Class 12 ǁ Optional English ǁ Model Question Set-1 with Solution

 

Model Question Set-1(with Solution) Optional English (3341) Grade: XII                        Full Marks: 75                Time: 3 Hours

Group –A

Choose and copy the best answer. [11×1=11]

1.         Language variation according to the situation is called …… .

i. register             ii. dialect         iii. pidgin         iv. lingua franca

2.         Which one can be the main cause of language endangerment?

i.         Globalization                       ii. Linguistic imperialism

iii. Neocolonialism                      iv. Linguicide

3.         Which of the following best describes the role of a translator?

i.                    Someone who specializes in interpreting spoken language in real-time.

ii.                  An expert in teaching foreign languages to non-native speakers.

iii.                A person who translates written documents from one language to another.

iv.                A professional who focuses on transcribing audio recordings into written form.

4.         In "The Three Students," what is the main problem presented to Sherlock Holmes?

i.        The theft of a question paper

ii.      The disappearance of a valuable artifact

iii.    A mysterious murder case

iv.    The blackmailing of a university student

5.         Why was the narrator happy to see the court rose up in in the essay “Sir Roger at the Assizes”?

i. People gathered by his friend.        ii. Sir Roger was different.

iii. Everyone spoke in the court.           iv. Court sessions got over.

6.         Which statement is NOT true about Angkor Wat?

i.        Its beauty cannot be described in simple words.

ii.       It is stretched in massive area.

iii.    iii. The temple is covered with lichen, moss and woods.

iv.    It was built by the foreign craftsmen.

7.         Whom does “She” refer to in the poem “She Dwelt Among the Untroden Ways”?

                          i.      Maud Gone           ii. Cordelia      iii. Helen          iv. Lucy

8.         Why does Robert Frost insist that they do not need the wall?

i.The hunters destroy walls

ii.      Robert Frost has the spell to balance the stones

iii.    Good fences make good neighbours

iv.    His apple trees will never cross and eat the neighbour’s pines

9.         Which character in "All My Sons" represents the American Dream?

i.         Joe Keller ii. Chris Keller             iii. Kate Keller             iv. Ann Deever

10.     What is the significance of the fallen tree in "All My Sons"?

                             i.   It symbolizes the destruction caused by war

                           ii.   It represents the Keller family's hidden secrets

                         iii.   It serves as a reminder of the characters' past mistakes

                         iv.   It represents the cycle of life and death

11.     The same four footed domestic animal is called ‘kukur’ in Nepali, ‘dog’ in English and ‘kutta’ in Hindi. This property of human language is called …….. .

i.         convention             ii. arbitrariness                      iii. vocal system           iv. voluntariness

 

Group-B

Write short answers to the following questions.          [8×5=40]

12.     “Nepal is a multi-lingual country.” Discuss.

Ans:       Nepal is a multilingual country. Although it is small in size, it is rich in languages. According to the census of 2078 BS(2021AD), there are 124 languages spoken in Nepal. Some languages are still waiting to be discovered. Linguistic diversity of Nepal has resulted cultural diversity too. Languages of Nepal are mainly divided into four language families. They are:  Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan Language Family, Austro-Asiatic, and Dravidian Language Families.

More than 83.03% of the total population speaks the languages of Indo-European family.  This family includes languages such as Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Majhi, Urdu, Tharu, Awadhi, etc. Nepali language is spoken as mother tongue by 44.86% of the total population. It is the language with the largest number of speakers. Sino-Tibetan family includes languages such as Tamang, Gurung, Sherpa, Newari, Thakali, Magar, etc. It is spoken by 16.55% of the total population. Austro-Asiatic family includes languages such as Santhali, Munda and Kharia. It is spoken by less than 1% of the total population. Dravidian family is a minor family which includes languages such as Kisan and Jhagar (Dhangar). It is spoken by less than 1% of the total population.

According to the census of 2021 AD(2078 BS), ten largest languages in terms of the number of speakers are as follows:

Rank	Languages	Speakers (in %)
1	Nepali	44.86
2	Maithili	11.05
3	Bhojpuri	6.24
4	Tharu	5.88
5	Tamang	4.88
6	Bajjika	3.89
7	Avadhi	2.96
8	Nepalbhasha (Newari)	2.96
9	Magar Dhut	2.78
10	Doteli	1.7

13.     How are pidgin and creole different from each other?

Ans:       Both Pidgin and Creole are the varieties of language. Pidgin is no one’s mother tongue. When it becomes someone’s mother tongue it becomes Creole. Creole is the developed stage of pidgin.

Difference between pidgin and Creole is given below:

Pidgin	Creole
1. Pidgin is the mixture of two or more languages in multilingual situation.	1. Creole is the developed or full-fledged stage of pidgin.
2.  It has no native speakers.	2. It has got native speakers.
3. It has limited vocabulary.	3. It has fully developed vocabulary.
4. It has simple structure.	4. It has complex structure.
5. It has no clear system or rules of grammar.	5. It has fully developed grammar system.
6. It has no script.	6. It has script.
7. It is unstable.	7. It is stable.

14.     What lesson does the king learn from the animal? (Brahmadatta and the Bunyan Deer)

Ans: Brahmadatta realized his mistake. He felt ashamed of the sufferings of the animals and his people. He learnt the lesson of non-violence, compassion and pity from the Banyan Deer. He gave up hunting. He learnt from the Banyan deer that it was the responsibility of the king to take care of his citizens. As a human king, it was his duty to take care of all the creatures on this planet and live harmoniously. He ensured the security of all the creatures on land, water and air.

 

15.     "Ayah will have no grandchildren". What does this say about cultural heritage and legacy? (Lullaby)

Ans: The statement "Ayah will have no grandchildren" means that there will be no future generation in her family after the death of her husband and her own. Her eldest son, Jimmie died in a helicopter crash during the war. Her younger children Danny and Ella were taken by the white doctors because they had contracted tuberculosis from their grandmother. There will be no one to carry out the cultural heritages and legacy of her family. There will be no one to speak their language and perform the cultural activities. Hence, it will cause the death of their Navajo culture too. The story shows the effect of colonialism/outsiders on Native American people and culture.

16.     Do you think that survival of the fittest is true about life, according to the writer? (Not Nothing)

Ans: Yes, the survival of the fittest is true about life. It means that only those animals and creatures which can adjust with their environment are most successful in surviving. Those, who cannot adjust with their environment die. The essayist gives an example of frogs to justify this. He used to visit a park. There were so many frog-eggs in the pond at first sight. Next time, there were few tadpoles. When he visited again, there were less frogs. The number was decreasing. It shows that only the fittest can survive.

OR,

In what sense are poets and women natural allies? (The Case for Xanthippe)

Ans: Women and poets are natural allies (connected, closer, friends) because both of them share intuition, experiences, sensitivities, and perspectives. Both of them oppose abstract and rational thinking of the philosophers. For example, Greek women opposed their husbands’ exercise of abstract thinking. Both poets and women have often been marginalized or underrepresented in various societies and historical contexts. Poets often strive to capture and express the nuances of human emotions and experiences, while women, who have historically faced various challenges and social expectations, may resonate with these poetic expressions.

17.     Can wars be stopped by writing? Explain it with reference to the poem “Sonnet 8”.

Ans:       Yes, I think sometimes wars can be stopped by writing. There is a popular saying- “A pen is mightier than the sword”. It has been proved from the references given in this poem. Literature or art is so powerful. It can even melt the hearts of cruel warriors. The walls of Athens were not destroyed just due to powerful poetry of Euripidis, a Greek poet/tragedian. Hence, power of writing can be used to stop wars by writing about the negative impacts of it. We can create awareness among the concerned people or parties of the war. But, writing may not all the time be successful to stop wars.

18.     Differentiate between modern and post-modern perspectives in literature.

Ans: Modern and post-modern perspectives in literature can be differentiated as below:

Modern Perspective	Post-Modern Perspective
It spans from the late 1800s to the 1940s.	It spans roughly from the 1940s onwards to present day.
It emphasized rationality, reason, and scientific progress. It sought to depict the human condition, often exploring themes such as alienation, individualism, and the impact of industrialization and urbanization on society.	It challenges traditional literary conventions and questions notions of absolute truth, grand narratives, and fixed identities. It often reflects skepticism towards established institutions and cultural norms.
It followed linear narrative structures and employed conventional storytelling techniques. It aimed for coherence, logical progression, and clear cause-and-effect relationships.	It experiments with non-linear narrative structures, fragmentation, intertextuality, and metafiction. It blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction, often embracing paradoxes and multiple perspectives.
Language in modern literature tended to be straightforward and transparent, aiming for clarity of expression.	Postmodern literature may employ irony, pastiche, parody, and unconventional language use. It may incorporate various forms of discourse, including pop culture references, intertextual references, and self-reflexivity.

19.     Write in short about character perspective. 

Ans: Character perspective is the study of the psychology of the characters used in the literary texts. It studies the character’s psyche or inner world. The psyche refers to both conscious and unconscious elements of the human mind. A character’s psyche includes his/her deepest thoughts, feelings or beliefs, fears, trauma, unfulfilled desires that shape his/her behaviour and character/personality. It is the way of analyzing characters' behaviour and their hidden desires. When we read a literary work from character perspective, we analyze character’s psyche. This type of reading is also called psychological or psychoanalytic criticism.

OR,

Explain reader perspective as an approach to literary criticism.

Ans: The perspective that focuses on reader’s response to literary text is called reader’s perspective or reader response criticism. It emerged in the 1960s. It came as a reaction to formalism and new criticism because they treated literary text as an autonomous object. Reader’s perspective focuses on the role of the reader. The interpretations of the literary texts differ from one reader to another. All interpretations are correct in their own place. Meaning changes reader to reader and may change at different stages of life of an individual reader based on life experiences. Each reader perceives the same character, setting, theme or plot differently. It believes that the meaning of the text is determined by the readers.

Group -C

Write long answers to the following questions.      [3×8=24]

20.     Discuss “Devil Deer” as an environmental story.

Ans: The story vividly shows that human beings depend upon the ecology/environment for their survival. They fulfill their needs by consuming it. Hence, they use nature as an object. Due to man's various activities, ecology has been seriously at hazard/risk.

Ecological balance has been adversely affected due to man's activities. In this story too, a deer has been deformed due to the harmful radiation, lasers and vibration of the atoms produced from the laboratory established by human beings on the lap of natural world. Similarly, nature has been exploited. Deer population has been growing scarcer. Human activities have brought a lot of disorders in ecological chain. The loss of dee r has been deformed due to the harmful radiation, lasers and vibration of the atoms produced from the laboratory established by human beings on the lap of natural world. Similarly, nature has been exploited. Deer population has been growing scarcer. Human activities have brought a lot of disorders in ecological chain. The loss of deer species may cause the extinction of the other species too.

This story portrays man as the villain to nature. Hence, this story is an ecological/environmental story.

21.     What is a ballad? Discuss “The Three Knights” as a ballad.

Ans:       A ballad is a short narrative poem which tells the short story about love, death, and supernatural happenings. It has setting, plot and characters. It uses simple language and has rhyme. The poem “The Three Knights” is a ballad written by an English poet Davies Gilbert. It tells the tragic story of a lady who was proposed by the three knights for marriage.

This poem has setting, plot and characters. The setting of this poem is England during spring or summer season when the roses are blooming. The characters in this poem are: a lady, three knights, lady’s servant and her brother John. It is written in plain/simple language. Plot is the sequence/chain of events. The plot of this poem moves around love affair and marriage proposal.

The three knights came from the West and proposed the same lady for marriage. She asked them if they had taken the consent of her family members. They replied that her parents and sister had agreed and hadn’t asked her bother yet. At the same time, her brother appeared there. While kissing him(brother John), the lady got injured. Her brother’s knife made a hole in her chest. She became weak. She wished to go far away to rest and make her last will/wishes. She said that she wanted to give her personal belongings to her parents and sister. But, she wanted to gift a rope and gallows to her brother John to punish him because he had injured her. She wanted her sister-in-law to be widow by giving a death penalty to her brother. Thus, this poem is the ballad.

OR,

Modern people are spiritually vile but commercially keen. So the essence of the Gita is hardly accepted. Explain.

Ans: In modern society, people are morally corrupt or lacking in spiritual values but are highly driven by materialistic pursuits. Due to this mindset, the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture, are not understood.

The Bhagavad Gita is a philosophical text that explores various aspects of life, spirituality, and ethical dilemmas. It deals with concepts like duty, righteousness, self-realization, and the nature of the self. However, in a society focused on commercial success and material gain, the deeper spiritual wisdom of the Gita may be undervalued.

The Gita emphasizes the importance of selflessness, detachment, and the pursuit of knowledge over material desires. It encourages individuals to develop a higher understanding of themselves, their purpose, and their relationship with the world. However, in a world driven by consumerism and immediate gratification, such spiritual teachings may not align with prevailing values.

Moreover, the Gita challenges individuals to confront their inner conflicts, overcome their desires, and seek spiritual growth. This requires introspection, discipline, and a willingness to explore one's true nature. These aspects may be seen as inconvenient or contradictory to the mindset of instant gratification and material accumulation prevalent in modern society.

Thus, the statement suggests that due to the contemporary emphasis on materialistic pursuits and a lack of spiritual inclination, the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, which encourage self-realization and higher spiritual values, may not find widespread acceptance or understanding.

22.     Discuss the father son relationship in relation to the title of the play, "All my Sons."

Ans: In the play "All My Sons," the father-son relationships are really important. There's Joe Keller, the dad, and his two sons, Chris and Larry in the Keller family. Similarly, there are Steve Deever and his son George Deever in the Deever family.

Joe wants to take care of his sons and give them a good life. But things get complicated because he makes some bad decisions that affect his family. Chris, the younger son, respects his dad, but he starts to question what's right when he finds out about those bad decisions. This causes problems between them.

Larry, the older son, isn't in the play, but he's still a big part of it. His disappearance has a big impact on Joe and the family, making Joe feel guilty for things he did in the past.

On the other hand, George Deever is Steve’s son. He's upset and angry because his dad was blamed for everything while another man, Joe Keller, who was also involved, got away with it. When George comes back, he brings up the past and forces the truth to come out. This causes a lot of problems for the Keller family and shows how actions from the past can affect everyone, even the next generation. So, the Deever father-son relationship is important because it brings out the truth about a big mistake, leading to a lot of drama and changes in the play.

So, the play shows how the relationships between fathers and sons can be tricky. It talks about responsibility, doing the right thing, and how the past can affect the present.

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