Solved Pre-Board Examination Paper: English Core (Class 12), Set A (January 2026)
Roll No.: [To be filled by candidate] Series: 2025-2026 Maximum Marks: 80 Time: 3 hours
Note: Answers are provided as per CBSE/NCERT guidelines, sticking to word limits. Attempt all compulsory sections/parts as instructed. Answers are model solutions for full marks.
Section A: Reading Skills (20 marks)
1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing correct options given (Attempt any one) [10 marks]
Chosen Passage: Mosquitoes
(i) (iii) Times of dinosaurs
(ii)
(iv) O
(iii) (iv) have microbes that attract mosquitos
(iv) (iii) Wearing light-coloured clothes
(v) (ii) Keeping surroundings clean
(vi) No, mosquitoes are not attracted by light-coloured clothes; they are attracted to bright/dark colours. Light colours help reduce bites.
(vii) 52 billion people.
(viii) From about 30 meters.
(ix) Exercising releases a lot of carbon dioxide, which mosquitoes can sense from a distance of 30 meters, increasing the risk of bites.
(x) Challenges include mosquito resistance to insecticides, climate change expanding breeding areas, migration spreading diseases, incomplete vaccine development, and difficulty in eradicating breeding sites globally.
2. Read the following passage carefully and make notes on it using headings and sub-headings. Supply an appropriate title also. [5 marks]
Title: Kicha – The Young YouTube Chef Prodigy
Notes:
- Channel Origin & Content
- Videos uploaded spontaneously when Kicha feels like shooting.
- Recipes provided by mother: simple, child-friendly.
- No fire involved by Kicha; adult handles chopping/fire if needed; Kicha informs viewers.
- Growth & Popularity
- Nearly 40k subscribers.
- Over 100 recipes: oatmeal cookies, coconut payasam, rainbow idli, ice-cream, cakes.
- Achievements & Recognition
- U.S. casting company deal: USD 2,000 from Facebook for non-exclusive rights to Mickey Mouse Mango Ice-cream video → instant recognition.
- Featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Sept 2016): Made ‘puttu’ (Kerala breakfast) for Ellen.
- Global Child Prodigy Award (Jan 2020): Among top 100 prodigies.
Abbreviations used:
- Kicha: Child YouTuber
- USD: United States Dollar
Section B: Writing Skills (15 marks)
3. Attempt any one of the following: [5 marks]
Chosen: Notice for Class Picnic
Govt. Model Sanskriti School, Hisar NOTICE Date: January 15, 2026
Class Picnic
All students of Class XII are invited to join the class picnic to Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary on January 25, 2026 (Sunday). Assembly at school gate at 7:00 a.m. sharp. Bus fare ₹200 (to be deposited by January 20). Bring packed lunch, water bottle, cap, and ID card. Games and nature walk planned. Last date for confirmation: January 20, 2026. For details, contact the undersigned.
Sd/- Saloni Class Monitor Class XII A
(Word limit: 48 words)
4. Attempt any one of the following: [5 marks]
Chosen: Discuss the connected world economy, its benefits, and challenges in culture and technology. (120-150 words)
The connected world economy, driven by globalization and digital technology, integrates markets, trade, and information worldwide. Benefits include increased economic growth through access to global markets, lower costs via outsourcing, and innovation from cross-border collaboration. Consumers enjoy diverse products at competitive prices, while businesses expand opportunities.
However, challenges exist in culture and technology. Culturally, it leads to homogenization, eroding local traditions and languages as Western influences dominate media and consumer habits. Technology creates a digital divide, widening inequality between developed and developing nations. Cybersecurity threats, data privacy issues, and job displacement due to automation are major concerns.
To balance benefits and challenges, policies promoting inclusive growth, cultural preservation, and ethical tech use are essential. The connected economy can foster prosperity if managed sustainably.
(Word count: 138)
5. Attempt any one of the following: [5 marks]
Chosen: Letter to the Editor on chain snatching
House No. 123, Sector 15, Hisar January 20, 2026
The Editor The Tribune Hisar
Subject: Rising Incidents of Chain Snatching in Hisar – Urgent Measures Needed
Sir,
I am writing to highlight the alarming increase in chain snatching incidents in our city, especially in markets, bus stands, and residential areas. Women and elderly citizens are the most vulnerable, facing physical harm and financial loss.
To curb this, increased police patrolling in high-risk zones, installation of CCTV cameras at key points, and community awareness campaigns are essential. Quick-response teams and women helplines should be promoted. Strict action against repeat offenders and public cooperation via neighborhood watch groups can help.
I urge the authorities to take immediate steps for safer streets.
Yours sincerely, Roshni Resident, Hisar
(Word count: 128)
Section C: Grammar [10 marks approx., based on structure]
6. Attempt any two from each sub-part: [Each sub-part 2 marks]
A. Fill in the blanks with correct forms of verbs:
a. (iii) are rehearsing b. read (simple present for habit) c. bought (past for “just a moment ago”)
B. Change the narration:
a. (iv) He told me that he was enjoying his work.
b. He told me that I had done well.
c. The old man said that eyes are a great blessing.
C. Fill in the blanks with suitable articles:
a. (iv) x (no article before “school” for institution)
b. a (united action – countable) c. an (hourly – vowel sound)
D. Change the voice:
a. (iii) I am known to this boy.
b. Let my orders be carried out.
c. The door will have been repaired by him.
E. Fill in the blanks with suitable Modals:
a. (ii) can (permission/ability)
b. must (law/obligation)
c. May (permission/polite request)
Section D: Literature [30 marks approx.]
7. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (Attempt any one) [5 marks]
Chosen: Lost Spring (Saheb)
a. (ii) Amidst the green fields
b. (iii) Due to storms that destroyed their fields and homes
c. (iii) Storms often destroyed their homes and fields
d. (ii) Hoping for better income and opportunities
e. (ii) It was destroyed long ago and he barely remembers it
8. Answer the following in about 100 words: (Attempt any one) [5 marks]
Chosen: Why did the elders of the village attend the Last Lesson? (The Last Lesson)
The elders attended the last French lesson because they wanted to pay respect to their native language on the day it was being banned by the Prussians. M. Hamel had taught French for 40 years, and this was his final lesson. Villagers, feeling regret for neglecting their language, filled the classroom to show solidarity and learn a bit more before it was lost. Their presence symbolized love for their mother tongue and protest against linguistic suppression. It highlighted the importance of preserving cultural identity under foreign rule.
(Word count: 98)
9. Answer the following in about 30 words: (Attempt any three) [6 marks]
a. Douglas overcame residual doubts by practicing swimming repeatedly with an instructor, building confidence gradually until he could swim fearlessly in any water.
b. The paddler managed life by begging, stealing, and selling rattraps, viewing the world as a big rattrap that lured people with baits.
c. ‘The God That Failed’ is an essay collection by six writers (Arthur Koestner, Ignazio Silone, etc.) explaining their disillusionment with communism after initial belief.
d. An interview with a celebrity is like a thumbprint – unique, revealing personality, but can be intimidating or distorting due to power imbalance.
10. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow (Attempt any one) [5 marks]
Chosen: A Roadside Stand (Robert Frost)
a. (iii) Sadness
b. (iii) The sadness near the window
c. (iv) To plow the grass while turning around
d. (iv) Poor farmers
e. (iii) meagre income earned by the countryside people
11. Answer any two questions in about 40-50 words: [6 marks]
a. The poet’s repeated smile signifies an attempt to mask her pain and fear of losing her mother, reassuring both herself and her mother while hiding grief. b. “Green wars” refer to environmental destruction; “wars with gas and fire” mean pollution and warfare, symbolizing humanity’s self-destructive activities. c. Aunt Jennifer created tigers – fearless, majestic – as an escape from her oppressed, fearful life under patriarchal control, expressing her inner desire for freedom.
12. Read the following stanza and answer the questions that follow (Attempt any one) [4 marks]
Chosen: My Mother at Sixty-Six
a. The old familiar ache was the poet’s childhood fear of separation and losing her mother.
b. Kamala Das said these words to her ageing mother.
c. “See you soon, Amma.”
d. The smile signifies forced reassurance, hiding sorrow and accepting inevitable loss.
13. Answer any one of the following in about 120-150 words: [5 marks]
Chosen: Why does the narrator resort to wishful day-dreaming and want to travel back in time? (The Third Level)
Charley, stressed by modern life’s fast pace, insecurity, and wars, escapes into day-dreaming about a peaceful past via the imaginary third level at Grand Central Station. He longs for 1894 Galesburg – slow, serene, with simpler joys like hayrides and brass bands. This escapism reflects his dissatisfaction with reality, where problems overwhelm him. The third level symbolizes a psychological refuge from anxiety, though his psychiatrist friend calls it a “waking-dream wish fulfillment.” Ultimately, it highlights human tendency to flee harsh present through fantasy, but Charley persists in believing it’s real.
(Word count: 132)
14. Answer any two questions in about 30-40 words: [4 marks]
a. The king was in danger of losing his throne because astrologers predicted his death by a tiger; failing to kill 100 tigers would doom him, threatening his rule. b. Indications include rising pollution, climate change, melting glaciers, and human greed, suggesting a grim future unless humanity changes course. c. The ending signifies hope and humanity – Sadao and Hana save the POW, showing compassion transcends war. d. Derry told Mr. Lamb about a woman who called him “ugly” due to his burnt face, making him withdrawn and bitter.
