Set 1

Grade 12                                                                                   FM: 75

Compulsory English [0041]                                                   Time: 3 hrs.

Candidates are required to give their answers in their own words as far as practicable. The figures in margins indicate full marks

1. Read the given text and complete the activities:              15

Success in exams doesn’t come easy; it demands relentless effort, sacrifice, and an unshakable mindset. As the saying goes, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” If you truly want to excel, you must be ready to push yourself to the limit. This means waking up early, studying for long hours, and eliminating all distractions. Social media, TV, and unnecessary socializing must be cut off until the exam is over. You must train yourself to focus for extended periods and develop the ability to study even when tired. As Muhammad Ali once said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” That is the mindset you need—embrace the struggle now for future success.

The first step to mastering your exams is creating a strict study schedule and sticking to it. Every subject should be broken down into small sections, and each day must have a clear study goal. Active recall is a must—don’t just read passively. Instead, close your books and force yourself to recall information without looking. Test yourself frequently with past papers and mock exams under real conditions. As Thomas Edison wisely noted, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” The more you practice, the more confident and prepared you will become.

Your study environment must be free from distractions. Find a quiet place, turn off notifications, and stay away from anything that wastes time. Train yourself to concentrate for long hours without breaks. Study under different conditions, including noisy environments, to build mental toughness. As Bruce Lee once said, “Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” This applies perfectly to exam preparation—don’t wish for an easy test; train hard enough that no test can defeat you.

Physical and mental endurance are just as important as studying. Sleep only as much as necessary to function, eat brain-boosting foods like eggs, nuts, and coffee, and use short bursts of exercise to stay alert. But don’t let comfort slow you down. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Train yourself to be excellent every single day.

Above all, develop an unshakable belief in yourself. Fear, doubt, and anxiety must be destroyed. Go into your exams with the confidence that you are prepared to win. As Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” Your victory is decided before the exam even begins—by the effort you put in beforehand. If you train with discipline, focus, and determination, success is inevitable.

A. Fill in the blanks using the highlighted words from the text: 5

a. Daily practice helped her ___________ the confidence needed to perform well under pressure.

b. As technology advances, change is ________ in every industry.

c. The __________ pressure of upcoming exams pushed her to study harder every day.

d. He had _________ determination to succeed, no matter how difficult the exam was.

e. Matthew decided to ________ all distractions, including social media, to focus on his exam preparation.

B. Match the followings:                         5

C. Answer the given questions: 5

a. Why is it important to eliminate distractions while preparing for exams?

b. How can the idea of ‘suffering now to succeed later,’ as mentions in the Muhammad Ali quote, be applied beyond exams into real – life challenges?

c. What role does physical endurance play in effective exam preparation?

d. Why does the passage compare exam preparation to a battle?

e. Give a suitable title for the given text.

2. Answer the followings:                                     10

a. Discuss six dimensions that define normative marriage in America. [Marriage as a Social Institution]
OR,
Do you call Rakesh a devoted son? Give reasons. [A Devoted Son]

b. How does Famous Actress make a fool of Earnest Young Woman? [A Matter of Husbands]

 3. Answer the followings: 10

a. Who are the ‘poor creatures’? Why does the speaker call them ‘poor creature’? [Every Morning I Wake]
OR,
Why does Monsieur Durand tell a lie about his birthplace? [Facing Death]

b. How does the poet describe sunrise in the poem? [A day]

c. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation? [A Respectable Woman]

d. Write any two differences between knowledge and wisdom. [Knowledge and Wisdom]
OR,
What, according to the essay, are the universal human abilities? Why does writer mention this perspective? [Humility]

e. Why did the young man begin to weep at the end of the story. [Neighbours]

4. Describe the given pie chart that describes the consumption of fuel in Nepal in 2025.                                     7

5. Foreign employment has become a severe problem in our nation which needs the strong support of human resource. State your opinion regarding it and write a newspaper article in about 180 words.                          8

6. Recent world is under the dominance of information technology. Mention what benefits it has to people explaining its bad sides too. Describe what changes over the use of information technology can bring maximum potential of students in the educational field. Write an essay in about 300 words.                10

7. Do as instructed:                                          10

a. She answered the question __________. (fill in the blank with suitable adjective or adverb)

b. I don’t know the name of the person __________ I spoke over the telephone. (supply correct form of relative pronoun)

c. I hate people using my phone. (change into passive voice)

d. The party was crowded. There were too _________ people. (much/many/few/little)

e. He has been playing video game ______ ten hours. (supply correct form of preposition)

f. She got the idea from the story. (make wh question removing the highlighted words)

g. The teacher said, ‘Honesty is the best policy’. (change into indirect speech)

h. We hardly see each other. We study in the same college. (rewrite joining the sentences using a connective ‘In spite of’)

i. Let us invite them, __________? (supply correct form of tag)

j. I lost my purse at the party. I ______ not have gone to the party. (will/must/should)

8. Choose and copy the correct answer:              5

a. Based on the vowel sound, find the odd from the following groups.
i. cat                                                    ii. hat
iii. car                                                 iv. that

b. After a long day at work, I had to burn the midnight oil to finish the report. What does ‘burn the midnight oil’ mean?
1. to waste time                                                 ii. to work late into the night
iii. to create a disaster                                    iv. to stay calm

c. Choose the correct spelling:
i. dictionery                                          ii. grammer
iii. changible                                       iv. disguise    

d. Wow! I never knew that. The underlined word in the sentence is _________ .
i. interjection                                       ii. surprise
iii. conjunction                                   iv. pronoun

e. Which one of the following prefixes goes with the word, ‘behave’?
i. un-                                                     ii. re-
iii. mis                                                 iv. dis-

-The End-