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Read the given… (Class 12 English SQP 2023-24, Q9A)

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EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Sample paper, session 2023-24 · 6 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 12 English sample paper 2023-24: question 9(A)

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2023-24, section C, question 9(A), for 6 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q9(A) · 6 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedThe Last Lesson

Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given.

Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street, the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, very loud, with our hands over our ears to understand better, and the teacher's great ruler rapping on the table. But now it was all so still! I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning. Through the window I saw my classmates, already in their places, and M. Hamel walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm. I had to open the door and go in before everybody. You can imagine how I blushed and how frightened I was.
(The Last Lesson)

  1. i

    List any two sensory details present in this extract.

    1 mark
  2. ii

    Why does the protagonist feel anxious about entering the classroom on this particular day?

    1. (A)The classmates have started the lesson
    2. (B)The teacher is in a bad mood
    3. (C)The classroom is too quiet
    4. (D)The protagonist is running late
    1 mark
  3. iii

    Complete the sentence appropriately.
    The phrase "as quiet as Sunday morning" suggests that ____________.

    1 mark
  4. iv

    Pick evidence from the extract that helps one infer that this was not the protagonist's first time being late to school.

    1 mark
  5. v

    What does the term 'terrible iron ruler' indicate about M. Hamel?

    1 mark
  6. vi

    Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the extract?

    1. (A)The Fears of a Latecomer
    2. (B)The Importance of Punctuality
    3. (C)The Rigidity of the School System
    4. (D)The Anxiety of a Young Student
    1 mark

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

Sensory details are sounds the narrator describes.

Hint 2

What does he see through the window?

Hint 3

Which sentence shows he had a plan for sneaking in?

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. (i) Any two: the sound of desks opening and closing; loud lessons repeated in unison; the teacher's ruler rapping on the table.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) Option A. He sees his classmates already in their places, so the lesson has begun and he must enter in front of everyone.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) ...the school was unusually quiet and still, as if it were a holiday, rather than a busy school day.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) 'I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen' shows he has a plan from earlier experience of being late.

    1 mark

  5. (v) It shows M. Hamel's strictness and severity in discipline.

    1 mark

  6. (vi) Option B, 'The Importance of Punctuality'. The extract centres on being late and its consequences.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) desks opening/closing, lessons in unison, ruler rapping; (ii) A; (iii) unusually quiet like a holiday; (iv) 'I had counted on the commotion...'; (v) strictness; (vi) B

Where the marks are

  • (i) Two sensory details (1 mark)
  • (ii) Option A (1 mark)
  • (iii) Unusual quiet like a holiday (1 mark)
  • (iv) Counted-on-commotion line (1 mark)
  • (v) Strict discipline (1 mark)
  • (vi) Option B (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: The Last Lesson (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)

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