TN 12th English Second Mid Term Question Paper 2022 with Full Answer Key (Tenkasi District)

Preparing for the upcoming exams becomes effortless when you practice with authentic district question papers. Below is the complete Tamil Nadu State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 12 English Second Mid Term Question Paper (Tenkasi District Common Examinations, November 2022) along with a 100% verified Answer Key and Step-by-Step Solutions covering Units 4 and 5 prose, poetry, supplementary reader, vocabulary, and grammar topics.

Tenkasi District Common Second Mid Term Test (November 2022)

Standard: 12 | Subject: English | Time: 1.30 Hours | Maximum Marks: 45

Part - I: Vocabulary and Grammar (10 x 1 = 10 Marks)

Answer all the questions.

Choose the most appropriate synonym of the highlighted words:

  1. Our father rejected it saying it wouldn't be sturdy.
    • a) weak
    • b) strong
    • c) tall
    • d) good

    Answer: b) strong (Meaning: strongly and solidly built)

  2. I dragged our oxygen sets into the tent.
    • a) rushed
    • b) pulled
    • c) pushed
    • d) repelled

    Answer: b) pulled (Meaning: pulled along forcefully or with difficulty)

Choose the most appropriate antonym of the highlighted words:

  1. I had removed my boots.
    • a) changed
    • b) worn
    • c) washed
    • d) polished

    Answer: b) worn (Removed means took off; the opposite is put on or worn)

  2. Maamanaar was unmatched. (Note: Misprinted as "Maama near" in the original question paper)
    • a) inferior
    • b) incomparable
    • c) excellent
    • d) supreme

    Answer: a) inferior (Unmatched means peerless or superior; the opposite is inferior)

Vocabulary and Grammar Multiple-Choice Questions:

  1. Choose the suitable meaning for the idiom used in the following sentence:
    The exams are round the corner.
    • a) faraway
    • b) very near
    • c) readily accepted
    • d) promised to take action

    Answer: b) very near

  2. Replace the highlighted phrasal verb in the sentence below with a single word:
    They set off at sunrise.
    • a) departed
    • b) arrived
    • c) came
    • d) checked

    Answer: a) departed ("Set off" means to begin a journey)

  3. Choose the correct combination for the given compound word:
    Taxi driver
    • a) Gerund + Verb
    • b) Adjective + Noun
    • c) Noun + Noun
    • d) Noun + Preposition

    Answer: c) Noun + Noun (Taxi = Noun; Driver = Noun)

  4. Read the following sentence and fill in the blank:
    If I _______ (be) a spider, I would weave a web.
    • a) was
    • b) were
    • c) been
    • d) is

    Answer: b) were

  5. Choose the correct article:
    It is _______ historical fact.
    • a) none
    • b) a
    • c) an
    • d) the

    Answer: b) a ("Historical" starts with a pronounced consonant sound /h/, so it takes the indefinite article "a")

  6. Choose the right combination of the given blended word:
    Motel
    • a) Motorist + hotel
    • b) Mote + hotel
    • c) Moth + hotel
    • d) Motorway + hotel

    Answer: d) Motorway + hotel (Note: In standard TN textbook keys, Motorway + hotel is the primary combination; some district keys also accept a) Motorist + hotel)

Exam Tip for Part I (Conditional Clauses): Whenever an "If-clause" expresses an unreal or imaginary present condition (Type 2 Conditional), always use the subjunctive verb "were" regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural (e.g., "If I were a bird..." or "If he were the king...").

Part - II: Poetry, Prose, and Grammar

Section - A: Poetry (ERC and Appreciation)

11) Explain any ONE of the following with reference to the context: (1 x 3 = 3 Marks)

a) "I cannot rest from travel; I will drink life to the lees."

  • Reference: These lines are taken from the poem "Ulysses" written by the Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson.
  • Context: Ulysses, the aged king of Ithaca, expresses his unquenchable thirst for travel and adventure after returning from the Trojan War.
  • Explanation: Ulysses refuses to lead an idle, stagnant life as a domestic ruler. Having experienced both great joy and deep suffering across the world, he resolves to live life to the fullest and enjoy every last drop of experience (symbolized by drinking wine down to the "lees" or sediment at the bottom of the barrel).
  • Comment: The poet uses a powerful metaphor to highlight Ulysses' indomitable spirit and restlessness.

b) "Life is a soft loam; be gentle; go easy." (Note: Misprinted as "soft loan" in the question paper)

  • Reference: This line is taken from the poem "A Father to his Son" written by Carl August Sandburg.
  • Context: The poet, as an experienced father, imparts practical wisdom to his son who is on the threshold of manhood.
  • Explanation: After advising his son to be as tough as steel when facing life's harsh difficulties, the father reminds him that life is also like "soft loam" (fertile clay/soil). Therefore, one must know when to be gentle, compassionate, and flexible, as gentleness often achieves what brute force cannot.
  • Comment: The metaphor of "soft loam" beautifully contrasts with "hard rock," teaching balanced adaptability.

Score Maximization Tip for ERC (3 Marks): Always divide your answer under three clear subheadings: Reference (1 Mark for exact Poem and Poet name with correct spelling), Context & Explanation (1.5 Marks), and Comment/Poetic Device (0.5 Mark).

12) Read the poetic line and answer briefly: (2 x 1 = 2 Marks)

"This is my son, mine own Telemachus."

  • a) Who does Ulysses entrust his kingdom to, in his absence?
    Answer: Ulysses entrusts his kingdom (Ithaca) and his sceptre to his beloved son, Telemachus, in his absence.
  • b) Pick out the words in alliteration.
    Answer: The alliterated words are This and Telemachus (repeating the consonant sound /t/), as well as my and mine (repeating the consonant sound /m/).

Section - B: Short Answer and Grammar Transformations

13) Answer briefly: (1 x 3 = 3 Marks)

What happened to the visitor when he sat on the stool?

  • Answer: In Ki. Rajanarayanan's story "The Chair", the author's family only had a three-legged stool that measured a mere three-fourths of a foot. If anyone did not place their weight directly above the legs, the stool would topple over. One day, when a hefty sub-judge visited their house and sat on the wretched stool without caution, it tipped over and he fell down with a loud thud and rolled over, causing everyone to giggle in embarrassment.

Do as directed: (2 x 2 = 4 Marks)

  1. Teaching is the noblest of all professions. (Change into Comparative Degree)
    Answer: Teaching is nobler than any other profession. (Alternative: Teaching is nobler than all other professions.)
  2. On seeing a tiger, he cried. (Change into Complex Sentence)
    Answer: When he saw a tiger, he cried. (Alternative: As soon as he saw a tiger, he cried.)

Grammar Memory Trick:

  • Superlative to Comparative: Replace "the + Superlative + of all + Plural Noun" with "Comparative + than any other + Singular Noun".
  • Simple to Complex (Time Phrase): Replace "On + Verb+ing" with the subordinating conjunction "When / As soon as + Subject + Past Verb".

Section - C: Paragraph Questions and Letter Writing (4 x 5 = 20 Marks)

16) Prose Paragraph (Answer any ONE): (1 x 5 = 5 Marks)

a) How did Hillary and Tenzing prepare themselves before they set off to the summit?

  • Prose: The Summit
  • Author: Sir Edmund Hillary
  • Theme: Meticulous preparation and determination before conquering Mount Everest.
  • Early Morning Routine: At Camp 9 on the South Col, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay woke up early at 4:00 a.m. on May 29, 1953.
  • Hydration and Nourishment: Knowing the extreme dehydration at high altitudes, they drank large quantities of lemon juice with sugar and ate the last tin of sardines on biscuits to build energy.
  • Thawing Frozen Boots: Hillary's boots were frozen solid. He had to cook them over the fierce flame of the Primus stove until the leather softened, creating a pungent smell of scorched leather inside the tent.
  • Layered Clothing against Sub-Zero Winds: They wore windproof jackets over down clothing and put on three pairs of gloves—silk, woollen, and windproof mittens—on their hands.
  • Oxygen Apparatus Check: At 6:30 a.m., they crawled out of the tent, hoisted their 30-pound oxygen gear onto their backs, connected their masks, turned on the valves, and set off toward the summit.

(OR)

b) Narrate the humorous incidents that happened in the author's home before and after the arrival of the chair.

  • Prose: The Chair
  • Author: Ki. Rajanarayanan (Translated by Pritham K. Chakravarthy)
  • Theme: Humorous village dynamics revolving around a simple wooden chair.
  • The Incident Before the Chair's Arrival: The narrator's home initially had only a tiny three-legged stool. When a portly sub-judge visited and sat on it, the stool tipped over and he crashed to the floor with a thud, prompting the family to make a proper chair.
  • Discussion on Wood and Colour: The children and their maternal uncle (Maamanaar), who was unmatched in cleanliness and thrift, debated extensively on what wood to use before ordering two chairs made of glossy black teak wood.
  • Taking Turns Sitting: When the two identical chairs arrived (one for the family and one for Maamanaar), the children took turns sitting on their new prized possession and even fought over it.
  • The Funeral Requisition Crisis: Soon, villagers began borrowing the chair to prop up corpses during funerals. Afterward, the children were terrified to sit on the "corpse chair" until a guest innocently sat on it after it was washed.
  • Pedanna's Clever Trick: When villagers woke the family at odd hours of the night asking for the chair for funerals, the elder brother Pedanna cleverly diverted them to Maamanaar's house, thinking the stingy uncle would never lend his chair—only to discover in shock that Maamanaar had generously donated his chair permanently for village funerals.

17) Poem Paragraph (Answer any ONE): (1 x 5 = 5 Marks)

a) What makes Ulysses seek newer adventures?

  • Poem: Ulysses
  • Poet: Alfred Lord Tennyson
  • Theme: The unyielding quest for knowledge, adventure, and purposeful action till the very end of life.
  • Discontent with Idle Kingship: Ulysses hates resting as an idle king in Ithaca, merely hoarding, sleeping, and administering unequal laws to a "savage race" who do not understand his heroic spirit.
  • Unquenchable Thirst for Experience: Having traveled widely and met diverse people, cultures, and climates, Ulysses feels he is a part of all that he has met. He declares he will "drink life to the lees."
  • The Lure of the Untraveled World: He compares experience to an arch through which the unexplored world gleams; the further he travels, the more its margins fade, beckoning him onward.
  • Refusal to Rust in Old Age: To Ulysses, pausing is like metallic rust. He believes "How dull it is to pause, to make an end, / To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!"
  • Making the Most of Remaining Years: Though he and his mariners have grown old, he believes every remaining hour is a chance to achieve something noble—"To follow knowledge like a sinking star" and "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

(OR)

b) How according to the poet is it possible for his son to bring changes into a world that resents change?

  • Poem: A Father to his Son
  • Poet: Carl August Sandburg
  • Theme: Parental guidance on resilience, humility, self-discovery, and quiet determination.
  • Balancing Toughness with Gentleness: The poet advises his son to be as strong as a hard rock during storms of betrayal and greed, yet as gentle as "soft loam" because gentle people often outlast violent lashes.
  • Embracing Creative Solitude: A world that resents change can only be transformed by someone who is not afraid of solitude. In quiet hours alone, the mind makes its final decisions and gives birth to revolutionary ideas.
  • Desiring Growth over Mere Money: Watching how green plants split concrete pavement shows that quiet, persistent growth can overcome rigid barriers, whereas the obsession with "easy money" killed many promising men.
  • Valuing Productive Folly and Mistakes: The son must feel no shame in being called a fool while seeking truth, learning from his mistakes so that today's errors become tomorrow's wisdom.
  • Following His Innate Calling: Like Shakespeare, Wright Brothers, Pasteur, Pavlov, and Michael Faraday, who were once considered "fools" before changing history, the son can transform a resistant world by staying true to his deepest desires and inner strengths.

18) Supplementary Reader Paragraph (Answer any ONE): (1 x 5 = 5 Marks)

a) How did Ausable outwit Max?

  • Title: The Midnight Visitor
  • Author: Robert Arthur
  • Theme: Presence of mind and sharp intelligence triumph over physical force and weapons.
  • Unexpected Intrusion: Ausable, a plump and seemingly unromantic secret agent, entered his sixth-floor French hotel room with a young writer named Fowler, only to find a rival agent, Max, holding an automatic pistol to steal a vital report on new missiles.
  • Inventing the Non-Existent Balcony: Remaining completely calm, Ausable sat down and angrily complained about the hotel management for not blocking a "nuisance balcony" under his window, claiming someone had entered through it the previous month too.
  • Convincing Detail: Ausable's fabrication was so natural and detailed that Max believed the balcony actually existed right outside the window, even claiming he had used a passkey instead because he did not know about the balcony.
  • Turning a Knock at the Door into a Trap: When a waiter knocked on the door to deliver drinks Ausable had ordered earlier, Ausable calmly told Max it was the police whom he had asked to check on him for extra protection of the report.
  • The Fatal Leap: Panicking as the doorknob turned, Max backed up to the window and jumped out intending to wait on the "balcony"—screaming shrilly as he fell from the sixth floor because there was no balcony at all.

(OR)

b) What is the conflict between Margot and the other children in the story "All Summer in a Day"?

  • Title: All Summer in a Day
  • Author: Ray Bradbury
  • Theme: Jealousy, alienation, and the cruelty of peer exclusion among children on planet Venus.
  • Different Background and Memories: On planet Venus, where it rains continuously for seven years, all the other nine-year-old children had arrived as toddlers and could not remember the sun. Margot, however, had come from Earth (Ohio) only five years earlier and vividly remembered the warmth and look of the sun.
  • Margot's Fragility and Isolation: Constant rain had washed the colour from Margot's face, eyes, and hair like a faded photograph. She refused to play in the underground tunnels or take showers in the school shower rooms because they reminded her of the endless rain.
  • Jealousy Over Her Poetic Memory: When Margot wrote a poem comparing the sun to a "flower that blooms for just one hour" and described it as a "penny" or a "fire in the stove," the other children led by William accused her of lying out of pure jealousy.
  • Rumour of Her Return to Earth: The conflict intensified because Margot's parents were planning to take her back to Earth the following year, though it would cost thousands of dollars—a privilege the other children envied deeply.
  • Cruel Climax: Driven by resentment and disbelief, the classmates bullied Margot and locked her inside a dark closet just before the sun finally came out for two precious hours, depriving her of the very sunlight she longed for most.

19) Letter Writing: (1 x 5 = 5 Marks)

Write a letter to your friend, asking him / her to come to your house to celebrate your birthday soon.

Answer (Informal Letter Format):

15, Gandhi Nagar,
Tenkasi - 627 811.
18th November 2022.

Dear Karthik,

I hope this letter finds you and your family in the best of health and spirits. My second mid-term examinations are almost over, and I am writing to share some exciting news with you.

As you know, my 17th birthday falls on Sunday, 27th November. This year, my parents have planned a special celebration at our home in the evening at 6:00 p.m. We have invited all our close school friends, arranged fun games, and ordered a delicious chocolate truffle cake along with a grand dinner.

The celebration will truly feel incomplete without your presence. Since it is a weekend, please try to arrive by Saturday afternoon so that we can spend quality time catching up and decorating the house together. Convey my warm regards to Uncle and Aunt.

Waiting eagerly for your arrival!

Yours lovingly,
XXX

Address on the Envelope:
To
R. Karthik,
42, Anna Salai,
Tirunelveli - 627 002.

Section - D: Matching Slogans (3 x 1 = 3 Marks)

20) Match the product with the appropriate slogan:

Column A (Product) Column B (Given Slogan in Paper) Correct Matched Answer
1. Toothpaste a) Purity in every drop c) Make your teeth shine
2. Aqua purifier b) Smile and shoot (printed as "Smile the shoot") a) Purity in every drop
3. Camera c) Make your teeth shine b) Smile and shoot

Quick Revision Summary Table: Units 4 & 5 Authors and Characters

Unit Section Title Author / Poet Key Characters / Focus
Unit 4 Prose The Summit Sir Edmund Hillary Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, George Lowe
Unit 4 Poem Ulysses Alfred Lord Tennyson Ulysses, Telemachus, Mariners
Unit 4 Supplementary The Midnight Visitor Robert Arthur Ausable, Fowler, Max, Henry (Waiter)
Unit 5 Prose The Chair Ki. Rajanarayanan Pedanna, Maamanaar, Sub-Judge
Unit 5 Poem A Father to his Son Carl August Sandburg Father and Son (Life Advice)
Unit 5 Supplementary All Summer in a Day Ray Bradbury Margot, William, Children on Venus
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