English · Sample Paper 2

General instructions

Section A · Reading

1. Question 112 marks

   Read the passage and answer the questions.

   1. A century ago, almost every Indian town had a repair street. Watchmakers squinted through eyeglasses, cobblers stitched soles by hand, and radio mechanics coaxed old sets back to life. Things were expected to last, and when they broke, someone nearby could fix them. Today, many of these workshops have closed. A cracked phone screen or a dead mixer is often simply thrown away.

   2. Part of the reason is design. Many modern devices are glued shut, use unusual screws, or hide their batteries deep inside. Spare parts are hard to find or deliberately expensive. Some manufacturers allow only their own service centres to repair products, and charge so much that buying a new one seems sensible.

   3. The cost of this habit is enormous. India is among the world's largest producers of electronic waste, and only a small share of it is recycled safely. The rest is burnt or broken apart in informal yards, where workers, many of them children, breathe toxic fumes and handle lead and mercury without protection.

   4. A 'right to repair' movement has grown in response. It asks companies to sell spare parts, publish repair manuals and design products that can be opened easily. In 2022, the Indian government launched a portal listing repair information for some products, and several countries have passed laws requiring parts to be available for years after a product is sold.

   5. Supporters argue that repair is not just about saving money. It keeps skills alive, creates local jobs and reduces the pressure on mines and landfills. Every phone that lasts two extra years, they say, is a small victory for the planet.

   (i) What was a 'repair street'? (1 mark)

   (ii) Name two kinds of craftsmen mentioned in paragraph 1. (1 mark)

   (iii) Give two design features that make modern devices hard to repair. (1 mark)

   (iv) Why does buying a new product sometimes seem sensible? (1 mark)

   (v) What happens to most electronic waste in India? (1 mark)

   (vi) Why is informal recycling dangerous? (1 mark)

   (vii) State two demands of the 'right to repair' movement. (1 mark)

   (viii) What did the Indian government do in 2022? (1 mark)

   (ix) Give two benefits of repair mentioned by supporters. (1 mark)

   (x) Find a word in paragraph 1 that means 'persuaded gently'. (1 mark)

   (xi) Choose the best title: (a) The Death of Watchmakers (b) Mend, Don't End (c) New Phones for All (d) Mines and Landfills (1 mark)

   (xii) Explain 'a small victory for the planet' in your own words. (1 mark)

2. Question 210 marks

   Read the passage and answer the questions.

   A city library recorded the books borrowed by readers aged 14–18 over one year. Of 6,000 loans, 35% were novels, 25% were exam guides, 15% were biographies, 15% were comics and graphic novels, and 10% were science and technology titles. Loans peaked in May and June and fell sharply in February and March.

   The library then started a monthly 'Meet the Author' evening and a book club run by students. Over the next six months, loans of biographies rose by a third, and 120 new teenage members joined. Librarians noticed that readers who joined the book club borrowed twice as many books as other members.

   (i) How many books were borrowed by readers aged 14–18? (1 mark)

   (ii) Which category was borrowed the most? (1 mark)

   (iii) How many loans were of science and technology titles? (1 mark)

   (iv) Which categories had an equal share? (1 mark)

   (v) In which months did loans peak, and why might that be? (1 mark)

   (vi) Why might loans fall in February and March? (1 mark)

   (vii) Name the two initiatives the library started. (1 mark)

   (viii) By what fraction did biography loans rise? (1 mark)

   (ix) How many new teenage members joined? (1 mark)

   (x) What did librarians notice about book-club members? (1 mark)

Section B · Writing

1. Question 34 marks

   You are the head girl/boy of Sunrise Public School, Pune. Write a notice in about 50 words informing students about a blood donation camp to be held in the school.

2. OR

   Question 34 marks

   Draft a classified advertisement in about 50 words for the 'Situations Vacant' column of a newspaper, for the post of a receptionist in a hotel.

3. Question 44 marks

   Design a poster in about 50 words for an awareness campaign against the use of single-use plastic.

4. Question 55 marks

   You are Ritu/Rahul of 25, Model Town, Ludhiana. Write a letter in 120–150 words to the editor of a national daily about the problem of loud music at late-night functions in residential areas.

5. OR

   Question 55 marks

   You are Nisha/Nikhil of 14, Lake Road, Kolkata. Write a letter in 120–150 words to a bookseller placing an order for books for your school library.

6. Question 65 marks

   Write a debate in 120–150 words for or against the motion: 'Mobile phones should be allowed in schools.'

Section C · Literature

1. Question 76 marks

   Read the extract (Walt Whitman, The Voice of the Rain) and answer the questions.

   I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain, Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea, Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed, and yet the same, I descend to lave the drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,

   (i) Why does the rain call itself 'eternal'? (1 mark)

   (ii) From where does the rain rise? (1 mark)

   (iii) How is the rain 'altogether changed, and yet the same'? (1 mark)

   (iv) What does 'lave' mean? (1 mark)

   (v) What are 'drouths'? (1 mark)

   (vi) Which form of verse is the poem written in? (1 mark)

2. OR

   Question 76 marks

   Read the summary and answer the questions.

   In 'The Laburnum Top', the poet describes a laburnum tree that is silent and still on a September afternoon, its leaves yellowing. A goldfinch arrives with a sudden chirp, and the tree comes alive with movement and sound as her family stirs in the nest hidden in the leaves. Then the bird leaves, and the tree returns to stillness.

   (i) Name the poet. (1 mark)

   (ii) In which season is the poem set, and how do you know? (1 mark)

   (iii) Where is the goldfinch's nest? (1 mark)

   (iv) What change does the arrival of the goldfinch bring to the tree? (1 mark)

   (v) What happens when the bird leaves? (1 mark)

   (vi) What theme does the poem convey? (1 mark)

3. Question 82 marks

   How did the grandmother spend the last day of her life in 'The Portrait of a Lady'?

4. Question 92 marks

   What is the central concern of the poem 'Father to Son'?

5. Question 102 marks

   Why did Aram and Mourad return the horse to John Byro?

6. Question 112 marks

   What does the 'laugh' in 'A Photograph' signify?

7. OR

   Question 112 marks

   What were the three stages in which the poet of 'Childhood' lost his innocence?

8. Question 122 marks

   How did Andrew Manson revive the stillborn baby in 'Birth'?

9. Question 134 marks

   What is the difference between the two accounts of history in 'The Adventure'? Answer in 80–100 words.

10. Question 144 marks

    Describe the author's journey to Mount Kailash in 'Silk Road'. Answer in 80–100 words.

11. OR

    Question 144 marks

    How did the children on board the Wavewalker show courage? Answer in 80–100 words.

12. Question 154 marks

    Describe Mrs Dorling and her behaviour towards the narrator in 'The Address'. Answer in 80–100 words.

13. Question 166 marks

    Why has Tutankhamun's mummy been the subject of so much interest for over a century? Answer in 120–150 words.

14. Question 176 marks

    'Mother's Day' is a satire on how families take homemakers for granted. Discuss. Answer in 120–150 words.

15. OR

    Question 176 marks

    Describe the events that led to the king being hanged in 'The Tale of Melon City'. Answer in 120–150 words.