Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 English with Solutions Set 5 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 English Set 5 with Solutions
Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 80
General Instructions:
- The Question paper is divided into three sections: Section A: Reading 26 marks, Section B: Writing Skills and Grammar 23 marks, Section C: Literature 31 marks.
- All questions are compulsory.
- You may attempt any section at a time.
- Allquestions of that particular section must be attempted in the correct order.
Section-A
Reading (26 marks)
Question 1.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: (10 marks)
Computers are capable of doing extremely complicated work in all branches of learning. They can solve the most complex mathematical problems or put thousand unrelated data in order. These machines can be put to varied uses. For instance, they can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic accidents. They work accurately and at high speed.
They save research workers’ years of hard work. This whole process by which machines can be used to work for us has been called ‘automation’. In future, automation may enable human beings to enjoy more leisure than they do today.
The coming of automation is bound to have important social consequences. Some years ago, an expert on automation, Sir Leon Bagrit pointed out that it was a mistake to believe that these machines could think. There is no possibility that human beings will be controlled by machines.
Though computers are capable of learning from their mistakes and improving on their performances, they need detailed instructions from human beings to be able to operate. They can never lead independent lives or rule the world by taking decisions of their own.
Sir Leon said that in future, computers would be developed which would be small enough to be carried in one’s pocket. Ordinary people would then be able to use them to obtain valuable information. Computers could be plugged into a wireless network and can be used like radios.
For instance, people going on holiday, could be informed about weather conditions. Car drivers can be given an alternative route, when there is a traffic jam. It will also be possible to make tiny translating machines. This will enable people, who do not share a common language, to talk to each other without any difficulty or to read foreign publications.
It is impossible to assess the importance of a machine of this sort, for many international misunderstandings are caused simply due to our failure to understand each other. Computers will also be used in ordinary public hospitals.
By providing a machine with a patient’s system, a doctor will be able to diagnose the nature of his illness. Similarly, machines could be used to keep a check on a patient’s health record and bring it up-to-date. Doctors will, therefore, have immediate access a many facts which will help them in their work.
Bookkeepers and accountants too could be relieved of dull clerical work. For the tedious task of compiling, and checking lists or figures could be done entirely by machines. Computers are the most efficient servant man has ever had and there is no limit to the way they can be used to improve our lives.
A. On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option. (1 x 6 = 6)
1.1 Tick the correct option:
(a) There is no possibility that human beings can be on their own with no need of machines.
(b) Human beings are likely to be controlled by machines one day.
(c) There is no possibility that human beings will ever be controlled by machines.
(d) Machines can replace humans.
Answer:
(c) There is no possibility that human beings will ever be controlled by machines.
1.2 Tick the correct option :
(a) Computers can solve only certain mathematical problems.
(b) Computers can’t solve any mathematical problems.
(c) Computers can solve the most complex mathematical problems.
(d) Computers can solve only simple mathematical problems.
Answer:
(c) Computers can solve the most complex mathematical problems.
1.3 Computers can be used :
(a) to find treatment for the patient’s illness.
(b) to prescribe a medicine for the patient.
(c) to diagnose the nature of patient’s illness.
(d) to keep the patient in good mood.
Answer:
(c) to diagnose the nature of patient’s illness.
1.4 Many international misunderstandings are caused due to our failure to understand
(a) ourselves.
(b) other nations.
(c) our friends.
(d) each other.
Answer:
(d) each other.
1.5 The antonym of the word ‘complicated’ is __________.
(a) difficult
(b) simple
(c) easy
(d) strange
Answer:
(b) simple
1.6 The verb form of the word ‘alternative’ is __________.
(a) alternate
(b) alter
(c) late
(d) elate
Answer:
(a) alternate
B. Answer the following questions as briefly as possible : (Do any 4) (1 x 4 = 4)
2.1. Computers are capable of doing extremely complicated work in all branches of __________.
Answer:
learning
2.2. This whole process by which machines can be used to work for us has been called __________.
Answer:
automation
2.3. Computers can be plugged into __________.
Answer:
wireless network
2.4. Computers will also be used in __________ public hospitals.
Answer:
ordinary
2.5. Find the synonyms of the following words from the passage : (i) results (ii) monotonous
Answer:
(i) consequences (ii) tedious.
Question 2.
Read the passage given below. (1 x 8 = 8)
I. The ocean is one of the most unexplored parts of our planet, with a magnitude of undiscovered species and mysteries. It turns out from the studies conducted over the last few decades, this magnificent environment is under serious threat from human intervention, with plastics set to outnumber fish by 2050.
II. Marine life, as we know it, is suffering irreparable damage from the chemical pollution of the waters and the millions of tons of mismanaged waste dumped in the oceans each year. The result is a planetary crisis with over 100 million marine animal lives get lost every year, and the decay of the ocean’s ecosystem.
Shocking Ocean Pollution Statistics:
- 100 melon marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone.
- 100000 marine animals die from getting entangled in plastic yearly – this is just the creatures we find.
- 1 in 3 marine mammal species get found entangled in litter, 12-14000 tons of plastic are ingested by North Pacific fish yearly.
- In the past 10 years, we’ve made more plastic than the last century. By 2050, the pollution of fish will be outnumbers by our dumped plastic.
- The largest trash site on the planet is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, twice the surface area of Texas, it outnumbered sea life there 6 to 1.
- Chine is ranked #1 from mismanaged waste and plastics. However, the US is in the top 20 with a more significant waste per person contribution.
- 300 Million tons of plastic gels created yearly, and this weighs the same as the entire human population, and 50% is single-use only.
- There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste estimated to be in our oceans. 269000 tons float, 4 billion microfibers per km: dwell below the surface.
- 70% of our debris sinks into the ocean’s ecosystem, 15% floats and 15% lands on our beaches.
- In terms of plastic, 8.3 million tons are discarded in the sea yearly. Of which, 236000 are ingestible microplaslics that marine creatures mistake for food.
- Plastics take 500-1000 years to degrade; currently 79% is sent to lands or the oceans, while only 9% is recycled, and 12% gets incinerated.
- 1950-1998 over 100 nuclear blast tests occurred in our oceans.
- 500 marine locations are now recorded as dead /ones globally currently the si/e of the United Kingdom’s surface (245000 km2)
- 80% of global marine pollution comes from agriculture runoff, untreated sewage, discharge of nutrients and pesticides.
- 90% of the worldwide ocean debris comes from 10 rivers alone.
III. Almost 1,000 species of marine animals get impacted by ocean pollution, and we now have over 500 locations recorded as dead zones where marine life cannot exist. How did this happen, what is causing the most damage, find out everything above in the marine pollution statistics round-up.
IV. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a floating island of debris, accumulated in the North Pacific Ocean by an extensive system of currents called gyres. It is built up from two other waste patches, the western garbage patch near Japan and the eastern garbage patch near America’s west coast near California and Hawaii.
V. The North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone links the east and western garbage patches, acting as a highway for waste to move from one to the other. Because of this, a small item of debris dropped near California can travel across to Japan, then eventually get sucked up by these swirling garbage patch vortexes.
VI. The great pacific garbage patch size is quite shocking. These patches of trash are said to be twice the size of Texas and float on the surface but do drop several meters into the ocean in places, which makes the correct size challenging to measure.
The world’s largest garbage site is mainly made up of microplastics creating a vast cloud, with newer items of debris that haven’t broken down as much floating around like chunks in a soup. The great pacific garbage patch effects on marine life are extremely significant.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions by choosing the correct option.
Question 1.
According to the passage, what is set to outnumber the fish in the ocean by the year 2050?
(A) pollution
(B) garbage
(C) plastics
(D) human waste
Answer:
(C) plastics
Explanation: It turns out from the studies conducted over the last few decades, this magnificent environment is under serious threat from human intervention, with plastics set to outnumber fish by 2050.
Question 2.
Marine life is suffering from irreparable damage because of:
I. the chemical pollution of the waters.
II. the rising global warming which is increasing the death rate of the ocean ecosystems.
III. the millions of tons of mismanaged waste dumped in the oceans each year.
(A) I and II
(B) II and III
(C) I and III
(D) I, II and III
Answer:
(C) I and III
Explanation: Marine life, as we know it, is suffering irreparable damage from the chemical pollution of the waters and the millions of tons of mismanaged waste dumped in the oceans each year.
Question 3.
__________ locations are recorded as dead zones where marine life cannot exist.
(A) 200
(B) 350
(C) 500
(D) 700
Answer:
(C) 500
Explanation: 500 marine locations are now recorded as dead zones globally, currently the size of the United Kingdom’s surface (245000 km )
Question 4.
The largest trash site on the planet, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is twice the size of which city?
(A) Arizona
(B) Florida
(C) Colorado
(D) Texas
Answer:
(D) Texas
Explanation: The largest trash site on the planet is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, twice the surface area of Texas, it outnumbers sea life there 6 to 1.
Question 5.
Which country is ranked number one for mismanaged waste and plastics?
(A) Germany
(B) China
(C) USA
(D) India
Answer:
(B) China
Explanation: Chine is ranked #1 for mismanaged waste and plastics.
Question 6.
Which of the following statements is not true in the context of the passage?
(A) 90% of the worldwide ocean debris comes from 10 rivers alone.
(B) 700 marine locations are now recorded as dead zones globally.
(C) 70% of our debris sinks into the ocean’s ecosystem, 15% floats, and 15 % lands on our beaches.
(D) 100 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone.
Answer:
(B) 700 marine locations are now recorded as dead zones globally.
Explanation: 500 marine locations are now recorded as dead zones globally.
Question 7.
An extensive system of currents in the North Pacific Ocean is called .
(A) debris
(B) vortex
(C) convergence
(D) gyres
Answer:
(D) gyres
Explanation: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a floating island of debris, accumulated in the North Pacific Ocean by an extensive system of currents called gyres.
Question 8.
A small item of debris dropped near California can travel across to Japan because of __________.
(A) the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone
(B) the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
(C) the gyres
(D) the vortexes
Answer:
(A) the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone
Explanation: The North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone links the east and western garbage patches, acting as a highway for waste to move from one to the other. Because of this, a small item of debris dropped near California can travel across to Japan, then eventually get sucked up by these swirling garbage patch vortexes.
Commonly Made Errors:
- While answering questions related to Unseen Passages/Comprehensions, most students do not read the passages properly. Reading the passages properly is very essential.
- Students need to keep in mind that the answers should be brief, relevant and be in their own words, while following the words in the passages carefully.
- While answering, the students should verify the spellings of the difficult words from the passages themselves, if they are not sure of them in the first place.
- Before answering multiple-choice questions, students should read the questions thoroughly and then the given options. Some options can be tricky and need careful attention.
- Lastly, before moving on to the next question and just before the final submission of the answer-script, revise the answers carefully. This will help you to find out and eliminate any errors that you have overlooked earlier.
Answering Tips:
- The passages should be read silently and with full concentration.
- Grasping the context of the passages is important.
- New or difficult words should be deciphered in the context of their use in the passages.
- Answers should be in complete sentences. w All answers should be written sequentially.
- If a student cannot answer a question, or a part of a question, then it is unwise to continue spending time on it. It is advisable to leave the question for the time being, answer the rest of the questions and then go back to the unanswered question.
- While answering an unseen passage or comprehension, you might be aware of the source as you might have read it earlier. In that case, please do not get carried away in writing things beyond the scope of the passage. That will not fetch you extra marks. Please stick to the passage!
- All spellings and answers related to seen/unseen passages or comprehensions are found within the scope of the passages; so, it is important to concentrate in them.
- Lastly, there is no need to panic. Answering questions correctly is more important than answering all questions. So, adequate time should be given to answer each question properly.
Question 3.
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (8)
1. If you saw the Pangolin, you would probably find it quite adorable. It’s a shy stooped creature that ambles close to the ground, looking furtively at the world through beady eyes. When threatened, this pre-historic mammal curls up into a ball, presenting a hide covered in overlapping scales so tough, they can withstand a tiger attack or blows from an axe.
These scales are also the reason the Pangolin is on the endangered list. For one thing, they make it easy to capture and impossible to kill. So about 3,500 Pangolin are boiled alive in India every year, and about 10,000 worldwide according to the data from the UK based NGO Environmental Investigation Agency.
2. Thus separated from the skin, the scales fetch up to? 15,000 per kg in the market, to eventually be used as a ‘tonic’ in traditional Chinese medicine. All this has made the Pangolin the most poached mammal in India and the world. And yet there is little data on its decline, only vague estimates of how few are left, just the fact that the young are being poached so extensively to hint at how few adults probably remain. Chances are, you’ve never even seen a picture of one.
3. It is essentially, an orphan in the wild. Poached, seriously endangered and still largely ignored. And in the sense, if no one other, the Pangolin is not alone. Its predicament is shared by the Slender Loris and the Red Line Torpedo Barb, which are trapped and sold by the thousands as exotic pets. Likewise, the Dugong or Sea Cow is hunted for its flesh and the first owlet is sought after for its supposedly magical properties.
The Sea Cucumber, which is hunted as a delicacy and an ingredient in traditional Chinese and South-East Asian medicine, has been wiped out in many parts of the western coast. The Sea Horse, traded in thousands as aquarium pets, dried curios and ‘cure’ for asthma, faces the same fate on the eastern coast.
4. At a time when the impact of human activity is contributing to, if not causing, climate change, species around the world are in peril; some still more than others. But within the world of endangered animals, discrimination persists. Worldwide, the species that pull on heartstrings and purse-strings tend to either be large, powerful animals at the top of a food chain (like the tiger and whale) or charismatic creatures (like the elephant or koala bear).
5. The hundreds of other critically endangered are left to make do with the scraps of attention, awareness and budgetary allotment left. Some like the Pangolin, amble into the news when their numbers drop very far or very fast, or both. Others, like the Red Line Torpedo Barb, which makes up 60 percent of India’s decorative fish exports, may make it to the news when they have disappeared altogether.
“With the bulk of endangered species, the conservation efforts end at moving them from one list to another as their numbers drop and they become more and more endangered. This is just a cosmetic change since it does not reflect any changes of real significance on the ground,” says Shikhar Niraj, head of TRAFFIC India, a joint programme of World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Conservation Union. Since ‘celebrity’ animals like the tiger or the elephant are international symbols of Indian Wildlife, they tend to hog public attention. This is bad news.
6. As marine ecologist Deepak Apte puts it, “We may concern ourselves with the flagship species but it is the minutiae that actually balance the ecosystem. Be it the Scavenger species, the Sea Cucumber or the Insectivorous Loris, it is these species that keep the ecosystem healthy and clean.”
(a) On the basis of your reading the passage, make notes using recognisable abbreviations wherever
necessary. Use a format you consider suitable, supply a suitable title. (5 marks)
Answer:
(a) ENDANGERED ANIMALS
1. Animals often poached :
- Pangolin
- Slender Loris
- Red Line Torpedo Barb
- Sea-Cucumber
- Dugong
2. Pangolin
- shy stooped creature
- ambles dose to ground
- beady eyes
- looks furtively
- hide covered with overlapping scales
3. Reasons for poaching :
- Pangolin
- used as a tonic in chinse medcn
- Loris & Red Line Torpedo Barb
- sold as pets
- Dugong or Sea Cow
- hunted for flesh
- Sea Cucumber
- eaten as a delicacy
- ingr. in chinse. medcn.
- Sea Horse
- traded as aquarium pet
- cure for asthma
4. Need for consrvtn :
- balance the ecosystem
- keep the ecosystem healthy and clean.
| Key to Abbreviations | ||
| S. No. | Abbreviation | Word |
| 1 | chinse | chinese |
| 2 | medcn | medicine |
| 3 | consrvtn | conservation |
| 4 | ingr | ingredient |
| 5 | & | and |
(b) Make a short summary of the passage in about 80 words. (3 marks)
Answer:
Summary:
Animals which are endangered and often poached make a long list which includes Pangolin, Slender Loris, Red Line Torpedo Barb, Sea- Cucumbers, Dugong, Sea Horse, etc. Pangolin, which is a shy stooped creature, has beady eyes and its hide is covered with overlapping scales. It is hunted for its scales which are used as a tonic in Chinese medicines. Loris, Red Line Torpedo Barb and Sea-Horse are traded as pets whereas Dugong or Sea Cow is hunted for its flesh. But there is a need to conserve these endangered animals as they balance the ecosystem and keep it healthy and clean.
Commonly Made Errors:
- The most commonly made mistakes include not reading the passage thoroughly and not paying attention to details. This leads to unclear understanding of the context.
- The next big mistake is not noting the ‘key-words’ in the passage. Identification of key-words is important to decide the main thrust of the passage and bring out the summary.
- While substituting words for phrases and clauses, the appropriate form of the word should be used. For example, if the substitution requires the adjectival form of a word, then using the noun or the verb form can be fatal.
- Punctuations are very important in summarisation or precis writing. They should be used prudently.
- Spellings and grammar should be checked for during the note-making stage so that no corrections need be implemented during the summary or precis writing.
- While providing a Title for the summary/precis, students should relate it to the context of the passage. Too much emphasis on making it catchy might lead to making the blunder of it being not related to the context.
Answering Tips:
- While answering questions related to Note-making and Summary (Precis Writing), it is important to read the passages properly and grasp their meanings. If need be, the passage should be read and re-read a number of times to ensure that every part of it is clear to the student.
- Next, it is important to underline the important points in the passage. With practice, this can be done at the same time as the passage is being read.
- The underlined portions should be summed up as separate bulleted points.
- Thereafter, the students should read the bulleted points so that they are sure that those points are adequate in providing the gist of the passage. There should not be any ambiguity or lack of clarity in meaning anywhere.
- While summarizing the bullets, one should be mindful to shorten the sentences as much as possible by substituting clauses and phrases with words conveying similar meanings.
- Beginners are also advised to calculate the average number of words written by them in each line and then to calculate the number of lines required to write the precis or summary based on the average words per line.
- The average word-limit per sentence should be between five to ten words.
- Students are advised to draw columns with pencil such that the total number of cells in the table so formed exactly match the maximum permissible words in the summary. Then they should write one per cell to achieve the maximum word limit.
- Lastly, students should ensure correctness of spellings, contextual use of substituting words and grammatical correctness.
Section – B
Writing Skills (23 marks)
Question 4.
Draft a poster on ‘Respect Women’. (3)
OR
Draft a Poster on ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’.
Answer:
OR
Commonly Made Errors:
- Missing out one or more of the value points.
- Spellings and grammar errors lead to communication of incorrect messages.
- While trying to make the title catchy, students end up stitching together words used in the wrong context and thereby making up a meaningless title.
- Also, spellings are tweaked sometimes to emphasise upon an idea or to attract the attention of the reader. However, often students fail to achieve the desired effect and end up simply making a spelling mistake!
Answering Tips:
- The language of the Notice should always be in Direct Speech and in Passive Voice.
- If the Notice is from any authority like the government or the management of some organisation, then the language should not be authoritative. It should be firm, yet polite. It should not directly ‘call out’ people.
- The words chosen should be simple and the communication should be clear.
Answering Tips:
- While making a poster, it is important to keep in mind what it is all about and whether the created poster gets across the idea clearly or not.
- Next, it is important to design the poster properly. So, one needs to experiment with the font size, style and colour, as well as the layout.
- Venue, date and time should be mentioned in such a manner that they do not escape peoples’ attention.
- Lastly, students should ensure correctness of spellings, contextual use of substituting words and grammatical correctness.
Question 5.
You are going abroad. You want to sell your house, built three years ago. Draft an advertisement in not more than 50 words giving all the necessary information. Details of the house and its locality. Contact no. 91xxxxxxx (3)
OR
You want to sell your car as you are going abroad. Draft a suitable advertisement in not more than 50 words to be published in classified columns of ‘The Times of India’. Give necessary details of the car. You are Amit/Amita residing in Karol Bagh, New Delhi.
Answer:
Suggested Value points :
House for Sale
- Location
- Type
- Size/area
- Facilities (electricity, water, parking, market)
- Cost/minimum price expected
- (Due credit should be given to economy of words) [DDE Marking Scheme]
Detailed Answer:
HOUSE FOR SALE
Available a single storey house in a posh area, built three years ago, 3 BHK, modular kitchen, 24 X 7 water facility, power back up, parking area, centrally located, price negotiable. For more details contact Rakesh at 982xxxxxxx
OR
CAR FOR SALE:
Available Black Maruti Esteem car in good running condition, 20xx model, fitted with latest accessories, 44,000 km covered, self driven, owner going abroad. Price negotiable. Contact : Amita, 47 Karol Bagh, New Delhi.
Question 6.
‘Aggression and sledging are an essential part of sports.’ Write a debate in 150-200 words either for or against the motion. You are Shivam/Shivani. (5 marks)
OR
You are Mukul / Mahima of Alps Public School. Your school has organized a debate on “Social Media and Its Effects” and you will be participating from your school. Prepare your views against or in favour of the motion. (150-200 words)
Answer:
Aggression and Sledging Are an Essential Part of Sports:
Honourable jury members, respected teachers and my dear friends. Good morning everyone. I, Shivani, stand before you to speak on the topic Aggression and sledging are an essential part of sports’, and I am going to speak against it.
First, we should understand what sledging is? In sport, “sledging” or “taunting” describes the practice of using insulting, intimidating or provocative language or behaviour against an opponent to try and gain a competitive advantage.
Is this justified way to win a game? I strongly feel that aggression and sledging are not essential part of sports. Sports are meant to test one’s physical and mental endurance; their purpose is not to incite people to get involved in brawls or altercations leading to scuffles. My opponents call sledging legitimate, but I hereby submit that people who become aggressive and start sledging are those who don’t understand the spirit of sports and sportsmanship.
If one has to win a game, one must do it by the dint of their skill or excellence in performance. So for me, sledging is nothing but an immoral and vile way to annoy your opponent. My dear friends, I would like to ask whether sledging really adds fun to the game? How can anger and aggression be good which leads to altercations, fights and rows? Sledging must aim to be funny, creative, spontaneous and playful, rather than hurtful, serious, insulting, degrading and offensive in order not to corrupt the spirit of sport.
I conclude my speech by reasserting that aggression and sledging are not essential part of sports. They should be avoided by all players. The players, as with any sport, are the role models to the young and as such have to be responsible and accountable for their actions on and off the field.
When one team loses, their players might take out frustration in the form of sledging, but there is no need to do so. Everyone must follow some guidelines and have the sensibility to deal with situations in a calm and rational way.
Thank you
Commonly Made Errors:
- Students do not use expressions usually used in debates.
- They mix up arguments for and against.
- They do not support argument with data or more information.
- They write debate in very formal style.
Answering Tips:
- Total agreement or disagreement with the topic should be expressed forcefully and clearly.
- Use argumentative style and logical reasoning.
- Back up arguments with relevant information.
Use powerful expressions like :
- I’d like to argue
- In my opinion
- May I ask ? etc.
- Refer to your opponent s view/views
- Stick to your view point either in favour or against
OR
Social Media and its Effects:
Greetings to the respected jury. I am Mahima of Alps Public School. I have chosen to share some views in favor of “Social media and its effects.”
Social media are referred to as the advanced online platforms which help people to come and connect together. Nowadays, it has become a great medium to share and start relationship between two and more individuals. Apart from this, the social media genre has availed people quick access to precise and fundamental data.
As we have seen, the schools have their own websites on which they provide academic information about the school’s regulations, rules, departments, environment and so on. The social media has also enabled people to share information not just with a group or a person, but with general public as well.
I also admit that social media helps students at large by providing them different learning platforms through which they can always search certain topics and get accurate information in just seconds. Moreover, we all are familiar with YouTube and we know, we can always watch informational videos on it that will help us to enhance our knowledge at larger scale.
Besides, we can always make groups and integrate people, globally to share education-related information such as demographic details, school projects, environmental issues and much more. There are ample of groups on Facebook and Whatsapp on which we can get all the data we want, and when we want.
Moreover, there are individuals who are afraid to talk in public and social media helps them get confidence by increasing their knowledge without asking for help from a physical body. Through social media, people can do research on anything they are inclined to.
Dear members, when you are far away from your family and relatives, yet want to interact with them, then social media plays a bigger role in that arena. You can always connect through one of the interacting apps and make high-quality videos or voice calls to your family and close ones without putting in much effort or money.
At last, when you require certain item but don’t want to go out, social media helps you in carrying out the tasks that would have taken multiple hours in the first place. Summing up all my points, I will say that Social Media is good for all.
Thank you
Question 7.
There was a time when children could be seen playing outdoor games like Hide and Seek, Football etc. But now-a-days they are very much pre-occupied with chatting on mobiles, surfing the internet and watching TV Outdoor games are very necessary as they keep one physically fit. Write a speech to be delivered in the morning assembly on ‘Games are very necessary for holistic growth’ in about 120-150 words. (5 marks)
Answer:
Games Are Very Necessary For Holistic Growth:
Good morning respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends. Today, I, Arpita Mittal of class XI-B stand before you to present my views on ‘Games are very necessary for holistic growth.’
Holistic growth focuses on the fullest development of the student, encouraging students to become the very best or finest that they can be and enabling them to experience all they can from life and reach their goals.
Physical activity is vital to the holistic development of young people, fostering their physical social and emotional health. The benefits of sport reach beyond the impact on physical well-being and the value of educational benefits of sports should not be underestimated. Children in the earlier days always enjoyed playing outdoor games like Hide and Seek, Football, Cricket, etc. But now children rather love to stay indoors stuck with their internet, TV and mobiles which do not keep them physically fit.
Outdoor games or activities are a vital avenue for young people to learn and develop life skills. Physical education and sports have strong influence on inclusion and community building, character-building, delinquency etc. So I would strongly suggest that games are very necessary for holistic growth or for an overall development.
Thank you.
Question 8.
Rearrange the following words or phrases to make meaningful sentences: (1 x 3 = 3)
(a) the/Indian/English/exploited/the/farmers
Answer:
The English exploited the Indian farmers.
(b) pay/the/had to/poor farmers/high taxes/very
Answer:
The poor farmers had to pay very high taxes.
(c) the class / at once / ordered / you / are / to leave
Answer:
You are ordered to leave the class at once.
Question 9.
Choose the best word from the options given to complete the following passage. (1/2 x 8 = 4)
Pampore, a small town (a) …………….. the banks of the river Jhelum, near Srinagar, is the main centre (b) …………….. saffron cultivation in India. The best saffron (c) …………….. from Spain, which is the world’s largest producer. Saffron, the (d) …………….. spice in the world, is known as ‘kesar’ in (e) …………….. parts of India. It adds a golden colour to food and gives it (f) …………….. unique flavour. Moreover, (g) …………….. saffron goes a long way – for example, (h) …………….. half a teaspoon is sufficient to flavour a litre of kheer.
(a) (i) in (ii) on (iii) from (iv) between
(b) (i) for (ii) from (iii) in (iv) to
(c) (i) is coming (ii) will come (iii) comes (iv) came
(d) (i) much expensive (ii) more expensive (iii) most expensive (iv) expensive
(e) (i) other (ii) another (iii) every (iv) each
(f) (i) the (ii) a (iii) an (iv) any
(g) (i) a few (ii) the few (iii) a little (iv) the little
(h) (i) lesser than (ii) less than (iii) least than (iv) lesser
Answer:
(a) (2) led
(b) (3) had expected
(c) (2) was ruled
(d) (2) be taken
(e) (1) striking
(f) (1) found
(g) (3) was prepared
(h) (1) had brought.
Section – C
Literature (31 marks)
Question 10.
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow (any two) (1 x 3 = 3)
All three stood to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera.
(a) Who are ‘all three’ in the poem? (1)
(i) Poet’s sisters
(ii) Poet and her cousins
(iii) Poet’s mother and her two cousins
(iv) Poet’s brothers
Answer:
(iii) Poet’s mother and her two cousins
(b) Why were they smiling? (1)
(i) They were smiling because they were posing for the photograph.
(ii) They were smiling because they were happy to be at the sea.
(iii) They were smiling because they were having fun.
(iv) All of the above
Answer:
(iv) All of the above
(c) Whose uncle is referred to in the poem? (1)
Answer:
Poet’s mother’s uncle is referred here.
OR
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!
(a) Who ‘did not act so lovingly’? (1)
(i) Poet’s parents
(ii) Poet’s friends
(iii) Adults around the poet
(iv) Poet’s teachers
Answer:
(iii) Adults around the poet
(b) About which day poet is talking? (1)
(i) The day poet loses his book
(ii) The day poet loses his pencil
(iii) The day poet loses his car
(iv) The day poet loses his childhood
Answer:
(iv) The day poet loses his childhood
(c) Name the poet (1)
Answer:
Markus Natten
Commonly Made Errors:
- The most commonly made errors pertain to grammar and spellings
- The second most commonly made errors pertain to the wrong perception and expression of the poetic devices. One must first explain what a poetic device is, such as simile, metaphor, allusion and so on, and then explain their usage in the context of the poem.
Answering Tips:
- Read the poem thoroughly-more than once, if necessary-to grasp the gist of each stanza
- Do not rely on paraphrases
- Note the use of words and expressions
- Find out the context of the poem
- Try to understand meanings of words in context. Remember, poetic meaning of a word may be different from the actual meaning. Also, sometimes certain words may undergo such poetic modifications for the sake of rhythm, which is not generally seen in prose.
Question 11.
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow. (1 x 3 = 3)
A. The turns became sharper and the ride bumpier, Tsetan now in third gear as we continued to climb. The track moved away from the icy river, labouring through steeper slopes that sported big rocks daubed with patches of bright orange lichen.
Question 1.
Who is the author of these lines?
(A) Khushwant Singh
(B) Nick Middleton
(C) Terence Rattigan
(D) Nani Palkhivala
Answer:
(B) Nick Middleton
Question 2.
What was there beneath the rocks?
(A) Icy river
(B) Hunks of snow
(C) Orange lichen
(D) Red roses
Answer:
(B) Hunks of snow
Question 3.
Who was driving the car?
(A) The narrator
(B) Nick Middleton
(C) Tsetan
(D) Kyangu
Answer:
(C) Tsetan
OR
B. With land under my feet again, my thoughts were full of Larry and Herbie, cheerful and optimistic under the direst stress,and of Mary, who stayed at the wheel for all those crucial hours. Most of all, I thought of a seven-year-old girl, who did not want us to worry about a head injury (which subsequently took six minor operations to remove a recurring blood clot between skin and skull), and of a six-year old boy who was not afraid to die.
Question 1.
How did the girl get a head injury?
(A) The girl fell overboard from the ship.
(B) The girl tripped while running on the ship.
(C) The ship got caught in storm.
(D) The ship was attacked by sharks.
Answer:
(C) The ship got caught in storm.
Question 2.
Who were Larry and Herbie?
(A) The friends of the narrator
(B) The American and the Swiss crewmen
(C) The captains who came for rescue
(D) The island people who helped narrator and his family
Answer:
(B) The American and the Swiss crewmen
Question 3.
Which word in the passage means ‘terrible’?
(A) Direst
(B) Crucial
(C) Recurring
(D) Afraid
Answer:
(A) Direst
Question 12.
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow: (1 x 4 = 4)
A. The workmen went and built the thing
They did so since he was the king
The King rode down the thoroughfare
To edify spectators there
Question 1.
What does ‘thing’ in line 1 refer to?
(A) Black
(B) Thoroughfare
(C) Arch
(D) Highway
Answer:
(C) Arch
Question 2.
What kind of king was he?
(A) Just and placid
(B) Cruel
(C) Kind
(D) Wise
Answer:
(A) Just and placid
Question 3.
What did the architect remind the king of?
(A) That he had given the orders to build the arch
(B) That he had made amendments to the plans
(C) That the workmen had committed the mistake
(D) That his crown had not touched the arch.
Answer:
(B) That he had made amendments to the plans
Question 4.
The rhyme scheme of the given lines is __________.
(A) abab
(B) aabb
(C) abcb
(D) abba
Answer:
(B) aabb
OR
B. I rubbed it. My fingers grew warm from rubbing. I followed the lines of the pattern. Somewhere on the edge there should be a burn mark that had never been repaired.
‘My mother’ll be back soon/ said the girl. ‘I’ve already made tea for her. Will you have a cup?’ ‘Thank you.’
Question 1.
What was the author rubbing?
(A) Woollen cardigan
(B) Woollen table cloth
(C) Silver fork
(D) Cloth elastic
Answer:
(B) Woollen table cloth
Question 2.
How did the narrator discover for certain that ‘it’ was hers ?
(A) Because of its colour
(B) Because of the fabric used
(C) Because of a tea stain
(D) Because of a burnt edge
Answer:
(D) Because of a burnt edge
Question 3.
In which room did the incident take place?
(A) Bed room
(B) Drawing room
(C) Diningroom
(D) Living room
Answer:
(D) Living room
Question 4.
When did the girl’s mother return?
(A) Half an hour
(B) An hour
(C) Six hours
(D) Not given in the story
Answer:
(D) Not given in the story
Question 13.
Answer the following questions in 40-50 words each.: (3 x 3 = 9 marks)
(a) What happens to the laburnum tree after the goldfinch flies away?
OR
How did the poet look at the rain? What did he ask it?
(b) What preparations did the author and his wife make for their round-the-world sea voyage?
OR
Who was King Tut? What happened when his mummy was being CT scanned ? What did the tourists do?
(c) How does Mrs. Pearson propose to spend the evening? Is her proposal acceptable to the family?
OR
What dilemma did Andrew face when the child was born?
Answer:
(a) After singing, the goldfinch flies away into the infinite. The laburnum tree becomes silent and quiet again. Emptiness comes to it and it becomes as dead (silent) as it was earlier.
OR
The poet looked at the rain as ‘the soft falling shower’. The showers were falling very lightly producing a soft music. The poet was fascinated and asked who she was.
(b) The narrator planned to go on a round-the-world sea voyage on the same pattern as Captain James Cook had done 200 years earlier. For the past 16 years, he and his wife had spent all their leisure time developing and improving their skills with work related to travel on the sea. They had tested their boat ‘Wavewalker’ in the roughest weather also.
OR
King Tut was just a teenager when he died. He was the last heir of a powerful family that ruled Egypt and its empire for centuries. He was laid to rest laden with gold and forgotten. In 1922, Howard Carter discovered his mummy and startling facts about him came to light. When his mummy was CT scanned on January 5, 2005, an angry wind began to blow. Dark clouds appeared in the sky.
The tourists gazed at the murals on the walls in his burial chamber. They peered at the gilded face. Some tourists stood silently. They wondered if the Pharaoh’s curse-death or misfortune falling upon those who disturbed him-was really true. But except for a change in the weather nothing happened.
(c) Mrs. Pearson proposes that they would have a nice family game of rummy. Then children could get the supper ready while she has a talk with their father. Then looking sharply at the family, she asks them if they have any objection. All speak in one voice that it suits them. Thus, Mrs. Pearson finally succeeds in keeping the family home that evening.
OR
The Morgans were expecting their first child after twenty years of their marriage. The child was stillborn and lifeless. The mother was in a desperate state and in immediate need of doctor’s attention. Now, Andrew was in a dilemma. He wanted to attend both of them and save them.
Question 14.
Answer the question in about 120-150 words: (6 marks)
What is the reaction of Doris and Cyril to the unusual behaviour of their mother?
OR
Justify the title of the poem, “The Tale of Melon City”.
Answer:
Both Doris and Cyril are astonished at the unusual behaviour of their mother. She has always been very kind and affectionate, meek and submissive. But now she is very cold and indifferent, and seems to be in a defiant mood. She has not bothered to get tea ready for them and asks them to help themselves.
When Doris asks her to iron her yellow silk, mother refuses to oblige. She has not cared to put Cyril’s things out though she had promised that morning to look through them in case there was any mending. They are astonished to hear that mother, who has been running after them all the time taking their orders, now proposes to work forty hours a week and have two days off from household chores.
They stand there to see her going to the kitchen to fetch stout for herself. As far as they know her she has never tasted stout. They thought that they had done something wrong and mother was offended by them. But now they realise there is something wrong with the mother. Doris thinks mother might have hit her head and got some violent shock, but her idea seems too far-fetched to Cyril. Nevertheless, they laugh to think how she would behave when Dad comes home.
OR
The poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’ has a quite significant ending. It has a direct bearing on the title. The end reveals that the incidents took place, long ago. It throws light on the old custom of the state to choose their ruler. Confronted with the dilemma, the ministers took the easy way out. The person who passed the City Gate was to name the next King.
It was a chance for an idiot who gave the standard answer ‘a melon’ to every question. Therefore, the melon was crowned the King, carried to the throne and respectfully set down there. The people are not at all ashamed to have a melon as their King. They say that if he rejoices in being a melon, that’s all right with them. They find no fault with him as long as he leaves them to enjoy their peace, freedom and free trade. The capital city is called Melon City after the King.
Question 15.
Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (6 marks)
Give a brief account of the author’s visit to the medical college at Darchen and the effect of the Tibetan medicines on him.
OR
Describe what Gaitonde read about the battle of Panipat in the library of the Town Hall. What were the immediate consequences?
Answer:
At first the author was impressed neither by the building of the medical college nor by the Tibetan doctor. The building looked like a monastery. The consulting room was dark and cold. The paraphernalia of a doctor. The doctor himself appeared like any other Tibetan in a thick-pullover and wooly hat. He had no white coat on him. The author explained his sleepless symptoms and sudden aversion to lying down.
While feeling his pulse, the Tibetan doctor asked the author some questions. He diagnosed his illness as a cold and effects of the altitude. By now the author had developed some confidence in the doctor. He asked if he would recover enough to be able to do the Kora. The doctor assured him that he would be fine.
The doctor gave him a five day course of Tibetan medicine in fifteen screws of paper. The after breakfast package contained a brown powder. The author took it with hot water. The lunch time and bed time packages contained small spherical brown small pills. They looked like sheep dung, but the author took them. He found the medicines quite effective. After his first full day’s course, he slept soundly at night.
OR
At the Town Hall library, he read that the Battle of Panipat was won by the Marathas. Abdali was routed and chased back to Kabul. The book, however, did not give a blow by blow account of the battle. It elaborated in detail its consequences for the power struggle. The victory established Maratha supremacy in northern India.
The East India Company shelved its expansionist programme. The influence of the Peshwas increased and the trouble maker Dada Saheb was relegated to the background. The East India Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. For political reasons, the Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal regime alive in Delhi. The Marathas understood the importance of technological age dawning in Europe. They set up their own centres for science and technology.
Commonly Made Errors:
- The most commonly made errors pertain to grammar and spellings
- The second most commonly made errors pertain to the wrong interpretation of the plot-structure and the character sketches.
- Mixing up the names of the different places, i.e., mentioning the wrong place in the context of the wrong event.
Answering Tips:
- Read the story thoroughly-more than once, if necessary-to grasp the gist
- Do not rely on paraphrases
- Note the character traits of both the major and the minor characters
- Find out the context of the story. This will help to understand the sub-themes
- Focus on the narrative style of the story.