HBSE Class 12 Sample Paper 2025 English Core

Board Of School Education Haryana

मॉडल पेपर
2025

CLASS : 12th (Sr. Secondary) Code No. 1201
Series : HB/Sample paper- 2024- 2025 SET : A
R0ll No.

ENGLISH (Core)
[ For all Groups I, II, III]
ACADEMIC/OPEN
( Only for Fresh/Re-appear/Improvement/ Additional Candidates)
Time Allowed : 3 hours Maximum marks : 80
 Please make sure that the printed pages in this question paper are 18 in number
and it contains 13 questions.
 The Code No. and Set on the right side of the question paper should be written by
the candidate on the front page of the answer book.
 Before beginning to answer a question, its Serial Number must be written.
 Don’t leave blank page/pages in your answer-book.
 Except answer-book, no extra sheet will be given. Write to the point and do not
strike the written answer.
 Candidates must write their Roll No. on the question paper. Except Roll No. do not
write anything on question paper and do not make any mark on answers of
objective type questions.
 Before answering the questions, ensure that you have been supplied the correct
and complete question paper, no claim in this regard, will be entertained after
examination.
General Instructions:
(I ) This question paper is divided into four sections : A , B, C and D
(ii) All the sections are compulsory.
(iii) Attempt all the parts of a question together.
(iv ) Stick to the word limit wherever prescribed.

SECTION A 15 marks
Reading Skills
1 Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow; 10x1 = 10
1. In the quest for equal rights for women in all spheres of life , every act that
justifies hierarchy , othering, and a patriarchal mindset must be shunned totally.
Seeking the right to choose her own identity, Ms Divya Modi Tongya, had
petitioned the Delhi High Court that she be allowed to revert to her maiden name
after her divorce comes through.
2. She landed in court after running into a barrier in the form of a government
notification which said a married woman who wants to use her maiden name
after divorce must either furnish divorce papers or a no objection certificate from
her husband. The Delhi high Court has sought the Union government’s response
by May 28, the next date of hearing. In her plea Ms Modi Tongya states that the
notification is “ gender biased” and creates unnecessary restrictions for women
who seek to exercise their constitutional right to choose their name- in her case a
change of surname – by violating Articles 14, 19, and 21. The very idea of an NOC
is objectionable, divorce proceedings or not, and reflective of a deep-seated
misogyny that wants to control an individual’s preference . Ms Modi Tongya
should be able to choose whichever surname she is comfortable with and not
have to fight for it.
3. Women have often complained of harassment when they have taken the
path less trodden. For instance, women who have decided not to opt for their
husband’s surname after marriage face a barrage of unnecessary questions and a
mountain of paperwork while, say, opening a bank account ,or during a child’s
admission in school, or applying for a passport .
4. A society that is already battling caste-based hierarchies should not add to
the discrimination by giving an upper hand to anyone in a relationship, but to
work towards safer spaces without gender bias , difference and humiliation.
5. In India, the most populous country in the world, stark gender disparities
persists, both politically and socially. Women do most of the unpaid work at
home, and often edged out of the labour force for various reasons. What a girl or
a woman can – and cannot- do, is often laid down by the men in the family;

sometimes women too acquiesce to such indignities in the name of tradition.
The United Nations has said that the greatest human rights challenge in the world
right now is achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls. Paying
lip service to rhetoric that women are equal without effecting change on the
ground with legislative backing and strong social frame-works defeats the
purpose.

Based on the understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow:
10x1 = 10 marks

(i) Who filed a suit in the Delhi High Court?
(a) The women of India
(b) Ms Divya Modi Tongya
(c) The United Nations
(d) Union Government
(ii) According to the passage the Indian society is largely -------
(a) Patriarchal
(b) matriarchal
(c) platonic
(d) Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
(iii On the basis of the passage, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) Men’s views are preferred to that of women’s
(II) Women do most of the unpaid work at home.
Choose the correct option:
(a) I is true II is false
(b) II is true I is false
(c) Both I and II are true
(d) Both I and II are false
(iv) According to the notification a married woman can change her surname …….
(a ) Whenever she wants
(b ) Her husband’s consent is necessary

(c ) She cannot change her surname
(d ) None of the above
(v) According to the passage, who decides the do’s and don’ts for women?
(a ) The men in the family
(b ) The women in the family
( c) The children in the family
(d ) The Union government
(vi) Find the word from para 2 which means ‘ hatred or prejudice against women’.
(vii ) Find the antonym of ‘ honour’. (para 4)

(viii ) Complete the following sentence:
The union government notification violates the Articles
(ix ) What is the greatest human rights challenge?
(x ) Who has to face a bombardment of unnecessary questions?

OR
(B) Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow;
1. Karnataka Education Department’s decision to conduct board exams for classes 5
and 8 has trigged a fresh controversy in the state. This created panic among crores of
parents and students. The question whether or not students of classes 5 and 8 in
Karnataka can be made to write board exams is being debated. Students, parents and
teachers are waiting for some clarity to emerge.
2. On March 12, the Supreme Court set aside the interim order of a division bench of
the High Court of Karnataka, which has given the state government a green signal to
conduct board exams for the summative assessment of students of classes 5th & 8th .
However, the Supreme Court stopped the exams of these classes.

3. The Supreme Court considered this idea in violation of the provisions contained in
section 30 of the RTE ACT, which states that no child is required to pass any board exam
till completion of elementary education that is class 1 to 8.
4. The controversy’s roots are in 2020—21 and 2021-2022 academic years when
schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the pandemic, the
government launched ‘Kalika Chetarike’ - a programme to address gaps in learning
caused by the lockdown. To determine the programme’s success, the Karnataka state
examinations and Assessment Board introduced an exam for classes 5 and 8 in 2022-23.
5. The registered unaided Private School Management Associations challenged this in
High Court. They questioned the method of assessment without framing rules
according to the Right to Education Act 2009, as amended in 2019. The court declined
to accept the government’s contention that it did not frame the rules as the year- end
assessment process came under the provisions of the Karnataka Education Act for the
state syllabus. The Associations then moved to the Supreme court.

Based on the understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow:
10x1 = 10 marks
(i) The Karnataka Education Department has decided to conduct exams for

(a) 5th (b) 8th (c ) Both ‘a’ and ‘b’ (d) none of the above
(ii) On the basis of your reading of the passage, find the incorrect statement.
(a) The Supreme Court Stopped the board exams of classes 5th & 8th
(b) According to RTE Act ,no child is required to pass any board exams till
completion of elementary education.
(c) The RTE Act was amended in 2019.
(d) In 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 the school were closed due to Brain
tumor pandemic.
(iii) On the basis of the passage, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) The lockdown was imposed in 2020-2021 and 2021 -22.
(II) The Karnataka State Examinations and Assessment Board introduced exams for
classes 5th and 8th in 2022—23.
Choose the correct option:

(a) I is true II is false
(b) II is true I is false
(c) Both I and II are true
(d) Both I and II are false
(iv) Complete the following sentence by choosing the most appropriate option.
The idea of conducting the board exams for classes 5th and 8th was challenged by

(a) The Government Aided Schools Managements Associations
(b) The Registered Aided private schools Managements Associations
(c) The Registered Unaided Private schools Managements Associations
(d) The Supreme Court of India
(v) Who suffered a lot due to the idea of conducting board exams for the students
of classes 5th and 8th ?
(a ) parents ,teachers and students (b) parents and students (c) chairmen and
teachers (d) All of these
(vi) Find the synonym of “ dispute” from the para 5 of the text.
(vii) What was the purpose of launching the programme ‘ Kalika Chetarike’?
(viii ) Complete the following sentence
The interim order of the Karnataka High Court was in favour of
(ix ) Find the antonym of “ failure” from para 4.
(x) What does the section 30 of the Right to Education Act state?
2. Read the passage given below 5 marks
1. How does television affect our lives? It can be very helpful to people who carefully
choose the shows that they watch. Television can increase our knowledge of the
outside world; there are high quality programmes that help us understand many fields
of study, science, medicine, the arts and so on. Moreover , television benefits very old
people, who can not often leave the house as well as patients in the hospitals. It also
offers non native speakers the advantage of daily informal language practice. They can
increase their vocabulary and practise listening .

2. On the other hand ,there are several serious disadvantages of television. Of course, it
provides us with a pleasant way to relax and spend our free time, but in some
countries, people watch the ‘ boob-tube’ for an average of six hours or more a day.
Many children stare at a television screen for more hours each day than they do
anything else, including studying and sleeping. It is clear that the tube has a powerful
influence on their lives and that its influence is often negative.
3. Recent studies show that after thirty second of television , a person’s brain ‘relaxes’
the same way that it does before the person falls asleep. Another effect of television on
the human brain is that it seems to cause poor concentration. Children who view a lot
of television can often concentrate on a subject for only fifteen to twenty minutes.
They can pay attention only for the amount of time between commercials.
4. Another disadvantage is that television is often cause people to dissatisfied with their
own lives. Real life does not seem as exciting to these people as the lives of actors on
the screen. To many people, television becomes more real than reality and their own
lives seem boring. Also many people get upset or depressed when they can’t solve
problems in real life as quickly as television actors seem to.
5. Before a child is fourteen years old, he or she views eleven thousand murders on the
tube. He or she begins to believe that there is nothing strange about fights, killings and
other kinds of violence. Many studies show that people become more violent after
certain programmes. They may even do the things that they saw in a violent show.
6. The most negative effect of the ‘boob-tube’ might be people’s addiction to it. People
often feel a strange and powerful need to watch television even when they don’t enjoy
it. Addiction to a television screen is similar to drug or alcohol addiction. People almost
never believe they are addicted.

Based on the understanding of the passage, make notes using headings and sub
headings or in points. Use recognizable abbreviations ( wherever necessary, minimum
four). Also supply an appropriate title to it.

SECTION –B 10 marks
GRAMMAR
3 Attempt any two from each sub- part :
3.1 Fill in the blanks with appropriate modals/auxiliaries 2x1= 2
(I ) This medicine be kept in a cool place.

( ii) Whenever we went to my uncle Tom’s house , we play in the garden.
(iii ) Choose the correct option:
God bless you!
(a ) Would (b) May (c ) ought to ( d ) must

3.2 Change the narration 2x1 =2
(I ) Mohit asked Sumit,” Where does this road lead to?”
(ii ) The teacher said,” An honest person never betrays anyone”
(iii ) Choose the correct option
Muskan said to her younger sister,” Pay heeds to your studies”
(a) Muskan told her sister to pay heeds to her studies.
(b) Muskan forbade her younger sister to pay heeds to your studies.
(c) Muskan advised her younger sister to pay heeds to her studies.
(d) Muskan requested her sister to pay heeds to his studies.
3.3 Fill in the blank with suitable articles wherever necessary 2x1=2
(I ) water in this tank is potable.
(ii ) English has become international language.
(iii ) Mr Praveen has taken on the position of Head of Department.
(a ) a (b) an (c ) the (d) x

3.4 Change the voice 2x1= 2
(I ) God loves those who perform their work honestly.
(ii ) People say that honesty is the best policy.
(iii ) Choose the correct option.
I know him.
(a) He is known to me.
(b) He is known by me.
(c) He was known to me.
(d) None of the above.
3.5 Fill in the blank with correct form of verb. 2x1=2
(I ) If he me, I would have attended his marriage party. (invite)

(ii ) When I reached home, my mother the dough. (knead)
(iii ) Choose the correct option.
Slow and steady the race.
(a) win (b ) wins (c) have won (d ) had won

SECTION C
Creative Writing Skills ( 15 marks)
4 Attempt any one from (A) , (B) and (C) given below: 5

(A) The Creative Club of Govt. Sr. Sec.School , Narnaul is going to organise a
Fancy Dress Competition . Draft a notice in about 50 words to be put up on the
school’s notice board inviting the students to take part in it. Invent necessary
details. Sign yourself as Anjali/ Shivam.
OR

(B) You want to sell the first floor of your newly constructed house. Draft an
advertisement to be published in a local daily under classified columns. ( word
limit 50 words)

OR
( C ) Design an attractive and effective poster against the use of Drugs. ( Word
limit- 50)

5 Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below: 5
(A) You are Renu/ Rahul of Mahendergarh, Haryana. Using the information given
below in the input, together with your own ideas, write a letter to the Editor of The
Indian Express, Rohtak, about the misuse and poor maintenance of the public park in
your area.
Public park misused—not properly maintained – wedding parties cause havoc –
encroachment – gardeners neglecting the upkeep of the park.

OR
You are Ravi/ Sapna. You saw the given advertisement in the newspaper and want to
apply for the position advertised.

J.S. PVT, LTD.
REQUIRED - Computer operator
Young Male or Female
Preferred Skills and Qualifications
 Diploma in computer from a recognized university
 Computer savvy
 Good communication skills
 Experience 2 years
Apply within 10 days to Director, J.S. Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai

Write a letter to the Director, J.S. Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai along with your bio- data in 120-
150 words applying for the post advertised.

6 Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below: 5
(A ) Your school has recently celebrated ‘The Tree Plantation Week’ organizing a
number of Inter—House competitions, highlighting the need for ecological balance
for man’s happiness . As the secretary of the Eco Club of your school, prepare a
report in 120-150 words for your school newsletter. You are Visnu/ Devika.

OR
(B) Write an article in 120-150 words on the topic ‘ Hazards of Junk Food/ Fast Food
‘ to be published in your school magazine.

SECTION D 40 marks
Literature
7 Attempt any one of the two extracts (A) and (B) given below: 5 marks
( A ) Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin
last Friday morning, I saw my mother
beside me
doze, open mouthed , her face
ashen like that of a corpse
and realized with pain
that she was as old as she looked
but soon put that thought away, and
looked at Young Trees sprinting, the merry children
spilling out of their homes

(i) Kamala Das’ mother accompanied her daughter to the airport
.
(a) To receive her younger daughter

(b) To bid her daughter Kamala Das farewell/ goodbye
(c) To see the airport as she had never been to any
(d) As she had also to board the plain
(ii) The figure of speech used in “ ashen like that of a corpse” is
(a) Simile
(b) Metaphor
(c) Alliteration
(d) Paradox
(iii) The phrases ‘ Young Trees sprinting’ and ‘ merry children spilling ‘
represent:
(a) Dotage
(b) Death
(c) Youth
(d) Affection

( iv) Choose the word that rhymes with ‘ yards’ .
(a) wards
(b) check
(c) corpse
(d) merry
(v) Name the poet of the above extract.
(a) John Keats
(b) Robert Frost
(c) Kamala Das
(d) Pablo Neruda

OR
( B) Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

It is in the news that all these pitiful kin
Are to be brought out and mercifully gathered in
To live in villages, next to the theatre and the store
Where they won’t have to think for themselves anymore
While greedy good doers, beneficent beast of prey,
Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits
That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits
And by teaching them how to sleep they sleep all day
Destroy their sleeping at night the ancient way.

( i) The poem has been written from the point of view of a/an…….
(A) Futurist
(B) Feminist
(C) Social activist
(D) Linguist
(ii) Complete the following analogy with a word from the given options:
kin : relatives :: old :
(a) soothe
(b) beneficent
(c) ancient
(d) swarm
(iii) On the basis of the extract, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) The villagers will be made to live next to the theatre and the store.
(II) Cunning people will swarm over their lives to exploit the villagers.
Choose the correct option:
(a) I is true II is false
(b) II is true I is false
(c) Both I and II are true

(d) Both I and II are false
(iv ) The rhyme scheme of the first four lines of above extract is
(a) aabb (b) abab (c ) abca (d) abba

(v) Identify the figure of speech used in ‘ beneficent beast of prey’.
(a) simile
(b) oxymoron
(c) Transferred epithet
(d) antithesis

8 Attempt any one of the two extracts (A) and (B) given below: 5 marks
( A ) Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

My acquaintance with the barefoot rag pickers leads me to Seemapuri, a place on the
periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it metaphorically. Those who live here are
squatters who came from Bangladesh back in 1971. Saheb’s family is among them.
Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is, but no longer empty. In structures of mud ,
with roofs of tin and tarpaulin , devoid of sewage, drainage or running water, live 10000
rag pickers. They have lived here for more than thirty years without an identity,
without permits but with ration cards that get their names on voter’s list and enable
them to buy grain. Food is more important for survival than an identity.

(i) Though Seemapuri is on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it as

(a) It lacks the basic amenities
(b) It has no Mall culture
(c) It is situated in Haryana
(d) Its residents are squatters
(ii) On the basis of the extract, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) Ten thousand rag pickers live in Seemapuri

(II) They are intruders.
Choose the correct option:
(a) I is true II is false
(b )II is true I is false
(c ) Both I and II are true
( d) Both I and II are false
(iii) What is more important for the residents of Seemapuri?
(a ) identity
( b) food
( c) patriotism
( d) nationality

(iv) Find the odd pair out
(a) Survival --- existence
(b) Periphery ---- centre
(c) Squatters ---- natives
(d) Empty------- occupied
(v) The writer presents very picture of Seemapuri.
(a) Energetic
(b) Dismal
(c) Cheerful
(d) None

OR
( B) Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow:
No respectable man would ask it, much less give it,” Yet Kipling had himself perpetrated
such an assault on Mark Twain only a few years before. H. G. Wells in 1894 referred to
‘ the interviewing ordeal’, but was a fairly frequent interviewee and forty years later

found himself interviewing Joseph Stalin. Saul Bellow , who has consented to be
interviewed on several occasions , nevertheless once described interviews as being like
thumbprints on his windpipe. Yet despite the drawbacks of interview, it is a supremely
serviceable medium of communication.

( i) Kipling, H.G. Wells and Saul Bellow had
(a) Adverse views on interview
(b) Positive views on interview
(c) No views on interview
(d) None of the above
(ii) Complete the following analogy:
Ordeal : blessing :: : advantage
(a) communication
(b) Drawback
(c) Assault
(d) Immoral
(iii ) “No respectable man would ask it, much less give it.” Whose opinion is this on
interview?
(a) Christopher Silvester
(b) Mark Twain
(c) Rudyard Kipling
(d) Joseph Stalin
(iv ) The expression ‘ thumbprint on his windpipe’ means
(a) Alleviating
(b) Suffocating
(c) Effective
(d) Culminating
(v) “Kipling had himself perpetrating such an assault on Mark Twain” , means
(a) Kipling attacked Mark Twain
(b) Kipling interviewed Mark Twain

(c) Mark Twain interviewed Kipling
(d) Kipling tried to kill Mark Twain
9 Answer any four questions in about 30- 40 words 2x4 = 8 marks
(a) Why had M Hamel put on his fine Sunday clothes? (The Last Lesson)
(b) “Garbage to them is gold”. Explain. ( Lost Spring)
(c) Edla looked into the peddler’s eyes and noticed that the man was afraid.
What doubts did she have about the peddler? (The Rattrap)
(d) Gandhi ji’s lawyer friends wanted to seek help from Charles Freer Andrews
but Gandhi ji opposed this idea . What did Gandhi want to teach them? ( Indigo)
(e) What do you understand by the expression ‘thumbprint on his windpipe’?
10 Answer any two questions in about 40-50 words 2x3= 6 marks
(a) What does the poet say about the fishermen, the men gathering salt and
those who prepare green wars ( Keeping Quiet)
(b) How, according to Keats, does a thing of beauty give us the reason to live
and love the life? ( A Thing of Beauty)
(c) Interpret the symbols found in the poem ‘ Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’.
( Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers)
11 Answer any three questions in about 30-40 words: 3x2= 6 marks
(a) After reading Sam’s letter how Charley makes sure that Sam is in Galesburg
Illinois 1894? ( The Third Level)
(b) Who is the Tiger King? How does he get that name? ( The Tiger King)
(c) What impact did Annan’s advice have on Bama and with what effect?
(Memories of Childhood)
(d) Why did Derry’s parents remain worried about him? ( On the Face of It)
12 Answer any one of the following in about 120-150 words: 5
(a) Imagine you are William O Douglas. Write a letter to your friend describing how
you overcame your fear of water.(Deep water)

OR

(b) How did Kothamangalam Subbu give a new ‘direction and definition’ to the
Gemini Studios during its golden years? Highlight those virtues and qualities in
him that made him a ‘many sided genius’. ( Poets and Pancakes)

13 Answer any one of the following in about 120-150 words: 5
(a) Why is Antarctica the place to go to, to understand the earth’s present, past and
future? Elaborate your answer with reference to the lesson ‘Journey to the end of
the Earth. ( Journey to the end of the Earth)
OR
(b) Dr Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What
made Hana ,his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the
domestic staff? How do you justify the behavior of the old General? Was it human
consideration or lack of national loyalty or dereliction of duty? ( The Enemy)

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