Get class 12 English notes of AHSEC (Assam Higher Secondary Education Council). The solutions presented here should only be used as a guideline. Each chapter has a brief introduction so you can get an idea of what you’ll be reading in that section. Click on the links provided under each chapter to view the solutions for that chapter.
Prose
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): The Last Lesson
Introduction: The story takes place in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. Prussia, under Bismarck’s leadership, defeated France. Prussia was made up of what are now the countries of Germany, Poland, and Austria. According to the account, the incident occurred in Alsace, a French border region. The German authorities issued an order declaring German to be the only officially recognised language in these districts, and that it would be the language of instruction in all educational institutions going forward.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Lost Spring (Stories of Stolen Childhood)
Introduction: ‘Lost Spring’ is an engrossing but devastating look at India’s crushing poverty and the families of slum dwellers who have embraced poverty and abuse as a way of life. It is both a theoretical report on the rag-pickers’ condition and an expressive tale that puts the rag-pickers and their way of life to life. Child labourers live in poverty from Seemapuri to Firozabad. They are exposed to a range of health concerns in addition to grime, drudgery, and life of exploitation.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Deep Water
Introduction: ‘Deep Water’ is an autobiographical story of William Douglas’s near-drowning in a swimming pool when he was a young boy. When he was eleven or twelve years old, it happened at the Y.M.C.A. pool in Yakima. This tragedy left him with a lifelong dread of water, which he was able to overcome by sheer willpower and drive. He discusses his conscious efforts to overcome his fear and challenge the waves once more.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Indigo
Introduction: ‘Indigo,’ a chapter from Louis Fischer’s Mahatma Gandhi biography, tells how Gandhiji championed the cause of the poor indigo-growing peasants of Champaran, a remote village in the Himalayan foothills. In 1917, Gandhi travelled to Bihar to learn about the exploitation of peasants by the landlord system. In accordance with an earlier agreement, the sharecroppers were expected to grow indigo.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Going Places
Introduction: In the story “Going Places,” Sophie lives with a family where men predominate and her mother is merely a shadow. Football fans, the men often talked about their hero, Danny Casey, at the dinner table. When Sophie told her father and brother that she had met Casey, it was to get their attention because she wanted some. When she begins to live out her fantasies, though, she goes too far.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Memoirs of a Chota Sahib
Introduction: In the lesson “Memoirs of a Chota Sahib,” author John Rowntree tells his audience about his time as a British forest officer in Guwahati (then spelt Gauhati) and its surrounding areas. His first home, on the banks of the Brahmaputra, provided him with a breathtaking view of the river and the Himalayas. The author gives a brief description of Peacock Island, the people’s certainty about the narrow dividing channel between the island and the mainland, and the odd visitors, such as a tiger that washed up.
Poetry
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): My Mother at Sixty-Six
Introduction: The poet, a daughter, relates to us her feelings experienced on a Friday as she drove to the airport with her mother beside her. When she noticed her mother dozing open-mouthed, she realised she was getting older. The thought disturbed her so much that she looked out of the window at the young green trees and small children running out of their houses. The poet checked in for her flight and returned her gaze to her mother, who was standing nearby.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Keeping Quiet
Introduction: Pablo Neruda calls for people to be silent and still in his poem “Keeping Quiet.” Rushing around and being overly active have not only brought about humankind’s woes but also not boded well. It is, therefore, preferable to remain silent and calm. The poet begs us to refrain from engaging in arguments and disagreements, as well as speaking in any language, on the surface of this planet, at least for a short period of time.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): A Thing of Beauty
Introduction: The poem is based on a Greek myth in which Endymion, a young shepherd and poet, had a vision of the moon goddess Cynthia. After that, he decided to find her and set out on a journey across the forest and beneath the sea. John Keats was an ardent admirer of beauty. Keats gave great emphasis to nature and recognised the beauty in all of its facets. According to him, a beautiful thing brings joy all the time. It offers a comfortable shelter and, in a wider sense, the shade that a tree provides.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): A Roadside Stand
Introduction: The poem ‘A Roadside Stand’ insinuates a glaring reality of society—the miserable and destitute condition of the people living in the countryside. The very beginning of the poem tells us about a little house that was extended. A new shed was constructed. A roadside stand was set up at the edge of the road. The movement of the traffic was as usual, without any snarls or jams. The roadside stand appeared to be sort of inviting the valued customers
Supplementary reader
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): The Tiger King
Introduction: The Tiger King is a political satire about kings’ pride and ego, as well as the pride and ego of all those in power in general. It also raises awareness about animal cruelty and encourages people to take action to save the tiger, which is on the verge of extinction. Kalki starts off on a lighthearted note, informing the reader that the Tiger King he is about to introduce has already passed away. To describe the manner of his death, he begins with the day this king was born.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): On the Face of It
Introduction: A little boy named Derry climbed over a wall to get into Mr Lamb’s garden but he didn’t know that the gate was open. He thought there was no one around as he couldn’t see Mr Lamb from where he was sitting. Mr Lamb spoke to him in a friendly way. Still, Derry was shocked. Derry had actually gone in because he liked being by himself. Even though he wanted to leave, Mr Lamb told him he could stay. He didn’t have to be afraid of him.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): The Enemy
Introduction: Scientist and surgeon Dr Sadao Hoki of Japan resided in a home on the country’s coast with his wife Hana and their two kids. At the time of this story, a war was going on and he was about to discover a way to heal wounds, therefore he was not sent to battle. This chapter narrates his deeds that go beyond the limiting preconceptions of war, nations, and continents, showing that we are all brothers.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Memories of Childhood
Introduction: Extracts from the works of two separate female writers are included in this chapter. The first one is by the Native American author Zitkala-Sa and is titled “The Cutting of My Long Hair.” The second one is by Tamil Dalit woman Barma and is titled “We Too are Human Beings.” The authors of these two pieces share their unpleasant childhood memories of being humiliated just because they came from backward tribes or communes.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Assam Board): Magh Bihu or Maghar Domahi
Introduction: The essay by Dr Praphulladatta Goswami Magh Bihu, also known as Maghar Bihu, is one of Assam’s three Bihus. It is a festival of feasting and enjoyment. Uruka or Magh Bihu eve, is a significant event for which planning begins several days ahead. Women prepare food for the next day’s festivities, while boys make mejis and bhelaghars, which are lit after a night of communal feasting. Certain rituals are performed at the dawn of Sankranti or Domahi day, such as tying strips of bamboo around fruit trees, cleaning the house and kitchen utensils, and so on.
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