ISC Class 12 Specimen Paper 2024 English Literature

2024
SPECIMEN
PAPERS

ENGLISH PAPER 2
(LITERATURE IN ENGLISH)
(Prescribed Textbooks)
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Maximum Marks: 80
Time Allowed: Three Hours
(Candidates are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the paper.
They must NOT start writing during this time.)
Answer all questions in Section A and Section B.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].

SECTION A – 20 MARKS

Question 1

Choose the correct options for the following questions. [10]
(i) Miranda: Oh, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in’t!

What leads Miranda to exclaim “O brave new world” in Act V Scene i of the
play, The Tempest?
(a) The realisation that her father is the powerful Duke of Milan.

(b) The sight of Ariel and other spirits.

(c) The sight of Alonso and his courtiers.

(d) The realisation that she would be the Queen of Naples.

(ii) Why do Juno and Iris describe Ceres as “bounteous” during the masque in
The Tempest?

(a) She is the queen of the gods.

(b) She is the goddess of harmony.

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(c) She is the nymph of the woods.

(d) She is the goddess of agriculture.

(iii) Prospero: Though with their high wrongs I am struck to th’ quick?
Yet with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury
Do I take part:
Which quality of Prospero is reflected in the decision that he takes eventually in
Act V Scene i of the play, The Tempest?
(a) Honesty
(b) Understanding
(c) Rationality
(d) Forgiveness
(iv) How does Ariel’s music influence Stephano and Trinculo in Act III Scene ii of
the play, The Tempest?
(a) It calms them.
(b) It amazes and frightens them.
(c) It helps them express their emotions.
(d) It helps them resolve conflicts with each other.
(v) Which one of the following qualities describes the narrator’s character in the
short story Fritz?
(a) He is arrogant.
(b) He is rational.
(c) He is indifferent.
(d) He is ambitious.
(vi) What is the central idea emphasised in the short story B. Wordsworth?
(a) Beauty of the nature

(b) Alienation of the artist

(c) Importance of money

(d) Importance of success

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(vii) In the short story The Singing Lesson, what made Miss Meadows change from
conducting a mournful song to a happy one?
(a) Basil’s confession that he is fond of her.

(b) Basil’s telegram telling her to ignore the letter sent by him.

(c) The students’ rendition of the song.

(d) The Headmistress’ confirmation of Miss Meadows doing a good job.

(viii) “With the same pains you use to fill a cup
Up to the brim, and even above the brim.”
The above lines taken from the poem Birches describe how the boy climbs the
tree. Which quality of the boy is being highlighted here?

(a) Curiosity

(b) Courage

(c) Optimism

(d) Mindfulness

(ix) “The sea is calm tonight.”
Which one of the following explains why the poem Dover Beach starts with the
above line?

(I) To help readers visualise the setting of the poem.

(II) To convey that religious faith is diminishing in the world.

(III) To urge readers to show more compassion and peace in the world.

(IV) To express that the apparent calm is deceptive.

(a) Only (I)

(b) Only (I) and (IV)

(c) Only (III) and (IV)

(d) Only (I), (III) and (IV)

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(x) In the poem The Darkling Thrush, which poetic device has the poet used while
describing the wind as the ‘death-lament’?

(a) Simile

(b) Onomatopoeia

(c) Visual imagery

(d) Metaphor

Question 2

Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not [10]
write the question.
(i) In Act III Scene i of The Tempest, Miranda says that she does not remember the
face of any woman because ____________________________.
(ii) In Act III Scene iii of The Tempest, Alonso becomes very upset after Ariel visits
them as a harpy because ____________________________.
(iii) In Act IV Scene i of The Tempest, Prospero feels that the efforts he has taken to
civilise Caliban are in vain because____________________________.
(iv) In Act V Scene i of The Tempest, Prospero decides to present himself as the Duke
of Milan to Alonso, Sebastian and Antonio because__________________.
(v) In the short story Fritz, the narrator suggested digging the ground where Fritz
was buried because ____________________________________.
(vi) In the short story The Singing Lesson, Miss Meadows assumed that Basil had
committed suicide because_______________________________.
(vii) In the short story Quality, Gessler’s competitor was more successful than he was
because_________________________________.
(viii) In the poem Birches, the poet compares life to a ‘pathless wood’
because________________________________.
(ix) In the poem The Dolphins, the poet says that the dolphins are in their ‘element’
and yet not free because ______________________________.
(x) In the poem John Brown, John Brown’s mother boasted about her son going to
war because _________________________________.

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SECTION B – 60 MARKS
The Tempest: William Shakespeare

Question 3

(i) Provide two details from the play to show the growing love between Miranda [5]
and Ferdinand when the former visits the latter. What are Prospero’s feelings as
he secretly observes the two? Write your answer in a short paragraph of about
100-150 words.
(ii) What are Prospero’s reasons for presenting the masque? Why does it end [5]
abruptly? Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 100- 150 words.
(iii) (a) With reference to Act III Scene ii of the play, describe Caliban’s plot to [10]
murder Prospero with the help of Trinculo and Stephano. What do his
interactions with Trinculo and Stephano reveal about his personality and
desires? Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
OR

(b) With any two supporting details from Act V, explain what Prospero’s [10]
reconciliation with his enemies and renunciation of his magic indicate
about his character. Write your answer in about 200-250 words.

ECHOES: PROSE

Question 4

(i) Describe any three ways in which B. Wordsworth influenced the narrator’s [5]
thinking in the short story, B. Wordsworth. Write your answer in a short
paragraph of about 100-150 words.
(ii) What, according to you, is the reason for Mrs. Mallard’s death in The Story of an [5]
Hour? In a short paragraph of about 100-150 words, explain why her death
might be considered ironic.
(iii) (a) The story Quality is a commentary on the tension between the dedication [10]
of a true craftsman and commercial enterprise. Substantiate this statement
in about 200–250 words with reference to the lives of the Gessler brothers,

as portrayed in the story.
OR

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(b) With the help of supporting evidence from the short story, The Singing [10]
Lesson, explain how Basil’s letter of rejection made Miss Meadows feel?
How did it reflect in her interaction with the Science Mistress and the
students? Write your answer in about 200 -250 words.

REVERIE: POETRY

Question 5

(i) “We were blessed and now we are not blessed.” [5]
With reference to the above lines from the poem The Dolphins, explain why the
dolphin thinks that they were ‘blessed’? What is their life like now? Write your
answer in a short paragraph of about 100-150 words.
(ii) Describe how the poet in the poem John Brown establishes the hollowness behind [5]
the glorification of war. Write your answer in a short paragraph of
about 100-150 words, supporting your analysis with any two details from the
poem.
(iii) (a) How does the poet use visual imagery to convey despair and despondency [10]
in the poem, The Darkling Thrush? What effect does the song of the thrush
have on the mood of the poet? Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
OR
(b) What is the central idea of the poem Dover Beach? How does the poet [10]
resolve the conflict in his mind, towards the end of the poem? Justify your
answer in about 200-250 words with supporting details from the poem

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