Haryana Board (HBSE) Class 12 English Half Yearly Question Paper 2026 Answer Key
SECTION – A (Reading Skills)
1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing correct options given.(5 Marks)
If there is one enemy that the world still hasn’t managed to eradicate, it is mosquitoes. They were here when the dinosaurs were, and despite many efforts, show no signs of leaving. Apart from being pesky, which means annoying or irritating, mosquitoes have been declared the “deadliest killer in human history.” We need to do all we can to protect ourselves from them. The mosquito transmits or carries more diseases than any other insect. The six major ones spread by it are: malaria, dengue fever, chikungunya, zika fever, lymphatic filariasis and Japanese encephalitis. Different species of the mosquito cause different illnesses. Research into human civilization shows that throughout history mosquito-borne diseases have killed more people than man-made weapons.
In his book, “The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator,” historian Timothy Winegard gives us this startling fact: over the course of 200,000 years, 108 billion people have lived on the Earth. Of these, 52 billion have been killed by mosquitoes. Since 2000, on an average, 2 million people have died due to diseases caused by mosquitoes. And so, it is safe to say that the tiny insect has had a disastrous effect on our civilization.
According to studies, mosquitoes prefer blood type O over A, B or a mix of any of them. So, if your blood type is O, you find more insects around you. However, there is a lot that you can do to keep the mosquitoes off you. Since, they are attracted to bright colours; it is a good idea to wear light-colored clothes in mosquito-infested areas. Our skin usually keeps us safe from mosquitoes, but they attack our legs because of the bacteria in our feet. So, we should keep our feet covered in places like the park, bus stands, railway stations and movie halls. When we exercise, we let out a lot of carbon dioxide and mosquitoes can sense this exhaled CO2 from a distance of about 30 meters. We can keep mosquitoes at bay by washing our feet well when we reach home after school or work and before sitting down at the table to study or eat. These pesky creatures seem to be more active at night. That means we should sleep under a net if our area is mosquito-prone. And we must keep our surroundings clean to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
Questions :
(i) Mosquitoes have existed on the Earth since?
(A) The evolution of man
(B) 200000 Years
(C) Times of dinosaurs
(D) 52 billon Years
Answer – (C) Times of dinosaurs
(ii) Mosquitoes seem to prefer which of the following blood types?
(A) A
(B) B
(C) AB
(D) O
Answer – (D) O
(iii) Mosquitoes like to bite legs and feet more than any other part of our body, most probably because they?
(A) are often exposed
(B) have a large area to bite on
(C) have sensitive skin
(D) have microbes that attract mosquitoes
Answer – (D) have microbes that attract mosquitoes
(iv) Are mosquitos attracted by light-coloured clothes?
Answer – No
(v) Over the course of 200,000 years, how many people have been killed by mosquitoes?
Answer – 52 billion people
2. Read the following passage carefully and make notes on it and also supply a suitable title. (5 Marks)
The videos are uploaded as and when Kicha feels like shooting. The recipes for the channel are provided by his mother, who would keep them simple and child-friendly. She ensures the recipes do not involve fire in any way and that if chopping or working with fire is called for, Kicha informs that it is done by an adult for him. Today, Kicha’s channel has almost 40k subscribers and more than 100 recipes for delicious items such as oatmeal cookies, coconut payasam, rainbow idli, ice-cream and cakes. As Kicha’s channel started becoming popular, his father received a mail from a U.S.-based casting company asking for rights to Kicha’s Mickey Mouse Mango Ice-cream. This was a USD 2,000 deal with Facebook, which acquired non-exclusive rights to the video. As soon as Facebook put up the video, Kicha and his channel gained instant recognition. In September 2016, he received an invite to feature in The Ellen DeGeneres Show hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, an American comedian, television host and producer. Kicha made ‘puttu’, a popular breakfast in Kerala, for Ellen. In January 2020, Kicha won the Global Child Prodigy Award and was among the top 100 prodigies of the year.
Answer –
Title: Kicha – A Young Cooking Prodigy
1. Kicha’s YouTube Channel
1.2 Videos uploaded when Kicha feels like shooting
1.3 Recipes provided by his mother
1.4 Simple, child-friendly and without fire
1.5 Adult help used for chopping or fire-related work
2. Popularity
2.1 Nearly 40,000 subscribers
2.2 More than 100 recipes
2.3 Famous recipes: oatmeal cookies, coconut payasam, rainbow idli, ice-cream and cakes
3. Recognition
3.1 Mickey Mouse Mango Ice-cream video sold for USD 2,000
3.2 Facebook acquired non-exclusive rights
3.3 Invited to The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2016
3.4 Made puttu for Ellen
4. Achievement
4.1 Won Global Child Prodigy Award in January 2020
4.2 Included among the top 100 prodigies of the year
SECTION – B (Writing Skills)
3. Attempt any one of the following : (5 Marks)
You are Saloni / Sohan, the monitor of your class. Your school GSS, ABC School, is organizing a class picnic. Write a notice in about 50 words for your class notice boards inviting your classmates to join the picnic.
Answer –
GSS, ABC SCHOOL
NOTICE
Class Picnic
23 September 20XX
All the students of our class are informed that our school is organising a class picnic. Interested students are requested to join the picnic and submit their names to the undersigned by the given date. Further details regarding the date, place and transport will be informed soon.
Saloni / Sohan
Class Monitor
OR
You are Roshan / Roshni. There has been an increase in chain snatching in your city. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, suggesting ways and means to check these incidents.
Answer –
Roshan / Roshni
ABC Colony,
Your City
23 September 20XX
The Editor
The Tribune
New Delhi
Subject : Increasing incidents of chain snatching
Sir / Madam,
Through the columns of your newspaper, I wish to draw attention to the increasing incidents of chain snatching in our city. These incidents have created fear among citizens, especially women and elderly people.
The police should increase patrolling in crowded areas and install more CCTV cameras at important places. Quick action should be taken against offenders. Public awareness campaigns should also be organised to encourage people to remain alert and report suspicious activities.
I hope the concerned authorities will take immediate steps to ensure the safety of citizens.
Yours faithfully,
Roshan / Roshni
SECTION – C (Grammar)
4. Attempt any five of the following : (1 × 5 = 5 Marks)
(i) The girls ……………. (rehearse) a play for the school day. (Choose the correct option)
(A) rehearsed
(B) is rehearsing
(C) are rehearsing
(D) has rehearsed
Answer – (C) are rehearsing
(ii) This boy knows me. (Voice)
(A) This boy is known me.
(B) I was known to this boy.
(C) I am known to this boy.
(D) That boy knows me.
Answer – (C) I am known to this boy.
(iii) My son will be old enough to go to ………….. school next May. (Article)
(A) a
(B) an
(C) the
(D) x
Answer – (D) x
(iv) Does he like you? (Voice)
Answer – Are you liked by him?
(v) He said to me, “You have done well.” (Narration)
Answer – He told me that I had done well.
(vi) India …………. (export) onions the middle east. (Verb)
Answer – exports
(vii) It ………….. (rain) today. (Verb)
Answer – is raining
SECTION – D (Literature)
5. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follows : (Attempt any one) (1 × 3 = 3 Marks)
“Saheb left his home long ago. Set amidst the green fields of Dhaka, his home is not even a distant memory. There were many storms that swept away their fields and homes, his mother tells him.” That’s why they left, looking for gold in the big city where he now lives.
Questions :
(i) Where was Saheb’s original home located?
(A) In a small village near Kolkata
(B) Amidst the green fields
(C) On the outskirts of a big city
(D) In the desert region of Rajasthan
Answer – (B) Amidst the green fields
(ii) Why did Saheb’s family leave their home?
(A) To get Saheb admitted to a city school
(B) Because of a war in their village
(C) Due to storms that destroyed their fields, and homes
(D) To visit relatives in the city
Answer – (C) Due to storms that destroyed their fields, and homes
(iii) What does Saheb’s mother say about their past?
(A) They had a happy and luxurious life
(B) Their home was close to the sea
(C) Storms often destroyed their homes and fields
(D) They moved because of a draught
Answer – (C) Storms often destroyed their homes and fields
OR
Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear
The thought of so much childish longing in vain,
The sadness that lurks near the open window there.
That waits all day in almost open prayer
For the squeal of brakes, the sound of a stopping car
all the thousand selfish cars that pass.
Just one to inquire what a farmer’s prices are.
And one did stop, but only to plow up grass
In using the yard to back and turn around;
And another to ask the way to where it was bound;
Questions :
(i) What emotion does the poet express in the beginning of the poem?
(A) Excitement
(B) Joy
(C) Sadness
(D) Anger
Answer – (C) Sadness
(ii) What does the poet say ‘waits all day in almost open prayer’?
(A) The farmer
(B) A child
(C) The sadness near the window
(D) The sound of the brakes
Answer – (C) The sadness near the window
(iii) Why did one car stop at the house?
(A) To buy vegetables from the farmer
(B) To ask about prices
(C) To offer help
(D) To plow the grass while turning around
Answer – (D) To plow the grass while turning around
6. How did the author emerge as a perfect swimmer by hiring an instructor? (Deep Water) (5 Marks)
Answer – The author, William Douglas, hired an instructor to overcome his fear of water and become a perfect swimmer. The instructor trained him systematically. He first taught Douglas to put his face under water and breathe properly. Then he taught him to kick, use his arms and coordinate his movements. He gradually practised swimming across the pool. After months of training and continuous practice, Douglas became a confident and skilled swimmer and completely overcame his fear of water.
OR
What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings? (A Thing of Beauty)
Answer – Beautiful things make human beings love life despite troubles and sufferings. According to Poet ‘John Keats’, a beautiful thing is a source of everlasting joy and never loses its charm. The beauty of nature, such as the sun, moon, trees, flowers and clear streams, removes sadness and gives peace and hope. Thus, beauty acts like an endless source of comfort and helps people face the difficulties of life.
7. Did Franz recite the participles? How? (The Last Lesson) (2 Marks)
Answer – No, Franz did not recite the participles. When M. Hamel called his name, Franz got confused at the very first words. He stood holding his desk with his heart beating fast. He felt ashamed and guilty because he had not prepared his lesson and deeply regretted his carelessness.
8. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem? (Keeping Quiet) (3 Marks)
Answer – The “sadness” refers to the sadness caused by human beings’ failure to understand themselves and their actions. People are always busy and have no time for self-introspection. This leads to greed, violence and destruction. The poet suggests that a moment of silence and stillness can help people understand themselves and bring peace and happiness.
OR
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify? (My Mother at Sixty-Six)
Answer – The poet’s parting words, “See you soon, Amma,” and her smile show her love and concern for her ageing mother. They are also an attempt to hide her pain and fear of losing her mother. Her smile is forced, as she tries to appear cheerful while facing the sadness of separation.
9. Why does the narrator resort to wishful day-dreaming and want to travel back in time? (The Third Level) (5 Marks)
Answer – The narrator, Charley, resorts to wishful daydreaming to escape the stress, fear, insecurity and fast pace of modern life. He feels that the present world is full of worries and anxieties. He dreams of travelling back to 1894, which he imagines as a simpler, peaceful and safer time. His psychiatrist friend Sam considers the Third Level a “waking-dream wish fulfilment” through which Charley escapes from the pressures of the present. He wants to go to Galesburg, Illinois, to find peace, comfort and security.
OR
Why did the Maharaja have to pay a bill of three lakh rupees to the British jewelers? (The Tiger King)
Answer – The Maharaja had to pay three lakh rupees to the British jewellers as the price of fifty expensive diamond rings. A high-ranking British officer had wanted to hunt a tiger in the Maharaja’s kingdom, but the Maharaja refused permission. To avoid the officer’s displeasure, he sent the rings to the officer’s wife, expecting her to keep one or two and return the rest. However, she kept all fifty rings. Therefore, the Maharaja had to pay the huge bill of three lakh rupees.