MBOSE Class 12 Question Paper 2021 for English

Total No. of Printed Pages—12
HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21

2021

ENGLISH

Full Marks : 100

Time : 3 hours

The figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions

General Instructions :

(i) Write all the answers in the Answer Script.

(ii) Attempt Part—A (Objective Questions) serially.

(iii) Attempt all parts of a question together at one place.

( PART : A—OBJECTIVE )
( Marks : 50 )

SECTION—I

( Marks : 20 )

1. Complete the following sentences using the right
word from the alternatives given in the brackets
(any five ) : 1×5=5

(a) Rajkumar Shukla was illiterate but _____.
( resolute / bold )

/83 [ P.T.O.

( 2 )

(b) Gandhi decided to go first to _____.

( Calcutta / Muzaffarpur )

(c) Gandhi taught the people a lesson in _____.

( humility / self-reliance )

(d) Once upon a time there was a man who went around
_____ small rattraps of wire.

( selling / buying )

(e) Edla was not at all pretty, but seemed _____ and
quite shy.

( humble / modest )

(f) Edla Willmansson looked at the peddler _____.
( compassionately / angrily )

(g) Food is more important for survival than an _____.

( identity / image )

(h) Every other family in _____ is engaged in making
bangles.

( Delhi / Firozabad )

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ Contd.

( 3 )

2. Write whether the following statements are True or
False (any five ) : 1×5=5

(a) Louis Fischer visited Gandhi for the first time
in 1942.

(b) Gandhi asked for a 100 percent refund for the
sharecroppers from the big planters.

(c) Gandhi noticed the filthy state of women’s clothes.

(d) The rattrap peddler’s life was happy and eventful.

(e) The name of the rattrap man was Nils Olof.

(f) The old crofter was just as generous with his
confidences as with his porridge.

(g) Saheb attended a school in his neighbourhood.

(h) Mukesh was happy working in the glass-blowing
industry.

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ P.T.O.

( 4 )

3. Complete the following sentences using the right
word from the alternatives given in the brackets
(any five ) : 1×5=5

(a) And the man gathering salt would look at his _____
hands.
( hurt / bruised )

(b) Perhaps a huge _____ might interrupt this sadness.
( stillness / silence )

(c) Now I’ll count up to _____ and you keep quiet and
I will go.
( ten / twelve )

(d) Its loveliness increases, it will never pass into _____.
( nothingness / emptiness )

(e) Rich with a _____ of fair musk-rose blooms.
( fragrance / sprinkling )

(f) And such are _____
With the green world they live in.
( daffodils / musk-roses )

(g) Dogs with _____ ears, wheezing cart horses.
( injured / clipped )

(h) Yet the animals, our _____, need tending to.
( ghosts / pets )

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ Contd.

( 5 )

4. Write whether the following statements are True or
False (any five ) : 1×5=5

(a) Pablo Neruda wants us not to talk but move our
arms.

(b) Those who prepare green wars would put on clean
clothes.

(c) Neruda believes that quietness will not bring about
unity in the society.

(d) A thing of beauty brings joy for a short time.

(e) Man’s lack of noble feelings causes unhappiness.

(f) Some shape of beauty moves away the pall from our
dark spirits.

(g) Animals are often illtreated by man.

(h) Jon Silkin does not get any answer from the sky and
water.

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ P.T.O.

( 6 )

SECTION—II

( Marks : 30 )

5. Answer any five of the following questions in not
more than 2 sentences each : 1×5=5

(a) Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers?

(b) What were the only medicines available to the people
of Champaran?

(c) What did Kasturbai teach?

(d) Why did the ironmaster invite the peddler to his
home?

(e) Did the peddler cause any trouble in the
ironmaster’s home?

(f) What did the peddler steal from the old crofter?

(g) Name the two boys that represent ‘stolen childhood’
in the text.

(h) What suggestion did the author give the bangle-
makers to make their condition better?

6. Answer any five of the following questions in not
more than 2 sentences each : 1×5=5

(a) What do you think the world would be like if all of
us stopped talking or moving about for a few
seconds?

(b) What would the fishermen in the North Sea do or
not do?

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ Contd.

( 7 )

(c) Who are the ‘mighty dead’ according to Keats?

(d) How, according to Keats, can a beautiful object give
us happiness?

(e) Name, from the poem, A Thing of Beauty some of the
objects of beauty in Nature.

(f) What does Jon Silkin question?

(g) Why do you think the small animals have bitter
eyes?

(h) Where does Silkin go to find his answers about the
care of animals?

7. (a) Rewrite the following as directed : 1×8=8

(i) His bravery was admired.
( Change the voice )

(ii) Everybody will help a man in distress.
( Change into interrogative )

(iii) She is so proud that she will not apologize.
( Use ‘too’ )

(iv) He was more worthy of praise than anyone else.
( Change into negative )

(v) She must weep or she will die.
( Use ‘unless’ )

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ P.T.O.

( 8 )

(vi) We are living a hard life.
( Change the voice )

(vii) She sings very sweetly.
( Change into exclamatory )

(viii) This tree is too high for me to climb.
( Remove ‘too’ )

(b) Change the following into direct/indirect
speech : 1×4=4

(i) Mohan said, ‘‘I am working hard for the
examination.’’

(ii) The stranger enquired where I lived.

(iii) “I know her address,” said Tina.

(iv) He requested him to wait there till he returned.

(c) Rewrite any three of the following sentences in
the correct form : 1×3=3

(i) The furnitures in this room has been polished
recently.

(ii) Can I call you in your first name?

(iii) They have not spoken to each other since two
weeks.

(iv) He refused that he had said this.

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ Contd.

( 9 )

8. Answer any five of the following questions in not
more that 2 sentences each : 1×5=5

(a) What was the name of the project of the First
International Cave Expedition?

(b) Which are the three main tribes that inhabit
Meghalaya?

(c) When did the Meghalaya Adventures’ Association
first start to explore caves?

(d) What is Siju Dobakkol home to?

(e) Where is ‘Krem Syndai’ situated?

(f) What are troglobitic animals?

(g) What is ‘Krem Marai’ associated with?

(h) What adds to the uniqueness of Meghalaya besides
its scenic beauty and culture?

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ P.T.O.

( 10 )

( PART : B—DESCRIPTIVE )
( Marks : 50 )

9. Answer any two of the following questions : 5×2=10

(a) Give a brief account of the events that occurred in
Motihari on the day of Gandhi’s trial. 5

(b) Who brought about a change in the life of the
peddler? What did the person do? 1+4=5

(c) ‘‘I now work in a tea stall down the road.’’

(i) Who worked in the tea stall? 1

(ii) How much was he paid? 1

(iii) Did he like the job? Support your answer with
evidence from the text. 3

10. Answer any two of the following questions : 5×2=10

(a) How is inactivity different from death? What does
the poet mean by ‘‘I want no truck with death’’?
3+2=5

(b) What, according to Keats, are the sources of
negativity and dark spirits in man’s life? 5

(c) In Caring for Animals, how does man treat animals?
What message does the poet want to give us in this
poem? 3+2=5

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ Contd.

( 11 )

11. Answer any one of the following questions : 10

(a) Give a brief description of cave environment and
conservation.

(b) Discuss cave life with regards to the caves of
Meghalaya.

(c) Write about Siju Dobakkol or Krem Marai in your
own words.

12. Write an essay on any one of the following topics : 10

(a) Impact of Internet in our daily lives

(b) The benefits of good hygiene

(c) My most unforgettable experience

(d) The role of students in conserving the environment

Or

Write a letter to the editor of a local daily drawing
attention to how the Standard of Procedure (SOP) and
norms are broken during the COVID-19 pandemic. 10

13. Read the passage given below carefully and answer
the questions that follow :

Once upon a time a great Caliph of Baghdad had a slave.
He was very ugly to look at—short, hunchbacked and
black as sin; and yet the Caliph loved him very much
and had him constantly around him. One day, his
courtiers asked the Caliph, ‘‘O Lord, how is it that you

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 [ P.T.O.

( 12 )

love this slave more than all others? He is a dwarf, has
a crooked back and is hideous like night.’’ The Caliph
answered, ‘‘Listen then to the story why I love him so
much. Once as I was going through the streets of Basra,
a camel of my train slipped and fell in a street. From the
camel’s back there fell an ivory casket containing my
most precious pearls. The lid of the casket was broken,
and the pearls rolled away on the muddy street. I called
my slaves and said, ‘‘Lo, here are pearls with price. Go
and have them. Everyone will get what he picks.’’ And all
the slaves went away and began scrambling for the
pearls—all except this ugly one. And I asked him, ‘‘My
good fellow, why don’t you go and join your friends?’’ The
man replied, ‘‘My king thou art the most precious of
pearls,—I stay to guard thee.’’

The Amirs said with one voice, ‘‘O Lord! truly thou dost
well.’’

(a) Describe the appearance of the slave. 2

(b) What happened as the Caliph was once going
through the streets of Basra? 3

(c) What did the Caliph tell his slaves? 2

(d) What did the other slaves do? 1

(e) What did the Caliph’s favourite slave do? 2

  

HS/XII/A. Sc. Com. V/E/21/83 11-21—33800

Total No. of Printed Pages—7
HS/XII/A/e/21

2021

ELECTIVE ENGLISH

Full Marks : 100

Time : 3 hours

The figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions

General Instructions :
(i) Write all the answers in the Answer Script.
(ii) Attempt Part—A (Objective Questions) serially.
(iii) Attempt all parts of a question together at one place.

( PART : A—OBJECTIVE )
( Marks : 50 )

SECTION—I
( Marks : 20 )

1. State whether the following statements are True or
False : 1×6=6
(a) Velan invited Raju to his sister’s marriage.
(b) Raju was treated as a saint by the villagers.
(c) Rosie had a Master’s degree in dancing.
(d) Marco is a great scholar.
(e) Raju ignored food and sleep whenever he had
company.
(f) The judge sentenced Raju to seven years
imprisonment.

/102 [ P.T.O.

( 2 )

2. Name the speaker and the person spoken to : 1×6=6
(a) My dear : they didn’t consult me. What could I do?
(b) I haven’t closed my eyes for forty-eight hours.
(c) My dear young lady, don’t let this worry you.
Remember : I’m a soldier.
(d) Let me see : is there a mark there? Fffff ! Does it
hurt?
(e) I wish I could believe a man could be as unlike a
woman as that. I wonder are you really a brave
man?
(f) When I think of you, I feel that I could never do a
base deed, or think an ignoble thought.

3. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words : 1×8=8

(a) You have liberty to laugh at me, but I have liberty to
be _____ to you.
( insensible / indifferent / aloof )

(b) In matters which do not touch anybody else’s ____ of
course, I may be as free as I like.
( freedom / right / liberty )

(c) There are a lot of people in the world, and I have to
_____ my liberty to their liberties.
( accommodate / adjust / adapt )

(d) A voice so _____ ne’er was heard. In spring-time from
the cuckoo-bird.
( stirring / delightful / thrilling )

HS/XII/A/e/21/102 [ Contd.

( 3 )

(e) Whate’er the theme, the Maiden sang. As if her song
could have no _____ .
( end / ending / closing )

(f) The _____ in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
( song / melody / music )

(g) “God doth not need
Either man’s _____ or his own gifts.”
( talent / work / gift )

(h) “Doth God _____ day-labour, light denied.”
( demand / extract / exact )

SECTION—II

( Marks : 30 )

4. Answer any ten of the following questions in
2/3 sentences each : 3×10=30

(a) What did Milton mean by ‘my light is spent’?

(b) Why does Milton consider his talent useless?

(c) What does Milton’s soul wish for and why? 1+2=3

(d) What drew the attention of Wordsworth towards the
reaper?

HS/XII/A/e/21/102 [ P.T.O.

( 4 )

(e) Why is the song of the solitary reaper compared to
the nightingale’s song?

(f) What does Wordsworth say to the passers-by in the
poem?

(g) How does Wordsworth describe the solitary reaper?

(h) What does the ‘rule of the road’ signify?

(i) How did Gardiner define liberty?

(j) Briefly state what the concept of ‘higher love’ means
in the context of the Raina-Sergius relationship.

(k) Why did Raina call ‘The Man’ a ‘chocolate cream
soldier’?

(l) Who is referred to as ‘Vadhyar’ in the novel, The
Guide and what does it mean?

(m) What were the two so-called ‘routine jobs’ of Raju?

(n) What did the villagers expect Raju to do in order to
bring down the rain?

(o) What was Velan’s reaction after listening to Raju’s
story?

HS/XII/A/e/21/102 [ Contd.

( 5 )

( PART : B—DESCRIPTIVE )
( Marks : 50 )

5. Citing examples from the text, show how individual
liberty leads to social anarchy. 5
Or
What does Gardiner mean when he says that the traffic
police at Piccadilly Circus symbolises liberty and not
tyranny? 5

6. How did Wordsworth describe the beautiful song of the
solitary reaper? 5
Or
Why did Milton compare himself to the third servant in
the Parable of the Talents? 5

7. Answer any one of the following questions : 10

(a) Describe the first meeting between Raina and
Bluntschli in Arms and the Man.

(b) Why is Sergius compared to Don Quixote?

(c) Write short notes on any two of the following : 5×2=10
(i) Catherine Petkoff
(ii) Louka
(iii) Nicola
(iv) Paul Petkoff

HS/XII/A/e/21/102 [ P.T.O.

( 6 )

8. Answer any one of the following questions : 10

(a) Evaluate Raju as a successful tourist guide.

(b) Provide a sketch of Rosie’s family and her eventual
marriage to Marco.

(c) Describe the relationship between Raju and Rosie.

(d) Write short notes on any two of the following : 5×2=10

(i) Velan’s brother

(ii) Marco

(iii) Raju’s mother

(iv) Rosie

9. Read the poem given below and answer the questions
that follow :
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards
perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into
the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening
thought and action...
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country
awake.

HS/XII/A/e/21/102 [ Contd.

( 7 )

(a) Explain ‘head held high.’ 2

(b) What, according to the poet, breaks up the world
into fragments? 2

(c) What happens to the clear stream of reason? 2

(d) What does the poet mean by ‘tireless striving’? 2

(e) Who does the poet address in the final line of the
poem? What does he ask for? 1+1=2

10. Write a short essay in about 250 words on any one of
the following : 10

(a) Keeping pets : a delight or a burden

(b) Life without technology

(c) My favourite season

(d) Importance of staying fit and healthy



HS/XII/A/e/21/102 11-21—590