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A grown up Zitkala-Sa… (Class 12 English SQP 2023-24, Q13B)

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EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Sample paper, session 2023-24 · 5 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 12 English sample paper 2023-24: question 13(B)

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2023-24, section C, question 13(B), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q13(B) · 5 marks · Long answerCompetency-basedMemories of Childhood

A grown up Zitkala-Sa, reflects on the incident about cutting of her long hair and is conflicted that she did not do enough to resist and surrendered easily. She also wonders if she could have tried something else to prevent the incident.
As the grown-up Zitkala-Sa, create a diary entry, expressing these thoughts and conclude by absolving yourself of any blame.
You may begin like this:
I find myself reflecting on an event that happened many years ago…
(Memories of Childhood)

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2023-24.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Recall what she did when she learnt her hair would be cut.

Hint 2

Think about why cutting hair was shameful in her community and what she felt then.

Hint 3

Remember she was a helpless child, then end by forgiving yourself.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

Verified: two independent solves agree and the official marking scheme matchesChecked 2026-11-01

  1. Format and opening (1 mark): Diary entry with date and time and a first-person reflective voice. Begin: I find myself reflecting on an event that happened many years ago, one that has continued to haunt me ever since: the day my long hair was cut at the Carlisle Indian School.

    1 mark

  2. Pride and regret: I am proud that I resisted at first. I hid under the bed and declared I would struggle first. Yet I was dragged out, tied to a chair and shingled, and I now feel I gave in too easily.

    1 mark

  3. Alternatives she could have tried: I wonder whether I could have sought help from other girls, or escaped to another hiding place. Among the Dakotas, only unskilled warriors and mourners had their hair cut, so I felt shame and loss of dignity. I was overwhelmed and could not think clearly.

    1 mark

  4. Organisation and expression (1 mark): Ideas flow in order: memory, guilt, alternatives, then forgiveness. Emotive vocabulary such as helpless, humiliated, courage is used.

    1 mark

  5. Conclusion absolving herself (1 mark): I have blamed myself for too long. I was a small child, alone in a strange place and facing a system that wanted to erase my identity. I was a victim, not at fault. Today I forgive myself and honour that brave little girl. The answer stays within 120–150 words and is accurate.

    1 mark

Answer: A 120–150 word diary entry by the grown-up Zitkala-Sa showing pride in her initial resistance, regret at surrendering, alternatives she might have tried, and a final absolution of herself.

Where the marks are

  • Correct diary format and reflective opening (1 mark, format)
  • Refers to her initial resistance and later surrender, with story details (content)
  • Considers what else she could have done (content)
  • Coherent organisation and emotive expression (expression)
  • Concludes by absolving herself, with accurate language and word limit (accuracy)

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The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error?Report it in one tapand a person will check it.