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Answer any five of the… (Class 12 English SQP 2026-27, Q10)

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EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Sample paper, session 2026-27 · 10 marks · Very short answer

CBSE Class 12 English sample paper 2026-27: question 10

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2026-27, section C, question 10, for 10 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q10 · 10 marks · Very short answerThe Interview

Answer any five of the following six questions in 40–50 words each.

  1. I

    According to the interview, how did Umberto Eco make his academic writing accessible to readers? (The Interview II)

    2 marks
  2. II

    Explain why the bangle makers of Firozabad are unable to imagine an alternative future despite their hardships. (Lost Spring)

    2 marks
  3. III

    What does William Douglas’s experience in Deep Water suggest about the nature of fear and anticipation?

    2 marks
  4. IV

    How does the Christmas episode influence the peddler’s perception of human relationships? (The Rattrap)

    2 marks
  5. V

    Kamala Das uses imagery and restraint to convey unspoken anxiety rather than overt grief. Comment. (My Mother at Sixty-six)

    2 marks

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2026-27.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Pick the five you know best and write 40–50 words each.

Hint 2

Give one clear idea and one supporting textual detail per answer.

Hint 3

Link each answer back to the exact wording of the question.

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) Eco blended scholarly ideas with clarity, humour and narrative elements. He avoided obscure jargon, used examples familiar to readers, and treated writing as intellectual communication rather than dry technical exposition.

    2 marks

  2. (ii) The bangle makers are trapped by poverty, caste stigma and exploitative middlemen. Lack of education and fear of breaking their inherited occupation make suffering seem inevitable, so they cannot imagine alternatives.

    2 marks

  3. (iii) Douglas's experience shows that fear is intensified by anticipation rather than the event itself. His terror came from imagined consequences, and systematic training taught him to control it through rational practice.

    2 marks

  4. (iv) The Christmas episode changes the peddler's cynical view of relationships as traps. Edla's kindness and trust awaken his conscience, showing him that compassion can inspire moral responsibility and change.

    2 marks

  5. (v) Kamala Das uses restrained images: her mother's ashen, corpse-like face, the window gaze, and the repeated reassurance 'we'll meet again'. These show suppressed fear of loss, so unspoken emotion is more powerful than open grief.

    2 marks

Answer: Any five of the six answers (i)–(vi); model answers to (i)–(v) given above. The paper shows five sub-parts; the scheme's sixth answer, on Aunt Jennifer's tigers, is not reproduced here.

Where the marks are

  • Relevant content point and clear expression for each answer (2 marks each, any five)

Revise the chapter

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

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