English Competency-Based Questions | Class 12 | CBSE Board Exam 2024-25

English Core Competency-based Questions | Class 12 | CBSE

Lessons Covered

• The Last Lesson

• Lost Spring

• Deep Water

• The Rattrap

• Indigo

• Poets and Pancakes

• The Interview

• Going Places

• My Mother At Sixty Six

• Keeping Quiet

• A Thing of Beauty

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The Last Lesson

Short-Answer Type Questions

Q1. “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” A language loses its significance when it becomes the victim of colonial expansion. Justify with reference to the story.

Q2. M. Hamel went on to talk of the French language, saying that it was the most beautiful language in the world — the clearest, the most logical.. Explain the emotions of M. Hamel attached to French language in this context.

Q3. Suggest some instances given in the text that might raise a question about M. Hamel’s “faithful service” as a teacher.

Q4. “I was amazed to see how well I understood it.” Why do you think Franz found the grammar lesson so easy to understand?

Q5. Franz saw a huge crowd assembled in front of the bulletin board, but did not stop. How would you evaluate his reaction?

Q6. Little Franz is the narrator of the story. The name ‘Franz’ means ‘from France’. In what way does the story being told as a first-person narrative of Franz impact your reading and understanding of the story? Provide at least one evidence from the text to support your opinion.

Long Answer-Type Questions ( 5 Marks/ 120-150 words)

Q1 Throughout the story, the reader encounters Franz’ account of how school usually was, and what it was like on the last day of class with M. Hamel. In what way can the story be seen as a comment on schooling in general? Do you think the story might also provide advice on what good education entails? Substantiate your argument with relevant instances from the text.

Q2. M. Hamel distributed new copies that looked like little French flags, and ended the class with an emphatic “Vive La France!”. What do you think might have caused Hamel to demonstrate a sudden surge of patriotism in him? Explain with reference to the story.

Q3. Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. Justify this statement with reference how Hamel demonstrated his last lesson in the story.

Q4. What impact did the Franco-Prussian War have on the school in the village of Alsace, France? Substantiate with reference to the text.

Recommended Reading: The Last Lesson

Lost Spring

Short-Answer Type Questions

Q1. ‘But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world’. Explain the context in which the statement was said.

Q2. Why do you think the metaphor 'gold' is used in relation to garbage in the story? Explain with reference to the story.

Q3. Rag picking has accomplished itself as a skill and form of art in Seemapuri. What factors are responsible for abject poverty among the slum dwellers?

Q4. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Discuss the statement in the light of Saheb's rag picking.

Q5. Why was the author’s advice to Saheb to go to school considered as ‘hollow’?

Q6. Saheb’s full name, Saheb-e-Alam, means ‘lord of the universe’. Explain the irony involved in the statement.

Q7. Why do you think the author uses a hyperbole when he says that in Firozabad, families make ‘bangles for all the women in the land?

Q8. Do you think Mukesh can contradict the author's claim of his dream looming like a mirage? Give a reasoned answers.

Q9. ‘She still has bangles on her wrist, but no light in her eyes.’ Mention the health hazards in working in badly lit and poorly ventilated furnaces.

Q10. Write two instances to prove that the young men echo the lament of their elders in Firozabad.

Long Answer-Type Questions

Q1.Poverty is not just lack of money; it is not having the capability to realise one’s full potential as a human being. (Amartya Sen). Justify the statement in the light of realising Saheb's & Mukesh's potentials in life.

Q2. War and conflict displace people from their homes/ nations. How is this relevant for Saheb & his family?

Q3. Mukesh insists on being his own master. ‘‘I will be a motor mechanic’’, he announces. Why do you think the author does not agree with Mukesh in this context? Do you think Mukesh can realise his dream one day?

Q4. Explain the societal problem in which the bangle makers of Firozabad are caught in Anees Jung’s ‘Lost Spring’.

Q5. How does the story, ‘Lost Spring’ highlight the apathy of society and those in power to end the vicious cycle of poverty? Support your answer with textual evidence.

Q6. God-given lineage condemn thousands of children to a life of abject poverty and interfere in realizing their dreams. How has this been issue been portrayed in the story? Do you think Mukesh can be an exception in this regard? Justify your answer with reference to your reading of Mukesh's character traits.

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Recommended Reading: Lost Spring

Deep Water

Short-Answer Type Questions

Q1.Getting rid of fear is an extremely difficult task. Elucidate with reference to the chapter “Deep Water”.

Q2. Describe both the physical and emotional impacts that the misadventure at the YMCA pool had on the narrator.

Q3. “My introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears.” Describe the author's nightmarish experience.

Q4. How did Douglas remove his residual doubts about his fear of water?

Q5. How did Douglas make his terror flee with his visit to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire?

Long Answer-Type Questions

Q1.Roosevelt said, ‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’ Discuss the role of the swimming instructor & the narrator's subsequent efforts in conquering his fear of water.

Q2. “My introduction to the Y.M.CA. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears.” Discus the significance of the references to the natural world in the chapter “Deep Water”.

Q3. There are instances older children bullying younger ones, especially in school scenarios. How would you relate this practice to William Douglas’ experience at the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool? What is the attitude of the modern youth being reflected through such incidents? Explain.

The Ratrap

Short-Answer Type Questions

Q1.How does the peddler’s conception of the world as a rattrap breed in his mind?

Q2. Despite his philosophical insights, the vagabond fails to resist temptations. What would you attribute this to? Explain with reference to any instance from the text.

Q3. Why did the peddler knock on the cottage by the roadside? How was he treated by the owner of the cottage?

Q4. Why did Edla invite the peddler to stay with her family?

Q5. ‘The man was just as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and tobacco.’ What was the outcome of this?

Q6. Why did the peddler not reveal his identity to the ironmaster? Justify your answer.

Q7. How did the identity of the peddler brought to light?

Q8.How did the peddler realise that he himself had fallen into the rattrap? Give an example to support your answer.

Q9. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation? Explain.

Q10. Why do you think the peddler felt unwonted joy to think ill of the world?

Q11.Why was Edla so kind towards the peddler even after he was discovered?

Q12.How did the peddler react after the ironmaster discovered that he was not the Captain?

Q13. How did the peddler pay his gratitude to ironmaster & his daughter?

Q14. What kind of hospitality was extended to the peddler on his visit to the ironmaster's house?

Long Answer-Type Questions (5 Marks)

1. How did the concept of 'bait' illustrated through the character peddler in the story? Explain with the help of instances given in the story.

2. Both the crofter & Edla Wilmanson were kind towards the peddler. But the peddler's attitude towards the both was a mismatch. Why do you think Edla was more persuasive than the crofter in the transformation of the peddler? Make a comparative answer with instances from the text.

3. Trust is a difficult choice, which may or may not be rewarded. Examine this statement in the light of peddler's action with respect to the crofter & the ironmaster.

4. The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others. To what extent do you think is the society responsible for man's predicament. Justify your answer in respect to the treatment meted out to the peddler from the lesson 'Rattrap' & Derry from 'On the Face of It.'

5. The peddler's instance calls for a need to integrate people from the marginalized sections into the mainstream society. Justify the statement with respect to Edla's demonstration of love, compassion and charity.

   

   
   

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Recommended Reading: The Rattrap

Indigo

Short-Answer Type Questions

Q1.The peasants were themselves the most crucial agents in the success of the Champaran Civil Disobedience. Expand.

Q2. How did Gandhiji begin his mission in Champaran?

Q3. Gandhi was a lawyer himself. Examine how his professional expertise helped in Champaran.

Q4. How did Gandhiji tell the court that he was involved in ' a conflict of duties'?

Q5. What were the terms of the indigo contract between the British landlords and the Indian farmers?

Q6. 'The battle of Champaran is won.' When and why did Gandhi utter these words?

Q7. What made the Lieutenant Governor drop the case against Gandhi?

Long Answer-Type Questions

Q1.Describe Gandhiji's contribution for social & cultural upliftment of the people of Champaran?

Q2. Explain the possible reasons for Gandhi’s quick popularity among the peasants of Champaran.

Q3. What according to Gandhi is self-reliance? How can one be self-reliant? Justify with reference to the lesson 'Indigo' by Louis Fischer.

Q4. Gandhi was impressed by the sharecropper's tenacity and this led to a series of events which led to a series of events with a far-reaching impact on our freedom struggle. Discuss.

Q5. Gandhi's focus was more on making the peasant free from fear. How is fear a deterrent for the people to realise their true potential? Illustrate your answer with respect to the peasants and William Douglas in the lesson ' Deep Water.

Recommended Reading: Indigo

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Poets & Pancakes

Short Questions ( 2 Marks)

Q1. What kind of effect does Asokamitran’s style of writing have on the reader?

 Q2. Discuss the significance of the make-up room in the chapter, ‘Poets and Pancakes’.

 Q3. ‘In all instances of frustration, you will always find the anger directed towards a single person openly or covertly…’ Do you think it is right to direct our anger towards someone who is not responsible for the cause of anger? Justify.

Q4. The people left in ‘utter bafflement’ after the English poet’s speech. Mention two things the speaker could have kept in mind before addressing an audience to avoid such a reaction. Give your rationale for it.

Q5. Why was the make-up department significant in Gemini Studios?

Q6.  How does Asokamitran use humour to describe the make-up boy?

Q7.  Why did the English poet’s speech leave the audience baffled?

Q8. How did the Moral Re-Armament (MRA) group impact Gemini Studios?

Q9. In the story 'Poets and Pancakes', why does the narrator say that film-making was very easy with a man like Subbu around?

Q10. Why does the narrator say that the Moral Re-Armament army's only acquaintance with animals was at the dinner table? Answer in 40–50 words.

Long Answer Questions ( 5 Marks)

Q1. Imagine Asokamitran witnesses a film shooting and visits a film set of presentday Bollywood. As Asokamitran write a diary entry penning down the transformation you notice between film making of yesteryears and today.

Q2. After reading this story, you are impressed by the author’s use of gentle humour to point out human foibles. Evaluate whether using such humour contributes towards bringing about change in people’s attitude and accepting their foibles.

The Interview

Q1. What according to Umberto Eco is the belief that most journalists and publishers have ? ( All India 2024 | Set 1/1/1)

Q2. Did Umberto Eco like to be identified as a novelist ? Give reasons in support of your answer. ( All India 2024 | Set 1/2/1)

Q3. Imagine you are Mukund Padmanabhan (The Interview) and you interviewed M. Hamel, after he had finished delivering the last lesson (The Last Lesson). Write a paragraph on Hamel’s views on individual responsibility and nationalism. ( All India 2024 | Set 1/2/2)

Q4. Umberto Eco (The Interview) has a talk with Danny Casey from the story “Going Places”. Danny, being a football prodigy, feels his popularity may affect his game as he can’t devote much time to it. What advice will Umberto Eco give Danny about time management ? Write a paragraph on the interaction between the two and the advice given by Umberto Eco. ( All India 2024 | Set 1/3/1 )

Q5. What do you understand by “interstices”? How does Umberto Eco utilize his interstices ? (All India 2024 | Set 1/3/1)

Q6. Stephen Spender’s visit to the Gemini Studios was viewed as an unexplained mystery by the Gemini family. How did Asokamitran solve this mystery years later ? ( All India 2024 | set 1/3/1)

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Going Places

1. Why did Sophie wish to delve more deeply in her brother's affections?

2. Fantasizing and unrealistic dreams sometimes lead to disappointment and disillusionment. Discuss this with reference to the story Going Places. (120-150 Words/ 5 Marks)

Q3. What inference can you draw about Sophie’s relationship with her father from the story ‘Going Places’? (All India 2024 | set 1/1/1)

Q4. Bring out the contrast between Jansie and Sophie in the story ‘Going Places’. (All India 2024 | Set 1/2/1)

Q5. The lesson ‘The Rattrap’ is both entertaining and philosophical. Do you agree with the statement? Give reasons. (All India 2024 | Set 1/2/1)

Q6. ‘Resignation was no sudden thing’. What is the implication of this remark in the context of Sophie’s character? ( All India 2024 | Set 1/3/1)

Q7. ‘Soaf, you really should be sensible !’ What does Jansie’s advice to her friend Sophie reveal about their friendship? ( All India 2024 | Set 1/4/1)

Q8. After reading ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger’ and ‘Going Places’, you realize that Aunt Jennifer and Sophie’s mother have been subdued by their respective husbands. As a social activist you have to write an article to a newspaper on the need to empower women. ( All India 2024 | Set 1/4/1)

You may begin like this. Empowerment of women is a very essential social reform. It needs to be accelerated for any nation to progress…….

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Sample Questions with Answers

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My Mother At Sixty Six

Short Questions ( 2 Marks/ 30-40 words)

Q1. The pain of separation is expressed both literally and metaphorically in this poem. Elucidate.

Q2. Comment on the tone of the poem with references to “My Mother at Sixty Six”.

Q3. Imagery was an effective literary device to bring out the contrast between the “merry children” and mother. Comment.

Q4. The poet does not directly mention the fear of her mother’s death and yet she is successfully able to convey the same through different poetic techniques. Discuss.

Q5. Justify the statement below with reference to the poem 'My Mother at Sixty Six'

'Being conscious of our mortality helps us cherish our moments with each other.'

Q6. In the poem 'My Mother at Sixty Six', the poet hides her emotions from her mother. Do you think it was right of her to do so?

Long Answer-Type Questions ( 5 Marks | 120-150 Words)

Q1. Imagine the mother gets to know of the poet persona’s fears. Write a letter, as the mother, telling the daughter why she must not dwell on these fears. You may begin this way:

Q2. Imagine you are the poet’s friend. Write a dialogue exchange between yourself and the poet where the latter confides in you about her fears and asks for your advice. What would your advice be –to face her fears, to ignore them or something else?

Keeping Quiet

Q1. What does the poet mean by 'green wars' in the poem 'Keeping Quiet'?

Q2. Explain what the poet of 'Keeping Quiet' means in the lines below. What does he want us to learn from this?

Perhaps the Earth can teach us as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.

Q3. In a world that is constantly running after ‘more’ chasing the next new thing, would it be fair to think of Neruda’s call as merely a fanciful idea?

Q4. The world has become a global village, and people across boundaries, nationalities and communities are now connected to one another. With the advancement of technology, and the advent of social media, do you think that the task of keeping quiet, as envisaged by Neruda, has become easier or more complicated? Justify your stance.

LONG ANSWER-TYPE | 5 MARKS | 120-150 WORDS

Q1. Why has the poet of 'Keeping Quiet' mentioned the concept of death? Justify with any two reasons whether the thought of death helps people live a meaningful life or not. Answer in 120–150 words.

Q2. It could be said that the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ presents the poet’s philosophy for a different kind of world. If you were asked to highlight elements of Neruda’s vision that resonate in your specific social, political and cultural context, which three main ideas would you engage with? Use relevant textual details to support your analysis.

A Thing of Beauty

Q1. Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms: And such too is the grandeur of the dooms Why is the ‘grandeur of the dooms’ being compared to 'musk-rose blooms' in ‘A Thing of Beauty’?

Q2. If you were given an opportunity to share your perception of beauty, what would you say? Explain.

Q3. ‘Beauty is best left undefined’. Support your position on this statement with your rationale, coupled with ideas in the poem.

Q4. Artists, singers and musicians have a different perception of beauty as compared to people who are in other professions. Comment.

LONG ANSWER-TYPE QUESTIONS | 5 MARKS | 120-150 WORDS

Q1. In the poem 'A Thing of Beauty', the poet has mentioned several attributes of beautiful things. Write about one beautiful thing/relationship/experience from your life and describe any two of its attributes.

Q2. Why are things of beauty not fleeting pleasures, according to the poet of ‘A Thing of Beauty’? How does this relate to the imagery of ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’?

Q3. We have often heard the phrase: ‘Beauty is skin deep’. In spite of that, we often see people idolising actors and celebrities who are good looking and attractive. You have a conversation regarding this with your friend who believes that physical beauty defines a person. Write down that conversation.

Q4. You are a blogger who loves to record travel stories. You recently visited a picturesque location and you were enamoured by its beauty. Pen down the post for your blog giving vivid descriptions of the natural beauty of this place. Supplement your writing with Keats’ ideas about beauty.

A Roadside Stand

Short Answer Type Questions | 2 Marks | 40-50 Words

Q1. Suggest two ways to help the roadside owners in 'A Roadside Stand'.

Q2. Explain the phrase 'trusting sorrow' in the context of the below lines from the poem 'A Roadside Stand'.

The hurt to the scenery wouldn’t be my complaint

So much as the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid:

Here far from the city we make our roadside stand

And ask for some city money to feel in hand.

Q3. Though money holds the same value everywhere, the poet draws a distinction between city money and country money. Elaborate.

Q4. The roadside stand and the moving cars are a contrast around which the entire poem is woven. Expound

Q5. Comment on the significance of the symbol of the car in the poem.

Q6. Does the poet reach a conclusive solution for the issue at hand? Discuss.

Long Answer Type Questions | 5 Marks | 120-150 Words

Q1. Imagine a car stops and actually buys from the roadside stand. Keeping in mind the reaction you think the peasants would have, write a diary entry as the farmer describing not only your immediate experience but also your after-thoughts on being able to earn “city-money”. You may begin this way:

Wednesday, 2nd March XX 9 PM

We had an unexpectedly good day today!...

Q2. Imagine a child from the farmer’s family migrates to the city for their education. As the child, write back to your family telling them whether you would or would not want to turn into a city-person. Use the context of the poem “A Roadside Stand” in mind to pen down this letter. You may begin this way:

12, Davidson County

23 January ‘XX

Dear Mom,

I have been thinking about the roadside stall lately. Now that I find myself surrounded by city-people all the time, I think……………………………………..

With love Jennifer

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Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers