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BSEB Class 12 English Question Paper 2024

Board-pattern practice paper modelled on the BSEB 2024 Class 12 English (Core) paper: 50 objective marks + 50 subjective marks.

100 marks 195 minutes50 questions
Attempt a timed mock

Section A — Objective (50 marks)

  1. 1. Who said, 'A proper man is one who is not cruel and is true to his friends'?

    1. (A) Mahatma Gandhi
    2. (B) Dr. Zakir Hussain
    3. (C) Jawaharlal Nehru
    4. (D) S. Radhakrishnan

  2. 2. Who is the author of 'A Pinch of Snuff'?

    1. (A) H.E. Bates
    2. (B) Leo Tolstoy
    3. (C) S. Mulk Raj Anand
    4. (D) John Donne

  3. 3. 'I Have a Dream' is a speech delivered by:

    1. (A) Martin Luther King Jr.
    2. (B) Barack Obama
    3. (C) Nelson Mandela
    4. (D) Malcolm X

  4. 4. According to 'Ideas that Have Helped Mankind', what is the greatest invention of man?

    1. (A) The wheel
    2. (B) Fire
    3. (C) Printing
    4. (D) Agriculture

  5. 5. Who wrote the essay 'The Artist'?

    1. (A) Rabindranath Tagore
    2. (B) Shiga Naoya
    3. (C) Leo Tolstoy
    4. (D) Pearl S. Buck

  6. 6. 'A Child is Born' focuses on the importance of:

    1. (A) Education
    2. (B) Motherhood
    3. (C) Nationalism
    4. (D) Democracy

  7. 7. According to 'How Free is the Press', a free press is essential for:

    1. (A) Economic growth
    2. (B) Social reform
    3. (C) Democratic government
    4. (D) Cultural development

  8. 8. Mahatma Gandhi was a strong proponent of:

    1. (A) Violence
    2. (B) Non-violence
    3. (C) Imperialism
    4. (D) Communism

  9. 9. Dr. Zakir Hussain believed that the entire Bharat is his:

    1. (A) Ancestral land
    2. (B) Spiritual home
    3. (C) Kingdom
    4. (D) Possession

  10. 10. Who is the poet of 'Sweetest Love I Do Not Goe'?

    1. (A) John Donne
    2. (B) William Wordsworth
    3. (C) John Keats
    4. (D) Percy Bysshe Shelley

  11. 11. 'Song of Myself' is a part of a larger work by:

    1. (A) Walt Whitman
    2. (B) Robert Frost
    3. (C) T.S. Eliot
    4. (D) W.B. Yeats

  12. 12. The poem 'Now the Leaves are Falling Fast' deals with the theme of:

    1. (A) Joy and celebration
    2. (B) Love and romance
    3. (C) Mortality and decay
    4. (D) Nature's beauty

  13. 13. Who is the poet of 'Ode to Autumn'?

    1. (A) John Keats
    2. (B) William Blake
    3. (C) Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    4. (D) Lord Byron

  14. 14. The poem 'An Epitaph' is a tribute to:

    1. (A) A king
    2. (B) A common man
    3. (C) A poet
    4. (D) A soldier

  15. 15. 'The Soldier' is a poem by:

    1. (A) Rupert Brooke
    2. (B) Wilfred Owen
    3. (C) Siegfried Sassoon
    4. (D) Alfred Lord Tennyson

  16. 16. Macavity, the mysterious cat, is described as:

    1. (A) A loyal pet
    2. (B) A criminal mastermind
    3. (C) A circus performer
    4. (D) A detective

  17. 17. The poem 'Fire-Hymn' is associated with the religion of:

    1. (A) Buddhism
    2. (B) Jainism
    3. (C) Zoroastrianism
    4. (D) Hinduism

  18. 18. Who wrote the poem 'Snake'?

    1. (A) D.H. Lawrence
    2. (B) William Shakespeare
    3. (C) Charles Dickens
    4. (D) Thomas Hardy

  19. 19. The poem 'My Grandmother's House' evokes a sense of:

    1. (A) Adventure
    2. (B) Nostalgia
    3. (C) Fear
    4. (D) Anger

  20. 20. They ______ cricket when it started raining.

    1. (A) play
    2. (B) played
    3. (C) are playing
    4. (D) will play

  21. 21. She ______ that she was tired.

    1. (A) says
    2. (B) said
    3. (C) will say
    4. (D) saying

  22. 22. The letter was ______ by him.

    1. (A) write
    2. (B) writing
    3. (C) written
    4. (D) wrote

  23. 23. He is interested ______ classical music.

    1. (A) in
    2. (B) on
    3. (C) at
    4. (D) with

  24. 24. Find the synonym of 'benevolent'.

    1. (A) Cruel
    2. (B) Kind
    3. (C) Sad
    4. (D) Angry

  25. 25. Find the antonym of 'temporary'.

    1. (A) Permanent
    2. (B) Fleeting
    3. (C) Brief
    4. (D) Momentary

  26. 26. One who believes in God is called a:

    1. (A) Atheist
    2. (B) Agnostic
    3. (C) Theist
    4. (D) Monotheist

  27. 27. Choose the correct sentence.

    1. (A) He is good in English.
    2. (B) He is good at English.
    3. (C) He is good with English.
    4. (D) He is good for English.

  28. 28. The opposite of 'depart' is:

    1. (A) Leave
    2. (B) Go
    3. (C) Arrive
    4. (D) Stay

  29. 29. A person who writes poems is called a:

    1. (A) Novelist
    2. (B) Dramatist
    3. (C) Poet
    4. (D) Essayist

Section B — Short answer questions

  1. 1. What does the author mean by 'the mind is a wonderful washing machine'?

    2 marks

  2. 2. Why did the narrator in 'I Have a Dream' believe that freedom had not yet come to the Negroes?

    2 marks

  3. 3. What is the central theme of the poem 'An Epitaph'?

    2 marks

  4. 4. Explain the significance of the river in 'The Dying Detective'.

    2 marks

  5. 5. What message does "The Earth is a Battlefield" convey about humanity's relationship with nature?

    2 marks

  6. 6. How does the narrator in 'The Song of the Road' perceive the road?

    2 marks

  7. 7. What does the phrase 'splendidly and silently the stars of God appeared' suggest?

    2 marks

  8. 8. What does the speaker in 'The Soldier' mean by 'richer dust'?

    2 marks

  9. 9. Describe the atmosphere in the room of the dying detective.

    2 marks

  10. 10. What is the significance of the title 'The Song of the Road'?

    2 marks

Section C — Long answer questions

  1. 1. Discuss the central idea of the poem 'An Epitaph' by Walter de la Mare. Your answer should be around 150-220 words.

    6 marks

  2. 2. Explain the significance of 'A Tribute to Teachers' by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Focus on the role and impact of teachers as presented in the passage. Your answer should be around 150-220 words.

    6 marks

  3. 3. Explain the message of 'Politics and the English Language' by George Orwell. Discuss how Orwell critiques the misuse of language in political discourse. Your answer should be around 150-220 words.

    6 marks

  4. 4. Describe the plight of the narrator's family in 'The Portrait of a Lady' by Khushwant Singh. Focus on the changes that occurred with the advent of Westernization. Your answer should be around 150-220 words.

    6 marks

  5. 5. Explain the central theme of the poem 'The Soldier' by Rupert Brooke. Discuss his perspective on death in war. Your answer should be around 150-220 words.

    6 marks

Section D — Writing & grammar

  1. 1. You are Rajesh/Ranjana, a resident of New Area, Patna. Write a letter to the Editor of a leading newspaper about the problem of stray cattle on the roads of your city, which poses a serious threat to traffic and pedestrians.

    5 marks

  2. 2. Write a paragraph in about 100 words on the topic: 'The Importance of Discipline in Student Life'.

    5 marks

  3. 3. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. It is a process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits. Education plays a vital role in the development of an individual and society as a whole. It equips individuals with the ability to think critically, solve problems, and make informed decisions. An educated person is better able to contribute to the economic and social progress of their community. Furthermore, education fosters understanding, tolerance, and respect among people of different backgrounds, paving the way for a more peaceful and harmonious world. (a) What is the most powerful weapon to change the world according to the passage? (b) What does education encompass? (c) How does education help an individual contribute to society?

    5 marks

  4. 4. Translate the following Hindi sentences into English: (i) महात्मा गांधी का जन्म 2 अक्टूबर 1869 को हुआ था। (ii) वे भारत के राष्ट्रपिता कहलाते हैं। (iii) उन्होंने सत्य और अहिंसा का मार्ग अपनाया। (iv) उन्होंने देश को स्वतंत्र कराने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई। (v) उनका जीवन हम सबके लिए प्रेरणा का स्रोत है।

    5 marks

  5. 5. Change the voice of the following sentences: (i) The cat chased the mouse. (ii) She has finished her work. (iii) The book was read by him. (iv) Who wrote this letter? (v) They are building a house.

    5 marks

  6. 6. Write a composition on any ONE of the following topics in about 150-200 words: (a) The Role of Technology in Modern Education (b) A Memorable Journey (c) The Harmful Effects of Smoking

    5 marks