Class 12 Compulsory English Human Rights Notes

Working with words

A. Pair the following words as opposites.

• Despair : hope
• Kind : cruel
• Fresh : stale
• Strange : familiar
• Normal : eccentric
• Fierce : gentle
• Corrupt : honest
• Selfish : generous

B. Form another word by adding a suitable suffix

Into Noun:

• open-minded : open-mindedness
• accommodate : accommodation
• rehearse : rehearsal
• transgress : transgression
• angry : anger
• mix : mixture

Into Adjective:

• pain : painful
• differ : different
• behave : behavior
• remark : remarkable
• indifferent : indifference
• thought : thoughtful

Into Verb:

• less : lessen
• sure : ensure
• real : realize
• glory : glorify
• power : powering / powers
• prison : prisoning / prisoned

C. Pronunciation Guide

• Viewer: /ˈvjuːə/
• Sure: /ʃɔː, ʃʊə/
• Cure: /kjʊə, kjɔː/
• Fluent: /ˈfluːənt/
• Poor: /pɔː, pʊə/
• Affluence: /ˈaflʊəns/
• Flower: /ˈflaʊə/
• Curious: /ˈkjʊərɪəs/
• Tourist: /ˈtʊərɪst/
• Allowance: /əˈlaʊəns/
• Usual: /ˈjuːʒʊəl/
• Intellectual: /ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃʊəl/
• Visual: /ˈvɪʒ(j)ʊəl, ˈvɪzjʊəl/
• Mature: /məˈtʃʊə/
• Endure: /ɪnˈdjʊə, ɛnˈdjʊə, ɪnˈdʒɔː, ɛnˈdʒɔː/
• Join: /dʒɔɪn/
• Coin: /kɔɪn/
• Boy: /bɔɪ/
• Voice: /vɔɪs/
• Noise: /nɔɪz/
• Soil: /spɔɪl/
• Hoist: /hɔɪst/
• Moist: /mɔɪst/
• Avoid: /əˈvɔɪd/
• Toy: /tɔɪ/
• Toilet: /ˈtɔɪlɪt/
• Annoy: /əˈnɔɪ/
• Enjoy: /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ, ɛnˈdʒɔɪ/
• Poison: /ˈpɔɪz(ə)n/

Comprehension

A. Write True or False after each statement and give reasons.

• a. The author says his father was an ideal person in the family.
  • Answer: False
  • Reason: He used to abuse his mother verbally and physically when he was drunk.
• b. The author wanted to forgive his father but he did not get an opportunity.
  • Answer: False
  • Reason: Because he had many pressures and stresses.
• c. It’s worth forgiving a person if he/she realizes his/her mistakes.
  • Answer: True
• d. South Africa had a dual type of education system in the 1960s.
  • Answer: True
• e. The author lived in a joint family.
  • Answer: False
  • Reason: Because the author had only his wife and two children in his family.
• f. The author regretted not getting a chance to talk to his father.
  • Answer: True
• g. According to the author, all our glories and splendors are short-lived.
  • Answer: True

B. Answer the following questions.

• a. How does the author remember his family environment when he was a small boy?
  • Answer: The author remembers his family environment when he was a small boy as his father verbally and physically abused his mother.
• b. Why does the author blame the system more than his father?
  • Answer: The author blames the system more than his father because the system was the root cause behind his father’s stresses, pressures, and traumas.
• c. How does the principle of forgiveness work?
  • Answer: The principle of forgiveness does not depend on the actions of others. It is a way of self-healing and obtaining peace and harmony. It releases our pain and brings a state of freedom to our heart and mind. It shows that people do not forgive to help another person, but rather for themselves, as it is a matter of personal peace.
• d. How does the author interpret the noise, squalls, and tantrums of his children?
  • Answer: The author interprets the noise, squalls, and tantrums of his children as a catalog of failures, irritations, fatigue, and thoughts for parents.
• e. Why did the author decide to educate his children in Swaziland?
  • Answer: He decided to educate his children in Swaziland because he was dissatisfied with the inferior education provided to black children as a result of the Bantu Education Act of South Africa.
• f. How does the author define human life?
  • Answer: According to the author, human life is a great mixture of goodness, beauty, cruelty, heartbreak, interference, love, and so much more.
• g. According to the author, is it heredity or environment that shapes a man’s character? Explain.
  • Answer: According to the author, it is the environment rather than heredity that shapes a man’s character. The birth of every child is the same; a child is neither born a liar nor a rapist, nor full of hatred or violence. Hence, heredity doesn’t shape character—it is our surrounding environment that does.
• h. Why is forgiveness important in our life?
  • Answer: Forgiveness is important in our life because it is a way of freeing ourselves from past errors and moving forward into our future, unaffected by past mistakes.

Critical Thinking

a. Desmond Tutu once said, “Forgiving is not forgetting; it is actually remembering—remembering and not using your right to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning.” Does this quotation apply to this text? Analyze.

Answer: This quote by Desmond Tutu highlights that forgiveness is the way to release feelings of vengeance toward a person or group who harmed us, regardless of whether they deserve forgiveness. It does not mean denying the seriousness of an offense or forgetting it. In the text, even though the author is willing to apologize, he remains a victim of his father’s domestic violence. Desmond Tutu remembers the pain his father caused his mother and how he wanted to retaliate in his childhood. Later, he forgives his father by rationalizing that his rude behavior stemmed from the mistreatment of black people by white people in South Africa. Therefore, forgiving is not about forgetting; it is about remembering while choosing not to strike back.

b. The author interprets “I am sorry” as the three hardest words to say. How does it apply to your life?

Answer: Committing mistakes is part of human life, but accepting them and apologizing is challenging. In the text, the author interprets “I am sorry” as the three hardest words to say. Empathy—the ability to put ourselves in another’s shoes—requires humility, which takes conscious development. Too often, we are preoccupied with our own feelings and forget that other people matter too.

For me, “I am sorry” are the hardest words to say when I hurt others. Instead of apologizing, I often remain aloof and distant from those I have hurt, waiting for them to approach me first. Out of pride, fear of shame, lack of awareness, a sense of superiority, and overwhelming guilt, I find it extremely difficult to say those three words and take accountability for my misbehavior.

Writing

Making Education Equal to All Citizens in Nepal

Nepal has come a long way in improving equity in education. In most countries, factors like income, geography, gender, language, and disability contribute to inequitable access and high drop-out rates. Nepal’s education system has faced many challenges since the mid-1800s. The first formal education system was available only to elite families, and general citizens did not gain widespread access until the 1950s. Modern education in Nepal is still developing and only began integrating classroom technology broadly in recent years.

To illustrate the issues facing Nepal’s public school systems, students often lack access to basic amenities like clean drinking water at school and home. High temperatures combined with a lack of proper hydration result in students struggling to concentrate. Coupled with child malnutrition, public school students frequently fall behind or drop out. Furthermore, systemic isolation, poverty, and historical caste legacies—though legally abolished in the 1960s—continue to create social and economic disadvantages for marginalized communities. While government initiatives like school enrollment campaigns and scholarships have helped, further structural investments in infrastructure, resource allocation, and rural teacher training are essential to make education genuinely equal for all citizens of Nepal.

Grammar

A. Join the following pairs of sentences using when and while

• a. Bibha Kumari was doing her homework. The doorbell rang.
  • i. Bibha Kumari was doing her homework when the doorbell rang.
  • ii. While Bibha Kumari was doing her homework, the doorbell rang.
• b. I heard the telephone ring. I picked it up.
  • When I heard the telephone ring, I picked it up.
• c. Dil Maya found a thousand rupee note. She was washing her pants.
  • i. While Dil Maya was washing her pants, she found a thousand rupee note.
  • ii. Dil Maya was washing her pants when she found a thousand rupee note.
• d. Tenjing gave his measurements to the dressmaker. He was visiting the market yesterday.
  • i. When Tenjing gave his measurements to the dressmaker, he was visiting the market yesterday.
  • ii. While Tenjing was visiting the market, he gave his measurements to the dressmaker.
• e. I was at the butcher’s shop. I met Harikala.
  • When I was at the butcher’s shop, I met Harikala.
• f. The sales agent was dealing with the customer. A thief stole the jewels.
  • i. While the sales agent was dealing with the customer, a thief stole the jewels.
  • ii. The sales agent was dealing with the customer when a thief stole the jewels.
• g. My small brother was sleeping. I played chess with my father.
  • i. While my small brother was sleeping, I played chess with my father.
  • ii. My small brother was sleeping when I played chess with my father.
• h. The old lady fell down. She was climbing up the stairs.
  • i. When the old lady fell down, she was climbing up the stairs.
  • ii. The old lady fell down while she was climbing up the stairs.
• i. The leader was giving a speech loudly. He lost his voice.
  • i. While the leader was giving a speech loudly, he lost his voice.
  • ii. The leader was giving a speech loudly when he lost his voice.
• j. Kanchan broke her backbone. She was lifting up the load.
  • i. Kanchan was lifting up the load when she broke her backbone.
  • ii. While Kanchan was lifting up the load, she broke her backbone.

B. Fill in the blanks with appropriate connectives

• a. We didn’t go for a morning walk today since it was raining.
• b. I wanted to go home early as I was not feeling well.
• c. My brother stayed at home owing to / because of his illness.
• d. I was late in the class owing to traffic jams.
• e. He didn’t like dogs, so he was not happy when his wife brought a puppy home.
• f. He was not included in the team owing to his knee injury.
• g. As I was tired, I went to bed early.
• h. He was very unhappy since he lost one million rupees in the share market.
• i. We cancelled our trip to Rara Lake owing to the bad weather.
• j. These two lines intersect with each other because they are not parallel lines.