The Central Board of Secondary
Education [CBSE] has released sample question
papers for the current academic session. As a teacher of English in the
senior secondary section, let me take a look at the class
12 English question paper.
Fosters Creativity
The first thing that struck me is
that many of the questions in the Literature section foster the creativity of
the students. Earlier there used to be only bookish questions and answers. Now there
are many questions that let a student exercise her creative imagination. Look
at this question, for instance:
‘Their mother sighed. Sophie watched her back stooped
over the sink and wondered at the incongruity of the delicate bow which
fastened her apron strings.’
The prose selection, Going Places includes this
telling comment about Sophie’s mother.
In Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, we are told that -
‘The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band / Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s
hand.’
Imagine a conversation between Sophie’s mother and
Aunt Jennifer. Create this exchange with reference to the two extracts given
above.
You may begin the conversation like this:
Sophie’s mother: Your embroidery is so beautiful. Do
you love tigers?
The question, like most in the section, is pretty
long. But it is a question that tests many skills simultaneously: critical
thinking, creativity, analytical skills, dialogue construction, and insight
into human nature. Intelligent students will enjoy answering these questions.
But the not-so-fortunate ones will stumble by the very magnitude of the
questions and then by the tremendous demands made by them.
Even the short questions that carry 2 marks each are
no less daunting. Some examples:
· What do we come to know
about the author of Lost Spring, Anees Jung, through her interactions with
Saheb and Mukesh?
· If the Christmas spirit is
about selflessness, forgiveness and becoming 'better' versions of ourselves
amongst other things, Edla Willmansson is the epitome of this spirit. Justify with
two points of evidence from The Rattrap.
· ‘It’s easy to judge others
and give advice, but much more difficult to apply it to ourselves.’ Elaborate
with reference to the character of Sam in The Third Level.
This is not to say that the question
paper is not good. On the contrary, it is too good. The very length of
the question paper – almost as big as a little book with its 15 pages – can terrify
students who are not prodigies.
Ambiguity in the objective type
questions
There are many objective type
questions with multiple choice answers and some of them suffer from ambiguity
rather acutely. A few examples:
What is the most likely reason some
people consider the practice of interview to be an art?
This could be because it requires
A. fluency of words. B.
sensitive and careful handling.
C. creativity and imagination. D. probing and focusing on details.
The answer given is C. Why not B?
While every other member of the
Department wore a kind of uniform — khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and
clumsily tailored white khadi shirt — the legal adviser wore pants and a tie
and sometimes a coat that looked like a coat of mail. Often he looked alone and
helpless …
Based on the above extract choose the
statement that is TRUE for the legal adviser.
A. He disliked the actress from the
countryside.
B. He acted after thinking through
things carefully.
C. He did not gel well with others in
the Department.
D. He was always dressed smartly.
The answer given is C. What about D?
Some of these MCQs can simply put off many average and
below-average students. An example:
Some might make quite extravagant
claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its
practice, an art. Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its
victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their
lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive
cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody
then one is stealing that person’s soul.
On the basis of the extract, choose
the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.
(1) Celebrities don’t consent to be
interviewed.
(2) Interviews intrude the privacy of
celebrities.
A.
(1) Can be inferred from the extract but (2) cannot.
B.
(1) cannot be inferred from the extract but (2) can.
C.
(1) is true but (2) is false.
D.
(2) is the reason for (1).
Conclusion
The question paper is good in many ways. It’s comprehensive
and ambitious. It assesses a student’s learning at many levels and from
different angles. The question, however, is: Are our students prepared for this
sort of a question paper? There are just a few months left for the annual exams
and will schools get enough time to prepare the students to face this sort of
an examination? As a teacher, I have genuine concerns. If only because assessment
is not meant only for prodigies.
Haven't seen a question paper this tricky and fun, not even in my English degree exams.
ReplyDeleteCBSE has been experimenting for quite a while now. The present paper is not bad but it's going to be too challenging for many students.
Delete