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COMMON II PRE-BOARD EXAMINATION 2015-2016
ENGLISH ( CORE)
Class: XII Time Allowed: 3 hours Maximum Marks 100
General Instructions:
1. This paper is divided into 3 Sections: A , B and C. All the sections are compulsory.
2. Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary.
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully.
3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
SECTION -A: READING 30 Marks
1. Read the following passage given below carefully: 12 Marks
1 A few months ago, I looked everywhere for my high school and college certificates
but couldn‟t find them. Then, realising the manner in which I had been storing all
kinds of paper documents – in drawers, under beds, in old suitcases – I got myself two
dozen plastic files in assorted colours. I gave each file a name like “ User Manuals “
or “Property Docs” or Taxes FY 10 to FY 15”. Indeed, there‟s one labelled
“Certificates” too, which had started this process in the first place. By dedicating that
file to my 17 years of getting an education, I hoped my missing school and college
diplomas would somehow find their way to their new home.
2 I‟m not worried anyway. First, I‟ve never lost anything. Things only get misplaced in
our house. Second, who‟d want to see those certificates at this point in my life? I‟m
long past the age when you go for job interviews, or when some young girl might say,
“Daddy doesn‟t believe you are a graduate”.
3 Misplacing is such a comforting word. Why, it suggests that a certain object is not
“irrecoverably lost”. So it will in the future be recovered. Weeks ago, I was in my
study, where I had removed my computer‟s side panel, secured by a single half-inch
screw. I do this occasionally to vacuum dust out. While I was putting the panel back,
the screw slipped out. I saw it fall. I think I even saw it bounce on the tiled floor. But
then it vanished.
4 I looked all over the floor, below the computer desk, below the nearby bookshelf,
even on the veranda net to the room. I then used the vacuum cleaner to suck every
molecule it could from anywhere the screw could have remotely rested. Then, after
covering my face with a towel. I pulled the vacuum cleaner‟s bag out and emptied it.
All it contained was a load of dust bunnies, hair, a few paper clips, and a pearl ear
ring that had been missing from months! Of course I had always, rightly, insisted it
had only been misplaced.
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5 However, no PC screw in VC. And I wasn‟t letting anything – not even a screw-screw
up any work I had to do. I replaced the computer‟s side panel without the screw and it
stayed there in its slot. Weeks later, the misplaced screw hasn‟t made a difference –
I‟m writing this on the same PC.
6 Now, from my long-time understanding of misplaced objects, I know how they are
often finally located. Consider more examples. I was wrapping a gift and couldn‟t
find the cello tape anywhere. So I managed with a small tube of glue. Then, one day,
as I was searching for a misplaced cheque book, I found the cello tape. Another day, I
misplaced my keys (happens regularly). It was nearly time to leave for work when I
realised that my wallet too was missing. (Fortunately, that morning I had not
misplaced my glasses making any searching easier.) That‟s when my wife asked, “Did
you take the sandwiches I packed for you?”
7 “No”, I said and started to look for the foil-wrapped sandwiches, my lunch, which had
surely seen ten minutes earlier. Not in the kitchen, not on the desk, in the hall or the
fridge. By now I had even started mildly suggesting that it was she who must have
misplaced my lunch. Despite that, she charitably took over the sandwich search while
I quietly looked for my keys and wallet. After all she could always make another
sandwich. Finally, she came to the hall looking like she always does when she finds
something I had misplaced. “You‟d kept it next to the bed, my dear,” she said, along
with your wallet and your keys. Here ... you are getting late.”
8 The point I‟m trying to make: If you want to find something you‟ve misplaced, it
usually helps to trick it into being found by looking for something else.
9 It gets a bit more knotty if misplaced things leave the house. Four years ago, my
friend and former editor Ashok Mahadevan had lent me a set of Seinfeld comedy
DVDs. I‟d watched and re-watched them, since he was in no hurry to get them back.
One day, recently, I was visiting Ashok‟s house when he said something funny.
“Ha, ha,” I laughed. “You sound like Jerry Seinfeld.”
Ashok‟s wife Jessica laughed too. “You know, we used to have a whole set of
Seinfeld DVDs,” she then told me sentimentally. “I enjoyed them so much. I have no
idea where they are now. I‟ve asked all my friends .....,”
“They‟re all at my house,” I interrupted, Jessica was delighted.
“But I always knew they were with him,” said Ashok matter-of-factly.
The Seinfeld discs returned to their rightful home the very next week.
10 Jessica claims she‟d asked her husband about them but he‟d had no idea. Ashok can‟t
recall any of that. But, had she questioned him thoroughly about some other missing
object that he had no hand in misplacing, the DVDs might have showed up three years
ago. Why, he‟d then have responded with something like, “I don‟t know a thing about
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your digital camera, but I lent your Seinfeld DVDs to ....” My school and college
certificates are still missing. Actually, I‟m a bit scared to even search. What if I just
end up finding the screw?
On the basis of your understanding of this passage answer the questions by choosing
the best option from the given options: (1 x 4 = 4)
(a) Why is the narrator not worried now?
(i) Because he found his certificates
(ii) Because he knew that he had only misplaced them.
(iii) Because they were not originals
(iv) Because he was sure he would get another copy.
(b) The narrator finds his cello tape while searching for his _________
(i) Misplaced cheque book
(ii) Wallet and keys.
(iii) Sandwiches
(iv) Glue
(c) How did the narrator fix his computer‟s side panel?
(i) With a spare screw
(ii) With a new screw
(iii) He left it like that.
(iv) With a piece of wood
(d) Why did the narrator unscrew the computer panel?
(i) To fix the computer
(ii) To install a new part.
(iii) To clean the computer
(iv) To install a new panel
Answer the following questions about 15-20 words 1 x 6 = 6 Marks
(e) What does the narrator realise on his initial search?
(f) Why is „misplaced‟ a comforting word for the narrator?
(g) How does the use of a vacuum cleaner to find the screw not help?
(h) What was the narrator‟s understanding of misplaced objects?
(i) When, according the narrator does the situation become knotty?
(j) Why is the narrator afraid of looking for his lost certificates?
(k) Find words from the passage which mean the same as 1x2 = 2Marks
(i) Incapable of being regained (Para 3 )
(ii) Difficult (Para 9 )
2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : 10 Marks
1. The first written public examinations were introduced over 2,000 years ago
with the establishment of the imperial examination system in 606 AD in
China. By the middle of the 19th
century, competitive examinations had been
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introduced in Britain and India to select government officials. Public
examinations in schools have a shorter, but still considerable, history.
2. At present, the examination system in India is characterised by heterogeneity.
They differ in their vintage, organisational design, financial stability,
autonomy, organisational culture and credibility. For instance, the National
Institute of Open Schooling is unique in conducting exams through the
distance mode; the Indian School certificate Examination confines itself to
only private schools; and the West Bengal Board of Madrasa Education is for
Islamic educational institutions only. In a situation where public funds are
involved, the equity, efficiency and transparency of this expenditure need to
be assessed to ensure that the taxpayers‟ money is being spent with due care
and concern. The Amrik Singh report (1997) on reorganising boards
wondered, “Can there also be a system whereby it becomes possible to grade
and categorise the boards in respect of how efficiently and honestly
examinations are organised?”
3 To do so, a set of parameters were chosen to measure effectiveness,
transparency and economic efficiency of the functioning of these
organisations. These include indicators like cost incurred per student, fee
charged per student, number of examinees per employee and number of
affiliated schools per employee. An analysis was made of the boards chosen
on the basis of these parameters. The functioning of a total of 20 boards was
analysed in terms of 18 performance indicators in 2005.
4 The data collected from the states shows that most boards have an operating
surplus. However, the boards seem to be more sensitive to the needs of the
differently abled. All of them have some special provisions for such
candidates. While these provisions vary widely in scope, most provide for a
longer duration of examination and concessions in the examination of
languages. The CBSE along with the Maharashtra board, seems to fare the
best.
5 Another important measure of effectiveness of the functioning of the boards is
the time taken for declaration of examination results. It was found that this
ranged from a mere 26 days in the case of Karnataka Secondary Education
Examination Board in 2005 to 48 days for Class tenth in neighbouring
Maharashtra. The Supreme Court has recently issued directions that results
should be declared within 45 days from the end of examinations. In 2005, 10
of the 20 boards, which provided this information, could not declare results
within 45 days.
6 The reason for such a wide variation in performance in such a vital parameter
was the processes utilised. Boards, which have adopted a centralised system
of assessment in comparison to the earlier system of sending answer sheets to
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examiners, have an obvious edge. Similarly many boards have outsourced the
work of compilation of results faster and used technology extensively. These
boards are also able to declare results faster. In addition, agencies which have
consciously designed question papers with a high proportion of multiple-
choice responses do not need much time for evaluation. In fact, the Karnataka
board has 60 per cent of all the questions as objective type.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the questions that
follow with the help of given options (1 x 2 = 2)
(a) Where was the first public examinations introduced?
(i) India
(ii) Britain
(iii) China
(iv) Both (i) and (ii)
(b) How have the boards quickened the process of compilation of results ?
(i) By outsourcing
(ii) By reducing the number of questions
(iii) By increasing multiple-choice questions
(iv) Both (i) and (iii)
Answer the following 15-20 words (1x 6 = 6)
(c) How have the Chinese played an important role in enhancing the education
system?
(d) Mention any two distinguishing features of examination in India?
(e) What provisions does the Board make for the differently abled candidates?
(f) What is the time limit fixed by Supreme Court for declaring the results?
(g) What efforts are being made by different Boards to declare the results at the
earliest?
(h) What factors make Karnataka Secondary School Examination Board superior to
the other Boards?
(i) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following : ( 1x 2 = 2 )
(I) Keep on hold / restrict ( para 2 )
(II) Factor ( Para 6 )
3. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: 8 Marks
1. People being what they are get practical about creating their own currency as long as
it is honoured. In Africa sea shells were used until the 19th
century as money. But
gold, known for its short supply and lasting quality – has been the most popular non-
currency form of money and is a standard for central banks.
2. Now in the age of the Internet, and digital technologies, money is undergoing an
exciting makeover with talk of virtual currencies, mobile wallets and software apps
that pretty much do what gold has been doing for centuries and currency notes have
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been doing for a while. Technologies such as near-field communications are being
used to make the mobile phone an instrument of payment without the customer
having to sign a credit card voucher, thus making it more secure.
3 In general, software apps are being developed to substitute for money in various
ways. Some companies like Starbucks allow „digital tipping‟ of its baristas through a
mobile app. Pre-paid cash cards are being used as swipe instruments where customers
do not need credit cards or even bank accounts. The Net Gen ATM machines will
recognize your face through facial biometric technologies.
4. Bitcoin, the most popular virtual currencies started circulating in 2009. Its current
market value has been estimated at around $8 billion, to 80000 transactions occurring
daily, according to reputed accounting firms. However, Washington‟s Internal
Revenue Service ruled that bitcoin are not currency but more like property – and thus
subject to capital gains tax.
5. Meanwhile other virtual currencies are taking off – and influencing politics. In
Iceland, which saw its banking system more or less wiped off, during the 2008 global
financial crisis, there emerged the eurocoin a new currency now estimated to be worth
$11.37. This currency is aimed at fighting capital controls imposed by the Iceland
government.
6. Crypto currencies are a very important milestone in this fight for liberty from political
control. They bring the hope of a new era of free currencies immune to the meddling
of politicians.
7. In addition, money is undergoing an exciting makeover through innovations galore.
Telecom companies the world over, for instance, with support from their central
banks are offering customers „mobile money‟ as a service. Another innovation that is
much talked about is the mobile wallet and companies are helping their customers
carry the equivalent of cash in their handsets much like one carries travellers‟
cheques.
8. Thus more and more practical solutions are being spawned across the planet to focus
not so much on money‟s „store of value‟ but as a medium of exchange.
(a) On the basis of your reading of the passage make notes on it using headings and sub-
headings. Use recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary (minimum 4) Use a
format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title for it. (5 Marks
(b) Write a summary of the above passage in about 80 words (3 Marks
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SECTION- B: ADVANCED WRITING SKILLS 30 MARKS
4. The Literary Club of your school is organising a debate contest in the school. Draft a
formal invitation in not more than 50 words, inviting Dr. T Balasubramanyam, Professor of
English, Telangana University to be one of the judges for the competition. You are Vivek /
Veena, the Principal of Model Public School, Hyderabad. (4 Marks)
OR
You are Ramesh / Ramani, the owner of an independent house in Vasant Vihar – I, New
Delhi. You plan to sell it off. Draft an advertisement in not more than 50 words to be
published in “Delhi Times” giving all the relevant details. 4 M
( 4 Marks )
5 Recently you went to your native village to visit your grandparents. You saw that
some of the children in the age group 5-14 years ( the age which they should have been at
school ) remained at home, were working in the fields or simply loitering in the streets. Write
a letter in 120-150 words to the editor of a national daily analysing the problem and offering
solutions to it. You are Harish/ Harini G-118, Mount Kailash, Kanpur. (6 Marks)
OR
You are Rohan/ Radhika, the secretary of the Students‟ Forum of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan ,
Indira Nagar, . You have planned an excursion to Jog Falls during summer vacation. Write a
letter in 120-150 words to The General Manager, Southern Railway, for reservation of coach
for 70 students from Bengaluru to Shimoga and back, supplying all necessary information.
(6 Marks)
6. A number of your classmates (especially those from science and commerce streams)
bunk their classes in order to attend coaching centres. Write a debate in 150-200 words on
“Tuition at coaching centres is not essential”. (10 Marks)
School teachers better equipped
Infrastructure much better at schools
Philanthropic approach
Coaching centres – money minting machines
No infrastructure
Competition oriented education
Schools should reorient their teaching process
OR
Mobile phone of today is no longer a mere means of communication. Music lovers are so
glued to it that they don‟t pay attention to the traffic even while crossing the roads. This leads
to accidents sometimes fatal ones.
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Write a speech in 150-200 words to be delivered in the morning assembly advising the
students to be careful in the use of this otherwise very useful gadget. Imagine you are the
Principal, Daffodils Public School, Hyderabad. (10 Marks)
7. People live a hectic life and hardly get time to interact with each other. Most of the
free time goes in interacting online. The real social interaction has got lost somewhere. Write
an article on “Real Social Interactions or Virtual Social Interactions” in 150-200 words
expressing your views and suggesting measures to change the situation. You are Anuj/
Anjali. (10 Marks)
OR
Prime Minister Narender Modi‟s Cleanlinesss Campaign is a step towards healthier habits
and cleaner surroundings. Write an article on “Clean Individual; Cleaner India” in about 200
words. (10 Marks)
SECTION- C : TEXT BOOKS AND LONG READING TEXT
(40 Marks)
8. Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow: (4 Marks)
But after the airport‟s
Security check, standing a few yards
Away, I looked again at her, wan pale
As a late winter‟s moon and felt that old
familiar ache, my childhood fear,
but all I said was see you soon, Amma,
all I did was mile and smile and smile.
(a) What does the poet do after the security check? (1 Mark
(b) What effect did this action have on her? (1 Mark
(c) What do the parting words signify? (1 Mark
(d) Why has the mother been compared to the „late winter‟s moon‟? (1 Mark
OR
...... On their slag heap, these children
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.
All of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom.
(a) Who are these children?
(b) Which two images are used to describe these slums? (1Mark
(c) What sort of life do these children lead? (1Mark
(d) What future does the poet predict for these children? (1Mark
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9. Answer any four of the following in 30-40 words each: 3 x 4 = 12 Marks
(a) What do the people of Seemapuri look for in the garbage? What does it mean
to them? (Lost Spring )
(b) Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler? (The Rat trap)
(c) How do we get joy from life which is otherwise full of sorrows ? (A Thing of
Beauty)
(d) Why does Evans cover himself with a blanket? What proves to be a hindrance
in his purpose?
(e) List the two things that take place on the seventh day after the American
soldier was found by Dr. Sadao Why did Hana feel scared of the second?
( The Enemy)
(f) Why does Gandhiji settle for 25% of the refund?
10. Answer any one of the following in 120-150 words:
Describe the circumstances that lead to the bribing of the British Officer by the Tiger
King. What personality traits of the Tiger King does this act highlight? (6 Marks
OR
Describe how Mr. Lamb tried to build Derry‟s courage and confidence.
11. Answer any one of the following in about 125 – 150 words 6 marks
“...... there was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves,” When did
Douglas start fearing water? Describe the experience had further strengthened its
hold on his mind and personality? How did it affect his life? (6 Marks
OR
Sophie lives in a world full of dreams which are beyond her reach. Discuss with
references to “Going Places?” (6 Marks)
12 Answer any one of the following in 120-150 words: (6 Marks
Describe the circumstances that lead to Griffin making himself completely invisible at
„Coach and Horses‟? How does he do it?
13. Answer the following in 120-150 words: (6 Marks
Attempt a character sketch of Dr Kemp ( 6 Marks
*******
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II COMMON PRE BOARD EXAMINATION 2015-16
SUB: ENGLISH CORE CLASS:XII MM:100 TIME: 3HRS
MARKING SCHEME
SECTION A: READING
1. COMPREHENSION PASSAGE
NOTE: No mark(s) should be deducted for mistakes in usage and grammar,
spelling, or word limit. Full marks may be awarded if a student has been able to
identify the core ideas. If a student literally lifts a portion of the given passage as an
answer to a question, no mark(s) to be deducted for this as long as it is relevant.
1 ( a ) ii - Because he knew that he had only misplaced them
( b ) i - misplaced cheque book
( c) iii- He left it like that
(d) iii. - To clean the computer
e) The narrator realises the manner in which he has been storing all kinds
of paper documents, in drawers, under beds and in old suitcases.
f ) ‘Misplaced’ is a comforting word for the narrator as it suggests that
things are not irreversibly lost. Things only got misplaced in his house. It
will be recovered in the future.
g) The use of a vacuum cleaner to find the screw does not help the
narrator as the vaccum cleaner fails to retrieve the lost computer screw.
h) The narrator understands that the misplaced objects are often finally
located. If the narrator looks for something he misplaced in the present he
finds something that he lost earlier.
i) When things leave the house
j) He might not find the lost certificates/ he might find some insignificant
thing he lost earlier
k) (i) irrecoverable
(ii) knotty
2. COMPREHENSION PASSAGE
2. a (iii) China
b (iv) Both (i) and (iii)
c The first written public examinations were the imperial examination
system in China. This led to introduction of competitive examinations
in Britain and India to select government officials.
d Two distinguishing features of examination system in India : vintage/
financial stability/ autonomy/ organisational culture/credibility/
organisational design.
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e The basic parameters to measure effectiveness in functioning of an
organisation include indicators like cost incurred per student, fee
charged per student, number of examinees’ per employee and number
of affiliated schools per employee.
f The Supreme Court fixed time limit for declaring board results as 45
days from the end of examination.
g Some efforts being made by different Boards to declare the results at
the earliest are as follows: Adopting centralised system of assessment,
higher number of multiple-choice questions and not only outsourcing
the work of compilation of results but also using technology.
h The Karnataka Board has 60 per cent objective type questions. This
helped in faster declaration of result, thereby making Karnataka
Secondary School Examination Board superior to other boards.
g (I) confine
(II) parameter
3 NOTE MAKING AND SUMMARISING
Note
If a student has attempted only summary or only notes, due credit
should be given.
1 Mark allotted for the title be given if a student has written the
title either in Q3 (a) or Q3 (b) part
Min. 3 main headings and 3 subheadings to form content . The notes
provided below are only guidelines. Any other title, main points and sub-
points should be accepted if they are indicative of the candidate’s
understanding of the given passage, and the notes include the main points,
with suitable and recognizable abbreviations. Complete sentences not be
accepted as notes (In such cases ½ - 1 Mark may be deduced from marks
allotted to content.)
Numbering of points can be indicated in different ways, and these should
be accepted as long as a consistent pattern is followed.
(a) NOTE MAKING
Distribution of Marks
Abbreviations / Symbols (with/without key ) any four 1 Mark
Title 1 Mark
Content (minimum 3 headings and sub-headings, with proper
indentation and notes ) 3 Marks
Suggested Notes
(a) Title : New Ways with Money
1. Currencies of the past
1.1.Sea shells in 19th
century Africa
1.2.Gold std form with central banks
2. New-Age Money types
3
2.1 virtual currencies mobile wallets, software apps
2.2 tech dev (near – field technologies)
2.3 customers secured by nullifying credit card voucher signature
2.4 digital tipping at Starbucks baristas
2.5 facial biometric equipped ATMs
3. Virtual currency makeovers
3.1 Bitcoin: (estd 2009)
3.2 eurocoin of Iceland (estd post -2008 crisis )
3.3. crypto currency free of pol control
4. Attitudinal change towards money
4.1 central banks issuing ‘mobile money’
4.2 virtual money subject to capital gains-tax
4.3 abolishing pol control on money
(b ) Summary
The summary should include all the important points given in the notes.
Content 2 Marks
Expression 1 Mark
SECTION B : ADVANCED WRITING SKILLS
4.LETTER OF INVITATION
Format: 1M
Content – WHAT, WHERE, WHEN- 2 M
Expression :
Grammatical accuracy , spellings 1 M
OR
ADVERTISEMENT
Content and expression 4 Marks
Relevant details
Due credit to be given for the economy of words.
Key to Abbreviations
Std Standard tech dev technological development
Estd established pol political
4
5. LETTER WRITING
NOTE: No marks are to be awarded if only the format is given. Credit should be given to
the candidate’s creativity in presentation of ideas.
Format 1 M – Writer’s address, date, receiver’s address, subject, salutation, body,
complementary close and signature.
Content 3M
Expression: 2 M –
coherence and relevance 1 M
grammar and spelling 1 M
Relevant Details to be written
OR
Same as above
6. SPEECH WRITING
Format - Introduction & proper conclusion 1 M
Content 4 Marks
Expression :
Grammatical accuracy, appropriate words and spelling (2.5 marks)
Coherence and relevance of ideas and style ( 2.5 marks)
Relevant points to be given due credit
Value points given in question
OR
SAME AS ABOVE
Value Points
Chatting and listening to music has become a fad
Forget the traffic
Accidents/ loss of life
Disruption of traffic
Realize the gravity of situation
Resist temptation
Respect own/ others’ lives
7 ARTICLE WRITING
Format ( Title and writer’s name) 1 m
Content 4 Marks
5
Expression :
Grammatical accuracy, appropriate words and spelling (2.5 marks)
Coherence and relevance of ideas and style ( 2.5 marks)
OR
Same as above
Q.7. Virtual interactions
Net friends
Net celebrations
Net games
Lose touch with reality
Become recluse
Real interactions
Warm and close bonding
Shared interests
Helpful relations
Healthier and happier lives
OR
Dirty habits of people
Dirty surroundings
Disease prone
Bad impression on others
Campaign
Cleaner habits and cleaner surroundings
Healthier lives
Project a respectable image to outside world
8. This question has been designed to test the students’ understanding of the text and
their ability to interpret, evaluate and respond to the questions based on the given
stanza. In other words it attempts to test their reading comprehension
(a) looks at her for the last time before boarding the flight.
(b) It fills her with familiar ache
(c) A hope of another meeting with the mother
(d) The dull, weak, pale and aged visage of the mother is compared to late
winter’s moon which looks hazy, obscure and lacks shine and strength. She
CBSE Pre Board Set-II Solved QuestionPaper Class XII English Core
Publisher : Faculty Notes Author : Panel Of Experts
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