Solution

. Early rising is better because it leads to health and happiness. An early riser can take advantage of the refreshing hours of the morning and does not have to ruin their health by working late at night.

. Some thinkers burn the midnight oil because they believe that the quiet hour of midnight is the best time for working and writing.

. Working at midnight ruins health because the body needs rest and sleep at that time, and bad health ultimately affects the quality of work.

. Morning hours provide refreshing energy, good health, and a productive start to the day, while midnight hours offer quiet and peaceful time for deep thinking and writing.

. Quiet

(ii) What do you mean by burning of Midnight oil?

उत्तर. Working or studying late into the night.

(iii) What is the Synonym of 'ruin'?

उत्तर. Destroy or spoil (or damage).

Section-B (Writing)

2. Article / Letter / Application

.

Unemployment in India and its Solution

Unemployment is one of the most critical challenges facing India today. Despite significant economic growth, job creation has not kept pace with the rapidly growing educated youth population. The primary causes include a theoretical educational system, lack of vocational training, slow industrial growth, and population explosion.

Unemployment leads to frustration among youth, brain drain, and an increase in social crimes. To solve this issue, the government and society must take combined steps. First, our educational system needs a complete overhaul, focusing more on skill development, technical training, and entrepreneurship rather than just rote learning. Second, encouraging small-scale industries, Start-ups, and Make in India initiatives can generate massive employment opportunities. Finally, youth should be provided with easy financial loans to start self-employment ventures. Solving unemployment is essential for the true progress and prosperity of our nation.

OR

.

To,

The Editor,

[Name of Daily Newspaper],

[City Name].

Subject: Complaint regarding frequent breakdown of electricity in our locality.

Respected Sir/Madam,

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the electricity board authorities to the severe and frequent breakdown of electricity in our locality, [Your Locality/Area Name].

For the past few weeks, power supply has become highly erratic. Power cuts lasting for 4 to 6 hours daily have disrupted normal life. Students are unable to study properly as our examinations are approaching, and patients and senior citizens are suffering immensely due to extreme heat and humidity. Moreover, unscheduled outages have also led to safety concerns during the night.

I earnestly request the concerned authorities to look into this matter immediately and take corrective measures to ensure regular and uninterrupted power supply in our area.

Thanking you.

Yours faithfully,

[Your Name]

[Your Locality/Address]

Date: [Date]

OR

.

To,

The Principal,

[Name of College],

[City Name].

Subject: Application for full fee concession.

Respected Sir/Madam,

Most respectfully, I beg to state that I am a regular student of Class 12th ([Stream, e.g., Science/Arts/Commerce]) in your esteemed institution.

My father is the sole breadwinner of our family, and his monthly income is very limited. Due to sudden financial constraints and rising household expenses, he is finding it extremely difficult to pay my college tuition fees. I have always been a sincere student, securing top grades in academics, and I am deeply interested in continuing my higher studies.

Therefore, I earnestly request you to kindly grant me full fee concession so that I can pursue my studies without any financial hindrance. I shall be highly obliged to you for this act of kindness.

Thanking you.

Yours obediently,

[Your Name]

Class: 12th

Roll No.: [Your Roll Number]

Date: [Date]

Section-C (Grammar)

4. Choose the correct option to answer the following questions:

. (b) fortune

. (c) Injustice

. (a) Cattles (Correct word is 'Cattle').

. (c) reason of quarrel

. (c) Alimony

5(a). Change any one of the following into indirect speech:

. The teacher said that honesty is the best policy.

OR

. The Principal asked the students why they had not attended their classes regularly.

5(b). Combine any one of the following as directed:

. The Sun having risen, the boys went to school.

OR

. Though he is poor, he is not dishonest.

5(c). Transfer any one of the following as directed:

. These trees have been cut down by the woodcutter.

OR

. Mumbai is the biggest city in India.

5(d). Correct the following Sentences:

. Ramesh is junior to Mahesh.

OR

. Mathematics is not an easy subject.

5(e). Use any one of the following pairs of words to make the difference in their meaning clear:

.

• Week: There are seven days in a week.

• Weak: He felt very weak after recovering from viral fever.

OR

.

• Stationary: The train remained stationary at the platform for ten minutes.

• Stationery: I went to the market to buy notebooks and other writing stationery.

6. Translate the following passage into English:

.

Time is the greatest enemy of man. A person who does not follow it never succeeds. Past time never returns. It is said that the wave of a river and the movement of time wait for no one. Therefore, moving along with time is always beneficial. For students, every single moment of time is very precious. They should make their daily routine in a time-bound manner. A person who obeys time never fails in life.

Section-D (Literature)

7. Answer the following questions in about 40 words each:

. M. Hamel spoke passionately about the French language, calling it the most beautiful, clearest, and most logical language in the world. He urged the villagers to guard it among themselves and never forget it, explaining that when a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.

OR

. For children in garbage-dumping areas, garbage is wrapped in wonder. Sometimes they find a rupee, a ten-rupee note, or even a silver coin. For them, garbage is wrapped in mystery and holds a sense of constant excitement and unexpected treasure.

. The peddler fancied that the whole world with its lands and seas, cities and villages was nothing but a big rattrap. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork, and as soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him, and then everything came to an end.

OR

. The instructor built a swimming pool for Douglas and trained him piece by piece. First, he put a belt around Douglas attached to an overhead cable running on a rope. This allowed Douglas to swim across the pool while feeling safe. He taught him how to exhale under water, inhale above water, and how to kick with his legs, gradually turning him into a confident swimmer.

8. Answer any one of the following in about 80 words:

.

Working in the glass bangles industry of Firozabad involves severe health hazards and hazardous working conditions:

1. High Temperatures: Families toil in dingy cells without air or light, operating around hot furnaces with high temperatures.

2. Vision Loss: The intense glow of the melting glass and dark, unventilated rooms severely damage the eyesight of young children and workers, often making them blind before they reach adulthood.

3. Health Toll: Constant exposure to toxic dust, glass particles, and smoke causes respiratory disorders, lung damage, and chronic illnesses.

4. Child Labour Exploitation: Thousands of children work illegally in hazardous environments without proper safety gear, trapping generations in a cycle of poverty and disease.

OR

.

To conquer his deep-seated fear of water resulting from childhood misadventures, William Douglas took concrete and determined steps:

1. Hired a Professional Instructor: He engaged a swimming instructor who practiced with him five days a week for an hour each day.

2. Systematic Training: The instructor used a pulley and rope system to make Douglas comfortable in water, teaching him breathing techniques—exhaling underwater and inhaling above water.

3. Testing in Varied Waters: Even after the instructor finished, Douglas tested himself by swimming alone in various lakes, such as Lake Wentworth and Warm Lake, diving into treacherous currents to conquer the lingering panic.

4. Mental Triumph: By sheer determination and rigorous practice, he completely banished his fear, proving that "all we have to fear is fear itself."

9. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow:

"Pain and realised with

That she was as old as she

looked but soon

Put that thought away."

. The poet realized with sudden pain that her mother had grown old, frail, and pale like a corpse, marking the inevitable approach of aging and death.

. With this realization, the poet felt an intense pang of emotional pain, fear of losing her mother, and deep childhood insecurity.

.

• Poem: My Mother at Sixty-six

• Poet: Kamala Das

10. Write the Central Idea of any one of the following Poems:

. The central idea of Kamala Das's poem "My Mother at Sixty-six" revolves around the pain of aging, human mortality, and the deep emotional bond between a mother and her daughter. The poet notices her mother's pale, corpse-like face and is suddenly struck by the fear of losing her and the reality of separation. To push away this painful thought, she looks outside at young trees sprinting and merry children spilling out of their homes, symbolizing youth and vitality, which contrast sharply with her aging mother's frailty.

OR

. The central idea of Pablo Neruda's poem "Keeping Quiet" is the urgent need for universal peace, introspection, and quiet reflection. The poet suggests that humanity can overcome its destructive tendencies—such as wars, pollution, and hatred—by stopping all activity for a brief moment and remaining totally silent. This stillness will allow people to connect with themselves, realize the futility of violence and mutual destruction, and foster global brotherhood and understanding.

OR

. The central idea of John Keats's poem "A Thing of Beauty" is that beautiful things are a permanent source of joy and inspiration throughout life. Unlike temporary pleasures that fade away, a thing of beauty leaves an everlasting impression on our minds. It removes the pall of sadness, gloom, and suffering from our dark spirits, providing eternal solace, health, and a quiet bower filled with sweet dreams.

11. Answer the following questions in about 40 words each:

. The third level referred to the sub-level of the Grand Central Station in New York through which commuters could take trains on the Galesburg, Illinois line. While only two levels existed in reality, Charley stumbled into a third level that transported him back to the peaceful year of 1894.

OR

. The chief astrologer predicted that the newborn Prince Jungjung Bahadur would grow up to become a warrior and hero, but his death would ultimately come from a tiger. Specifically, the astrologer warned that he should be wary of the hundredth tiger.

. When Tishani Doshi reached Antarctica, she was astonished to witness its vast white landscape and uninterrupted blue horizons. She realized how crucial Antarctica is for understanding earth's past, present, and future, particularly how India and Antarctica were once part of the same supercontinent, Gondwana.

OR

. The Maharaja started hunting tigers to disprove the chief astrologer's prediction that his death would be caused by a tiger. Determined to protect his life and prove astrologers wrong, he embarked on a mission to kill a hundred tigers in his state.

12. Answer any one of the following question in about 80 words:

.

• Identity: The psychiatrist was Sam, a close friend of Charley, who practiced psychiatry and analyzed human psychological stress.

• Explanation of the Third Level: When Charley shared his experience of discovering the third level at Grand Central Station, Sam diagnosed it as a waking-dream wish fulfillment. He explained that modern life is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry, and stress, and Charley's mind simply wanted to escape to the peaceful, secure world of 1894. Sam even managed to find evidence of historical first-day covers in 1894, proving that he too got drawn into Charley's romanticized world view.

OR

.

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram killed ninety-nine tigers with immense zeal and caution, fulfilling most of his quota. However, finding the hundredth tiger became a matter of life and death because the astrologer had warned that his death would come specifically from the hundredth tiger.

When tigers became extinct in his state, he grew desperate, doubled land taxes, and threatened officials until his dewan finally procured an old, weak captive tiger from a circus in Madras and left it in the forest for the king to shoot. Though the king jubilantly thought he had shot the hundredth tiger, the bullet had actually missed, and the old tiger had only fainted from the shock. Later, the king's death was ironically caused by an infection from a wooden toy tiger, proving that destiny cannot be escaped.