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CLASS -12TH

ENGLISH (CORE) ASSIGNMENTS

General Instructions:-

1. Prepare two registers (literature & Writing Skills)

2. Fill Index for both Flamingo & Vistas (Text Books for class XII)

3. Read the given chapters thoroughly before you start with the

ASSIGNMENTS.

4. Take out the print out of NOTE MAKING PASSAGES and

paste/ staple them in the WRITING SKILL register to complete

the respective questions.

5. Do the work neatly and in the given sequence.

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NOTE-MAKING PASSAGES

PASSAGE-1

1. I remember my childhood as being generally happy and can recall experiencing some

of the most carefree times of my life. But I can also remember, even more vividly,

moments of being deeply frightened. As a child, I was truly -terrified of the dark and

getting lost. These fears were very real and caused me some extremely uncomfortable

moments.

2. Maybe it was the strange way things looked and sounded in my familiar room at night

that scared me so much. There was never total darkness, but a street light or passing

car lights made clothes hung over a chair take on the shape of an unknown beast. Out

of the corner of my eye, I saw curtains move when there was no breeze. A tiny creak

in the floor would sound a hundred times louder than in the daylight and my imagination

would take over, creating burglars and monsters. Darkness always made me feel

helpless. My heart would pound and I would lie very still so that ‘the enemy’ wouldn’t

discover me.

3. Another childhood fear of mine was that I would get lost, especially on the way home

from school. Every morning, I got on the school bus right near my home—that was no

problem. After school, though, when all the buses were lined up along the curve, I was

terrified that I would get on the wrong one and be taken to some unfamiliar

neighborhood. I would scan the bus for the faces of my friends, make sure that the bus

driver was the same one that had been there in the morning, and even then ask the

others over and over again to be sure I was in the right bus. On school or family trips

to an amusement park or a museum, I wouldn’t let the leaders out of my sight. And of

course, I was never very adventurous when it came to taking walks or hikes because I

would go only where I was sure I would never get lost.

4. Perhaps, one of the worst fears I had as a child was that of not being liked or accepted

by others. First of all, I was quite shy. Secondly, I worried constantly about my looks,

thinking people wouldn’t like me because I was too fat or wore braces. I tried to wear

‘the right clothes’ and had intense arguments with my mother over the importance of

wearing flats instead of saddled shoes to school. Being popular was very important to

me then and the fear of not being liked was a powerful one.

5. One of the processes of evolving from a child to an adult is being able to recognize and

overcome our fears. I have learnt that darkness does not have to take on a life of its

own, that others can help me when I am lost and that friendliness and sincerity will

encourage people to like me. Understanding the things that scared us as children helps

to cope with our lives as adults.

Questions: 1. On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes using headings and

subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations, wherever necessary. 5

2. Write a summary of the passage in not more than 80 words using the notes

made and also suggest a suitable title. 3

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Passage 2: 1.If you live in a rapidly urbanizing India, especially in the North, and feel that things are getting from bad to worse as far as civility, sensitivity and respect for law is concerned, you are not alone.

I go out cycling almost every morning, at the crack of dawn. The total lawlessness that has come to grip the society scares me. As early as 5 am, our cycling group

notices people huddled around their cars, drinking outside eateries or liquor joints, fighting, arguing loudly, or simply passing lewd comments at the women riders in our group. The comments do not vary from a Mercedes or a Maruti Swift. They are

uniformly distasteful. We often see police vehicles at these joints too, and they are certainly not there attending to an SOS call. 2.Several of you would remember the horrific accident that took place in Gurgaon.

Forty seven year old Avinash Shah, driving his small car with his wife and daughter was hit by a businessman test driving a powerful new Audi. Avinash died instantly

and his wife and daughter barely survived. The gent who rammed the big Audi into the small car, is out on bail. According to eye-witnesses, soon after ramming into Avinash‟s car, this gent got out, made a few

phone calls using his mobile, and got picked up by his own driver in his car and vanished. The police said they did not have his address for two days despite knowing

that he was on a test drive and had deposited his driving license at the car showroom before taking the car out. Two days later, this gent reappeared, with a lawyer in toe and surrendered, only to be bailed out in a jiffy.

3.Why it is that things are reaching such a pass? Sudden wealth, easy availability of „good things‟ in life, general feeling that money can buy anything, or what else? Is it just a North Indian phenomenon or nationwide? Why it is that uncouth, uncivil and

insensitive behavior is all pervasive? Why is the society so willing to circumvent, indeed buy, law at will? Do you think the media is responsible having abdicated its

responsibilities by concentrating on flashy things alone while bypassing the real issues that would positively impact the society? 4.Whatever the answer to those questions is, the solution lies with us alone. We

need to stop accepting being pushed around. An individual cannot take on those who mock at our law, but together we can do wonders. The choice is ours, whether

to stare down the barrel of the gun as lawlessness gains ground faster than these guys drive their fast cars, or start coming together to challenge the perpetrators of these crimes. I have often heard the argument that our economy is growing rapidly

and this is just a brief side effect of such growth. I would rather have a slower growth rate of economy, but a saner, civilized society to live in.

Questions:

1. On the basis of your reading make notes on the above passage.Use

recognizable abbreviations, wherever necessary. 5

2. Write the summary of the passage in your own words. 3

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Passage 3: 1.An Indian visitor to Cairo stopped to hear a muezzin‟s melodious call to prayer.

When the azzan had ended, the Muezzin approached the visitor and, in rudimentary English, asked where he was from. “India”, replied the visitor. “Muslim?” asked the muezzin. “No”, said the visitor. “Little bit Muslim?” asked the

muezzin. “Yes, little bit Muslim,” agreed the visitor. That exchange represents a cross-cultural tribute to what is often referred to as

India‟s long tradition of eclecticism, or what might be called Indutva. It is a tradition based on anekantavada, the ability to see the other person‟s point of view. Or as a western philosopher has put it, the realisation that the opposite of a great

truth need not be a lie but another, and equally valid great truth. This ambiguity of faith, this welcoming of multiplicity, is the bedrock of Indie civilisation, of Indutva. It is not an acceptance but a celebration of the fact that, at

times, we can all be a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The Indian knack of being able to absorb and internalise whatever comes our way is often compared to

a sponge which soaks up any moisture that it comes into contact with. It‟s an inaccurate metaphor, for a sponge is a passive object, its capacity to absorb is not elective, not something that it chooses. Indian eclecticism, or Indutva, on the

contrary, is highly creative; there is nothing passive or constrained about it. It is an active engagement with diverse cultural norms and beliefs, which it seeks to

link. It‟s like a universal language of faith, a spiritual Esperanto, if you like. Indutva‟s vocabulary includes idioms not just from the major belief systems like Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism, but of minor religions as well which India has made

its own, 1 and which include Westminster style democracy and cricket. 2.The great majority of Indians are Hindu. But there are almost as many kinds of Hinduism as there are Hindus. There are atheist Hindus, and Hindus who eat beef.

There are Hindus who partly believe in Islam, and Muslims who are part Hindus, like the Sufis. There are Hindus who are Buddhists, or Jains, or vice versa; Hindus

who are part Christians, like the Brahmos, and Christians who remain Hindus, like converts who retain their caste and other social traditions even after embracing Christianity.

Long before we had multiplex cinema halls in India, we had multiple places of worship, like the Shantadurga Shrine in Goa which attracts devotees who are both

Hindus and Christians—or, indeed, who are neither. SalimChisti‟s memorial in FatehpurSikri—where pilgrims of all faiths flock—is another example of the multiplicity of Indutva. Shrines apart, Holi and Diwali, Eid and Christmas, are

celebrated by people of all creeds. Indutva is a bouquet of many faiths, a garland of festivals. You are invited to identify and explore the myriad strands that, over the millennia, have been inextricably woven together to create the seamless fabric of Indutva, to which new threads are added every day.

Questions:

1. On the basis of your reading make notes on the above passage. 5

2. Write the summary of the passage in your own words. 3

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Passage 4: 1.An era, a culture is eventually determined by its news. What is missed out by those who track the news of that time is lost forever. We know nothing about Shakespeare‟s contemporaries even though some of them may have been better

playwrights. We know nothing about those who came in with Babar, or around the same time, to loot India and stayed back as rulers. Or the many soldiers of fortune who landed here during the time of the East India Company. We know of a few

and, apart from avid historians, no one knows who led the Portuguese, Dutch or French into India or ran their empires here till they were dismantled. Why is that?

Simple. The media of that time, known as historians, did not mention them. 2.We who consume news today see it as a fleeting experience. We observe a powerful image on TV, are moved by its impact or repelled by its horror, and move

on. We read a headline today and can‟t even recall it tomorrow. Current news always drives out the old (often with ruthless cunning) and It‟s only when the media goes back in time to recall a particular (7 story that we suddenly remember

that, yes, there was something called HDW or Bofors that once shook up the entire nation and held it in thrall for a decade. We are suddenly reminded that Congress

treasurer LN Mishra was mysteriously killed in a bomb blast on a train and no one ever knew who killed him or where his secret millions vanished. Since I‟m a journalist I can tell you many such stories. There are others too, full of

stories. 3.But, like news, the stories die with them. History only remembers what it

chooses to, or what is indelibly stamped on its pages. The rest is occasionally recalled as gossip. But is it gossip? Or is it truth that we are trying to forget so that we can move on and make space in our hearts and minds for more recent news?

Our memory, collective as well as individual, has limited storage and however many data cards we may insert, there‟s simply too much to absorb and retain. The information surge that hits us every morning is so i large, so intimidating that we

remember only a tiny fraction of it. It‟s that fraction which actually scares us by the possibility of impacting our lives.

4. The gap between news and entertainment was always sacrosanct. News was about facts. Entertainment was about imagination, ergo fiction. To see them occupy the same media platforms today is scary for those like me who have spent a

lifetime pursuing facts in the search for news. Even the dividing line has blurred. What we once shunned as preposterous lies slip in so casually today into our news

menu. It‟s no one‟s fault. It‟s just that the fault lines have shifted. News has become just another consumable, another platform to commercially (and cynically) exploit. No, don‟t blame our journalists and media owners. They are only following

a global model that, for better or for worse, is making our times an entirely forgettable chapter of history.

Questions:

1. On the basis of your reading make notes on the above passage. 5

2. Write the summary of the passage in your own words. 3

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Passage 5:

1. It was bound in a rough, red cloth, now smoothened in places with the many

caresses it had received over the years. Its name boldly etched in gold over its hard cover. Its spine still holding on firmly to the age old pages, much thumbed, dog-eared, yellowing pages. Its illustrations, lithographs by the author himself,

and a frayed red ribbon placed between the pages I had read the last time. That is my favorite book. .

2. That book startled me off on a journey that inevitably took me to the book alleys that still make the three hundred year old city proud. The fact that my lane meandered through several by-lanes and reached the book alleys in less than

fifteen minutes made my trips frequent and my pocket-money meagre. The narrow lanes were lined with small shops with dusty shelves. Their bespectacled shop-

owners—bibliophiles in their own right—were always eager to help me find treasures in all shapes and sizes, bound in cloth or leather, some new and some which had changed several hands; others which had comers folded, many in

tatters, a few boasting of an autograph or a note written in attention of a loving reader. My prized possession in those days was a book called Sita that was illustrated with paintings by the illustrious Raja Ravi Verma.

3. Nothing gave me more pleasure than the feel of a cold spine against my palm, the weight of the pages, their slight reluctance to open spontaneously, the faint

crick at the turn of each page, and the musty smell of the yellowing pages mixed with a slight whiff of the jet-black ink that filled my nostrils as I brought the book close to my face.

4. Thus enamored by books of all shapes and sizes, colours and textures and thus pampered by the abundance of such gems in dusty attics and tiny shop windows,

I stepped out of my city‟s boundaries and stepped into different cities. As a resident in some, whilst a tourist in others. My experiences in each of those cities have been varied as have been my encounter with books.

In the beginning, I would wait to return from those cities and visit the old, familiar book alleys for my ration of books for the rest of the year. But soon I realised that the character of the alleys, the shops lining them and the books they sold had

started to change. The old, dusty spines of ageless classics were fast being replaced by Last Minute Suggestions for Board Examinations, Questions &

Answers Made Easy, cheap reprints of old classics, poor translations of world famous children‟s classics and photocopies of what were otherwise intellectual masterpieces. Makeshift shops had encroached upon the pavements of the narrow

alleys and had started to threaten the original inhabitants themselves. Disappointment was inevitable, and it didn‟t take too long to set in. Like many others, I soon decided it was time to park my hopes elsewhere.

Questions: 1. On the basis of your reading make notes on the above passage. 5 2. Write the summary of the passage in your own words. 3

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(MARCH) P-1 My Mother at Sixty-Six (FLAMINGO)

Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks, 30-40 Words)

Q1. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother? Kamala Das finds the thoughts of her ageing mother very painful and disturbing. It is hard for her to accept the fact of her mother growing old, as it brings back to her mind her childhood fear of losing her mother. She makes a deliberate effort to drive or put away such thoughts by looking out of the moving car, at the trees „sprinting‟ and the joyful young children rushing out of their homes.

Q2. What was the poet‟s childhood fear? As a child Kamala Das was insecure about losing her mother just as all young children often are. The same feelings are evoked inside her while she is on the way to the airport, as she sees her mother‟s pale face, which is a sign of her old age and impending death.

Q3. What do the parting words of Kamala Das and her smile signify? The poet‟s parting words and her smile are a facade to hide her feelings of insecurity. The pale and senile appearance of her mother brings back her childhood fear of losing her mother. She can definitely experience the pangs of separation, yet she bids her farewell in a pleasant manner. She reassures her mother that all will be well and they would meet again. They also express the hope that her mother would survive till they meet again.

Q4. Why has the poet‟s mother been compared to the “late winter‟s moon”? The poet has used this simile as „the late winter‟s moon‟ looks too hazy and lacks brightness and luster. Similarly, the mother, who is now sixty-six, is pale and has a shrunken and ashen face. She is devoid of the effervescence and exhilaration of youth.

Q5. Why are the young trees described as „sprinting‟? The poet is travelling in a speeding car and the roadside trees seem speeding past or

sprinting in the opposite direction. The poet has contrasted the „young trees‟ which are moving fast to her mother, who is old and slow.

Q6. What were the poet‟s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?

The poet was torn apart by the feeling whether she would see her mother alive the next time or not. She hid her feelings by smiling reassuringly at her mother.

Q8. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children spilling out of their homes?

The young children spilling out of their homes represent the exuberance and vigour of youth. They are in complete contrast to the poet‟s mother. Perhaps the poet has used the image to bring out the pangs of old age.

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(FOR SELF-ATTEMPT)

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. …………….and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood‟s fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile (a) What was the childhood fear that now troubled the poet? (b) What do the poet’s parting words suggest? (c) Why did the poet smile and smile? (d) Explain, “that old familiar ache.”

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. …….and looked but soon put that thought away and looked out at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes,……….. (a) Name the poem and the poet. (b) What did the poet realise? How did she feel? (c) What did she do then? (d) What did she notice in the world outside?

CHAPTER 1 – THE LAST LESSON (FLAMINGO) (Short Answer Type Questions(2 Marks, 30-40 Words)

Q1. What was Franz expected to be prepared with for that day? Franz was expected to be prepared with the rules of participles for that day given by M.

Hamel as homework to be learnt. But, he did know the first word of it. As a result he

feared that M. Hamel would scold him.

Q2. What was Bulletin Board? What had been put on it? Bulletin Board was a kind of notice board that was famous for all the bad news such as;

draft, lost battle, order of commanding officers & other bad news. But the latest

information on the board was about the German rulers‟ order banning the teaching

of French in Alsace and Lorraine.

Q3. What was the order came from Berlin that day? The order that came from Berlin that day was about the banning of French language in

the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Now, French was going to be replaced by

German as a language.

Q4. What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?

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Plenty of changes could be seen on that day in the school. On entering the school,

Franz noticed that the day was as silent as of Sunday‟s morning. There was no noise

of opening and closing of desks, lessons being repeated, students were sitting silently

in the class & the back benches which always remained vacant were occupied by the

villagers & his teachers was wearing his unusual clothes that were green coat, frilled

shirt and black silk cap.

Q5. Why had the villagers occupied the back benches of the class that day?

The beck benches were occupied by the villagers to thank their master for his forty

years meritorious service. Moreover, they wanted to repent for their guilt for not

being regular and serious towards their mother tongue and country.

Q6.”We‟ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with” what did M. Hamel mean by this statement?

According to M. Hamel, both parents and he himself were responsible for the poor

performance of the children. Parents wanted their children to work on the fields or

at sawmill just for the sake of little amount and he sent children for watering his

plants and for holidays when he had to go for fishing and outing. So he wanted

people and him to reproach their doings.

Q7. What did Franz wonder about when he entered the class that day? When Franz entered class that day, he was expecting a scolding from M Hamel he

spoke very kindly and asked him to sit. Franz also wondered at the presence of

senior villagers occupying back benches of the class.

Q8. Why did M Hamel write „Vive La France!‟ on the backboard? M Hamel wrote „Vive La France!„ on the backboard to show his love for his country as

well as for the French language. In addition, he was displaying his resistance to the

German occupation of France.

Q9. What was unusual about M Hamel‟s dress on his last day in school? M Hamel had put on his ceremonial clothes on his last day in the school. He was

wearing a beautiful green coat, a frilled shirt, and a little black embroidered silk cap.

Q10 What tempted Franz to stay away from school? Franz feared a scolding at school as he had not prepared his lesson on participles.

Besides, the warm, bright weather, the chirping of birds and the sight of the

marching Prussian soldiers also tempted him to stay away from school.

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Q11. “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” (Franz). What were those words and what was their effect on Franz?

M Hamel told his students that it was their last French lesson as an order had come

from Berlin that henceforth only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace

and Lorraine. This announcement seemed to be thunderclap to Franz as he was

surprised and shocked on hearing them.

Q12. Who were sitting on the back benches during M Hamel‟s last lesson?

Why? Some of the elderly people from the village were sitting on the back benches during M

Hamel‟s last lesson. The villagers had come there to attend his last lesson as it was

their way of paying respect to the master who had given forty years of faithful service

to the school.

Q 13. What did M Hamel tell them about the French language? What did he ask them to do and why?

M Hamel told his students that the French language was the clearest, most logical and

most beautiful language in the world.

He asked them to safeguard the French language and never forget it because when people

are enslaved the only to unlock the key to their prison is by means of their language.

Q14. How did Franz react to the declaration that it was their last French lesson? The French teacher M Hamel announced that he would be teaching his last French

lesson that day because the orders had come from Berlin to teach only German in

schools of Alsace and Lorraine. On hearing this, all the students as well as Franz felt

very sorry that they would not be learning their mother tongue in future. Franz

regretted not having learnt his lesson.

Long Answer Type Questions(6 Marks) (120 – 150 Words)

Q15. How was M Hamel and different teacher while giving his last lesson? For a start M Hamel wore his formal suit on the day he was giving his last French

lesson. He did away with his dominating tone and spoke gently. Then assuming the

role of a mentor, he advised the villagers to change their priorities and pay more

attention to learning at school.

As a true patriot he displayed his love for his country and its language and called upon

the class to safeguard their language, French, which was the most beautiful and

logical language in the world. He did not even take Franz to task when the latter got

all mixed up when his turn to recite came. By the end of the class he was chocked

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with emotions and could hardly speak, so he took a piece of chalk and wrote on the

blackboard in large, bold letters, „Vive La France„ (Long Live France).

(FOR SELF-ATTEMPT)

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

Poor man! It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine

Sunday clothes, now I understand why the old man of the village were

sitting there in the back of the room. (a) Who referred to poor man and why? (b) Describe the fine clothes of the man? (c) Why were the old man sitting on the last benches? (d) Name the narrator.

WRITING SKILL (SHORT COMPOSITIONS 4 M)

1. Your school is organising a fete to collect funds for charity. Only school students

are eligible to put up stalls. As Head Boy/Head Girl of the Meera International

School, draft a notice in not more than 50 words to be put up announcing sale

of stalls giving all other necessary details.

2. You are Vikram/Vineeta, the Sports Secretary of Jawahamagar Public School,

Varanasi. Draft a notice inviting students to give their names for various events

to be organised on the Annual Sports Day of your school. (Word limit: 50 words)

3. Design a poster in not more than 50 words about the need for personal hygiene-

the need of the hour. You may use slogans.

4. Design a poster to launch „Tree Plantation Campaign‟ in the area surrounding

your school. Trees live for us. Let us protect our friends.

5. You are the Managing Director of Varun Enterprises, a leading garments export

house. You need accountants for your Meerut office. Write an advertisement for the „Situation Vacant‟ column of a local daily.

6. You want to sell your flat in Ashok Vihar. Write out an advertisement giving

necessary details in about 50 words.

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(LONG COMPOSITIONS 10 M)

7. Last week you attended a general Health Awareness Programme

organized by Health Club of Modern Public School, New Delhi. Being

a staff reporter, write a report to be published in the national daily. You

are Aakash/ Akanksha.

(APRIL)

L-2 Lost Spring (FLAMINGO) (Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks, 30-40 Words)

Q.1:- What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?

Saheb is a rag picker and he scrounges for 'gold' in the garbage. Gold here can mean

the yellow metal as well as anything valuable like used clothes, shoes, bits of metal,

plastic scrap, stray coins and currency notes. He belongs to Bangladeshi refugee

family which migrated to Delhi from Dhaka.

Q.2:- What makes the city of Firozabad famous? The city of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its bangles - the symbol of an

Indian women's suhaag. It is the centre of India's glass blowing industry where

families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making

bangles to adorn the wrists of women.

Q.3:- How is Saheb's name full of irony? Saheb's full name is Saheb-e-Alam meaning 'Lord of the Universe'. But Saheb is

poverty stricken, barefoot, homeless rag picker who scrounges the garbage dumps

of Delhi to take out a livelihood. His name is in total contrast to his very existence

and is thus deeply ironical.

Q.4:- Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry. The glass bangle industry in Firozabad is a disorganized sector with neither proper

infrastructure nor basic amenities. These are ill-lit and poorly ventilated; glass-

blowing furnaces have dingy hovels with high temperatures where children and

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adults work in unhygienic conditions, without protection to eyes and not proper

sitting postures makes them old early.

Q.5:- What forces conspire to keep the workers of Firozabad in poverty? There are lots of forces that conspire to keep the workers in the Bangle making

industry. They are lack of education and awareness, stigma of being born in the caste

of Bangle makers, vicious circle between the sahukars, middlemen, politicians and

fear of being beaten and dragged to jail makes the problem worse.

Q.6:- How in your opinion can Mukesh realize his dream? Mukesh in my opinion has already taken the first step to make his dream come true

by daring to think of a different life. He can definitely realize his dream if he breaks

an age-old belief by raising his voice against child labor and if he is determined to

come out of this vicious circle of the corrupt forces he can certainly realize his dream

to be a motor mechanic.

Q7. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing foot wear?

When the author asked the children why they were always barefoot, one said it was

because his mother had not pulled his shoes from the shelf while the other

explanation was that it was a tradition in their community to walk barefoot. The

author did not quite believe it and realized that it was their perpetual state of poverty

which was responsible for their moving around in that manner.

Q8.Why was not Saheb happy on getting a job?

Saheb was not happy on getting a job in tea stall for a salary of Rs.800/- per month as

he lost his freedom. He had to carry the stall owner‟s steel canister in place of his

bag. He lost his carefree look He was now no longer his own master.

Q9. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty? Lack of education and awareness, stigma of being born in the caste

of banglemakers, vicious nexus of sahukars, middlemen, politicians and police

suppresses the bangle makers and keep them poverty stricken. Broken spirit,

dormant initiative, fear of being beaten and dragged to jail, absence of leadership

are the other forces which conspire to keep them in poverty.

Q10. How did Saheb manage to embarrass the author?

The author like many others who gave hollow advice had told Saheb to attend school, only to

be informed that there was no school in his locality. She jokingly enquired whether

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he would enroll in her school if she happened to open one. Saheb happily agreed

and a few days later when he met the author he enquired about the school. The

author was embarrassed because the promise was not meant to be fulfilled.

Q11. „Garbage to them is gold.‟ Why does the author say so about the rag-pickers? More than 10,000 rag-pickers of Seemapuri live in squatters. For them is garbage is

gold and it is wrapped in wonder. For a child, it is their bread. Sometimes a child

can find a silver coin or more in a heap of garbage. For the elders it is a means of

survival.

Q12. Why does the author say that Seemapuri in spite of being on the periphery of Delhi was miles away from it?

The author remarks so to highlight the economic disparity between the people of Delhi

and the rag pickers of Seemapuri. The opulence of Delhi is in no way related to

the dire poverty of the residents of Seemapuri.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS( 6 marks 100-120 words) Q13:- Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do

you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the texts? Yes, I agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept. The rich or

educated who come in contact with the children who are engaged in the activity of

begging, picking rags, selling small objects, polishing shoes etc. interact with this

section of society more out of a sense of curiosity than a social obligation. They

make promises carelessly and without thinking, not to complete but to sow a seed of

hope temporarily. In the text same thing happens with Saheb when the author Anees

Jung encourage him to study and offers to join her school. It ignites a spark in him

and raises his hopes. However the promise which she made is never complete and

he has (Saheb) to live in the same bleak world.

Q14. Explain the significance of title „Lost Spring‟. In this lesson, the author Anees Jung examines and analyses the grinding poverty and

tradition that condemn children to a life of exploitation.

Saheb as a ragpicker whose parents have left behind a life of abject poverty in

Bangladesh. His family, like the many other families of rag pickers lives in

Seemapuri. They live in miserable condition. The writer is pained to see Saheb,

whose name means the ruler of the Earth, lose the spark of childhood. She then

proceeds to tell about Mukesh who does want to be his own master. Hailing from

Firozabad, the centre of India‟s bangle making and glass blowing industry, he has

always worked in the glass making factory. His family does not know that it is illegal

for children to work in such close to furnaces with such high temperatures. They are

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exposed to various health hazards like losing their eyesight as they work in dark and

dingy cells. The family of bangle maker of Firozabad are so burdened that they have

lost their ability to dream. The writer‟s observation is that these poor hopeless people

are but pawn in the games that are played by Sahukars, middlemen, the policemen,

the bureaucrats and the politicians.

The title is meaningful as they lost their spring (childhood). The writer has beautifully

essayed the story of stolen childhood with a view to sensitizing us to the plight of

these poor unfortunate children.

(FOR SELF-ATTEMPT)

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. “It‟s his karam, his destiny.” (a) Name the speaker and the listener. (b) Who is „his‟ referred to here? (c) What was „his‟ destiny? (d) Why can‟t „he‟ escape his destiny?

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CH-1 The Third Level (VISTAS)

(Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks, 30-40 Words)

Q1. What, according to the psychiatrist, was Charley‟s problem?

Charley told the psychiatrist about his belief in the existence of the third level at the GrandCentral Station but was told that it was only a waking- dream wish fulfillment. The

Psychiatrist also added that Charley was unhappy because of the insecurity, fear, war, worry and that he just wanted to escape just like everyone else.

Q2. What did the psychiatrist think about Charley‟s stamp collection? Why did Charley not agree with him?

The psychiatrist thought that Charley‟s stamp collecting was a temporary refuge from reality .Charley did not agree with him because his grandfather for whom things were nice and peaceful and who did not need refuge from reality also collected stamps.

Q3.How does Charley describe himself?

Charley describes himself as just an ordinary guy, thirty-one years old. He wore a tan

gabardine suit and a straw hat with a fancy band. He was just like other men he passed onthe road and he was not trying to escape from anything.

Q4. How did Charley make sure that he had actually travelled in the past?

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Charley went to the news stand and looked at the Newspaper,he saw that it was „The World‟,a Newspaper that was no longer published. He later discovered through Public Library files it was printed on June11,1894

Q5. Describe Galesburg, as it existed in the year 1894?

Galesburg was a wonderful town with big old frame houses, huge lawns, and tremendoustrees whose branches met overhead and roofed over the streets. In 1894, summer eveningswere twice as long, and people sat on their lawns, the men smoking.

Q6. What is a first day cover? When a new stamp is issued, stamp collectors buy some and use them to mail envelopes to themselves on the very first day of sale; and the postmark proves the date. They‟re never opened; they just put blank paper in the envelope. The envelope is called a first-day cover.

Q7. Who had sent the first day cover and what was written on it?

Sam had sent the first day cover. Sam wrote that he had discovered the Third level and had reached Galesburg .He found Galesburg peaceful and friendly .he advised Charley to keep looking for third level and reach Galesburg.

Q8. How did Charley happen to reach the Third Level of Grand Central Station, New York?

One day Charley worked for more time at office. So he was late for home. So he took the subway from the Grand Central to reach the second level of it. From there he was to catch a train. He started walking quickly. He reached the second level. But, all of a sudden, he lost his way there. He entered a corridor that had a left turn. It was also slanting somewhat downwards. It was like a tunnel. He met no one on the way. There was dead silence. Even he could hear the sound of his own footsteps. Then the corridor took a sharp left turn. After coming down a flight of stairs he reached the third level of the Grand Central Station.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS( 6 marks 100-120 words)

Q9. Describe the Grand Central Station at the third level?

Grand Central Station at the third level looked very different. There were fewer ticket windows and train gates. Information booth was in the center, it

was made of wood and was very old looking man in the booth wore green eye shade and long sleeve protectors. The lights were dim and flickering as they were open flame gaslights. There were brass spittoons on the floor.

Men wore Derby hats a black four button suit with tiny lapels and he had a big, blackhandlebar moustache. Men had beards, sideburns and fancy moustaches .Women wore dresses with leg of mutton sleeves .He caught a glimpse of a very small Currier &Ives Locomotive with a funnel shaped stack. He also saw a copy of the “The World‟,a Newspaper which hadn‟t been published for years.

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Ch-2 The Tiger King(VISTAS)

Theme Animals and birds are as much part of the nature as human beings. The destruction or

haphazard killing of one species may not only lead to its extinction, but it will adversely

affect the ecological balance. Those animals which serve as food for the wild animals, will

increase in large number, if the beast of prey are wiped out. Each species, howsoever

fierce, deadly, ferocious or poisonous has its role in maintaining ecological balance in

nature.

Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks,30-40 words)

Q1.What gave the astrologers the greatest surprise of their life while they were studyingthe horoscope of the ten-day old prince?

When the astrologers were reading the horoscope of the little prince, they were taken by surprise when the ten-day old infant asked about the manner of his death. When the chief astrologer told him that a tiger would be the cause of his death, the baby retorted with arrogance, “Let the tigers beware!”

Q2.Why did the Maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?

As the prince was crowned the king, the astrologer‟s prediction regarding his (the king‟s) death by a tiger reached his ears. This prompted the Maharaja to kill a tiger but the astrologer informed him that he had to successfully kill hundred tigers to escape the prophecy. Thus, in order to reach that mark, the Maharaja banned tiger hunting in the state except for himself.

Q3. Why did the Maharaja decide to get married? In order to defeat the astrologer‟s prophecy, the Maharaja had to kill a hundred tigers.

He had already killed seventy tigers and the tiger population in his state neared extinction. For this reason, he wished to marry a girl in the royal family of a state with a rich tiger population, where he would kill the rest of the tigers.

Q4. Why did the Maharaja double the land tax?

The Maharaja had successfully killed ninety-nine tigers but struggled hard to find the hundredth tiger. Once, there came a news of a tiger being spotted at a hillside village but it turned out to be untrue. This infuriated the Maharaja, who ordered the dewan to double the land tax in order to punish the villagers for the false news.

Q5. How did the Tiger King meet his end? What is ironical about his fate? The Tiger King met his end through the wooden tiger, which he had bought as a gift for his

son on his third birthday. While he was playing with his son, a splinter of the poorly made toy tiger pricked the king‟s hand. The infection turned into a sore, which spread all over

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his arm. In spite of the best surgeons, the king‟s life could not be saved. The irony is in the fact that in spite of killing nearly all the tigers in the area, he had to face his death by a toy tiger.

Q6. What, sort of hunts did the Maharaja offer to organize for the high-ranking

Britishofficer? What trait of the officer does it reveal? Tiger hunting was banned in Pratibandapuram. When the British official came with a tiger hunt request, the Maharaja told him that he may conduct a boar hunt, a mouse hunt, even a mosquito hunt, but not a tiger hunt. In reply to this, the British officer said that he only wanted to be photographed holding a gun and standing near the dead body; the tiger could be killed by the Maharaja. This shows the shallowness of character of the officer.

Q7. Did the prediction of the astrologer come to be true? When the Maharaja boasted about killing the first tiger, the astrologer said that he may kill‟

ninety-nine tigers, but must be “very careful with the hundredth tiger.” Yes, the astrologer was absolutely true in this prediction, because finally the Maharaja was killed by the hundredth tiger.

Q8. Why was the Maharaja so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger? When the Maharaja was barely ten days old, the chief astrologer had predicted that a tiger

would be the cause of his death. When the Maharaja was twenty, he killed one tiger. When he asked his astrologer, the astrologer said that he would kill ninety-nine tigers, but he should be fearful of the hundredth tiger. That was the reason why the Maharaja was so anxious to kill the hundredth tiger.

Q 9.How did the Dewan manage to arrange the hundredth tiger for the Maharaja? The Dewan had brought a tiger from the People‟s Park in Madras and kept it hidden in his

house. When the Maharaja threatened him with dire consequences, he understood that the only way to save himself was to „plant‟ a tiger for the kill. So, he and his aged wife dragged the tiger to the forest where the king was hunting. The king took aim and the beast soon collapsed.

Q10.Why was the Maharaja sunk in gloom even after having killed seventy tigers? During ten years, the Maharaja had managed to kill seventy tigers. As a result, the tiger

population became extinct in his kingdom. This made the Maharaja anxious because he thought he would not be able to achieve his target of killing a hundred tigers and so his life would be in danger.

Q11.When did the Tiger King stand in danger of losing his kingdom?

Once, a high-ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram. He was very fond of hunting tigers and being photographed with them. However, the Maharaja refused to give him permission to hunt tigers because he feared that other British officers too would turn up with the same request. It was because of his refusal that the Maharaja stood in danger of losing his kingdom.

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Q12.Describe the efforts made by the Tiger King to achieve his target of killing a hundredtigers. The Tiger King made numerous efforts to fulfil his target of killing a hundred tigers. He stayed in the forest for many days. He fired many of his officers for not getting him tigers. He had to spend a ransom of three lakh rupees to impress the British official and discourage him from killing the tigers. He even went to the extent of marrying to kill the population of tigers in the neighbouring state to meet his target. In a way, he did all he could to achieve his goal, of killing a hundred tigers.

Q17.How did the Tiger King celebrate his victory over the killing of the hundredth tiger?

When the Maharaja thought that he had killed the hundredth tiger, his joy knew no bounds. The elated king returned to his capital and ordered his staff to bring the dead tiger in a grandprocession. The tiger was buried and a tomb was erected over it.

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(MAY) LONG COMPOSITIONS FORMAL LETTERS (6 MARKS, 100-150 WORDS)

SAMPLE FORMAT

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1. You are Kavita/ Karan. You have noticed that nowadays, there is a mobile

phone in every child’s hand, even in schools. You feel that these phones are not

required at such an early age and should definitely not be allowed inside the

school premises. Write a letter to the editor of a national daily emphasizing the

same.

2. The National Institute of Computer Education (NICE), New Delhi has started a

special certificate course. You are Arun / Aruna, a student who has just

completed his/her class 11th

examination. Write a letter enquiring about the

course and asking for information about the fees, timings, duration etc. as you

want to join it.

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3. You are Sunil/Sunita of No. 19-J, Kalandi Colony, Nagpur. Six months ago,

you bought an air conditioner from M/s Vijay Sales, Kailash Market, Nagpur.

Now, you discovered that it is not cooling properly. Write a letter to the

Manager, Customer Care, complaining about the malfunctioning of the unit and

asking them to repair and if needed, to replace it.

4. You are Nalini/ Nishant, Hostel Warden, Jenith Public School, Agra. Write a

letter to the Sales Manager, Bharat Electronics & Domestic Appliances Ltd,

New Delhi, placing an order for a few fans and microwave ovens that you wish

to purchase for the hostel. Also ask for the discount permissible on the

purchase.

5. Write a letter to a Computer Manufacturing Company, cancelling an order on the ground

that the delivery date has not been kept. You are Anil/ Anita of 25-C, Janakpuri, New Delhi.

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L-3 Deep Water (FLAMINGO)

Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks, 30-40 words)

Q1. Which two incidents in Douglas‟ early life made him scared of water? When Douglas was three or four years old, his father took him to a beach in California. There he was knocked down by strong waves, was almost buried under water, and got breathless. Though he hung on to his father, he was quite frightened. Secondly, when Douglas was ten or eleven, a big bully of a boy tossed him into the deep end of the YMCA pool. He could not come to the surface, in spite of all his efforts, and became panicky. These two incidents made Douglas scared of water.

Q2.Why did Douglas prefer to go to YMCA swimming pool to learn swimming? According to Douglas, the YMCA pool was safer compared to the Yakima River. The river was quite deep and there were several cases of drowning reported about it. As against the uncertain depth of the river, the pool was only two or three feet deep at the shallow end. Though its depth was about nine feet at the deeper end, yet the drop was gradual, and Douglas could rely on it.

Q3. What efforts did Douglas make to get over his fear of water? After several individual attempts to overcome his fear, Douglas finally engaged an

instructor. The instructor built a swimmer out of him. But Douglas was not sure. To confirm that the terror would not strike him when he was swimming alone, Douglas decided to go to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire. At last, he made his terror fly away by swimming across the Warm Lake.

Q 4. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?

The misadventure of having a near-drowning experience left a deep mark on Douglas‟ mind. The phobia of water hampered all his joys of enjoying different water sports like

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fishing, canoeing, boating and swimming. He did not want to live with this handicap and so was determined to overcome his fear of water.

Q 5. What did Douglas experience when he went down to the bottom of the pool for the first time?

When the author was going down to the bottom of the pool for the first time, those nine feet felt almost like ninety feet. His lungs were ready to burst, but somehow he summoned all his strength and sprang upwards, hoping to reach the surface, but he didn‟t pop up to the surface like a cork, as he had imagined. When he opened his eyes he saw nothing but water, his hands too grabbed only water.

Long Answer Type Questions (6 Marks, 120-150 words)

Q 6. Douglas fully realized the truth of Roosevelt‟s statement, “All we have to fear is fearitself.” How did this realization help him brush aside his fear and become an expert swimmer?

Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that the fear of death can cause. Strong will, hard determination, courage and toil as well as honest labor won over all his terrors and fears. The will to live brushed aside all his fears. In reality all our fears are only psychological, and can be easily won over, if we can control our mind. This realization makes Douglas resolve to learn swimming by engaging an instructor. This instructor, piece by piece, built Douglas into a swimmer. However, his first step was to drive away Douglas‟ fear of water, before training him in swimming techniques. When Douglas tried and swam the length of the pool up and down, small traces of his old terror of water would return. So, he went to Lake Wentworth, dived at Trigs Island and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. Finally, he was certain that he had conquered his fear of water.

Q 7. Desire, determination and diligence lead to success. Explain the value of these

qualities in the light of Douglas‟ experience in „Deep Water.‟ The terror of water followed Douglas wherever he went. To get rid of it, he made a strong determination. He decided to overcome his fear through his “will.” He engaged an instructor who would perfect him in swimming. The instructor first helped him drive away his fear, and then gave him many exercises besides teaching him to exhale and inhale in water. The practice went on for months together, during which his fear came back to haunt him, but his desire and firm will made him persist in his- efforts. It was only through sheer determination and diligence that Douglas could not only counter his terror, but also become an expert swimmer. He swam across and back lakes to ensure that his fear of water did not return. He had now completely lost his fear. His desire, determination and diligence succeeded in banishing his fear of water.

Q 8. How did the instructor make Douglas a good swimmer? To overcome his fear of water, Douglas finally decided to get an instructor to learn

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swimming. The instructor started working with him five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor put a belt around Douglas. A rope was attached to the belt that went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. The instructor held on to the end of the rope and along with Douglas went back and forth, across the pool, hour after hour, day after day, week after week. On each trip across the pool a bit of panic seized Douglas. It took almost three months before the tension reduced. Then the instructor taught him to put his face under the water and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale. For weeks, his instructor made him kick with his legs. Until, he was able to command his legs at his will. In this way, piece by piece, his instructor made Douglas a swimmer. When Douglas perfected each piece, his instructor put them together into an integrated one. As a result, in nearly six months Douglas was able to swim, dive, and crawl and so on.

(FOR SELF-ATTEMPT)

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. “All we have to fear is fear itself.’ (a) Who said these words?

(b) When did Douglas learn this lesson?

(c) What does the given extract mean?

(d) Where was he at the moment?

P-2 An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum

Theme In this poem, Stephen Spender deals with the theme of social injustice and class inequalities. He presents the theme by talking of two different and incompatible worlds. The world of the rich and the civilized has nothing to do with the world of narrow lanes and cramped holes. The gap between these two worlds highlights social disparities and class inequalities.

Central Idea Stephen Spender has presented a true picture of the life of the school children living in the slum of Tyrolese Valley of Austrian Alpine Province. The children are in a very miserable condition due to their poverty and illiteracy. They are depressed. Their pale faces express sadness. They look lean, skinny and bonny. They are like rootless weeds which can’t resist anything for their existence. They are physically very weak and under nourished. Spender voices his concern for these children who live all their life in slums and have no opportunity to enjoy the real blessings of life. He makes a frantic appeal to the educated and affluent sections of the society to better the lot of the slum children through education. It will remove social injustice and class inequality.

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Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks, 30-40 words)

Q1. What change does the poet hope for in the lives of the slum children? The poet wishes for a better life for the children of the slums. They should have access to

education because education is the key to prosperity. They should be given countless opportunities to explore the world. They need to break free from the confines of their weak world into a world which should welcome them with open arms. The self-centered attitude of the affluent classes should be broken to relieve the children from all misery.

Q 2. To whom does the poet in the poem, „An Elementary School Classroom in a

Slum‟make an appeal? What is his appeal? The poet makes an appeal to his readers, especially the educated and well-off people, to

help the poor children of the slum come out and get free from their miserable surroundings. His appeal is that these children should be given quality education, because education holds the key to their emancipation.

Q3. The poet says, “And yet, for these children, these windows, not this map, their

world.” Which world do these children belong to? Which world is inaccessible to them?

The children belong to the world of poverty and misery in the dingy slum areas. The world of the rich, with all the comforts and luxuries of life, is inaccessible to them.

Q4. How does the poet describe the classroom walls?

The walls of the classroom are pale and dirty. They are decorated with the donated picture of Shakespeare, a scene depicting buildings with domes, a world map and beautiful valleys, which stand in sharp contrast to the dingy, dismal and gloomy atmosphere in which these slum children live.

Q5. What message does Stephen Spender convey through the poem? The poet wants that the children of the slums should get rid of their dismal lives. They should be educated and brought out from their ugly surroundings. He feels that it is the responsibility of the affluent classes to free these poor children from the life of hunger and misery.

Q 6. Why does Stephen Spender say that the pictures and maps in the elementary school classroom are not meaningful? The pictures and maps in the school are meaningless for the slum children because they stand in sharp contrast to the dingy, dismal and gloomy atmosphere in which these slum children live. These things have no meaning for those who are deprived of the basic amenities of life.

Q 7. Why does the poet Stephen Spender call the map a bad example?

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The map represents the beautiful and wonderful world outside. However, this world is beyond the reach of the slum children. Their hopes and aspirations are confined to their world of despair and diseases. So Stephen Spender calls the map a bad example.

(FOR SELF-ATTEMPT)

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. On their slag heap, these children

Wear skins peeped through by bones and

spectacles of steel

With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.

a) Who are these children?

b) What is their slag heap?

c) Why are their bones peeing through their skins?

d) What does „with mended glass‟ mean?

2. ….And, yet for these

children, these windows , not this map,

their world, Where all their future’s painted with afog.”

a) Which map is the poet talking about in the above lines?

b) To what do the words, “these windows, their world”, refer?

c) What sort of future do the slum children have?

d) Why is all their future painted with a fog?