CBSE Guess > Papers > Question Papers > Class XII > 2007 > Functional English > Delhi Set -I

Functional English - 2007 (Set I - Delhi)

SECTION A : READING (20 marks)

Q. 1. Read the following passage :

1. 1. Many of us hold the assumption - a taken for granted belief- that “small” is synonymous with “inconsequential” or “insignificant”. We believe that small actions and choices do not have much of a bearing on our lives. We think that it is only the big things, the big actions and the big decisions that really count. But when you look at the lives of all great people, you will see that they built their character through small decisions, small choices and small actions that they performed every day. They transformed
   their lives by working on their day-to-day behaviours slowly, steadily and consistently. Their personal and spiritual transformation did not occur in one giant felled swoop, or in one singular, spectacular action. It happened more through a step-by-step or day-by-day approach. They nurtured and nourished their good habits and chipped away at their bad habits, one step at a time. It was their small day-to-day decisions, their everyday choices and actions, that cumulatively added up to make
   tremendous difference in the long run. Indeed, in matters of personal growth and character building, there is no such thing as an overnight success.
2. Growth always occurs through a sequential series of stages. There is an organic process to growth and transformation that cannot be circumvented. When we look at children growing up, we can see this process at work : the child first learns to crawl, then to stand and walk, and finally to run.
   The same is true in the natural world. We cannot sow today and expect to reap tomorrow. The soil must first be tilled, and then the seed must be planted. Next, it must be nurtured and nourished with enough water and sunlight, and only then will it grow, bear fruit and finally ripen and be ready to eat.
3. Gandhi intuitively understood this organic process and used this natural law to his benefit. Gandhi grew in small ways, in his day-to-day affairs. He did not wake up one day and find himself to be the “Mahatma” (great soul). In fact, there was nothing much in his early life that showed signs
   of greatness. But from his mid-twenties onwards, he consciously, deliberately and consistently attempted to change himself, refortn himself and grow in some small way everyday. Day by day, hour by hour, he risked failure, explored, experimented and learned from mistakes. In seemingly small and lairge situations alike, he took up rather than avoided responsibility. Understanding that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”, he seized each day and made it count.
4. People have always marvelled at the seemingly effortless way in which Gandhi could accomplish the most complex tasks. He exhibited a level of self-mastery and discipline that was astounding. It would, however, be wrong to claim that these things came easily tohim. Many people saw
   him exhibiting his self-mastery, but did not see the years of practice and disciplined training that went into making his successes possible. Very few saw, up close and personally, his trials and tribulations, fears, doubts and anxieties, or his inner efforts to overcome them. They saw the victory, but not the struggle.
5. This is a common factor in the lives of all great people : by exercising their freedoms and choices in small ways, their ability to influence and impact their lives and their environment grows. Each of their small and seemingly insignificant decisions and actions, taken everyday, adds up cumulatively to have a profound impact in the long run. By understanding this principle, we can move forward, with confidence, in the direction of our dreams. Often when our “ideal goal” looms too far from us, we become easily discouraged, disheartened and pessimistic. However, when we choose to grow in small ways, and when we break down any great task into small steps, performing it becomes progressively easy.

Anand Kumarasamy

1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the following in your own words :

1. Mention two ways in which great people have built their character and transformed their lives ? 2
2. What according to the author is the universal law ofnature ? Give an example. 2
3. Mention three qualities and characteristic features that helped to make Gandhi the ‘Mahatma’. 3
4. How can we achieve our dreams and ‘ideal goals’ ? 1

1.2 Pick out the words/phrases from the passage which are similar in meaning to the following : 4

1. to destroy bit by bit (para 1)
2. avoid by going round (para 2)
3. a gut feeling (para 3)
4. deep, very strongly felt (para 5)

Q. 2. Read the passage given below :

It has taken a tsunami to bring the coastal areas and rural coastal communities - the country’s tail-end ecosystem and its marginalised people - into sustained mainstream attention. In normal times, there has rarely been so much coverage of fisher folk, other coastal poor and their problems in the media. The terrifying images of death and devastation along the narrow two-kilometre swathe of our southern coastline have left a lasting impression on civil society. It also brought to public attention the wide range of economic activity that has moved towards the coast. The debate on how to protect coastal lives and coastal ecosystems is now widespread.

There are four features of the coastal area ecosystem which makes it a particularly sensitive eco-zone. First, it is an “interface zone” where land meets the sea. It is therefore dynamic and non-static in its geo-physical and chemical parameters. Secondly, it has the highest primary productivity on the planet. Thirdly, it is the tail-end ecosystem and consequently receives all the negative externalities of terrestrial pollution. Fourthly, it is where the human population density is highest and is also home to several socially isolated and disadvantaged communities such as fisher folk.

Where once only isolated marine fishing communities existed, we now have a wide array of economic activity. These include five-star hotels, nuclear power plants, pilgrimage centres, coastal highways, aquaculture farms, shipbreaking yards, large chemical industry units, refinery units, sea cargo terminals, luxury residential colonies, fishing harbours, missile launching facilities and amusement parks. Many of these have entered the coast over the last two decades.

However with this expansion the original inhabitants are rarely taken into confidence. The rights of the original settlers have often been ridden over roughshod. The freedoms that they once enjoyed have been curbed and they have become the recipients of all the negative externalities of these new development activities - air and sea pollution, nuclear radiation, invasion of their cultural rights, to name but a few. Rarely have they been given adequate compensation for loss of their occupation, dignity, land and cultural rights.

The post-tsunami disaster vulnerability reduction measures (the relief and rehabilitation) - including those provided by the state, are neither a “pure public good” nor a “pure private good.” These measures often lie in the intermediate terrain between the two. A tsunami early warning system is near the public end and the quake and tsunami resistant homes near the private end. Other measures like community facilities are somewhere in between. It is, therefore, not just the quantum of disaster vulnerability reduction measures
but to whom they are provided, that matters most. We need to encourage public policies, which give priority to risk mitigation of those who are less able to acquire it privately because they are poor and dispossessed. Sustainable development of the coastal tract and greater entitlements and capabilities for the poor can be ensured only with a new structure of rights to an ecosystem which covers both land and sea.

John Kurien

1. On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on’ it using headings and sub-headings. Use recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary. 5
2. Using the notes write a summary of the above passage in 80 words. 3
   

SECTION B : WRITING (25 Marks)

Q. 3. The Literary Club of ‘Captain School’ is staging the play, ‘Othello’ in the school auditorium. You are Rosy/Rohan, Secretary of the Literary Club. Draft a poster giving details of the. staging for display in and around the school premises. 5

Or

Read the following information provided and write a factual description of the place referred to. You are Reena/Rishabh, an executive working for a travel company. Do not use more than 80 words. 5

Q. 4. You are Neena/Neeraj, Secretary of the Home Science Club of Pinnacle Senior School. You had placed an order for a consignment of articles of crockery. On receipt you find that some of them have been damaged and broken in transit. Write a letter to the Sales Manager ‘Kitchen Plus Solutions’ complaining about receipt of damaged goods. Request them to replace the damaged goods. 10

Or

A serious note needs to be taken of certain recent incidents in some institutions where first year students were harassed in the name of ragging. Some freshers even committed suicide. Write a letter to the editor of the local daily expressing your views on the issue. Give suggestions on how to curb the menace. You are Ankit/Anurima. 10

Q. 5. You are Vishu/Veena a budding journalist for a local daily. Write an article on
‘Play Time - the Vanishing Joy of Childhood’ b^sed on the input given below:

Playing - makes kids happier, fitter and smarter

Unstructured play - not high tech toys designed for academic enrichment Benefits - Important for physical, social and emotional well-being of children; bonding with parents enhanced; spontaneous group play helps to build negotiation skills. 10

Or

Meena /Mukesh Patil reads the given news item and decides to write a speech to be delivered during the English Day celebrations in her/his school. She/He decides to speak on the importance of learning English especially in today’s world where the world has become a global village. 10 (150-200 words)

SECTION C : GRAMMAR (20 Marks)

Q. 6. Rearrange the following sentences sequentially to make complete sense : 5

Making Gingerbread

1. After the eggs have been added mix the flour at low speed until the batter is smooth.
2. Next beat together butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes.
3. First sift together flour, baking soda, spices and salt into a bowl.
4. When the mixture is fluffy add the eggs one at a time.
5. Finally bake in an oven and cool.

Q. 7. You are Hilal/Heena and have just attended a talk by a doctor on how to tackle the heat during summer. Using the input given below construct a dialogue between the two of you. Make five sets of exchanges. The first one has been done for you. 5

Mini: Good morning, Sir.
Doctor : Good morning, Mini

causes heat stroke
body unable to cope with excessive heat

symptoms of heat exhaustion
fatigue, nausea, cramps, headache and dizziness

steps to avoid
stay in shade, drink fluids to replace lost salt and rest

difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion
when left untreated, heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, a more
serious condition that can be fatal

• guide to stay protected
• plenty of water, avoid caffeinated drinks

Q. 8. The following passage has ten errors. Identify the errors in each line and write them along with the corrections as shown in the example. 5

Alan Davidson

Q. 9. Lama T Phuntsok runs an orphanage in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Frame ten questions that you would like to ask him regarding his work based on the items given in the box below. 5

SECTION D : LITERATURE (35 Marks)

Q. 10. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow :

‘To bend with apples the mossed cottage trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells.
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o’er-brimmed their clammy cells’

1. Name the poem and the poet ? 1
2. Pick out the names of two fruits ? 1
3. Briefly describe the overall sense of abundance brought out in these lines. 2
4. Who does ‘they’ stand for in line 6 ? 1
5. What is the co-relation between ‘later flowers’ and the ‘bees’ ? 2

Or

Dumb

As old medallions to the thumb,
Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown -
A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds.

1. Name the poem and the poet. ? 1
2. What do’dumb’and’thumb’signify ? 2
3. Which literary device is used in the poem ? Give an example. 2
4. What are the two words used in the extract which express the meaning of a poem without saying anything ? 1
5. What are the qualities of a good poem according to the above lines ? 1

Q. 11. Answer any two of the following in about 50 words each : 4×2=8

1. Bring out the significance of the title of the poem ‘Curtains’ in your own words.
2. ‘Men who went out to battle grim and glad;
   Children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad,’
   Bring out the contrast signified by the two lines.
3. Bring out the love of Sally brought out in the panegyric ‘Sally in Our Alley’.

Q. 12. Answer any one of the following in about 80-100 words :

‘I see. You’re going to keep your vow then ? Very well as you please.’

1. Where have these lines been taken from ? Name the play and author. 1
2. Who says these words and to whom ? 1
3. What is the vow ? Why has it been taken ? 2
4. What happened when Alexander pleaded with Queen Mother ? 1
   Or
   Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. White and Mrs. White with reference to the monkey’s paw and their son Herbert. 5

Q. 13. Answer any two of the following in about 50 words each : 4×2 = 8

1. What was Iona Potapov’s state of mind as he waits for a fare? What did he want to do ? How was he finally able to achieve his objective ?
2. How was the deal between Jacques Roux and Robichon beneficial for both of them ?
3. What was the transformation in Asoka’s mind and heart as a result of the
   Kalinga war ?

Q. 14. Answer any one of the following in 100-125 words: 7
Comment on Einstein’s views on education briefly.

Or

How did Lisa meet Major Doronin ? How did their relationship blossom and how did it end ? What effect did it have on Lisa ?

Functional English 2007 Question Papers Class XII
	Delhi
	Set I		Set II