HBSE Class 12 Sample Paper 2024 English Core

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2024
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SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER (2023-24)
CLASS – XII

ENGLISH CORE
Time Allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80

General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains four sections- Reading, Grammar, Writing Skills and Literature
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the correct question number in your
answer sheet to indicate the option(s) being attempted.

SECTION - A
Reading Skills [15 Marks
1. Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below:
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. Johannesburg was the stronghold of the Asiatic officers. I had been observing that, far from
protecting the Indians, Chinese and others, these officers were grinding them down. Every day I
had complaints like this: “The rightful ones are not admitted, whilst those who have no right are
smuggled in on payment of 100. If you will not remedy this state of things, who will?” I shared
the feeling. If I did not succeed in stamping out this evil, I should be living in the Transvaal in
vain.
2. So I began to collect evidence, and as soon as I gathered a fair amount, I approached the Police
Commissioner. He appeared to be a just man. Far from giving me the cold shoulder, he listened
to me patiently and asked me to show all the evidence in my possession. He examined the
witness himself and was satisfied , but he knew as well as I that it was difficult in South Africa
to get a white jury to convict a white offender against coloured man. ‘ But’ said he , “ Let’s try at
any rate. It is not proper either, to let such criminals go scot-free for fear of the jury acquitting
them. I must get them arrested. I assure you I shall leave no stone unturned.
3. I did not need the assurance. I suspected a number of officers, but as I had no unchallengeable
evidence against them all, warrants of arrest were issued against the two about whose guilt I had
not the slightest doubt.
4. The Police Commissioner obtained an extradition warrant and got them arrested and brought to
Transvaal. They were tried and although there was strong evidence against them, and in spite of
the fact that the jury had the evidence of them having absconded, both were declared to be not
guilty and acquitted. I was sorely disappointed. The Police commissioner was very sorry. I was
disgusted with the legal profession.
5. However , the guilt of both these officers was so patent that in spite of their acquittal the
Government could not harbor them. Both were cashiered, and the Asiatic department became
comparatively clean.

Based on the understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow: 10×1 = 10

(i) The Asiatic Officers were ……………
(a) Oppressing the Indians, Chinese and others
(b) Applauding the Indians, Chinese and others
(c) Protecting the Indians, Chinese and others
(d) Showing mercy on Indians, Chinese and others
(ii) Where was Gandhi Ji living at that time?
(a) In India
(b) In Australia
(c) In Transvaal
(d) In Capetown
(iii) On the basis of the passage, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) The Police commissioner was an unbiased person
(II) He refused to help Gandhi
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 decision of the jury made Gandhi Ji feel disgusted with the legal profession because the
decision was ………..
(a) fair
(b) biased
(c) just
(d) According to the law
(v) Though the two officers were acquitted by the jury yet the Government dismissed them from their
job. What was the reason for their dismissal ?
(a) They did not obey the Governments orders
(b) They spoke loudly before Gandhi Ji
(c) They murdered a white man
(d) Their crime was too obvious to be defended
(vi) Find a phrasal verb/idiom from para 1 which means ‘ put an end to something by taking decisive
action’.
(vii) Replace the underlined word with its antonym. (para 4)
He was convicted by the court.
(viii) Complete the following sentence:
Gandhi Ji suspected a number of officers but he could not do anything against them as he …….
(ix) Whom did Gandhi meet after collecting the evidence?
(x) According to the passage, what was difficult in South Africa?

OR
(B) Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. New Year is a holiday celebration that includes New Year’s Eve and lasts through New Year’s Day. New
Year’s celebrations have been around for a long time in one form or another. They can be traced all the way
back to the Babylonians at around 2,000 B.C. New Year’s Day was not always celebrated on January Ist as it is
today. Earlier, the New Year was celebrated in the Spring, as new life began to emerge in the world.
2. This tradition was quite sensible in relation to the seasons, however ancient cultures struggled to create a
calendar that could retain alignment with the Sun. The Romans went through several versions of calendars in
which they inevitably changed the first day of the year to January first. Their final change to the calendar was
made by Julius Caesar in the year 46 B.C.( the Julian calendar). Caesar also adopted January first as the first
day of the year. The Julian calendar became the basis for our current calendar, so New Year’s Day is found at
the top of the calendar on January first.
3. Certain Roman traditions of the New Year have remained in some form to this day. Among the many Roman
gods was Janus, a two- headed god. Janus was considered the god of beginnings and endings, and the guardian
of gates and doors. One of the heads of Janus faced forward and the other looked back. This figure was a
symbol good beginnings and endings to the Romans. One head was able to look backward to reflect upon what
had passed, while the other could look forward what was coming. The word Janus is closely related to the word
January.
4. The Romans considered the significance of Janus when they established their calendar, and named the first
month after him. This Roman belief has continued on, in tradition to this day. In many ways, the modern
celebration of New Year’s Day carries on ancient traditions. The holiday itself is celebrated from New Year’s
Eve ( in the old year) and continued on through New Year’s Day.
5. By observing holiday in this manner, we are encouraged to look at the previous year as it passes away and to
welcome the new one with renewed enthusiasm and desire to improve ourselves. New Year’s Day has
traditionally been a day to enjoy happiness that will hopefully endure the year. With the old year gone, and the
new year just beginning, it is great time to fulfil another New Year’s tradition- to make resolutions.

Based on the understanding of the passage, answer the questions that follow:
10x1 = 10 marks
(i) The final change in the Julian calendar was made by ___________
(a) Janus (b) Caesar (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) Janus was a Roman god
(b) In ancient times the New Year was celebrated in Spring
(c) The Julian calendar is the basis for the modern calendar
(d) Julius was the guardian of gates and doors
(iii) On the basis of the passage, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) Janus was the god of good beginnings and endings.
(II) The Julian calendar is named after Janus, a two- headed god.
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.
Although Roman civilization has ended long ago _____________
(a) Its traditions will never be forgotten
(b) Its traditional influence is a thing of past
(c) Its traditions influence today’s New Year celebration
(d) It is a tradition that other people besides the Romans, followed
(v) The month ‘January’ was named after __________
(a) Janus (b) Julius (c) Roman goddess (d) All of these
(vi) Find the antonym of “ divergently” from the para 5 of the text.
(vii) Who first started New year’s celebrations?
(viii) Complete the following sentence.
The two heads of Janus Symbolises ____________
(ix )Find the word from para 2 of the text which means same as “ certain to happen.”
(x) Why was the New Year’s celebration in Spring considered quite sensible?

2. Read the passage given below 5 marks
The great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with its knowledge . Science has given
us power fit for the gods yet we use them like children . For example ,we don’t know how to manage our
machines . Machines were made to be man’s servants. Yet he has grown so dependent on them that they are in
fair way to become his masters . Already most men spend most of their lives looking after and waiting upon
machines. And the machines are very stern master . They must kept at the right temperature , and if they do not
get their meals when they expect them ,they grow sulky and refuse to work or burst with rage and blow up and
spread ruin and destruction all round them .
We have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper . Already we
find it difficult either to work or play without machines and a time may come when they will rule us together
just as we rule the animals.
And bring me to the point at which I asked ,what we do all the time which the machines have us and the new
energy they have given us? On the whole , it must be admitted, we do very little . For the most part we use our
time and energy to make more and better machines which will give us still more time and still more energy and
what are we to do with them? The answer I think is that we should try to become more civilized. For the
machines themselves and the power which the machine have given us ,are not civilization but aids to
civilization. But you will remember that we agreed at the beginning that being civilized meant making and
liking beautiful things, thinking freely and living rightly and maintain justice equally between man and man.
Man has a better chance today to do these things than he ever had before , he has more time, more energy, less
to fear and less to fight against. If he will give his time and everything his machines have won for him the
making of more beautiful things, finding out more and more about universe ,and removing the causes of

quarrels between nations, discovering how to prevent , then I think our civilization would undoubtedly be the
greater, as it would be more lasting than it has ever been.

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 ) When we were young, we ____________ play in this ground.
(past habit)
( ii) It is sunny. It ____________ rain today.
( slight possibility)

(iii ) Choose the correct option.
_________ that I were a king!
(a) Would (b) may (c) ought to (d) must

3.2 Change the narration 2x1 =2
(I ) The teacher said to the students, “ Where there is a will, there is a way.”
(ii) The priest said to the newly married couple, “May God bless you both!”
(iii) Choose the correct option
Priti asked Sumit, “How are you?”
(a) Priti asked Sumit how you were.
(b) Priti asked Sumit how was he.
(c) Priti asked Sumit how she is.
(d) Priti asked Sumit how he was.
3.3 Fill in the blank with suitable articles wherever necessary 2x1=2
(i) The scientists saw an object flying in ______ sky.
(ii) He is my ______ best friend.
(iii ) I gave him _________ hundred rupee note.
(a ) a (b) an (c ) the (d) x

3.4 Change the voice 2x1= 2
(I ) Your hair needs cutting.
(ii ) It is time to read the newspaper.
(iii ) Choose the correct option.
Someone has picked my pocket.
(a) My pocket had been picked by someone.
(b) My pocket have been picked by someone.
(c) My pocket has been picked.
(d) None of the above.
3.5 Fill in the blank with correct form of verb. 2x1=2
(I ) I have not seen him since he __________ the village. ( to leave)
(ii ) The moon _________ around the earth. ( to revolve)
(iii ) Choose the correct option.
Rome ________ not built in a day.
(a) Is (b ) was (c) were (d ) had

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

(A) The Cultural Club of Govt. Model Sanskriti Sr. Sec.School , Mahendergarh is going to organise a
Debate competition on the topic ‘ Should there be Canteen in the school’. 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 Sumit/ Priti.
OR

(B ) You want to sell your car which you bought last year and is in excellent condition. Draft an
advertisement to be published in a local daily under classified columns. ( word limit 50 words)

OR
( C ) Water is precious and each one of us must stop wastage. Prepare a poster urging people to employ
various methods of rain water harvesting in their colonies. ( Word limit- 50)

5 Attempt any one from (A) and (B) given below: 5

(A ) The main road leading to your locality has three open manholes causing frequent accidents at night,
especially during rainy season. Write a letter in 120-150 words to the Editor, The Tribune drawing attention of
the concerned authorities to this problem of the residents. You are Jatin/ Jyoti of Sector 2 , Rewari.

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

BRAKES & BRAKES PVT, LTD.
REQUIRED - Sales Manager
Young Male or Female
Preferred Skills and Qualifications

 MBA from a recognized university
 Computer savvy
 Good communication skills
 Experience 2 years
Apply within 10 days to Director, Brakes & Brakes Pvt. Ltd., New delhi

Write a letter to the Director, Brakes & Brakes Pvt. Ltd. , New Delhi 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 ) A Block Level Science Exhibition was organised in your school. Many teams from different schools
participated in it and exhibited their innovations. Your school team also participated in it and your team’s
innovation was adjudged the best. As a student correspondent, write a report in 120-150 words for your
school newsletter. You are Rahul/ Renu.

OR
(B ) Write an article in 120-150 words on the topic ‘ Value of outdoor games ‘ 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:

Those who prepare green wars,
Wars with gas, wars with fire,
Victory with no survivors
Would put on clean clothes,
And walk about with their brothers
In the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be
Confused with total inactivity.

(i) According to the poet, what will make the war mongers quit the idea of war?
(a) Quiet introspection
(b) Total inactivity
(c) Atomic war
(d) All of the above
(ii) Find a phrase from the extract which suggests that wars are not fruitful and never yields a
winner.
(a) Those who prepare green wars
(b) Victory with no survivors
(c) In the shade, doing nothing
(d) Confused with total inactivity.
(iii)‘Total inactivity’ represents ….
(a) Life
(b) Death
(c) Laziness
(d) Action

( iv) What will the war mongers do after quitting the idea of war?
(a) They will engage themselves in new wars.
(b) They will learn the art of tailoring to sew new clothes.
(c) They will start working on humanitarian grounds.
(d) They will make their brothers hate.
(v ) Name the poet of the above extract.
(a) Kamala Das
(b) Stephen Spender
(c) John Keats
(d) Pablo Neruda

OR

( B) Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
Aunt Jennifer’s fingers fluttering through her wool
Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of uncle’s wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand.
When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie
Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by

( i) What does the following line suggest you about Aunt Jennifer’s married life
“ The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand”
(A) She is happy with her married life as her husband has given her a precious gift
(B) She is not happy with her married life as her husband is a cruel man
(C) She is neither happy nor sad
(D) Only Aunt Jennifer can tell whether she is happy with her marriage or not
(ii) Complete the following analogy with a word from the given options:
Marriage : Wedding :: surrounded : ______________
(a) Massive
(b) Ordeals
(c) Ivory
(d) Ringed
(iii) On the basis of the extract, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) Aunt Jennifer Symbolizes all the married women
(II) She is the victim of patriarchal society
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 above extract is
(a) aabbcc (b) ababcc (c ) abcabc (d) abbcab

(v) Identify the figure of speech used in ‘fingers fluttering’.
(a) simile
(b) oxymoron
(c) Transferred epithet

(d) Alliteration

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:

The next I remember I was lying on my stomach beside the pool, vomiting. The chap that threw me in was
saying, “ But I was only fooling.” Someone said, “ The kid nearly died. But all right now. Let’s carry him to the
locker room. ”Several hours later, I walked home. I was weak and trembling. I shook and cried when I lay on
my bed. I couldn’t eat that night. For days a haunting fear was in my heart. The slightest exertion upset me,
making me wobbly in the knees and sick to my stomach.

(i) The use of ‘I’ in the present extract suggests that the piece is________________
(a) Autobiographical
(b) Biographical
(c) Both a and b
(d) None
(ii) On the basis of the extract, study the two statements, I and II given below:
(I) This incident made the writer hydrophobic
(II) The boy enjoyed swimming in the pool
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) The chap threw the boy into the pool ___
(a) To kill him
(b) To teach him how to swim
(c) Just for fun
(d) To make him wobbly in the knees.

(iv) “ I was lying on my stomach beside the pool.” Which pool is being talked about here?
(a) Yakima
(b) Y M C A
(c) Waterland
(d) V M C A
(v) The boy could not eat that night because ______
(a) Of the misadventure
(b) He was not hungry
(c) He was afraid of his father
(d) He was dieting

OR
(B) Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Months passed, Shukla was sitting on his haunches at the appointed spot in Calcutta when Gandhi arrived; he
waited till Gandhi was free. Then the two of them boarded a train for the city of Patna in Bihar. There Shukla
led him to the house of a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad who later became President of Congress Party and of
India. Rajendra Prasad was out of town, but the servants knew Shukla as a poor Yeoman who pestered their
master to help the indigo sharecroppers. So, they let him stay on the grounds with his companion, Gandhi,
whom they took to be another peasant. But Gandhi was not permitted to draw water from the well else some
drops from his bucket pollute the entire source.

(i) Where was Shukla waiting for Gandhi ji
(a) Patna
(b) Champaran
(c) Calcutta
(d) At Rajendra Prasad’s house
(ii) Complete the following analogy:
Companion : Foe :: _________ : Delighted
(a) Boarded
(b) Permitted
(c) Pestered
(d) yeoman
(iii ) What was common in Shukla and Gandhi ji?
(a) Their patience
(b) Their helping nature
(c) There was nothing common in them
(d) Both (a) and (b)
(iv) The servants at Rajendra Prasad house did not allow Gandhi Ji to draw water from the well as they thought
him to be …….
(a) The National leader
(b) The worshipper of non violence
(c) A rich man
(d) An untouchable
(v) An autobiography is an account of a person’s life written by himself and a biography is an account of a
person’s life written by a person other than himself whereas a diary is a book in which one keeps a daily record
of events and experiences, and in a travelogue a person describes the important places he travels. In what
category would you put the above extract?
(a) Autobiography
(b) Biography
(c) Diary
(d) Travelogue

9 Answer any four questions in about 40- 50 words 2x4 = 8 marks
(a) Mukesh’s parents were fatalists but he was not. Comment. ( Lost Spring)
(b) Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler? ( Thee Rattrap)
(c) These days taking selfies, making reels etc. and uploading them on social media is common. But in
some primitive cultures taking a photographic portrait of someone was not allowed. What was their
belief about being photographed? (Interview)
(d) What made William Douglas hydrophobic? ( Deep Water)
(e) State two qualities of Subbu which you infer from the lesson ‘ Poet and Pancakes’.

10 Answer any two questions in about 40-50 words 2x3= 6 marks
(a) “Kamala Das’ mother loves her very much”. Support your answer with reference to the poem.
( My Mother at Sixty Six)
(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) What was the Plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand ?
( A Roadside stand)
11 Answer any three questions in about 40-50 words: 3x2= 6 marks
(a) Why did the Tiger King not allow the British Officer to hunt the tigers in his kingdom?
( The Tiger King)
(b ) What superstitious beliefs of the servants made them oppose Dr. Sadao’s decision to harbour Tom?
(The Enemy)
(c ) What impact did Annan’s advice have on Bama and with what effect?
(Memories of Childhood)
(d ) Why did Green start ‘Students on Ice’ programme?
( Journey to the End of the Earth)

12 Answer any one of the following in about 120-150 words: 5
(a) The story depicts the pain that is inflicted on the people of two French districts namely Alsace and
Lorrain by Germans by taking away their right to study or speak their own language. Comment. (The
Last Lesson)

OR
(b) What made the American publisher think that the novel ‘ The Name of the Rose’ won’t sell in America?
What actually happened? What was the secret of its success? ( The Interview part –II)

13 Answer any one of the following in about 120-150 words: 5
(a) The modern consumerist world is full of fear’ insecurities, stress and wars. What are the ways in which
we try to combat them? Answer with reference to ‘ The Third Level . ( The Third Level)
OR
(b) “The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of
alienation felt by the person with disabilities”. Discuss the character of Derry in the light of the above
statement. ( On the Face of it)