WB 12 Previous Year 2018 Solutions

1. Complete the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answers from the alternatives given: (1*5=5)

a) The newspaper that Sir Mohan was reading was
(i) The Sunday Times
(ii) The Times of India
(iii) The Times
(iv) Modern Times

Ans: (iii) The Times

b) The number Jimmy got in the jail was
(i) 9627
(ii) 9276
(iii) 9762
(iv) 9726

Ans: (i) 9627

c) According to Mother Teresa, “Smile is the beginning of……..”
(i) Peace
(ii) Comfort
(iii) Satisfaction
(iv) Love

Ans: (i) Peace

d) Fine art liberates our mind from
(i) Joy and grief
(ii) Professionalism
(iii) Materialism
(iv) Sorrows and conflicts

Ans: (iii) Materialism

e) The word ‘get the nigger out’ suggest
(i) A sense of irony
(ii) A sense of farce
(iii) A sense of humour
(iv) A sense of tragedy

Ans: (ii) A sense of farce

2. Answer any five of the following questions in a single sentence each: (1*5=5)

a) Whom did Sir Mohan meet in the compartment of the train?
Ans: Sir Mohan met two British soldiers in the compartment.

b) In which hotel did Jimmy engage a room in Elmore?
Ans: Jimmy engaged a room at The Planter’s Hotel in Elmore.

c) What did Leela ask Sidda to draw?
Ans: Leela asked Sidda to draw a picture of the moon and stars.

d) What is the utility of language?
Ans: The utility of language is that it is a means of expression and communication.

e) How was Sir Mohan’s moustach?
Ans: Sir Mohan’s moustache was neatly trimmed and orderly.

f) What did Mother Teresa desire to do with the Nobel Prize money?
Ans: Mother Teresa desired to use the Nobel Prize money for serving the poor and needy.

g) On grounds of utility, what do the educated use in place of “(elegant) earthen pitchers”?
Ans: The educated use metal vessels in place of earthen pitchers.

h) Who asked Sidda to throw the ball into the sky?
Ans: Leela asked Sidda to throw the ball into the sky.

i) What was Mr. Sivasankar brooding over, standing in the veranda of his house?
Ans: Mr. Sivasankar was brooding over the servant problem.

j) What, according to Nandalal Bose, has our country’s economic decline followed closely?
Ans: According to Nandalal Bose, our country’s economic decline followed closely its political decline.

3. Answers any two of the following questions is not more than 100 words each: (5*2=10)

a) According to Nandalal Bose, how are beauty and aesthetics connected to a person’s physical and mental well-being? Explain with an example from the text.
Ans: According to Nandalal Bose, beauty and aesthetics play a vital role in both physical and mental well-being. He says that fine art helps people rise above material needs and brings peace of mind. Aesthetic sense refines emotions and provides balance in life. For example, the use of beautiful pitchers, though less convenient, offers joy and charm. Thus, art and beauty enrich daily life and create harmony in human existence.

b) ‘In any case, we couldn’t have kept a criminal like him in the house’
Who is the speaker? Who is the ‘criminal’ referred to here? What led the speaker to such a comment? (1+1+3)
Ans: The speaker is Mr. Sivasankar. The ‘criminal’ referred to here is Sidda. Mr. Sivasankar calls him so because Leela’s gold chain was missing and suspicion fell on Sidda. Though he had earlier trusted Sidda, this incident made him angry and doubtful. That is why he spoke of him as a criminal and decided they could not keep him in the house any longer.

c) “The frightened child, unharmed, fell into her mother’s arms?
Who was the child referred here? Why was the child frightened? How did the child fall into her mother’s arms unharmed? (1+1+3)
Ans: The child referred to here is Leela. She was frightened when she could not find her gold chain, and later when she saw her parents angry with Sidda. After Sidda was suspected and taken away, Leela, still upset, rushed to her mother. In the end, the child, though troubled, was safe and fell into her mother’s arms without any harm.

d) Why did Jimmy write to his old friend in St. Louis? Why did he write so? (3+2)
Ans: Jimmy wrote to his old friend in St. Louis because he wanted to start a new life. He had changed from being a burglar to an honest man and wanted to marry Annabel. He wrote so because he needed to settle matters of his past and live with a clean reputation.

e) Give a brief description of the appearance of Lady Lal.
Ans: Lady Lal, Sir Mohan’s wife, was a bulky middle-aged woman. She wore a dirty white sari with a red border. She was short and heavy in build. Her face was round, and she had oil in her hair. She sat on the platform chewing betel leaves, spitting, and gossiping freely with people.

4. Complete the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answers from the alternatives given: (1*5=5)

a) The side that Wordsworth saw appeared to him as
(i) Mysterious
(ii) Magical
(iii) Menacing
(iv) Majestic

Ans: (iv) Majestic

b) The length of the sea-scented beach is
(i) Half a mile
(ii) One mile
(iii) Two miles
(iv) Three miles

Ans: (iii) Two miles

c) In the poem ‘The Sick Rose,’ the poet addresses the
(i) Rose
(ii) Worm
(iii) Storm
(iv) Night

Ans: (i) Rose

d) The colour of the half-moon is
(i) Grey
(ii) Black
(iii) Pink
(iv) Yellow

Ans: (iv) Yellow

e) In the poem ‘Daybreak,’ the wind crossed the churchyard with a
(i) Smile
(ii) Shout
(iii) Cry
(iv) Sigh

Ans: (iv) Sigh

5. Answer any five of the following questions in a single-sentence each: (1*5=5)

a) When does the worm fly?
Ans: The worm flies in the night.

b) How is the night in ‘Brotherhood’?
Ans: In Brotherhood, the night is star-filled and mysterious.

c) “Unknowing I understand” –
What does the poet understand?
Ans: The poet understands that man is part of a larger cosmic plan.

d) What destroys the life of the rose?
Ans: The rose’s life is destroyed by the invisible worm.

e) Which city, according to Wordsworth, is the fairest one?
Ans: The fairest city, according to Wordsworth, is London.

f) What is the colour of the sea in ‘Meeting at night’?
Ans: In Meeting at Night, the sea is grey in colour.

g) How does Browning describe the half moon?
Ans: Browning describes the half moon as large and yellow.

h) Who announces daybreak in the poem ‘Daybreak’?
Ans: In Daybreak, the wind announces daybreak.

i) How does Wordsworth describe the beauty of the morning?
Ans: Wordsworth describes the morning as silent, bright, and beautiful.

j) What does the phrase ‘not yet ! in quiet lie’ suggest?
Ans: The phrase suggests restlessness and lack of peace.

6. Answer any two following questions is not more than 100 words each: (5*2=10)

(a) Justify the title of the poem ‘Meeting at Night’?
Ans: The title Meeting at Night is justified because the poem describes a secret journey of the lover to meet his beloved. The whole poem builds towards the final meeting, where their hearts beat with joy. The title directly reflects the main theme of love fulfilled in the silence of night.

(b) Narrate the wind’s activities as presented in the poem ‘Daybreak’.
Ans: In the poem Daybreak, the wind is personified as a messenger. It moves across land and sea, greeting ships, woods, and fields. It calls people to wake up and begin work. Passing through the churchyard, it speaks softly, saying that the dead must still rest. Thus, the wind spreads life and energy.

(c) Bring out the central idea of the poem, ‘The Sick Rose’.
Ans: The central idea of The Sick Rose is the destruction of beauty and innocence by hidden forces. The rose symbolizes purity and love, while the worm represents corruption or evil. The poem shows how unseen dangers in society can destroy life’s beauty.

(d) How does the poet look upon the sun in ‘Upon Westminster Bridge’? What is so deep and why? (2+1+2)
Ans: Wordsworth looks upon the sun as a great source of beauty and joy. The rising sun lights up the city and the countryside. The deep calm of the morning, filled with sunlight, gives him peace. The stillness of the scene is so profound that even the houses seem to sleep.

(e) Give the significance of the line “Unknowing I understand” in “Brotherhood”.
Ans: In Brotherhood, the line “Unknowing I understand” means that even without full knowledge, the poet feels a deep connection with the universe. It suggests a spiritual awareness of human existence as part of a cosmic order, where understanding comes through intuition, not logic.

7. Complete the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternatives given (attempt any five): (1*5=5)

(a) Viola mourned the loss of her
(i) Ship
(ii) Brother
(iii) Valuables
(iv) Relatives

Ans: (ii) Brother

(b) Rosalind and Celia went to the Forest of Arden
(i) In a carriage
(ii) In disguise
(iii) With an army
(iv) On horseback

Ans: (ii) In disguise

(c) Olivia married
(i) Orsino
(ii) Sebastian
(iii) Cesario
(iv) Antonio

Ans: (ii) Sebastian

(d) The Elder Antipholus lived at Ephesus for
(i) Twenty years
(ii) Eighteen years
(iii) Five years
(iv) Two years

Ans: (i) Twenty years

(e) Malcolm and Donalbain were the sons of
(i) Macduff
(ii) Banquo
(iii) The Thane of Cawdor
(iv) Duncan

Ans: (iv) Duncan

(f) The place of the shipwreck was the coast of
(i) English Channel
(ii) Illyria
(iii) Pacific Ocean
(iv) Atlantic Ocean

Ans: (ii) Illyria

(g) The witches looked like
(i) Charming ladies
(ii) Mad creatures
(iii) Unearthly creatures
(iv) Queens

Ans: (iii) Unearthly creatures

(h) As reason of his life Aegeon was demanded of
(i) One hundred marks
(ii) One thousand marks
(iii) All his belongings
(iv) Five thousand marks

Ans: (ii) One thousand marks

(i) The Turks had prepared to invade
(i) Cyprus
(ii) Africa
(iii) France
(iv) Venice

Ans: (i) Cyprus

(j) Othello had promoted Cassio to the rank of
(i) General
(ii) Duke
(iii) Lieutenant
(iv) Senator

Ans: (iii) Lieutenant

8. Answer any of the following questions in not more than 100 words: (5*1=5)

(a) Bring out the significance of the opening scene of Macbeth.
Ans: The opening scene of Macbeth sets a dark and mysterious tone. The witches appear with thunder and lightning, creating an atmosphere of fear and evil. Their chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” hints at confusion and deceit. This prepares the audience for the tragic events to come.

(b) How did Aegeon find out all his family members?
Ans: Aegeon found his family after many years of separation due to a shipwreck. His twin sons and their twin servants were separated. At last, through strange misunderstandings and recognition in Ephesus, the family was reunited. This joyful discovery ended his long suffering.

(c) Sketch the character of Lady Macbeth.
Ans: Lady Macbeth is ambitious, strong-willed, and ruthless. She persuades Macbeth to murder Duncan and seize the crown. Her courage and determination are stronger than Macbeth’s at first. But later, guilt overtakes her, leading to sleeplessness and madness. She dies tragically, showing her inner weakness.

(d) Who was Olivia? What saddened her? Why did she not allow any visitor?
Ans: Olivia was a rich noblewoman of Illyria. She was saddened by the death of her brother and father. Out of grief, she refused to meet strangers or allow visitors. This mourning made her avoid suitors, though later she fell in love with Sebastian.

(e) What led Desdemona to marry Othello?
Ans: Desdemona married Othello because of his bravery and adventurous life. She was moved by his stories of battles, travels, and sufferings. Othello, in turn, loved her compassion. Their marriage was based on deep emotional bond and respect, though it later ended in tragedy.

9. A) Rewrite the following sentences as directed without changing their meanings: (1*7=7)

(a) As soon as he had gone, she hailed a passing railway coolie. (Change into a negative sentence)
Ans: He had not gone long before she hailed a passing railway coolie.

(b) “Now,Valentine,” said the warden, “You’ll go out in the morning.” (Change the mode of narration)
Ans: The warden told Valentine that he would go out in the morning.

(c) Leela’s face became red. (Rewrite using the verb from of ‘red’)
Ans: Leela’s face reddened.

(d) Earth has not anything to show more fair. (Change into interrogative sentence)
Ans: Has earth anything to show more fair?

(e) The poor people are very great people. They can teach us many beautiful things. (Join the sentences with a relative clause)
Ans: The poor people, who are very great people, can teach us many beautiful things.

(f) The mirror has obviously made in India. (Rewrite the sentence using the adjective form of ‘obviously’)
Ans: The mirror has an obvious Indian make.

(g) He set his suitcase on the table and opened it out flat. (Spilt into two simple sentences)
Ans: He set his suitcase on the table. He opened it out flat.

B) Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions: (1\2*6=3)

He tossed _______ quarter _______- the hat ____  ________ blind man sitting ______- ______ door, and boarded his train.

Ans: He tossed a quarter into the hat of a blind man sitting at the door, and boarded his train.

10. Write a paragraph in about 150-200 words on ‘The Achievements of Indian Woman in Sports”. (10)

[Hints: Introduction – various sports and famous Indian sportswoman – (P.T. Usha, Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Sania Nehwal etc.) – Recent performance of the Woman’s Cricket Team in the World Cup – Sports as career for woman – Woman empowerment – Pride of India – Conclusion]

OR

Develop the following outline into a short story in about 150 to 200 words. Add a title to the story. (2+8)

Three thieves steal a purse of gold – agree to divide the gold among themselves – one of them goes to buy food – puts poison I the food – meanwhile, the other two decide to kill him – he is killed on his return – the poisoned food eaten by the other two.

11. You want to provide accommodation to paying gusts in your house. Draft an advertisement for the classified column of an English daily is not more than 50 words giving details of the accommodation. (5)

OR

A reputed theatre group wants to conduct a short term theatre workshop for beginners. Insert an advertisement in the newspaper mentioning the required information in not more than 50 words. (5)

12. Prepare a commercial leaflet in not more than 50 words for a unisex multi-gym and yoga institute opening in your area. Mention the different offers available for half-early and annual membership schemes. (5)

OR

Design a commercial leaflet in not more than 50 words for a newly opened multicuisine restaurant in Park Circus area. (5)

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