English Class XII ‘Passage’ Practice Questions

Class XII English 12 Marks Practice Questions
FACTUAL PASSAGES
1.1. Read the following passage carefully.                    [12 marks]
[AI, Delhi 1997]

1. So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for there are countless of-it-yourself publications. Armed with the right tools and materials, newly-weds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes. Men of all ages spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces. Laying-out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to make their own record players and radio transmitters. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisor services for notices, but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.
2. Wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and versatile. Even husbands who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics. When lights fuse ,furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, wives automatically assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes husbands live under the delusion that they can do anything even when they have been repeatedly proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.
3. Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I wouldn’t hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it only needed a minor adjustment; a turn of a screw here, a little lightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new. Inevitable the repair job was not quite so simple. The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal, which had once made up a lawn-move. But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble. One of the links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped.
4. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it, for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seen to fit and anywhere. I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it. I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow. Needless to say that our house is now surrounded by a jungle. Buries somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.                                (539 words)

1.1.1 Answer the following questions briefly.                            (6 marks)

(a) Why do people not reply on specialized labour so much nowadays, according to the writer? (1)
(b) How do business organizations encourage people to do things for themselves? (2)
(c) What do wives tend to believe about their husbands? (1)
(d) Why do husbands think they can do anything even when provided otherwise? (1)
(e) ‘Do-it-yourself’ craze has its own advantage. What is it? (1)

1.1.2 ‘Do-it-yourself’ activities are good to purpose because: (3 marks)
(a) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
(b) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
(c) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

1.1.2 Find the words in the passage which convey the similar meaning as the following:  (3 marks)
(a) Zealous people (para I)
(b) Carried (para 3)
(c) Broken (para 3)