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Answer ANY ONE of the… (Class 12 English 2026, Q12A)

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EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Board exam 2026, set 301/1/1 · 5 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 12 English 2026: question 12(A)

Set in the CBSE Class 12 board exam of 2026, paper 301/1/1, section C, question 12(A), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q12(A) · 5 marks · Long answerGoing Places

Answer ANY ONE of the following two questions in 120-150 words:
Sophie in 'Going Places' and Mukesh in 'Lost Spring' aspire for a better life yet external forces shape their realities and opportunities. Discuss.

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

Name what each character wants.

Hint 2

Identify what stops each from getting it.

Hint 3

Compare the two and conclude.

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. Introduction: Both Sophie and Mukesh dream of a better life, but their circumstances limit how far their dreams can go.

    1 mark

  2. Sophie dreams of meeting the famous footballer Manolo, and fantasises about an exciting life. Her ordinary family and modest means limit her, and her father and brother treat her dreams as unrealistic.

    1 mark

  3. Mukesh, a bangle-maker's son in Firozabad, dreams of becoming a motor mechanic. Poverty, family debt, and the traditions of the bangle-making community, along with exploitative middlemen, shackle him to the furnace.

    1 mark

  4. Contrast: Sophie's constraints are social and economic but milder, whereas Mukesh faces a systemic cycle of poverty. Yet Mukesh shows courage, saying he will be a motor mechanic, just as Sophie holds on to hope.

    1 mark

  5. Conclusion: Aspirations are shaped by external forces, yet determination keeps hope alive.

    1 mark

Answer: Model answer of 120-150 words on how aspiration and external forces shape the lives of Sophie and Mukesh.

Where the marks are

  • Introduction (1 mark)
  • Sophie's dream and limits (1 mark)
  • Mukesh's dream and limits (1 mark)
  • Comparison or analysis (1 mark)
  • Conclusion and language (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

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

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Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Going Places, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 301/1/1: every question, by section.

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.