MP Board Class 12th Special English Important Extracts from Text Book

Students get through the MP Board Class 12th English Important Questions Special English Important Extracts from Text Book which are most likely to be asked in the exam.

MP Board Class 12th Special English Important Extracts from Text Book

Read the following extracts from the text book carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Let us have concord with our own people,
And concord with people who are strangers to us;
Asvins, create between us and the strangers a unity of hearts.
May we unite in our minds, unite in our purposes, (M.P. 2015)
and not fight against the divine spirit within us.
Let not the battle-cry rise amidst many slain,
nor the arrows of the War-God fall with the break of the day.

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Who is called to create unity of hearts?
Answer:
Asvins.

Question (ii)
What is the meaning of concord?
Answer:
State of peaceful agreement, harmony.

Question (iii)
Whose arrows will fall with the break of the day?
Answer:
War-God.

Question (iv)
What does the poem inculcate?
Answer:
The poem inculcates the ethics of collective living through mutual love and understanding.

Question (v)
“Divine Spirit” means. (M.P. 2015)
Answer:
Soul something separate from body.

Question (vi)
“Slain” means ………………… (M.P. 2015)
Answer:
Killed in war.

Question (vii)
Make suitable compound word with: (M.P. 2015)
battle, cry, war, God.
Answer:
Battle-cry, War-God.

Question (viii)
What do you understand by ‘break of the day’? (M.P. 2015)
Answer:
Dawn, in ancient India, battles were fought between sunrise and sunset.

Question 2.
But not because of its magnificance (M.P. 2013, 18)
Dear is the Casuarina to my soul;
Beneath it we have played; though years may roll,
O sweet companions, loved with love intense.
For your sakes, shall the tree be ever dear.
Blent with your images, it shall arise
In memory, till the hot tears blind mine eyes!
What is that dirge-like murmur that I hear
Like the sea breaking on a shingle-beach?
It is the tree’s lament, an eerie speech,
That haply to the unknown land may reach.

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
What is Casuarina?
Answer:
A tree.

Question (ii)
What will blind the eyes of the poet?
Answer:
Hot tears.

Question (iii)
Which noun is used as adjective to quality the murmur?
Answer:
Dirge.

Question (iv)
What does the tree do in this stanza?
Answer:
In this stanza the poet humanizes the tree. She feels that the tree shares her sorrow by singing a long mournful dirge like murmur.

Question (v)
Who is the composer of these lines?
Answer:
Joru Dutt is the composer of these lines.

Question 3.
Although we still have a great deal to learn about the symbiosis between forests and rain clouds, we do know that when the forests are destroyed, the rains eventually taper off and bring less moisture. Ironically, the heavy rains continue to fall for a while where the forest used to be, washing away the topsoil that is no longer protected by the canopy of the trees or held in place by the root system. Nearby areas are sometimes flooded by the runoff, which the forest used to soak up, and nearby rivers are often silted with the topsoil, gradually becoming clogged. Thus the rivers get shallower, their capacity to drain the flood waters is impaired, and the flooding along the banks becomes even worse.

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
What is the meaning of symbiosis?
Answer:
Close association of two species living together for mutual benefit.

Question (ii)
Which word means a covering above something?
Answer:
Canopy.

Question (iii)
What is the antonym of shallow?
Answer:
Deep.

Question (iv)
What will be caused by rain if there are no trees?
Answer:
If heavy rain falls when there are no trees, then the top soil will be washed away. The rivers will get clogged.
Thus they will become shallower and their capacity to drain flood water will be impaired. This will worsen the flooding along the banks.

Question 4.
An intellectual hatred is the worst,
So let her think opinions are accursed.
Have I not seen the loveliest woman born
Out of the mouth of Plenty’s hom,
Because other opinionated mind
Barter that horn and every good
By quiet natures understood
For an old bellows full of angiy wind? (M.P. 2012)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Which hatred is of the worst kind?
Answer:
Intellectual hatred.

Question (ii)
What is ‘horn of Plenty’?
Answer:
In Greek mythology, the horn of a goat, placed among the stars, as a symbol of prosperity and joy.

Question (iii)
What does opinionated mean?
Answer:
To have an opinion.

Question (iv)
What are the evil effects of ‘Horn of Plenty’?
Answer:
Horn of plenty refers to prosperity and joy. But through it poet refers to the weaknesses of Maud Gonne wholed to act foolishly due to her strongly held opinion.
All her good upbringing proved to be useless. She ruined the happiness of her life. The poet therefore wants her daughter to avoid it.

Question 5.
Skvortsov flew into a rage and gave the beggar a merciless scolding. The ragged fellow’s insolent lying aroused his disgust and aversion, was an offence against what he, Skvortsov, loved and prized in himself: kindliness, a feeling heart, sympathy for the un-happy. By his lying, by this treacherous assault upon compassion, the individual had, as it were, defiled the charity which he liked to give to the poor with no misgivings in his heart. The beggar at first defended himself, protested with oaths, then he sank into silence and hung his head, overcome with same. (M.P. 2018)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
What is the meaning of rage?
Answer:
Great anger.

Question (ii)
What did Skvortsov like to give the poor?
Answer:
Charity.

Question (iii)
Who overcame with shame?
Answer:
The beggar.

Question (iv)
What kind of man was Skvortsov?
Answer:
Skvortsov was a kind man. He had a heartfull of feelings and was sympathetic towards poor.

Question (v)
Give adjective form of the word ‘mercy’?
Answer:
Merciful.

Question 6.
How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom sheweth.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arrived so near,
And inward ripeness doth much less appear
That some more timely happy spirits indueth. (M.P. 2010)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
What is the meaning of subtle?
Answer:
Not immediately obvious.

Question (ii)
How old is the poet?
Answer:
The poet is twenty three years old.

Question (iii)
Find a word that means rapid?
Answer:
Haste (hasting).

Question (iv)
What has time stolen from the poet?
Answer:
The time has stolen twenty three beautiful years from the life of the poet. These years have passed so, rapidly that the poet failed to nature. His career could not become perfect. He still requires time to become mature.

Question 7.
The physical, intellectual, patriotic and spiritual, then, are dimensions in which our young men and women must equip themselves so that they can really be of effective service to the nation. Needless to say this is a continuing process, and the very act of national service itself helps to develop these capacities. What is required on the part of our youths is a keen sense of participation in what Jawaharlal Nehru used to call “the great adventure of nation-building”. There is no room here for cynicism or defeatism, boredom or depression. In whatever position our youth may find themselves, there are always numerous avenues for national service. These may not be such as to hit newspaper headlines, but it is solid and devoted activity multiplied a million-fold that truly builds the fabric of a great nation. (M.P. 2010,15)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Whom should all young men women must serve?
Answer:
The Nation.

Question (ii)
What is the meaning of cynicism?
Answer:
Selfishness.

Question (iii)
How many ways are there to serve the nation?
Answer:
Many.

Question (iv)
How can the youth really be of effective service to the nation?
Answer:
By equipping themselves with physical, intellectual, patriotic and spiritual di-mensions the youth can be effective to the nation.

Question (v)
How many dimensions are to be of effective service? (M.P. 2015)
Answer:
The physical, intellectual, patriotic and spiritual are the dimensions which will be of effective service to the nation.

Question (vi)
“defeatism” formed from: (M.P. 2015)
(a) Cynicism
(b) Criticism
(c) Defeat
(d) Diversities.
Answer:
Defeat.

Question (vii)
Give opposite word for “Spiritual”. (M.P. 2015)
Answer:
Physical or material.

Question (viii)
“no room means”. (M.P. 2015)
Answer:
not acceptable.

Question 8.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d fiirrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Whose hair soft lifted by the winnowing wind?
Answer:
Crop cutter.

Question (ii)
Whose fume is causing drowsiness?
Answer:
Poppy.

Question (iii)
What is the name of instrument used to crush grapes to make wine?
Answer:
Cider Press.

Question (iv)
How is the crop cutter described?
Answer:
The poet calls him a reaper. He has fallen asleep in the midst of reaping. He is very tired. His hair is being lifted by the wind.
The smell of poppy has made him feel drowsy.

Question 9.
Netaji’s guess was accurate. I took my command in mid November 1944. I got to grips with the enemy early in February 1945. Another example of Netaji’s military foresight is when in March 1939 during the annual session of the Indian National Congress at Tripuri in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), he proposed that the Congress should at once send an ultimatum to the British Government demanding independence within six months and should prepare immediately for a national struggle. The proposal was opposed by the rightist leaders. Netaji’s proposal was based on his appreciation of the European situation which was something beyond the understanding of our political leaders. But Netaji’s prediction turned out to be correct. (M.P. 2012)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
When did the author take command?
Answer:
November 1944.

Question (ii)
Where was the annual session of the Indian National Congress held in 1939?
Answer:
Tripuri in Jabalpur.

Question (iii)
Which word in the passage means “telling in advance what is going to happen in future”?
Answer:
Predict.

Question (iv)
Which proposal was opposed by the rightist leaders?
Answer:
It was that Congress should at once send an ultimatum to the British Government demanding independence within six months and should prepare immediately for a national struggle.

Question 10.
Yet be it less or more, (M.P. 2016)
or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure even,
To that same lot however mean or high.
Toward which time leads me and the will of Heaven.
All is, if I have grace to use it so.
As ever in my Taskmaster’s eye.

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Who is referred to as ‘Heaven’?
Answer:
It refers to God.

Question (ii)
What has the poet got in the strictest ‘measure’?
Answer:
The time for maturing.

Question (iii)
Who is the Taskmaster?
Answer:
The God is the taskmaster.

Question (iv)
What does the poet wish far?
Answer:
The poet wishes for a grace period to mend his ways and measure his career.

Question 11.
Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness, close bosom friend of the matring sun, conspiring with him how to load and bless. With fruit the vines that round the thatch eaves run. To bend with apples the mass’d cottage trees And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core To sevell the gourd and plump the hazel shells. With a sweets renel to set budding more. And still more, later flowers for the bees.

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Who does the first line refer to?
Answer:
The season Autumn is referred to in the first line.

Question (ii)
Who is the bosom friend of the season?
Answer:
The sun is the bosom friend.

Question (iii)
What does the bosom friend conspire?
Answer:
The bosom friend conspire to load and bless the vines with fruit.

Question (iv)
How does it plan to fill the fruits?
Answer:
It plans to fill all fruit with ripeness to the core.

Question (v)
Find a word which means same as maturing.
Answer:
Maturing.

Question 12.
But gallantly
The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung
In crimson clusters all the boughs among.
Whereon all day are gathered bird and bee;
And oft at nights the garden overflows
With one sweet song that seems to have no close,
Sung darkling from our tree, while men repose. (M.P. 2014)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Who does the ‘giant’ refer to:
(a) Neem tree
(b) Casuarina tree
(c) Tamarind tree
(d) Banyan tree.
Answer:
Casuarina tree.

Question (ii)
Find the word from the extract which means similar to ‘rest’.
Answer:
Repose.

Question (iii)
In …………………. are gathered birds and bee:
(a) Garden
(b) Crimson clusters
(c) Tree
(d) Sweet song.
Answer:
Garden.

Question (iv)
What overflows the garden in nights?
Answer:
The sweet songs of the birds and bees overflow the garden at nights.

Question 13.
What is required is an immense burst of idealism and energy among our youth,
who must be deeply committed to the task of safeguarding this great nation of ours, founded on the twin ideals of secularism and democracy. In particular our young men and women studying in schools, colleges and universities have a special responsibility, for while they are no longer children they have yet not got fully involved in the routine of adult life. They constitute an immense reservoir of strength which, if properly canalized, can prove to be a source of great power to the nation. (M.P. 2011, 13)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
What sort of youth do we need?
Answer:
We need the youth, who must be deeply committed to the task of safeguarding this great nation.

Question (ii)
Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘great’.
Answer:
Immense.

Question (iii)
Give me aujective form of the word ‘secularism’.
Answer:
Secular.

Question (iv)
The sense that the author wants the youth to have towards the nation, is of:
(a) Responsibility
(b) Tolerance
(c) Religion
(d) Prudence
Answer:
Prudence.

Question 14.
O may she live some green laurel,
Rooted in one dear perpectual place.
My mind, because the minds that I have loved,
The sort of beauty that I have approved,
Prosper but little, has dried up of late,
Yet knows that to do choked with hate,
May well be of all evil chances chief.
If there is no hatred in a mind
Assault and battery of the wind
Can never tear the linnet from the leaf. (M.P. 2011)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
Find a word from the stanza which means ‘everlasting’.
Answer:
Perpectual.

Question (ii)
Find a word opposite to ‘rejected’.
Answer:
Approved.

Question (iii)
Verb form of the word ‘beauty’ is
Answer:
Beautify.

Question (iv)
Who is ‘she’ referred to in the first line of the above stanza?
Answer:
Poet’s daughter is referred as ‘she’.

Question 15.
The third is the dimension of patriotism. I am concerned here not so much with the routine meaning of this term as with that deeper patriotism which transcends all pettiness and exclusivism, and creates in our youth a deep urge for national unity and progress. This alone can eradicate corruption and nepotism from our land and galvanise our whole process of economic development, which is so crucial to the success of our democracy. The youth of a nation is always the fountainhead of its idealism, and our young men and women must have a full realization that it is up to them to provide a new moral impetus to India at this crucial juncture in her history as a free nation. (M.P. 2014)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
The crucial element in the progress of a nation is:
(a) Knowledge
(b) Patriotism
(c) Power
(d) Nationalism.
Answer:
Nationalism.

Question (ii)
The word which means ‘giving special favour to one’s own people’ is:
(a) Impetus
(b) Exclusivism
(c) Nepotism
(d) Galvanise.
Answer:
Nepotism.

Question (iii)
The noun form of the word ‘transcend’ is:
(a) Transcended
(b) Transcendence
(c) Transcendent
(d) Transcendental.
Answer:
Transcendence.

Question (iv)
How can corruption be eradicated?
Answer:
Corruption can be eradicated by inculcating deeper feeling of patriotism, transcending all pettiness and exclusivism, which in turn will create in our youth a deeo urge for national unity and progress.

Question 16.
Intense glare prevented my seeing anything for the first few seconds, but I soon spotted. The object referred to, two or three hundred yards away down the valley. Unques-tionably the figure in outline was exactly like a human being, walking upright and stopping occasionally to uproot some dwarf rhodedendron. It showed dark against the snow and wore no clothing within the next minute or use it had moved into some thick scrub and disappeared. I examined the foot prints which were similar in shape to those of a man but only six or seven inches long. Marks of five toes and instep were clear but trace of heel indistinct. The prints were undoubtedly those of a biped. (M.P. 2016)

Answer these questions:

Question (i)
What did he saw in the pass ? What did they look alike?
Answer:
He saw a figure of human being in the pass. They look like a dwarf.

Question (ii)
Give opposite in meaning to‘indistinct’.
Answer:
Distinct.

Question (iii)
Make noun form of ‘prevented’.
Answer:
Prevention.

Question (iv)
Find a word similar in meaning to ‘vanished’.
Answer:
Disappeared.