ISC Class 12 Elective English Sample Paper 2025 with Solutions

SECTION A - 20 MARKS

Question 1

(i) How old was Jem when he broke his arm? [1 Mark]
(a) Nearly thirteen
(b) Nearly fourteen
(c) About nine

Answer: (a) Nearly thirteen

Teacher's Note:
a) This detail is established right at the beginning of Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
b) Students must carefully distinguish between Jem's age at the time of the incident (nearly thirteen) and the opening narrative perspective.

(ii) The first chapter focusses on telling stories. This primarily serves to [1 Mark]
(a) lengthen the novel with introductory background.
(b) tie characters to family and history.
(c) make the story appealing to a wider audience.

Answer: (b) tie characters to family and history.

Teacher's Note:
a) The exposition establishes the ancestral background of Maycomb and the lineage of the Finch family.
b) Examiners look for an understanding of narrative technique rather than viewing the opening as mere filler.

(iii) What literary significance does Mr Radley's sealing the knot-hole in the tree have? [1 Mark]
(a) It is ironical.
(b) It is descriptive.
(c) It is symbolic.

Answer: (c) It is symbolic.

Teacher's Note:
a) The sealing of the knot-hole symbolizes the deliberate cutting off of communication and human connection between Boo Radley and the outside world.
b) Do not confuse symbolic acts with mere plot descriptions.

(iv) Which one of the following lines from the novel is thematically significant? [1 Mark]
(a) "Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts."
(b) "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."
(c) "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Answer: (c) "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Teacher's Note:
a) This quote encapsulates the central theme of empathy and moral education throughout the novel.
b) Students should memorize core thematic quotations to support long and short answers.

(v) According to legend, who was Bon Bibi's father? [1 Mark]
(a) Mahadev
(b) Ibrahim
(c) Dokkhin Rai

Answer: (b) Ibrahim

Teacher's Note:
a) In the folklore of the Sunderbans presented in Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide, Bon Bibi and her twin brother Shah Jongoli are born to Ibrahim and Medina.
b) Pay close attention to mythological and folkloric backstories in regional narratives.

(vi) Read the two statements given below from the novel and choose the correct option from the ones that follow.
Statement 1: There was no bindi on her forehead and her arms were free of bangles.
Statement 2: Kanai was convinced that she was a foreigner. [1 Mark]
(a) Statement 1 is independent of Statement 2.
(b) Statement 1 is the reason for Statement 2.
(c) Statement 1 is the result of Statement 2.

Answer: (a) Statement 1 is independent of Statement 2.

Teacher's Note:
a) Kanai's cultural preconceptions about Piya's appearance do not form a direct causal relation of the kind specified in logical reasoning options other than independence.
b) Analyze character perceptions carefully against textual descriptions.

(vii) Why was Nirmal obsessed with Morichjhapi? [1 Mark]
(a) Because he was a revolutionary at heart
(b) Because Kusum lived there and he was fond of her
(c) Because he was writing a book about the place

Answer: (a) Because he was a revolutionary at heart

Teacher's Note:
a) Nirmal viewed the refugees' struggle at Morichjhapi through the romantic lens of his unfulfilled revolutionary ideals.
b) Distinguish between personal attachments and ideological fixations of characters.

(viii) What was the fate of Lucy Hamilton? [1 Mark]
(a) She died in an island tidal wave.
(b) She never reached the island as her ship capsized.
(c) She spent her life on the island aiding refugees financially.

Answer: (b) She never reached the island as her ship capsized.

Teacher's Note:
a) Lucy Hamilton's tragic voyage forms part of the historical and narrative backdrop concerning foreign missionaries in the region.
b) Ensure factual accuracy regarding minor and background characters.

(ix) Why does Nora reveal her secret to Mrs Linde in Henrik Ibsen in A Doll's House? [1 Mark]
(a) To ensure that Mrs Linde can also borrow money to support herself
(b) To show Mrs Linde can be trusted to never reveal her secret to Torvald
(c) To demonstrate her own capability of taking care of her family like a man

Answer: (c) To demonstrate her own capability of taking care of her family like a man

Teacher's Note:
a) Nora takes pride in her secret burden and sacrifice, wanting to prove her competence and maturity to her independent friend.
b) Look out for character motivations driven by pride and self-assertion.

(x) "A wife hasn't a right to save her husband's life?" How does the statement present a conflict between love and law? [1 Mark]
(a) Nora must borrow money through unfair means for the love of her husband which is not a sin, but the law will punish her for this offence.
(b) Nora loves Torvald but is aware that if she borrows money from the bank, she has to repay it with interest as per law.
(c) Nora wanting to save her husband is love, and the conflict is with marital law that does not permit secrecy from the husband.

Answer: (a) Nora must borrow money through unfair means for the love of her husband which is not a sin, but the law will punish her for this offence.

Teacher's Note:
a) The moral imperative of saving a life clashes directly with nineteenth-century legal statutes regarding forgery and female legal incapacity.
b) Understand the thematic clash between individual morality and institutional law.

(xi) The play ends with [1 Mark]
(a) the door shutting.
(b) the wind whistling.
(c) Nora sobbing.

Answer: (a) the door shutting.

Teacher's Note:
a) The iconic sound of the slamming door signifies Nora's final departure and rejection of her doll-house existence.
b) This is one of the most famous stage directions in modern drama.

(xii) What does the Tarantella reveal? [1 Mark]
(a) A perfectly obedient wife in Nora
(b) A cold lack of desire in Torvald
(c) Fiery passion in Nora

Answer: (c) Fiery passion in Nora

Teacher's Note:
a) Nora's frantic, passionate dance reflects her inner turmoil, desperation, and suppressed vitality.
b) Relate symbolic actions on stage to the psychological state of the protagonist.

(xiii) Willy [after a pause]: I suddenly could not drive any more." What does this confession establish about Willy right in the beginning of the play? [1 Mark]
(a) Willy is getting older and his eyesight is failing.
(b) Willy is physically and mentally exhausted.
(c) Willy is dejected about shifting to Florida from New England.

Answer: (b) Willy is physically and mentally exhausted.

Teacher's Note:
a) Willy Loman's inability to drive marks his psychological breakdown and professional obsolescence.
b) Pay attention to stage directions and opening confessions in Arthur Miller's plays.

(xiv) What does Linda call Happy? [1 Mark]
(a) A philistine
(b) A real travesty
(c) A philandering bum

Answer: (c) A philandering bum

Teacher's Note:
a) Linda expresses harsh truths about her sons' failures and superficial lives during the Requiem and heated family arguments.
b) Note the exact vocabulary used by characters in key emotional confrontations.

(xv) What is the dramatic effect of Linda's words, "We're free" in the Requiem? [1 Mark]
(a) Sad irony
(b) Lamentable rhetoric
(c) Frustrating hyperbole

Answer: (a) Sad irony

Teacher's Note:
a) The final payment of the house mortgage coincides tragically with Willy's suicide, making freedom utterly ironic and sorrowful.
b) Recognize dramatic devices such as irony at the conclusion of tragedy.

(xvi) Ben went to _____ looking for their father but ended up in _____. [1 Mark]
(a) Antarctica; Australia
(b) Arctic; Alaska
(c) Alaska; Africa

Answer: (c) Alaska; Africa

Teacher's Note:
a) Uncle Ben's mythical tales of adventure involve missed destinations that led to immense wealth.
b) Memorize geographical references associated with secondary characters' backstories.

(xvii) Ted Hughes' Pike expresses the narrator's deep-rooted feeling of [1 Mark]
(a) discontent.
(b) melancholy.
(c) terror.

Answer: (c) terror.

Teacher's Note:
a) The poem evokes an elemental, primeval dread and fascination when describing the predatory nature of the fish.
b) Identify the emotional tone set by poetic imagery.

(xviii) Which of the following is NOT true of Lawrence's Bavarian Gentians? [1 Mark]
(a) The poem uses flowers as symbols.
(b) It was written when Lawrence was staring at an early death due to tuberculosis.
(c) A previous visit to the Etruscan tombs, Italy, had inspired Lawrence to compose the poem.

Answer: (c) A previous visit to the Etruscan tombs, Italy, had inspired Lawrence to compose the poem.

Teacher's Note:
a) Distinguish between biographical context, themes, and incorrect factual attributions regarding the composition of the poem.
b) Read background notes on prescribed poets carefully.

(xix) Edward Thomas' As the team's head brass talks of the impact of [1 Mark]
(a) the First World War on rural England.
(b) the Potato Famine on Great Britain.
(c) the Plague across Europe.

Answer: (a) the First World War on rural England.

Teacher's Note:
a) The poem deals with the absence of young farm workers who have gone to fight in the trenches.
b) Relate Georgian poetry to contemporary historical events.

(xx) In The Whitsun Weddings, the poet's train [1 Mark]
(a) left at three forty-five.
(b) left at one twenty.
(c) reached at one twenty.

Answer: (b) left at one twenty.

Teacher's Note:
a) Philip Larkin establishes the precise timing of the journey in the opening lines of the poem.
b) Pay attention to specific temporal markers in narrative poems.

Question 2

(i) According to Miss Stephanie, what happened when Boo was pasting items in his scrapbook? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Boo drove his scissors into his father's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities as if nothing happened.
2. Mrs Radley ran out screaming that Boo was trying to kill them, but when the sheriff came, he found Boo in the living room, still cutting up the Tribune.

Teacher's Note:
a) Ensure all recall points regarding local gossip about Arthur Radley are stated accurately.
b) Distinguish between verified facts and town rumors reported by Miss Stephanie Crawford.

(ii) What lesson did Atticus want Jem to learn from Mrs Dubose? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Atticus wanted Jem to understand what true courage really means, rather than equating it with a man with a gun in his hand.
2. He wanted Jem to see how Mrs Dubose fought her morphine addiction with unwavering self-reliance and determination to die beholden to nothing and nobody.

Teacher's Note:
a) Highlight Atticus's philosophical definition of moral courage.
b) Connect Mrs Dubose's difficult struggle with the broader moral education of the children.

(iii) Explain any one reason that, in your opinion, makes the Sunderbans symbolic of human life. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The islands of the Sunderbans are constantly disappearing and recreating themselves through the action of the tides.
2. This dynamic and unstable landscape serves as a powerful metaphor for the unpredictable changes, struggles, and impermanence that characterize human life as characters traverse its rivers.

Teacher's Note:
a) Evaluate how physical geography mirrors psychological and existential shifts in the novel.
b) Support interpretive claims with textual evidence from Ghosh's description of the tides.

(iv) Why does Kanai say that Nirmal had risen from his ashes to summon him? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Nirmal was dead and had left behind his notebook and writings for Kanai, which were initially lost.
2. When those long-lost papers resurfaced, bringing Nirmal's past convictions and voice back to light, it felt as though Nirmal had metaphorically risen from the dead to summon Kanai to confront the truth.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain the metaphorical significance of Nirmal's recovered writings.
b) Demonstrate how past legacies pull characters back into historical reckoning.

(v) What does Nora expect Torvald to do when he learns of her crime? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Nora expects that out of deep love, chivalry, and noble devotion, Torvald will step forward to take the entire blame upon himself.
2. She believes he will sacrifice his own reputation and image to shield and protect her.

Teacher's Note:
a) Highlight Nora's naive romantic illusion regarding Torvald's character.
b) Contrast this expectation with Torvald's actual cowardly reaction when the secret is revealed.

(vi) Mention any two terms of endearment Torvald uses to address Nora. Why are these terms thematically significant? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Torvald addresses Nora as "my little lark," "my little squirrel," or "little spendthrift."
2. These diminutives are thematically significant because they reflect a patriarchal mindset that belittles women, treating them as helpless, pretty pets and objects of control rather than as equal human beings.

Teacher's Note:
a) Identify specific pet names and interpret their psychological and social implications.
b) Connect linguistic control in marriage to the broader feminist theme of the play.

(vii) With the help of two distinct examples from the text, appraise Charley as a friend. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Charley consistently tries to bring Willy's unrealistic delusions down to earth, foreseeing his impending destruction and offering him a job out of genuine care.
2. After Willy's death, Charley delivers a compassionate and understanding eulogy, defending Willy's struggles as a salesman and showing true comprehension of his aspirations.

Teacher's Note:
a) Assess Charley's role as a foil to Willy's false ideals.
b) Support the appraisal with concrete plot examples from the text.

(viii) Identify any two symbols in the play and briefly explain one point of significance of each. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Rubber hose: Symbolizes Willy's quiet despair and contemplated suicide due to his persistent failures.
2. Seeds: Symbolize Willy's desperate desire to leave behind a tangible legacy and prove his worth through growth before it is too late.

Teacher's Note:
a) Students may choose other valid symbols like stockings, the flute, or diamonds.
b) Ensure each symbol is linked clearly to its underlying thematic significance such as guilt or the American Dream.

(ix) What did the poet learn about himself from the "friend in specs" in Wild Oats? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The poet learned that he was fundamentally selfish, emotionally withdrawn, and easily bored of love and romantic opportunities.
2. He realized through the comparison that he preferred isolation and detachment over emotional entanglement.

Teacher's Note:
a) Analyze the self-deprecating tone adopted by the speaker in the poem.
b) Note how the encounter with the friend highlights the speaker's inadequacies.

(x) In The Shield of Achilles, what was Thetis' reaction to "what the god had wrought"? Why did she feel this way? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Thetis cried out in dismay upon viewing the scenes depicted on the shield.
2. She felt this way because she foresaw her son Achilles' tragic death and recognized that the bleak, brutal world depicted on the shield portended the destruction of classical heroic values.

Teacher's Note:
a) Contrast the traditional expectation of divine craftsmanship with Auden's bleak subversion.
b) Link Thetis' maternal grief to the broader modern anxieties present in the poem.

SECTION B - 60 MARKS

Question 3

(i) Imagine yourself in Scout's place, wearing a ham costume and walking back with Jem after the Halloween pageant. Based on what Harper Lee writes about that evening, what would you see, hear and feel? Would the experience leave a lasting impact on you? Briefly explain why or why not. [20 Marks]

Answer:
1. Walking back from the school auditorium in the pitch-dark night inside the bulky, chicken-wire and painted cloth ham costume is an oppressive and disorienting sensory experience. The heavy costume restricts vision and movement, making the surroundings sound muffled yet strangely magnified.
2. Initially, the rustle of thick cotton pants, the scuff of shoes, and teasing remarks create a lighthearted mood. However, as Jem and Scout enter the shadowy expanse near the big oak tree, the atmosphere turns chillingly menacing with heavy shuffling and dragging footsteps that do not belong to a schoolmate.
3. The sensory perception shifts abruptly to panic: the sound of a scuffle, flesh scraping against undergrowth, the crushing of chicken wire, and the sharp metallic screech of metal ripping on metal. Scout hears Jem scream and feels the violent jostling as an anonymous, heavy assailant attacks them.
4. In the close quarters of the struggle, tactile details overwhelm her: the stench of stale whiskey, prickly stubble on a man's face, rough wool trousers, and a hard belt buckle. She feels the terrifying helplessness of being tossed aside before a strange, heavy-breathing man carries the injured, limp-armed Jem toward safety.
5. The experience leaves an indelible, life-altering impact because it shatters Scout's childhood innocence and introduces her directly to unprovoked human malice, contrasted immediately with profound protection.
6. Meeting their reclusive neighbor Arthur "Boo" Radley under the pale porch light and sitting quietly beside him in the shadows transforms her understanding of courage, gentleness, and human nature.
7. Standing on the Radley porch and re-living the past year from Boo's perspective enables Scout to embody her father Atticus's lifelong advice about empathy, realizing the true meaning of climbing into another person's skin and walking around in it.

Teacher's Note:
a) Look for vivid use of first-person perspective, incorporating sights, sounds, and tactile imagery as narrated in the novel.
b) Ensure the answer connects the physical attack climax with the psychological and moral realization Scout achieves on the Radley porch.

OR

(ii) Write short notes on how the following characters contribute to the themes of the novel in their own way.
(a) Tom Robinson [10 Marks]
(b) Mayella [10 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Tom Robinson:
1. Tom Robinson embodies the central theme of racial injustice and the tragic victimization of the innocent in the racially prejudiced society of Maycomb.
2. Despite his gentle disposition, Christian virtue, and genuine helpfulness toward Mayella Ewell, his race condemns him before the trial even begins.
3. His physical disability (a withered left arm) contrasts sharply with the moral uprightness he displays, highlighting the hypocrisy of his accusers.
4. His fatal mistake of admitting that he felt sorry for a white woman breaches deeply ingrained social hierarchies.
5. His desperate attempt to escape and subsequent murder underscore the insurmountable barriers placed before marginalized individuals seeking justice.

(b) Mayella:
1. Mayella Ewell highlights the complex intersections of class, abuse, and racial prejudice within white society itself, representing the lowest rung of the social hierarchy, often termed 'white trash'.
2. Her desperate attempt to cultivate geraniums symbolizes an innate human desire for beauty and dignity amidst squalor and neglect.
3. Trapped by an abusive, tyrannical father and crushed by poverty, she commits a desperate transgression by reaching out to Tom Robinson.
4. When caught by her father, she is forced to lie to protect herself, weaponizing societal racial bias against Tom to save her own skin.
5. Her character exposes how institutionalized prejudice corrupts even the most vulnerable, forcing victims of abuse to perpetuate systemic injustice.

Teacher's Note:
a) Ensure both characters are analyzed in direct relation to the major themes of prejudice, class, and injustice.
b) Students must support their arguments with specific character traits and plot events.

Question 4

(i) Narrate in detail how Kanai gets to know about the legend of Bon Bibi. What does he learn? Why do the people of the tide country revere Bon Bibi? [20 Marks]

Answer:
1. Kanai first learns about the legend of Bon Bibi when he attends a local folk performance of The Glory of Bon Bibi on the island during his visit.
2. From the performance and narrative unfolding, he learns the foundational myth of Medina, where the twins Bon Bibi and Shah Jongoli were born and chosen for a divine mission to make the country of eighteen tides habitable for humans.
3. He learns about Dokkhin Rai, the demon king of the forest who represents hatred, greed, and insatiable desires, locking horns with the divine twins in a fierce territorial battle.
4. The legend establishes a careful ecological and moral balance: one half of the jungle remains a wild sanctuary for Dokkhin Rai, while the other is claimed by Bon Bibi for human settlement, provided greed does not violate forest laws.
5. Kanai listens to the tale of Dhona and his seven ships, and young Dukhey, who was left behind in the dangerous forest as part of a bargain for honey and wax.
6. When Dukhey is stranded and faces the tiger disguise of the demon, he calls upon Bon Bibi, who rescues him, punishes Dokkhin Rai, and nurses the boy back to health with wealth.
7. The people of the tide country revere Bon Bibi because they believe she rules over the dangerous jungle, commanding tigers, crocodiles, and forest beasts.
8. She serves as the ultimate protector, savior of the weak, and mother of mercy to the poor, enforcing the moral law that the greedy are punished while the righteous are rewarded.

Teacher's Note:
a) Ensure the answer covers Kanai's mode of discovery, the specific details of the legend, and the socio-cultural reasons for veneration.
b) Highlight how indigenous folklore reflects the perilous reality of living in the Sunderbans.

OR

(ii) Write short notes on:
(a) Nilima's work at Lusibari [10 Marks]
(b) character and role of Moyna [10 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Nilima's work at Lusibari:
1. Affectionately known as Mashima (aunt), Nilima settles in Lusibari in 1950 with Nirmal, establishing deep roots after his revolutionary political career fades.
2. Deeply moved by the plight of local women who were prematurely widowed and forced to dress in white mourning when their husbands were lost at sea, she dedicates her life to social upliftment.
3. She founds the Badabon Development Trust, an extremely practical social service organization that works closely with the community without unnecessarily antagonizing state authorities.
4. She demonstrates pragmatism and leadership by welcoming Piya's marine research project, integrating scientific conservation efforts with community welfare and funding for her trust.
5. Nilima represents stability, institutional strength, and resilient female leadership in the tempestuous landscape of the Sunderbans.

(b) character and role of Moyna:
1. Moyna begins her journey as one of the local trainees at Lusibari hospital, rising through the ranks with an exceptional record in hygiene, midwifery, and healthcare.
2. As Fokir's wife, she is ambitious, bright, and fiercely self-educated, determined that her son will not share his father's impoverished fate of catching crabs for a living.
3. She serves as the author's voice for ecological concerns, acutely aware that destructive, avaricious fishing techniques will ruin the fragile delta ecosystem.
4. Beneath her conventional appearance in sari, kohl, and vermilion lies a restless spirit, marked by unexpressed passion, worry, and an unexplained emotional complexity in her interactions with Kanai.
5. Following Fokir's tragic death, although left alone, she is cared for through Piya's financial provisions for her son's education, reflecting her enduring strength.

Teacher's Note:
a) Evaluate both characters as pillars of strength in Amitav Ghosh's portrayal of island life.
b) Emphasize how Nilima represents institutional resilience while Moyna embodies individual aspiration and ecological awareness.

Question 5

(i) Comment on the relationship between Mrs Linde and Nils Krogstad, and the decisions made by them. [20 Marks]

Answer:
1. The relationship between Mrs Linde (Kristine) and Nils Krogstad is rooted in a shared past of economic hardship, painful sacrifice, and missed romantic opportunities.
2. Years prior, Kristine broke off their relationship to marry a wealthier man in order to support her sick mother and younger brothers, which Krogstad bitterly interpreted as a cruel betrayal.
3. Their reunion in the present play highlights the grim reality of socio-economic pressures faced by individuals, particularly women, in a patriarchal society where marriage was often a matter of financial survival rather than love.
4. Kristine's independent entry into the workforce to find purpose after years of caregiving sets her in stark contrast to the sheltered existence of Nora.
5. Recognizing Krogstad's desperate need to salvage his reputation and provide for his children after facing societal ostracism, Kristine makes the bold, unconventional proposal to join her life with his.
6. Her decision to unite with Krogstad is pragmatic yet sincere, driven by a mutual need to escape loneliness and build a life of shared responsibility.
7. Crucially, when Krogstad holds the power to destroy the Helmer household through Nora's forged bond, Kristine deliberately chooses not to ask him to recall his incriminating letter.
8. She believes that the Helmers must confront the absolute truth about themselves and their marriage, making her relationship with Krogstad a symbol of honesty, maturity, and redemption compared to the illusions of the main plot.

Teacher's Note:
a) Ensure the answer moves beyond mere narration to analyze how their relationship acts as a foil to the Helmers' marriage.
b) Highlight the significance of Kristine's maturity, pragmatism, and belief in transparent truth.

OR

(ii) Write short notes on:
(a) why the Nora-Torvald relationship is an unbalanced one, with control in the hands of Torvald. [10 Marks]
(b) the consequences of Torvald discovering the truth about Nora. [10 Marks]

Answer:
(a) why the Nora-Torvald relationship is an unbalanced one, with control in the hands of Torvald:
1. Torvald views himself as the moral and practical pillar of the household, treating Nora as a dependent, immature child, addressing her with condescending pet names like lark and squirrel.
2. While Torvald occupies the dominant professional and patriarchal role, Nora has secretly shouldered heavy burdens, including taking out an illegal loan to save his life.
3. Torvald refuses to acknowledge or value Nora's sacrifices, expecting her to conform strictly to his idealized view of a submissive Victorian wife.
4. The marriage is built upon continuous deception, with small secrets like macaroons leading to catastrophic concealment of legal and financial transgressions.
5. Once the truth emerges, the underlying power imbalance shatters the marriage beyond repair, as Nora realizes her husband cares more for his social facade than for her.

(b) the consequences of Torvald discovering the truth about Nora:
1. Torvald undergoes a dramatic volte-face upon reading Krogstad's letter, abandoning all previous declarations of love and breaking into furious denunciation.
2. He focuses entirely on his public reputation and social image, calling Nora a hypocrite and criminal unfit to raise their children.
3. When Krogstad returns the bond and Torvald instantly retracts his anger, shouting that he is saved, Nora experiences a profound psychological awakening.
4. She recognizes that Torvald is a stranger who regards her merely as his plaything, leading to her resolute decision to leave him.
5. Torvald's desperate pleas and attempts to salvage the relationship fail completely as the front door slams behind Nora.

Teacher's Note:
a) Assess the psychological power dynamics in both notes with direct textual references.
b) Emphasize the transition from illusion to awakening in the final scenes of the play.

Question 6

(i) Happy Loman, although overshadowed by his elder brother, plays a significant role in the play. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your opinion with judiciously selected evidence from the play. [20 Marks]

Answer:
1. I agree with the statement that Happy Loman plays a significant role in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, serving as a vital representative of the hollow values of the American Dream.
2. Unlike Biff, who undergoes a painful process of self-realization and confronts the truth, Happy remains a static character throughout the play, utterly unchanged by the family's escalating tragedy.
3. Throughout his life, Happy struggles constantly for his parents' attention, a desperate psychological pattern highlighted even in his childhood plea for his father to look at his physical fitness.
4. In conversations with Biff, Happy projects an image of professional success, claiming to be an assistant buyer, while privately admitting to petty bribery, executive corruption, and a superficial lifestyle as a womanizer who exploits women to feed his ego.
5. His moral bankruptcy is evident when he encourages Biff to lie to Willy about business prospects simply to appease their aging, fragile father and keep his illusions alive.
6. His very name is deeply ironic; he is far from genuinely happy, trapped instead in a treadmill of shallow competition and corporate insignificance.
7. At the restaurant, when Willy suffers a complete mental collapse, Happy abandons his parents out of embarrassment, demonstrating his cowardice.
8. In the Requiem, Happy vows to continue pursuing Willy's delusional dream, proving that the cycle of false aspirations will persist unbroken in the next generation.

Teacher's Note:
a) Students must state a clear agreement/disagreement stance and substantiate it with detailed character analysis.
b) Emphasize Happy's function as a tragic emblem of uncritical adherence to corrupt societal values.

OR

(ii) Write short notes on:
(a) Biff's habit of stealing. [10 Marks]
(b) Dave Singleman as a role model for a misguided follower. [10 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Biff's habit of stealing:
1. Biff's history of theft begins in youth with basketballs, footballs, and construction lumber, culminating in cheating on exams and stealing a fountain pen later in life.
2. His behavior is fostered and excused by Willy, who laughs off the thefts as youthful enterprise, contrasting sharply with Linda's anxious disapproval.
3. The habit leads directly to catastrophic consequences, including a jail sentence in Kansas City and an inability to hold down steady employment.
4. Biff's self-recriminations over his thefts reflect his internal struggle to shed the corrupt values instilled by his father.
5. Theft functions symbolically as a manifestation of the false shortcuts and dishonest ethics characterizing the Loman family's pursuit of success.

(b) Dave Singleman as a role model for a misguided follower:
1. Dave Singleman represents the ultimate idol for Willy Loman, cementing his flawed, romanticized notion of what a successful salesman should be.
2. Singleman achieved legendary status by selling merchandise across thirty-four states simply through his personal connections, operating comfortably from his hotel room.
3. Willy is particularly captivated by the imagery of Dave's green velvet slippers and the immense crowds of hundreds of buyers attending his grand funeral.
4. This idealized vision blinds Willy to the ruthless, impersonal realities of modern corporate capitalism.
5. Ultimately, Willy is tragically drawn to emulate the manner of Dave's glorious professional exit, leading to his fatal misconception that popularity and death insurance will ensure lasting adoration.

Teacher's Note:
a) Ensure both notes link character actions directly to the play's central critique of the American Dream.
b) Support arguments with accurate textual references to props and anecdotes.

Question 7

(i) The Stag by Ted Hughes places the stag and the spectators in a hunt that contrasts grace and cruelty. Comment. [20 Marks]

Answer:
1. Ted Hughes' poem The Stag presents a striking dramatic encounter between the majestic, untamed grace of a hunted animal and the raw, unyielding cruelty of human spectators and hounds.
2. The poem opens by establishing the peerless grace of the stag, whose effortless movement across the landscape and mastery of distance project a noble divinity within its natural realm.
3. In stark contrast, the human crowd surrounding the hunt is depicted through discordant sounds of excitement, anticipation, and predatory bloodlust.
4. Through vivid, visceral imagery, Hughes elaborates on the mechanics of the hunt, where the pristine beauty of the wild creature is cornered by societal machinery.
5. The central climax brings the two forces together, stripping the stag of its serene confidence as desperation overtakes it under the onslaught of human cruelty.
6. The poem serves as a powerful commentary on the wanton destruction inflicted by humanity upon the natural world, highlighting how civilized society crushes primordial grace.
7. The poet uses structural and thematic contrast not merely to narrate an event, but to provoke philosophical reflection on the tragic vulnerability of wild beauty in a brutal, terrible planet.

Teacher's Note:
a) Look for detailed explanation of stanzas and poetic devices used to establish the contrast between grace and cruelty.
b) Avoid mere summarization; focus on Hughes' thematic message regarding humanity's relationship with nature.

OR

(ii) Write short notes on:
(a) Why the thrushes are an essential part of March by Edward Thomas. [10 Marks]
(b) How W. H. Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts portrays human suffering. [10 Marks]

Answer:
(a) Why the thrushes are an essential part of March by Edward Thomas:
1. The poem is set against the backdrop of the poet's personal situation and a bleak, wintry setting characterized by cold despondency and harsh weather.
2. Amidst this bleakness, the thrushes appear as symbols of unexpected vitality, wonder, and resilience.
3. Their spirited singing and energetic behavior shatter the wintry silence, leaving an uplifting impact that resonates with the speaker long after.
4. The thrushes embody the central theme of hope emerging amidst gloom, signaling the quiet persistence of life and renewal.
5. Thomas uses precise ornithological imagery to anchor psychological shifts in natural phenomena.

(b) How W. H. Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts portrays human suffering:
1. Auden's poem reflects upon the art of Old Masters like Breughel in Brussels museums, specifically referencing paintings such as The Massacre of the Innocents and Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.
2. The poem establishes that the Old Masters understood the fundamental truth about human suffering: that the world remains profoundly apathetic to individual tragedy.
3. Everyday life continues undisturbed while profound suffering occurs; people engage in mundane tasks like eating, opening windows, or walking, while children remain oblivious to miraculous or tragic events.
4. In the specific depiction of Icarus falling into the sea, the ploughman, the sun, and passing ships ignore the drowning boy, carrying on with their routines.
5. Thus, Auden portrays suffering as an isolated experience occurring against an indifferent universe.

Teacher's Note:
a) Ensure both notes analyze the poems' imagery and thematic import accurately.
b) Connect poetic setting to broader reflections on human psychology and existential reality.