ENGLISH YUVAKBHARATI

SOLUTION : PRACTICE ACTIVITY SHEET – 1

SECTION – I
Q.  1. (A)
A1. (i) Miss Milan’s workroom was terribly hot, stuffy and sordid, smelling of clothes
and cabbage cooking.
(ii) When Mabel looked at herself in the glass, she saw a grey-white, mysteriously
smiling, charming girl, the core of herself.
A2.  Description of Miss Milan : 
(i)  Miss Milan was poor and hard-working.
(ii)  Miss Milan’s face was red and her eyes bulged.
(iii) Miss Milan’s pleasures in life were few and cheap; one of them was allowing
her pet canary to pick a hemp-seed from between her lips.
(iv)  Miss Milan was patient and had to endure a lot of difficulties.
A3. Mabel’s eyes were filled with tears because she felt sorry for poor Miss Milan, who
had such few pleasures in life. Those too were cheap ones, like allowing her pet
canary to pick a hemp-seed from between her lips. Miss Milan was helping Mabel
to become fashionable, and hence Mabel felt very fond of her and full of pity for her
condition.
A4. Model Answer  :  I feel really happy at the beginning of spring. Just outside my
bedroom window there are a few trees which lose their leaves in winter, but get fresh,
tender green leaves in March. I watch the increasing number of leaves daily, and feel
very happy. It makes me feel that there is hope and life everywhere, even after a
dreary winter.
A5. (i)  One human should be doing this for another always.
(ii) Though it smelt of clothes and cabbage cooking, when Miss Milan put the glass
in her hand, an extraordinary bliss shot through her heart.
A6. (a)  One word for :
(i)  filled with – suffused
(ii)  folds or creases in the skin – wrinkles
(b)  Abstract nouns :
bliss, existence, patience, endurance (any 2)
(B)
B1. (i)  (c) Though it was tough, it was intellectually satisfying.
(ii)  might – possibility
(iii) 
(b) Extra demand would be generated in the market (by them).

SOLUTIONS TO NAVNEET PRACTICE PAPERS : STD. XII 1

 B2.  We have no control over what the government does.
Q. 2. (A) 
A1. (i)  The sea eagle is now extinct in Britain. False
(ii)  The sea eagle has an eight-feet wing span. True
(iii)  The bird flourishes in Norway. True
(iv)  More than half of the fledgling eagles survive their first year. False
A2. (i)  The two agencies that Sea Eagle Project team includes are : 
(1)  Scottish Natural Heritage (2) Forestry Commission, Scotland
(ii)  Two different names for the bird :
(1)  white-tailed eagle (2)  flying barn doors
A3. The sea eagle was once declared extinct in Britain. After this, a recovery programme
was launched. The Sea Eagle Project team, with the help of other organizations,
started reintroduction programmes and breeding was consciously encouraged. Thus,
the bird was saved from extinction.
A4. Model Answer : Every animal and bird has its own importance in the food cycle. If
any animal or bird becomes extinct, there will be some adverse changes in the
environment. For example, if eagles and hawks become extinct, the number of small
reptiles and pests will increase. Thus, every animal and bird has its own place and
should be protected.
A5. (i)  The Sea Eagle Project team has closely monitored the drive.
(ii)  (a) No other bird of prey in Britain is as big as this one.
A6.
Verb Noun Adjective
succeed success successful
recover recovery recoverable
(B)  Summary :
The Sea Eagle of Britain
   The white-tailed eagle was once extinct in Britain. However, due to reintroduction
programmes, this bird has been brought back from extinction. The numbers have increased
significantly and breeding pairs have gone to distant islands. The next phase involves the
introduction of chicks taken from nests in Norway, to the east coast of Scotland. More
than half of the fledgling eagles will not survive their first year; but if they do they can
live for more than 20 years.
(C)  sober excitable
1.  pessimistic optimistic
unfriendly 2.  friendly
cool energetic
Introvert Matrix Extrovert
passive of … 3.  aggressive
4.  reserved sociable
thoughtful 5.  talkative
6.  meticulous carefree

2 SOLUTIONS TO NAVNEET PRACTICE PAPERS : STD. XII

 SECTION – II
Q. 3. (A)
A1. (i)  The colour of the lady’s hair is shiny black (like a raven’s).
(ii)  The phrase ‘dwelling-place’ refers to her mind.
A2. The lady in the poem has a winning smile and a glowing skin. According to the poet,
she is blessed with these things because in the last stanza the poet says that lovely
cheek, the calm brow, the delicate colouring, the glowing skin all are a result of her
life spent without sin. She has a peaceful mind and an innocent heart. These come
together to make her face glow with an inner beauty.
A3. Model Answer  :  I agree with the statement. Beauty is not about perfect features,
clear skin, shining hair or smart clothes. Beauty is about the person’s heart. The
helpful nature, a mind without guilt, a cheerful attitude, kind way of speaking will
all be reflected in the person’s outward appearance. If a person has wicked thoughts
and bad intentions, the expression on the face will reflect the nasty mind. So beautiful
features and perfect skin are not real indicators of beauty.
A4. (i) Simile  : ‘like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies.’
Explanation – Her beauty is directly compared to the cloudless starry skies.
(ii) Antithesis  : ‘best of dark and bright’
Explanation – Words of opposite meanings ‘dark’ and ‘bright’ are used for poetic
effect.
A5.  Beauty of Nature
I look up at the majestic peaks
I peer into the sapphire deeps
I gaze at the endless shades of green
My eyes drink the silver threads between.
(B)  Appreciation : 
Small towns and rivers
   The poem ‘Small Towns and Rivers’ written by Mamang Dai is a beautiful word-
picture. It is also a lament of the poet about her beautiful native land of Arunachal
Pradesh.
   This theme shows in the way she begins the poem that small towns remind her of
death. It is shocking. She implies the town is unchanging in all weathers, but development
comes along and changes everything. There is irony in that the cycle of life and death
shows that life is not permanent, but the rituals are permanent.
   She uses metaphor that the rivers are not only alive like us humans, but actually
immortal. She personifies the river by way the river ‘holds its breath’ because it is
choking. It is flowing in search of a place where it will flow clean and clear.
   The extract is in free verse and seems to be in easy language, but we can understand
the full depth of meaning only after reading it more than once. It is a lament about the
destruction of nature for development. We all feel the sorrow of the poet when we read
about how nature’s beauty is damaged for man’s greed called ‘progress’.
SOLUTIONS TO NAVNEET PRACTICE PAPERS : STD. XII 3
 SECTION – III

About Self-assessment of Writing Skill Questions [i.e. Q.  4.  (A)  (B)  (C)  (D)]
   While answering the writing skills questions, students are expected to write their
thoughts in their own words/language. Such answers are open-ended type. Students may
attempt these questions on their own.
   Students may study the answers given in the solution to March 2022 Activity Sheet
and consider the marking scheme given along with them. They may try to self-assess their
own answers. They can also get the guidance from their teacher, if necessary.
   For more guidance on Writing Skills and other questions, refer to Navneet English
Writing Skills : Standards XI – XII.

SECTION – IV
Q. 5. (A)
(1) (i) The Bildungsroman novel is a fictional biography or autobiography which is
concerned with the growth of the protagonist’s mind, spirit and character from
childhood to adulthood.
(ii) The Gothic novel includes terror, mystery, horror, thriller, supernatural, doom,
death or decay or haunted buildings.
(iii) The Historical novel is a novel set in a period earlier than that of the writing.
(iv) The Epistolary novel is that in which the writer presents the narrative through a
series of correspondence.
(2) (i)  Character describes the behaviour of the characters in the story. True
(ii)  The main character in the story is referred to as the ‘novella’. False
Correct Statement  :  The main character in the story is referred to as the
‘protagonist’.
(iii) The struggle between the opposite forces in the story is called ‘antagonism’.
False
Correct Statement  :  The struggle between the opposite forces in the story is
called ‘conflict’.
(iv)  Theme is the central idea in the novel which can be expressed in a nutshell.
True
(B)
(1) Miss Phillips is earlier considered as ‘frilly and brainless’; but she was the best
informed of the three teachers on the stage. She intervened skilfully when the
other two teachers were at a loss without embarrassing them. She spoke coolly,
honestly and with authority. When Denham is blunt, critical and argumentative
while discussing the P.T. exercises, she explains to him the reason behind these
exercises, putting him in his place very coolly and pleasantly. Thus, the teacher
who was considered brainless is transformed into a very convincing personality
at the end.
4 SOLUTIONS TO NAVNEET PRACTICE PAPERS : STD. XII
 (2) The theme of the extract ‘To Sir with Love’ is the student-teacher relationship and the
proceedings of the half-yearly report of the Students’ Council. The extract shows the
improvement in the conduct of the students, the increase in their level of confidence
and courtesy. It also shows the freedom and candour in student-teacher interaction in
the school.
(C) 
(1) Liverpool  :  Liverpool is the place where Fogg disembarks from his steamer, and
from where he has to catch a train to London. Liverpool is also the place where he is
arrested by Fix and thus misses his train. He arranges a special train at Liverpool and
bribes the officer in an attempt to reach London on time.
(2) Fogg frequented the Reform Club on a regular basis. At the Club, Fogg once gets
involved in an argument over an article, and a wager with his fellow club members
takes place. Fogg is quite sure he can travel around the world in eighty days, while
Sullivan doesn’t believe it can be done. Sullivan and the other members think that
Fogg is not considering the unexpected; all the men accept the wager for twenty
thousand pounds. Thus, Phileas Fogg has to go around the world in eighty days if he
has to win the wager. Therefore, Fogg embarks on his journey to preserve his honour
and prove his worth to the men at the Reform Club.
(D)
(1)
Dialogue Speaker Listener/s
 (i) Are you the parties that A coachman / messenger Sherlock Holmes and
come with Miss Morstan? sent by the letter-writer. Watson
(ii) The Sahib awaits you. Khitmutgar Miss Morstan,
(a male servant) Sherlock Holmes and
Watson

(2) Watson is instantly attracted towards Mary. He tries to impress her and watches her
from the window when she leaves the house. He tells Holmes excitedly that she is a
very attractive woman. Holmes, on the contrary, says in an inhuman manner that he
had not noticed this trait of hers; a client is merely a client to him. He adds that the
most attractive woman he ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children,
showing that one cannot judge a person by their looks.

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SOLUTIONS TO NAVNEET PRACTICE PAPERS : STD. XII 5