Arts (English Medium) Class 12 - CBSE Important Questions

Read the given extract to attempt the questions with reference to context.

(i) What is the most likely reason some people consider the practice of interview to be an art? (1)

This could be because it requires-

1. fluency of words.
2. sensitive and careful handling.
3. creativity and imagination.
4. probing and focusing on details.

(ii) Rewrite the sentence by replacing the underlined phrase with its inference. (1)

Celebrities feel that an interview diminishes them.

(iii) On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below. (1)

(1) Celebrities don’t consent to be interviewed.

(2) Interviews intrude the privacy of celebrities.

1. (1) Can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.
2. (1) cannot be inferred from the extract but (2) can.
3. (1) is true but (2) is false.
4. (2) is the reason for (1).

(iv) Rationalise, to support the given opinion: (1)

To say that an interview, in its highest form, is a source of truth, is an extravagant claim.

(v) Replace the underlined word with its antonym from the extract. (1)

Some celebrities hate the idea of having to give an interview because it makes them feel like supporters.

(vi) The author’s views on interview, in the extract, can best be described as statements based on ______. (1)

1. facts
2. hypothesis
3. beliefs
4. superstitions

Answer the following question in about 40-50 words.

Umberto Eco, with reference to "The Name of the Rose" says, “I think if I had written The Name of the Rose ten years earlier or ten years later, it wouldn’t have been the same.” What could he have meant?

Why did Jansie not approve of Sophie’s dream ? 

Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?

Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

State the common issue faced by most of the aged in the current times, with reference to the poem My Mother at Sixty-six.

Read the given extract and answer the questions.

1. What is the speaker's emotional state when looking at her mother?     (1)
   1. Confused and disoriented
   2. Nostalgic and longing
   3. Empathetic and understanding
   4. Fearful and apprehensive
2. What does the use of the word "but" at the beginning of the line, ‘but all I said..’, suggest?    (1)
3. Select the word that WILL NOT complete the sentence appropriately.     (1)
   The description of the mother as "wan, pale/as a late winter's moon" creates a vivid image of ______.
   1. vulnerability
   2. sensitivity
   3. frailty
   4. mortality
4. State whether the given statement is TRUE or FALSE.     (1)
   The poetic device used in the line, ‘pale as a winter’s moon’ is the same as the one used in the line, ‘the winter wind wistfully wailed at night’.
5. What message do these lines highlight, in the context of familial relationships, and the speaker’s sense of anxiety and fear at the prospect of losing her mother?     (1)
6. Complete the sentence appropriately.      (1)
   The repetition of the word, ‘smile’ suggests that ______.

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

(a) Whom does the word ‘those’ refer to?
(b) What does the poet mean by : ‘put on clean clothes’?
(c) Describe the irony in the third line.
(d) When can a person walk about with ‘their’ brothers?

Give two reasons why, according to Pablo Neruda, is ‘keeping quiet’ essential to attaining a better, more peaceful world.

Answer the following question in about 120-150 words.

Imagine you are Pablo Neruda, the poet of Keeping Quiet.

What advice might you offer to Robert Frost, the poet of A Roadside Stand, in the context of his conflicted emotions, as displayed in the given lines-

Pen down your advice, in a letter to Frost.

You may begin this way:
Dear Robert
I recently read your poem, "A Roadside Stand," and...

You may end this way:
I hope this advice is helpful to you. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to support you.
Warmly,
Pablo Neruda

A flowery band to bind us to the Earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways

Made for our searching:

(i) What are we doing everyday? (1)

(ii) Which evil thing do we possess and suffer from? (1)

(iii) What are the circumstances that contribute towards making humans unhappy and disillusioned with life? (1)

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness; but will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

(a) Which two qualities of beauty are mentioned here?
(b) How does it give calm to a troubled mind?
(c) What does the word ‘bower’ mean?
(d) How does beauty lead to ‘a sleep full of sweet dreams’?

What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?

Rationalize why Keats uses the metaphor ‘an endless fountain of immortal drink’ in his poem, A Thing of Beauty.

How does Keats’ poem, A Thing of Beauty appeal richly to the senses, stimulating the reader’s inner sight as well as the sense of touch and smell? Write your answer in about 120-150 words.

Read the given extract to attempt the questions with reference to context.

(i) Choose the option that displays the same poetic device as used in the first line of the extract. (1)

1. I’m as happy as I can be.
2. Life is a roller coaster ride.
3. Nature is God’s gift to us.
4. The dazzling divas enchanted all.

(ii) What does the phrase ‘a bower quiet’ indicate? (1)

1. serenity
2. morality
3. superiority
4. diversity

(iii) The benefits of a thing of beauty for humans include ______. (1) 

1. healthy body
2. calm mind
3. struggle-free life
4. better relationships
5. hope to carry on

Choose the most appropriate option.

1. Only (v)
2. (i), (ii) and (v)
3. (i), (iii) and (iv)
4. (ii) and (iv)

(iv) Answer in ONE word. (1)

When the poet says that ‘a thing of beauty’ will never pass into nothingness, he means that it is ______.

(v) On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below. (1)

(1) We are surrounded by beautiful things.

(2) Beautiful things provide us joy.

1. (1) can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.
2. (2) can be inferred from the extract but (1) cannot.
3. Both (1) and (2) can be inferred from the extract.
4. (2) is the reason for (1) and can be inferred from the extract.

(vi) Which of the following is an apt title for the extract? (1)

1. Full to the Brim with Joy
2. Beauty Galore
3. Live Life King Size
4. Hope Floats

What according to Keats are things of beauty? What is their significance in our lives?

What are the things that cause suffering and pain?

The objects of beauty remove the gloom from our lives. Discuss with reference to the poem 'A Thing of Beauty'.

What is the theme of the poem- 'A Thing of Beauty'?