List of top Questions asked in CBSE CLASS XII

Memories of Childhood

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

I did not open my mouth to answer. Then the steps were quickened, and the voices became excited. The sounds came nearer and nearer. Women and girls entered the room. I held my breath and watched them open closet doors and peep behind large trunks. Someone threw up the curtains, and the room was filled with sudden light. What caused them to stoop and look under the bed, I do not know. I remember being dragged out, though I resisted by kicking and scratching wildly. In spite of myself, I was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair.

Journey to the End of the Earth

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

Human civilizations have been around for a paltry 12,000 years—barely a few seconds on the geological clock. In that short amount of time, we’ve managed to create quite a ruckus, etching our dominance over nature with our villages, towns, cities, and megacities. The rapid increase of human populations has left us battling with other species for limited resources, and the unmitigated burning of fossil fuels has now created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world, which is slowly but surely increasing the average global temperature.

The Last Lesson

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

I heard M. Hamel say to me, “I won’t scold you, little Franz: you must feel bad enough, see how it is! Every day we have said to ourselves, Bah! I’ve plenty of time. I’ll learn it tomorrow. And now you see where we’ve come out. Ah, that’s the great trouble with Alsace; she puts off learning till tomorrow. Now those fellows out there will have the right to say to you, ‘How is it; you pretend to be Frenchmen, and yet you can neither speak nor write your own language?’ But, you are not the worst, poor little Franz. We’ve all a great deal to reproach ourselves with.”

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

They thought he would demand repayment in full of the money which they had illegally and deceitfully extorted from the sharecroppers. He asked only 50 percent. “There he seemed adamant,” writes Reverend J.Z. Hodge, a British missionary in Champaran, who observed the entire episode at close range. “Thinking probably that he would not give way, the representatives of the planters offered to refund to the extent of 25 percent, and to his amazement, Mr. Gandhi took him at his words, thus breaking the deadlock.”

Mr. Lamb: “Oh, there’s a lot of things I’ve learned to do, and plenty of time for it. Years. I take it steady.”
On the Face of it
Mr. Lamb, despite his handicap, learned to be independent and has proved where there is a will, there is a way. As a motivational speaker, write a speech to be delivered to school students, highlighting how one should develop resilience and determination to achieve one’s goal, citing references from this story.
You may begin like this:
To remain resilient during difficult times, will help one move forward in life.}

Until then the Maharaja had given his entire time and energy to tiger hunting. He had no time to spare for the crown prince.
In the present times, we see people following their profession and running after money and neglect their children. As a professional counsellor, you address working parents, stressing the need to spend quality time with children. Take material from the story to reinforce your points of view.
You may begin like this:
Spending time with children will boost their confidence….

How can you say ‘Students on Ice Programme’ was a step towards the future?

Wars with gas, wars with fire, Victory with no survivors.
(Keeping Quiet)
Pablo Neruda in the above lines highlights the futility of war. Gandhi also brought about the change in the plight of the Champaran sharecroppers through civil disobedience and not violence. Write an article on the importance of peace and the right way to resolve issues.

Imagine you are Mukund Padmanabhan from the Indian
The Interview and you interviewed M. Hamel, after he finished delivering the last lesson. Write a paragraph on Hamel’s views on individual responsibility and nationalism.

Louisa behaves like a perfect wife. Give evidence from The Third Level in support of the above statement.

What was the servants’ reaction to Sadao’s decision of treating the American soldier?

What evidence from the text reveals that Rudyard Kipling did not walk the talk?

‘Soaf, you really should be sensible!’ What does Jansie’s advice to her friend Sophie reveal about their friendship?

“I was frightened, but not yet frightened out of my wits.” Says Douglas. Which qualities of the speaker are highlighted in the above statement?

‘And such too is the grandeur of the dooms; we have imagined for the mighty dead.’ Explain the inference you can draw from the phrase ‘mighty dead’.

Derry: “Oh no, because if I don’t go back there, I’ll never go anywhere in this world again.” (On the Face of it)
Derry later realizes that the decision taken at that moment helped him to come out of his shell. As Derry, write a diary entry expressing your happiness and thanking your stars for the right decision taken.
You may begin like this:
I was so fortunate to be able to be decisive at the right moment...

Lost Spring and {Indigo} highlight the apathy of society and exploitation by those in power. Elaborate.

Franz from {The Last Lesson and the peddler from {The Rattrap} demonstrate the importance of learning from one’s mistakes and rising up to evolve as a better person.
Write an article based on the two texts on how a man evolves after learning from his mistakes.}

Jack Finney portrays Louisa as a perfect wife. Give evidence from Charlie’s life in support of the above statement. (The Third Level)

‘With students of ice, he offers future generation of policy makers a life-changing experience…’ (The Journey to the End of the Earth)
What expectation of the narrator is reflected in the above line?

What evidence from the text reveals that Rudyard Kipling did not walk the talk? ({The Interview})

‘And such too is the grandeur of the dooms; we have imagined for the mighty dead.’ Explain the inference you can draw from the phrase ‘mighty dead’. ({A Thing of Beauty})

‘See you soon Amma.’ How are these words contrary to the speaker’s emotions? ({My Mother at Sixty-six})

“I was frightened, but not yet frightened out of my wits.” Says Douglas. Which qualities of the speaker are highlighted in the above statement? ({Deep Water})

When I sense a flash of it in Mukesh, I am cheered. How is Mukesh’s attitude of life different from that of his family and friends? ({Lost Spring})