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CENTRAL CLUSTER EXAMINATION-2024-25

CLASS XII

ENGLISH CORE (301)

TIME: 3 hours MAX.MARKS:80

Marking Scheme
SECTION- A (READING SKILLS - 22 MARKS)
Passage-1

1. a. (iv) to focus on overall development 12M

b. (ii) only B
c. In India, we have been taught from an early age that education is limited to the
boundaries of academics only and the idea of getting out into the field for gaining
practical experience is always considered a hoax. This has hindered students’
development in India.(2m)
d. the foundation
e. (iii) Option C
f. For the aesthetic development, such as team building, character building and
physical growth, a student should move out of the classroom and participate in
outdoor games. (2m)
g. visit industry
h. The co-curricular activities that take place outside the classroom but reinforce
or supplement classroom curriculum in some way, have become a point of focus
today.
i. (ii) B elaborates A
j.Any related /relevant title
2. Passage- 2 10M

a. (Any 2 / relevant)
Two potential benefits from the survey mentioned in paragraph (1) could be:
▪ Its impact on foreign direct investment (FDI), which reached a record high of
$81.72 billion in 2021 and liberalization of FDI rules in sectors like defence,
railways, and insurance. (2m)

b.
B) FDI reached a record high of $81.72 billion in 2021.

c. It's driven by factors like India's vast consumer market, with over a billion
people, accounting for roughly 18% of the global population.

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d. The Indian government introduced policy reforms and "Ease of Doing

Business" measures to facilitate the Make in India initiative, as mentioned in
the passage.
e. c) India becoming an export hub for automobiles.
f. The main difference between the Make in India initiative and the
'Atmanirbhar Bharat' campaign, as derived from the passage, is their focus
and emphasis. Make in India aims to transform India into a global
manufacturing hub, attracting domestic and foreign investment, while
'Atmanirbhar Bharat' focuses on promoting self-reliance in domestic
production and reducing dependence on imports.
g. India had become an export hub for automobiles, with foreign automakers
like Hyundai, Kia, and Suzuki expanding their manufacturing facilities.
h. False. The Make in India initiative primarily focuses on encouraging domestic
and foreign companies to manufacture their products in India and transform
the country into a global manufacturing hub. While it includes efforts to
improve the ease of doing business, this is not its primary focus.

SECTION- B (CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS- 18 MARKS)

4M
3. NOTICE: (To be written in a box)

Format - 1m
(Name of the issuing organisation, NOTICE (in uppercase), date, heading/ title,
details, signature, name & designation)

Content - 2m
● Drawing attention- students
● Stating the information
● Giving details
● Line with reference to the undersigned

Expression (Accuracy of spelling & grammar) - 1m

(1/2 marks may be deducted for two errors / spelling mistakes)

4. INVITATION/ REPLY: 4M

Format- 1m
A.Content- 2m
 Like an ordinary letter
 Do not use any formal expressions, but use informal words and
expressions
 Use first person (‘I’, ‘We’).
B.
Card type- formal invite:
● a single sentence presentation in third person/ end line punctuation skipped

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● use the simple present tense

● answers the questions who, whom, when, where, what time and for what
● includes name and address of the organiser/ host and name(s) of special
invitees
● no signature
Layout usually pertains to the following:
● Name of the host/ hosts
● Formal standard expression- cordial
● Purpose of invitation
● Date/ time of event
● Venue (address)
● Name of special guest (if any)
● RSVP
● Contact detail/ number

Expression (Accuracy of spelling & grammar)- 1m

(OR)
(1/2 marks may be deducted for two errors / spelling mistakes)
5. JOB APPLICATION/ LETTER TO THE EDITOR: 5M

A. Job Application
Format- 1m
Sender's address, Date (in expanded form), Receiver's address, Subject &
Salutation/ Salutation & Subject, Letter, Complimentary close (Yours truly/
sincerely/ faithfully) & signature

Content- 2m
● Covering letter
● Reference to the advertisement
● Conveying suitability for the position
● Submission of application
Biodata as separate enclosure
● Profile of self
● Educational Qualifications (include advertised requirements)
● Work experience/s, only internship/ part- time (if relevant)
● Hobbies/ Extracurricular activities/ Field of interest
● References
● Any other relevant information
● Declaration

Organisation of ideas- 1m
● Carefully structured content with organised paragraphing
● Conveying the ideas convincingly with appropriate lay out
● Formal tone, tense and vocabulary

Expression- 1m

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Accuracy of spelling, punctuation & grammar

(OR)
B. Letter to the Editor
Format- 1m
Sender's address, Date (in expanded form), Receiver's address, Subject &
Salutation/ Salutation & Subject, Letter, Complimentary close (Yours truly/
sincerely/ faithfully) & signature

Content- 2m (To be divided into 2-3 paragraphs)

 Improper disposal of garbage
 Various environmental issues
 Significance of segregation of garbage
 Role of local authorities
 Role of public
 Awareness campaign

Organisation of ideas- 1m
Carefully structured content with organised paragraphing
Conveying the ideas convincingly with appropriate lay out
Formal tone, tense and vocabulary

Expression- 1m
Accuracy of spelling, punctuation & grammar

(1/2 marks may be deducted for two errors / spelling mistakes.)

6. ARTICLE WRITING/ REPORT WRITING: 5M
A. Article writing:
Format- 1m
Eye catching Title & Byline- Name/ Designation of the writer

Content- 2m
● Introductory paragraph- Relevant topic sentence + expansion
● Development of topic (1 or 2 paras.) - Discussion of various aspects of the
topic- causes, effects etc presented strongly with evidence
● Concluding paragraph- Writer's opinion/ hope/ call for action/ warning
Organisation of ideas- 1m
Carefully structured content with organised paragraphing
Conveying the ideas convincingly with appropriate lay out
Formal tone, tense and vocabulary

Expression- 1m
Accuracy of spelling, punctuation & grammar
(OR)
B. Report writing
Format- 1m
● Headline & Byline- Name/ Designation of the writer
● Reporting place and date

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Content- 2m
Paragraphing organisation
(Introductory paragraph- Relevant topic sentence + expansion
Development of topic (1 or 2 body paras.) - Discussion of various aspects of the
event in detail
Concluding paragraph- Inclusive of witness accounts
The content should answer these questions
Who? - Name of event, sponsor organiser, special guests, if any
Where & When? - Date, time, place
What & How? - Event/ Programme details
What did those present think? - Observation/ comments

Organisation of ideas- 1m
Carefully structured content with organised paragraphing
Conveying the ideas convincingly with appropriate lay out
Formal tone, tense and vocabulary

Expression- 1m
Accuracy of spelling, punctuation & grammar

7 A
a.all.pall,ball,moon 6M
b.iii.blessing
c.ii.noun
d.The sahpe of beauty removes darkness from our spirit
e.True
f.a shady boon
OR
B
a.ii.The people will not destroy wild animals and nature
b..People will have time for their personal well being
c. deforestation /Destruction of forest and plant life’
d.Collecting
e. Wars with chemical bombs
f.false
8 A 4M
a.iii.exposure to the reality
b.the melting of polar of ice –caps or the retreat of glaciers.
c.True
d.The distance and the detachment from a problem can lead to indifference or
lack of concern
B
a.At Grand Central Station
b.ii.narrator himself

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c. The act of getting away from the place or an unpleasant situation

d.Charely is ‘I ‘ in the last sentence.
9 A. 6M
a.ii.Franz
b. The thing that surprised Franz the most was that the back benches were
occupied by the village people who were sitting quietly
c. it was his last lesson to the class
d. (iii) M. Hamel was in his special dress
e. The name of the lesson is ‘The Last Lesson’.
f. The word ‘fright’ means fear or dread.

B
a. (iv) The narrator lacks courage and confidence to enter the pool alone
b. admiration
c. The narrator was skinny and alone.
d.simile.
e. (ii) autobiography
f. The name of the lesson is Deep Water.
10 Answer ANY FIVE of the following questions in 40-50 words each: (5x2m) 10M
Content- 1m
.
● Full credit for appropriate inclusion of all content asked for
● Partial credit- ½ m for relevant but incomplete content
Expression- 1m
● Full credit for effective organisation
● Partial credit ½ m for some semblance of organisation of ideas
● Deduct ½ m for more than a total of 2 spellings and/or grammatical
errors

a. Value Points:
 Wedding band represents the unbreakable bond of marriage between the
wife and the husband.
 Contradict to that she was treated harshly and callously.
 She experiences the heavy weight of family life.

b. Value Points:
 Like other children of Firozabad, Mukesh too is born in a poverty hit family
in a caste of bangle makers.
 Likewise, he has also not received any education but instead, he is a child
labourer doing mind numbing work in the glass furnaces.
 But unlike his peers, his fire has not extinguished. Yes, he is a rebel in that
sense.
 He at least dares to dream of a different line of work and wishes to become
a motor mechanic.

c. Value Points:
 Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be

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heard out in the street, the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated
in unison
 But that day everything was as quiet as Sunday morning.
 M.Hamel was in his ceremonial clothes and the last benches which used to
be empty, were occupied by the village elders.

d. Value Points:
 No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. Life is a
continuous process.
 But we should find a moment of stillness to introspect ourselves. Total
inactivity means death.
 He refuses to associate with death.

e. Value Points:
 Gandhiji considered the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life
because it did not begin as an act of defiance.
 It rather grew out of an attempt to alleviate the distress of large numbers of
poor peasants.
 This episode released the peasants from the mortal fear of British landlords
and made them aware of their rights.
 They learnt the meaning of courage and self-confidence. This episode
proved to be the beginning of the cultural, social and economic
transformation of the poor.
 This was an attempt to fight injustice.
 So, it ignited the fire of patriotism among Indians which paved the path of
further movements which culminated in the final freedom of India from the
chains of slavery

f. Value Points:

 It is not so easy to find a reason for the huge success of the novel ‘‘The
Name of the Rose’’.
 As Eco himself calls its success a mystery.
 It is most likely that the detective story delving into metaphysics, theology
and medieval history interested the readers of that particular time period.
 It wouldn’t have been the same if written ten years earlier or ten years later
11 Answer ANY TWO of the following questions in 40- 50 words each : (2x2m) 4M
Content- 1m
.
● Full credit for appropriate inclusion of all content asked for
● Partial credit- ½ m for relevant but incomplete content
Expression- 1m
● Full credit for effective organisation
● Partial credit ½ m for some semblance of organisation of ideas
● Deduct ½ m for more than a total of 2 spellings and/or grammatical
errors
a. Value Points:

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 When Zitkala-Sa heard the sound of the first gong, she drew a chair from
under the table and at once slipped into it while all the rest at the table
remained standing.
 She was embarrassed.
 They were expected to sit on the chair on the sound of the second gong.

b. Value Points
 The Maharaja killed seventy tigers within ten years.
 When the tiger population became extinct in Pratibandapuram, he married
a girl from the state which had a large number of tigers.
 The Maharaja killed five or six tigers each time he visited his fatherin- law.
Thus, he was able to kill ninety-nine tigers.
c. Sam said the following things in his letter to Charley:
(a) I believe you were right.
(b) I found the third level
(c) I have been here for two weeks.
(d) The atmosphere of Galesburg is musical and peaceful.
(e) Keep looking till you find the third level and come here with Louisa.
12 Answer ANY ONE of the following in 120- 150 words : (1x5m) 5M
.
Content- 2m
● Full credit for sustained, clear, well-developed personal response that
appropriately justifies any argument
● Partial credit of ½, 1 & 1 ½ as per the response clarity and relevance
Expression- 2m
● Full credit for effective organisation- structure, relevant vocabulary
and effective relay of ideas
● Partial credit of ½, 1 & 1 ½ as per the level of coherence & cohesion
Accuracy- 1m
● Full credit for none to minimal errors
● Partial credit of ½ for spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors
● No credit for error density causing impediment in understanding
A. Value Points:
 A rattrap is a device to catch rats by deception.
 The world is compared to a rattrap which snares people with its riches,
joys, shelter, food and clothing.
 When one is trapped, everything comes to an end.
 The metaphor of rattrap reveals man’s helplessness restlessness, and
powerlessness in the face of situations that pursuit of joys and luxuries
land him in.
 Just as the bait of cheese and pork tempt and trap a rat, the peddler
yields to the temptations at the crofter’s cottage and then runs to
escape.
 The only difference is that for the peddler the world is a big rattrap.
 Though one cannot see the bars and wires, this rattrap entraps the
individuals like him so securely that one cannot escape at all once
trapped in the bait, all his aims and ambitions remain unfulfilled.
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 Several times one is not ever aware of having been trapped and thus
goes on receding deeper and deeper into the trap and loses all chances
of getting out.

OR
B. Value Points:
 Generally speaking, the personality of an individual is largely based on his
childhood experiences and exposures.
 Complexes and fears which are ingrained in the mind of a child continue to
stay with him for a long time and sometimes for the rest of his life.
 Therefore, by recounting a childhood experience of terror and his winning
over it, Douglas intends to give his readers a glimpse of the inner working
of his mind.
 His childhood misadventure kept alive the icy horror that grabbed his heart
for years to come.
 Even when he grew up he found himself inflicted by the same disability that
handicapped him during his childhood.
 His facing the adversity and conquering it with undeterred single
mindedness and firm determination reflects upon the possibility of man’s
conquest over his destiny.
 The incident stirred in him a sense of intrepidity and ignited in him a spark
of dauntless courage.
 The larger meaning that he drew from this incident is that it is not death but
the fear of it, that terrorizes us more.
 There is peace in death.
 Moreover, brooding over the past sucks our confidence one should face the
challenges with courage and defeat them
13 Answer ANY ONE of the following in 120- 150 words : (1x5m) 5M

Content- 2m
● Full credit for sustained, clear, well-developed personal response that
appropriately justifies any argument
● Partial credit of ½, 1 & 1 ½ as per the response clarity and relevance
Expression- 2m
● Full credit for effective organisation- structure, relevant vocabulary and
effective relay of ideas
● Partial credit of ½, 1 & 1 ½ as per the level of coherence & cohesion
Accuracy- 1m
● Full credit for none to minimal errors
● Partial credit of ½ for spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors
● No credit for error density causing impediment in understanding

A Value Points:
 Derry (Derek) is an abominable, ugly boy with a huge and deep scar on
one side of face.
 Nobody likes him, loves him or befriends him. He is rather an object of
other people’s hateful stares, ridicule and neglect.
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 Everyone dreads his ugly looks and avoids him, including his mother who
dare not kiss the scary side of his face.
 Yet this boy has a tender heart with a deep longing to love and be loved.
 There is one more such person Mr Lamb who is a lonely eccentric lame old
man, who lives in a neighbourhood house and parents don’t want their
children to go to him or to his garden to play.
 As a matter of fact Mr Lamb is a kind-hearted man who longs for company.
When Derek meets Mr Lamb for the first time he wants to run away from
him because he feels embarrassed about entering Mr Lamb’s garden
stealthily and fears that Mr Lamb too would make fun of him like other
people.
 However, to his pleasant surprise, the old man speaks to him in a friendly
manner and doesn’t seem to mind his coming to the garden.
 Derek is further surprised when Mr Lamb says that he is not as frightful as
believes himself to be.
 A little later Mr Lamb’s talk about his interest in anything created by God
including weeds and thorns makes little Derek like Mr Lamb.
 He has a good feeling for him.
 Mr Lamb’s conversation with him about everything and everybody being
essentially the same, draws little Derry towards him.
 His encouraging words. ‘‘You have got two arms, two beautiful eyes, two
ears and two legs.... You’ll get on the way you want, like the rest,’’ have a
magical effect on him.
 Before this Derek had only heard hateful, bitter remarks from people who
only pitied him.
 Slowly Derek is able to shed his complex about being ugly.
 He rediscovers the joy of life.
 He is able to enjoy the little things

B. Value Points:
 Yes, the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible on in
the circumstances.
 The supporting reason are as follows:
 The doctor wanted to get rid of the enemy soldier. His wound was
satisfactorily healed up.
 But he was reluctant to leave the doctor’s house. The servants had left the
doctor’s house.
 Hana, the doctor’s wife was the greatest sufferer from the presence of the
white man.
 She had to look after her children.
 She had to cook food for her family and the soldier.

 She had to serve food and other things to the soldier.

 She asked the doctor again and again what he was going with the white
man.
 The General promised the doctor to send his own private assassins.
 The doctor was uneasy and restless for three nights. But no assassin

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turned up in the three nights.

 The General had forgotten his promise. His family life was badly disturbed.
 He was mentally upset.
 The servants would not return to cook unless the white man left the house
of the doctor.
 Then, he forced the soldier to escape in his boat.
 He supplied him food, water, quilts in his boat.
 He guided him in the earnest way.
 Hence, it was the best possible solution in those circumstances to get rid of
the enemy soldier.

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