Delhi Public School, Duliajan

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, DULIAJAN

Holiday Assignment - 2017

Subject : English

Class - XII

I. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (10 marks)

Invictus : The Unconquerable

- W. E. Henley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud,

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

(a) On the basis of your understanding of this passage, answer the following

questions with the help of given options: (1x2=2 marks)

(i) What does the poet thank Gods for ?

(a) Painful situations (b) Unconquerable soul

(ii) How has the problems of the various years found the poet?

(a) Unafraid (b) Shaken

(b) Answer the following questions briefly:

(i) What does the poet wish to convey by ‘Horror of the shade’ (line 10)? (1 mark)

(ii) Why is the poet’s head bloody? (1 mark)

(iii) The word ‘charged’ (line 14) has several meanings. What does the poet

intend it to mean? (1 mark)

(iv) What is the theme of the poem? (1 mark)

(v) What do the following metaphors signify in the poem? (4 marks)

(a) Night (b) Circumstance

II. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (12 marks)

Gen X funda: God is cool, He's a pal

1. It’s a common refrain: Youngsters today are becoming westernised. Parents lament, "Ask them to accompany you to the temple and they pull a long face." But all these may just be nothing other than popular perceptions. A survey conducted by Hindustantimes.com shows that 68 per cent of youth today believe in a higher power, 43 percent visit the temple every day and around 60 percent admit that going to the temple gives them mental satisfaction. They want to show their devotion to God, they say.

2 . The survey also shows that rather than making them superstitious; a faith in a higher being, visiting temples, and wearing religious symbols such as a kada or a sacred thread gives them a sense of strength.

3. Clinical psychologist Seema Sharma says, "In this stress-ridden life of ours, we need to fall back on something for which we have to be sure that it is more powerful than us. Developing faith on any one relevant thing in our life is mandatory. Psychological anarchy is prevented if we have something on which we can put our trust to."

4. It was a decade or so back that a trendy youngster would consider it middle-class to admit that they kept fasts and visited the temple. It was in vogue to sneer at the temple-going variety, though the snob brigade might be doing it themselves.

5. But not now. Things have changed. "Children have become more logical. They believe in God but only as far as they find any logic in this; because they have started analysing the situation. They are open to any kind of discussion so they don't shy away to be ritualistic as few years back they were, says Madhu Kansal, Principal, Delhi International School.

6. They wear their kadas, and cross with a confidence and don't hide it inside their tees, though around 45 percent will not wear religious prints because they feel it is demeaning to their religion and 36 percent will not use religious tones as ringtones for their mobile phones. Their logic: "Why display?"

7. Conservative it may sound but a huge difference in the attitude of today's youth towards God is visible. Calling God nicknames would be unthinkable for the older generation who hold the entity in awe and fear. Not so with the youth today. They seem to blend their orthodox beliefs with a fun quotient perfectly, in their relationship with God. For them: God is "cool".

8. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj says, "Youngsters are not hypocrites. They don't believe in displaying but believe in truth, are ready to face anything and have a friendly relationship with God. They have given nicknames to their favourite Gods such as Roly Poly for Lord Ganesh and Hanu for Hanuman. Gods are their buddies."

9. What also emerges from the survey is that many visit temples and observe rituals because the family insists. Says Pinky Nigam, a student of Hindu college: “Family plays a crucial role and perhaps is one of the most significant determinants of a child's religious discourse.”

10. Aishwarya Sakhuja agrees, "Yes, you will see me with a dupatta on my head in a puja but that's about it. I do it to keep my family happy."

11. Sociologist D.L. Seth, a member of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies says, "Life is becoming uncertain. People want some mental peace, there is a higher sense of insecurity and being ritualistic is not really attached to being superstitious. It is not necessary that a ritualistic person may be superstitious and a superstitious person ritualistic".

12. That seems to be the blend then, spiritual but realistic. Kuchipudi dancer Raja Reddy, talking of his own children, says, My children want to know everything about our religious rites; they know Kuchipudi but choreograph western compositions."

13. Life today is fast, furious, and fickle, but Gen-X seems to have found the formula to fight back: Blend your religious faith with practical sense, draw strength and solace from it but don't foster blind faith. Practise rituals if it makes your family happy. You can do this much for them even if you do not believe in it.

14. Anura Jain, 18, sums it up, "There is God, but he just can't give everything to 10 million people!"

(a) On the basis of your understanding of this passage, answer the following questions

with the help of the given options: (1 x4=4 marks)

(i) What percentage of youth believes in higher power?

(a) 68 % (b) 60 %

(ii) Why will 45 % youngsters not wear religious prints?

(a) Because they feel that it is just a display

(b) Because they feel that it is demeaning

(d) Because they feel that it is less trendy

(iii) ______hold a fun quotient with God.

(a) Elder generation (b) Younger generation

(iv) What is the most significant determinant of a child's religious discourse?

(a) Friends (b) Family

(b) Answer the following questions briefly:

(i) What does the author mean by, `All these may just be little other than

popular perceptions'? (1 mark)

(ii) What does the survey conducted by HindustanTimes.com reveal about youngster's

belief in God? (1 mark)

(iii) Compare the scenario about youngster's belief a decade back with that and in the

present times? (1 mark)

(iv) What do certain youngsters do in order to avoid making a display of their religious

beliefs? (1 mark)

(v) What are certain things that youngsters do to support their view of `God is cool'? (1 mark) (vi) What does the author mean by `spiritual but realistic'? (1 mark)

(vii) Pick words from the passage which mean the following: (1x2=2 marks)

(a) stop oneself from doing something (para 1)

(b) changing frequently (para 13)

III. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Slap ! Swat! ! How do those annoying mosquitoes find you? Is it your wonderful personality or is it something else which attracts them? And why are you so rarely able to swat them before they fly off to another feast?

There are about 3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world. Not all of them are in your back yard, although sometimes it seems that the summer evening air is filled with them. There are about 200 species of mosquitoes in the United States - about 80 species have been identified in Florida, which is an ideal breeding area.

The word "mosquito" means "little fly" in Portuguese. Mosquitoes are members of the scientific order Diptera, the "True Flies." Like other "True Flies," they have wings. But they are different from some True Flies; their wings have scales. These tiny scales help eliminate the effects of friction. This helps the mosquitoes skim quickly and efficiently through the air, making them almost impossible to swat. The familiar high-pitched, annoying buzz of the mosquito comes from the sound of its wings beating 600 times per second !

If you want to control the spread of these pesky insects, it is important to know how they live and breed. As you will see, much of their life is spent in water, so getting rid of standing water plays a large role in controlling mosquitoes. There are four stages in the lifetime of a mosquito: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Mosquito eggs need water to hatch. Different species of mosquitoes prefer different places to lay their eggs. Some prefer to lay their eggs in standing water, such as water in old tires or buckets. Others like to lay their eggs in areas with a lot of organic material, like leaves and grass, so they lay their eggs in marshes and swamps. Some prefer fresh water; some like saltwater.

Mosquito larvae are called "wigglers" because they move with jerking movements of their bodies. They spend most of their time under the surface of the water, feeding on leaves and grass. They must have air to stay alive, so they wiggle to the surface. The larvae shed their skin four times as they grow and progress to the third stage, which is the pupa.

Mosquito pupae also need air to stay alive. They continue to feed on grasses and leaves under the surface of the water, but they must come up for air. After several days in the pupa stage, the pupae mature into adult mosquitoes.

Adult mosquitoes emerge after several days of growth. Some mosquitoes reach maturity in as few as 5 days, but most require 10-14 days before they reach maturity. Variations in maturity time, is due to differences in species and differences in the temperature of the environment.

Adult mosquitoes mate within a few days of their emergence as adults. They eat fruit, . nectar, and any other sources of sugar they can find. Female mosquitoes need blood in order for their eggs to develop. After the female has her meal of blood, she rests for two or three days before she lays her eggs. The cycle of eating and laying eggs continues for one or two weeks, which is the lifetime of a mosquito.

Now you know that it is the female mosquitoes which bite you. But how do they find you -their meal of blood?

Mosquitoes seek out warmth and movement - both properties of human beings and other animals. They also seek carbon dioxide, which is exhaled by humans and other animals. So while it is not exactly your wonderful personality which attracts them, the social activities of conversation and laughter - which involve movement and the exhalation of carbon dioxide are what attract these annoying little insects !

(a) On the basis of your reading of the passage, make notes using headings and

subheadings. Use recognisable abbreviations, whenever necessary. Give the

passage a suitable title. (5 Marks)

(b) Write a summary of the notes prepared in not more than 80 words. (3 Marks)

IV. People live a hectic life and hardly get time to interact with each other. Most of the free time goes in interacting online. The real social interaction has got lost somewhere. Write an Article in 150-200 words expressing your views and suggesting measures to change the situation. You are Bhawan/ Bhawani. (10 Marks)

V. Does a person need to earn a lot of money to be considered successful ? Write a ‘Speech’ in 200 words to be delivered in the morning assembly expressing your view point. Give examples to support your argument. (10 marks)

Please note : The Homework has to be done in Writing Skill note book. The date

of submission – 17/07/2017