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CBSE | Class 12 | English
Explore 4 extract-based question sets designed to build reading comprehension and exam confidence.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 1
Reading SetPassage
Driving from my parent's home to Cochin last Friday morning, I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse...
Cochin
doze
The mother's face looked completely ashen and pale because she was sixty-six years old. Due to her advanced age, she had lost all the vibrant colour and natural energy of youth, making her face look grey and lifeless like a dead body.
The poet perfectly uses a "simile" in this line. By using the word "like," she directly compares her mother's pale, grey, and lifeless face to a dead body, emphasizing the stark reality of her extreme old age and approaching death.
Upon seeing her mother looking so pale and lifeless, the poet felt an immediate and profound sense of pain. The sudden realization of her mother's advancing age and the looming threat of death filled her heart with deep sorrow and immense helplessness.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 2
Reading SetPassage
...and realised with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away, and looked out at Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes...
old
sprinting
The poet decided to put the thought away because facing the reality of her mother's old age and approaching death was emotionally unbearable. She desperately needed to distract her mind from the sharp pain and deep sorrow that this realization caused.
The image of "Young Trees sprinting" powerfully symbolizes the rapid, unstoppable passage of time. Just as the trees outside the fast-moving car appear to sprint backward, the youthful years of human life pass quickly, inevitably leading toward old age and death.
The "merry children spilling out" symbolize boundless joy, vibrant energy, and the beautiful beginning of life. This creates a sharp, powerful contrast with the mother sitting inside the car, who represents old age, frailty, decay, and the fast-approaching end of life.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 3
Reading SetPassage
...but after the airport's security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon...
security
wan
In these lines, the poet is standing at the Cochin airport. She has just completed the mandatory security check and is standing a few yards away, taking one final, emotional look at her ageing mother before finally departing for her flight.
A late winter's moon is often hidden by mist, making it look incredibly dim and completely devoid of warmth. Similarly, the ageing mother has entirely lost the radiant glow, strength, and vitality of her youth, looking pale and close to the end.
The poet masterfully uses a "simile" in this specific phrase. She uses the word "as" to establish a direct, powerful comparison between her mother's pale, lifeless face and the hazy, dim appearance of a moon during the late winter season.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 4
Reading SetPassage
...and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood's fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile......
ache
smile
The "childhood's fear" is the deep-rooted, terrifying insecurity that young children experience regarding the loss of their parents. For the poet, it is the haunting, familiar fear of permanently losing her mother or being separated from her forever due to death.
The poet deliberately said "see you soon, Amma" to create a sense of hope. Despite knowing her mother's critical condition, these words act as a brave, comforting facade to reassure both herself and her mother that they will definitely meet again.
The repetition of "smile" signifies the poet's desperate, continuous effort to hide her intense inner agony. It is an artificial, prolonged expression worn simply to conceal her paralyzing childhood fear from her mother, ensuring their parting remains peaceful and superficially positive.