ST.

JOSEPH SCHOOL (BAJAJ GROUP)

THAKURGANJ LUCKNOW
PRACTICE PAPER
ENGLISH PAPER 1
(LANGUAGE)
XII ISC
(Maximum Marks: 80)
(Time allowed: Three hours)
(Candidates are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the paper.
They must NOT start writing during this time.)
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Attempt all four questions.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].
(You are advised to spend not more than 50 minutes on Question 1, 40 minutes on
Question 2, 30 minutes on Question 3 and 1 hour on Question 4.)
(You should begin each answer on a fresh page.)
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Question 1
Write a composition (in approximately 400 – 450 words) on any one of the following subjects: (You
are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of
appropriate style and general accuracy of selling, punctuation and grammar.) [20]

(a) Write an imaginative description of a boy living in the year 2050 AD. Describe his surroundings
and daily routine.

(b) Narrate a situation when you felt that you should not have gone alone to a deserted place.

(c) We are happier than our forefathers. Write for or against the statements.

(d) Global Warming

(e) Reading begets ideas, and ideas govern the worlds. Express your views on the statements.

(f) Write an original story entitled: Redemption.

Question 2
(a) On the occasion of Diwali, your residential colony is celebrating ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS WEEK to encourage environment friendly practices to celebrate the
festival. Write a speech which you, as the Secretary, would give at the
commencement of the program. Base your speech on the following points:
Brief description of the schedule-each day of the week dedicated to a particular
environmental concern-various campaigns like ‘say no to polythene’, ‘each done,
 plant one', ‘control pollution', ‘say no to crackers'- visit to slums to create ‘green
awareness'-- competitions for school children-overwhelming response to the
initiative)
(You may also include other relevant details.). [15]
(b) As the Head Boy/Head Girl of your school you have been given the responsibility of
organizing Christmas Fete in the school premises. Write a proposal in about 150
words, stating the measures required to successfully organize this Fete. [10]

Question 3
Answer sections (a), (b) and (c).
(a) In each of the following items, sentence A is complete, while sentence B is not. Complete
sentence B, making it as similar as possible to sentence A.
[5]
Write sentence B in each case.
Example:

(0) (A) He always obeys his teachers.

(B) His teachers………………………

Answer: (0) His teachers are always obeyed by him.

(1) (A) Not only did he buy a desktop but also a laptop.

(B) Besides………………………………

(2) (A) The heavy showers of rain revived the plants.

(B) The plants……………………………

(3) (A) The men were forced to work although the light was poor.

(B) In spite of …………………………….

(4) (A) No sooner did we see a flash of light in the sky than we heard a loud explosion
near us.

(B) As soon as……………………………

(5)(A) As she has not brought a pen, she is writing with a pencil.

(B) Not………………………………………

(b) in each blank with a suitable word. (Do not write the sentence.) [5]

(1) If we set _______________ early, we can return before sunset.

(2) He left the company for good and set _________ his own business.
(3) The teacher jumped _________ a conclusion and punished the child.

(4) Ramesh jumped__________ my offer of a job.

(5) I am a simple man and have no use __________much money.

 (6) My father lost the use ____________ his right arm in an accident.

(7) Rahul decided to carry ___________ with tennis and give up volley ball.
(8) Dinanath is a good worker and is always ready to carry ________ his master‟s
orders.
(9) Reena agreed _________ me when I proposed a meeting.

(10) The four sisters could not agree __________ themselves.

(c) Fill in the blanks in the passage given below with the appropriate form of the verb given in
brackets. Do not write the passage, but write the verbs in the correct order.
[5]

The other day we ______(1)(discuss) the setting up of a Debating Club in our school. We
________(2)(talk) about the club and how many students ______ (3)(be) interested
in it. Then we ________(4)(begin) to talk about the rules and regulations
_________(5)(govern) the club. None of us could_______(6) (agree) and we began
______(7)(argue). Finally, our English teacher ______(8)(have) to be informed and
she _________(9)(come) and _______(10)(break) up the meeting.

Question 4
Read the passage given below an answer the questions (a),(b) and (c) that
follow:
In a little disrict west of Washington squares, at the top of a squatty brick house Sue and
Johnsy had set up their joint studio. The following Nov ember, pneumonia stalked the
locality touching many with its icy finger. Johnsy fell victim, and she lay, scarcely loving,
looking through the small Dutch windowpanes at the back side of the next break house.

The doctor in hushed whispers told Sue, “She has one chance in ten and that chance is
for her to want to live. Your little lady has made up her mind that she’s not going to get
well.” He padded, “I will do all that science can accomplish. But whenever my patient
begins to count the carriages in her funeral profession, I subtract 50 per cent from the
curative power of medicine.”
After the doctor left, Sue went into the workroom and cried a napkin to a pulp. Then she
swaggered into Johnsy's room, who’s going. She stopped, thinking Johnsy is asleep, but
as soon as she had arranged her board and started sketching, she heard a low sound.
The sound was repeated, she quickly went to the bedside of Johnsy who was wide
awake. looking out of the windows, counting backward.
Sue looked solicitously out of the windows. What was there to count? At the backside of the
brick house there was an old, old ivy vine, gnarled and delayed, climbed half-way up the
brick well. The cold breath of autumn had stricken its leaves from the vine and now the
skeleton branches remained almost bare. "What is it dear?" asked Sue.
Johnsy replied, in a faint whisper, “They are falling faster now. Three days ago they were
almost a hundred; only five leaves left now on the ivy line. When the last one falls I must go
to."

"Oh! I never heard of such nonsense,” complained See, "What have old ivy leaves to do with
your getting well?” “Try to sleep,” Sue added, “I must call Behrman up to be my model for
the old hermit miner.”
Old Behrman was a painter, living downstairs. He was past sixty and a failure in art. He had
been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it. Sue told him about
Johnsy's fancy Old Behrman, drunk as usual, shouted his contempt and derision for such
idiotic imaginings.
Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs. Sue and Behrman peered out of the window
fearfully at the ivy vine. The next morning when Sue opened the shade for Johnsy, there yet
stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf. It had endured the fierce gusts of wind the
whole night. It hung bravely some twenty feet above the ground, in its partial green and
yellow majesty. The following morning it still held its post.
Johnsy saif, “Sue, I have realised it is a sin to want to die. I want to live now and some day
paint the Bay of Naples.”
That afternoon, the doctor sounded positively, but he took Behrman along to the hospital.
The previous night he had got pneumonia too, perhaps he had exposed himself to the cold
wind and his feeble body could not bear the onslaught.

Johnsy's recovery began, but Behrman passed away. The caretaker of the building later
informed them that he was found lying unconscious with a palette with green and yellow
colours mixed in if, a ladder and a lantern. So Behrman had finally painted his masterpiece-
the last leaf.
(a) (i) Given below are three words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the
passage: [3]
(1) hardly
(2) soft
(3) healing
ii) For each of the words given below, write a sentence of at least ten words using the same word
unchanged in form, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the
passage: [3]
(1) board
(2) leaves
(3) branches
(b) Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:
(i) What was Johnsy's initial attitude towards her illness? [2]
(ii) What according to Johnsy was the connection between the falling Ivy leaves and her
illness? [2]
(iii) In what way is the last leaf really Bahrman's masterpiece? [2]
(c) [8]