2012
Subject English -Compulsory

Standard: H.S.C. Total Marks: 100 Nature ofPaper: Conventional Type Duration Hours
Note:

Answers must be written in English.


All questions are compulsory.


Figure to the RIGHT indicates marks of the respective question.

Number of optional questions upto the prescribed number in the order in which they have been solved will only be assessed. Excess answers will not be assessed.


Credit will be given to correct spelling, punctuation, good handwriting and neatness.


Irrelevant and rambling answers will be penalised SUITABLY.


Candidates should not write roll number, any name (including their signature, address or any indication of their identity anywhere inside the answer book otherwise they will be penalised.
1. Write an essay in about 300 words on anyone of the following topics

The place of Advertisements in Consumer Culture


The Problems of Working Women


The Writer I like most


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2. Write a letter of apology in about 100 words to your friend who invited you to his sister's reception party, as you could not attend it since you were abroad. 5
Write an official letter in about 100 words on anyone of the following: 5
Write an official letter to the Manager, Canara Bank, requesting him to close your current account with the bank.
OR
Write a letter to the Editor, Sakal Newspapers, Pune, requesting him to give wide publicity to the problems of sanitation in the area in which you stay.
3. Write a report in about 150 words on the following As usual, the grand festival of Ganesha 'Anant Chaturthi' was celebrated in the city. As a responsible youth, write a report to the Commissioner of Police on the Police 'Bandobast' administered by the City Police. 5
Write a Press Release for the media (Radio, T.V., Press) in about 100 words to inform the citizens about the activities undertaken by your college in collaboration with the local NGOs to assist the quake-hit people of your district. 5
4. An expert in media and communication studies has been invited by your college to interact with the students. As one of the students, write a dialogue you would have with the expert in about 100 words. 5
You have been invited to appear for an interview for the post of a 'Public Relations Officer'. Write a dialogue that would take place between you and the interviewers with probable questions that might be asked by the expert in about 100 words. 5
As a Secretary of Academic and Cultural Programme Committee, write a report on the programmes organised during the current year justifying the importance and the relevance of the same in about 100 words. 5
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5. Make a precis of the following passage in your own words in about one-third (about 100 words) of its original length and suggest a suitable title
It cannot be denied, but outward accidents conduce much to fortune; favour,
opportunity, death of others, occasion fitting virtue. But chiefly, the mould
of a man's fortune is in his own hands. Everyone is the architect of his
own fortune. And the most frequent of the external causes is, that the folly
of one man is the fortune of another. For no man prospers so suddenly as
by others' errors. A serpent does not become a dragon except by eating
another serpent. Overt and apparent virtues bring forth praise; but there be
secret and hidden virtues that bring forth fortune; certain deliveries of
man's self, which have no name. The Spanish name 'desemboltura', partly
expresses them; when there be not stonds nor restiveness in a man's
nature; but that the wheels of his mind keep way with the wheels of his
fortune. Livy described Cato Major in the following words, "He possessed
such strength of mind and body, that he could probably have made for
himself a fortune, wherever he had been born." Therefore, if a man looks
sharply and attentively, he shall see fortune: for though she be blind, yet
she is not invisible. The way of fortune like the Milky Way in the sky;
which is a meeting or knot of a number of small stars; not seen asunder,
but giving light together. So are there a number of little and scarce
discerned virtues, or rather faculties and customs, that make man
fortunate. The Italians note some of them, such as a man would little
think. When they speak of one that cannot do amiss, they will throw in
into his other conditions, that he had a little of the fool. And certainly
there be not two more fortunate properties, than to have a little of the fool,
and not too much of the honest. Therefore, extreme lovers of their country
or masters were never fortunate. When a man places his thoughts without
himself, he goes not his own way. A hasty fortune makes an enterpriser
and remover; but the exercised fortune makes the able man. Fortune is to
be honoured and respected, for it inculcates confidence and reputation.
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6. Read the following passage and answer in your own words the
questions given below 10
Long ago, the Earth was covered in darkness. None of the creatures
living there knew what daylight looked like.
One day, all of the animals of the forest gathered together in a clearing.
They wondered if it would be better to remain in darkness, or if it would
be better to also have light. Deer, Chipmunk, Raccoon, Wolf, Bear and
many other creatures climbed to the top of the highest mountain. The
mountain stood so tall that there were no trees on its top, and it was
covered only with rocks. Millions of stars blinked in the dark sky
overhead. The biggest and the most powerful animal in the forest was
the Bear and he was the first to reach the mountain top. The Bear stood
on the highest peak, looked out over the forest below, and argued for
remaining in darkness. He said that the creatures of the forest would be
able to sleep better in the darkness because there would be no light to
keep them awake. Most of the other animals were afraid, and they
agreed with the Bear. The Raccoon said that he did not mind the
darkness because he was so smart that he could find plenty of food, even
in the dark. The Wolf was easy to please, too. She didn't mind the
darkness because she could howl in darkness or in light. But one animal
did stand up to the Bear. The Chipmunk, the smallest of the animals,
argued that it would be better to have both light and dark. The
Chipmunk was very clever. As the Bear continued to argue for darkness,
she made many good arguments for light.
Slowly, the night passed. The Bear grew tired of talking, but the
Chipmunk chattered on and on, as if she had all the energy in the world.
As the other animals dropped off to sleep one by one, the Chipmunk kept
arguing. Finally, the first sunrise ever seen by the animals appeared
over the top of the mountain. They woke up and were amazed by what
they saw.
The Chipmunk began to dance from rock to rock. The Bear became angry
because he didn't get his way. He roared loudly and ran after the
Chipmunk. He chased the Chipmunk all the way down the mountain.
The Bear was fast, and he reached out his giant paw to grab the
Chipmunk. The Chipmunk got away, but not before the Bear managed to
scratch her back with his long claws. And that is why, to this day, you
can see stripes on a Chipmunk's back!
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Questions:

What is the theme of this story


How is the Bear described in the story


Why did the Chipmunk continue his argument

What happened after the Chipmunk's argument with the Bear?


What is the moral of the story


Paraphrase the following prose passage in your own words expressing the ideas in the passage clearly and in simple and direct language:
Modern civilization has some serious defects. In democratic countries men are equal before the law and have a voice in deciding how and by whom they shall be governed. But the sharing out of money -which means the sharing out of food and clothing and books and so on -is still very unfair. While some people live in luxury, many have not enough to eat, drink and wear. Even in the finest of the world's cities thousands of people live in dreadful surroundings. There are many families of five and six persons who live in a single room: they sleep, dress, wash and eat their meals in the same room: in the same room they are born and in the same room they die. And they live like this not for fun, but because they are too poor to afford another room.
A still greater danger comes from war. Twice already in my life-time, from 1914 to 1918 and from 1939 to 1945, almost the whole of the world has been torn by war. Moreover, in the conditions of the present day any war that starts anywhere in the world is more and more likely to spread everywhere. What is still more tragic is that man has now discovered how to release for purposes of war the colossal forces locked up in the atom. The leading nations of the world are making atom bombs, which if another war came, would certainly be widely used. Nobody knows what the effect of dropping atom bombs on a largescale would be, but it is quite possible that the total destruction of the civilization of the West, and even of the other parts of the world might ensue.
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7. Rewrite any three of the following sentences using the correct form of the verbs given in the brackets
If you annoy the dog, it (bite) you. He (live) in England since 1970.
While I (walk) through the park last night, a thief snatched my purse away. I didn't realise that Gary was in hospital. If I (know) he was in the hospital, I would have gone to see him.
Do as directed It is obvious that he is a mad person. (Use the adverb of 2
He could not work because he was restless. (Use the noun of 'restless')
Transform the following sentences The garden was guarded by a dragon who prowled around it to keep off the strangers. (Change into a simple sentence) Open the door. (Add a question tag.) 5
Rajesh said to him, "Are you sure that your son is not guilty?" (Change into indirect speech) As long as men are like that, the situation cannot improve. (Identify the type of clause in the sentence) If you cannot behave yourself, you will lose the job. (Rewrite the sentence by using
8. Punctuate the following paragraph time and tide wait for no man how true this is if we do not have a sense of time we will be left behind all things in life we will be shunned by our friends and relatives even our foes will underestimate us in every respect punctuality should be our keyword in our life value of time IS very essential to us we must treat it with respect and reverence. 2
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Correct any three of the following sentences 3
I have to make the best for the opportunity I get.
When we go to see him yesterday, he played Chess.
I always polish my shoes myself, his shoes were polished by his
servant.
She gives donation to the hospital where she admitted.
Give meanings of any five of the following phrases and use them m
sentences of your own 5
By means of
On account of
On the brink of
Get rid of
Come across
Call off

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