CBSE Class 12 English Literary Passage Worksheet Set 03

1. Harry Potter (Excerpt) – J.K. Rowling

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepper up potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterwards. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire. Raindrops, the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid’s pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds. Even aside from the rain and wind it hadn’t been a happy practice session. Fred and George, who had been spying on the Slytherin team, had seen for themselves, the speed of those new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. They reported that the Slytherin team was no more than seven greenish blurs, shooting through the air like missiles. As Harry squelched along the deserted corridor, he came across somebody who looked just as preoccupied as he was. Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, was staring morosely out of a window, muttering under his breath, “…… don’t fulfill their requirements…… half an inch, if that……” “Hello, Nick,” said Harry. “Hello, hello,” said Nearly Headless Nick, starting and looking round. He wore a dashing, plumed hat on his long curly hair, and a tunic with a ruff, which concealed the fact that his neck was almost completely severed. He was pale as smoke, and Harry could see right through him to the dark sky and torrential rain outside. “You look troubled, young Potter,” said Nick, folding a transparent letter as he spoke and tucking it inside his doublet. “So do you,” said Harry. “Ah,” Nearly Headless Nick waved an elegant hand, “a matter of no importance…… It’s not as though I really wanted to join……Thought I’d apply, but apparently I ‘don’t fulfill requirements’ -

Question. From where was the steam pouring out of Ginny Weasley’s body?
(a) Under her ears
(b) Under her hair
(c) Under her arm
(d) Under her nose
Answer: (b) Under her hair

Question. Who was affected by the outbreak of cold?
(a) Madam Pomfrey
(b) Staff
(c) Harry
(d) Nick
Answer: (b) Staff

Question. Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the CORRECT sequence of the given statements.
1. Hagrid’s pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds.
2. The ghost of Gryffindor Tower, was staring morosely out of a window, muttering under his breath.
3. Harry could see right through him to the dark sky and torrential rain outside.
4. The steam pouring from under Ginny’s vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.
(a) 2, 1, 3, 4
(b) 3, 2, 4, 1
(c) 4, 1, 2, 3
(d) 1, 4, 2, 3
Answer: (c) 4, 1, 2, 3

Question. How did Madam Pomfrey’s potion affect the staff and students?
(a) The potion had an adverse effect on them
(b) The staff and the students began feeling extremely warm.
(c) It left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours.
(d) The drinker immediately began feeling nauseate.
Answer: (c) It left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours.

Question. What report did Fred and George give about the Slytherin team?
(a) They told that it was a slow team.
(b) They reported that it was no more than seven greenish blurs.
(c) They reported that it was shooting through air like guns.
(d) They said that that the speed of the team was indescribable.
Answer: (b) They reported that it was no more than seven greenish blurs.

Question. What turned into muddy streams?
(a) The Gryffindor Tower
(b) The flower beds
(c) Garden
(d) Street
Answer: (b) The flower beds

Question. Why was Nearly Headless Nick unhappy?
(a) It was raining heavily outside.
(b) He didn’t fulfill the requirement to join the hunt.
(c) Harry had scolded him.
(d) He didn’t want to join the hunt.
Answer: (b) He didn’t fulfill the requirement to join the hunt.

Question. Pick the option that tells what Nearly Headless Nick was NOT wearing which concealed the fact that his neck was almost completely severed.
(a) A dashing hat
(b) A tunic with a ruff
(c) A bright coloured tie
(d) All of the options
Answer: (c) A bright coloured tie

Question. How could Harry see right through Headless Nick?
(a) Nick was wearing an invisible dress.
(b) Nick was transparent like glass.
(c) Nick was pale as smoke.
(d) Nick was very lean.
Answer: (c) Nick was pale as smoke.

Question. Pick the option that states the feelings of the Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, when he was staring out of a window, muttering under his breath?
(a) Resentful
(b) Honoured
(c) Relaxed
(d) Disturbed
Answer: (a) Resentful

2. Evening Star – Edgar Allan Poe

‘Twas noontide of summer,
And mid-time of night;
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale, thro’ the light
Of the brighter, cold moon,
‘Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves.
I gazed awhile
On her cold smile;
Too cold- too cold for me
There pass’d, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud,
And I turned away to thee,
Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar,
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.

Question. By ‘noontide of summer’ the poet is referring to what time of the year?
(a) April and May
(b) Middle of summer
(c) At 12 o’clock every day
(d) High tide at the sea
Answer: (b) Middle of summer

Question. The literary device used in ‘Proud Evening Star’ is :
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) personification
(d) alliteration
Answer: (c) personification

Question. Based on your understanding of the poem, choose the option that lists the CORRECT sequence of the given lines.
1. ‘Mid planets her slaves,
2. And stars, in their orbits,
3. Thou bearest in Heaven at night
4. There pass’d, as a shroud,
(a) 2,1,4,3
(b) 3,4,1,2
(c) 1,4,2,3
(d) 4,3,2,1
Answer: (a) 2,1,4,3

Question. What does the poet admire about the Evening Star?
(a) Its distant fire
(b) Its cold light
(c) Its twinkling
(d) Its beauty
Answer: (a) Its distant fire

Question. What are the planets referred to?
(a) As slaves of the moon
(b) Human forms
(c) Celestial beings
(d) 9 stars
Answer: (a) As slaves of the moon

Question. What does the poet say about the Evening Star?
(a) It is brighter and colder
(b) It is warmer
(c) It appeals to the human eye
(d) It comes out late at night
Answer: (b) It is warmer

Question. How did the stars shine in comparison to the moon?
(a) The stars shone brighter than the moon.
(b) The stars do not shine at all in the light of moon.
(c) The stars shone in a dull manner in comparison to the moon.
(d) The stars shine with the help of sun.
Answer: (c) The stars shone in a dull manner in comparison to the moon.

Question. Pick the correct adjective that has NOT been used for the moon?
(a) Cold
(b) Warm
(c) Bright
(d) Lowly light
Answer: (b) Warm

Question. How does the poet describe the smile of the moon?
(a) Welcoming
(b) Friendly
(c) Cruel
(d) Too cold
Answer: (d) Too cold

Question. Pick the option that tells about the poet’s choice over Moon.
(a) Planets
(b) Heaven
(c) The Evening star
(d) Cloud
Answer: (c) The Evening star

3. The Kitemaker (Excerpt) – Ruskin Bond

He, Mehmood the kite maker, had in the prime of his life, been well known throughout the city. Some of his more elaborate kites once sold for as much as three or four rupees each. At the request of the Nawab, he had once made a very special kind of kite, unlike any, that had been seen in the district. It consisted of a series of small, very light paper disks trailing on a thin bamboo frame. To the end of each disc, he fixed a sprig of grass, forming a balance on both sides. The surface of the foremost disc was slightly convex, and a fantastic face was painted on it, having two eyes made of small mirrors. The discs, decreasing in size from head to tail, assumed an undulatory form and gave the kite the appearance of a crawling serpent. It required great skill to raise this cumbersome device from the ground, and only Mehmood could manage it. Everyone had heard of the ‘Dragon Kite’ that Mehmood had built, and word went round that it possessed supernatural powers. A large crowd assembled in the open to watch its first public launching in the presence of the Nawab. At the first attempt, it refused to leave the ground. The discs made a plaintive, protesting sound, and the sun was trapped in the little mirrors, making of the kite a living, complaining creature. Then the wind came from the right direction, and the Dragon Kite soared into the sky, wriggling its way higher and higher, the sun still glinting in its devil eyes and when it went very high, it pulled fiercely on the twine, and Mehmood’s young sons had to help him with the reel. Still, the kite pulled, determined to be free, to break loose, to live a life of its own. And eventually it did so. The twine snapped, the kite leaped away towards the sun, sailing on heavenwards until it was lost to view.

Question. Which option shows that Mehmood had been well known throughout the city.
(a) He made very decorative kites.
(b) His kites were liked by all.
(c) He was Nawab’s personal kitemaker.
(d) His kites once sold for as much as three or four rupees each.
Answer: (d) His kites once sold for as much as three or four rupees each.

Question. What belief did everybody bear about the ‘Dragon Kite’?
(a) It was made of dragon’s wings.
(b) It had magical influences.
(c) It possessed supernatural powers.
(d) It would reach God.
Answer: (c) It possessed supernatural powers.

Question. Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the CORRECT sequence of the making of kite.
1. The surface of the foremost disc of the kite was slightly convex.
2. The discs, decreasing in size from head to tail, assumed an undulatory form.
3. Mehmood had once made a very special kind of kite.
4. A fantastic face was painted on it.
(a) 1, 4, 3, 2
(b) 3, 1, 4, 2
(c) 3, 4, 2, 1
(d) 2, 4, 1, 3
Answer: (b) 3, 1, 4, 2

Question. Who requested Mehmood to make the kite?
(a) The Nawab
(b) His sons
(c) The public
(d) His relatives
Answer: (a) The Nawab

Question. Why did it require great skill to raise the kite from the ground?
(a) because it had magical powers.
(b) because it was too bulky.
(c) because it was torn from the corner.
(d) because nobody in the city knew to fly kites.
Answer: (b) because it was too bulky.

Question. The two eyes on the face of the kite were made of which shiny material?
(a) Gold
(b) Silver
(c) Mirror
(d) Foil
Answer: (c) Mirror

Question. How much did the kite maker earn for his one elaborate kite?
(a) three or four rupees
(b) two rupees
(c) Four rupees
(d) one rupee
Answer: (a) three or four rupees

Question. Pick the option that tells what did NOT happen at the first attempt when the dragon kite was launched?
(a) It refused to leave the ground.
(b) The Sun was trapped in little mirrors.
(c) The discs made a lovely sound.
(d) The kite looked like a living, complaining creature.
Answer: (c) The discs made a lovely sound.

Question. What happened to the kite eventually when the wind came from the right direction?
(a) It did not soar very high.
(b) It dropped down.
(c) It was torn.
(d) It disappeared from the view.
Answer: (d) It disappeared from the view.

Question. Pick the option that states the feelings of the large crowd that assembled in the open to watch the kite’s first public launching in the presence of the Nawab.
(a) Curiosity
(b) Apathy
(c) Anxiety
(d) Remorse
Answer: (a) Curiosity

4. Gunga Din (The regimental bhisti) (Excerpt) – Rudyard Kipling

I sha’n’t forgit the night
When I dropped be’ind the fight
With a bullet where my belt plate should ‘a’ been.
I was chokin’ mad with thirst,
An’ the man that spied me first
Was our good old grinnin’, gruntin’ GungaDin.
‘E lifted up my ‘ead,
An’ he plugged me where I bled,
An’ ‘e guv me ‘arf-a-pint o’ water-green :
It was crawlin’ and it stunk,
But of all the drinks I’ve drunk,
I’m gratefullest to one from Gunga Din.
It was “Din! Din! Din!”
‘Ere’s a beggar with a bullet through ‘is spleen;
‘E’s chawin’ up the ground,
An’ ‘e’s kickin’ all around :
For Gawd’s sake git the water, Gunga Din!
‘E carried me away
To where a dooli lay,
An’ a bullet come an’ drilled the beggar clean.
‘E put me safe inside,
An’ just before ‘e died :
“I ‘ope you liked your drink,” sez Gunga Din.
So I’ll meet ‘im later on
At the place where ‘e is gone—
Where it’s always double drill and no canteen;
‘E’ll be squattin’ on the coals,
Givin’ drink to poor damned souls,
An’ I’ll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!
Yes, Din! Din! Din!
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!
Though I’ve belted you and flayed you,
By the living Gawd that made you,
You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

Question. The poem appears to be written by…………
(a) a soldier
(b) a beggar
(c) Gunga Din
(d) villager
Answer: (a) a soldier

Question. Gunga Din is the regimental bhishti. His job is to………….
(a) save soldiers
(b) give his regimental soldiers water
(c) give his regimental soldiers a drink
(d) fight with the enemy
Answer: (b) give his regimental soldiers water

Question. Based on your understanding of the poem, choose the option that lists the CORRECT sequence of the given lines.
1. he plugged me where I bled.
2. a bullet come an’ drilled the beggar clean.
3. By the living Gawd that made you.
4. I’m gratefullest to one from Gunga Din.
(a) 1, 3, 2, 4
(b) 2, 4, 3, 1
(c) 1, 4, 2, 3
(d) 3, 2, 1, 4
Answer: (c) 1, 4, 2, 3

Question. Who dies first?
(a) The British soldier
(b) the enemy
(c) Gunga Din
(d) a villager
Answer: (c) Gunga Din

Question. Where does the poet hope to meet Gunga Din?
(a) hell
(b) a place where he lives
(c) his village
(d) England
Answer: (a) hell

Question. What does the soldier call Gunga Din?
(a) living God
(b) soldier
(c) water man
(d) beggar
Answer: (d) beggar

Question. What happens to Gunga Din at the end of the poem?
(a) He dies
(b) become soldier
(c) continued serving water
(d) He left the regiment
Answer: (a) He dies

Question. Pick the option from the poem that does NOT tell the quality of water which Gunga Din gave to the soldier.
(a) Green
(b) Clean
(c) Stinking
(d) Having creepy creatures
Answer: (b) Clean

Question. What had happened to the speaker?
(a) He fainted due to heat
(b) He got a stroke
(c) He was hit by a bullet near the belt plate
(d) He was dying out of hunger
Answer: (c) He was hit by a bullet near the belt plate

Question. Pick the option that tells about how the poet depicts the British soldier?
(a) Loud and coarse
(b) full of insults
(c) Full of threats
(d) All of the options
Answer: (d) All of the options