AGARWAL VIDYA VIHAR, SURAT

SUMMER VACATION HOMEWORK (2025-26)

Std.: XII Subject: English Core (301) Max. Marks: 50

SECTION A – READING SKILLS (12 Marks)

1. Read the passage given below:
Hundreds of thousands of years ago giant mammoths still roamed the earth and the surface of
the earth was covered by dense forests. Men took shelter in caves and covered their bodies
with animal skins. At that time, dogs became man’s best friend. At first, they followed man
on his hunting trips and waited to get whatever scraps it could get, from the kill its master
made. Then the instinct for companionship made it adopt man as its leader.
Soon, the man began to train dogs to help him during the hunt, to carry his burdens, and to
give him companionship as he sat by the fireside in the evenings. These changes took place
much before recorded history came into practice.
These findings can only be confirmed by the study of the bones of primitive dogs that lay
beside the bones of primitive men in caves. As the history of the dog goes back to a time when
records were not maintained, it is impossible to be sure of these happenings.
Some scientists believe that dogs are the result of a mating between wolves and jackals. Other
scientists say that some species of dogs descended from wolves while others descended from
jackals. Some even go on to say that dogs descended from coyotes and foxes. A widely held
theory is that the modern dogs that we keep as pets descended from a remote common ancestor.
This last substantiates the differences in size and appearance between various breeds of dogs.
Other evidence of the wild ancestry of dogs is the built of their bodies, which is very distinctly
adopted for speed and strength. Together with their keen sense of smell, hearing qualities, it
becomes obvious that they have wild hunters in their genes.
From the time when recorded history began, there have been references to dogs in them. There
are images of dogs on Egyptian tombs that are 5000 years old. The Egyptians considered their
dog as the sacred and the whole family would go into mourning if the dog in an Egyptian home
died. Today, the dog is an indispensable part of our lives. For hundreds of young, healthy blind
people, the dog is their seeing eye.
A seeing-eye dog is usually a German shepherd dog. It takes three months to train a guide dog.
First, come to the obedience exercise repeated daily as ‘setting up exercises’.
Then a U – shaped leather harness is buckled on and the dog learns to walk at the left of the
trainer. The dog is taught to stop and wait at the curb, watch traffic, and let the cars pass.
Before the dog is passed on to a blind master, a final check is made. Then the blind master and
his dog train together for four weeks before they go home to work smoothly as a team.

Answer the following questions, based on the above passage: (12)

i. Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option. (1)
Dogs became man’s best friend at an early age by ________.
a) hunting food for his master
b) being a constant companion
c) protecting man from mammoths
d) not letting the man feel alone in dark caves
ii. Comment on any two theories about the origin of dogs as given in paragraph four. (1)
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 iii. List the the ways in which historians come to know that man and dog were historical
companions. (2)
(Clue: Think about the evidences and findings)
iv. Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘unfasten’, from words used in
paragraph 8. (1)
a) buckled
b) taught
c) curb
d) master
v. What makes us believe that dogs have a wild ancestry? (1)
A. Many varieties of dogs
B. Differences in the body built
C. Differences in strength and stamina
D. Sense of smell and hunting skills
a) Only A
b) Only B and C
c) Only B, C and D
d) All of these
vi. Some records share that since recorded history began, there have been references to
dogs in them. Based on your understanding of paragraph six, list the importance of
dogs in an Egyptian family. (2)
vii. How can a dog be a "seeing-eye" for a blind man? (2)
viii. Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference, with respect to the
following: (1)
________ are considered to be ancestors of dogs (paragraph 4).
ix. Which of the following conclusions, suggested in paragraph five, can be inferred? (1)
a) Wild ancestry of dogs
b) Similarity in their size and appearance
c) They are trained to be wild hunters
d) Only a few breed has keen sense of smell

SECTION B: CREATIVE WRITING (4 marks)

2. Water supply will be suspended for eight hours (10 am to 6 pm) on the 6th of March for
cleaning of the water tank. Write a notice in about 50 words advising the residents to store
water for a day. You are Karan Kumar/Karuna Bajaj, Secretary, Janata Group Housing
Society, Palam Vihar, Kurnool. (4)

SECTION C: LITERATURE (34 marks)

3. Read the following text carefully and answer the questions that follow: (6)
I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with
pain
that she was as old as she

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looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes. (My Mother at Sixty-six)

i) The phrase ashen like that of a corpse gives the impression that the mother is (1)
a) frustrated
b) depressed
c) dead
d) weak
ii) State whether the following statement is True or False, with reference to the extract.
(1)
'The mother was suffering from some fatal disease.'
iii) Which of the following themes is best represented in the given extract? (1)
a) Life is short and one must enjoy it
b) Ageing and Mortality
c) Sleeping and Playing
d) Art of Parenting
iv) Pick the option in which the word 'spilling' is used in the same sense as in the extract.
(1)
a) Rahul was responsible for spilling the beans by telling everyone the secret.
b) He opened the bag, spilling all its contents on the table.
c) Try to keep that crowd from spilling onto the main street.
d) The cat spilled all the milk.
v) The phrases 'Young Trees sprinting and merry children spilling' represent: (1)
a) Youth
b) Old age
c) Disease
d) Travel
vi) Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
'She was as old as she looked.'
The repetition of the word as suggests that ________.

4. Read the following text carefully and answer the questions that follow: (6)
For a moment I thought of running away and spending the day out of doors. It was so warm,
so bright! The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods; and in the open field back of the
sawmill the Prussian soldiers were drilling. It was all much more tempting than the rule for
participles, but I had the strength to resist, and hurried off to school. (The Last Lesson)
i) List two sensory details present in the extract. (1)
ii) Why is the narrator tempted to spend the day out of doors? (1)
iii) Complete the sentence appropriately. (1)
I hurried off to school resisting ________.
iv) Why does the narrator want to bunk school? (1)
a) He doesn't like the teachers.
b) He doesn't like his classmates.
c) He wasn't prepared for the test on participles.

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 d) He had forgotten to complete his homework.
v) Which trait of the protagonist is revealed in the sentence I had the strength to resist?
(1)
a) sincerity
b) determination
c) bravery
d) kindness
vi) Which of the following headlines best suggests the central idea of the extract? (1)
a) The Drilling of Prussian Soldiers
b) The Rule of Participles
c) Strength to Resist
d) Out of Doors

5. Answer the following questions in 40-50 words. (2x6=12)

i) Why were the villagers seated in the back benches?
ii) “Garbage to them is gold.” What does this line reveal about the hopes and
aspirations of children living in slums?
iii) What social and economic forces keep the bangle makers in poverty?
iv) Born in the caste of bangle makers, they have seen nothing but bangles.” What does
this say about tradition?
v) ‘See you soon Amma’. How are these words contrary to the speaker's emotions?
vi) Why did M Hamel write 'Vive La France'! on the blackboard?

6. Answer the following questions in 120-150 words. (5x2=10)

i) What lessons can we learn from the resilience and optimism of the children in the story
despite their harsh circumstances? (Lost Spring)
ii) What values does Mr. Hamel represent in the story? How does his dedication impact
the students and the village?