Punjab Board Class 12 English General Question Paper 2025 Set A with Solution PDF

Step 1: According to the passage, this combination is an excellent post-exercise snack.

Step 2: Yoghurt is packed with proteins that help preserve muscle mass.

Step 3: Bananas provide carbohydrates that refuel energy and prevent muscle soreness after physical activity. Quick Tip: Protein and carbohydrate combinations are ideal for recovery because they simultaneously repair tissues and replenish glycogen stores.

Step 1: Onions and garlic contain specific sulphur compounds.

Step 2: These compounds aid the body in the absorption of essential minerals like iron and zinc from other foods (such as chickpeas).

Step 3: This helps in preventing iron deficiency and related conditions like anaemia. Quick Tip: Bioavailability refers to how much of a nutrient the body can actually absorb; onions and garlic increase the bioavailability of iron.

Step 1: Green tea is a rich source of catechins, which are antioxidants that stop oxidative damage to cells.

Step 2: Adding lemon juice makes these catechins significantly more absorbable by the body. Quick Tip: Vitamin C in lemon creates an acidic environment that prevents catechins from breaking down in the digestive system.

Based on the passage, the functions of carbohydrates are:

Energy Refuelling: They help in restoring the glucose levels burned during exercise.
Muscle Protection: They assist in preventing muscle soreness after physical exertion. Quick Tip: Carbohydrates are the body's primary and most efficient source of fuel for high-intensity activities.

Step 1: As defined in the first sentence, power foods are specific types of foods that provide rich levels of nutrients.

Step 2: These nutrients primarily include fibre, potassium, and various minerals. Quick Tip: Power foods are often "whole foods," meaning they are minimally processed and retain their natural nutritional profile.

Step 1: The word 'inadequacy' refers to a lack or shortage of something required.

Step 2: In the passage, while discussing iron, the text mentions "Iron **deficiency** can lead to anaemia," where 'deficiency' is used to describe the insufficient amount of iron in the body. Quick Tip: In biological contexts, 'deficiency' is the standard term used when the body lacks essential vitamins or minerals.

Step 1: The passage states that the combination of chickpeas and onions is a powerful source of iron.

Step 2: It explicitly mentions that iron is "required by the body to transport oxygen to its various parts." Quick Tip: Iron is a key component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.

Step 1: The passage refers to the combination of yoghurt and bananas as a favorite for power food takers.

Step 2: It specifically describes this pairing as a "perfect snack after a rough game of football" because it helps in muscle mass preservation and energy refueling. Quick Tip: Post-workout nutrition is often called the "anabolic window," where the body is most efficient at absorbing nutrients to repair muscles.

Step 1: The passage identifies beverages as a source of healthy compounds.

Step 2: It states, "Among beverages, green tea is the best source of catechins." Quick Tip: Catechins are a type of natural phenol and antioxidant that help prevent cell damage.

Step 1: While discussing the benefits of the yoghurt and banana snack, the passage mentions the effect of physical activity.

Step 2: It states, "Exercising burns glucose and thus lowers blood sugar." Quick Tip: During exercise, muscles take up glucose from the bloodstream to use as fuel, which naturally reduces blood sugar levels.

According to the passage, the primary cause of loneliness and sadness among handicapped children is the neglect they face. When parents or society view their condition as "fate" or "the will of God" and fail to provide the necessary support, these children become isolated within their own homes. Quick Tip: To find the answer in a passage, look for keywords like "sad," "lonely," or "neglect." The sentence immediately surrounding these words usually contains the answer.

The passage states: "Whatever may be the cause of their suffering, we have got to treat the handicapped with sympathy and understanding." Therefore, the word 'treat' fits perfectly in the given blank to convey the same meaning. Quick Tip: When filling in blanks from a passage, ensure the word you choose matches the grammatical tense of the sentence provided in the question.

Step 1: Contextual Analysis - Based on the passage, 'sympathy' refers to the emotional support and tenderness shown to those suffering. 'Lonely' is the state of being without company (companionless). 'Scarcely' (found in the text as "scarcely ever") acts as an adverb meaning 'nearly' not at all. Quick Tip: In matching exercises, eliminate the most obvious pairs first. For example, 'lonely' and 'companionless' are direct synonyms, making the remaining matches easier to identify.

Step 1: Textual Evidence - The passage explicitly refutes the idea of looking at disabilities as "fate" or "the will of God." It states, "Whatever may be the cause of their suffering, we have got to treat the handicapped with sympathy and understanding." Quick Tip: Look for the sentence starting with "we have got to treat..." in the passage to find the recommended approach for interaction.

Step 1: Locating Primary Duty - The author lists responsibilities in a sequence. The text says: "Our first duty is to make these children happier and less lonely." The second duty is education. Quick Tip: The word "firstly" or "first duty" in a passage usually signals a primary objective in a list of recommendations.

Step 1: Identification of Causes - The passage mentions that disabilities can be congenital ("born blind or deaf") or acquired later in life ("as a result of some illness or accident"). Quick Tip: Always look for the word "while" or "or" to identify multiple causes mentioned in a single explanatory sentence.

Step 1: Formal Format - Use the Sender's Address \(\to\) Date \(\to\) Receiver's Designation \(\to\) Subject \(\to\) Salutation.

Step 2: Body - State the problem clearly and mention the specific groups affected (students, elderly).

Step 3: Conclusion - End with a specific request for action. Quick Tip: In formal letters to authorities, keep the tone respectful but firm. Always include a clear "Subject" line to help the official identify the issue quickly.

Step 1: Editor's Address - Address the specific newspaper and city.

Step 2: Opening Statement - Use the standard phrase "Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper..." to introduce the grievance.

Step 3: Descriptive Details - List specific physical defects of the buses to make the complaint more impactful. Quick Tip: When writing to an Editor, remember that the Editor themselves cannot fix the problem; your goal is to raise public awareness and catch the attention of the relevant authorities.

Step 1: E-mail Structure - Include the recipient's email address and a clear, descriptive subject line.

Step 2: Tone - Use a respectful and polite tone suitable for a family member.

Step 3: Justification - Clearly state the reason for the money (exam dues) and the urgency (final exams starting). Quick Tip: In a formal or semi-formal e-mail, keep the body concise and ensure the 'Subject' line summarizes the purpose of the message.

Step 1: Decoding Keywords - 'Showcase' means to display or exhibit. 'Innovative projects' refers to new and creative ideas or inventions.

Step 2: Contextual Expansion - Add a subject (students) and a setting (an exhibition or fair) to turn the headline into a complete thought. Quick Tip: When explaining a headline, always use full sentences and explain the core event in simple, non-journalistic language.

Step 1: Tense Identification -
(i) Past Indefinite - use 'ed' form.
(ii) Imperative (Negative) - use 'Do not'.
(iii) Present Continuous - use 'is' + verb + 'ing'.

Step 2: Vocabulary - 'Gale lagana' = hug/embrace; 'Tang karna' = disturb/tease; 'Nichodna' = wring. Quick Tip: 'Wringing' is a specific verb used for squeezing water out of a cloth. Avoid using 'squeezing' for towels if possible.

Step 1: Literal and Meaningful Match -
(i) 'Developed' translates to (Vikas).
(ii) 'Make fun' is an idiom translated as 'ਮਜ਼ਾਕ ਉਡਾਉਣਾ'.
(iii) 'Injurious' means 'ਹਾਨੀਕਾਰਕ' (Hanikarak). Quick Tip: For formal warnings like "Smoking is injurious," use standard vocabulary like 'ਸਿਹਤ ਲਈ ਹਾਨੀਕਾਰਕ' rather than colloquial terms.

Step 1: Gerund - A gerund is the '-ing' form of a verb used as a noun. Here, 'playing' follows the verb 'like'.

Step 2: Bare Infinitive - After auxiliary verbs like 'dare not' or 'need not', we use the infinitive without 'to' (bare infinitive). Quick Tip: - Gerund = Verb + ing (used as a noun). - After 'dare not', use only the base verb (e.g., break) without 'to'.

Step 1: Removing 'too' - We replace 'too' with 'so' and 'to' with 'that... cannot'.

Step 2: No sooner... than - 'As soon as' is replaced by 'No sooner did', and the second clause starts with 'than'. The past verb 'saw' changes to the base form 'see' because of 'did'.

Step 3: Degrees of Comparison - The superlative 'most beautiful' is changed to positive degree using 'No other... as beautiful as'. Quick Tip: - Too + Adj + to = So + Adj + that + cannot. - "No sooner" always takes "than" (not when/then).

Step 1: Imperative Request - Sentences with 'please' are changed to passive using 'You are requested to'.

Step 2: Present Indefinite - Use 'is/am/are + V3'.

Step 3: Present Continuous - Use 'is/am/are + being + V3'. Quick Tip: In Passive Voice, the focus shifts from the 'doer' to the 'action/receiver'. Always use the 3rd form (Past Participle) of the verb.

Step 1: Tense Change - Since the reporting verb (said) is in the past, the internal tense changes (am watching \(\to\) was watching; are \(\to\) was).

Step 2: Pronoun Change - 'I' changes to 'he' and 'You' changes to 'he/she' based on the listener. Quick Tip: When converting to Indirect Speech, "said to" becomes "told" + Object. Don't forget to remove the quotation marks and add "that".

Step 1: Articles - 'a' is used for a non-specific singular countable noun.

Step 2: Quantifiers - 'no... at all' emphasizes the zero quantity.

Step 3: Interrogative Determiner - 'any' is used for questions and negative sentences. Quick Tip: - Use 'a/an' for one item. - Use 'any' for questions (?) and 'some' for positive statements (+).

Step 1: Fact Check - The short story 'Bholi', which tells the story of a girl named Sulekha, was written by the famous Indian film director and novelist K.A. Abbas (Khwaja Ahmad Abbas). Quick Tip: To remember authors, try associating the main character with the writer. For example, "Abbas wrote about Bholi's progress."

Step 1: Contextual Recall - In Anton Chekhov’s story 'A Chameleon', the goldsmith Hryukin is the character who chases the dog after being bitten by it. Quick Tip: In 'A Chameleon', the shift in the police superintendent's opinion depends entirely on who the owner of the dog is.

Step 1: Character Analysis - In the story 'The Gold Frame', Datta is described as a very reserved and busy man who preferred working in silence and hated being interrupted by idle talk. Therefore, option (c) is false. Quick Tip: "Laconic" means using very few words. Datta’s personality was the opposite of social or gossipy.

Step 1: Textual Reference - In Mulk Raj Anand's 'The Barber's Trade Union', the narrator mentions that although they were close friends, Chandu was his senior by six months. Quick Tip: Despite the small age difference, the caste hierarchy created a significant social gap between the two friends in the story.

Step 1: Locating the Place - In the story 'The Bull Beneath the Earth' (Dharti Hethla Balad), the soldier Karam Singh belonged to the village Thathi Khara in Amritsar district. Quick Tip: Karam Singh's friend, Man Singh, visits this village to deliver the news of Karam Singh's martyrdom.

Step 1: Attribution - The essay 'On Saying Please', which discusses the value of good manners and social civility, was written by the famous English journalist and essayist Alfred George Gardiner (who often wrote under the pen name 'Alpha of the Plough'). Quick Tip: Gardiner emphasizes that while bad manners are not a legal crime, they poison the stream of social life.

Step 1: Mathematical Logic - Thomas borrowed
)5,000 for two weeks at an interest rate of 15% per annum. The calculated interest for that short period came to approximately
(15. Quick Tip: This story is a classic example of lateral thinking—Thomas used a million-dollar Ferrari as collateral just to get cheap parking in New York!

Step 1: Identification - In Dr. Christiaan Barnard's essay, the 'mechanic' was a seven-year-old boy who had been blind since birth but provided the 'motor power' for the trolley. Quick Tip: The "driver" was a boy with only one arm, and the "mechanic" was blind. Together, they showed the joy of being alive.

Step 1: Plot Recall - In A.J. Cronin's story, the two boys work tirelessly to pay for the medical treatment of their sister, Lucia, who is suffering from tuberculosis of the spine in a hospital in the village of Poleta. Quick Tip: The title 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' is ironic because the "gentlemen" are actually two small, hardworking boys.

Step 1: Historical Fact - In Helen Keller's autobiography 'The Story of My Life', she mentions that the little blind children at the Perkins Institution had sent a doll for her, and Laura Bridgman (another famous deaf-blind student) had dressed it. Quick Tip: The doll was brought to Helen by her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and it was through this doll that Helen learned her first word: D-O-L-L.

Step 1: Theme Identification -
- For 'The Road Not Taken', focus on the theme of decision-making and its long-term impact.
- For 'The Echoing Green', focus on the cyclical nature of life (Childhood \(\to\) Maturity \(\to\) Old Age).


Step 2: Summarization - Combine these themes into a concise statement that reflects the poet's intent. Quick Tip: To write a central idea, identify the main "message" or "lesson" the poet is trying to convey to the reader in 3-4 sentences.

Step 1: Poem Identification - These lines are from 'Father Returning Home' by Dilip Chitre, which depicts the loneliness and alienation of an elderly man in a metropolitan city.

Step 2: Figure of Speech - The line "Like a word dropped from a long sentence" uses the word 'like' to compare the father's exit from the train to an insignificant word falling out of a long sentence. This is a Simile.

Step 3: Contextual Analysis - The father is tired and neglected. The "dimmed eyes" symbolize both his physical exhaustion and the lack of hope or excitement in his life.
Quick Tip: To identify a \textbf{Simile}, always look for comparison words like "as" or "like". In this poem, the simile highlights how the father is unnoticed and unimportant to the crowd around him.

Step 1: Poem Analysis - The 'Prayer of the Woods' is a personification where the woods speak directly to humans. It highlights the selfless service of trees throughout a person's life.


Step 2: Interpretation of Metaphors -
- "Bread of kindness" refers to the fruits and food that trees provide.
- "Flower of beauty" refers to the joy, shade, and aesthetic appeal of nature.

Step 3: Lifecycle Connection - The poem mentions the "cradle" (for a baby) and the "coffin" (for the deceased) to show that wood is essential from the beginning of life until the very end.
Quick Tip: To answer question (v), look for the physical objects made of wood that represent the very start of life (cradle) and the very end of life (coffin).

Step 1: Contextual Recall - On the day of the concert, Philip's own shirt was dirty, so Mrs. Esputa gave him a massive oversized shirt.

Step 2: The Conflict - Because the shirt wasn't his size, it was pinned up. The physical movement during the violin performance caused the pins to fail, leading to a humiliating situation. Quick Tip: Focus on the keywords: "oversized shirt," "pins," and "embarrassment" to construct a perfect answer for this question.

Step 1: Action - In a fit of frustration, Helen (the narrator) threw her doll on the floor, breaking it into pieces.

Step 2: Realization - It was only after she successfully learned the concept of language and 'naming' objects that she felt a sense of loss and regret for the broken toy. Quick Tip: This moment represents the transition from a world of darkness and confusion to a world of light and understanding for Helen Keller.

Step 1: Philosophy of Dr. Barnard - The essay highlights that despite physical disabilities, children like the 'driver' and 'mechanic' were full of joy.

Step 2: Moral Lesson - Their positive attitude teaches us to focus on our existing strengths and the beauty of life rather than complaining about our sufferings. Quick Tip: The core message is to focus on "what is left" rather than "what is lost."

Step 1: Resistance - The political prisoners (Ghadari Babas) refused to submit to the inhuman conditions and organized hunger strikes.

Step 2: Outcome - Fearing further unrest and the impact of the prisoners' sacrifices, the British authorities were eventually forced to relax some of the harsh rules. Quick Tip: The word "resistance" is the key to understanding why the change in treatment occurred in the Cellular Jail.

Step 1: Parental Conflict - Hassan's father took a distant approach, while his mother was helpless and expected the father to be more involved.

Step 2: Conclusion - Because there was no coordination or shared responsibility between the parents, the teacher's (Sudha Murty's) efforts to help Hassan failed. Quick Tip: A "fruitless" meeting means one that yields no results. Here, the lack of parental cooperation made it impossible to help the student.

Step 1: Context - Mann Singh, while visiting Karam Singh's village, tries to keep the conversation positive before he realizes the family is hiding the news of Karam Singh's death.

Step 2: Specific Details - He highlights Karam Singh's reputation among his fellow soldiers as a "crack-shot," meaning an expert sniper or marksman. Quick Tip: The term "crack-shot" is crucial here as it highlights the respect Karam Singh commanded as a soldier.

Step 1: The Accident - Datta was looking for a pencil when he accidentally knocked over a tin of white enamel paint.

Step 2: The Failed Restoration - In his panic, he used a piece of cloth soaked in turpentine to wipe the paint, but the chemical and the rubbing force destroyed the delicate surface of the old photograph. Quick Tip: Remember that it wasn't just the paint that ruined the photo, but Datta's desperate attempt to clean it that caused the final damage.

Step 1: Physical Condition - An attack of smallpox had left Bholi's entire body covered with permanent black pock-marks.

Step 2: Mental and Social State - A fall from a cot in her infancy had damaged a part of her brain, making her a slow learner. This combination made Ramlal anxious about her future prospects in a society that valued appearance and wit. Quick Tip: Ramlal’s worry stems from the traditional social norms of the time, where a girl’s marriage was considered the father’s primary responsibility.

Step 1: Introduction - Introduce Nicola (13) and Jacopo (12) as orphans of war in Verona.

Step 2: Key Traits - Focus on their diligence, self-respect, and spirit of sacrifice. Mention the variety of odd jobs they perform.

Step 3: Motivation - Explain their driving force: the medical care for their sister, Lucia.

Step 4: Conclusion - Summarize why the narrator (A.J. Cronin) considers them true "gentlemen." Quick Tip: To remember their traits, use the acronym **D.R.S.** - **D**ignity, **R**esilience, and **S**acrifice. They are small in age but "great" in character.

Step 1: Core Argument - The essay distinguishes between legal crimes and social discourtesy.

Step 2: Impact of Manners - Explain how manners act as a social lubricant, preventing friction between individuals.

Step 3: The Chain Reaction - Mention how both good and bad moods are contagious.

Step 4: Conclusion - Summarize the moral victory of a polite person over a rude one. Quick Tip: The key takeaway is that the law cannot compel us to be polite, but our own "inner law" or moral sense should guide us to be civil.

Step 1: Physical Appearance - Mention her age (middle-aged) and her comforting, motherly presence.

Step 2: Educational Vision - Describe her unique school where the focus is on empathy and sympathy rather than just textbooks.

Step 3: Character Traits - Highlight her kindness, wisdom, and her desire to produce "thoughtful" citizens.

Step 4: Conclusion - Summarize her impact on the narrator and her students. Quick Tip: Remember the phrase "The School for Sympathy." Miss Beam doesn't just teach sympathy; she makes students *live* it through experience.

Step 1: Literal Meaning - Explain what a chameleon is (an animal that changes color for survival).

Step 2: Symbolic Connection - Connect this trait to the protagonist, Otchumyelov.

Step 3: Plot Evidence - Briefly mention how his stance on the dog bite case shifts based on the General's name.

Step 4: Thematic Conclusion - Conclude that the title satirizes people who change their principles to please those in power. Quick Tip: To justify a title, always explain the literal meaning first and then show how it applies metaphorically to the characters or the theme of the story.