetry
Explanation: symmetry
9. (d) Young Lo – 1403-23
Explanation: Young Lo – 1403-23
10. (b) It is an architectural masterpiece built with an exquisite colour combination
Explanation: It is an architectural masterpiece built with an exquisite colour combination
11. (c) Worked on the improvement of their lives
Explanation: Worked on the improvement of their lives
12. (c) Turning Point in the author and his father’s life
Explanation: Turning Point in the author and his father’s life
13. (d) Engaging himself in social service
Explanation: Engaging himself in social service
14. (c) He was born in a family of mountaineers
Explanation: He was born in a family of mountaineers
15. (a) He proved to be an excellent mountaineer
Explanation: He proved to be an excellent mountaineer
16. (a) He could learn from his father’s experiences
Explanation: He could learn from his father’s experiences
17. (a) They left family and settled in another country
Explanation: They left family and settled in another country
18. (d) You shall climb mountains
Explanation: You shall climb mountains
WRITING -A
19. (a) ii
Explanation: Classified
20. (b) Both Proposal invited for/from and Alliance invited for/from
Explanation: Both Proposal invited for/from and Alliance invited for/from
21. (a) i and ii
Explanation: i and ii
22. (b) Both bridegroom wanted and bride wanted
Explanation: Both bridegroom wanted and bride wanted
23. (d) ii
Explanation: Income
WRITING -B
24. (c) left
Explanation: left
25. (c) using pictures
Explanation: using pictures
26. (d) brief and relevant
Explanation: brief and relevant
27. (a) top left corner
Explanation: top left corner
28. (d) Wouldn't
Explanation: Wouldn't
29. (a) sender's address
Explanation: sender's address
30. (a) under recipient address
Explanation: under recipient address
LITERATURE
31. (d) whisper
Explanation: whisper
32. (c) Saheb
Explanation: Saheb
33. (a) Rag picking
Explanation: Rag picking
34. (c) For it would never be accomplished
Explanation: For it would never be accomplished
35. (a) Glibly
Explanation: Glibly
36. (b) Giant
Explanation: Giant
37. (b) The terror of water
Explanation: The terror of water
38. (c) Miniature
Explanation: Miniature
39. (a) To overcome his fear of water
Explanation: To overcome his fear of water
40. (a) William O. Douglas
Explanation: William O. Douglas
41. (d) My thoughts were as heavy as lead that evening when ...
Explanation: My thoughts were as heavy as lead that evening when ...
42. (b) She put away her fear that her mother would not live long.
Explanation: She put away her fear that her mother would not live long.
43. (d) Only 5
Explanation: Only 5
44. (b) Title 3
Explanation: Title 3
45. (c) Both Assertion and Reason can be inferred.
Explanation: Both Assertion and Reason can be inferred.
46. (a) i, iii and iv
Explanation: i, iii and iv
47. (a) relieved and guilt-free
Explanation: relieved and guilt-free
48. (a)
i. relishes
ii. weary
iii. self-absorbed
iv. selfish
Explanation:
i. relishes
ii. weary
iii. self-absorbed
iv. selfish
49. (b) (i) - (d), (ii) - (a), (iii) - (b), (iv) - (c)
Explanation: (i) - (d), (ii) - (a), (iii) - (b), (iv) - (c)
50. (d) treachery
Explanation: treachery
51. (d) Human race
Explanation: The poet appealed to the entire human race to cease their actions and observe silence. He
craftily focused on the urgency of quiet introspection and creating a feeling of mutual understanding
among the human race.
52. (b) Dhaka
Explanation: Saheb had left his home long ago which was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka.
53. (b) Anees Jung
Explanation: The story has been written by the well-known Indian author Anees Jung.
54. (a) Douglas' mother
Explanation: Douglas' mother used to warn him continuously against swimming in the Yakima river
because that river was very dangerous.
To practice more questions & prepare well for exams, download myCBSEguide App. It provides
complete study material for CBSE, NCERT, JEE (main), NEET-UG and NDA exams.
55. (b) All of these
Explanation: The children of a slum school were projected to be unkempt, hungry, weak, and bony.
They were deprived and impoverished. They were shackled with the chains of poverty and were forced
to live gloomy life.
56. (c) They were assured that it existed
Explanation: Louisa and Charley's friend had always wanted him to forget that he had ever been to
the third level of the Grand Central Station because they knew that it didn't exist. However, one day
they found a letter posted back in 1894 but addressed to Charley which assured them that the third
level really existed and that they should keep looking for it. It was signed by Sam who was the same