12th Class English Notes for hbse & cbse students, Very Easy Language

 

The Last lesson -1 Alphonse Daudet

Q.1      Reproduce in your own words the story of ‘The Last Lesson’.

Ans. Franz  is the main character of this story. He was a student. M. Hamel was his teacher. Franz was late to school. He had not learnt his lesson. He feared that the teacher would scold him. But when he reached school, he found it was complete silence there. Two district of France were under the Prussian control. The order had come from Berlin that German language would be taught there.  In his class room, he came to know the truth. M. Hamel did not scold him. It was his last lesson of French language. New teacher was coming next day. Many villagers also had come to listen him. Franz was very sad. M. Hamel praised French language. He said French was the most beautiful language of the world. He told that mother language is the key to freedom. Then he wrote on the blackboard, “Vive La France’. He could not speak more. He made a gesture that the school was over.

 

                                         LOST SPRING – 2 BY ANEES JUNG

Q.2      What does the writer say in the lesson ‘The Lost Spring –Stories from the stolen   childhood.

Ans. This lesson has the issue of child labour and rag picking. There are two main characters in this lesson. They are Saheb and Mukesh. Saheb is a rag picker. His family has come from Dhaka. Mukesh works in a bangle factory. The writer comes across to them. She sees them moving without shoes. She asks Saheb if he wants to go to school. But there is no school for such poor children. Mukesh is also a very poor boy. His family works in a bangle factory. They work in dark cells. They get blind before the time. The writer visits their slums. They live in very pitiable conditions. Mukesh wants to become a motor mechanic. They are exploited by the factory owners. They are very poor. They don’t  go to school. They earn nothing but poverty. Thus the writer is against child labor and their exploitation.

                                                                        DEEP WATER – 3- William Douglas

Q.3      How did Douglas overcome the fear of water? Explain.

Ans.  Here the writer tells about his fear of water. It was his childhood experience. He went to the YMCA pool to learn swimming. One day a young boy threw him into the pool. He was drowning. He made a plan while he was going down in the water. But his plan failed. It was a terrible experience. It took away all his joys of water. Then he decided to overcome his fear of water. He hired an instructor. The instructor taught him swimming. The writer learnt swimming. He practised a lot. He repeated the exercises hundreds of time.  He went to swim in deep rivers and lakes. Now his fear had gone. He had learnt swimming. He shouted with joy. Finally he overcame his fear of water. It means no fear stands before courage.

 

 

 

Q.4.      How does the peddler philosophize this world? How does he find himself caught in this rattrap?

Ans.   The peddler is a rattrap seller. He is a poor man. He sells rattrap. One day, he has an idea. He thinks that this world is like a rattrap. He is also a small thief. Once he spends night at the house of an old crofter. The crofter offers him food and shelter. But the peddler cheats him. He steals the crofter’s money. He takes the road to jungle. He can’t find the way out of the forest. He keeps moving in the forest. Then he thinks that he is also caught in this worldly trap. Iron mill master takes him as his friend by mistake. When he comes to know the truth, he scolds the peddler. But his daughter Edla behaves politely. Edla’s sympathy moves his heart. He is changed. Now he is no more a thief. Before leaving, he leaves a rattrap and a letter for Edla. He signs the letter as captain Von Stahle.

 

Q5. Who was Rajkumar  Shukla?  Why did he meet Gandhi ji? How did Gandhi ji help him?                                             Indigo – 5   By – Louis Fischer

Ans.   Rajkumar Shukla was a poor farmer. He belonged to Champaran. The farmers grew indigo on 15% of their land. They gave it to the British landlords as a rent. It was an agreement. German had developed synthetic indigo. Then the British released the farmers from this bond. But they took some money as compensation from the farmers. The farmers wanted their money back. Rajkumar Shukla went to Gandhi ji. He told Gandhi ji about his problem. Gandhi ji went with him. Gandhi ji collected all the information. Gandhi ji met the British officials. He attended many meetings and the court. Finally, the landlords agreed to refund 25% of the money. Gandhi ji accepted this at once. This was Gandhi ji’s first victory of civil disobedience. This was more important for Gandhi ji than money. Thus Gandhi ji won the case and helped the farmers of Champaran.

                                                                                                                                        

  Poets and Pancakes – 6 

         

Q6   What does Asokmitran describe about the Gemini Studio?

Ans.   The author had worked at the Gemini studio. He tells about his experience there.  He tells the story in the way of gentle humor. There worked many people. They were; poets, writers, a lawyer and the boss of the studio. The author called it the example of national integration. There worked people from different places of the country. The author laughs at the pancake. It was a make-up material. There was an office boy. But he was a man of forty. Another man was Mr. Subbu. He was always ready with flop ideas. There was a lawyer. He worked against his post. The poets wore khadi but they were not the followers of Gandhi. Once, an MRA drama company visited Madras. It presented many plays. It influenced the people at the Gemini studio. An English poet also visited this studio. But no one could understand his lecture. The author knew later that he was Stephen Spender.

 

 Q. 7  What did some celebrities think of interview? How did Umberto Eco face interview?

Ans.   Interview was invented 130 years ago. It became popular through journalism. Many famous people are interviewed time to time. Many people had negative views about interview. They called it an unwanted intrusion in one’s life. According to V.S. Naipaul, one loses a part of his life in interview. Lewis Carroll had the horror of interview. Rudyard called it a crime.

Eco was an Italian writer. He faced interview boldly. It seemed he liked interview. Mukand asked him many questions. He answered without any hesitation. Eco was an academician but he was known as a novelist. Eco told that he wrote novels on Sundays. He wrote during the empty spaces of his work. Empty space means free time between our work systems. Eco told that his writing style was narrative and research type. His novel, “The name of Rose’ won him a great success. It sold 1.50 million copies.

 

Q.8    What  do  you  know  about  Sophie?  How is   she a day dreaming girl?

Going Places -  By – A.R. Barton

Ans.   Sophie is a young girl. She belongs to a poor family. She is a day-dreaming girl. She has a friend named Jansie.   Jansie is a realist. Her parents and brother also know about Sohpie’s day dreaming. Sophie wants to do many things. She wants to start a boutique. Then she wants to become a manager. She wants to buy a big house for her family. Jensie tells her that they are too poor  to start any business. They want to work in a biscuit factory after school. Jensie asks her to live in reality. Sophie is also a great fan of Danny Casy. He is an Irish football player. She tells her brother about her meeting with Danny. But Geoff knows about Sophie’s dreaming. Sophie goes to canal to meet Danny. But he did not come there. She was very sad. She imagines how Danny looks. She imagines how he plays. She imagines her meeting with him. Thus all this shows that she is a day dreaming girl.        

 

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS           LAST LESSON -1

Q.1.    What is the last Lesson about. OR  Why was Franz afraid of his teacher?

Or    What was Franz expected to learn?

Ans.   Franz was a school boy. He was going to school. He was late to school. He had to learn participle. But he had not learnt his lesson. So he thought that his teacher would scold him. So he did not want to go to school.

Q.2.   What was the news on the bulletin board?

Or     What order had come from Berlin?

Ans.   There was big crowd near the bulletin board. The order had come from Berlin. French language would be taught no more in the schools. Then German language would be taught there. The new teacher was coming next day. Franz came to know this in his classroom.

Q3.     Who was Saheb- e – Alam? Does he know the meaning of his name? (lost Spring)

Ans.   He was rag picker boy. He earned by picking rags. Garbage was gold for him. He was poor. He did not go to school. He wears rags. He had no shoes to wear. His name was Saheb – e-Alam. It means the master of the world. He does not know the meaning of his name.

Q.4.    Was Saheb happy to work at the tea stall?

            Saheb was no longer his own master? How?

Ans.   Sahed left rag picking. He worked at a tea stall. He got Rs. 800 per month salary. But

            he was not happy there. He had to follow the order of the tea stall owner. He was not

            free to work and wonder. He had lost his freedom.

Q.5.    Who was Mukesh? What does he want to become? (Lost Spring)

Ans.   Mukesh was a bangle maker. He works in a bangle factory. Firozabad is famous for bangle industries. They have to work in dark cells. They lived a poor life. They were exploited. They had no education. Mukesh wanted to become a motor mechanic.

Q.6     How did the writer overcome the fear of water?

Ans.   The writer a had great fear of water. It had taken all the joys of swimming. He wanted to overcome the fear of water. He hired an instructor. He taught the author swimming. The author learnt swimming. Then he swam alone in pools and rivers. Thus he overcame the fear of water.

Q.7.    What misadventure took place at the water pool with the author?

Ans.   The author was sitting alone at the edge of the pool. A young boy threw him in the pool. The author did not know swimming. He was drowning. He was terribly feared.. He was nearly died. He was saved somehow. This was a terrible experience for him.

Q.8.     Who was the rattrap seller? What was his philosophy?

Or What idea did the peddler have one day?

Ans.   The rattrap seller was a poor man. He sold rattraps. But it did not earn him enough. So he made thefts also. One he had an idea. He thought this world was like a rattrap. All worldly things are baits. Man is greedy. Man is caught in the rattrap of the world.

Q.9.    Who kind of man was the old crofter?

Q.  What kind of hospitality did the peddler receive from the crofter? Did he expected it

Ans.  The old crofter was a kind man. He welcomed the peddler. He prepared supper for him. He gave a roll of tobacco to the peddler. They played cards. The crofter was happy to find his company. The peddler had not expected such behavior.

 

Q.9     Who was Raj Kumar Shukla? Why was he called a resolute man?

Ans.    Raj Kumar Shukla was a farmer from Champaran. He wanted to help the farmers of Champaran. He went to Gandhi ji. He told Gandhi ji about his problem. He followed Gandhi ji everywhere. Finally Gandhi ji went with him. Gandhi ji fought for the farmers of champaran. He got them justice. Thus we can say Raj kumar Shukla was a resolute man.

Poetry

Q.1   Theme of the poem ‘My Mother At Sixty Six.

Ans. This is poem is written by Kamla Das. Here the poetess tells about her feelings to her mother. Her mother is sixty six years old woman. The poetess is going to airport in a car. Her mother is also with her. The mother is old and weak. The mother looks pale and weak. The mother is at the end of her life. The poetess looks out of the car. She sees children coming out of their houses. They symbolize the beginning of life. The old age is the symbol of death. After some time they reach the airport. The mother looks like the moon of a late winter night. The poetess fears that perhaps she may not see her mother. She will die soon. There is a tinge of pain in her heart. Then she bids farewell to her mother. The poetess promises to see her again.

 

Q.2 Theme of the poem or the main idea of the poem ‘An Elementary School in a Classroom’.

Ans. This poem is written by Stephen Spender. The poem tells about the condition of the poor children in a school. The school is in a slum. All the children are poor and weak. The children in the classroom are poor and unhealthy. The poet says that they are the victims of poverty and diseases. The poet sees a tall girl sitting with her head down. A boy is as thin as a paper. A sweet young boy has dreams in his eyes. The walls of the room are sour colored. There are pictures of sunrise, Shakespeare and the world map. But these pictures have no meaning for these children. Their future is dark. There is no one look after them. The poet asks the authorities to improve their condition. They should be taken to the open fields. They should breathe in fresh air. He says that only healthy children can make progress.

 

                                           (KEEPING QUIET)

Q.3      Theme of the poem or the main idea of the poem. (KEEPING QUIET)

Ans. Pablo Naruda is the poet of this poem. This is an anti-war poem. The poet does not like violence the world. He wants peace, love and fraternity. He says that we should learn to keep  quiet. The poet will count twelve. We will keep quiet. Then we all will be together. We will think over our actions. We will come to know about our faults. Then there will be no war and violence. He wants no dealing with death. His only aim is to establish peace and love.

 

 

Q.4.  Theme of the poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’ by Johan Keats

Ans.   The poem, A Thing of Beauty’ is written by John Keats. The poem tells about the importance of beautiful things in life. A thing of beauty is a joy forever is the main idea of the poem. Beautiful things change our mood. They give us happiness. When we see a thing of beauty, we forget sorrows and pains of life. We feel relief. Nature is full of beautiful things. They are plants, trees, flowers, mountain the sun and the moon. These are source of beauty and joy. They give us heat, shade, color and joy. The tales of brave men also give us joy. Thus beauty is an eternal source of joy.

 

 

 

         What is the main idea of the poem, A Road Side Stand’? BY – Robert Frost

Ans.   This poem is written by Robert frost. This poem is about the ignorance of the rich people to the poor. There is a poor farmer in the poem. He has a little shop on the roadside. He has put up a stand to indicate the shop. This is a busy road. The farmer expects to stop some vehicle and purchase something. But no one stops there. All day long cars come and go. The poor keep on waiting to stop someone. They stop only to enquire about the direction or road or to take a back turn.  The greedy rulers are also indifferent to such poor.  No promise has been kept by the ruling party. Thus the poor are always ignored and exploited by the rich and rulers.

 

            Q.1.    Theme of the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger’? BY- Adrienne Rich

Ans. The poem is about fear and courage. In the poem, there is an old woman named aunt    Jennifer. She is weak and poor. She is creating tigers on a cloth. Her married life has not been happy. She was tortured and beaten by her husband. She is still feared. She is wearing a massive wedding band in her hand. This is a symbol of torture. But her tigers are the symbols of power and courage. They are prancing on the penal fearlessly. They are not afraid of human beings. They will remind us of Aunt Jennifer after her death.

Q1      How does Charley reach the third level? Describe Charley’s experience at the third level?

Ans.   The third Level is an imaginative story. Charley is the main character of this story. He is tired of the worries of his life. So he imagines the third level. There are only two levels at the New York Central. But Charley believes that there is the third level also. Once he entered a long tunnel. He reached the third level. He saw everything was old fashioned there. At the ticket counter his modern currency was rejected. He told all this to his friend, Sam. He was a psychiatrist. He does not believe what Charley said One day Charley got a letter. It was Sam’s letter. Charley came to know that Sam had slipped into the past. In the letter, he asked Charley to come to the third level. Charley could not find the third level. In fact there was no third level. This was only their imagination to escape the reality.

 

 

Ques. 2.   Who was the tiger king? Why did he vow to kill the 100 tigers?

Ans.  He was the king of Pratibandhpuram. When he was born, astrologers told about the fate of the new born child. They said that he would become a powerful king. They also told that a tiger would kill him. When he became king, he vowed to kill hundred tigers. He started killing tigers. He killed ninety nine tigers. He found the 100^th tiger also. He fired at the tiger but the bullet missed. The tiger collapsed. The king thought that he had killed the tiger and he was safe then. But the hunters killed the tiger after the king had gone. The king bought a wooden tiger on his son’s birthday. A sliver pierced his hand. Next day the wound got infected. It could not be cured. The surgeons performed an operation but the king could not be saved. He died of infection. Thus the king was killed by the hundredth tiger. The prediction came true.

 

Q.3  Why did the writer visit Antarctica? What does she tell about the Antarctica?                                  The Journey to the end of the Earth

Ans.   The writer visits Antarctica. In this essay, she tells about the Antarctica. She went through a program named ‘Students On Ice’. This program was headed by Geoff Green. It included high school students. She started her journey from Madras. The aim to visit Antarctica is to know about the past, present and future of the earth.  She crossed nine times zones, six check points, three water bodies etc.  She travelled over one hundred hours. She tells that 650 million years ago, it was called Gondwana.  Big landmasses got separated into continents. Today there is great pollution. Ozone layer is depleting. It has caused global warming. We can study its effect on the Antarctica. We can study there Cordilleran folds. Then we may come to know where we have come from and where we are heading.

 

Q.4      Who was Sadao? How did he treat the American soldier? Lesson 4 The Enemy

 Ans.  Sadao was a Japanese doctor. His house was built on a narrow beach.  He was not sent with the troops. The General was ill so he might need an operation. Hana was his wife. One day he saw a wounded man. The man was lying on the sea shore. He was American soldier. Hana advised that they put him back into the sea. But Sadao decided to treat him first and then he would hand him over to the police. Sadao brought him home. He treated him. After some days the soldier got well. Dr. Sadao told all this to the General. The General said that he should not worry. They would kill the soldier. They could not kill him. Sadao was in tension. He arranged a boat. He gave the boat to the soldier to away from there. Thus Sadao felt relief and he saved the soldiers. He did his duty as a human being.

 

 

Q.5      Who was Jo? Who told her story? How did she react to the stories? Should Wizard hit Mommy- John Updike

Ans.            Jo was a little girl. She was four years old. She was a curious child. Her father, Jack, told her stories at night. He told her a story about a little animal called roger. This animal was roger fish, roger squirrel, roger cat and so on. The story would be the same daily. The roger had a problem. It would consult an owl. A wizard would solve the problem. As Jo was growing, she asked her father many questions about the story. It would upset Jack. She would ask if God lived in the sky. If spiders ate bug, if magic were real.

         One day Jack told a story about roger skunk. It smelt bad. The wizard gave him the smell of roses. At this, skunk’s mother hit the wizard. She got the bad smell back to skunk. The skunk was very sad. Jo did not like the ending of the story. She asked her father to retell the story with happy ending. Jo said that the wizard should hit the skunk’s mother. Jack told her that parents always think better of their children.

                                                        

 

 

Q.6. Who was Derry? What did he learn from Mr. Lamb? On the Face of It  By- Susan Hill

Ans.            Derry was a young boy. He looked ugly. His face had burnt with acid on one side. He avoided people. He did not stand with them. He thought that people hated him. So he liked to live alone. One day Derry went to a garden. It was Mr. Lamb’s garden. There Derry met Mr. Lamb. But he wanted to leave at once. Mr. Lamb spoke kind words to him.  Thus Mr. Lamb stopped him. Mr. Lamb came to know all about him. Mr. Lamb taught him the art of living. He told him that he should not hate anyone. Everyone has some qualities. Some have physical beauty. Some have beauty of thoughts. But real beauty lies in our thoughts and spirit. Mr. Lamb had learnt all this by experience. Mr. Lamb invited Derry in his garden. Derry promised to return. Derry returned but he found Mr. Lamb lying dead in the garden. Derry was sad but he had learnt a great lesson of life.

Q.7 Who was Evans? How did he escape 4^th time also?

                                 Evans Tries An O –Level  By – Colin Dexter

Ans.            Evans was a prisoner. He was clever and minded prisoner. Police had arrested him three times. Every time he managed to escape somehow. He was caught fourth time. The police were now strict about him. Evans asked for permission to sit in O level German exam. He was allowed. The governor, Jackson, contacted the exam board. The exam was fixed. Evans sat in the exam. The exam started at 9:20. Mcleery was the invigilator. The governor and Stephen had strict watch over him. Everything went on well. The exam was over. The police found Mcleery injured in the cell. He was taken to the hospital. But it was Evans in Mcleery’s disguise. He escaped from there. But the police caught him again from a hotel. They got clues from the question paper. One of Mcleery’s friend came in a fake police van and took away Evans. Thus Evans escaped 4^th time also. The Governor failed in his plan.

 

Memories of Childhood By – Zitkala sa and Bama

Q.8      Who was Zitkala sa? How was she tortured?        

Ans.   She was an American. She was a writer also. She belonged to a lower section of the society. In this chapter she told about the injustice done to her. No one cared her. No one came to help her. On her first day at school, she felt strange. She had to follow the rules of school. She was full of fear. She came to know about her hair cutting. This made her greatly sad. She did not want her hair to be cut. It was unlucky to cut hair in her community. It was a coward act. She protested and tried to save her hair. She hid under the bed. But she was found out. She was tied to a chair. Her hair was cut. She could do nothing. She was helpless and crying. Thus we see it was a torture against one’s freedom.

Q.9 .    Who was Bama? What experience does she narrate here?

Ans. Bama is a dalit Tamil woman. She is also a writer. Here she points out the evil of untouchability.  She recalled the days of her childhood. She was in third class. It took ten minutes to school from her home. On the way she saw many scenes. She saw snake charmer, sweet stalls, cyclist, hawker etc. One day she saw a strange scene. A man of her community was carrying a paper bag. He held it by strings. He gave it to his landlords. He could not touch the content in the bag. Bama told all this to her brother. Her brother told her about the system of untouchability. At this she was sad. She was told to work hard to live a life of dignity. She worked hard and fought against the social evils. She became a famous writer.

   Ques. 1.        What does Third Level refer to?

And.                  Third Level refers to the past. There were only two level at Grand Central station in New York. But charley believed that there was third level also. One day he reached third level. He saw old fashioned things there. He told all this to his friends named Sam. And he did not believe it.

 

Ques.2.            Who was Tiger King? How was he killed?         

Ans.                  He was the king of Pratibandhpuram. He was called Jung –Jung bahadur. Astrologers told that he would be killed by a tiger. The child grew and became the king. He vowed to kill all the tigers. He could kill only 100 tigers. Finally he died due to infection caused by a wooden tiger.

 

Ques.3.            Why do people visit Antarctica?

Ans.                  Antarctica was a big continent 650 million years ago. It was called gondwana. People visit there to know about the earth’s past present and future. We can study the effects of global warming there.

 

Ques.4.            Who was Dr. Sadao? How did he save an American wounded Soldier?

Ans.                  Dr. Sadao was famous Japanese surgeon. He was a dutiful and patriotic man. He operated the American soldier and saved his life. As a doctor he did his this duty. He told the General also about him. He did not want to cheat his country. Finally he gave the soldier a boat to go away.

 

Ques.5.            What kind of story Jo’s father told her?

Ans.                  Jo was a little girl. Her father told her bed time story. He told her the story about roger skunk. The story would be the same. He changed only the character. Jo was also growing.  She asked her some logical questions. It upset Jo’s father.  

 

Ques.5.            Who was Mr. Lamb?

Ans.                  Mr. Lamb was an old man. He had a garden. He lived there alone. He had lost one of his legs in war. He was a very good man. He taught Derry the art of living. Derry liked him. Mr. Lamb died by falling from the ladder.

 

Ques.6.            Who was Derry?

Ans.                  Derry was a young boy. He did not look good. His face was burnt on one side. He looked ugly. He thought that people hated him. He liked living alone. One day entered the garden of Mr. lamb. He learnt art of living from Mr. Lamb.