MP Board 12th English Extract from Flamingo Prose Question Bank : We are providing sufficient practice set for Extract from Flamingo Prose for excersie under this MP Board 12th English Extract from Flamingo Prose Question Bank.
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
Extract-1
Poor man! It was in honour of this last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes, and now I understand why the old men of the village were sitting there in the back of the room.It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more. It was their way of thanking our master for his forty years of faithful service and of showing their respect for the country that was theirs no more.
Questions.
i. Who does the narrator refer to as ‘poor man’?
a. the villager b. Franz
c. M. Hamel d. None of the avobe.
ii Why does the narrator call the French teacher as ‘poor man’?
a. He sympathizes with the teacher as he had to leave the village.
b. He believes that the teacher was poor.
c. He feels sorry for the teacher as it was his last lesson.
d. None of the above.
Iii How many years had the teacher given his service in the school?
a. thirty years b. forty five years
c. fourteen years d. forty years
iv Who sat on the back benches on the last lesson?
a. Franz b. the village people
c. the new teacher d. M. Hamel
v Who is the writer of the lesson ‘The Last Lesson’?
a. Alphonse Daudet b. Selma Lagerlof
c. William O Douglas d. Anees Jung
Extract-2
When I passed the town hall there was a crowd in front of the bulletin-board. For the last two years all our bad news had come from there-the lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer-and I thought to myself , without stopping. “What can be the matter. Now?”Then, as I hurried by as fast as I could go, the blacksmith, Watcher, who was there, with his apprentice, reading the bulletin,
called after me, “Don’t go so fast, bub: you’ll get to your school in plenty of time!”I thought he was making fun of me, and reached M Hamel’s little garden all out of breath.
Questions.
i. Where had all the bad news come from for last two years?
a. school b. Prussia
c. Alsace d. Bulletin-board
ii. What did the blacksmith say to Franz?
a. to read the bulletin-board b. to complete his homework
c. to hurry to school d. to not go so fast
iii. What has M Hamel’s ‘little garden’ been referred to in this extract?
a. his home b. his school
c. his country d. his garden
iv. Which of these means ‘apprentice’?
a. mentor b. amateur
c. engineer d. writer
v. What was the motive of the blacksmith Watcher?
a. To ridicule Franz
b. To boost the morale of Franz
c. To dominate little Franz
d. To make him realize the importance of his mother tongue
Extract-4
“My children, this is the last lesson I shall give you. The order has come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new Master comes tomorrow. This is your last French lesson. I want you to be very attentive.”What a thunderclap these words were to me! Oh, the wretches; that was what they had put up at the town hall!My last French lesson! Why, I hardly knew how to write! I should never learn anymore! I must stop there, then! Oh, how sorry I was for not learning my lessons, for seeking birds’ eggs, or going sliding on the Saar! My books, that had seemed such a nuisance a while ago, so heavy to carry, my grammar, and my history of the saints, were old friends now that I couldn’t give up.
Questions .
i. Which of these orders has come from Berlin?
a. closure of school b. no French to be taught
c. rustication of Franz d.transfer to M. Hamel
ii Why does M. Hamel want the students to be attentive?
a. because the order has come from Berlin
b. because it is his last French lesson
c. because he is about to tell important questions for their exam because the
government officer is on a visit
iii. Which of these seemed ‘old friends’ to Franz?
a. M. Hamel b. the blackboard
c. his classmates d. his books
iv. “What a thunderclap these words were to me!”
Which of these expresses the meaning of the underlined word in the above line?
a. loud and clear b. startling and unexpected
c. pleasant and welcome d. encouraging and full of zeal
v. Which of these moods did Franz express when he was told that it was his last
French lesson?
a. inspired and cheerful b. repenting and sorrowful
c. optimistic and serious d. romantic and humorous
Extract-5
“Why do you do this?” I ask Saheb whom I encounter every morning scrounging for gold in the garbage dumps of my neighbourhood. Saheb left his home long ago. Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory. There were many storms that swept away their fields and homes, his mother tells him. That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city where he now lives. “I have nothing else to do,” he mutters, looking away. “Go to school,” I say glibly, realizing immediately how hollow the advice must sound. “There is no school in my neighbourhood. When they build one, I will go.”
Questions
Who is ‘ I ‘ in the above lines?
(a) Anees Jung (b) Jack Finney
(c) Alphonse Daudet (d) Collin Dexte
ii. Which chapter has this extract been taken from?
(a) Lost Spring (b) The Last Lesson
(c) Deep Water (d) The Rattrap
iii. What does the word ‘Amidst’ mean?
(a) In the middle of (b) In the corner of
(c) In the right side of (d) In the left side of
iv. Why does the word ‘Glibly’ mean
(a) Superficially (b) Intrinsically
(c) confidently (d) None of these
Extract-6
“If I start a school, will you come?” I ask, half-joking. “Yes,” he says, smiling broadly. A few days later I see him running up to me. “Is your school ready?” “It takes longer to build a school,” I say, embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world. After months of knowing him, I ask him his name. “Saheb-e-Alam,” he announces. He
does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning-lord of the universe – he would have a hard time believing it.
Questions
Why does the narrator feel embarrassed?
(a) For making a fake promise (b) For making a promise that she can keep
(c) For making a real promise (d) For not making any promise
ii. Which literary device is there in sahib’s name?
(a) Satire (b) Irony
(c) Paradox (d) Hyperbole
iii. What does phrase ‘Abound in’ mean?
(a) Pullulate with (b) Teem in
(c) Exist in large quantity (d) all of these
Iv. Find out the synonym of the word ‘Bleak’ from the following.
(a) Black (b) Dim
(c) Hopeless (d) All of these
Extract-7
It had happened when I was ten or eleven years old. I had decided to learn to swim. There was a pool at the Y.M.C.A. in Yakima that offered exactly the opportunity. The Yakima River was treacherous. Mother continually warned against it, and kept fresh in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the Y.M.C.A. pool was safe. It was only two or three feet deep at the shallow end; and while it was
nine feet deep at the other, the drop was gradual. I got a pair of water wings and went to the pool. I hated to walk naked into it and show my skinny legs. But I subdued my pride and did it.
Questions
Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
(a) President Roosevelt (b) The instructor
(c) William Douglas (d) Alphonse Daudet
ii. What does the word ‘Treacherous’ mean?
(a) Dangerous (b) Safe
(c) Punitive (d) All of these
iii. How was YMCA pool safer?
(a) For it had instructors
(b) For it had life guards
(c) For it had shallow water to learn swimming
(d) All of these
iv. What does the speaker mean by ‘I subdued my pride’?
(a) A. Put pride down by force (b) B. Brought pride out of control
(c) raised his pride (d) all of these
Extract-8
From the beginning, however, I had an aversion to the water when I was in it. This started when I was three or four years old and father took me to the beach in California. He and I stood together in the surf. I hung on to him, yet the waves knocked me down and swept over me. I was buried in water. My breath was gone. I was frightened. Father laughed, but there was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves. My introduction to the Y.M.CA. Swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears. But in a little while I gathered confidence.
Questionsi.
Who is the author of Deep Water?
(a) John Updike (b) Gertrude Simmons
(c) William Blake (d) None of these
ii. What does the word ‘Revived’ mean?
(a) Given fresh life (b) Restored to consciousness
(c) Resuscitated (d) All of these
Iii. What does the speaker mean by ‘I was buried in water’?
(a) That he was drenched (b) that he was drowned
(c) That he lost his breath in the pool (d) All of these
Iv. Why did he go to Y.M.C.A pool?
(a) Because it was safer (b) Because it was riskier
(c) Because it had personal instructor (d) All of these
Extract -9
When Frank Buchman’s Moral Rearmament Army, some two hundred strong, visited Madras sometime in 1952, they could not , have found a warmer host in India than the Gemini Studios. Someone called the group an international circus. They weren’t very good on the trapeze and their acquaintance with animals was only at the dinner table, but they presented two plats in a most professional manner. Their ‘ Jotham Valley’ and ‘The Forgotten Factor’ ran several shows in madras and along with the other citizens of the city, the Gemini family of six hundred saw the plays over and over again. The message of the play were usually plain and simple homilies, but the sets and costumes were first-rate.
Questionsi.
What is the full form of M. R. A.?
(a) Main River Area (b) Moral Rearmament Army (c) Main
Road Access
ii. When did MRA visit Madras?
(a) 1952 (b) 1962 (c) 1942
iii. What things attracted the audience in the plays staged by MRA?
(a) their make-up (b) their sets and costumes (c) their dialogues
iv. How many people were there in the Gemini family?
(a) 400 (b) 500 (c) 600
v. Madras is known as — in present time.
(a) Chennai (b) Chenab (c) Chelsy
Extract -11
In all instances of frustration, you will always find the anger directed towards a
single person openly or covertly and this man of the make-up department was
convinced that all his woes, ignominy and neglect were due to Kothamanglam
Subbu. Subbu was the No. 2 at Gemini Studios. He couldn’t have had a more
encouraging opening in films than our grown-up make-up boy had.
Questionsi.
The boy in the make-up department was jealous of—
(a) Subbu (b) Greta Garbo (c) Asokamitran
ii. Who was No. 2 at the studios?
(a) Robert Clive (b) Rati Agnihotri (c) Kothamangalam
Subbu
iii. Who was frustrated?
(a) A boy of make-up department (b) Subbu (c) Gemini Studios
iv. Who is the author of ‘Poets and pancakes’?
(a) William Douglas (b) b-Louis Fischer (c) Asokamitran
v. What is adjective form of anger?
(a) angry (b) anger (c) agree
Extract-12
Lewis Carroll , the creator of Alice in Wonderland, was said to have had ‘a just horror of the interviewer and he never consented to be interviewed- It was his horror of being lionized which made him thus repel would be acquaintances, interviewers, and the persistent petitioners for his autograph and he would afterwards relate the stories of his success in silencing all such people with much satisfaction and amusement.
Questionsi.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ is created by ——
(a) Lewis Carroll (b) Rudyard Kipling (c) V. S. Naipaul
ii. Lewis Carroll’s opined that interviews and auto graph create—
(a) wonder (b) terror (c) horror
Iii. Who has expressed on the interviewers negatively?
(a) Rudyard Kipling (b) Lewis Carroll (c) Christopher
iv. The above extract has taken from—
(a)-The Last Lesson (b)-Lost Spring (c)-The
Interview
v. Who is the author of the lesson
(a) Alphonse Daudet (b) Christopher Silvester (c) Asokamitran
Extract-13
Since its invention a little over 130 years ago, the Interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Today, almost everybody who is literate will have read an interview at some point in their lives, while from the other point of view, several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the years, some of them repeatedly. So it is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview- of its functions,
methods and merits- vary considerably. Some might make quite extravagant claims for it being, in its highest form, a source of truth and in its practice an art.
Questions:
i. The interview has become a commonplace of—
(a) passivism (b) atheism (c) journalism
ii. Interview has been invented a little over – years ago.
(a) 160 (b) 130 (c) 140
Iii. Some say that interview is a source of –
(a) truth (b) invention (c) lies
iv. The opinion about the interview — considerably.
(a) very (b) vary (c)
vile
V. Almost everybody who is — will have read an interview at some point in their
lives.
(a) illiterate (b) versed (c) literate
Extract-14
And then I have a secret. Did you know what will happen if you eliminate the empty spaces from the universe, eliminate the empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe will become as big as my fist. Similarly, we have a lot of empty spaces in our lives. I call them interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an elevator and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is interstice, an
empty space. I work in empty spaces. While waiting for your elevator to come up from the first to the third floor, I have already written an article.
Questions:
I. What is interstices?
(a) empty space (b) a book (c) universe
ii. What Umberto Eco has done while waiting for the interviewer’s elevator to come up?
(a) read a book (b) wrote an article (c) took a nap
iii. How does Eco find so much time to write so much?
(a) working all the day
(b) working in interstices of time
(c) working at home
iv. What will the universe become if the empty space is eliminated?
(a) as big as a fist (b) as bid as a thumb (c) as big as a finger
Extract -15
Sophie watched her back stooped over the sink and wondered at the incongruity of the delicate bow which fastened her apron strings. The delicate-seeming bow and the crooked back. The evening has already blacked in the windows and the small room was steady from the stone and cluttered with the heavy-breathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner. Sophie felt a
tightening in her throat. She went to look for her brother Geoff.
Questions:
(i) How did Sophie feel to see the bow which fastened her apron strings?
(a) She felt amazed (b) she felt ashamed
(c) she felt wondered (d) none of these.
(ii) What was the condition of the small room?
(a) It was well lighted (b) it was dark there
(c) It was steamy (d) All of these
(iii) What did Sophie do when she felt tightening in her throat?
(a) She drank some water
(b) She felt dizzy
(c) She went out to look for her brother Geoff
(d) She stayed in the room
(iv) Name the writer of this chapter.
(a) Christopher Silvester (b) Ashokamitran
Extract -16
“It was nothing like that, Geoff- It was me spoke first. When I saw who it was, I said, “Excuse me, but aren’t you Danny Casey?” And he looked sort of surprised. And he said, “Yes, that’s right.” And I knew it must be him because he had the accent, you know, like when they interviewed him on the television. So I asked him for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of us had any paper or a pen. So then we just
talked a bit. About the clothes in Royce’s window. He seemed lonely. After all, it’s a long way from the west of Ireland. And then, just as he was going, he said, If I would care to meet him next week he would give me an autograph then. Of course, I said I would.”
Questions:
i. Who looked sort of surprised and why?
(a)Sophie (b) Jansie
(c) Geoff (d) Danny Casey.
ii. How did Sophie confirm that he was Danny Casey?
(a) By his accent (b) by his face
(c) by his voice (d) None of these
iii. What did Sophie ask Danny Casey?
(a) For a meeting with him (b) for his autograph
(d) for his photograph (d) All these
iv. While going, what did Danny Casey ask her?
(a) A meeting with her (b) her photograph
(d) her contact no (d) none of these
Extract-17
After dark she walked by the canal, along a sheltered path lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water, and the unceasing drone of the city was muffled and distant. It was a place she had often played in when she was a child. There was a wooden bench beneath a solitary elm where lovers sometimes came. She sat down to wait. It was the perfect place; she had always thought so,
for a meeting of this kind. For those who wished not to be observed. She knew he would approve.
Questions:
I. After dark, where did she walk along?
(a) highway (b) a congested street
(b) (c) a sheltered path (d) a canal
ii. Why that place was suitable for meeting?
(a) The city was noisy (b) There was a crowed in the city
(c) The city was muffled and distant (d) All of these
iii. Where did she sit?
(a) In a room (b) on a bench
(c) under a shade (d) kept standing there in sunshine
iv. Why it was a perfect place?
(a) It was close to her house (b)It was a peaceful place to sit
(c) Nobody could observe them there (d) All of these
Extract-18
The old man was just as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and tobacco. The guest was informed at once that in his days of prosperity his host had been a crofter at Ramsjo Ironworks and had worked on the land. Now that he was no longer able to do day labour, it was his cow which supported him. Yes, that bossy was extraordinary. She could give milk for the creamery every day, and last month
he had received all of thirty kronor in payment. The stranger must have seemed incredulous, for the old man got up and went to the window, took down a leather pouch which hung on a nail in the very window frame, and picked out three wrinkled ten-kronor bills. These he held up before the eyes of his guest, nodding knowingly, and then stuffed them back into the pouch.
Questions:
- What was the profession of the host?
(a)milkman (b) ironsmith
(c) crofter (d)shopkeeper - Which of these has similar meaning to the word ‘incredulous?
(a)simple (b) doubtful
(c)naive (d) innocent - What did the crofter do with the milk?
(a) consumed himself (b)sold to neighbours
(c) supplied to diary (d)stored for cheese making - From which lesson the above extract has been taken?
(a)Indigo (b) The Third Level
(c) The Enemy (d) The Rattrap - Porridge is –
(a)food (b) bird (c) game (d) all of these