PERIODIC TEST-2 (2021-22)

CLASS-XII ENGLISH CORE

TIME- 90 MINS MARKS- 40

SECTION-A (READING COMPREHENSION) (14 Marks)
Q.1. Read the passage given below. (1X8=8 MARKS)

1. One thousand and five hundred years ago, when craftsmen began cutting rocks and sculpting them
into magnificent statues of Gods, little did they realise that in the second millennium the Elephanta
Caves would not just be a major tourist attraction but would also be a World Heritage Site.
2. Now the world’s oldest island caves are getting a new lease of life. The Indian National Trust for Art
and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has teamed up with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to spruce
up the caves and protect them from further decay and degeneration.
3. Elephanta Caves date back to the sixth century and boast of some of India’s most magnificent rock-
cut sculptures of Lord Shiva. Situated about 11 km from the Gateway of India, these caves are reached
by small boats. Once on the island, visitors have to climb over 1,000 stone steps to get to the caves.
4. The caves were originally built during the reign of the Rashtraputa kings. They contain huge images of
Brahma, Parvati, Natraja and Shiva. The best and most famous of these is Maheshmurti—a three
headed bust of Shiva which is about six metres high.
5. The great elephant structure in black stone which gave the island its name was removed in 1864 by
British to take it to England. However, it was later returned to India and now stands at the Victoria
Garden, a park with a small zoo in the centre of Mumbai. On top of the caves are two huge cannons
installed by the British in order to protect Bombay harbour.
6. In the main cave there are nine carvings which depict the life of Lord Shiva in different
manifestations—-the dancer (Nataraja), Shiva killing demon Andhaka, marriage ceremony of Shiva and
Parvati, Shiva’s descent to the Ganges, Shiva as Ardhnarinateshwar, Shiva as Maheshmurti, Shiva
lifting Mount Kailash, Goddess Parvati on Mount Kailash and Shiva as ascetic.
7. Back in the mid-eighties, a team of leading international archaeologists, conservators and historians
visited the site and forwarded a proposal to UNESCO to grant heritage status to the caves. The
proposal was accepted and Elephanta Caves were declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
8. The most important part of the effort is to clean up the surroundings of the heritage site.
For example, there is an ancient site built adjacent to the gate which houses some of the best frescoes
and showcases the art of carving out statues by cutting rock. ‘
9. The next phase was to clean up the littered surroundings and also to discourage visitors from carrying
eatables and plastic bags inside the caves. This step too was roundly criticized but gradually people
were educated on the historic and religious importance of the caves and the incidents of littering have
considerably reduced.
10. To protect the caves from vandalism security personnel were deployed a year ago. “This has helped
authorities to implement regulations stringently,” says an INTACH volunteer of the organization’s
Mumbai chapter.
11. Elephanta Caves have for years been threatened by the rapid industrial development in
their vicinity. A toxic chemical storage terminal has been planned just 400 metres away. Bilge from oil-
exploring activities and plastic dumped in the sea, have seriously threatened marine and bird life of
the area.

1.1. On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the
correct option. (1X8=8 Marks)
A. The six metres high three headed bust of Shiva is known as………………………………
(a) Natraja (b) Ascetic Shiva
(c) Maheshmurti (d) Ardhnarinateshwar
B. The most distinguishing feature that the Elephanta Caves boast of is….………………………………
(a) that they date back to one thousand and five hundred years ago
(b) that these are the world’s oldest island caves
(c) that rocks have been cut and sculpted into magnificent statues of gods
(d) that they have some of the most magnificent rock-cut sculptures of Lord Shiva

C. Before being declared a World Heritage Site, the caves were………………………………

(a) in a filthy state (b) in a dilapidated state
(c) in a magnificent state (d) in a precarious state

D. Security personnel were deployed in order to………………………………

(a) protect caves from vandalism (b) help authorities to implement regulations
(c) help clean up the surroundings (d) discourage visitors from carrying eatables inside

E. The most potent threat the caves suffer from is………………………………

(a) a toxic chemical storage terminal (b) the bilge from oil exploring activities
(c) plastic dumped in the sea (d) the rapid industrial development in their vicinity

F. The word ‘degeneration’ in para 2 means………………………………

(a) become bad (b) the process of becoming worse
(c) losing too much water (d) stop production

G. Where is the great elephant in black stone standing now?

(a) England (b) Bombay Harbour
(c) Victoria Garden (d) Gateway of India

H. The antonym of ‘spruce’ in para-2 is

(a) smart (b) scruffy
(c) dapper (d) trim

Q.2. Read the passage given below. (1X6=6 MARKS)

1. This is a Nelson Mandela story that will never make it to the official narrative. World leaders paid their
tribute in South Africa, but at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, where Nelson Mandela twice stayed, a butler
remembers him as the man who waved good-bye.
2. Barak Obama met Mandela once. But Maqbool, neither a president nor a politician, probably got to see
the real Mandela. He was on duty twice when Madiba (Mandela) came to India. For the famous world leader,
Maqbool was not just a faceless man in uniform, but a real person.
3. Maqbool, who will retire by the middle of next year, has been around longer than most of the President’s
men. His relationship with the Rashtrapati Bhavan goes back 60 years. He grew up in the sprawling green of
Lutyens Estate and followed his father into the service and, in his vast expanse of memories, the Mandela
moments occupy a special place. “Hume bola gaya tha ki ek Gandhiji aayenge [We were told that a Gandhi
was coming for a visit], he says with a smile, “We didn’t know who he was then.”
4. Much to Maqbool’s disappointment, Mandela did not look like Gandhi. He was charmed nevertheless.
“His hands were very strong,” he says. “You could tell that he had done physical labour.” For Maqbool, who
has dealt with many heads of state, Mandela seems to be special not just because of the similarities with
Gandhi, but also because of the impression Madiba made on him. “He called all of us and asked us to write
down our names. We did. He then copied them and gave us all his autograph. I still have mine, but I didn’t
realize the value of it then.” He says.
5. The man who was famously always free – even when he was in prisons for 27 years – came to India first
in 1990 and then as president of South Africa in 1995 and was conferred with Bharat Ratna the highest
civilian honour. Power did not seem to affect him to the way he treated people. “He always spoke softly. He
was unfailingly polite, calm and very patient.” Says Maqbool.
6. He even travelled with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when he went to South Africa. “I saw Mandela’s cell”
he says. It was small. It is difficult to imagine how he spent those years in prison, but if you look at his
photographs, you cannot find one that doesn’t have him smiling. He had a smile on his face always.
7. In his speech on December 10, President Pranab Mukherjee said Mandela was “a towering personality of
great compassion and wisdom.” Maqbool did not hear that speech but his experience is a proof that the
words were true. “Most VIPs don’t walk out the door after their visit. Mandela was different. He didn’t let
the security push us away. Then he shook hands with each one of us and thanked us,” says Maqbool. Madiba
was indeed special.
2.1. On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the
correct option. (1X6=6 Marks)
(a) Why was Maqbool disappointed?
(i) He did not get the opportunity of meeting Mandela. (ii) He could not meet Barak Obama.
(iii) Mandela did not resemble Gandhiji. (iv) None of the above.

(b) Mandela was special to Maqbool because his nature was similar to:
(i) Gandhiji (ii) Lal Bahadur Shastri
(iii) Barak Obama (iv) Anna Hazare

(c) What occupies a special place in Maqbool’s memories?

(i) Lutyens Estate (ii) Rashtrapati Bhavan
(iii) His moments with Gandhiji (iv) His moments with Mandela

(d) India conferred President Mandela with:

(i) Nobel Peace Prize (ii) Bharat Ratna
(iii) Arjuna Award (iv) Khel Ratna

(e) Towering personality in the passage means:

(i) Very tall person (ii) Great or eminent personality
(iii) Promising person (iv) Fat person

(f) The word ‘tribute’ in the above passage means:

(i) Respect (ii) Dignity
(iii) Praise (iv) Adore

SECTION-B (CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS) (8 Marks)

Q.3. You are Smitha/Sunil, Secretary of AVM Housing Society. You are going to organize a blood donation
camp. The notice is urging the members of your society to come in large numbers for this noble cause. Fill
in the blanks with the correct option. (3 Marks)
AVM Housing Society
NOTICE
Date: September 25, 2021
Blood Donation Camp
Our society is organizing a blood donation camp in the society’s community centre on 10th October 2021,
from 11 AM to 5 PM. The blood donation camp (i)_____________ under medical expert guidance. All
necessary arrangements (ii)______________ for all the blood donors like drinks, fruits, and refreshment.
Residents of the society are requested to participate in this noble cause and invite their friends and
relatives for the same. For any queries details (iii)________________ from the undersigned.
Sd/-
Sunil
Secretary
3.1 Choose the most appropriate option- (1x3= 3 Marks)
i) a) was conducted b) being conducted c) has been conducted d) will be conducted
 ii) a) were being made b) have been made
c) has been made d) will have been made
iii) a) must be collected b) ought to be collected
c) may be collected d) are being collected

Q.4. Here is an article on ‘Reading’. Choose the best of the options given. (5 marks)
Benefits to reading more books are myriad, but perhaps a good book can give you a new way to interpret
your past experiences. Whenever you learn a new mental model or idea, it's like the “software” in your brain
gets updated. Suddenly, you can run all of your old data points through a new program. You can learn new
lessons from old moments. Of course, this is only true if you internalize and remember insights from the
books you read. Knowledge will only compound if it is retained. In other words, what matters is not simply
reading more books, but getting more out of each book you read. Gaining knowledge is not the only reason
to read. It doesn't take long to figure out if something is worth reading. People should probably start more
books than they do which doesn't mean reading each book page-by-page. You can skim the table of contents,
chapter titles, and subheadings. Pick an interesting section and dive in for a few pages. Maybe flip through
the book and glance at any bolded points or tables. In ten minutes, you'll have a reasonable idea of how
good it is.

One way to improve reading comprehension is to choose books you can immediately apply. Putting the ideas
you read into action is one of the best ways to secure them in your mind. Practice is a very effective form of
learning. Keep notes on what you read. Just do something to emphasize the important points and passages.
You can highlight passages when reading on Kindle or type out interesting quotes as you listen to audiobooks
or dog-ear pages and transcribe notes when reading a print book. Store your notes in a searchable format.
One way to imagine a book is like a knowledge tree with a few fundamental concepts forming the trunk and
the details forming the branches. You can learn more and improve reading comprehension by “linking
branches” and integrating your current book with other knowledge trees. When you read something that
reminds you of another topic or immediately sparks a connection or idea, don’t allow that thought to come
and go without notice. Write about what you’ve learned and how it connects to other ideas.

As soon as you finish a book, challenge yourself to summarize the entire text in just three sentences. This
constraint is just a game, of course, but it forces me to consider what was really important about the book.
Some questions to consider when summarizing a book include: What are the main ideas? If implemented
one idea from this book right now, which one would it be? How would you describe the book to a friend?

Revisiting great books is helpful because the problems you deal with change over time. Sure, when you read
a book twice maybe you'll catch some stuff you missed the first time around, but it's more likely that new
passages and ideas will be relevant to you. It's only natural for different sentences to leap out at you
depending on the point you are at in life. You read the same book, but you never read it the same way. Of
course, even if you didn't get something new out of each reading, it would still be worthwhile to revisit great
books because ideas need to be repeated to be remembered. Now that you know how to get more out of
each book you read, look for some reading recommendations and feel the pulse of reading.

4.1. Choose the most appropriate option- (1x5= 5 Marks)

(i) A suitable title for the article would be-
a. How to choose reading material b. Enhancing retention with reading
c. Making most of reading d. Reading for pleasure
(ii) Which pronoun should be avoided while writing any article like the above?
a. You b. I
c. We d. They

(iii) Pick the odd one out in the context of article writing.
a. Subject b. Heading c. Greeting the audience d. Salutation
 (iv) Articles are judged on the parameters of fluency. Fluency in article writing means-
a. Ability to find the pros and cons b. Ability to set the content apart
c. Ability to project arguments in favour and against d. Ability to weave the content together

(v) Constituents of expression to judge this article writing will include-

a. Format and content b. Logical presentation of theories
c. Overall presentation of concept d. Grammatical accuracy and coherence

SECTION-C (LITERATURE) (18 Marks)

Q.5. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow by choosing the best of the options
given. (1x4=4 marks)
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
(i) The poetic device used in ‘cold sea’ is-
a. personification b. transferred epithet
c. metaphor d. hyperbole

(ii) Which image in the poem shows that the poet condemns over exploitation of nature?
a. Cold sea used for hunting wales b. Man hurting hands
c. Man collecting salt and hurting hands d. Fishermen hunting in cold sea

(iii) The rhyme scheme used in the stanza is-

a. enclosed rhyme b. mono rhyme
c. sonnet d. Free verse

(iv) The essence or message of the extract is-

a. Necessity to introspect, understand and have feelings of brotherhood
b. Maintenance of silence to promote peace and harmony
c. Shun wars which leave behind no survivors to celebrate
d. Hungry exploitation of nature and its resources

Q.6. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow by choosing the best of the options
given. (1x4=4 marks)

That’s easy to do. I’ve been in and out of Grand Central hundreds of times, but I’m always bumping into new
doorways and stairs and corridors. Once I got into a tunnel about a mile long and came out in the lobby of
the Roosevelt Hotel. Another time I came up in an office building on Forty-sixth Street, three blocks away.
Sometimes I think Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new corridors and staircases like roots.
And maybe — because for so many people through the years Grand Central has been an exit, a way of escape
— maybe that’s how the tunnel I got into...

(i) “That’s easy to do” means-

a. to bump into new doorways & corridors b. to find ways of exit
c. to get lost in the Grand Central d. to find underground tunnels

(ii) A literary device used in the extract is-

a. personification b. metaphor
c. hyperbole d. simile
(iii) ‘The Grand Central has been an exit’ means-
a. People need excuses to go the Grand Central b. People use it as a means to escape
c. It’s the best mode to reach underground tunnels d. People get lost in it easily

(iv) Synonym of ‘bumping’ is-

a. bouncing b. bounding
c. springing d. knocking

Q.7. Answer the questions by choosing the best of the options given. (1x10=10 marks)
(i) The misadventure William Douglas speaks about is-
a. feeling scared in the pool while swimming b. drowning in the sea
c. being knocked down by waves d. being pushed into the pool

(ii) How did William Douglas make sure that all the terror had left?
a. He went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire b. He went up the Tieton to Conrad Meadows
c. He repeated the exercises hundreds of times d. He went back and forth in the pool week after week

(iii) “Go to school,” I say glibly, says Anees Jung. Replace glibly with a synonym.
a. seriously b. casually
c. patiently d. knowingly

(iv) Bangle making families have been working in Firozabad for-

a. months b. years
c. centuries d. days

(v) The phrase “Their future is painted with fog” conveys-

a. insecure future b. bleak future
c. uncertain future d. foggy climate

(vi) What is ironical about the wall hangings and donations in the classroom?
a. set up in very clean environment b. set up in happy environment
c. completely opposite to needs of children in the classroom d. portrayed in a gloomy set up

(vii) What do catacombs signify?

a. relevance of the map on the classroom wall b. futility of the school
c. confinement to the slums d. death like situation

(viii) Why did Sadao become irritable and impatient with his patients?
a. because of his inability to leave the white man
b. because of his inability to help his distressed wife
c. because of General’s pressure while treating the POW
d. because of the silent protest of his servants

(ix) Sadao got his reward when

a. the prisoner could escape b. when he was promised an award by the General
c. when his servants returned d. when his wife finally got some relief

(x) Sadao went to America at the age of

a. 20
b. 22
c. 32
d. 30