PIONEER CONVENT SCHOOL

HOLIDAYS ASSIGNMENT

CLASS – XII ARTS

SUBJECT – ENGLISH

SECTION – A

(READING)

I) Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
(12 Marks)
Donated Organs and their Transportation
1. Once an organ donor's family gives its consent and the organs are matched to a
recipient, medical professionals are faced with the onerous challenge of transporting
organs while ensuring that the harvested organ reaches its destination in the shortest
possible time. This is done in order to preserve the harvested organs and involves the
police and especially the traffic police department.
2. The traditional method of transporting organs by road is referred to as a "green
corridor". This process entails police escorting an ambulance, so as to move around
traffic - usually a specific traffic lane is chosen and all signals on the route stay green
to ensure it to reach its destination in the shortest possible time. A 'green corridor' is a
route cleared and cordoned off by the traffic police to ensure the smooth and steady
transportation of harvested organs, on most occasions, to those awaiting a life-saving
transplant. Organs tend to have a very short preservation time, such as the heart which
has to be harvested and transplanted within four hours, or the lungs which can be
preserved for only six hours once they are harvested.
3. The first green corridor in India was created by Chennai Traffic Police in September
2008 when they accomplished their task of enabling an ambulance to reach its
destination within 11 minutes during peak hour traffic. That organ saved a nine-year-
old girl whose life depended on the transplant.
4. Similarly, such green corridors have been created by traffic police of various
cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, etc. Personnel are stationed at selected
points to divert, control and clear the traffic giving way to the ambulance. Apart from
this, a motorcade of police vehicles accompanies the ambulance ensuring that it does
not face any problems. Delhi Traffic Police provided a green corridor from IGI
Airport to Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in Vasant Kunj for transportation of a
liver. The distance of 14 kms was covered in 11 minutes.
5. Experts point out the lack of a robust system to transport organs to super- speciality
hospitals in least possible time. National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation
(NOTTO), the country's apex organ donation agency, is now framing a proposal to
airlift cadaver organs and will send a report to the Union Health Ministry. "Cadaver
organs have a short life and so transplant should be done within a few golden hours."
Director (NOTTO) expressed, "Therefore, we are preparing a proposal for airlifting
organs at any given moment."
6. Most states do not have enough well-trained experts to retrieve or perform transplant
procedures. Also, there is an acute shortage of advanced healthcare facilities to carry
out a transplant. So, it is referred to other big centres in metropolitan cities. Organs
retrieved from Aurangabad, Indore, Surat, Pune are sent to Mumbai as these cities do
not have super. speciality healthcare centres, informed officials.
7. "In India, about fifty thousand to one lakh patients are suffering from acute heart
failure and need heart transplant at any point of time. In a private set-up, a heart
transplant costs up by postoperative medication of about 15-20 lakhs, which is
followed 30,000 per month lifelong."
Questions:
1. Based on your reading of the passage, answer the following questions briefly,
(a) State any one reason from the test to prove that the harvested organ must be
delivered to the destination in the shortest time possible. (1 x 5 = 5)
(b) Why does the author think transporting organs to be an onerous challenge for
the medical professionals?
(c) Cite a point in evidence from the text to prove that heart patients struggle for
life in India due to prohibitive cost of organ transplants.
(d) Why are the organ-transplant cases mostly referred to the big hospitals in
metropolitan cities?
(e) What opinion do you form of Chennai Police with regard to the transportation
of a harvested heart?

2. Answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.

(a) Why does the Director (NTTO) express that the transplant should be done
within the golden hours?
(i) as it is very risky and painful
(ii) as the transplant time is very limited
(iii) as the state hospitals are very crowded
(iv) harvested organs
(b) Which word in the passage, means the same as 'save"?
(i) transporting (ii) preserving (iii) recipient (iv) onerous
(c) Rewrite the given sentence by replacing the highlighted phrase with a suitable
option given below.
The teacher appreciated the day when they completed their assignments in time.
(i) enabling an ambulance (ii) accomplished their task
(iii) harvested and transplanted (iv) depended on the transplant
 (d) Find a word similar in meaning to 'carried out'.
(i) cordoned (ii) preserved (iii) accompanied (iv) accomplished
(e) Heart retrieved from a body is alive only for hours.
(i) two (ii) three (iii) four (iv) five
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (12 Marks)
1. Even before you are aware of it, retirement is around the corner and with it comes a
sense of apprehension, trepidation and may be a sense of anticipation. The first few
days when you acquire the status of a senior citizen are dull and the consequences of
retirement have yet to sink in. A month passes and time hangs heavily and in a sense
you feel lost, but a change can alter all that. The Indian government has given many
concessions to senior citizens and it would do good if you focused on the advantages
rather than disadvantages. Even at a personal level you can think of it as a new
beginning rather than an end of a phase. Look around you, wake up to things that you
wanted to do but could never get done.
2. Books and reading are all time favourite hobbies to indulge in; in India, subjects like
astrology, tarot reading and palm reading have attracted many. So serious do these
senior citizens become that you would never guess they were novices. Heated
discussions, debates on politics and religion have also engrossed quite a few. Then
there is a small segment, which focuses on economy and finance. Many Indians who
have never taken investment seriously start reading business magazines, and catch up
on bullish and bearish trends in the market. Surprisingly many of them become
prudent about investment and offer a lot of advice to the so-called tyros. Many
philanthropic Indians have been known to devote their attention to social causes and
have been known to form clubs, which volunteer to help people. The sense of deep
satisfaction that one gets from this is absolutely incomparable. Developing a passion
for sports, evoking an interest in everything around you keeps you mentally healthy
and emotionally fit.
3. There is a decline in mental abilities as one ages and this is mostly a consequence of
certain pathological changes in the brain. While senior citizens become more mature
in judgment, the ability to recall things declines. Efforts to relate and recall can greatly
alleviate this decline. Ageing is only in the mind, you are as old as you want to be. A
positive attitude and a desire to learn as many new things as possible is the key to a
full and happy life. Many computer institutes in India conduct computer courses for
senior citizens to ensure they are able to use the internet, send e-mails all over the
world, store information relating to investments and handle their bank accounts. There
are limited job openings for senior citizens but ideally they should take a job only if
they have to.
4. Exercise, yoga and meditation keep senior citizens in good physical condition, as they
become lesser prone to ailments, which tend to dog their footsteps once they have
crossed sixty. Physical condition augurs emotional and mental well-being. Exercise
tones muscles, improves circulation of blood, reduces stress and wards off depression.
Joints remain flexible, the risk of arteriosclerosis is reduced, muscle and bone loss is
drastically reduced. In India, many old people have taken to doing pranayama on
regular basis.
5. For senior citizens, this is a period of growth and the proper time to attain the riches
that life has to offer. This is the time when they can live their lives the way they
actually want to. The concessions they are entitled to make it actually worth being a
senior citizen. Airlines offer discounted fares and the Indian railways offer a discount
on all tickets. There are separate queues for senior citizens at the post offices; railway
counters and some buses even have seats reserved for them. It all boils down to one
thing-it can actually be quite appealing to be a senior citizen once you look at yourself
with esteem and have confidence in your abilities. Eat healthy, exercise, sleep well
and extract every ounce of elixir that life has to offer.
Questions:
1. Answer the following questions briefly (10-15 words).
(a) What kind of things come along with retirement?
(b) How can senior citizens prepare themselves for life after retirement?
(c) What are the favourite pastime activities of the senior citizens in India?
(d) What keeps senior citizens in good physical condition?
(e) How can the ageing people retain their mental abilities?
2. On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer any five of the
questions that follow with the help of the given options. (1 x 5 = 5)
(a) Within the first few days of retirement, what does the retired person acquire?
(i) The status of a senior citizen (ii) The status of being lonely
(iii) Another post in the same department (iv) None of the above
(b) What has been all time favourite hobby to indulge in?
(i) Swimming (ii) Reading (iii) Sleeping (iv) Cycling
(c) The reason behind the decline in mental abilities is ……………….
(i) Ageing (ii) Retirement
(iii) Pathological changes in brain (iv) Loss of physical stamina
(d) Choose a statement which is NOT TRUE.
(i) Hotels in India are our potential foreign exchange earners
(ii) Our hotels would make for an exciting tour
(iii) Tourism is a profitable business even for a taxi owner
(iv) A satisfied tourism would back home do publicity for us
(e) Based on the passage, choose the correct option with reference to the two
statements given below.
Statement 1: Our hotels must offer such facilities that foreigners love.
 Statement 2: Government should remove certain irritants connected with
custom formalities.
(i) Statement 1 is true, but statment 2 is false
(ii) Statement 1 is false, but statment 2 is true
(iii) Both statement 1 and statement 2 are true
(iv) Both statement 1 and statement 2 can not be inferred
II. Date Based Unseen Passages ;-
1. The average age of India will be just 27 in 2020, which means that the majority of the
country will comprise young students and youth. But even now, the unemployment
crisis is a huge concern with a huge number of youth passing out from schools and
colleges every year. Despite many new career options and job roles being added to
various industries, the youth do not have the kind of skills the new industries want.
There is a wide skill gap.
2. According to a recent survey by Mindler, an online career-counselling platform, a
majority of Indian students are aware of just seven career paths, even though there are
250 career options that can be pursued in India - most of them are new and in-demand.
The survey on the awareness of career options among Indian students was conducted
among10,000 participants in the age group of 14 to 21 from all over India. The
responses showed that a staggering 93% of the students who participated were aware
of just seven career options - law, engineering, medicine, accounts and finance,
design, computer applications and IT, and management. According to researchers,
India has a variety of 250 career options available across 40 domains covering 5,000
job types. This shocking lack of awareness among Indian students regarding their
future career options can spell a death knell for the economic bonus that could have
come to India due to its demographic dividend at a time when its population is young
and earning.
3. India today has only a limited number of trained career counselors who can assist and
guide students to make the correct career decision among the plethora of choices
available today. There is an urgent need to systemise the career counselling sector,
which involves reorganising the hitherto unorganized career counselling sector in tier
II & tier III cities across India. Career counsellors must work in a holistic manner to
train teachers and parents regarding how to support their children in their career
planning process.
4. Effective career planning would need to take into account all the stakeholders, in
which parents and teachers are the most important, given the time they spend with the
child and the impact they have. There is a need to enhance their awareness and help
them unlearn their misconceptions. Children feel much more confident in choosing a
particular career when they are supported by their parents. In India, students face
parental pressure to opt for conventional careers such as engineering, medicine, law,
civil services etc. Parents need to be aware of their child's strengths and, rather than
pushing their child into a conventional career simply because they are unable to
understand which area would be the perfect fit for their child. They need to assist in
shaping their child's profile with the right set of activities in sync with their strength,
capability and dreams.
5. There is no specific age to start off career counselling. Children need to first become
aware of the many subjects and career options that exist and before they finalise one,
they will also need to build their profile for the chosen career. The ideal age to start
career counselling is 13-14 years, with subject exploration, stream selection and then
work towards career selection. Giving enough time to plan will even out the stress and
give them time to engage in critical thinking.
Questions:
1. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the questions
that follow:
(a) What, according to the author, is the most important thing that needs to be
addressed to resolve the unemployment crisis in India?
(b) Why, do you think, parents push their children to pursue conventional careers?
(c) According to the author, do you see a systemic change happening in the career
counselling sector in the coming years?
(d) What is the advantage of starting career planning early?
(e) Do you think according to the survey, there is an urgent need to create more
jobs in order to tackle the problem of educated unemployment?
2. Answer the following questions with the help of the most suitable option.
(a) Look at the pie-chart carefully. Do you infer that attitudes towards vocational
training are undergoing a change?
(i) Yes, as 29.8% people have not opted for conventional careers.
(ii) No, not all careers in the bracket of 'Others' may be vocational careers.
(iii) Possibly, 29.8% people are pursuing careers that are based on their interest.
(iv) Can't say, there is insufficient data to suggest that this might be the case.
(b) The word 'death knell' originally referred to:
(i) a person dying
(ii) kneeling in prayer in a ceremony in church to pay tribute to someone who
has died.
(iii) a half- muffled bell that is sounded in church when a person dies.
(iv) a bell sounded in church to commemorate the crucifixion of Christ.
(c) Complete the following analogy correctly with a word/phrase from the
following:
Guide: counsellor :: career ……………
 (Clue: just like counsellor is an example of guide to help students make correct
career decision, similarly is an example of career.)
(i) sector (ii) planning (iii) bonus (iv) medicine
(d) Parental pressure is to opt for conventional career such as:
(i) Design thinking (ii) Media and films
(iii) Civil services (iv) Environmental law
(e) To educate children and develop their personality, schools must work in a manner.
(i) limited (ii) holistic (iii) unorganized (iv) critical

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
(1 x 10 = 10 marks)
1. To assess air pollution in India, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is executing
a nationwide programme of ambient air quality monitoring known as National Air
Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). The network consists of 793 operating
stations covering 344 cities/towns in 29 states and 6 Union Territories of the country.
2. Under N.A.M.P., three air pollutants viz., Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide
(NO2) and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM/ PM10) have been
identified for regular monitoring at all the locations.
3. The monitoring of meteorological parameters such as wind speed and direction,
relative humidity and temperature was also integrated with the monitoring of air
quality. The monitoring of pollutants is carried out hours with a frequency of twice a
week, to have 104 observations in a year. The monitoring is being carried out by
CPCB; State Pollution Control Boards; Pollution Control Committees; National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur. CPCB co-ordinates
with the other agencies to ensure the uniformity, consistency of air quality data and
provides technical and financial support to them for operating the monitoring station.
N.A.M.P. is being operated through various monitoring agencies, large number of
personnel and equipment are involved in the sampling, chemical analyses, data
reporting 140 Air quality of Bangalore etc. It increases the probability of variation and
personnel biases reflecting in the data; hence it is pertinent to mention that these data
be treated as indicative rather than absolute.
Questions:
(a) Which agency executes the monitoring of air quality twice a week?
(b) In which year was the maximum difference in the concentration of Sulphur
dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide found?
(c) Which of the following statements would be true for the year 2012?
(i) The concentration of PM10 saw a spike whereas the concentration of
Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide saw a steady decline.
 (ii) The concentration of Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide saw a spike
whereas the concentration of PM10 saw a steady decline.
(iii) The concentration of Sulphur dioxide was observed to be the lowest in
the last ten years.
(iv) The concentration of Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen dioxide was similar to
the one observed in the year 2000.
(d) It is pertinent to mention that these data be treated as indicative rather
than absolute. Replace the word 'pertinent' with any one of the words
given below.
(i) wrong (ii) relevant (iii) indispensable (iv) mandatory
(e) What does the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme monitor?
(f) (Why does CPCB co-ordinate with other agencies?
(g) What does the PM in PM10 stand for?
(h) What is the frequency of monitoring the pollutants?
(i) Which three air pollutants have been identified for regular monitoring?
(j) What are the other meteorological parameters which have been
integrated to monitor air quality?

SECTION – B
(WRITNG)
1. Sunshine Public School, Mathura has invited the inspector of Police (Traffic) to
deliver a lecture on ‘Road Safety’ in school. Define a notice informing the students to
assemble in the school auditorium.
2. You are Anu/Arun, 13, F.W.A. Colony, Ghaziabad. You feel very strongly about the
ill-treatement meted out to stray dogs at the hands of callous and indifferent people.
Write a letter to the editor of ‘The Hindu’, giving your views on why some people
behave in such a manner and how these dogs should be treated.
3. Wearing the school uniform gives the student an identity, pride and a feeling of
discipline. Write an article in 150-200 words on ‘Importance of wearing a uniform in
school’. You are Aditi/Aditya.
 SECTION – C

(Literature)

Short Answer Type Questions :-

1. Why are the people of Firozabad not organize themselves into a co-operation?
2. How is Mukesh different from his peers?
3. How are the tennis-shoes ‘a dream come true’ for Saheb?
4. What made Donglas decide that the instructor’s role in teaching him swimming was
over?
5. Describe the author’s condition after he escaped death.

Long Answer Type Questions :-

1. What is the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks about?
2. Describe Charley’s experience at the third level.
3. Discuss the title lost spring’.
4. What did the French Teacher tell his students in his last French lesson? What impact
did it have on them?