Question And Answers For Class XII : Model Set

Question And Answers For Class XII

SET-I 

1. a) Justify the title of Ruskin Bond’s story ‘The Eyes Have It’.

Ans. The title is appropriate because it brings out the true worth of the gift of sight. It summarizes the entire plot. Through the predicament of the blind narrator and the girl, the author wishes to convey that it is only the eyes that have the power to help us forming an accurate impression of the world around us. Till the end of the story the narrator manages to play successfully his ‘game’ but cannot satisfy a simple curiosity about the girl’s hairstyle.

The girl, on her part, also managed to deceive the narrator but fails to realize that he was blind too. The new passenger rightly points out the worth of eyes by saying, “she had beautiful eyes – but they were of no use to her.”

b) How had APJ Abdul Kalam tried to follow his father’s teachings in his life?

Ans.  

c) Write a character sketch of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.

Ans. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones is the main character of the story. The whole story is centred on her journey with the secondary character, Roger, after he tries to snatch her purse. She is very kind-hearted and generous. She does not hand Roger over to police. She also provides money after cleaning his outer as well inner dirt and feeding him. She has seen much of life herself and so she displays no surprise when the boy attempts the theft. Instead she acts like an experienced mother expecting nothing in return. She has had a troubled past as a young and doesn’t want Roger to make the same mistakes. Thus the whole story is told from her perspective, making her the protagonist of the story.

d) What questions arose in the mind of the Tsar? What did he proclaim the correct answers? Could the learned men satisfy him?

Ans. Ans. i) The Tsar wanted to know the answers of three questions to make him a more effective ruler. The questions that arose in the mind of the Tsar, are as follows:

Firstly, he wanted to know the right time for every action. Secondly, he wanted to know the most important people for him, and finally he wanted to know the most important work for him.

ii) He proclaimed throughout his country a reward the person who could give him satisfactory answers to his questions.

iii) No, the learned men could not satisfy him with their different answers to his questions.

2. a) What images of life and death do we find in the poem "On Killing a Tree"?

b) What is the theme of the poem "Asleep in the Valley."

Ans. “Asleep In The Valley” is a poem about war and reveals the brutality and futility of war. The poem presents a peaceful and tranquil view where a young soldier is resting on the bed of Nature. But side by side the poet makes us aware about the brutality of war by showing his pale, open-mouthed, cold body and ultimately the two red marks. Through the poem Rimbaud asks relevance of the war that ends the young lives untimely that are as pure and innocent as Nature. Here the soldier’s sleep represents the eternal sleep that cannot be warmed and affected by anything. The poet tries to say that war is not only ending the young lives but affecting the peace in the Nature also.

c) Write a note on the comparison highlighted in the poem "Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer's Day".

Ans. In the very opening line of the sonnet, the poet likes to compare the beauty of his friend to the beauty of a summer's day. But there is the difference of degrees between them. His friend's beauty is more lovely and temperate. The attacks of ‘rough winds’ destroy the beauty of summer. Sometimes summer's beauty goes through extreme changes. Sometimes it is too hot, cloudy, and stormy. But his friend's beauty remains unchanged forever. Summer's 'lease' is also very short. But his friend's beauty is eternal. His beauty is preserved in the eternal lines of the poem. His beauty will never fade because this poem will provide his beauty with life.

d) Evaluate "The Poetry of the Earth" as a sonnet.

Ans. 

3. a) Justify the title of the play "The Proposal".

Ans. The title of the play 'The Proposal' and right from the beginning to the end of the play, the plot revolves round a marriage proposal. Lomov comes to Natalya's house to propose her for marriage but both of them start quarrelling over the trivial matters like Oxen meadows and their pet dogs. But ultimately they reconcile with the help of Chubukov. Chekhov here exposes the non-romantic nature of marriage and resorts to satire in order to bring out the hollowness of marriage as a social institution. Hence the title is apt.

b) Write a short character sketch of Natalya Stepanova.

Ans. Natalya Stepanova is a young, unmarried girl of 25. She is the daughter of Chubukov and lives with him. Her desire is to have control over everything. She has strong will and knows what she is capable of and what she is not. She does all the household works, takes care of her father, helps to maintain the land and is in charge of the servants. She is well aware of her standing in the social circle. According to Lomov, she is an excellent housekeeper, not bad looking and well educated. Her father calls her a 'love-sick cat'. By nature she is very quarrelsome and abusive. She begins bitter quarrel with Lomov over trivial issues but ultimately reconcile with Lomov.

c) Evaluate "The Proposal" as a shadow of the late 18th century Russian society.

Ans. Chekov's Russia was the time of economic instability. People easily starved to death. The term 'marriage' originally to celebrate the love of young couples, but changes its meaning into the combination of wealth between two families. People of the society had to be desperate over marriage. Throughout 'The Proposal' two lovers clash and fight over misunderstanding and miscommunication, a common problem in conjugal life. Both are desperate for a partner. They neither respect nor care about each other in the hope that they will be able to acquire their desire through marriage. Love or concern for the other never enters into their minds.

              SET-II

1. a) " It would take me sometime to discover something about her looks.........."

Who is the speaker? Who is 'her'? How did the quoted line end? Why? What did the speaker like about 'her'?

Ans. The narrator of the story 'The Eyes have It' is the speaker.

▪'Her' is a girl, a co-passenger of the narrator.

▪The quoted line ended with the narrator's inability to discover the girl's looks.

▪The quoted line ended with a negative sense because the narrator was totally blind at that time. This eyes were sensitive only to light and darkness. 

▪The speaker liked the sound of her voice, and even the sound of her slippers. Her voice, appeared to the narrator, had the sparkle of a mountain stream.

b)Write a short character sketch of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's father, as perceived by the author himself.

Ans. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam sketched his father in his autobiography 'The Wings Of Fire' perceiving him as wise, generous and austere. In 'Strong Roots' Jainulabdeen, Kalam's father, was described as a man who had no formal education and wealth. But he possessed a great innate wisdom and true generosity of spirit. In terms of looks he was tall and handsome but his lineage was not so distinguished. His austerity can be found in avoiding all the inessentials. He preferred the necessities to luxuries. He could convey complex spiritual concepts, relevance of prayer and fundamental truths in a very simple down-to-earth Tamil. Besides all these he was an early riser and hardworking man.

3. Did the bearded man killed the Tsar? Why did the want to kill the Tsar? What did he resolve instead?

Ans. No, the bearded man did not kill the Tsar.

He wanted to kill the Tsar because the Tsar executed his brother and seized his property.

He resolved to make reconciliation with the Tsar for saving his life. He further conveyed the Tsar his wish to serve him as his most faithful slave and bid his sons do the same. After making him aware about this, he begged to be forgiven.