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Read the following passage… (English 2026 301/1/1 Q1)

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EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Board exam 2026, set 301/1/1 · 12 marks · Reading comprehension

CBSE Class 12 English 2026: question 1

Set in the CBSE Class 12 board exam of 2026, paper 301/1/1, section A, question 1, for 12 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q1 · 12 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-basedReading (unseen passages)

Read the following passage carefully:

(1) Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom, fear and anger are the reasons a gull's life is so short and with those gone from his thought, he lived a long, fine life indeed.

(2) They laughed at him. The other gulls scorned him. 'Such nonsense', they would squawk, as he practised flying, not for food but for the joy of flight itself. But Jonathan, undeterred, flew higher and faster than any gull before him. He learned that the secret to flight was not merely flapping wings, but in knowing the purpose of flying.

(3) 'Break the chain of your thought', he told himself, 'And you break the chains of your body.'
In solitude, he mastered loops, dives and rolls. He flew at speeds that blurred the ocean below. The flock cast him out for defying tradition, he discovered that exile was not the end but a beginning. Alone, he found peace. Alone, he found the sky.

(4) One morning, soaring silently above the clouds, Jonathan was joined by two radiant gulls. Their wings shone with light and their presence was calm and sure. 'We've been watching you', they said. 'You're ready to come with us.'
'Where ?' Jonathan asked blinking in the sunlight.
'To a higher level of being,' they answered.
'You have learned much but there is more – more to flying, more to being a gull.'

(5) He followed them into a realm where flight was pure thought and time had no meaning. There, gulls didn't fight over scraps of bread or squawk at one another in fear. They flew to understand themselves to explore the limitless. There Jonathan met Chiang, the wisest gull, who told him : 'The only true law is that which leads to freedom – there is no other.'

(6) Jonathan began to teach others what he had learned, sharing not just flight techniques but freedom of thought. 'You can go as far as you wish,' he would say. 'Because you have the right to learn. You have the right to be free.'
No longer bound by rules, written in sand, Jonathan soared not just through the skies but through understanding. And as he flew, he knew that greatness is not measured in a wingspan but in the courage to break free. (365 words)
Source : Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach.

Answer the following questions, based on the above passage:

  1. (i)

    According to Jonathan, what was the secret of living a long life ? (para-1)

    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    How did Jonathan's unconventional passion for flying lead to his exclusion from the flock ? (para-2)

    2 marks
  3. (iii)

    Read and complete the following sentence suitably:
    'Break the chains of your thought and you break the chains of your body', suggests : (para-3)
    Choose the correct response from the two options to complete the sentence:

    1. (A)freedom is achieved through physical strength.
    2. (B)mental liberation is the key to true freedom.
    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Complete the following suitably with ONE advantage with reference to paragraph 3.
    It was ironical that Jonathan Seagull's exile did not mean isolation but _________.

    1 mark
  5. (v)

    What do the two radiant gulls who approached Jonathan, most likely represent ? (para-4)

    1. (A)rivals sent to watch his skills.
    2. (B)a hallucination formed out of his loneliness.
    3. (C)fellow gulls returning from his original flock.
    4. (D)spiritual guides leading him to a higher plane.
    1 mark
  6. (vi)

    Provide one textual evidence with reference to paragraph 4 to prove the following:
    You are ready to come with us.

    1 mark
  7. (vii)

    In Chiang's statement, "the only true law is that which leads to freedom – there is no other", what does the phrase 'the only true law' refer to ? (para-5)

    1 mark
  8. (viii)

    Select the option that best explains Jonathan's transformation after meeting Chiang.

    1. (A)becomes more aggressive and fearless
    2. (B)forgets that past and returns to his flock.
    3. (C)learns to use his skills to dominate the other gulls.
    4. (D)internalises freedom and shares his wisdom with others.
    1 mark
  9. (ix)

    Complete the analogy with ONE word from paragraph 6:
    free : bound
    dropped : _________

    1. (A)soared
    2. (B)learned
    3. (C)measured
    4. (D)break
    1 mark
  10. (x)

    In what way did Jonathan's journey challenge traditional beliefs ? Give an example.

    2 marks

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 301/1/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Go back to the exact paragraph named in each part and look for the key sentence.

Hint 2

For MCQs, eliminate options that contradict the idea of freedom and learning.

Hint 3

For (x), ask what other gulls believed about flying, then how Jonathan acted differently.

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 agreeChecked 2026-11-01

  1. (i) He discovered that a gull's life is short because of boredom, fear and anger; by removing these from his thought he lived long.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) Jonathan practised flying for the joy of it, not for food, which the flock thought nonsense and tradition-breaking. He flew higher and faster than others and defied custom, so the gulls scorned him and cast him out.

    2 marks

  3. (iii) (B) mental liberation is the key to true freedom.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) ...but a new beginning: alone he found peace and the sky, and mastered loops, dives and rolls.

    1 mark

  5. (v) (D) spiritual guides leading him to a higher plane.

    1 mark

  6. (vi) They said, 'We've been watching you', showing that they had observed his progress and judged him ready.

    1 mark

  7. (vii) It refers to the law that leads to freedom, meaning freedom of thought and being. Rules that restrict are not true laws.

    1 mark

  8. (viii) (D) internalises freedom and shares his wisdom with others.

    1 mark

  9. (ix) (A) soared. Dropped and soared are opposites, as free and bound are.

    1 mark

  10. (x) He challenged the belief that gulls fly only for food and must obey the flock's rules. He flew for the joy of flight and for understanding, and later taught others they have the right to be free.

    2 marks

Answer: (i) Freeing his thoughts of boredom, fear and anger; (ii) flew for joy, defied tradition, was cast out; (iii) B; (iv) a new beginning and peace; (v) D; (vi) 'We've been watching you'; (vii) the law leading to freedom; (viii) D; (ix) A; (x) flew for joy, not food, and taught freedom

Where the marks are

  • (i) Gives the secret as freedom from boredom, fear and anger (1 mark)
  • (ii) Passion for joy of flight and defiance of tradition (2 marks)
  • (iii) B (1 mark)
  • (iv) Exile as a beginning or peace (1 mark)
  • (v) D (1 mark)
  • (vi) Textual evidence (1 mark)
  • (vii) Law leading to freedom (1 mark)
  • (viii) D (1 mark)
  • (ix) A (1 mark)
  • (x) Challenge with example (2 marks)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Reading (unseen passages)

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