CBSE Class 12 English Elective N Question Paper 2020

Code No. 28
Candidates must write the Code on the
Roll No.
title page of the answer-book.

 Please check that this question paper contains 11 printed pages.
 Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be
written on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate.
 Please check that this question paper contains 10 questions.
 Please write down the Serial Number of the question in the answer-book before
attempting it.
 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the
answer-book during this period.

ENGLISH (Elective)
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80

General Instructions :
Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them :
(i) This question paper comprises four Sections – A, B, C and D. All questions are
compulsory.
(ii) Section A — Reading 20 marks
Section B — Creative Writing and Applied Grammar 30 marks
Section C — Literature 20 marks
Section D — Fiction 10 marks
(iii) There are 10 questions in the question paper.
(iv) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever
necessary.
(v) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
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SECTION A
(Reading) 20

1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : 12

1 My name is Shahjahanabad, the city that was built by Emperor Shah
Jahan in the 17th century. Of course, I won’t blame you if you know me
as Old Delhi or Purani Dilli. When the emperor decided to shift his
capital from Agra, in consultation with architect-planners, hakeems and
astrologers, he chose this piece of land on the banks of the Yamuna. In
1639, he gave orders for the fort to be built and, along with it, the city.

2 The architects Ustad Ahmad Lahori — architect of the beautiful Taj
Mahal — and Ustad Hamid were appointed to give me shape. I hope I’m
not being immodest if I say that I regularly inspired my lovers to pen
verses and prose in my praise. Chandar Bhan Brahman, a noble in Shah
Jahan’s court wrote, ‘‘Its towers are the resting place of the sun.. Its
avenues are so full of pleasure that its lanes are like the roads of
paradise. Its climate is pleasant and beautiful.’’

3 While, on the one hand, the Qila-e-Mubarak, known today as the Red
Fort, was being built, royals, nobles and commonfolk who had been
given land were busy building their mansions and houses. Prince Dara
Shukoh built his haveli on the banks of the Yamuna. Since it was on
Nigambodh Ghat, he called it Nigambodh Manzil. It is here that he
undertook the monumental work of having the Upanishads translated
into Persian.

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4 I occupied an area of 1,500 acres enclosed within walls. I had lofty gates
— the Raj Ghat, Nigambodh Ghat and Qila Ghat Darwazas provided the
Hindus of the city access to ghats (riverside platforms); Lahori,
Kashmiri, Ajmeri, Kabuli and even Dilli Darwaza were on the roads
leading to these cities. The Dilli Darwaza led to the old city of Delhi
(Mehrauli). Didn’t I tell you I am named Shahjahanabad, not Dilli ?

5 Today, I am known as the birthplace of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb
(etiquette). I was an amalgamation of Indo-Islamic ideas, culture and
architecture. The poet Ghalib had said, ‘‘The existence of Delhi is
dependent on many spectacles : The Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, the daily
crowds at Jama Masjid, the weekly jaunt around the Yamuna bridge,
the annual fair at the Phool Waalo’n ki Sair — now that these five
things are gone, Delhi isn’t Delhi.’’

6 Today, the Red Fort is a shell of its former self; Chandni Chowk is a
traffic nightmare; the crowds that assembled on the steps of Jama
Masjid to watch dastangoi performances, cockfights and enjoy
conversations, are now composed of tourists or the faithful who go to
offer prayers; and the Yamuna has receded.

7 But the syncretic festival Phool Waalo’n ki Sair still continues. Just as
the Mughal emperor used to make floral offerings at the dargah of
Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and the temple of Yogmaya Devi,
the President of India and the Lt. Governor of Delhi do the same today.
The procession, which once used to set out from the fort to Mehrauli,
now begins at the Town Hall.

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8 I was divided into mohallas (areas) according to profession, caste and
craft. Dariba, originally named Durr-e-Bebaha or incomparable pearl,
was the jewellery market and still remains so. Gali Chabuk Sawar is
where all those who were in the profession of breaking in wild horses
lived. The names of mohallas such as Dhobiwara (named after
washermen), Maliwara (named after gardeners), Mohalla Kagazan
(where paper merchants lived) or Katra Neel (where indigo traders
lived/worked) are easily understood.

9 The Jama Masjid was built a few years later to accommodate the
growing number of people in the city. The Digambar Jain Lal Mandir
evolved from three images of the Tirthankars that a Jain soldier in Shah
Jahan’s army kept in his tent. Many more temples were added later
especially under Akbar Shah II (April 22, 1760 – September 28, 1837).
Today, the Naya Jain Mandir and Bada Jain Mandir in Dharampura are
my pride and joy.

10 My biggest benefactor was Emperor Shah Jahan’s eldest daughter,
Jahanara, who laid out the Chandni Chowk market, Begum ki Sarai and
Begum ka Bagh on the street now called Chandni Chowk. A canal called
Faiz Nahr ran through the middle of the street and at its centre was a
beautiful pool of water. The moonlight reflecting in the water gave the
street the name Chandni Chowk. The pool and the canal have
disappeared, and while it is still a bustling commercial area, Chandni
Chowk is no longer quite as beautiful.

11 Many have described me as the Garden of Eden and perhaps that is why
like Adam, the last Mughal Emperor and his wife, Zeenat Mahal, were
banished from my bosom for partaking of the forbidden fruit of freedom
from the British rule.

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12 But I was made of stern stuff. I bounced back and was in the thick of

things again. It was at the Red Fort that the INA prisoners were

imprisoned in 1945 and where the leading lawyers of the age fought for

their innocence against charges of treason, torture and murder levied by

the British government. It was in the Jama Masjid that, in October

1947, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad reminded people of their sacrifices for

India, and exhorted them not to leave their motherland.

On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following
questions briefly :

(a) Why was Shahjahanabad built ? 1

(b) Why did Shah Jahan appoint Ustad Ahmad Lahori to plan his new
capital ? 1

(c) What were the nobles and common people busy doing when the Red
Fort was being built ? 1

(d) Who built Nigambodh Ghat and what was its original name ? 1

(e) Which one of the five spectacles, as per Ghalib, still persists ? 1

(f) On what basis were the mohallas divided ? Name at least one. 1

(g) Choose the correct option : 1

According to Ghalib, ‘‘The existence of Delhi is dependent on ____ .’’
(i) the Red Fort
(ii) Chandni Chowk
(iii) Chawri Bazar
(iv) Jama Masjid

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(h) Today, the Red Fort is a ‘shell of its former self ’. This line highlights
that 1
(i) it is a traffic nightmare.
(ii) the faithful do not offer prayers there.
(iii) it is no longer the seat of power.
(iv) the River Yamuna has drifted away from the Red Fort.

(i) Choose the antonym of ‘Accommodate’. (para 9) 1
(i) Supersede
(ii) Evacuate
(iii) Exit
(iv) Dismiss

(j) Choose the synonym of ‘Benefactor’. (para 10) 1
(i) Sympathiser
(ii) Philanthropist
(iii) Promoter
(iv) Helper

(k) Choose the right answer which explains the underlined phrase. 1

I bounced back and was in the thick of things again.
(i) reappeared
(ii) reassured
(iii) reared
(iv) revived

(l) Name the figure of speech in the expression : ‘forbidden fruit of
freedom’. 1

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2. Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow : 8

Most bankers dwell in marble halls,
Which they get to dwell in because they encourage deposits
and discourage withdrawals,
And particularly because they all observe one rule which woe
betide the banker who fails to heed it,
Which is you must never lend any money to anybody unless
they don’t need it.
I know you, you cautious conservative banks!
If people are worried about their rent it is your duty to deny
them the loan of one nickel, yes, even one copper engraving
of the martyred son of the late Nancy Hanks;
Yes, if they request fifty dollars to pay for a baby you must
look at them like Tarzan looking at an uppity ape in the jungle,
And tell them what do they think a bank is, anyhow, they had
better go get the money from their wife’s aunt or ungle.
But suppose people come in and they have a million and they
want another to pile on top of it,
Why, you brim with the milk of human kindness and you
urge them to accept every drop of it,
And you lend them the million so then they have two million and
this gives them the idea that they would be better off with four,
So they already have two million as security so you have no
hesitation in lending them two more,
And all the vice-presidents nod their heads in rhythm,
And the only question asked is do the borrowers want the
money sent or do they want to take it withm.

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On the basis of your reading of the above poem, answer the following
questions in 50 – 60 words each :

(a) How do bankers become rich ? Which expressions in the poem
describe their richness ? What is the golden rule that the banks
follow while lending money ? 2

(b) Is it easy to get a loan from a bank ? Will a bank grant a loan for
paying one’s rent or for meeting the expenses of the birth of a
child in the family ? What advice do the bankers give to such loan
seekers ? 2

(c) How do banks help the rich class in making them richer ? 2

(d) What is the only question that banks ask when they sanction loans
to their rich customers ? What is the poet’s attitude towards the
banks here ? 2

SECTION B
(Creative Writing Skills and Applied Grammar) 30

3. Attempt any two of the following three questions in 120 – 150 words
each : 6 2=12
(a) In big cities, several farmhouses have been built by encroaching on
the Green Zone. The owners have shown reluctance to vacate the
land. Write a letter to the editor of a leading daily urging such
people to cooperate with the authorities and vacate the land on their
own. State reasons why it is imperative. You are Kapil
Kumar/Kapila Khanna, 4, Lake Road, Patna.
(b) Most of the affluent people take pride in spending a lot of money on
occasions like weddings. This is nothing but a vulgar display of their
wealth. The money can be used on the education of the children.
Write an article on the ‘Need to have Simple Weddings’. You are
Kapil/Kapila.
(c) ‘Seat belt and helmet are your best companions on road’ is the
slogan of Traffic Police. Write your views in the form of a speech on
the desirability of observing traffic rules. You are Shaili/Shailesh.

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4. Attempt any one of the following two questions in 150 – 200 words : 10

(a) Last week the Annual Prize Distribution Function was organised in
your school. The local MLA was the Chief Guest. A beautiful
cultural programme was held. The Principal read out the annual
report and the prizes were distributed. The programme ended with a
speech by the Chief Guest. Write a report on the function. You are
Headboy/Headgirl of the school.

(b) In spite of the best efforts of the government, all children of
school-going age do not go to school. Write an article describing why
such children do not attend school, why parents do not send them to
school and what society can do in such a situation. You are
Ram/Rama.

5. Transform the following sentences as per the given instructions : 1 8=8

(a) He is so proud that he does not listen to anyone. (Use ‘too’)

(b) As soon as the summer starts, there is acute power shortage in the
city. (Use No sooner ... than)
(c) The terrorist was overpowered. The police succeeded in its aim.
(Combine these sentences)
(d) She is not fair. She is not tall. (Combine by using ‘neither’ ... ‘nor’)

(e) I said, ‘‘It was very hot in the morning.’’ (Change the narration)

(f) Keep the dog tied else it may bite some stranger.
(Rewrite – use ‘lest’)
(g) What though the field be lost ! (Change into an assertive sentence)

(h) We have won the match. (Change the voice)

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SECTION C
(Literature) 20

6. Answer any one of the following two questions in 50 – 60 words : 2

(a) Which incident made Tao Ying realise that her son should not
imitate others ? How did she want her son to be groomed ?

(b) What makes Kamala Das feel that she has let down her
grandmother ? Why does she ask her grandmother not to blame her
blood ?

7. Answer any two of the following questions in 60 – 80 words each : 4 2=8

(a) Why does Harry’s return prove to be a disappointment to Bessie ?

(b) Certain words in Blake’s ‘The Divine Image’ have been written in
capital letters. What do you think can be the reason for this ?

(c) Bring out the contradiction in the last exchange between the author
and the Portuguese Ambassador. (I Sell My Dreams)

8. Answer any two of the following three questions in 80 – 100 words
each : 5 2=10

(a) Why does D.H. Lawrence consider the novel superior to philosophy,
science or even poetry ?

(b) Why, according to Asimov, does science command the respect of
people ? (On Science Fiction)

(c) Amartya Sen wants to see argumentative Indians and not those who
imitate or copy others blindly. Comment.

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SECTION D
(Fiction) 10

9. Answer any one of the following questions in 60 – 80 words : 4

(a) What efforts did Captain make to tame the tiger for his circus ?

(b) The tiger is generally a peace-loving animal unless provoked or
pressed to satisfy his hunger. On what occasions does the tiger
become violent and why ?

(c) What role did Dr. Pal play in the successful career of Margayya ?
(d) What is the significance of the name ‘Margayya’ ? How did he live
true to his name in front of the Cooperative Bank ?

10. Answer any one of the following questions in 120 – 160 words : 6

(a) What light is thrown on the personality of Master when he
vehemently refuses to accompany his wife back home ?

(b) R.K. Narayan’s novel is about a tiger which possessed the soul of an
enlightened human being who tells the story of his life. Describe.

(c) All through his life, Margayya was obsessed with money. Comment.

(d) What were the consequences of Margayya’s exchange of hot words
with the Secretary of the Cooperative Bank ?

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