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Board Activity Sheet: February 2024

BOARD ACTIVITY SHEET: FEBRUARY 2024

ENGLISH YUVAKBHARATI
Time: 3 Hrs. Max. Marks: 80

Important instructions:
(1) Each activity has to be answered in complete sentence/s. One word answers will not be given complete
credit. Just the correct activity number written in case of options will not be given credit.
(2) Web diagrams, flow charts, tables etc. are to be presented exactly as they are with answers.
(3) In point 2 above, just words without the presentation of the activity format/design, will not be given credit.
Use of colour pencils/pens etc. is not allowed. (Only blue/black pens are allowed.)

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(4) Multiple answers to the same activity will be treated as wrong and will not be given any credit.
(5) Maintain the sequence of the Sections/Question Nos./Activities throughout the activity sheet.

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SECTION  I: PROSE
(Reading for Comprehension, Language Study, Summary and Mind Mapping)
Q. 1. (A) Read the extract and complete the activities given below: (12) [16]

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This is what Camus meant when he said that “what gives value to travel is fear” –
disruption, in other words, (or emancipation) from circumstance, and all the habits behind
which we hide. And that is why many of us travel not in search of answers, but of better
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questions. I, like many people, tend to ask questions of the places I visit, and relish most the
ones that ask the most searching questions back of me: “The ideal travel book,” Christopher
Isherwood once said, “should be perhaps a little like a crime story in which you’re in search of
something.” And it’s the best kind of something, I would add, if it’s one that you can never
quite find.
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I remember, in fact, after my first trips to Southeast Asia, more than a decade ago, how I
would come back to my apartment in New York, and lie in my bed, kept up by something more
than jet lag, playing back, in my memory, over and over, all that I had experienced, and paging
wistfully through my photographs and reading and re-reading my diaries, as if to extract some
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mystery from them. Anyone witnessing this strange scene would have drawn the right
conclusion: I was in love.
When we go abroad is that we are objects of scrutiny as much as the people we
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scrutinize, and we are being consumed by the cultures we consume, as much on the road as
when we are at home. At the very least, we are objects of speculation (and even desire) who can
seem as exotic to the people around us as they do to us.
All, in that sense, believed in “being moved” as one of the points of taking trips, and
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“being transported” by private as well as public means; all saw that “ecstasy” (“ex-stasis”) tells
us that our highest moments come when we’re not stationary, and that epiphany can follow
movement as much as it precipitates it.
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A1. Read and rewrite the following sentences and state whether they are True or False: (2)
(i) A traveller may sink in love with his travel-memoirs.
(ii) One gets inspected as he inspects the world around him.
(iii) Quest for something may end in more mystery.
(iv) Staying in comfort at home gives one more happiness than travelling.

A2. Match the persons given in column ‘A’ with opinions/characteristics given in column ‘B’: (2)

Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’

(i) Narrator (a) ideal travel should be like a crime story.
(ii) Camus (b) in love with his memoirs.
(iii) Isherwood (c) more happy when on move.
(iv) Traveller (d) fear gives value to travel.

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English Yuvakbharati
A3. Give reasons: (2)
“We are objects of scrutiny,” because _______
(i) _______
(ii) _______
A4. “Travelling is an interesting teacher.” Write your views in 3-4 sentences. (2)
A5. Do as directed: (2)
(i) I like to ask questions of the places I visit.
(Choose the correct tense form of the above sentence
from the following options and rewrite.)
(a) Simple past tense (b) Simple present tense
(c) Past perfect tense (d) Present perfect tense
(ii) I would come back to my apartment in New York.

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(Choose the correct option using ‘used to’ for
the given sentence and rewrite.)
(a) I use to come back to my apartment in New York.
(b) I have used to come back to my apartment in New York.

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(c) I used to come back to my apartment in New York.
(d) I had used to come back to my apartment in New York.

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A6. Find out the words from passage which mean: (2)
(i) reminiscence
(ii) exhilaration
B1. Language study- (4)
Do as directed:
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(i) Avneesh said, “Sanchit, what are you doing in the garden at this time?” (1)
(Identify and rewrite the correct ‘indirect
narration’ from the following options.)
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(a) Avneesh asked Sanchit what he was doing in the garden at that time.
(b) Avneesh wanted to know from Sanchit his cause of being there in the garden.
(c) Avneesh asked Sanchit whether he was present in the garden at that time.
(d) Avneesh asked Sanchit whether he was doing in the garden at that time.
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(ii) Neeraj Chopra may not participate in the world championship due to ankle injury. (1)
(Choose the correct option from the following sentences
which uses a more definite modal auxiliary.)
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(a) Neeraj Chopra cannot participate in the world championship due to ankle injury.
(b) Neeraj Chopra will not participate in the world championship due to ankle injury.
(c) Neeraj Chopra should not participate in the world championship due to ankle injury.
(d) Neeraj Chopra might not participate in the world championship due to ankle injury.
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(iii) Unless you are confident, you will not succeed. (1)
(Choose the correct option from the following options
to change the sentence beginning with ‘If.....’)
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(a) If you are confidence you will get success.

(b) If you have confidence you will get success.
(c) If you are confident you will not get success.
(d) If you are not confident you will get success.
B2. Spot the error and rewrite correct sentence: (1)
He prescribe medicine alongwith a few exercises to his patients.
Q. 2. (A) Read the following extract and complete the activities given below: (12) [18]
Love is a great force in private life; it is indeed the greatest of all things; but love in
public affairs does not work. It has been tried again and again; by the people of the Middle
Ages, and also by the French Revolution, a secular movement which reasserted the Brotherhood
of Man. And it has always failed. The idea that nations should love one another, or that business
concerns or marketing boards should love one another or that a man in Portugal should love a
man in Peru of whom he has never heard – it is absurd, unreal, dangerous. ‘Love is what is
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Board Activity Sheet: February 2024

needed,’ we chant, and then sit back and the world goes on as before. The fact is we can only
love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding
of civilization, something much less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
Tolerance is a very dull virtue. It is boring. It is negative. It merely means putting up with
people, being able to stand things. No one has ever written an ode to tolerance, or raised a
statute to her. Yet this is the quality which will be most needed after the war. This is the sound
state of mind which we are looking for. This is the only force which will enable different races
and classes and interests to settle down together to the work of reconstruction.
The world is very full of people  appallingly full; it has never been so full before, and
they are all tumbling over each other. Most of these people one doesn’t know and some of them
one doesn’t like. Well, what is one to do? If you don’t like people, put up with them as well as
you can. Don’t try to love them; you can’t. But try to tolerate them. On the basis of that
tolerance a civilized future may be built. Certainly I can see no other foundation for the

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post-war world.
A1. Choose two correct alternatives which define the theme of the extract: (2)
(i) Love is a greater force in private as well as in public affairs.
(ii) To rebuild civilization we need tolerance more than love.

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(iii) Patience is the solution in any sort of confrontation.
(iv) When you do not like people, nations or civilizations, you need to love them to
change them.

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A2. Complete the following table with the help of the extract: (2)
Give one merit and one demerit of ‘Love’ and ‘Patience.’
Love (i) ______________.
(ii)
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______________.
Patience (i) ______________.
(ii) ______________.
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A3. Write how we can build up a civilized society; with the help of the extract. (2)
A4. ‘Love and tolerance are the true indicators of a civilized person.’ Justify. (2)
A5. Do as directed: (2)
(i) It has been tried again and again.
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(Identify the correct Active Voice of the above sentence from the
given options and rewrite.)
(a) They had tried it again and again.
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(b) They has tried it again and again.

(c) They tried it again and again.
(d) They have tried it again and again.
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(ii) It is the sound state of mind which we are looking for.

(Identify the correct simple sentence from the given options and rewrite.)
(a) It is the sound state of mind and we are looking for it.
(b) We are looking for the sound state of mind.
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(c) We are looking for it but it is the sound state of mind.

(d) The sound state of mind is looked for.
A6. Match the words in column ‘A’ with their meanings in column ‘B’. (2)
Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
(i) Secular (a) feeling of great friendship and
understanding between people.
(ii) Absurd (b) a society which has its own highly
developed culture and ways of life.
(iii) Civilization (c) not connected with any religion.
(iv) Brotherhood (d) not at all logical or sensible.
(B) Summarising: (3)
Write a ‘summary’ of the above extract by using the following points.
(Love as a force – its limitations – tolerance – need of tolerance)
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English Yuvakbharati
(C) Mind Mapping: (3)
Prepare a mind map on ‘Effects of Music on Human Life’ using your ideas/thoughts/concepts to
illustrate.
SECTION II: POETRY
(Poetry and Appreciation)
Q. 3. (A) Read the extract and complete the activities given below: (10) [14]
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

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Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace

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Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

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How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
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So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
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A heart whose love is innocent!
A1. Select and write the two statements from the given list which justify the theme of the
poem. (2)
(i) The poet is blunt and direct in his expression of love.
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(ii) Internal beauty is as important as the external beauty.

(iii) The poet is in love with lady’s outward beauty.
(iv) Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder.
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A2. Complete the following web describing the various aspects of the lady’s beauty. One is
done for you at the centre place. (2)
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her hair her eyes

_______ _______
_______ _______
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Lady’s beauty -
a cloudless
starry night

her mind her smile

_______ _______
_______ _______

A3. Write your idea of ‘a beautiful person’ in your own words. (2)
A4. Find out and explain an example of ‘Antithesis’ from the given extract. (2)
A5. Compose a poem of your own in about 2 to 4 lines on the topic ‘Beauty’. (2)
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Board Activity Sheet: February 2024

(B) Appreciation: (4)
Read the extract and write the appreciation of the poem:

They hear no sound, the swell is strong;

Though the wind hath fallen they drift along,
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,-
‘O Christ! it is the Inchcape Rock!’

Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair;

He curst himself in his despair;
The waves rush in every side,

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The ship is sinking beneath the tide.

But even in his dying fear

One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,

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A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.

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SECTION III
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Q.4. Complete the activities as per the instructions given below: [16]
(A) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(i) Drafting a virtual message:
Manisha, a graduate girl, misses her college bus. Her father has gone for his regular
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morning walk. She needs his bike to appear for her entrance test. Draft a virtual message
in about 50 words that she would write to her father.
OR
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(ii) Statement of Purpose:

Imagine, after your HSC, you wish to pursue a degree in ‘Bachelors in Communication
Skills,’ in a reputed university in India or abroad.
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Prepare a ‘statement of purpose’ (SOP) in about 150 words which will help you to
get admission in your dream university.
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OR

(iii) Group Discussion:

Imagine, your class has attended a guest lecture on “Career Development.” Write the
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group discussion in the form of dialogues associated with this lecture among 3 to 4
student participants.

(B) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)

(i) E-mail:
Draft an E-mail to the manager of a company to request him/her to give you an
opportunity as an apprentice to serve you as an experience for your career development.

OR

(ii) Report Writing:

Imagine your class attended a session on “How to win?” conducted by an expert speaker.
Write a report on the session especially the relevant points in about 150 words.
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English Yuvakbharati
OR
(iii) Interview:
Imagine you have to conduct an interview of a ‘Famous Actor.’ With the help of the
format given below, draft questions on the given fields. (Do not change the sequence of
the questions.)

Name of the interviewee:

Field/Reputation
Date/Venue/Time
Duration of Interview
Questions
Questions based on:
(1) Motivation

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(2) Initial Preparation
(3) Support
(4) Idols / Gurus / Teachers
(5) First Break

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(6) Public response
(7) Recognition
(8) Goals/Dreams

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(C) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(i) Speech: lic
Imagine you are preparing for an elocution competition and you wish to speak on the topic
‘Green Revolution.’
Draft a speech in about 150 words on the given topic.

OR
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(ii) Compering:
Imagine you are given the responsibility to ‘compere’ a programme by your college
authorities. You need to prepare your script on the programme titled ‘Cultural Fest
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2024.’ Draft the script to decide the flow of the programme. You may take help of the
given points.
 Prayer  Lighting of the lamp
 Introduction  Felicitation
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 Cultural Fest Programme – Speech of the Chief Guest

– Presidential address – Prize distribution
– Vote of thanks
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OR

(iii) Expansion of Idea:

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Expand the following idea with the help of the points given below (100 to 150 words):
‘Manners Maketh Man’
Essential Virtues
– Politeness
– Speech, tone, gestures and action
– To be courteous and amiable

(D) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)

(i) Review:
You have recently read a famous book/magazine. Write a ‘Review’ on the same with the
help of the following points:
– title, front page, back page – language, features, contents
– Pictures, quality, presentation – Values, vision and variety
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Board Activity Sheet: February 2024

OR
(ii) Blog:
Write a ‘Blog’ in a proper format on ‘Body Language’ with the help of the following
points (100 to 150 words):
● Meaning and features. ● Characteristics and scope
● Benefits/Importance ● Uses/Ways to utilize

OR
(iii) Appeal :
Prepare an ‘Appeal’ on the topic ‘Traffic Rules for Safety Measures’ with the help of the
following points (100 to 150 words):
Ignorance and lack of knowledge and information

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●
● Purpose/need of obeyance
● Avoid accidents / need of society
● Discipline
SECTION- IV

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(LITERARY GENRE-NOVEL)
Q.5. (A) Complete the activities given below as per the instructions: (4) [16]
(i) Match the column: (2)

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Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
(i) Novel (a) Greek Romances
(ii) 18th Century Literature (b) Middle class readers
(iii)
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2nd to 6th Century (c) A long narrative fiction
(iv) Newspapers and magazines (d) Spirit of Realism
(ii) Choose the correct alternatives and rewrite the sentences: (2)
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(a) The novel that bears more than one level of meaning is called_______ novel.
(Realistic/Allegorical/Historical)
(b) _______ novel is concerned with the protagonist’s overall growth from childhood
to adulthood. (Bildungsroman/Utopian /Gothic)
(c) _______ novel is a novel based on the author’s life.
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(Epistolary/Psychological/Autobiographical)
(d) The novel based on an imaginary community possessing the ideal qualities is called
_______ novel. (Utopian/Epistolary/Picaresque)
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(B) Answer in about 50 words to the questions given below: (4)

(i) Write a character-sketch of the narrator E.R. Braithwaite in ‘To Sir With Love’. (2)
(ii) Consider ‘student-teacher relationship’ as one of the themes of ‘To Sir With Love’. (2)
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(C) Answer in about 50 words to the questions given below: (4)

(i) Appreciate Phileas Fogg as the protagonist of ‘Around the World in Eighty Days.’ (2)
(ii) The most interesting part of the extract ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ is its climax.
Discuss. (2)
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(D) Answer in about 50 words to the questions given below: (4)

(i) Mary Morstan encourages Dr. Watson to get involved in her case. Justify the statement
with reference to ‘The Sign of Four.’ (2)
(ii) Write the importance of various places such as ‘Holmes’ residence, Lyceum Theatre and
unknown destination with reference to ‘The Sign of Four.’ (2)

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Board Question Paper: February 2023

BOARD QUESTION PAPER: FEBRUARY 2023

ENGLISH YUVAKBHARATI
Time: 3 Hrs. Max. Marks: 80

Important instructions:
(1) Each activity has to be answered in complete sentence/s. One word answers will not be given complete
credit. Just the correct activity number written in case of options will not be given credit.
(2) Web diagrams, flow charts, tables etc. are to be presented exactly as they are with answers.
(3) In point 2 above, just words without the presentation of the activity format/design, will not be given credit.
Use of colour pencils/pens etc. is not allowed. (Only blue/black pens are allowed.)
(4) Multiple answers to the same activity will be treated as wrong and will not be given any credit.

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(5) Maintain the sequence of the Sections/ Question Nos./Activities throughout the activity sheet.

SECTION  I: PROSE
(Reading for Comprehension, Language Study, Summary and Mind Mapping)

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Q.1. (A) Read the extract and complete the activities given below: (12) [16]
I was quite happy getting into IIT, but my joy was short-lived. At Solapur, I had not seen
any building which was more than three storeyed. Mumbai however was full of skyscrapers. At

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IIT, most of the students and professors used to converse in English whereas my English was very
poor. I had my entire education in Marathi. My spoken English was quite pathetic. Not only did I
have a very weak vocabulary, but, my pronunciation also was terrible and my construction of
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English sentences very awkward to say the least. Due to all this, I was feeling quite lonely and
terrified in Mumbai in general and IIT in particular. I had developed an inferiority complex and
wanted to run away from IIT and even Mumbai.
One day, I was sitting at my mess table in the hostel sipping tea when a senior guy came
and sat on the chair adjacent to me. He was a convent educated guy with fairly sophisticated
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English – at least spoken or colloquial English. He was a bit arrogant and wanted to pull my leg.
He tried to engage in some conversation with me and started pointing out errors in just about every
sentence or everything that I said, After about 5 minutes he walked away after insulting me.
I felt extremely humiliated and upset. As it is, I was feeling quite depressed and diffident
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and this incident was the last straw. I was almost broken. I felt out of place there and literally
wanted to run away to Solapur that very moment. However, it was only my self-esteem which
stopped me. Suddenly, a feeling of determination and strength came over me and gripped me.
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A1. Choose and rewrite the two correct statements from the following: (2)
(a) The writer had his entire education in English.
(b) The writer wished to run away from IIT and even Mumbai.
(c) The senior guy was co-operative and he encouraged the writer.
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(d) The writer could overcome his feeling of depression with his own efforts.
A2. The writer developed an inferiority complex during his stay in Mumbai. Enlist the causes: (2)
(a) ____________________________ (b) ____________________________
(c) ____________________________ (d) ____________________________
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A3. Point out the qualities of the writer that you have come across while reading the extract. (2)
Negative qualities: (i) ____________________________
(ii) ____________________________
Positive qualities: (i) ____________________________
(ii) ____________________________
A4. Give any four suggestions to improve English communication skills. (2)
A5. Language study: (2)
(i) ‘I was quite happy getting into IIT, but my joy was short-lived’….
(Choose the correct alternative showing proper use of ‘though’)
(a) Though I was quite happy getting into IIT, but my joy was short-lived.
(b) I was quite happy getting into IIT, though my joy is short-lived.
(c) Though I was quite happy getting into IIT, my joy was short-lived.
(d) I was quite happy though getting into IIT, my joy was short-lived.

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English Yuvakbharati
(ii) ‘I felt extremely humiliated and upset.’
(Identify the correct exclamatory form of the above sentence.)
(a) What humiliated and upset I felt! (b) How humiliated and upset I felt!
(c) How extremely humiliated do I feel! (d) What a humiliated and upset I felt!
A6. Match the following words in column ‘A’ with their antonyms in column ‘B’. (2)
Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
(a) diffident (i) humble
(b) humiliated (ii) superiority
(c) arrogant (iii) confident
(d) inferiority (iv) exhilarated
B1. Non-Textual Grammar (3)
Do as directed:

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(i) Both the partners have signed this agreement in haste. (1)
(Identify the correct ‘Passive Voice’ form of the above
sentence from the alternatives given below)
(a) This agreement had been signed in haste by both the partners.

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(b) This agreement has been signed in haste by both the partners.
(c) This agreement have been signed in haste by both the partners.
(d) This agreement was signed in haste by both the partners.

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(ii) I asked my sister, “What can I do for you in this matter?” (1)
(Identify the correct ‘Indirect Speech’ form of the above
sentence from the alternatives given below)
(a) I asked my sister what I could do for her in that matter.
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(b) He asked his sister what he could do for her in that matter.
(c) I asked my sister what he could do for her in this matter.
(d) He asked my sister what she could do for her in that matter.
(iii) As soon as he left the house, he met with an accident. (1)
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(Identify the correct ‘No sooner ….. than’ form of the above
sentence from the alternatives given below.)
(a) No sooner does he leave the house than he met with an accident.
(b) No sooner had he left the house than he met with an accident.
(c) No sooner did he leave the house than he met with an accident.
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(d) No sooner do he leave the house than he met with an accident.

B2. Spot the error in the given sentence and rewrite the correct sentence. (1)
She has been worked in this office since 1996.
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Q.2. (A) Read the following extract and complete the activities given below: (12) [18]
The government of India is encouraging medical tourism in the country by offering tax
benefits and export incentives to the participating hospitals. Medical visas are being cleared
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quickly without any hassles. With a view to facilitating the growth of medical tourism industry,
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the Ministry of Tourism has set up a task
force to evaluate the opportunities in the industry. Efforts are being made to standardise
procedures and to guide foreign patients to select the hospitals most suited to their needs.
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Meanwhile, several private hospitals are seeking to take advantage of the booming medical
tourism industry and are investing hugely in acquiring equipments and skills.
However, medical tourism carries some risks that locally provided medical care does not.
Some countries like India, Malaysia and Thailand have very different infectious diseases rarely
found in Europe and North America. Exposure to disease without having built-up natural
immunity can be a hazard for weak individuals specially with respect to gastrointestinal diseases
like Hepatitis A, amoebic dysentery etc., which could slow down the recovery process. Also,
medical tourists may be at risk from mosquito-transmitted diseases, influenza and tuberculosis.
The quality of post-operative care can also vary dramatically depending on the hospital and the
country. Finally, after returning home, a patient has a limited contact with their surgeon. This may
make it difficult to deal with any complications that may arise later, such as a delayed infection.
The concept of medical tourism raises some important questions regarding
accessibility, affordability and ethics in medical care. It is unfortunate that a large section of
the Indian population has little or no access to private health care. Public health care system is

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Board Question Paper: February 2023

inadequate and lacks proper infrastructure and facilities. One wonders if it is sensible to make
provisions for medical tourism in a democratic country like India, which has failed to provide
nourishment, sanitation and health care to its masses.
A1. Complete the web: (2)

Infection of diseases possible

through Medical Tourism

A2. Complete the following statements with the help of information provided in the extract: (2)

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(i) Building up natural immunity is must for all because _______
(ii) The concept of medical tourism can not be much successful in India because _______
A3. Complete the following table with reference to the statement ‘Medical Tourism is a
mixed blessing’: (2)

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Positive aspects of Medical Tourism Hazard/Nagative aspects of Medical Tourism
1 1
2 2

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A4. ‘We need to promote the concept of Wildlife Tourism in India’. State whether you agree
or disagree with the statement. Mention any two arguments.
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A5. Language study: (2)
(i) ‘Govt. of India is encouraging medical tourism in the country’.
(Choose the correct present perfect form of the given statement.)
(a) Govt. of India is encouraged medical tourism in the country.
(b) Govt. of India had encouraged medical tourism in the country.
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(c) Govt. of India has been encouraged medial tourism in the country.
(d) Govt. of India has encouraged medical tourism in the country.
(ii) ‘This may make it difficult to deal with any complication’.
(Identify the replaced version of the statement using the
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auxiliary of certainty or definiteness.)

(a) This can make it difficult to deal with any complication.
(b) This might make it difficult to deal with any complication.
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(c) This will make it difficult to deal with any complication.

(d) This have made it difficult to deal with any complication.
A6. Identify the words from the passage with the following meaning: (2)
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(i) growing immensely (ii) threat

(iii) obtaining (iv) able to approach/possible to approach
(B) Summary Writing: (3)
Write a summary of the above extract with a suitable title, with the help of the given points/hints.
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● Govt. of India promoting medical tourism…

● Side effects of the medical tourism – Response of the Indian population – Prospects of
medical tourism in India.
(C) Mind Mapping: (3)
Prepare a mind map on the topic ‘Human Interest’ using your ideas, flow, design and structure.
SECTION  II: POETRY
(Poetry and Appreciation)
Q.3. (A) Read the following extract and complete the activities given below: (10) [14]
‘Canst hear’, said one, ‘the breakers roar?
For methinks we should be near the shore’.
‘Now where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish I could hear the Inchcape Bell’.
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English Yuvakbharati
They hear no sound, the swell is strong;
Thought the wind hath fallen they drift along,
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,
‘O Christ! it is the Inchcape Rock!”
Sir Ralph the rover tore his hair;
He curst himself in his despair;
The waves rush in every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
A1. Rearrange the following incidents as per their occurrence in the poem: (2)

ns
(a) Sir Ralph the Rover cursed himself in despair.
(b) The vessel strikes with a shivering shock.
(c) The mariner wished to hear the Inchcape Bell.
(d) Ralph the Rover heard one dreadful sound.

io
A2. Complete the tree diagram to describe the reasons that resulted in the sinking of the ship. (2)
Reasons for the sinking of the ship

at
A3. Accept any reasonably correct answer: (2)
A4. Poetic device: (2)
lic
The figure of speech – ‘Inversion’ the word order is changed for rhyme. Correct order should be:
‘The Rover could hear one dreadful sound.’
A5. Composing lines: (2)
[Accept any reasonably correct answer/lines]
ub
(B) Appreciation: (4)
Write the poetic appreciation of the extract given below:
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
P

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
et

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
rg

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
Ta

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
SECTION  III
(Writing Skill)
Q.4. (A) Complete the activities as per the instructions given below: (4) [16]
Attempt Any One of the following activities –
(1) Drafting virtual message:
Imagine yourself as Ramesh. You are required to go to Pune to participate in the national
level Chess Competition and hence you won’t be able to attend the class-test. Draft a
virtual message for your friend Sanket in about 50 to 75 words asking him to convey the
reason of your absence to your subject teacher.
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Board Question Paper: February 2023

OR
(2) Statement of Purpose:
You have a special interest in journalism. You are planning to go for a degree-course in mass-
communication and work in future especially in the field of crime-reporting. You have heard
about the reputed ‘Royal Institute of Mass-communication’ in the United Kingdom.
Prepare a statement of purpose in about 150 words to get admission in the Institute.
OR
(3) Group Discussion:
Imagine yourself as a participant in a group discussion arranged by an NGO working to
promote swadeshi. The topic is ‘Traditional food provide more nutrition to the children as
compared to the junk food’.
There are two more participants and evaluator to share their views. Prepare a set of dialogues.

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(B) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(1) E-mail writing:
You are looking forward to start a Computer Institute in your area. You initially need
20 PCs. Prepare / Draft an E-mail to the city-dealer of DELL Computers demanding a
moderate quotation for the same. (in about 100-150 words).

io
OR
(2) Report writing:
Your college has celebrated ‘75th Anniversary of our National Independence’ by

at
organising various socio-cultural activities between 13th and 16th August. Imagine
yourself as G.S. (General Secretary) of your jr. college and draft a brief report of the
celebration/programme for the local newspapers in about 150 words.
lic
(3) Drafting Interview Questions:
OR

One of the Ex-students from your college has recently been selected for the prestigious
NDA (National Defence Academy). He is specially invited to motivate the aspiring
ub
students of your jr. college. Imagine yourself as an interviewer and prepare a set of 8 (eight)
interview questions enabling your guest to share his experiences and opinions.
You may take help of the following points to draft your questions maintaining a
proper sequence:
P

Name of the Interviewee (Personality)

Area of Success/Reputation
Date / Venue / Time
Duration of Interview
et

His decision
His Idols / inspirations
Support
rg

Training
Difficulties
Challenges / Motivating experiences
Goals / Expectations
Ta

Message
(C) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(1) Speech Writing:
You are an active member of an NGO working for water-conservation. Prepare a speech for
the school children / students where you are invited on the eve of ‘World Environment
Day’ to guide them about water-harvesting. Your speech should not exceed 150 words.
OR
(2) Compering:
Imagine your school / jr. college has organised a farewell function for the students
appearing for H.S.C. examination. As a compere draft a script for the whole function
maintaining the sequence of the following points:
 Welcoming the guests  Introduction  Felicitation
 Important speeches  Concluding remark  Vote of thanks
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English Yuvakbharati
OR
(3) Expansion of Idea:
Expand the following idea with the help of the points given below (100 150 words) –
“Experience is the best teacher”
 It’s practical and not theoretical experience  Learn from situations
 Direct and first hand knowledge  Real life versus Bookish
(D) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(1) Drafting a Review:
Draft a review of any film/movie that you have recently watched. Prepare your
review with the help of given points.
 Name of the movie / year of release  Producer / Director
 Cast  Technical aspects: Music / photography
 Theme / storyline in brief  Your opinion

ns
OR
(2) Blog writing:
Write / Prepare a blog in about 150 words on the topic ‘Social media is spoiling the
spirit of Education.’ Focus on the adverse/negative effects / influence of social media
apps on the students’ minds.

io
OR
(3) Prepare an Appeal:

at
Prepare an appeal inviting the students to respond to the “Voters’ Registration Camp”
specially organised by the State Election Commission on the eve of 75th Anniversary of
our National Independence.
– Give appropriate slogan – Poor turn-out/low awareness
– Statement of appeal
lic
– Guest/Time/Date/Venue
– Arrangement of a special camp

SECTION- IV
(Literary Genre-Novel)
ub
Q.5. (A) Complete the activities given below as per the instructions: (4) [16]
(i) Match the following items from column-A with those from the column-B:
Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
(a) Oroonoku (i) Joseph Conard
P

(b) The Heart of Darkness (ii) John Bunyan

(c) Frankenstein (iii) Aphra Behn
(d) The Pilgrim’s Progress (iv) Mary Shelly
et

(ii) Choose the correct alternatives and complete the given statements:
(a) Novels with the elements of horror, blood-shed and mystery are called _______
novels. (Realistic, Gothic, Psychological)
rg

(b) The German word ‘bildungsroman’ indicates _______. (Letter, New, Growth)
(c) There are _______ essential elements of ‘Novel’ or ‘Novella’. (six, eight, eleven)
(d) Struggle between the opposite forces in the story is called _______.
(plot, conflict, setting)
Ta

(B) Activities based on the extract of the novel ‘To Sir, With Love’ (answer in about 50 words)” (4)
(i) Give the character-sketch of E.R. Braithwaite (the narrator). (2)
(ii) Describe how Miss Philips justifies the importance of P.T. to Denham (2)
(C) Activities based on the extract of the novel ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’
(Answer in about 50 words (4)
(i) Elaborate the following quote in the light of Phileas Fogg’s Venture…. (2)
‘Quitters never win and Winners never quit.’
(ii) Phileas Fogg knocked detective fix down – Give reason/s. (2)
(D) Activities based on the extract of the novel ‘The Sign of Four’ (Answer in about 50 words) : (4)
(i) Describe the significance of Mary Morstan’s visit to the Lyceum Theatre with Holmes
and Dr. Watson. (2)
(ii) Write in brief the theme of the extract of the novel ‘The Sign of Four’ (2)

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Board Question Paper: July 2023

BOARD QUESTION PAPER: JULY 2023

ENGLISH YUVAKBHARATI
Time: 3 Hrs. Max. Marks: 80

Important instructions:
(1) Each activity has to be answered in complete sentence/s. One word answers will not be given complete
credit. Just the correct activity number written in case of options will not be given credit.
(2) Web diagrams, flow charts, tables etc. are to be presented exactly as they are with answers.
(3) In point 2 above, just words without the presentation of the activity format/design, will not be given credit.
Use of colour pencils/pens etc. is not allowed. (Only blue/black pens are allowed.)
(4) Multiple answers to the same activity will be treated as wrong and will not be given any credit.

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(5) Maintain the sequence of the Sections/ Question Nos./Activities throughout the activity sheet.

SECTION − I: PROSE
(Reading for Comprehension, Language Study, Summary and Mind Mapping)

tio
Q.1. (A) Read the extract and complete the activities given below: (12) [16]
Soapy had confidence in himself from the lowest button of his vest upward. He was
shaven, and his coat was trim and his neat, black bow had been presented to him by a lady
missionary on Thanksgiving Day. If only he could reach a table in the restaurant unsuspected,

a
success would be his. The portion of him that would show above the table would raise no
doubt in the waiter's mind. A roasted mallard duck, thought Soapy, would be about the thing
ic
with a bottle of wine and then some cheese, a cup of coffee and a cigar. One dollar for the
cigar would be enough. The total would not be so high as to call forth any extreme of revenge
from the cafe management; and yet the meat would leave him filled and happy for the journey
to his winter island.
bl
But as Soapy set foot inside the restaurant door, the head-waiter’s eye fell upon his
tattered trousers and decadent shoes. Strong and ready hands turned him about and conveyed
him in silence and haste to the side-walk and averted the ignoble fate of the menaced mallard.
Pu

Soapy turned off Broadway. It seemed that his route to the coveted island was not to be
an easy one. Some other way of entering the limbo must be devised.
At a corner of this Sixth Avenue, electric lights and cunningly displayed wares behind
plateglass made a shop window attractive. Soapy took a stone and dashed it through the glass.
People came running round the corner, a policeman in the lead. Soapy stood still with his
et

hands in his pockets, and smiled at the sight of brass buttons.

“Where’s the man that done that?” inquired the officer agitatedly.
“Don't you think that I might have had something to do with it?” said Soapy, with a
friendly voice, as one greets good fortune.
rg

A1. Read and rewrite the following sentences and state whether they are True or False: (2)
(a) A lady missionary has presented Soapy a black bow on Thanksgiving Day.
Ta

(b) The head-waiter’s eye did not fall upon his tattered trousers and decadent shoes.
(c) A policeman was in the lead when people came running round the corner.
(d) The officer did not inquire about the man who broke the glass.
A2. Match the incidents given in column ‘A’ with the consequences given in column ‘B’: (2)

Column A Column B
(1) Soapy tried to enter a cafe. He stood up slowly beating the dust from
his clothes.
(2) Soapy broke a glass window. He wanted to get arrested by the police
(3) Two waiters pitched Soapy on the The cop ran after another man.
callous pavement.
(4) Soapy stood silent with his hands Strong and ready hands of the head-waiter
in his pockets. turned him around.
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 

English Yuvakbharati
A3. Complete the following sentences: (2)
‘His route to the coveted island was not to be an easy one.’
(i) Here ‘Island’ means _______________________
(ii) The island is ‘Coveted’ because _____________
A4. ‘Students should stay away from crime’. (2)
Write your opinion on the above sentence.
A5. Do as directed: (2)
(i) Soapy turned off Broadway.
(Identify the correct tense form from the following options and rewrite)
(a) The simple present tense
(b) The simple past tense
(c) The present perfect tense

ns
(d) The past perfect tense
(ii) ‘Soapy took a stone and dashed it through the glass.
(Choose the correct alternative to make it a simple sentence)
(a) Taking a stone Soapy dashed it through the glass.

tio
(b) Soapy took a stone to dashed it through the glass.
(c) Soapy has taken a stone to dash it through the glass.
(d) Soapy takes a stone to dash it through the glass.
A6. Find the synonyms of the following from the extract: (2)

a
(i) jail
(ii) old and worn out shoes ic
(iii) dishonourable
(iv) nervous manner
B1. Language study- (4)
bl
Do as directed:
(1) There were no boats to take the people across. (1)
(Identify and rewrite the correct transformation of the above sentence beginning with ‘If.....)
Pu

(a) If there were no boats, they wouldn’t have taken people across.
(b) If there were no boats, they would have taken people across.
(c) If there were boats, they would have taken people across.
(d) If there were boats, they wouldn’t have taken people across.
(2) He simply abandoned his sack by the stream. (1)
et

(Identify and rewrite the correct transformation of the above sentence beginning with
‘His sack...)
(a) His sack is abandoned by the stream by him.
(b) His sack has been abandoned by him by the stream.
rg

(c) His sack was abandoned by him by the stream.

(d) His sack had been abandoned by the stream by him.
(3) She said, “I have worked hard from childhood.” (1)
Ta

(Identify the correct indirect narration of the above sentence from the given options and
rewrite)
(a) She said that she had worked hard from childhood.
(b) She said that she has worked hard from childhood.
(c) She said that she worked hard from childhood.
(d) She said that she has been working hard from childhood.
B2. Spot the error: (1)
India pays tribute to Gandhiji for his birth anniversary.
Q.2. (A) Read the following extract and complete the activities given below: (12) [18]
“This is my birthday, sir,” explained Gopal timidly. “Wish you many happy returns,”
said the director promptly and added, “What if it is your birthday?”
“Rather a peculiar birthday,” explained Gopal. “This is my forty-ninth birthday.
Astrologers have often told me that I might not see this birthday, and if I lived to see this day
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 

Board Question Paper: July 2023

I should have nothing more to worry about, I have lived in secret terror of this day all my life.
Whenever I saw my wife and children I used to be racked with the thought that I should
probably be leaving them orphans. I came late today because we held some propitiatory rites
at home for the planets, and we celebrated my survival this day with a feast. My astrologer
has suggested that I do nothing unpleasant today, sir. I wish to treat it as a very auspicious
day, sir.”
The director was impressed. He turned to his assistant, who always shadowed him,
carrying a portfolio under his arm and commanded, “fetch the story-writer”. Presently he
arrived, his lips red with the chewing of betel leaves. He was a successful story-writer who
made a lot of money by dashing off plots for film people. He laughed aloud on hearing of the
problem created by the actor. He was not the angry type to feel upset at contrary suggestions.
He declared, 'Impossible to change the story. How can he refuse to die? I am busy."
He turned on his heel and started out. At the door he stopped to add, “Anyway, send for

ns
our boss and tell him about it.” The boss came running into the scene. He asked anxiously
“What is all this trouble about? What is it all about?"
Gopal sat in his chair unmoving: he was not allowed to shift his position even slightly;
continuity would be spoilt otherwise. He felt stuffy. The big lamp scorched his face. They all

tio
stood around and looked at him as if he were a freak. Their faces were blurred beyond the
shadows. “All of them are my Yamas,” Gopal thought. "They are bent upon seeing me dead."
A1. Arrange the following statements in a proper sequence as per their occurrence in the
extract and rewrite: (2)
(i) The director was impressed.

a
(ii) Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows.
(iii) Gopal explained timidly that it was his birthday.
ic
(iv) His lips were red with the chewing of betel leaves.
A2. Give reasons: (2)
bl
(i) Gopal's forty-ninth birthday was a peculiar one because _______________
(ii) He felt stuffy because _____________________
A3. 'All of them are my Yamas'. Explain the statement. (2)
Pu

A4. 'Superstition poison our minds.' Explain in your own words. (2)
A5. Do as directed:
(i) He laughed aloud on hearing of the problem. (1)
(Choose the correct change in the given options, if ‘would’ is used in the above
sentence).
et

(a) He would laughed on hearing of the problem.

(b) He would have laughed on hearing of the problem.
(c) He would laugh on hearing of the problem.
rg

(d) He would be laughed on hearing of the problem.

(ii) They all stood around and looked at him. (1)
(Choose the correct alternative to write it with 'not only … but also.")
Ta

(a) They all not only stood around but also looked at him.
(b) They all stood not only around but also looked at him.
(c) Not only they all stood around but also looked at him.
(d) They all stood not around only but also looked at him.
A6. Find out the antonyms for the following from the extract: (2)
(i) bravely
(ii) pleasant
(iii) accept
(iv) moving
(B) Summarising: (3)
Write a 'summary' of the above extract by using the following points.
Gopal's birthday _______ Astrologers' prediction _______. The director's impression_______
The boss _______ Gopal's thought.

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 

English Yuvakbharati
(C) Mind Mapping: (3)
Develop a mind map on 'My Future Goals'. Frame / design using your ideas / thoughts /
concepts to illustrate.
SECTION II: POETRY
(Poetry and Appreciation)
Q. 3. (A) Read the extract and complete the activities given below: (10) [14]
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The ship was as still as she could be,
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock

ns
The waves flow'd over Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.

tio
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung.
And over the waves its warning rung.

a
When the Rock was hid by the surge's swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
ic
A1. Describe the scene in the beginning of the poem. (2)
bl
A2. Give reasons: (2)
(i) The ship was still at sea because ____________
Pu

(ii) The Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed the bell on the Inchcape Rock so ____________
A3. Write two incidents/ occasions on which you helped other people. (2)
A4. Give the rhyming pairs and rhyme scheme from stanza 2 from the extract. (2)
A5. Compose four lines of your own on 'Sea'. (2)
et

(B) Appreciation: (4)

Read the extract and write the appreciation of the poem:
When I had money, money, O!
rg

I knew no joy till I went poor;

For many a false man as a friend
Came knocking all day at my door.
Ta

Then felt I like a child that holds

A trumpet that he must not blow
Because a man is dead; I dared
Not speak to let this false world know.
Much have I thought of life, and seen
How poor men's hearts are ever light;
And how their wives do hum like bees
About their work from morn till night.
So, when I hear these poor ones laugh,
And see the rich ones coldly frown
Poor men, think I, need not go up
So much as rich men should come down.
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 

Board Question Paper: July 2023

SECTION − III
(Writing Skill)
Q.4. Complete the activities as per the instructions given below: [16]
(A) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(1) Drafting a virtual message:
Imagine, you have been late to attend your ‘Piano Class’. Draft a message in about 50
words to convey the same to your Piano teacher. Give your own reasons to support your
message.
OR
(2) Statement of Purpose:
Imagine after passing the HSC exam, you wish to take admission for a degree course in

ns
B.B.A. in a reputed university in India or abroad which would boost your career.
Prepare a statement of purpose in about 150 words which will help you to get
admission in your dream university.
OR

tio
(3) Group Discussion:
Imagine, you have a great concern for environmental issues. ‘Water’ is one of the
necessities of life. ‘No. water, No life.’
You have recently witnessed a group discussion on 'Save Water' participated by

a
three members of water conservationists on TV. Write the same group discussion in the
form of dialogues for three participants. Add an evaluator also.
ic
(B) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(1) E-mail:
Draft an E-mail to the owner of 'Sports Store'. As a sportsman, inquire about your
bl
requirements and all the possible supporting information that you wish to acquire from
the store owner through E-mail. (in about 150 words).
Pu

OR
(2) Report Writing:
Imagine, your Jr. College has recently organised Annual Prize Distribution Function.
‘You are the editor of the 'College Magazine’. Write a report on the function in about 150
words.
et

OR
(3) Interview:
Imagine, you have to conduct an interview of a well- known writer. With the help of the
rg

format given below, draft questions on the given fields. (Do not change the sequence of
the questions.)
Name of the interviewee:
Ta

Field/reputation
Date/venue/time
Duration of interview
Questions
Questions based on:
(1) Early life/struggle
(2) Hurdles in education
(3) Role model/inspiration
(4) Family support
(5) First success / achievement
(6) Success plan
(7) Dreams unfulfilled
(8) Message

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 

English Yuvakbharati
(C) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)
(1) Speech:
Imagine you have taken part in an ‘Elocution Competition’. You have selected the topic
‘Importance of Science and Technology’.
Draft a speech in about 150 words that you wish to deliver before the audience.
OR
(2) Compering:
Imagine, you are given an opportunity to compere a programme ‘World Environment
Day’ in your college. As a compere, draft the whole programme script deciding the flow
of the overall programme. You may take help of the given points.
[prayer, welcome, introduction, felicitation, speakers’ participation, presidential address,
vote of thanks.]

ns
OR
(3) Expansion of Idea:
Expand the following idea with the help of the points given below (100/150 words):
‘Actions speak louder than words’

tio
– Focus on actions
– Words are useless where there is no action.
– Actions lead to success / result.
(D) Attempt ‘Any One’ of the following activities: (4)

a
(1) Review:
You have recently seen a ‘Short Film’. Write a 'Review' on the same with the help of the
following points:
•
•
Title of the film
Subject/story/plot
ic
bl
• Presentation/photography/music
• Message
OR
Pu

(2) Blog:
Write a ‘Blog’ in a proper format on ‘Personality Development’ with the help of the
following points (100/ 150 words):
• Need of personality development
• Importance of communication skill
et

• Aspects of personality development

• Dressing sense
OR
rg

(3) Appeal:
Prepare an ‘Appeal’ on the topic ‘Prevent the spread of corona virus’ with the help of the
following points (100/150 words):
• Wear mask
Ta

• Hands sanitization
• Social distancing
• Healthy food
SECTION-IV
(LITERARY GENRE - NOVEL)
Q.5. (A) Complete the activities given below as per the instructions: (4) [16]
(i) Match the columns: (2)
Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
(a) The Heart of Darkness (i) John Steinbeck
(b) The Turn of the Screw (ii) Thomas Mann
(c) Death in Venice (iii) Joseph Conrad
(d) Pearl (iv) Henry James

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 

Board Question Paper: July 2023

(ii) Choose the correct alternatives and rewrite the sentences: (2)
(a) The central idea in the novel is _______. [plot / theme / story]
(b) The main character in the novel is referred to as _______.
[antagonist / clown / protagonist]
(c) The struggle between the opposite forces in the story is called _______.
[setting / character / conflict]
(d) Language and techniques used in the novel is known as _______.
[manner / style / texture]
(B) Answer in about 50 words to the questions given below: (4)
(i) Explain how the setting of the extract “To Sir’ with Love” contributes to the theme of
the novel. (2)
(ii) Describe in brief the plot of the extract from "To Sir, with Love". (2)

ns
(C) Answer in about 50 words to the questions given below: (4)
(i) Describe the character-sketch of Phileas Fogg from the extract of the novel “Around
the World in Eighty Days.” (2)
(ii) Compare the characters Passepartout and detective Fix from the extract of the novel

tio
"Around the World in Eighty Days." (2)
(D) (i) Arrange the sentences in correct sequence as per their occurrence in the extract
‘The Sign of Four’. (2) (4)
Jumbled sentences/incidents:
(a) Holmes put a revolver in his pocket.

a
(b) Mary received a large and lustrous pearl through the post.
(c) Mary's father was an officer in an Indian regiment.
ic
(d) Mary Morstan was a well-dressed young lady.
(ii) Discuss the importance of the following statements in the light of the extract “The Sign
of Four.” (2)
bl
The trio-Holmes, Dr. Watson and Mary decide to visit Lyceum Theatre.
Pu
et
rg
Ta

7
 

Board Question Paper: February 2020

BOARD QUESTION PAPER: FEBRUARY 2020

ENGLISH YUVAKBHARATI
Time: 3 Hours Max. Marks: 80

SECTION  I
(Reading Skills, Grammar, Vocabulary, Note-making and Summary)
Q.1. (A) Read the first activity, read the extract and then do all the activities: (12) [15]
A1. True / False ––
Read the following sentences and write down true sentences: (2)
(1) Everyone gathered late at the gate of the garden.
(2) Everyone emptied their sacks of the fruits they had collected earlier.
(3) People walked up to their king happily.
(4) The steam was narrow, but the current was strong.

Right on time the next day, everyone gathered at the gate of the garden. At the time
king had told them, the guards opened the gates and handed out the sacks. Men, women and
children started roaming around the beautiful garden. They spotted juicy apples and plump
mangoes hanging from the trees. They picked these till they saw ripe pomegranates bursting
with juice, grapes and colourful flowers no one had seen before. People went about picking
whatever they wished for and filling their sacks with them.
But as they walked further into the garden it become wilder, more like a forest, and
there they saw trees laden with apples of gold, mangoes of silver and flowers studded with
gems and jewels!
Everyone emptied their sacks of the fruits they had collected earlier and flowers. They
all forgot that they had said they had more than enough for their needs at home. Greed took
over their minds and all they could think about was adding more and more valuables to their
sacks. The fruits which they had picked earlier, and had tasted to be as sweet as nectar, now
lay in heaps around the garden-forgotten and left to rot.
Then with their sacks filled right to the top, the citizens made their way to the rear gate
of the garden where the king was waiting. But what was this? To their astonishment they
found a raging stream stopping their way. Water gushed down from behind some rocks and
rushed over pebbles and big boulders through the garden. The stream was narrow, but the
current was strong. There were no boats to take the people across. Clearly, the only way was
to swim. But how could they swim with such heavy sacks filled with gold and silver fruits
and flowers?
The people stood by the stream for a long time scratching their heads. Then one young
man did what they all knew needed too done. He simply abandoned his sack by the stream,
waded into the water, then swam across to the other side. Slowly the others to followed suit.
Sadly, some wailing in distress, they left their sacks filled with what they had thought was the
riches of a lifetime, and dived into the stream. Then they walked up to their king – wet,
unhappy and angry.
A2. Find out the reasons – (2)
Find out the reasons for the following statements:
(i) Everyone emptied their sacks of fruits they had collected earlier _____ .
(ii) The people stood by the stream for a long time scratching their heads_____ .
A3. Point out –– (2)
Point out two instances from the passage showing greedy nature of people.
(i) ______________________________________________________
(ii) ______________________________________________________
A4. Pick out –– (2)
Pick out the qualifying words from the extract for the following nouns:
(i) mangoes (ii) apples (iii) pomegranates (iv) flowers
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English Yuvakbharati
A5. Personal response: (2)
“Greed for money is the common tendency of people.’’ Explain in brief.
A6. Grammar –– (2)
Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) They spotted juicy apples and plump mangoes hanging from the trees.
(Rewrite using ‘‘not only… but also’’.)
(ii) Everyone gathered at the gate of the garden.
(Frame a Wh-question to get the underlined part as an answer.)
(B) Grammar –– (3)
Do as directed:
(1) She was serving as _______ clerk in _______ State Bank of India.
(Rewrite it using appropriate articles.)
(2) Nashik city recorded 52.7 mm rain _______ the four hours _______ 3.30 pm and
7.30 pm on Friday.
(Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.)
(3) Grandpa said to Meenu, “I am going for a walk. Are you willing to come with me?”
(Change it into indirect narration.)
Q.2. (A) Read the first activity, read the extract and then do all the activities: (12) [15]
A1. Choose: (2)
Choose two sentences that appropriately mention the theme of the passage:
(i) The same scale should not be used for all to measure their performance.
(ii) Private schools are good to develop individual’s interest.
(iii) The same curriculum should be given to all for better results.
(iv) Trying for all the subjects irrespective of the individual’s interest may lead to
frustration.
Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems
of a “new world”, so they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of
running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the
animals took all the subjects.
The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, better than his instructor. But he made only
passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay
after school and also drop swimming in order to practise running. This was kept up until his webbed
feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school
so nobody worried about that, except the duck.
The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of
so much make up work in swimming.
The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where
his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He also developed a
“Charlie horse” from overexertion and then got a C in climbing and D in running.
The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, he beat all
the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there.
At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well and also run, climb
and fly a little, had the highest average and was valedictorian.
The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration
would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum.
A2. Complete:
Complete the following statements by giving suitable reasons: (2)
(i) The duck was average in swimming, because _______ .
(ii) The squirrel could score only C in climbing, because _______ .
A3. Guess: (2)
Guess the result of the prairie dogs if they had been given admission in the animal school and
support your guessing with the facts from the extract.
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A4. Vocabulary  (2)
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words given in the box and rewrite:

valedictorian, curriculum, frustration,

administer

(i) Varun who topped the college was declared _______ .

(ii) The _______ of the school should involve more activity subjects.
(iii) Poor performance in the exams develop _______ among the students.
(iv) It’s necessary to _______ the programme, so that it will be successful.
A5. Personal response –– (2)
Suggest in about 50 words at least two ways to make the learning enjoyable.
A6. Grammar –– (2)
Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely..
(Make it a complex sentence.)
(ii) An abnormal eel could swim exceedingly well.
(Rewrite the sentence using ‘able to’.)
(B) Note-making ––
Read the following extract and complete the note given below: (3)
Sudha Murthy was born on 19 August, 1950; in Shiggaon in Karnataka. She and her
siblings were raised by her parents and maternal grandparents. She completed B.E. in
Electrical Engineering from B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology, standing first in
her class and receiving a gold medal from the Chief Minister of Karnataka. She completed
M.E. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of science, standing first in her class and
receiving a gold medal from the Indian Institute of Engineers.
Sudha Murthy became the first female engineer hired at India’s largest auto
manufacturer TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) as a Development
Engineer. She later joined Walchand Group of Industries at Pune as a Senior System Analyst.
In 1996, she started Infosys Foundation and has been a Visiting Professor at the P.G. centre of
Bangalore University.
Sudha Murthy’s work covers the healthcare, education, empowerment of women and
public hygiene at the grassroot level. Her vision of a library for each school has resulted in the
setting of 50,000 libraries so far. She is helping our rural areas by building 10,000 public
toilets and several hundred toilets in the city of Bangalore. Infosys Foundation is a public
charitable trust founded in 1996 and Sudha Murthy is one of the trustees. Through the
foundation she has built 2,300 houses in the flood affected areas.
Sudha Murthy
B1. Early life and education ––
(i) Birthplace :  __________________________________
(ii) Education : B.E. from B.V.B. College of Engineering,
with gold medal.
:  __________________________________
__________________________________
B2. Career :  __________________________________
 Senior System Analyst in Walchand Group
of Industries, Pune.
 __________________________________
B3. Social activities :  Set 50,000 libraries
 __________________________________
 Several hundred toilets in Bangalore
 __________________________________

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English Yuvakbharati
Q.3. (A) Read the first activity, read the extract and then do all the activities: (12) [15]
A1. True or False ––
State whether the following statements are true or false: (2)
(i) Animal manure does not have any evil effect on groundwater.
(ii) Pollution related health consequences depend on the immunity of the exposed
population.
(iii) Only mercury is to be blamed for kidney damage.
(iv) Soil contamination is a potential health hazard.
Contaminated or polluted soil affects human health through direct contact with soil or via
inhalation of soil contaminants which have vaporized. Potentially greater threats are posed by the
infiltration of soil contamination into groundwater aquifers. This tends to result in the development
of pollution-related diseases.
Health hazards cause due to soil contamination very greatly depending on the pollutant type
and vulnerability of the exposed population. Constant exposure to chromium, lead, petroleum, many
pesticides and herbicide formulations can be carcinogenic and can cause congenital disorders or
other chronic health conditions. Industrial or man-made concentrations of naturally occurring
substances, such as nitrate and ammonia associated with livestock manure has also been identified
as health hazards in soil and groundwater.
Chronic exposures to benzene at sufficient concentration is known to be associated with
higher incidences of leukemia. Mercury and cyclodines are known to induce higher incidences of
kidney damage and some irreversible diseases. Organophosphates and carbonates can induce a
chain of responses leading to neuromuscular blockage. Many chlorinated solvents induce liver
changes, kidney changes and depression of the central nervous system. There is an entire spectrum
of further health effects such as headache, nausea, fatigue, eye-irritation and skin rash for the above
cited and other chemicals. At sufficient dosages as large number of soil contaminants can cause
death by exposure via direct contact, inhalation or ingestion of contaminants in groundwater
contaminated through soil.
A2. Explain: (2)
Explain from the given extract how soil pollution affects drinking water.
A3. Find out: (2)
Find out the reasons from the passage why we should avoid chemicals to kill insects.
A4. Vocabulary –– (2)
Match the pairs of the words in column ‘A’ with their meanings in column ‘B’:
Column ‘A’ Column ‘B’
(i) infiltration (a) process of eating, drinking
or using
(ii) inhalation (b) Action of increasing strength
of solution
(iii) consumption (c) passing of liquid through
(iv) concentration (d) breathing air in
A5. Personal response: (2)
Suggest two steps to keep away from the use of chemicals in home.
A6. Grammar –– (2)
Rewrite the following sentences in the ways instructed:
(i) Potentially greater threats are posed by the infiltration of soil contamination.
(Begin with – ‘The infiltration of soil contamination _______’ and rewrite.)
(ii) There is an entire spectrum of further health effects
(Rewrite, using Present Perfect Tense)
(B) Summary –– (3)
Summarise the above extract with help of the points given and suggest a suitable title:
Health and groundwater problem – bad effects of chemicals – industrial and man-made
concentration – pollutants related diseases.

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Board Question Paper: February 2020

SECTION  II
(Poetry)
Q.4. Read the given extract and then do all activities that follow: (4) [8]
I celebrate the virtues and vices
of suburban middle-class people
Who overwhelm the refrigerator
and position colourful umbrellas
near the garden that longs for a pool:
For my middle-class brother
this principle of supreme luxury:
What are you and what am I, and we
go on deciding
the real truth in this world.
The truth of that dream we buy on credit
of not going to the office on Saturday, at last,
and the merciless bosses whom the worker
manufacturers in indivisible granaries
where executioners were always born
and grow up and always multiply
We heroes and poor devils,
the feeble, the braggarts, the unfinished,
and the capable of everything impossible
as long as it’s not seen or heard.
A1. Web –– (2)
Complete the web diagram by giving the features of suburban middle class people and their
mentality from the extract.

Buying dream
on credit

Mentality of suburban
Middle-class people

A2. Poetic Device –– (2)

Figure of speech:
We heroes and poor devils,
the feeble, the braggarts, the unfinished,
and capable of everything impossible
as long as it’s not seen or heard
Name the figure of speech in the above lines and find
out another example of the same from the extract and write it down.
A3. Personal Response: (2)
“Middle-class people are ambitious and active in our country.” Explain your views in brief.
A4. Poetic creativity –– (2)
The word order in line no. 1 and 3 has been changed. It is an instance of inversion. Compose
two lines of your own using inversion in blank lines.

The virtues and vices, I celebrate

-----------------------------------------
The refrigerator, we overwhelm
-----------------------------------------

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English Yuvakbharati
SECTION – III
(Rapid Reading and Composition)
Q. 5. (A) Read the extract and do the activities that follow: (4) [8]
Someone was standing the doorway. An elderly woman, very fluffy, very pink. Her
cheeks were pink, her dress was pink, her hair was bunched up and white. She was straight
out of Agatha Christie.
“Miss Marple!” I exclaimed.
“May I come in?” asked the pink lady.
“Please come in,” said my mother. “Do sit down. Do your require a room?”
“Not today, thank you. I’m staying with Padre Dutt. He insisted on putting me up. But I
may want a room for a day or two – just for old times’ sake”.
“You have stayed here before.”
“A long time ago. I’m Mrs Green, you know. The missing Mrs Green. The one for
whom you put up that handsome tombstone in the cemetery. I was very touched by it. And
I’m glad you didn’t add ‘Beloved wife of Henry Green’, because I did not love him any more
than he loved me.”
“Then-then, you aren’t the skeleton?” stammered my mother.
“Do I look like a skeleton?”
“No!” we said together.
“But we heard you disappeared,” I said, “and when we found that skeleton –”
“You put two and two together.”
“Well, it was Miss Kellner who convinced us,” said my mother. “And you did
disappear mysteriously. You were missing for years. And everyone knew Mr Green was a
philanderer.”
“Couldn’t wait to get away from him,” said the pink lady. “Couldn’t stand him any
more. He was a lady-killer, but not a real killer.’
“But your father came looking for you. Didn’t you get in touch with him?”
“My father and I were never very close. Mother died when I was very young, and the
only relative I had was a cousin in West Africa. So that’s where I went - Sierra Leone!”
A1. True / False –– (2)
State whether the following statements are true or false and rewrite:
(i) The lady standing in the doorway was Mrs Green.
(ii) The lady wanted to stay on that day in Green’s hotel.
(iii) Miss Kellner convinced all that Mr Green was not a philanderer.
(iv) There were no good relations between Mrs Green and her father.
A2. Convert into a dialogue: (2)
Convert the above extract into a dialogue form.
(B) Read the extract and do the activities that follow: (4)
Tom : Well, you see, we saw that skull, and those white grinning things – and we
thought the place was haunted – at least, that’s what Ginger thought.
Dentist : (laughing) Great Scott! So that’s the explanation. I happen to be a dentist, and
what you saw were some of my models used for fitting artificial teeth.
Ginger : Then – those rows of grinning teeth are –
Dentist : (picking up a model fitted with artificial teeth) Just some of my workmanship.
Tom : (Pointing to the skull) But – what about that? That’s the thing that scared us the
most.
George : Scared you, you mean. It didn’t frighten me.
Dentist : (going up L.C, and patting the skull). Ah! This is just a little prize exhibit of
mine that I keep for ornamental purposes. I call him Percy.
Alfie : (still unconvinced). But what about those awful screams we heard?
Ginger : We thought someone was being murdered.
Dentist : H’m! I’m afraid that doesn’t speak very well for my painless dentistry. Those
screams came from some of my patients in the surgery.
Tom : (laughing). I say, what a set of chumps we’ve been! Fancy getting so scared over
nothing at all!
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Ginger : Well, I must admit old George was the only one who wasn’t in a blue funk.
George : (to dentist). We’re awfully sorry for causing so much row.
Dentist : Don’t mention it – unless, of course, you’re referring to the singing. (Crossing R).
Come on, I’ll show you out this way.
Tom : (Crossing R.C.) Come on, Alfie.
Ginger : (addressing the skull). So long, Percy.
George : (going up R. to dentist). I must say you’re being awfully decent about this.
Dentist : That’s all right. (looking hard at Gorge).
By the way, aren’t you George Harlow?
George : (surprised). Yes, that’s right.
Dentist : I thought I’d seen you somewhere before. Why, I know your father well!
George : Do you, sir?
Dentist : Yes, rather. He was only speaking about you the other night. You’ve been
having some trouble with two back teeth, haven’t you?
George : (becoming suddenly nervous). N – no – that is – not much.
B1. Complete ––
Complete the following sentences: (2)
(i) The white grinning things were actually _______ .
(ii) The name of the little prize exhibit was _______ .
(iii) The awful screams came from ______ .
(iv) There was only a single boy who did not get scared. He was _______ .
B2. Convert the dialogue into a story: (2)
Convert the above extract into a story form in about 50 words.
SECTION  IV
(Written Communication)
Q.6. (A) Letter Writing –– [12]
Write any ONE of the following letters: (4)

(1) Mohan / Mohini Pande, Roll No. 74, of class XII (Arts) has to attend his / her sister’s
wedding ceremony held at his / her hometown and needs a leave of absence for 5 days.
Imagine yourself to be Mohan / Mohini and write a letter to the Principal, SPW Arts
and Commerce College, Akola, requesting him to grant to leave of absence for 5 days.
OR
(2) Your junior college is situated on a narrow but busy road causing traffic congestion and
pollution. Noisy horns and constant traffic disturb the classes. Write a letter of
complaint to the Chief Officer, Municipality of your town and suggest some solutions.
(B) Write on any ONE of the following items: (4)
(1) Appeal ––
In the horrible fold situation, the Kerala state suffered a huge loss. Your organisation
has arranged a rally to raise funds to help the flood-affected people in Kerala. Prepare
an appeal for the people to contribute to the funds with the help of the following points:
● Purpose of the rally
● Time and place of the rally
● Leading personalities
● Request for donation
● Add your own points
OR
(2) News writing ––
Draft a news on any ONE of the following headlines, giving dateline, intro and a
continuing paragraph:
(i) Teacher’s Day celebrated in Adarsh School
(ii) Strike of Bus Drivers Paralyses State
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English Yuvakbharati
(C) (1) Counter-view –– (4)
Read the following View Section and develop a Counter-view Section in about
120 words. Suggest a suitable title:
View Section

‘Mobiles should be allowed in classrooms’

● Mobiles are good source of information
● They are easy to handle
● They provide videos to understand the topic
● Information can be easily exchanged.
OR
(2) Information Transfer ––
Look at the tree diagram given below and write a short paragraph about Kaldhari in
about 120 words. Suggest a suitable title:

Kaldhari

Cleanliness Energy Milk Rainwater Massive awareness

sources Co-operatives harvesting drive

Solar and Milk

wind energy chilling
centres

tree anti-alcohol
cement tap toilet public plantation drive
concretised water blocks lavatories
central
road
Q.7. (A) Interview Questions: [7]
Your college has invited a dietitian on the occasion of ‘World Health Day’. Imagine you are
the editor of your college magazine, taking interview of the dietitian. Frame a set of 8 to
10 questions to interview him / her. (4)
(B) Speech Drafting:
Imagine your college is organising a speech competition on the topic ‘Disappearing Birds’.
Prepare a speech in about 100 words with the help of the following points:
(i) Role of birds
(ii) Causes behind their disappearance
(iii) Ways to call them back
(iv) Add your ideas. (3)

88