CBSE Class 12 English Sample Paper 2017 Set E

SECTION – A

READING 

Q.1 a) Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

1. The most spectacular and in many ways the most fundamental social change that the Gandhian movement effected in India is in respect of the position of women. Undoubtedly, women in ancient India enjoyed a much higher status than their descendents in the 18th and 19th century. From the earliest days, there have been many notable women in India – poets, scholars, administrators, social reformers and leaders of various movements. In fact, the 18th century produced women like Ahalyabai Holkar whose administration of Indore state was considered a model for all of India.

2. Today’s woman is a highly self directed person, a life to the sense of her dignity and the importance of her functions in the private domestic domain and the public domain of the world of work. It has been brought to light across the globe that no enduring solution of society’s most threatening social, economic, environmental and political problems could be found without the participation and empowerment of women. The 1995 World Summit for Social Development had also emphasized the pivotal role of women in eradicating poverty and mending the social fabric. The Constitution of India had conferred on women equal rights and opportunities – political, social, educational and of employment. However, oppressive traditions, superstitions, exploitations and stereo typed mind sets keep them away from enjoying the rights and opportunities bestowed on them. One of the major reasons is the lack of literacy and awareness among women. Education is the main instrument through which we can narrow down the prevailing inequality and accelerate the process of economic and political change in the status of women.

3. The role of women in a society is very important. Women’s education is the key to a better life in the future. A World Bank study says that educating girls is not a charity; it is good economics. The report also goes on to state that the economic and social returns on investments in education for the girls are substantial and probably greater than those for boys. As the female population forms nearly half of the national population, the poor performance on the front of female literacy considerably affects the human development index of the nation. Society would progress only if the status of women is respected and the presence of an educated woman in the family would ensure education of the family itself. Hence, education and empowerment of women are closely related.

4. Swami Vivekananda rightly said, “It is impossible to think about the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is impossible for a bird to fly on only one wing.” Women are not born, but made. It would only be apt to analyze the position and space Indian women occupy today, and comparing it to the times sixty years ago when the country had just gained independence. With the women participating in nationalist movements to being pushed into the domestic household space, to their resurgence as the super-woman today, women in our country have seen it all.

5. Women of India have started recognizing their true potential by breaking traditional barriers and earning a respectable position in the society. There is no arena which remains unconquered by them, be political, sport, technology, entertainment or even innovators. The modern Indian woman does not let social constraints to keep her behind, but prioritizes her education, her home and her career before anything else. Today, she is so deft and self sufficient that she can be easily called a super-woman juggling many fronts single handedly. They are proving their metal not only on the home front but also in their respective professions. They are joining universities and colleges in large numbers and entering specialized professional fields like engineering, medicine, space, research and development and the defense forces.

6. Thus, the path towards total gender empowerment may be full of potholes but over the years women have made great strides in many areas with notable progress in reducing the gender gap.

Questions:-

(a) What keeps women away from enjoying the rights and opportunities due to them?

(b) How does the education of women contribute to a nation’s economics?

(c) In what ways can today’s Indian women be called ‘super-women’?

(d) How has the modern Indian woman been able to bridge the gender gap?

(e) Identify words from the passage which mean the following –

(i) Amazing (para 1)

(ii) Hasten (para 2)

(iii) Revival (para 4)

(f) What does ‘proving their metal’ phrase mean?

(g) In what way is education and empowerment of women closely related?

(h) Justify this statement in its contextual terms – ‘It is impossible for a bird to fly only on one wing’.

Q.1 b) Read the following poem and answer the questions that follows:

Animal Liberation Human Liberation By Kenneth Cassar The parallel is obvious for those with eyes to see For all feel the same suffering, all the same misery The segregation of priviledged from those considered tools The state miseducation that makes all citizens fools Taught that dogs and cats should be treated well as pets While in the cold laboratories same animals meet their deaths With painful experimentation for more products to consume A cheap way to make profits sends animals to their doom Consider factory farms with the animals crammed inside With no access to daylight, from human eyes they hide No real animal welfare, this would increase the costs They’re treated as a commodity, as just profit or loss Consider circus animals or animals in the zoo Slaves for your entertainment, suffer just to please you In solitude they stay in their prison cage for months With violence they are trained to perform unnatural stunts Consider the tradition of killing just for fun Where birds are shot out of the sky for the pleasure of one A dead corpse in a showcase for one to see and boast No matter pointless killing is murder to the most Violence to animals leads to violence to human beings A culture of death does not have eyes for seeing An all inclusive world makes it better for every being Animal liberation leads to human freeing

1. What are the atrocities from which animals need to be liberated from

2. Explain the plight of animals in the circus and the zoo.

3. In what ways are animals are treated as commodities.

4. What parallel is drawn by the poet between animal liberation and human liberation ?

5. Explain the phrase – ‘send animals to their doom’.

SECTION - B

CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS 

Q. 2 a) Recent incidences around the world and in our country have divided people on many fronts. As a community and a nation, we must know that unity is our strength and we should not indulge in or tolerate anyone that harms our peaceful coexistence. In approximately 150-200 words, write an essay reflecting your ideas on the topic – Empathy knows no boundaries of age or race. 

Q. 2 b) The world is dealing with an unprecedented spike in illegal wildlife trade and poaching, threatening to overturn decades of conservation gain. Recently, in one of the largest seizures of illegal ivory, 23 metric tons (representing 2500 elephants) of ivory was confiscated by authorities. On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, draft a speech in approximately 80-100 words expressing your concern for the school assembly on the topic, “Inculcating Zero Tolerance for Illegal Wildlife Trade.’

Q. 2 c) Draft a debate in 80-100 words on the topic – Possession of material commodities makes human beings happy. Put forth your views and opinions either FOR or AGAINST the motion. 

Q. 3 In the passage given below, one word has been omitted in each line. Write the missing word along with the word that comes before and after it in the space provided. Ensure that the word that forms your answer is underlined.Hydrating drinks one refresh and (a) …… …… ……

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