CBSE Class 12 Question Paper 2024 English Elective

CBSE

Series &RQPS SET-4

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

Please check that this question paper contains 19 printed pages.

Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions.

Q.P. Code 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 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 contains 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) This question paper has three sections Section A, B and C. Section A :
Reading, Section B : Grammar and Writing, Section C : Literature and
Fiction.
(iii) Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary.
(iv) Do no exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

28-1 Page 1 P.T.O.

SECTION A
(Reading) 20 Marks

1. Read the passage given below : 12

(1) The United States and China are currently involved in an
extraordinary standoff over allegations of espionage through
high-altitude balloons. Last week, the US downed three unidentified
o over its airspace and that of Canada. The downed
o recovered, so it is not clear whether these
were balloons.

(2) But the first incident involved a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed
was meant for research purposes and was accidentally blown off
course by wind. The US has also claimed that Chinese balloons
entered its airspace on at least four earlier occasions, remaining
undetected at that time. China, in turn, has accused the US of
sending surveillance balloons over its airspace at least 10 times since
last year.

(3) Balloons have been in frequent use for several decades now, though
the first use goes back by at least 200 years. They are used mainly for
scientific purposes, but increasingly for tourism and joy rides,
surveillance, disaster relief and rescue.

(4) The bigger balloons can be as large as a football stadium, go up to
40 50 km from the ground, and carry a few thousand kilograms of
payloads. Most of these are built of thin sheets of polyethylene, like
the common plastic bags, and are filled mostly with helium gas.
Balloons can stay in flight from anywhere between a few hours to a
couple of months. Those that are meant to remain in air for long, and
go higher up in the atmosphere, are made of more advanced
materials for increased sturdiness.

28-1 Page 2

(5) Balloons typically have a basket attached to them, called gondolas,
that carry instruments or human beings. In unmanned flights, the
gondolas are also attached to a parachute. Once the job of the balloon
is done, a device in the gondola is triggered to snap its ties with the
balloon as well as create a rupture in the fabric of the balloon. With
the help of the parachute, the gondola then glides down to the earth,
followed by the ruptured balloon. The possible landing zone is
calculated ahead of the flight based on weather conditions.

(6) The most common use of balloons is in scientific research. In a way,
balloons equipped with instruments were able to perform the
functions of a satellite before the space age dawned. Even in the
times of advanced satellites, there are situations in which balloons
are considered more suitable. Weather agencies routinely use
balloons to make measurements of air temperature, pressure, wind
speed, direction and aerosol concentrations.

(7) Because of the high altitudes that to balloons can attain,
they are considered useful for astrophysicists and even space
agencies. These are relatively clear spaces, much above the heights at
which airplanes fly and far below the nearest orbits, about 200 km
from earth, where satellites are placed. Very often, they offer better
opportunities to observe specific parts of the earth, and are also
thousands of times cheaper than satellites.

(8) Moreover, because the balloons are brought down after their job is
done, the instruments used are recoverable and resaleable.

(9) NASA has a full-fledged balloon programme that does four-five
launches every year. Several universities and research institutions
also use balloons for research work.

(10) Balloon-based experiments have resulted in at least two Nobel prizes
for Physics in 1936 and 2006.
28-1 Page 3 P.T.O.

(11) High altitude balloons are tempting vehicles for espionage operations
though their use is not known to be very common. Drones and
satellites are used more frequently, and spy planes have been in use
since World War I. But here again, balloons have certain advantages.
They can hover over an area for a prolonged time. Big balloons can
carry a few thousand kilograms of payloads, which means they can be
packed with spying instruments.

(12) The biggest advantage is the greater prospect of their remaining
undetected. Because of their relatively slow movement, balloons are
mostly flagged as birds by defence radars, thus escaping attention. In
fact, the US has now said it will recalibrate its radar systems to
detect slow-moving objects.

(13) Balloons lack the sophisticated navigation systems of an aircraft,
drone or satellite, being largely at the mercy of wind speed and
direction. But the balloon that was downed on February 4 seemed to
have a solar panel attached to it, which has given rise to the
possibility of it powering an onboard propulsion device.

(14) Scientific balloons have been used in India for more than 70 years;
the first one having been sent in 1948 by Homi Bhabha for cosmic
ray research. The Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research started balloon fabrication work in the 1950s and several
balloon flights were launched from Mumbai and Hyderabad. It is
regularly used by the space institutions under ISRO and weather
institutions like the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.
Institutions like the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of
Astro
private educational institutions, also have balloon programmes. In
1969, the TIFR opened a full-fledged balloon plant in Hyderabad,
such facility today.

28-1 Page 4

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any twelve out of
the fifteen questions given below : 12 1=12

(i) Balloons have been used primarily for :
(A) scientific purposes.
(B) tourism and joy rides.
(C) providing disaster relief.
(D) keeping an eye on the enemy installations.

(ii) The advantage of the balloons is that they :
(A) can take off from anywhere.
(B) can carry heavy payloads.
(C) stay in flight for as long as we wish.
(D) are much cheaper in comparison to satellites.

(iii) The basket- :
(A) can carry payloads and human beings.
(B) have to be manually ruptured after the job is completed.
(C) need to be refuelled.
(D) have a device which is fixed in the gondola to trigger to snap
its ties with the balloon.

(iv) Even after the dawn of the modern space-age, the importance of the
balloons has not _____________ .
(A) been curtailed
(B) enhanced
(C) become popular
(D) become redundant

(v) As compared to satellites, the balloons are more useful to
astrophysicists and space agencies because
(A) balloons can reach greater heights.
(B) they provide better opportunities to observe specific parts of
the earth.
(C) they .
(D) balloons are invisible.
28-1 Page 5 P.T.O.

(vi) The balloons are mostly used by institutes and universities for :
(A) comparing the cost of launching balloons as compared to
spacecrafts.
(B) research work.
(C) giving training to young scientists.
(D) exploring space.

(vii) A balloon is ruptured __________ .
(A) on landing
(B) when there is a snag in the operations
(C) to snap its ties with the gondolas
(D) when it is sighted by the enemy

(viii) The balloons are a more tempting device for surveillance in
comparison to drones and satellites because __________ .
(A) they can be easily maneuvered
(B) they can hover over the area for a longer time
(C) they are light in weight
(D) they are less expensive

(ix) The balloons escape the radars of the enemy as ___________ .
(A) they are flagged as slow-moving birds
(B) they fly at higher altitudes
(C) they occupy less space
(D) they are not frequently used

(x) to mean :
(A) remodel
(B) rebuild
(C) readjust
(D) reconstruct
28-1 Page 6

(xi) Unlike drones and satellites, the balloons :
(A) are light.
(B) are at the mercy of wind.
(C) need lesser training.
(D) need no prior research.

(xii) In India, balloons are primarily used :
(A) by defence forces.
(B) by weather research institutes.
(C) for sight-seeing and tourism.
(D) by institutions working under ISRO.

(xiii) The scientists in India are ____________ about the future use of
balloons.
(A) very enthusiastic
(B) not clear
(C) very wary
(D) exploring a career

(xiv) soph :
(A) complicated
(B) expensive
(C) complex
(D) delicate

(xv) Do you think the writer is _____________ the use of balloons for
scientific purposes ?
(A) researching
(B) in favour of
(C) keen to explore
(D) advocating

28-1 Page 7 P.T.O.

2.
: 4
..... That time is past,
And all its aching joys are now no more,
And all its dizzy raptures. Not for this
Faint I, nor mourn nor murmur; other gifts
Have followed; for such loss, I would believe,
Abundant recompense. For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Based on your understanding of the above extract, answer any four out of
the five questions given below : 4 1=4
(i) What is the significance of the ?
(A) There is some event in the past in the life of the poet, which is
referred to here.
(B) Life in his previous birth
(C) An incident which has left an indelible imprint on the poet
mind
(D) Suggests how time has passed quietly
(ii)
(A) The poet has been amply compensated.
(B) The loss of time is not big enough not to be regained.
(C) The poet has decided not to look back.
(D) The poet is determined to move ahead despite the loss he has
suffered in the past.
28-1 Page 8

(iii) What is mea he still,
(A) Timeless connection between nature and all of humanity.
(B) We should try to find music even in the worst circumstances.
(C) The suffering of humanity is a curse.
(D) We should look on the bright side of things in life which has
been bestowed on us by nature.

(iv)
(A) varied ideas
(B) high and sublime thoughts
(C) ideas which are different from the ideas of others
(D) thoughts which lift a man to go to Heaven

(v) subdue
(A) impel
(B) persuade
(C) goad
(D) suppress

3. Read the passage given below : 4

(1) The Shimla hills are as beautiful as before, but the city has become
crowded and its traffic messy. The local population has crossed
3 lakh, with more than 70,000 registered vehicles, and on top of that
about 40 lakh tourists troop in every year.

(2) The rush is beyond the carry
roads, and several proposals have been made in the past to
decongest them with better public transport. Those proposals looked
good on paper, but did not materialise.

(3) The Himachal Pradesh Government has now decided to lift some of

28-1 Page 9 P.T.O.

(4) The ropeway decision follows from the realisation that some of
public transport solutions that work well in the plains, such as Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT), monorail and metro, are not feasible in the
hills due to geographical and geotechnical limitations. Hence the
Himachal Pradesh Government has sent a proposal to the New
Development Bank (NDB) for bilateral funding of the ropeway
project.

(5) Department of Economic Affairs recently gave
in-principle approval for the ropeway project that would start from
Taradevi and have infrastructure like smart parking, lifts and
escalators to integrate it with the existing transport networks.

(6) The ropeway fare would also be more or less at par with
conventional transportation to encourage local residents to use it
rather than their private vehicles. The fare for journeys of up to
10 km would be < 50.

(7) This project will benefit the public in the real sense. Besides saving
travel time, it would also be beneficial from the environmental point
of view.

(8) The almost 15 km long ropeway is likely to be built in five years, and
it will reduce transport emissions in the city. The improved air
quality will also have a positive

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any four out of the
five questions given below : 4 1=4

(i) Traffic is messy in Shimla because of :
(A) the narrow roads.
(B) too many crossroads.
(C) increase in registered vehicles.
(D) people who do not follow traffic rules.

28-1 Page 10

(ii) What action has the Himachal Pradesh Government decided to take
to reduce some of Shimla traffic load ?

(iii) State True or False.
The following question could have been part of the above decision
making process.
Would it be better to consider an underground tunnel instead of a
ropeway ?

(iv) Complete the following statement :
The ropeway will be popular in Shimla _________ .

(v) State a point in support of the given opinion.
The general public would prefer to travel by ropeway.

SECTION B
Grammar and Writing 28 Marks

4. Transform the following sentences according to the instructions
given against each one. Attempt any eight out of the ten questions that
follow : 8 1=8

(a) Ashoka was one of the greatest Indian emperors.
(Begin : Ashoka was greater . . .)

(b) Death before dishonour !
(Begin : I prefer . . .)

(c) On condition of your signing this receipt, I shall pay you the money.
(Begin : I shall . . .)

(d) Can this news even be true ?
(Begin : This . . .)

(e) He forcibly made his way through the crowd.
(Begin : He forced . . . )

(f) Only children will enjoy this movie.
(Begin : None . . .)

28-1 Page 11 P.T.O.

(g) I love her more than you do.
(Begin: You . . .)

(h) He is so simple that he cannot see through the game.
(Begin : He is . . .)

(i) The boy saw his mistake. He grew nervous.
(Begin : On seeing . . .)

(j) There was no evidence against him. He was acquitted of the charge.
(Begin : There being . . .)

5. Attempt any three of the following four questions in 120 150 words
each : 3 5=15

(a) . To keep your balance, you must keep
(Albert Einstein)
There are occasions in life when, instead of moving ahead, we stop
moving. The writer says that in order to achieve our goal, we must
keep moving despite setbacks. In order to progress, movement is
imperative. The issue is whether it is really possible to move when
the pressure of movement becomes unbearable. How should we act
to keep a fine balance so that our life does not get upset ?

Plan your response and write an essay to explain your views on the
issue. Be sure to specifically support your position with examples
and points. (You may use examples from your readings, observations
and personal inputs)

(b) ame from comfort zones. (Anonymous)
We can achieve our goal only by endeavouring constantly without
caring for the setbacks. Once we relax in our efforts, we risk the
achievement of our mission. The issue is : man is by nature out to
live in comfort zones. What is it that inspires us to get out of the
comfort zone ? Support your position with reasoning and examples
taken from your reading, studies, experience or observations.
28-1 Page 12

(c)
(John C.)

Leadership qualities are not found in everyone. It is a rare quality.
And such an individual alone has the vision and clarity about their
goals. Such a person alone can guide others for they know what is
the right path. The issue is how difficult it is to have a clear vision.
What are the efforts that will make a person such an individual ?
Support your views and reasoning with examples taken from your
readings, observations or personal experiences.

(d)
(Winston Churchill)

It is said that failures are the pillars of success. If we get defeated by
our failures and are deterred from moving on in life, we will miss the
glories of success. Therefore, it
disheartened by failures. We can
enthusiasm relax. It is indeed a great challenge. How to face this
challenge, that is the question. Plan and write an essay on which you
develop your point of view on this issue. Support your reasoning with
examples from your readings, observations or personal experiences.

6. You are Reena/Rahul, a press reporter, and you have been asked to
report a collision between a school bus and a truck. Prepare a report in
120 150 words. You may use the points given below. 5

Points: Date and venue what happened impact on life and property
other important features action taken responses of survivors and
eye witnesses
28-1 Page 13 P.T.O.

SECTION C
Literature and Fiction 32 Marks

7. (I) Attempt any one of the two extracts (a) and (b) given below :
(a) Read the following extract and answer the questions that
follow : 6 1=6
Usually after breakfast on Sunday, he and his wife took a
walk in Central Park, or, when the weather was mild, went to
the Palisades. But today Solomon Margolin lingered in bed.
During the years, he had stopped attending the functions of
the Senciminer Society; meanwhile, the town of Sencimin had
been destroyed. His family there had been tortured, burned,
gassed. Many Senciminers had survived, and, later, come to
America from the camps, but most of them were younger
people whom he, Solomon, had not known in the old country.
Tonight everyone would be there; the Senciminers belonging to
the b family, and the Tereshpolers belonging to the
him, reproach him
for growing aloof, drop hints that he was a snob. They would
address him familiarly, slap him on the back, drag him off to
dance. Well, even so, he had
already sent out the present.
(i) What was the reason for Dr. Margolin to linger in bed
after his breakfast ?
(ii) Who destroyed the town of Sencimin and why ?
(iii) Who did Dr. Margolin expect to meet at the wedding ?
(iv) What is the s
sent out the present ?
(v) Who were the Senciminers and why did they settle in
New York ?
(vi) Find the word in the extract which is opposite in
perished

OR

28-1 Page 14

(b) After lunch, during the inevitable stroll along the Ramblas,
I lagged behind with Frau Frieda so that we could renew our
memories with no other ears listening. She told me she had
sold her properties in Austria and retired to Oporto, in
Portugal, where she lived in a house that she described as a
fake castle on a hill, from which one could see all the way
across the ocean to the Americas. Although she did not say so,
her conversation made it clear that, dream by dream, she had
taken over the entire fortune of her ineffable patrons in
Vienna. That did not surprise me, however, because I had
always thought her dreams were no more than a stratagem for
surviving. And I told her so.

as ever, she said. And said no more, because the rest of the
group had stopped to wait for Neruda to finish talking in
Chilean slang to the parrots along the Rambla de los Pájaros.
When we resumed our conversation, Frau Frieda changed the
subject.
(i) inevitable stro
(ii) Why did the writer lag behind others in the company of
Frau Frieda ?
(iii) How was Frau Frieda able to grab the property of her
?
(iv) Why did the writer think that Frau Frieda am
telling was only a clever trick to earn money ?
(v) Why did Frau Frieda change the topic she was
discussing with the writer ?
(vi) Which word can be a good synonym for the word
age ?
(a) Frankness (b) Stagnation
(c) Discord (d) Artifice
28-1 Page 15 P.T.O.

(II) Attempt any one of the two extracts (a) and (b) given below :
(a) Read the following extract and answer the questions that
follow : 6 1=6
Or listen to the clock towers
of any old well-managed city
beating their gongs round the clock, each slightly

in its bronze, beating out a different
sequence each half-hour, out of the accidents

in Switzerland, or the mutual distances
c ,
the perennial feuds and seasonal alliance
of Hindu, Christian and Muslim
cut off sometimes by a change of wind,
a change of mind, or a siren
between the pieces of a backstreet quarrel.
One day you look up and see one of them
eyeless, silent, a zigzag sky showing
through the knocked-out clockwork, after a riot,
a peace-march time bomb, or a precise act
Of nature in a night of lightnings.

(i) Do you think the city is really well-managed ?
(ii) What are perennial feuds and seasonal alliances ?

(iii) ?
(iv) Explain the phrase change of wind with reference to
the extract.
(v) What does one look up and see after a riot ?
(vi) Pick out the word from the extract which is an apt
synonym of the word celebrating
OR

28-1 Page 16

(b) Read the following extract and answer the questions that
follow :
The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
wilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread,
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,

Delight me
To find they have flown away ?
28-1 Page 17 P.T.O.

(i) What is the theme of this poem ?
(ii) ?
(iii) wheeling ?
(iv) What makes the poet unhappy ?
(v) What is the contrast between the liveliness of the swans
and human life ?
(vi) Find the word in the poem which means
noisy/squawking .

8. Answer any one of the following questions in 30 40 words. 2
(a) What prompts Eveline to give up her idea of eloping with Frank ?
(b) Describe the things that refer to magical elements in the poem
.

9. Answer any one of the following questions in 40 50 words. 3
(a) Why is Dr. Margolin not particular that his wife should accompany
him to the wedding ?
(b) What impression do you make of Pablo Neruda from his manner of
eating ?
10. Answer any one of the following questions in 120 150 words. 5
(a) Do you think absolute freedom exists in the world ?
(b) Do you think Prakriti is right in falling in love unilaterally with the
monk in order to get rid of the stigma of untouchability ?

11. Answer any one of the following questions in 30 40 words. 2
(a) What prompts Raja, the Tiger to make peace with the tigress and
live together ?
(b) How is Raja tamed by the Captain for his circus performances ?
(c) What kind of relationship does Margayya enjoy with his brother and
his family ?
(d) Why did Margayya sell his share of book-publishing to Madan, his
partner ?

28-1 Page 18

12. Answer any one of the following questions in 50 60 words. 3

(a) Compare and contrast Raja e and after he came in contact
with Swamiji.

(b) What assignment does the Swami make for Raja when Raja is sent
to a circus ?

(c) Why did the temple priest ask Margayya to procure a red rose ?

(d) Comment on the ending of the novel The Financial Expert

13. Answer any one of the following questions in 120 150 words. 5

(a) Is R.K. Narayan, the novelist, right in giving his n A

(b) -lived experience in the school and his
subsequent rescue br
behaviour.

(c) a passion for
money and personal love. How are these themes interconnected ?

(d) t has tried to say that
excessive lust for money ends in disaster. Do you agree with this
observation ? Support your answer with reference to the events in
the novel.

28-1 Page 19 P.T.O.

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