CBSE Class 12 English Core — Poets and Pancakes (Asokamitran) / The Rattrap (Selma Lagerlöf) — NCERT Flamingo

Read the following extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the given two (A) or (B): (A) [Poets and Pancakes] 'The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for the studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of National Integration long before A.I.R. and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. This gang of nationally integrated make-up men could turn any decent-looking person into a hideous crimson hued monster with the help of truckloads of pancake and a number of other locally made potions and lotions. Those were the days of mainly indoor shooting, and only five percent of the film was shot outdoors. I suppose the sets and studio lights needed girls and boys to be made to look ugly in order to look presentable in the movie. A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department.' (i) Why did the make-up room have a look of a hair-cutting salon? (ii) What does 'fiery misery of those subjected to make-up' suggest? (A) emotional stress faced by the actors. (B) physical discomfort due to heat and lighting. (C) anger of the make-up artists due to irritation. (D) the discomfort caused by the cramped room. (iii) Complete the following suitably: The tone of the author in the phrase 'hideous crimson hued monster' is _________. (iv) Why was excessive make-up considered a cinematic necessity at Gemini Studios during that era? (A) minimised the cost of set design and costumes. (B) was a mandated practice by the studio's creative heads and lead actors. (C) aligned with the theatrical traditions the studio admired. (D) compensated for the lack of advanced lighting and camera technology. (v) What does 'became too big for a studio and left' imply about the Bengali make-up artist? (vi) Complete the sentence with a suitable reason: The author refers to the presence of people from different regions in the make-up department to _________. OR (B) [The Rattrap] 'Now I am going to tell you, Mr. Ironmaster, how things are', he said. 'The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. All the good things that are offered to you are nothing but cheese rinds and bits of pork, set out to drag a poor fellow into trouble. And if the sheriff comes now and locks me up for this, then you, Mr. Ironmaster, must remember that a day will come when you yourself may want to get a big piece of pork, and then you will get caught in the trap. The ironmaster began to laugh. 'That was not so badly said, my good fellow. Perhaps we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve.' (i) What does the speaker mean when he says 'The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap'? (A) The world offers many chances for success and prosperity. (B) Temptations in life are traps that lead people into trouble. (C) Good deeds are always rewarded with cheese rinds. (D) Justice and fairness are not guaranteed for everyone. (ii) What does the following phrase from the extract showcase: 'Cheese rinds'. (A) temptation (B) affirmation (C) gluttony (D) deprivation. (iii) Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank: By calling himself a 'poor fellow', the speaker emphasises his _________. (vulnerability/credibility). (iv) What does the speaker imply through his warning to the ironmaster? (v) What does the following line from the extract showcase about the ironmaster's nature? 'Perhaps, we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve.' (A) materialistic (B) understanding (C) conniving (D) enterprising. (vi) Complete the following with a suitable reason: In the extract, it is implied that the speaker would be locked up because _________.