TN 12th Question Paper 2023 English

Tamil Nadu
State Board

2023
QUESTION
PAPER

No. of Printed Pages : 8
6611
!6611English! Register Number

Language — Part II — English

Time Allowed : 3.00 Hours ] [ Maximum Marks : 90

Instructions : (1) Check the question paper for fairness of printing. If there is any lack of
fairness, inform the Hall Supervisor immediately.

(2) Use a Blue or Black ink pen to write and underline and pencil to draw
diagrams.

PART - I
Note : (i) Answer all the questions. 20x1=20
(ii) Choose the most appropriate answer from the given four alternatives
and write both the option code and the corresponding answer for each
question.
Choose the most appropriate synonyms of the words underlined in the following
sentences.
1. One is liable to put in too much milk.
(a) eager (b) likely (c) forced (d) certain

2. .....Anna would say with an impudent smile.
(a) disrespectful (b) indifferent (c) ungrateful (d) misleading

3. .....the end of such liberty would be universal Chaos .
(a) confusion (b) mystery (c) failure (d) destruction

Choose the most appropriate antonyms of the underlined words in the following
sentences.

4. We can’t appreciate light if we haven’t known darkness.
(a) reduce (b) forget (c) neglect (d) condemn

5. There he was sitting in splendour on chair.

(a) dejection (b) simplicity (c) shame (d) laziness

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6. In those days, they didn’t have sophisticated heart surgery.

(a) critical (b) artificial (c) primitive (d) dangerous

7. Replace the underlined idiom with its suitable meaning.

Raja betrayed his friend to save his skin .
(a) avoid allergic reaction
(b) protect himself from difficulty
(c) help his suffering family
(d) receive a coveted award

8. Choose the suitable meaning for the idiom found in the following sentence.

The Finance Department should get the ducks in a row before the audit.

(a) be well-connected (b) be well-trained
(c) be well-advanced (d) be well-organised

9. Choose the word that can be placed after the word “wind” to form a compound
word.
(a) craft (b) pane (c) brake (d) screen

10. The epic poem ‘Paradise Lost’ is considered as John Milton’s magnum opus .

The foreign phrase ‘magnum opus’ means the author’s __________.
(a) most forgotten composition (b) most important work
(c) most translated epic (d) most criticized document

11. Fill in the blank with the suitable prepositional phrase.
__________ Gandhiji, Ahimsa means infinite love.
(a) In connection with (b) Except for
(c) On behalf of (d) According to

12. Choose the appropriate linker and complete the sentence.

I could not attend the party __________ I had to take care of my ailing mother.
(a) although (b) until (c) otherwise (d) because

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13. Replace the British English word with its equivalent in American English.

Ramesh lifted the car’s bonnet to check the engine.
(a) Trunk (b) Hoot (c) Hood (d) Boot

14. Replace the underlined word with a suitable phrasal verb.

The meeting was postponed as the chairman was on an official tour.

(a) put away (b) put off (c) put out (d) put on

15. Choose the word that has been spelt correctly.
(a) existance (b) espionage (c) repurcussions (d) technicallity

16. Identify the correct combination of the word “sunlight”.
(a) Adjective + Verb (b) Gerund + Verb
(c) Adverb + Noun (d) Noun + Noun

17. Form a new word by adding a suitable ‘prefix’ to the underlined word.

Today, I am certainly the most partial judge in England.

(a) im (b) un (c) in (d) de

18. The expansion of the abbreviation IMF.
(a) Indian Mountaineering Foundation
(b) Indian Medical Foundation
(c) International Military Force
(d) International Manpower Force

19. Choose the appropriate question tag and complete the sentence.
Let’s close our eyes and meditate for sometime, __________ ?
(a) shall we (b) can’t we (c) shan’t we (d) can we

20. Choose the unclipped form of ‘champ’.
(a) champagne (b) champaign (c) chamberlain (d) champion

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PART-II
SECTION-1
Choose any four of the following sets of poetic lines and answer the questions
that follow. 4x2=8
21. “All through that summer at ease we lay,
And daily from the turret wall
We watched the mowers in the hay”.
(a) Who does “we” refer to ?
(b) What could they watch from the turret wall ?

22. “Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail”
(a) Which stage of life is being referred to here by the poet ?
(b) Identify the figure of speech employed in the second line.

23. “......free imaginations
Bringing changes into a world resenting change”.
(a) How does free imagination help the world ?
(b) Identify the figure of speech.

24. “The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung
In crimson clusters all the bough among!”
(a) Who is the giant here ?
(b) Pick out the words in alliteration in the given lines.

25. “For some three Suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge....”
(a) Explain “three Suns”.
(b) What does Ulysses yearn for ?

26. “Legs wide, arms locked behind,
As if to balance the prone brow
Oppressive with its mind”.
(a) Whose action is described here ?

(b) What is meant by ‘prone brow’ ?

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SECTION-2
Do as directed.
Answer any three questions. 3x2=6
27. Raju said, “I was playing tennis the whole morning”.
(Change into Indirect speech)

28. I was not invited to the party.
(Change the voice)

29. Unless you do these exercises regularly, you will not recover.
(Rewrite as a compound sentence)

30. The work was over. We went home.
(Rewrite using “when”)

PART-III
SECTION-1
Explain any two of the following with reference to the context. 2x3=6
31. “Our gates were strong, our walls were thick”

32. “They have their exits and their entrances”

33. “Life is hard; be steel; be a rock”

SECTION-2
Answer any two of the following questions in not more than 30 words each. 2x3=6
34. How did the narrator help the boys on Sunday ?

35. What was the profound lesson that Dr. Barnard learnt from the boys ?

36. When did the children get over the fear of sitting on the chair ?

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SECTION-3
Answer any three of the following. 3x3=9

37. Complete the proverbs choosing the right word from the list :
(a) Brevity is the __________ of wit.
(i) base (ii) soul (iii) root
(b) One __________ does not make a summer.
(i) eagle (ii) swallow (iii) owl
(c) Necessity is the mother of __________.
(i) adventure (ii) innovation (iii) invention

38. Rearrange the following jumbled sentences correctly.
(a) get/in/at/7 O’clock/I/up/morning/the
(b) is/when/virtue/discipline/the most essential/should acquire/young/one
(c) humanity/to the/pledge/to consecrate/service of/solemnly/myself/I/my
life

39. Describe the process of making a glass of Mango juice.

40. Study the Pie-chart given and answer the questions that follow :

(a) Which is the coolest place of all ?

(b) Which place has the second highest temperature ?
(c) Which places are hotter than Kanyakumari ?

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PART-IV
Answer the following. 7x5=35
41. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 150 words.
(a) Summarise the distinctive ideas of George Orwell in the essay ‘A Nice Cup of
Tea’.
OR
(b) What do you infer from Gardiner’s essay ‘On the Rule of the Road’ ?

42. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 150 words.
(a) Describe the various stages of a man’s life picturised in the poem “All the
World’s a Stage”.
OR
(b) How was the young soldier’s patriotism described in the poem, ‘Incident of
the French camp’ ?

43. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 150 words, by developing the hints.
(a) Pi - survived - shipwreck - life boat - gets stranded in the Pacific - Bengal
tiger - Richard Parker - on board - Pi searched for water - found stacks of
cans - drinking water - elixir of life - gave him energy - managed to overcome
fear - realized that alive - because of Parker - scared him earlier - brought
peace - purpose - helped him survive for 227 days - left Parker in a jungle -
reunited - family.
OR
(b) Ausable - clever - secret agent - entered - his room - found - Max - aimed -
pistol - lose - courage - quick - witted man - complained - balcony - intruder
- window - management did not block - knocking - door - police - extra
protection - important paper - Max - hid - balcony - fell to death - no police -
no balcony - Ausable’s plan - to get rid of Max.

44. (a) Write a summary of the following passage.
The aim of education is the overall development of the personality of
man. It means the development of not only the mind but also the body.
Games keep the body fit. A healthy mind can dwell only in a healthy body.
For keeping a body healthy, games are indispensable. People who have
developed the habit of playing games regularly can maintain good health.
Games help to build a muscular body. They include sound sleep which is a
sign of good health.
Therefore, games are food for the body, as knowledge is food for the
mind. In fact, ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Everybody likes
games because these keep them physically fit and mentally alert.
Games help us to keep our body active and vigorous. They enable us to
face dangers boldly. When a person plays games, his blood circulation
increases and his digestive system improves. He does not fall prey to any
disease. Games inculcate in us the spirit of sportsmanship. They also teach
us courage and perseverance.

OR
(b) Write a paragraph on “The Importance of Reading”.

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45. (a) Write a letter to the Headmaster of your school requesting him to help you
obtain a duplicate mark sheet of class XII, which you lost while travelling.
OR
(b) Your friend is in hospital, undergoing treatment for a fractured leg. Write a
letter of consolation, assuring him/her that he/she will get well soon.

46. (a) Read the following sentences, spot the errors and correct them.
(i) Usha is not only a writer but an orator.
(ii) Though she is weak but she is active.
(iii) The bus conductor gave me an one rupee coin.
(iv) Children prefer sweets than snacks.
(v) Pradeep is my cousin brother.
OR
(b) Fill in the blanks appropriately.
(i) I had no __________. My friend gave me a __________ of advice.
(peace/piece)
(ii) How __________ you open my bag !
(Fill in the blank with a semi-modal verb)
(iii) We __________ (see) a wonderful film at the cinema last night.
(Fill in the blank with the right tense form)
(iv) __________ (shop) is my favourite hobby.
(Use the gerundial form of the verb in the bracket)

47. (a) Develop the hints into a story of 150 words.
A milkman - became wealthy - dishonest way - had to cross a river -
reached city - mixed - river water - sold - customers bought - good profit -
went around - purchased articles - clothes - returned to river - while crossing
- boat capsized - all purchases lost - right punishment - for greed.
OR
(b) Read the following passage and answer the questions given below.
The earth is losing its forests. Trees cover about 30 percent of the
earth’s surface, but they are being destroyed at an alarming rate especially
in the tropics. Timber harvesting is a major reason for the destruction of the
forests. Trees are used for building houses, making furniture and providing
pulp for paper products, such as newspapers and magazines. At least 40
hectares of rain forests are being felled every minute, mostly in order to
extract the valuable timber.
(i) What is the major reason for the destruction of forests ?
(ii) Mention any two uses of trees.
(iii) Why are rain forests being destroyed ?
(iv) How much of the earth’s surface is occupied by trees ?

(v) Pick out the word from the passage that means the same as “wood”.

-oOo-