G.D.

GOENKA PUBLIC SCHOOL, SILIGURI

PREPARATORY EXAM - 1 Duration : 3 Hrs

CLASS – XII Full Marks : 80

SUB: ENGLISH CORE (301)

General Instructions
1. Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them.
2. This question paper has 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
3. This question paper contains three sections-
Section A: Reading Skills, Section B: Creative Writing Skills and Section C: Literature.
4. Attempt all questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the correct question
number and part thereof in your answer sheet.
5. Separate instructions are given with each question/part, wherever necessary.
6. Adhere to the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

Section A
Reading Skills (22 Marks)

1. Read the following passage. (12)

Caffeine, a common stimulant found in coffee, tea, energy drinks and certain sodas, is widely
consumed by teenagers. While it can offer some benefits, there are significant drawbacks to
consider regarding its intake among adolescents.
Caffeine can improve alertness and concentration, helping teenagers stay awake and focused,
particularly during long study sessions or early morning classes. This can be especially beneficial
in an academic context, where maintaining attention is crucial. For teenagers involved in sports,
caffeine can enhance physical performance by increasing endurance and reducing the perception
of effort. This stimulant effect can provide a competitive edge in athletic activities. Caffeine can also
have a positive impact on mood, providing a temporary boost in energy and reducing feelings of
fatigue. This can be advantageous for teenagers dealing with the pressures of school,
extracurricular activities, and social interactions.
One of the most significant drawbacks of caffeine consumption in teenagers is its impact on sleep.
Adolescents need ample sleep for healthy growth and cognitive development. Caffeine can
interfere with sleep patterns, leading to sleep deprivation, which can adversely affect academic
performance and overall well-being. High caffeine intake can cause increased anxiety, nervousness,
and jitteriness. Teenagers, who are already navigating the emotional turbulence of adolescence,
may find these side effects particularly distressing. Teenagers can develop a dependency on
caffeine, leading to habitual overconsumption. This can result in withdrawal symptoms such as
headaches, irritability, and lethargy when they do not consume their regular caffeine dose. The
long-term effects of caffeine on developing bodies are not fully understood. However, excessive
caffeine intake can potentially interfere with calcium absorption, affecting bone health, which is
crucial during the growth spurts of adolescence.

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In conclusion, while caffeine can offer benefits such as improved alertness, concentration, and
athletic performance for teenagers, the potential drawbacks cannot be overlooked. Disrupted
sleep, increased anxiety, and the risk of addiction present significant concerns. Therefore,
moderation and mindful consumption are key. Parents and teenagers should be aware of these
pros and cons to make informed decisions about caffeine intake. Promoting a balanced lifestyle
with adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise is essential for the healthy development of teenagers.

Answer the following questions based on the given passage.

(i) Why is disrupted sleep a concern for teenagers consuming caffeine? (1)

(ii) What are the benefits of caffeine consumption for teenagers and what are some potential
drawbacks associated with its intake? (2)

(iii) What is one potential consequence of habitual caffeine consumption among teenagers?
A. Reduced anxiety (1)
B. Increased risk of sleep disorders

(iv) Fill in the blank with the correct word or phrase from the passage. "Caffeine, a common
stimulant found in consumed by teenagers." and certain sodas, is widely (1)

(v) What is one of the significant drawbacks of caffeine consumption among teenagers
according to the passage? (1)
(a) Improved mood (b) Enhanced athletic performance
(c) Disrupted sleep (d) Increased concentration

(vi) What can be said about the tone of the given passage? (1)

(vii) What are the short-term benefits of caffeine for teenagers and what are the long-term
concerns associated with excessive intake? (1)

(viii) Complete the analogy with ONE word from paragraph. (1)
Benefit: Concentration:: ……………………………..: Sleep
(a) Drawbacks (b) Interference (c) Adversely (d) Disrupted

(ix) Read the five headlines I-V given below. (1)

I. Strategies for Moderating Caffeine Intake
II. Teenage Dependency on Caffeine
III. The Effects of Caffeine on Teenagers
IV. Caffeine and Academic Performance in Adolescents
V. Caffeine's Impact on Adolescent Health
Codes
(a) I, III and V (b) III and V (c) Only II (d) I and III

(x) How can caffeine impact teenagers' emotional well-being and what are the potential
consequences of habitual caffeine consumption? (2)

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2. Read the following passage. (10)
The Gaganyaan Mission is India's ambitious initiative to send humans into space, marking a
significant milestone in the country's space exploration efforts. Planned by the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO), the mission aims to demonstrate India's capability to undertake
crewed spaceflight and pave the way for future manned missions.
Scheduled for launch in 2023, the Gaganyaan Mission will involve sending a three-member crew
into low Earth orbit aboard the Gaganyaan spacecraft. The spacecraft, equipped with life support
systems, navigation, and communication systems, will orbit the Earth for approximately seven days
before returning to the surface.
The mission holds strategic importance for India, positioning the country among a select group of
nations capable of human spaceflight. It also represents a significant technological leap for ISRO,
showcasing its expertise in spacecraft design, launch vehicle technology, and crewed mission
operations.
As part of preparations for the Gaganyaan Mission, ISRO has conducted a series of tests and
simulations to validate the spacecraft's design and functionality. In December 2020, the successful
launch and recovery of the Crew Escape System (CES) demonstrated the capability to safely
evacuate astronauts in the event of an emergency during launch.
The Gaganyaan Mission is expected to have a lasting impact on India's Space Programme, inspiring
future generations of scientists, engineers, and astronauts. It will also contribute to international
collaborations in space exploration and scientific research.
Moreover, the mission aligns with India's broader objectives in space exploration, including
expanding scientific knowledge, fostering innovation, and enhancing national prestige on the
global stage. By venturing into crewed spaceflight, India aims to demonstrate its commitment to
pushing the boundaries of space exploration and harnessing space technology for the benefit of
humanity.
In conclusion, the Gaganyaan Mission represents a significant leap forward for India's space
Programme, showcasing the country's capabilities in crewed spaceflight. With meticulous
planning, rigorous testing, and strategic collaboration, ISRO is poised to achieve its ambitious goal
of sending humans into space and realising India's spacefaring aspirations.

Answer the following questions based on the given passage.

(i) Complete the following sentence appropriately. (1)

Planned by the the mission aims to demonstrate India's capability to undertake crewed
spaceflight and pave the way for future manned missions.

(ii) What is the primary objective of the Gaganyaan Mission? (1)

(a) To explore Mars
(b) To build a space station
(c) To send a three-member crew into low Earth orbit
(d) To launch a satellite for communication.

(iii) What technological advancements and tests have been conducted by ISRO in preparation
for the Gaganyaan Mission and what was demonstrated by the successful launch of the Crew
Escape System in December 2020? (2)

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 (iv) How long is the Gaganyaan spacecraft expected to orbit the Earth during the mission? (1)

(v) What strategic importance does the Gaganyaan Mission hold for India? (1)

(vi) Which of the following will benefit from the positive effect caused by the Gaaganyaan
Mission?
I. Scientists II. Engineers
III. Astronauts IV. International collaborations
(a) I and II (b) II and III (c) III and IV (d) All of these (1)

(vii) What are the broader objectives of India's space exploration efforts and how does the
Gaganyaan Mission align with these objectives? (2)

(viii) Fill in the blank with the correct information from the passage……………. was successfully
tested by ISRO in December 2020 as part of the Gaganyaan Mission preparations. (1)
(a) Crew Escape System (b) Launch Vehicle Technology
(c) Navigation System (d) Communication System

SECTION B
Creative Writing Skills (18 Marks)
Note: All details presented in the questions are imaginary and created for assessment purpose.

3. Attempt ANY ONE of two (A) or (B) in about 50 words. (4)

A. The Cultural Club of DAV Public School, Noida is organising a 'Talent Hunt evening. Pt. Ravi
Shankar, the eminent vocalist will be the Guest of Honour. As Mridul/Mridula, the Secretary of
the Cultural Club, draft a notice to inform the students and invite their names with details.
OR
B. You have found a plastic bag in the park near your house. Write a notice for the same. Invent
the necessary details.

4. Attempt ANY ONE of two (A) or (B) in about 50 words, (4)

A. Nikhil/Nikita successfully cleared the IIT entrance examination. He/she has decided to have a
party with his/her friends. Write out an invitation giving details of the venue, time and date of
the party.
OR
B. You have received an invitation from your aunt at Manali to spend some days during your
summer vacation with her. Respond to this invitation. You are Madhav/Manisha, of 27, Patel
Nagar, New Delhi.

5. Attempt ANY ONE of two (A) or (B) in about 120-150 words. (5)

A. You are Sameer/Savita Arora. You have read an advertisement for the post of a Librarian. Write
an application for the post. Also give your Bio-data separately.
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 OR

B. You are a resident of DDA Apartments, Pitampura, Delhi. Your residential area is flooded with
roadside dwellers who are deprived of the basic civic amenities like light, public toilets and
bathrooms. Write a letter to the Editor of The Hindustan Times highlighting the problems of
these roadside dwellers and also the problems posed by them to the public. Give suggestions
for improvement.
Clues
● Defeacte and bath in open ● Dirty, dingy and smell
● Live in darkness ● Walking space is reduced

6. Attempt ANY ONE of two (A) or (B) in about 120-150 words. (5)

A. ou are Ritesh/Ritika Gupta, a student of Class XII. You feel that in spite of starting the Metro
train service on so many routes, the condition of traffic on the roads is still bad. You find it
disturbing that the number of vehicles on roads is increasing steadily. You want people to
contribute for tackling this problem. Write an article on the topic 'Traffic Woes-Solutions'.
Clues
● Very heavy taxes on purchase of new vehicles
● Encourage people to use public transport
● Use car pooling

OR

B. You are Sandhya/Sohan an active member of the Animal Lovers Club which works for the
welfare of animals by preventing cruelty to them. Recently, you visited Mahatma Gandhi Animal
Care Home. You were pleasantly surprised to see the good treatment given to the animals.
Write a report on your visit.
You may use the following points
Injured dogs and cats-abandoned pets-all very well cared for-well-equipped medical room-
veterinary surgeon-green surroundings.

SECTION C
Literature (40 Marks)

7. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the given two (A) or (B).
(6)

A. Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty mores away the pall
from our dark spirits.
(A Thing of Beauty)

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 (i) What reflects the dark spirits that affect man? (1)

(ii) Choose the option that displays the same figure of speech as used in 'some shape of
beauty'. (1)
(a) The dirty desires made me fail (b) As simple as a smile
(c) Lightning danced across the sky (d) Life is a highway

(iii) Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)

………………………………removes the pall from our dark spirits.

(iv) Select the correct option from those given in bracket to fill in the blank. (1)
Nature ……………….(exacerbates/soothes) our sadness and spirits of despondence.

(v) Read the Assertion and the Reason below, with reference to the given extract. (1)
Assertion: The poet states that man himself creates the over darkened ways of life.
Reason: The poet wants us to admire nature for its beauty.
Choose the correct option regarding their relationship.
(a) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true and the Reason is the correct explanation
of the Assertion.
(b) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct
explanation of the Assertion.
(c) The Assertion is true, but the Reason is false.
(d) The Assertion is false, but the Reason is true.

(vi) Identify the phrase from the extract that suggests the following: (1)
Evil and immoral acts of life.

OR

B. ....and realised wih pain

that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, but after the airport's
security check, standing a few yards away,
(My Mother at Sixty-Six)

(i) Identify the phrase from the extract that suggests the following The poet did not relish
the thought of her mother's death due to old age. (1)

(ii) Select the correct option from those given in bracket to fill in the blank. (1)
The poet compares the youth and joy of children with the (old age/weakness) of mother.

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 (iii) Fill in the blank with an appropriate word with reference to the extract.
...that she was as old as she, implies that poet's mother………………. (1)

(iv) Which literary device is used in the given lines?

(v) Read the Assertion and the Reason below, with reference to the given extract. (1)
Assertion: The image used by the poet creates a contrast.
Reason: The image highlights the mother's frailty.
Choose the correct option regarding their relationship.
(a) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason is the correct
explanation of the Assertion.
(b) Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct
explanation of the Assertion.
(c) The Assertion is true, but the Reason is false.
(d) The Assertion is false, but the Reason is true.

(vi) State in ONE word what does the poet feel at the airport? (1)

8. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the given two (A) or (B).
(4)

A. I saw that I was the only one seated and all the rest at our table removed standing. Just as I
began to rise, looking shyly around to see how chairs were to be used, a second bell was
sounded. All were seated at last and I had to crawl back into my chair again. It heard a man's
voice at one end of the hall and I looked around to see him. But all the other hung their heads
over their plates.
(Memories of Childhood)

(i) Complete the following sentence with reference to the extract. (1)
The others were standing in the dining hall because……………………..

(ii) What is the narrator feeling in the given extract? (1)

(iii) What does the narrator's actions show? (1)

(a) That she was new at the university.
(b) That she was unfamiliar with how things were done.
(c) That she had no regard for laws.
(d) That she wanted to cling to her culture.

(iv) Complete the sentence suitably. (1)

The narrator's description of the meal time shows that………………….

OR

B. "The master ought not to heal the wound of this white man," he said bluntly to Hana. "The
white man ought to die. First he was shot. Then the sea caught him and wounded him with her
rocks. If the master heals, what the gun did and what the sea did they will take revenge on us."
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 (The Enemy)

(i) Complete the sentence appropriately with reference to the extract.

The speaker of the given lines does not like the white man because…………….. (1)

(ii) Which of the following would not represent nature as presented in the given lines? (1)
(a) The sea turbulently swings her waves on the ship.
(b) The garden is a paradise.
(c) The storm picked up everything on its way.
(d) The Sun blared with its full intensity.

(iii) Give a suitable title for the given extract. (1)

(iv) Why did the speaker not want the white man to live? (1)

9. Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the given two (A) or (B).
(6)

A. He helped them regulate the crowd. He was polite and friendly. He was giving them concrete
proof that their might, hitherto dreaded and unquestioned, could be challenged by Indians.
The government was baffled. The prosecutor requested the judge to postponed the trial.
Apparently, the authorities wished to consult their superiors.
(Indigo)

(i) What does 'trial' in the extract refer to? (1)

(ii) Select the correct option from those given in bracket to fill in the blank. (1)
'Them' in the given extract refers to the…………….(lawyers/British Government)

(iii) Complete the sentence with an appropriate explanation, as per the extract. (1)
The writer states that he helped them regulate the crowd. Herein, he helps them
because……

(iv) Identify the textual clue that allows the reader to infer that the people of India were
getting enlightened. (1)

(v) Based on the above extract, choose the option which states why was 'the Government'
baffled. (1)
(a) Because they were afraid.
(b) Because they did not know how to handle resistance.
(c) Because this might be a start of revolt.
(d) Because their plan had failed.

(vi) Baffled in the given extract indicates……………… (1)

(a) surprise (b) confusion (c) anger (d) regret

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 OR

B. I went to the pool when no one else was there. The place was quiet. The water was still and the
tiled bottom was as white and clean as a bathtub. I was timid about going in alone, so, I sat on
the side of the pool to wait for others.
I had not been there long when in came a big bruiser of a boy, probably eighteen years old. He
had thick hair on his chest. He was a beautiful physical specimen, with legs and arms that
showed rippling, muscles. He yelled, "Hi, Skinny! How'd you like to be ducked?"
(Deep Water)

(i) Identify the line from the text which indicates that the pool was well maintained. (1)

(ii) Why do you think Douglas decided to wait for the others at the pool? (1)

(iii) Complete the sentence suitably. (1)

The brief description of the bully is done to……………

(iv) Complete the sentence suitably. (1)

The big bruiser of a boy………………….

(v) What is the most likely reason that the speaker went to the pool when no one was there?
This could be because he (1)
(a) wanted to avoid any embarrassing situation.
(b) was conscious of his skinny legs.
(c) wanted private tuitions.
(d) wanted to practice swimming.

(vi) Why did the narrator sit on the side of the pool? (1)
(a) To enjoy the beauty of the pool. (b) He was afraid of entering the pool alone.
(c) To wait for the coach to arrive. (d) To prepare himself mentally to enter the pool.

10. Answer ANY FIVE of the following six questions in about 40-50 words each. (5x2=10)

(i) In what way does the story "The Last Lesson' being told in a first person narrative of Franz
impact your understanding of the story?

(ii) Why don't the people of Firozabad organise themselves into a cooperative? (Lost Spring)

(iii) Comment on the significance of the symbol of car in the poem 'A Roadside Stand'.

(iv) How does the poet describe her mother in the poem 'My Mother at Sixty-six?

(v) Why did Rudyard Kipling refuse to be interviewed? (The Interview)

(vi) What pleasure does a beautiful thing give us? Are beautiful things worth treasuring? (A
Thing of Beauty)

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11. Answer ANY TWO of the following three questions in about 40-50 words each. (2x2=4)
(i) Why did Zitkala-Sa resist the shingling of her hair? (Memories of Childhood)
(ii) What was the objective of the 'Students on Ice' programme? (Journey to the End of the Earth)
(iii) Why do you think Charley withdrew nearly all the money he had from the bank to buy old
style currency? (The Third level)

12. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in about 120-150 words. (5)

A. How is the poet's appeal for keeping quiet different from absolute sluggishness? (Keeping
Quiet)
OR

B. 'Dreams are often far removed from reality'. Discuss with reference to Lost Spring.

13. Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in about 120-150 words. (5)

A. For people like Bama, it is necessary to break the shackles that society burdens them with and
come out triumphant. Write a composition stating what should one possess or acquire to help
one live without fear? (Memories of Childhood)

OR

B. Derry says, "It's not what you look like; it's what you are inside." What are the qualities this
sentence encourages people to have? (On the Face of It)

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