Pre-Board 2025-26

Overview Of The (NCERT/CBSE TEXT BOOKS) English Core 301

Session 2025-26

Textual Insights 

Q1- Who was Franz?

And. Franz was a young schoolboy of France. He is the narrator of the story living in Alsace,slow learner,he was given participle to learn.

Q2.What is linguistic Chauvinism?

Ans. The belief that one's own language, religion and culture is superior to all.

Q3. Discuss the The Title The Last Lesson

Ans.Loss of language and culture, the final French lesson,regret of taking language for granted, and the importance of patriotism and freedom in the face of political oppression. 

4.Theme- impact of war and atrocities on innocent people.

Q5.Who was Mukesh? What was his dreams?

Ans. Mukesh belongs to bangle -making family, a very poor boy. He wants to become a motor mechanic,lives in Ferozabad.

Q6 Is Saheb happy working at tea stall?

Ans.He is not happy,Rs 800 plus all meals,lost freedom and liberty.It seems his steel canister is heavier than plastic bag.

Q7 Who was Saheb? What was his full Name of Saheb?

Ans. Ragpicker, come from Bangladesh 1971, full name Saheb E Alam  Which means lord of universe, His name is contrast to his work,it irony.

Q8 What does Lost Spring stand for?

Ans. "Lost Spring" stands for the loss of childhood innocence and the joy of spring for children forced into poverty and labor in India

Loss of childhood, loss of colourful Happy Life ,

Q9What is the meaning of ‘Deep Water.

Ans. It is autobiographical story, Deep Water means Fear of depth water 

Q10.Who was Doug Copron?

Ans. A perfect swimmer 

Q11.Who Was Louisa? Why was she worried? Ans. Wife of Charlie, who announced about Third Level in Grand Central station ,she worried bz Charlie was looking Third Level 

Q12.Who was Charlie? What happened to him?

Ans. Charlie narrator of Third Level,31years,a stamp collector,having experience of third Level,

Q13.Who was Sam Weiner? What happened to hum?

Ans. A psychiatric, friend of Charlie, wanted to open a business of grain, fodder and straw in Galesburg a wonderful and peaceful place in 1894 

Q14.Who Was Daney Casey?

Ans. A famous footballer from Ireland, Sophie’s family is fan of Daney

Q15.Who was Geoff? 

Ans. Elder brother of Sophie, mechanic apprentice, 3yrs pass out of college 

Q16. Who were Sophie and Jansie?

Sophie- Sophie imaginative girl, wanted to open boutique, manager,an actress, fashion designer 

Jansie -Jansie is practical, realistic,pragmatic, not believe in fantasy friend of Sophie 

Q17.Who was The Tiger King?What happened to him? 

Ans.  The "Tiger King" is the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, who earned his name because astrologers predicted his death would come from a tiger.want to disprove astrologer by killing 100 tigers

Q18.Who was Edla Willmanson? 

Ans. Loving eldest daughter of iron master, polite, humble,kind, helpful, convince peddler to attend Christmas 

Q19.Who was Crofter? 

Ans. A swidden farmer, living alone at Roadside,no friends, family, helpful,kind,shown 30 kronor to peddler, having bossy( cow)

Q20.Who was Iron Master?

Ans. Name Mr Willmanson owner of iron mill, father of Edla Willmanson,invited peddler to his house to attend Christmas 

Q21.Who was the peddler? What happened to him? 

Ans. A poor Rattrap seller, homeless, jobless, unemployed, a thief,beggar, fallen into the world of Rattrap.

Q22.Who was Green Geoff? 

Ans. A Canadian explorer, provide opportunity to high school students to Antarctica  know present past and future of the earth 

Q23.Who was Dr Dadao? 

Ans. A famous surgeon and scientist of Japan,went to America at 22 and came back 30 ,to learn all about surgery and medicine.

Q24.Who was Hana? Ans. Loving wife of Dr Sadao, having two children,kind, polite, helpful, careful get educated from America 

Q25.Who Pro Harley? 

AnsAmerican professor at whose house Dr. Sadao met his wife, Hana. He and his wife hosted a gathering for their foreign students, 

Q26. Who was General Takima?

Ans.a high-ranking Japanese military officer who is both feared and respected for his strictness,he used to beat his wife mercilessly.

 He promised to send his private silent killer to kill enemy.

Q28. Who was Yumi? What happened to her?

She is Maid servant,cook, nurse at Dr Sadao house,she is not ready to wash wounded enemy,

Q29. Who was Derry? What happened to him?

Ans. Derry is a 14 years, teenager, pessimistic, negativity, one-sided face burnt with acid, looks terrible and ugly 

Q30.Who was Lamb? What happened to him?

Ans.middle aged, lived alone,a huge house attached with a garden of apples,he lost his real leg in bomb blasts, using an artificial tin leg , children called him Lamy lamb.

Q31.Who was Bama? What happened to her?

Ans.South Indian dalit writer, victim of atrocities,untouchability, highly educated,

Q32.Who was Zitkala Sa And What happened to her?

Ans.Zitkala-Ša (1876-1938), also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, was a prominent Yankton Dakota writer, editor, translator, musician, educator, and highly influential political activist for Native American rights and cultural preservation. She is a significant figure in American literature and history for her powerful autobiographical writings and her tireless work in advocating for her people. 

Q33. Who was Judewin?

Ans. Judewin a friend of Zitkala Sa, she warned Zitkala Sa about cutting her long hair

Q34. Who was Raj Kumar Shukla?

Ans. He is an Indian farmer, freedom fighter,and came to  Gandhi ji to discuss injustice to sharecroppers.

Q35. Who was Subbu?

Ans. Subbu no.2 at Gemini Studio, Cheerful after having flopped his film, Brahmin by caste, formal education, very close to boss, his house is shelter for all, tailor made for film, never expect main role.

Q36. Who was the Office boy?

Ans. He is early forty, came to Gemini Studio to become actor, director, screen writer, lyric writer, having quality of poet, but got none of them, only painting crowd during shooting 

Q37. Who was a Lawyer?

Ans.There was a lawyer in Gemini Studio, as legal adviser but everybody knew the opposite to it. because he spoiled the career of an actress from rural area. He was given film but flopped,

Q38. Who was Ashokamitran?

Ans. He is writer of Poets and Pancakes,use to sit in small room cutting newspaper article and store in file sometimes,has to write with hand

Q39. Who was Umberto Eco?

Ans. A professor of Bologna University, Novelist,use to write novel on Sunday,his famous novel, “The Name Of The Rose” detective story,sold more than 10 millions.

Q40. Who was CF Andrews?

Ans. Charlie Freer Andrews, follower of Gandhi,pacifist,an English Christian missionary and social reformer who was a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi. He is mentioned in the chapter as a supporter of the Indian independence movement who wished to help Gandhi during the Champaran struggle, but Gandhi opposed his offer,

Q41..Rudyard Kipling’s view on Interview.

Ans.Interview is immoral! It is a crime, just as much of a crime as an offence against my person, as an assault". Cowardly,

Q42.  Lewis Carroll’s views on Interview.

Ans. Creator of Alice in Wonderland, He said that interview is“unwarranted intrusion" into his private life. immoral and an offense against his person, fear of being lionized

Q 43. HG Wells views on Interview 

Ans.Wells referred to being interviewed as an "ordeal" and found the process difficult

Saul Bellows -Saul Bellow famously described interviews as "thumbprints on his windpipe," 

(strangulate)

indicating he found them a painful and constricting experience

Q44.  Who was Denis Brian?

Ans Denis Brian states that the interviewer occupies a position of power and influence as (a)everything reaches us through one man asking questions of another.

Q45.Who was Stephen Spender?

Ans.English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class  struggle. He visited Gemini Studio 

Q46.Who was M Hamel?

Ans.H. Hamel is the dedicated, patriotic French teacher in Alphonse Daudet's story, "The Last Lesson," who teaches his final class with sorrow and passion before German occupation forces ban the French language in Alsace. He is portrayed as a disciplined, hard-working, and proud man who deeply loves his language and feels a profound sadness at its loss. 

47.Who was Franz?

Fraz was a very young boy living in Alsace district of France. He had a layman's attitude to studies. At the beginning we find him feeling tempted to skip school. However, we also come to know his inner strength of character when he overcomes that temptation,

48.Who was the owner of Ramsjo iron mills?

The owner of the Ramsjo iron mill was a "prominent ironmaster" who was very particular about the quality of his iron. His ambition was to ship good quality iron to the market, so he would make nightly inspection visits to the mill to ensure the work was done correctly. 

Q49. Who was Mukesh father?

Mukesh's father in "Lost Spring" is a poor, old bangle-seller from Firozabad who is trapped in a cycle of poverty and unable to improve his family's life. Despite working hard his entire life, first as a tailor and then as a bangle maker, he has not been able to renovate his house or send his sons to school, passing on only the skill of bangle making. His life is a symbol of the lost dreams and crushed spirit of the Firozabad bangle makers. 

Q50.Who was a man from Udipi?

The story of the man from Udupi, told to the author Anees Jung, is about his childhood as a priest's son who would pray daily at a temple for a pair of shoes. Decades later, when Jung revisits the same temple, she sees the new priest's son wearing shoes, while still noting that poverty persists elsewhere, such as with the ragpickers who remain barefoot.

51.What do you know about Phytoplankton?

In Tishani Doshi's "Journey to the End of the Earth," phytoplankton are presented as tiny, single-celled plants that are the foundation of the Southern Ocean's food chain, acting as the "grass of the sea" that sustains all marine life

52.What do you know about MRA?

In the essay "Poets and Pancakes," MRA refers to Frank Buchman's Moral Re-Armament Army, an anti-communist group that visited Gemini Studios in 1952. The studio staff, particularly the boss Mr. Vasan, were opposed to communism and welcomed the MRA because they saw it as a counter-movement, with the group staging plays like "Jotham Valley" and "The Forgotten Factor".200 members and 20 countries.

53.What do you know about YMCA?

 "Deep Water," YMCA stands for Young Men's Christian Association. The narrator chose the YMCA pool because it was a safer alternative to the Yakima River for learning to swim, due to its shallow end and gradual drop. 2–3 feet beginning and 9 feet end.

54.What do you know about interstices

Interstices means small gaps or spaces between things. These are tiny empty spaces or intervals which are often overlooked. Umberto Eco uses the concept of interstices to show

55.What do you know about Kronor?

In  the Rattrap, "kronor" are the currency of Sweden

57. Who was the boss of Gemini Studio?

The boss of Gemini Studios was S.S. Vasan, who was also its founder. 

58.What do you know about ‘Massive weight of uncle wedding band’ 

Ans. A heavy burden or responsibilities of unbreakable married life 

59.Define the term *Bossy=cow

*kronor= Swiden currency 

*Hierarchy=a system or organization that has many levels from the lowest to the highest

*Angelus= prayer in church 

Primer = In "The Last Lesson," "prime" is a misspelling of "primer," which refers to a basic book, particularly one used for elementary education.

60.”Deep Water” is the excerpt from…Ans…. Of Men and Mountain 

61. “Lost Spring” is the excerpt from…ans.. Stories of stolen Childhood 

62. “Indigo” is the excerpt from….The Life Of Mahatma Gandhi 

63.”Poets and Pancakes” is the excerpt from……. My Years with Boss

64. “Interview” is excerpt from…..The Penguin Book of Interviews, 

65. “A Thing Of Beauty” is excerpt from….. the poem "Endymion" by John Keats

66.Define Squatter of Seemapuri.

The squatters of Seemapuri are primarily ragpickers who migrated from Bangladesh in 1971 and now live in temporary homes on the outskirts of Delhi. They lack legal permission to live on the land and face challenges including poverty, poor living conditions, and lack of basic services like sanitation and running water.

67.Define “Antartica”

Antarctica is called the "end of the world" coldest driest and windiest because it is the southernmost, most remote, and least inhabited continent, separated from other lands by the treacherous Southern Ocean,90%ice covered,no human Mark ,650 million ago known as Gondwana,lack of biodiversity, single flora and fauna,

68.Define Gandhi’s “Conflict of duties’

“conflict of duties" is the clash Mahatma Gandhi experienced between his legal obligation to obey a British magistrate's order to leave Champaran and his moral duty to stay and help the poor, exploited indigo sharecroppers

69.Name the Novel written by Umberto Eco…… Ans.“The Name of The Rose”

70. Name the novel written by Kothmangalam Subbu.

Ans.Thillana Mohanambal: This is his most well-known work, focusing on the lives of dasi dancers in the early 20th century. It was originally serialized in the magazine Ananda Vikatan under the pseudonym "Kalaimani".

71.The The Title “Keeping Quiet” stand for…

The title of the poem is "Keeping Quiet" by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poem encourages humanity to embrace a moment of silence and stillness for introspection and to achieve a sense of peace and unity. 

72. The Tigers are the symbol of…The tiger is a symbol of power, strength and success, but it is also a symbol of destruction, as energy can be both constructive and destructive

73.Aunt Jenifer is symbol of…..Aunt Jennifer symbolizes the oppressed women of a patriarchal society, representing their inner struggle against constraints, 

74.Why did the villagers present in the class….?

Ans.The villagers were sitting in the classroom to attend the last French lesson given by M. Hamel and to show respect for their teacher, their language, and their country. 

 

75. How did M Hamel appeal?

His appeal was for the people of Alsace to cherish and preserve their native French language and cultural identity in the face of Prussian occupation. 

76.Define pancake.

Ans."Pancake" was the brand name of a make-up material used extensively by Gemini Studios. This makeup was bought in large quantities to transform actors for filming,

77. Define fiery Misery.

In the story "Poets and Pancakes," "fiery misery" refers to the intense heat and discomfort actors endured in the make-up room at Gemini Studios

78. Name the program sponsored by Canadian Green Geoff.

Geoff Green is the founder and president of the non-profit Students on Ice (SOI) Foundation, which organizes educational expeditions for youth to the Arctic and Antarctic regions

79. Name the Ship Russian reaserch vessel…..      Ship name: Akademik Shokalskiy

80. Synonyms of the Words

..Ordeal= difficult task to perform 

Durai= British officer,

duraisani= wife of Britisher counted on, wretches=evil person 

Metaphorically= symbolically

 scrounging= searching 

impoverished= poor

Q81.Full Name of Jack Finney 

Walter Braden Finney renamed after his father's death 

82. Rhyming Scheme of…

*My Mother At Sixty Six by Kamla Das = Free Verse 

*Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda= Free Verse 

83.Ferozabad is famous for…Ans. Bangle industry, suhag  Nagari, twin City,

84. What do you know about eating by Formula?

Ans. Bells: A series of bells signaled each step of the meal, from entering the dining room to sitting down and beginning to eat.The meal began only after the third bell, 

85.What is Charlie experience ?

Ans. The newspaper ( The World) rooms were very small, old fashioned people, brass spittoons, locomotive train, old currency, old bearded men,old moustache old clothes of 1894

86. What was written on Bulletin Board?

Ans.

An order from Berlin was posted on the bulletin board, announcing that only German would be taught in the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine from that day forward. 

87 How did M Hamel pay tributes to French language?

AnsM. Hamel paid tribute to the French language by calling it the most beautiful, clearest, and most logical language in the world, by emphasizing its importance to French identity and culture, and by writing "Vive la France!" on the blackboard at the end of his last lesson. He encouraged his students to protect and value their language as a symbol of their heritage.  

88.Who said “why we are different from other Japanese people”?

Ans Hana to Dr Sadao, to decide about Enemy soldier and how to get rid of him.

89.What are peddler other names given in story?

Ans. ragamuffin, stranger, trader, intruder, tramp, wanderer, vagabond,

90. What is First Day Cover?

When a new stamp is issued, stamp collectors buy some and use them to mail envelopes to themselves on the very first day of sale and the postmark proves the date. The envelope is called a first-day cover.

91. What do you know about Galesbug 

The Third Level," Galesburg, Illinois is described as a nostalgic and idyllic vision of the past, representing a peaceful and simple world. It is portrayed with big old houses, huge lawns, and large trees, 

92.What are the positive views on interview?

Positive views on interviews include seeing them as a valuable medium for communication, a source of truth, and a way to get insight into a person's thoughts and experiences. They are viewed as a useful tool for revealing personal information that may not be found elsewhere.

Q93. Gemini Studio is the example of National integration.

Gemini Studios as an example of national integration, where people from different regions and religious groups worked together harmoniously. This department included a Bengali head, followed by a Maharashtrian, along with a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese, and local Tamils. 

94. Why did Gandhiji Chide the lawyers?

because lawyers were charging high fee bring case into court 

95.” If the man were whole I could turn him over to police since he is injured “ explain 

Dr Sadao and his wife Hana remained in a state of conflict for quite a long time. They couldn't throw a wounded man again into the sea. If they gave shelter to him in their house, they could be arrested. Handing him over to the police would have meant throwing him into the jaws of death.

96.”I had been tossed into the air like a wooden puppet" explain 

The phrase "I had been tossed into the air like a wooden puppet" describes a feeling of a complete loss of control and autonomy, often in the context of being manipulated by others. It is a simile used by Zitkala-Sa in her essay "The Cutting of My Long Hair" from Memories of Childhood, 

97.will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?" 

The phrase "will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?" is a symbolic question from the story, The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet. It represents Franz's shock and despair at having his native language, French, suppressed by German rule, suggesting that the new regime's control is so extreme it feels as absurd as trying to force even the pigeons to "sing" in German

98. Thrill and travail means

 excitement and pain

99. “Your highness I have two wives already if I marry you” explain 

The Dewan says this because the Maharaja has decided to marry, and the Dewan is confused and intimidated, misinterpreting the King's words as a proposal of marriage to him. The Dewan's response is a nonsensical attempt to explain why he cannot marry the King, as he already has two wives. He then suggests the King marry a gun or a tiger instead of a person. 

100. “Father laughed but there was terror in my heart “explain 

The line "Father laughed, but there was terror in my heart" describes a moment of profound misunderstanding and contrast between a father's perception and his child's reality, often from the text Deep Water by William Douglas. It highlights how the father's carefree reaction—seeing a situation as harmless—directly conflicts with the child's internal fear and panic, creating an emotional gap and emphasizing the child's vulnerability