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BHSEC (Class XII) study materials
BHSEC (Class XII) study resources

BHSEC (Class XII) practice questions

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Question 1English

Which sentence uses the correct form of the verb to complete the conditional? "If she ___ harder, she would have passed the exam."

  1. had studied Correct answer.
  2. studied
  3. would study
  4. has studied

Explanation

This is a third conditional sentence, which describes an unreal situation in the past. The pattern is: if + past perfect, would have + past participle. Therefore the if-clause requires "had studied" to match "would have passed" in the main clause.

Question 2English

Identify the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

  1. The rain stopped: we continued the hike.
  2. The rain stopped, we continued the hike.
  3. The rain stopped; we continued the hike. Correct answer.
  4. The rain stopped we continued the hike.

Explanation

Two independent clauses joined without a conjunction require a semicolon or a full stop. A comma alone creates a comma splice, and no punctuation at all creates a run-on. The semicolon correctly separates the two complete thoughts.

Question 3English

In the word "happiness", what is the function of the suffix "-ness"?

  1. It changes an adjective into a noun. Correct answer.
  2. It changes an adjective into an adverb.
  3. It changes a noun into an adjective.
  4. It changes a verb into an adverb.

Explanation

The base word "happy" is an adjective, and adding the suffix "-ness" produces the abstract noun "happiness". This suffix is a noun-forming morpheme attached to adjectives. It does not affect verbs or adverbs.

Question 4English

Which word is an antonym of "benevolent"?

  1. malevolent Correct answer.
  2. prosperous
  3. cautious
  4. generous

Explanation

"Benevolent" means kind and wishing good toward others. Its antonym must express the opposite disposition, and "malevolent" means wishing harm or evil. The prefix "mal-" signals badness, contrasting with "bene-" meaning good.

Question 5English

Choose the option that correctly reports the direct speech: She said, "I am leaving tomorrow."

  1. She said that she was leaving the next day. Correct answer.
  2. She said that I was leaving tomorrow.
  3. She said that she will leave tomorrow.
  4. She said that she is leaving tomorrow.

Explanation

In reported speech, the present continuous "am leaving" shifts back to "was leaving", and the time word "tomorrow" becomes "the next day". The pronoun "I" also changes to "she" to reflect the original speaker.

Question 6English

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

  1. Walking through the park, we admired the flowers.
  2. The flowers looked beautiful as we walked through the park.
  3. We admired the flowers while walking through the park.
  4. Walking through the park, the flowers looked beautiful. Correct answer.

Explanation

A dangling modifier occurs when the implied subject of an introductory participial phrase does not match the subject of the main clause. In the first sentence, the flowers appear to be doing the walking, which is illogical. The other sentences attach the phrase to an appropriate subject.

Question 7English

What is the rhyme scheme of the following quatrain? "The wind is passing by / And shaking every tree / I hear it in the sky / And feel it on the sea."

  1. ABAB Correct answer.
  2. ABCB
  3. ABBA
  4. AABB

Explanation

The end words are "by", "tree", "sky", and "sea". Lines one and three rhyme (by/sky), and lines two and four rhyme (tree/sea). This alternating pattern is labelled ABAB.

Question 8English

Which word is spelled correctly?

  1. seperate
  2. recieve
  3. definitely Correct answer.
  4. occured

Explanation

"Definitely" follows the rule that the root "definite" plus "-ly" keeps the full root spelling. The other options violate common spelling conventions involving "i before e" and doubled consonants. Accurate spelling depends on recognising the base word.

Question 9English

In the sentence "The committee has reached its decision", the verb "has reached" is in which tense and aspect?

  1. present perfect Correct answer.
  2. past perfect
  3. simple past
  4. present continuous

Explanation

The construction "has + past participle" marks the present perfect, which links a completed action to the present moment. The auxiliary "has" is in the present tense, and "reached" is a past participle. This differs from the past perfect, which uses "had".

Question 10English

Which sentence uses "lie" (meaning to recline) correctly?

  1. She is laying on the bed now.
  2. He has laid down for a nap.
  3. Yesterday she lay on the sofa for an hour. Correct answer.
  4. Please lie the book on the table.

Explanation

The verb "lie" is intransitive and means to recline; its past tense is "lay" and its past participle is "lain". "Lay" is transitive and requires an object, with past tense "laid". Only the second sentence uses the intransitive past form correctly.

Question 11English

Identify the type of clause underlined in meaning: "The book that I borrowed from the library was overdue." The clause "that I borrowed from the library" is:

  1. a non-restrictive relative clause
  2. a restrictive relative clause Correct answer.
  3. a noun clause functioning as subject
  4. an adverbial clause of time

Explanation

The clause modifies the noun "book" and is introduced by the relative pronoun "that". Because it identifies which book is meant and is not set off by commas, it is restrictive. Non-restrictive clauses, by contrast, add extra information and are enclosed in commas.

Question 12English

Which sentence correctly uses a colon?

  1. She brought three items; a pen, a notebook, and a ruler.
  2. She brought three items, a pen, a notebook, and a ruler.
  3. She brought: three items a pen a notebook and a ruler.
  4. She brought three items: a pen, a notebook, and a ruler. Correct answer.

Explanation

A colon may introduce a list after a complete independent clause. The first sentence has a full clause followed by the colon and then the listed items. The colon should not separate a verb from its object or interrupt a clause.

Question 13English

What is the meaning of the idiom "to beat around the bush"?

  1. to speak in a direct and forceful way
  2. to avoid the main point of a discussion Correct answer.
  3. to work very hard on a task
  4. to make a careless mistake

Explanation

The idiom "to beat around the bush" means to avoid coming to the main issue, often by talking about irrelevant matters. It describes indirectness in speech or action. The expression does not refer to physical effort or error.

Question 14English

Choose the correct passive transformation of: "The chef prepared a delicious meal."

  1. A delicious meal had prepared by the chef.
  2. A delicious meal was prepared by the chef. Correct answer.
  3. A delicious meal was preparing by the chef.
  4. A delicious meal is prepared by the chef.

Explanation

The original is in the simple past active voice. In the passive, the object becomes the subject, the verb becomes "was + past participle", and the agent is introduced with "by". Thus "was prepared by the chef" is the correct form.

Question 15English

In the sentence "Neither the students nor the teacher was aware of the change", why is "was" correct?

  1. Because "neither" is always followed by a singular verb regardless of the nearest noun.
  2. Because "nor" requires a plural verb in all cases.
  3. Because the verb agrees with the nearest subject, which is "the teacher". Correct answer.
  4. Because "students" is the true subject and takes a singular verb.

Explanation

With correlative conjunctions "neither...nor", the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it. The nearest subject is the singular "teacher", so the singular verb "was" is correct. If the order were reversed, a plural verb would be needed.

Question 16English

Which option best defines the literary device "oxymoron"?

  1. An exaggeration for emphasis
  2. A figure combining two contradictory terms for effect Correct answer.
  3. A comparison using "like" or "as"
  4. The repetition of initial consonant sounds

Explanation

An oxymoron places two apparently contradictory words together, as in "bitter sweet" or "deafening silence". The tension between the terms creates emphasis or insight. It should not be confused with simile, alliteration, or hyperbole.

Question 17English

Read the sentence: "Her laughter was a sudden burst of sunlight in the gloomy room." Which figure of speech is used?

  1. hyperbole
  2. personification
  3. simile
  4. metaphor Correct answer.

Explanation

The sentence states that the laughter was a burst of sunlight, making a direct comparison without "like" or "as". This implicit comparison is a metaphor. A simile would use an explicit comparative word.

Question 18English

Which word correctly completes the sentence? "The teacher was ___ by the student's thoughtful question."

  1. impressive
  2. impression
  3. impressing
  4. impressed Correct answer.

Explanation

The passive construction "was ___ by" requires a past participle. "Impressed" is the past participle of the verb "impress" and fits the passive structure. The other forms are an adjective, a present participle, and a noun.

Question 19English

In the word "unbelievable", how many morphemes are there?

  1. three Correct answer.
  2. four
  3. two
  4. five

Explanation

The word can be analysed as "un-" (negating prefix), "believe" (root), and "-able" (adjective-forming suffix). That gives three morphemes. Treating "believe" as a single root is essential to the count.

Question 20English

Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly?

  1. I wanted to go; but it was raining.
  2. I wanted to go; and it was raining.
  3. I wanted to go; however, it was raining. Correct answer.
  4. I wanted to go; because it was raining.

Explanation

A semicolon can join two independent clauses, especially when a conjunctive adverb such as "however" introduces the second clause. The adverb is followed by a comma. Coordinating conjunctions like "but" and "and" normally follow a comma, not a semicolon.

Question 21English

What is the effect of the alliteration in the phrase "the silver sea shimmered softly"?

  1. It signals a change of tense in the sentence.
  2. It creates a smooth, musical quality through repeated sibilants. Correct answer.
  3. It emphasises the harshness of the scene through plosive sounds.
  4. It introduces a rhyme between two unrelated words.

Explanation

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds, here the "s" sound in "silver", "sea", and "softly". Sibilant sounds often create a soft, flowing, or musical impression. The effect matches the gentle imagery of the sea.

Question 22English

In the sentence "Had I known the consequences, I would have acted differently", what is the grammatical feature of "Had I known"?

  1. a relative clause
  2. an inverted third conditional clause Correct answer.
  3. a present perfect question
  4. a passive construction

Explanation

The clause "Had I known" is an inverted form of "If I had known", used in formal third conditional sentences. The inversion replaces "if" and the auxiliary moves before the subject. The main clause "would have acted" confirms the third conditional structure.

Question 23English

Which option best explains the difference between "connotation" and "denotation"?

  1. Both terms refer to the literal meaning of a word.
  2. Denotation is the emotional association, while connotation is the dictionary meaning.
  3. Connotation is the emotional or cultural association, while denotation is the literal meaning. Correct answer.
  4. Connotation applies only to poetry, while denotation applies only to prose.

Explanation

Denotation is a word's literal, dictionary meaning, while connotation refers to the associations or feelings it carries. For example, "home" denotes a dwelling but connotes comfort and belonging. The distinction applies across all forms of writing.

Question 24English

Identify the sentence that correctly uses the subjunctive mood.

  1. I wish I was taller than I am.
  2. If I was you, I would apologise immediately.
  3. The manager insisted that he submit the report by Friday. Correct answer.
  4. She acts as if she was the owner of the company.

Explanation

The subjunctive mood appears after verbs of demand or insistence such as "insisted that", using the base form of the verb regardless of the subject. Thus "that he submit" is correct. The other sentences use indicative forms where the subjunctive or "were" would be expected.

Question 25English

In the sentence "The critics praised the novel, which had been widely anticipated", what does the past perfect passive "had been anticipated" indicate?

  1. an action completed before another past action Correct answer.
  2. an action happening at the same time as the praising
  3. an action that will occur in the future
  4. a habitual action in the past

Explanation

The past perfect "had been anticipated" describes an event that was completed before the past action of praising. The passive form shifts the focus to the novel as the receiver of the anticipation. This sequencing is the defining function of the past perfect.

Question 26English

Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly to show joint possession by two people?

  1. Rita and Sam's' project won the regional science prize.
  2. Rita and Sam's project won the regional science prize. Correct answer.
  3. Rita's and Sam's project won the regional science prize.
  4. Rita and Sams' project won the regional science prize.

Explanation

When two nouns jointly own one thing, only the second noun takes the possessive apostrophe, so 'Rita and Sam's project' is correct. Separate apostrophes would signal individual ownership of separate projects, and the other forms misplace or double the mark.

Question 27English

Read the sentence: "Although the orchestra rehearsed for weeks, the opening night performance fell flat." Which option best describes the rhetorical effect of the opening clause?

  1. It introduces a cause that directly explains the failure.
  2. It shifts the sentence into a question for the reader.
  3. It establishes a contrast that makes the failure feel more surprising. Correct answer.
  4. It repeats the main idea of the second clause for emphasis.

Explanation

A concessive clause beginning with 'although' sets up an expectation that effort will produce success, so the flat performance arrives as a contrast and a letdown. The clause does not cause the failure, restate it, or turn the sentence into a question.

Question 28English

Which sentence most effectively integrates a quotation into a critical argument?

  1. The narrator concedes a point about the house remembering more than its owners did.
  2. The narrator says "the house remembered more than its owners did" and this is a good quote.
  3. The narrator concedes that "the house remembered more than its owners did," suggesting memory outlives human control. Correct answer.
  4. "The house remembered more than its owners did" is a quote from the narrator.

Explanation

Strong quotation integration embeds the exact words in a grammatical sentence and immediately interprets them, so the evidence serves the argument. The other options either drop the quotation, attach a vague comment, or paraphrase away the evidence entirely.

Question 29Dzongkha

Which script is used for writing Dzongkha in official Bhutanese publications?

  1. Uchen script Correct answer.
  2. Lepcha script
  3. Latin script
  4. Devanagari script

Explanation

Dzongkha is written in the Uchen script, a Tibetan-derived script with distinct block-like letters used in official and religious texts. Lepcha and Devanagari belong to other Himalayan and South Asian writing traditions, and Latin is used only for transliteration.

Question 30Dzongkha

Dzongkha is the national language of which country?

  1. Bhutan Correct answer.
  2. Nepal
  3. Sikkim
  4. Tibet

Explanation

Dzongkha is constitutionally recognised as the national language of Bhutan and is used in government administration and education. The other options are neighbouring regions with their own dominant languages.

Question 31Dzongkha

Which language family does Dzongkha belong to?

  1. Austroasiatic
  2. Dravidian
  3. Sino-Tibetan Correct answer.
  4. Indo-Aryan

Explanation

Dzongkha is a Tibeto-Burman language within the Sino-Tibetan family, closely related to Tibetan varieties. Indo-Aryan, Austroasiatic and Dravidian are separate families with different grammatical structures.

Question 32Dzongkha

In Dzongkha orthography, what does the letter ཀ (ka) represent?

  1. A punctuation mark
  2. A numeral
  3. A velar consonant Correct answer.
  4. A vowel sign

Explanation

The letter ཀ is a consonant pronounced with a velar stop, the first letter of the Dzongkha syllabary. Vowel signs are separate diacritics attached above or below consonants, and numerals use different symbols.

Question 33Dzongkha

What is the Dzongkha term for the traditional Bhutanese fortress-monastery that also gives the language part of its name association?

  1. Chorten
  2. Dzong Correct answer.
  3. Lhakhang
  4. Goenpa

Explanation

A dzong is a combined fortress and monastic administrative centre, and the word Dzongkha is built on this term meaning the language of the dzong. Chorten, lhakhang and goenpa name other religious structures.

Question 34Dzongkha

Which greeting is commonly used in Dzongkha when meeting someone?

  1. Namaste
  2. Julley
  3. Kuzu zangpo Correct answer.
  4. Tashi delek

Explanation

Kuzu zangpo is the standard Dzongkha greeting meaning roughly good day or welcome. Tashi delek is a Tibetan blessing formula, Namaste is Nepali and Hindi, and Julley is Ladakhi.

Question 35Dzongkha

In Dzongkha, what does the word ལྷ (lha) mean?

  1. Mountain
  2. Deity Correct answer.
  3. House
  4. Water

Explanation

The word ལྷ means deity or god and appears in many place names and religious terms across Bhutan. Words for water, mountain and house are written with entirely different letters.

Question 36Dzongkha

Which of these is the correct Dzongkha numeral for the number three?

  1. ༣ Correct answer.
  2. ༤
  3. ༡
  4. ༢

Explanation

Dzongkha uses Tibetan-style digits, and ༣ represents three. The other symbols in the sequence stand for one, two and four respectively.

Question 37Dzongkha

In Dzongkha grammar, what is the typical order of sentence constituents?

  1. Subject-Verb-Object
  2. Subject-Object-Verb Correct answer.
  3. Verb-Subject-Object
  4. Object-Verb-Subject

Explanation

Dzongkha follows a subject-object-verb order, as is typical of Tibeto-Burman languages, with the verb placed at the end of the clause. English-style subject-verb-object ordering does not apply, and the verb does not normally come first.

Question 38Dzongkha

Identify the correct Dzongkha word for 'teacher'.

  1. སློབ་ཕྲུག
  2. ལོ་པོན Correct answer.
  3. སྨན་པ
  4. ཞིང་པ

Explanation

ལོ་པོན (lopon) is the respectful Dzongkha term for a teacher or master. The other words denote a student, a doctor and a farmer respectively.

Question 39Dzongkha

Which particle in Dzongkha commonly marks the agent or subject of a transitive verb?

  1. ནང
  2. ལ
  3. ལས Correct answer.
  4. གི

Explanation

The particle ལས (often written as གིས after vowels) marks the agent performing a transitive action. The other particles mark possession, location or containment rather than agency.

Question 40Dzongkha

What does the Dzongkha expression ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེ (thugs rje che) convey?

  1. Good morning
  2. I am sorry
  3. Thank you very much Correct answer.
  4. Please sit down

Explanation

ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེ literally invokes great compassion and functions as a respectful expression of thanks. It is not a time-of-day greeting, an invitation to sit, or an apology formula.

Question 41Dzongkha

In Dzongkha, which form would you use to address a respected elder directly?

  1. The plain familiar imperative
  2. The numeral classifier
  3. The honorific register Correct answer.
  4. The negative particle

Explanation

Dzongkha has a developed honorific register used for elders, monks and officials, with special vocabulary replacing ordinary words. Plain imperatives, classifiers and negative particles are grammatical devices that do not by themselves encode respect.

Question 42Dzongkha

What is the function of the Dzongkha marker མིན in a sentence?

  1. It negates a statement Correct answer.
  2. It indicates past tense
  3. It marks the plural
  4. It forms a question

Explanation

མིན is a negative copula used to deny an identity or state, roughly meaning 'is not'. Question formation, plural marking and past tense use other particles or verb forms.

Question 43Dzongkha

Which of the following Dzongkha words refers to a monastery?

  1. བཞིན་ཁང
  2. རྫོང
  3. གཙུག་ལག་ཁང
  4. དགོན་པ Correct answer.

Explanation

དགོན་པ (goenpa) is the Dzongkha word for a monastery or monastic community. The other terms denote a main temple, a fortress, and a storehouse respectively.

Question 44Dzongkha

In Dzongkha counting, which classifier is typically used with long objects such as ropes or roads?

  1. ཁ
  2. སྒོ
  3. དེབ
  4. ཐིག Correct answer.

Explanation

ཐིག is the classifier used for long, thin objects such as ropes, roads and threads. The other classifiers apply to doors, mouths or persons, and books.

Question 45Dzongkha

Which statement best describes the relationship between Dzongkha and classical Tibetan?

  1. Dzongkha shares the script and much religious vocabulary with Tibetan Correct answer.
  2. They are mutually unintelligible dialects of separate families
  3. Dzongkha is a dialect of Nepali
  4. Dzongkha has no written tradition

Explanation

Dzongkha uses the same Uchen script tradition and draws heavily on classical Tibetan for religious and literary vocabulary, while remaining a distinct language. It is not a Nepali dialect and it has a long written tradition.

Question 46Dzongkha

A Dzongkha speaker says ང་ལས་ཡི་གེ་བྲི (nga las yi ge bri). What is the most accurate reading of the agent marker here?

  1. It marks the person doing the writing Correct answer.
  2. It marks the time of writing
  3. It marks the object being written
  4. It marks the place of writing

Explanation

The particle ལས (or གིས) attached to ང identifies the speaker as the agent who performs the action of writing. Object, place and time are marked by different particles or word order.

Question 47Dzongkha

Which Dzongkha phrase would correctly express 'I am going to school'?

  1. ང་སློབ་གྲྭ་ལས་འོང
  2. ང་སློབ་གྲྭར་འགྲོ Correct answer.
  3. ང་སློབ་གྲྭ་ཡིན
  4. ང་སློབ་གྲྭ་ལ་བཞུགས

Explanation

The sentence places the subject ང first, the destination marked with the allative particle ར, and the verb འགྲོ meaning go at the end. The other options use a copula, a different verb of motion, or a honorific verb of sitting.

Question 48Dzongkha

In Dzongkha, what distinguishes the honorific verb བཞེས from its ordinary counterpart?

  1. It negates the clause
  2. It forms a plural
  3. It raises the status of the subject Correct answer.
  4. It marks past tense

Explanation

Honorific verbs such as བཞེས replace everyday verbs when the subject is a respected person, thereby elevating that subject. Tense, number and negation are separate grammatical categories.

Question 49Dzongkha

Which feature most clearly shows that Dzongkha is a tonal language?

  1. Pitch contour on a syllable distinguishes word meaning Correct answer.
  2. Consonant clusters are forbidden
  3. Word order is fixed
  4. Vowel length alone changes meaning

Explanation

In Dzongkha, differences in pitch contour can distinguish otherwise identical syllables, which is the defining property of tone. Vowel length, phonotactic restrictions and word order are separate phonological or syntactic properties.

Question 50Dzongkha

A student writes ང་ཁྱོད་ལ་དགའ when meaning 'I like you'. Which analysis of the construction is most accurate?

  1. The sentence is a question
  2. The experiencer is subject and the stimulus takes the dative ལ Correct answer.
  3. The verb is transitive with an agent marker on ང
  4. The sentence is negated by ལ

Explanation

Dzongkha commonly expresses liking with the experiencer as subject and the person liked marked by the dative particle ལ, with the verb དགའ meaning be pleased. There is no agent marker on ང, and ལ does not negate or interrogate.