CBSE Class 12 English 2026: question 13(a)

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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. Challenge (1 mark): Derry's real challenge is not only the burnt face but the wall of self-pity, self-loathing and isolation he builds to protect himself from a cruel, insensitive world. He tells himself that people shun him and that he is better off alone in his garden.

   1 mark

2. Courage through Mr Lamb (1 mark): His talk with the old, one-eyed Mr Lamb, who laughs at life and calls himself a man with a 'whole' view of the world, makes Derry gather courage. He faces his deep insecurities and drops his defensive bitterness.

   1 mark

3. Overcoming (1 mark): Derry begins to see himself as a whole person and not merely a burnt face. He realises his potential, asserts his independence and decides to live on his own terms. At the close he resolves to go out and tells Lamb 'I'll come back', and he is ready to face the world.

   1 mark

4. Model answer (Expression, 2 marks): Derry's journey in On the Face of It is an inner battle. His acid-burnt face is only the surface. His greater struggle is the wall of self-pity and isolation he raises against a world that stares and recoils. He refuses friendship and clings to bitterness. Mr Lamb, himself with an artificial leg and a cheerful nature, challenges this wall. Lamb's humour and acceptance encourage Derry to speak openly about his fears. Slowly he stops defining himself by his scar and begins to see himself as a whole person with feelings, wishes and talents. He accepts Lamb's invitation to the garden, says that if he does not go there he will never go anywhere again, and so takes his first step towards independence. By the end he is determined to live on his own terms, caring more about what he thinks and wants than about what others say. This shows courage and resolve.

   2 marks

Answer: Derry's challenge is the mental wall of self-pity and isolation behind his burnt face. With Mr Lamb's influence he gains courage, sees himself as a whole person and resolves to live independently.

Revise the chapter

• Chapter: On the Face of It (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)