Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 English with Solutions Set 3 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 English Set 3 with Solutions
Time Allowed : 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions :
-
The Question paper is divided into three sections:
Section A: Reading (26 – marks)
Section B: Grammar and Creative Writing Skills 23 marks (23 – marks)
Section C: Literature (31 marks) - All questions are compulsory.
- You may attempt any section at a time.
- All questions of that particular section must be attempted in the correct order.
Section – A (26 marks)
(Reading Skills)
1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: (10)
1. We live in an age of wonders and miracles. It has been called the ‘Age of Science’ and different aspects of our life that changed in the preceding centuries have been attributed to science. This is completely true, but it is only one side of the coin. The flip side is that as we have advanced more in the field of technology, something fundamental to humanity has been left behind. Values such as empathy and concern for our fellow human beings are gradually being eroded due to the onslaught of our ever-evolving lifestyles, aided by the marvels of technological advancements
2. Take the example of the Internet. On the one hand, access to information and knowledge at the click of a button is a veritable boon to everyone (especially students) and this has made our lives much simpler. On the other hand, it has severely limited actual contact with teachers, friends and elders. Thus, the learning that a person gains is incomplete as he or she cannot easily take the advice that another person can give on the basis of knowledge and practical experience that is at his or her disposal.
3. Today, a small child can access and navigate the Internet with an ease that still astounds those from the older generation. But what is even more astounding is the neglect of the basic human traits of friendship, relationships and family values. Owing to all the technological advancements and the gadgets available today, children often miss out on the most enriching childhood experiences such as playing outdoor games with friends, which apart from being immensely enjoyable and physically exhilarating, also develop traits such as teamwork and discipline at an early age.
4. But now when the concept of friends is gradually being limited to virtual friends on social networking sites, one shudders to think of the implications for the personality development of a child because the time spent with computers or mobile phones for entertainment can never really substitute for the holistic benefits of outdoor play. Such examples can be found in plenty.
5. Now if we compare the hustle and bustle of modern city life and the peace and calm of a rustic village life, we can see that in cities, life is a race with a variety of factors. It is a race that everyone tries their level best to win, but nobody actually wins as it never ends.
6. As for me, I think this age of rapid development has created at least as many problems as it has solved, if not more. The reason is that the basic goal of life, which should be the pursuit of happiness, has now been replaced by the pursuit of money. Money and happiness are considered analogous in our present society, but they actually are not so. In this mindless pursuit of money, nobody has time now to appreciate the beauty of life, which consists not of multi- billion-dollar skyscrapers, but a simple act of kindness to someone in a time of need.
7. So there is an urgent need to stop for a moment and think about where we are actually heading, is it development or destruction? Do we have to wait until people have grown so much apart from each other that we cannot see the suffering of our own species due to our mindless greed, or can we still mend our ways?
8. To answer this question, I will take the help of that most magnificent of human feelings-hope. I sincerely wish that we, as the most intelligent species on earth, would take our fair share of responsibility and sincerely think about the path we should follow. Though mankind will possibly last for a long time thanks to its determination and sheer ingenuity, we have to make sure we do not lose our humanity somewhere along the way.
A. On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option. (1×6 = 6)
Question 1.
According to the passage, it is like one side of the coin to say that life has changed owing to science as
(A) age of science has brought wonders and miracles.
(B) different aspects of life have changed due to science.
(C) there is another side of the coin to look at.
(D) this side of coin is true and sufficient to look at.
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: There is also a flip side to the technology because we have advanced more in the field of technology and left behind humanity.
Question 2.
Which of the following is not true about the internet?
(A) It provides an easy access to information and knowledge.
(B) It has made our lives simpler.
(C) It has limited actual contact with teachers and friends.
(D) It can easily give advice based on personal experience.
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: Internet does not provide personal advice.
Question 3.
Internet hampers the holistic growth of a child by ……………..
(A) encouraging human traits of friendship, society and family.
(B) enriching childhood experiences of outdoor games.
(C) providing virtual friends and gadgets.
(D) developing teamwork and discipline.
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: Children get so addicted to virtual friends and gadgets that they miss out on the most enriching childhood experiences.
Question 4.
According to the passage, true happiness lies in ………
(A) simple acts of kindness
(B) rapid development
(C) multi-billion-dollar skyscrapers
(D) pursuit of money
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: True happiness lies in a simple act of kindness and not mindless pursuit of money.
Question 5.
The word ‘veritable’ in para 2 means:
(A) Actual
(B) Big
(C) Latest
(D) Perfect
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: Veritable in para 2 means big or exciting.
Question 6.
Antonym of holistic is
(A) Agonistic
(B) Individualistic
(C) Optimistic
(D) Pessimistic
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: Holistic means dealing with or treating the whole of something or someone and not just a part whereas Individualistic means more interested in individual people than in society as a whole.
B. Answer the following questions as briefly as possible. (Do any 4) (1×4 = 4)
1. It has severely limited actual contact with …………….
2. Money and …………… are considered analogous in our present society but they actually are not so.
3. We cannot see the suffering of our own species due to our …………….
4. I will take the help of that most magnificent of human feeling …………….
5. ……………. will probably last for a longer period of time.
Answer:
1. teachers, friends and elders
2. happiness
3. mindless greed
4. hope
5. mankind
2. Read the following passage carefully and then answer the following questions. (1×8 = 8)
The Global Teacher Prize
The Global Teacher Prize is a US 1 million award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession. A few years ago, an educational charity called the Varkey Foundation was concerned that many problems around the world are caused by lack of education. They decided to ask Populus, a leading research company, to find out more, by comparing education in countries around the world.
One section was on how teaching compares with other professions. Their investigation also covered many other key topics, such as are children encouraged to become teachers. The results of this survey, published in 2013, shocked the chairman of the Varkey Foundation, whose parents had both been teachers. Therefore, in the same year, he decided to establish the Global Teacher Prize, with the overall intention of raising the profile of the teaching profession. The first prize was awarded in 2015.
The process of choosing a winner is a lengthy one. People can name a teacher they know, or a teacher can apply themselves. In the first year, teachers from 127 different countries were nominated, and over 5,000 applications were received. After the closing date, a team of judges carefully selects 10 finalists, who gather in Dubai for an exciting event where the award is presented.
The winner in the first year was Nancie At well, a teacher from the USA, and media interest in her success was enormous. After accepting her prize, Nancie gave a speech in which she talked about the fact that as a teacher you can make a real difference to students’ lives. Nancie discovered a love of books when she was a child, and went on to become an English teacher. Like many other teachers, she enjoys the chance to be creative in he classroom. She developed a technique called the writing-reading workshop, which she first described in her bpok ‘In The Middle’.
The 2016 competition was also a great success. The award was presented to a primary school teacher called Hanan A1 Hroub. She developed her own specialist teaching approach, which is based on developing trusting and friendly relationships with students, paying attention to their individual needs, and above all, rewarding positive behaviour.
She wrote about this in her book ‘We Play and Learn’, which has inspired other teachers to review the way they teach. Would you consider going into the teaching profession? After all, no two days are the same, which is what attracts many to teaching in the first place. Perhaps the Global Teacher Prize can inspire more people to try to become the Outstanding teachers of the future!
A teacher’s average working week
Registration 1.5 hours
Teaching classes 25 hours
Pryparing lessons 5 hours
Marking homework/coursework 9 hours
Meetings 1.5 hours
Administration 2.5 hours
School duty 2 hours
Question 1.
Which organisation carried out a survey into education?
(A) Populas
(B) Global Teacher
(C) Varkey Foundation
(D) Play and Learn
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: A few years ago, an educational charity called the Varkey Foundation was concerned that many problems around the world are caused by lack of education. They decided to ask Populus, a leading research company, to find out more, by comparing education in countries around the world.
Question 2
What questions did the education survey include?
(A) how teaching is compared with other professions
(B) whether children are encouraged to become teachers
(C) both (A) and (B)
(D) neither (A) nor (B)
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: One section was on how teaching compares with other professions. Their investigation also covered many other key topics, such as are children encouraged to become teachers.
Question 3
When was the Global Teacher Prize set up?
(A) 2012
(B) 2013
(C) 2015
(D) 2016
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The results of this survey, published in 2013, shocked the chairman of the Varkey Foundation, whose parents had both been teachers. Therefore, in the same year, he decided to establish the Global Teacher Prize, with the overall intention of raising the profile of the teaching profession.
Question 4
What is the main aim of the Global Teacher Prize?
(A) making teaching popular
(B) to arouse media’s interest
(C) making teaching interesting
(D) raising profile of teaching
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: Global Teacher Prize was given with the overall intention of raising the profile of the teaching profession.
Question 5
How many teachers entered for the prize in the first year?
(A) 1,000
(B) 2,000
(C) over 5,000
(D) 5,000
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: In the first year, teachers from 127 different countries were nominated, and over 5,000 applications were received.
Question 6.
Where does the prize ceremony take place?
(A) Dubai
(B) USA
(C) UK
(D) London
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: After the closing date, a team of judges carefully selects 10 finalists, who gather in Dubai for an exciting event where the award is presented.
Question 7.
What was the name of Nancie At well’s teaching method?
(A) Writing-Reading Workshop
(B) Reading-Writing Workshop
(C) Play and Learn
(D) None of these
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: She developed a technique called the writing-reading workshop, which she first described in her book ‘In The Middle’.
Question 8.
What does Hanan AI Hroub believe it is most important to focus on while teaching?
(A) Developing trust
(B) Paying attention to individual needs
(C) Rewarding positive behavior
(D) All of these
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: The 2016 competition was also a great success. The award was presented to a primary school teacher called Hanan Al Hroub. She developed her own specialist teaching approach, which is based on developing trusting and friendly relationships with students, paying attention to their individual needs, and above all, rewarding positive behavior.
3. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. Reading Comprehension (RC) is the most peculiar section in almost all scholastic, entrance and employment tests. The skills in RC make a lot of difference in one’s chances of good grades/selection.
2. Most students find it difficult to tackle topics that are diverse from the field they are in or from which they are comfortable with. So one needs to develop a taste for even the most obscure and boring topic on this planet. For success in RC one should be able to understand it. And even with an average speed, one can succeed if one implements the strategies.
3. Broadly speaking, RC passages can be classified in a few categories. Fact based RC is the simplest form of RC. These types of passages have a lot of information in the form of names, numbers, etc. In these types of passages, one should read very fast. Don’t try to memorise any facts. Just mark what the author is talking about in each paragraph.
4. Inference based RC is the toughest form of RC. Here, the passage is fairly tough to understand. This includes passages on topics like religion, spirituality, philosophy etc. Most of the students will be comfortable attempting these passages. The way to master them is to read them again and again.
5. Topic based RC includes passages on any particular topic like economics, astrology, medical sciences, etc. Generally what makes these passages difficult is usage of technical terms. For success in these types of passages, we need to have a fair understanding of the definition of the term if it is defined in the passage. Assume them to be non-existent and proceed. The key principle in these passages is that don’t go to the next line until the previous line is clear.
6. Reading the question first and then passage is the usual strategy followed by a few students. They just look at the questions and not options. The objective is that after seeing the questions when you read the passage then you read only that part carefully where the answer is given. The flaw with this strategy is that you will not be able to remember all the questions. Besides this, the strategy fails when there are questions that require understanding of the passage. Therefore, the best way to attempt an RC is to understand the passage very well first and then to answer the questions.
(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)
(b) Make a short summary of the passage in about 50 words. (3)
Answer:
(a) Comprehension Passages
1. Reading comprehension
1.1. Most peculiar section
1.2. In almost all tests
1.3. Make a lot of difference in getting good grades
2. Classification of comprehension passages:
2.1. Fact based passages
2.1.1. Simplest form of passages
2.1.2. Have lots of information
2.2. Inference based RC
2.2.1. Toughest form of passages
2.2.2. Based on topics like religion philosophy, etc.
2.2.3. Easy to attempt
2.3. Topic based RC
2.3.1 Based on a particir topic
2.3.2 Needs fair understanding
3. Usual strategy of students:
3.1. First look at questions
32. Then read the passage
3.3. Not a good strategy
4. Best way to solve RC:
4.1. Understand the passage
4.2. Answer the ques.
(b) Summary
Reading Comprehension is the most peculiar section which can be found in almost all tests. It makes a lot of difference in getting good grades. Comprehension passages can be classified into fact based passages, inference based passage’s and topic based passages. Inference based passages are the easiest to attempt. The usual strategy of students is to first look at the questions. then read the passage and answer them. But this is not a good strategy. One must read and understand the passage first and then answer the questions.
Section – B (23 marks)
(Grammar and Creative Writing Skills)
Grammar [7 Marks]
4. Fill in blanks with the appropriate option given below. Do any four. (1×4=4)
Asaf Khan who (i) ……………. the expedition against the city, (ii) …………….. that the little country which (iii) …………. by a woman would (iv) ………… very easily without (v) ………. even a blow.
(i) (a) had led (b) led (c) was leading (d) has led
(ii) (a) expected (b) has been expecting (c) had expected (d) was expected
(iii) (a) rule (b) was ruled (c) is ruled (d) was ruling
(iv) (a) was taken (b) be taken (c) will be taken (d) is taking
(v) (a) striking (b) is striking (c) has been striking (d) has struck
Answer:
(i) (b) led (ii) (c) had expected (iii) (b) was ruled (iv) (b) be taken (v) (a) striking
5. Choose the correct option. (3×1=3)
A. he/my/letter/received/must have/by/now.
(a) He must have received my letter by now.
(b) He must have now received by my letter.
(c) He must have received by now my letter.
(d) He by now must have received my letter.
Answer:
(i) Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The correct option is (A) because it follows the standard English word order for this type of sentence, which is “subject + modal verb (must have) + past participle (received) + object + adverb (by now).” The sentence conveys the idea that it is likely the person has already received the letter.
B. stories/ he/ wrote/ few/ that/ romantic/ very/ are/ the
(a) He wrote that the few stories are very romantic.
(b) The few stories that he wrote are very romantic.
(c) The few stories he wrote that are very romantic.
(d) He wrote the few stories that are very romantic.
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The correct option is (B) because it presents a clear and grammatically correct sentence. It uses the correct relative clause “that he wrote” to The correct option is (b) because it presents a clear and grammatically correct sentence. It uses the correct relative clause “that he wrote” to modify “the few stories,” and the placement of “very romantic” after “are” makes the sentence flow naturally.
C. you/would/when/meet/her/she/know did not.
(a) She did not know when you would meet her.
(b) You did not know when would she meet her.
(c) You did not know when she would meet her.
(d) She did not know when would you meet her.
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The correct option is (A) as it is the correct word order for the sentence. The subject “She” is followed by the negative form “did not know,” and then the subordinate clause “when you would meet her” provides the additional information about the time of the meeting.
Creative Writing Skills [16 Marks]
Question 6.
You are the General Manager of a leading company. You need a Chartered Accountant for your office. Draft an advertisement in not more than 50 words to be published in the Times of India, New Delhi, under the classified columns. (3)
Answer:
Creative Writing Skills
Situation Vacant
Required an experienced Chartered Accountant, male/female, computer savvy, salary no bar for the deserving candidate. Interested candidates may contact the General Manager at ABC Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi 9453xxxxx
OR
You are in need of a job. Draft a classified advertisement offering your services.
Answer:
Situation Wanted
An Electronics and Communication Engineer, 30, female with 5 years experience at S.K. Engineering Works, looking for a suitable job in Delhi NCR in an electronics or Communications company. Ready to join immediately. For further details contact : +91-9825XXXX.
Question 7.
Design a poster for your School Fete. You may use slogans. Do not exceed more than 50 words. (3)
Answer:
OR
Imagining yourself to be the organiser of an “Abolish Child Labour Campaign”, create a poster highlighting the points of educating every child, free and compulsory till 14 years, child labour being illegal, etc. Do not exceed the word limit of 50 words.
Answer:
Stop Child Labour
- Children are the future of our country
- Give them proper education
- Provide them healthy environment
- Let them grow
- Be kind to them
Dont allow them:
- To work in factories
- To pull rickshaw
- To work in hotels/ restaurants
Issued by: Children Welfare Society Bhopal
Question 8.
Youngsters can perform a significant role in curbing corruption. Write a speech to be given in the morning assembly on the same topic. (5)
You may include points like:
- Education the need of the hour
- Saying no to donations
- Saying no to private tuitions
- Promoting merit based selection
- Equipping oneself with high education
Answer:
Role of Youth in Curbing Corruption
Respected Principal, teachers and my fellow students, good morning to all. Today, I, Anita Verma of class XI, am going to present my views on the “Role of youth in curbing Corruption”. Corruption is a habit and hence everyone who is in important position, is susceptible to it.
There are people who are ready to compete for those jobs with greater chances of corruption and those who don’t have the chance, expect to minimise the corruption apo keep complaining about it. But prevention and eradication of corruption is an absolute requirement for better public life. The youth has to rise at their personal level in the fight against corruption, as it is a matter of individual’s integrity.
Education is the key to eradicate corruption. Young people must say ‘No’ to donations and private tuitions. We must promote a system of selection for jobs based on merit rather than based on bribes. Higher education is the key to eradicating corruption from our nation. It is ultimately the question of building national character.
National character is nothing hut the collective awareness combined with braveness. The youth should not allow themselves to become money making machines. We must take a pledge today to end corruption at all levels.
Thank you
OR
The progress of a nation depends on empowering the women. Obsessed with this idea, write a speech for the Youth Conclave on the topic, ‘Empowering the women’.
Answer:
Empowering the Women
Respected Chairperson participants and my dear audience, good morning to all. Today, I, Anita Verma, am here in this Youth Conclave to present my views on the topics Empowering the Women’. Women are the foundation of a society. They are the ones on whom the progress of a nation depends.
But the women are not given their rightful place in the society. Many of them still suffer under family violence and face inferior status in the society. They are denied the basic rights—Right to education and freedom of speech. The growth and development of a nation depends on the status of equality given to the citizens. Women are not treated as equal to men. Many efforts are being made to empower the Indian women.
Still much is left to be achieved. We must realise that women too have the right to education, right to gender equality and the freedom of speech. Education will make the women self-reliant and will boost their confidence. They will become financially independent, thus leading them to the path of development. It is the need of the hour that we stop exploiting women and give them their rights.
People must show supportive attitude towards women so that they get equal opportunities to move ahead towards a better society. ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ is one scheme started by the government to educate the girl child. People must change their attitude towards women and give them their due place in the society.
Question 9.
“Our large population is not a cause of poverty but an asset, a resource.” Write a debate in 120-150 words either for or against the motion. (6 marks)
Answer:
Our Large Population is not a Cause or Poverty but an Asset
A very good morning to all the Jury Members, Friends and Fellow Opponents. Today, I XYZ of class 12, would like to express my views against the motion ‘Our large population is not a cause of poverty, but an asset.’ I will speak against the topic. Be it IT jobs, sales, HP or marketing, job hunters frantically crowd at job fairs and career seminars. The literates, skilled and semi- skilled try their hand digitally or knock at various doors for the so-called interview.
Yes, this is a fact. Dear friends, due to unchecked population, unemployment has become a serious social issue and a major challenge for the State and Central Governments. With the population reaching 1.3 billion and with more and more hungry mouths to feed, natural and man-made resources are unable to cope with the rising demand for food, shelter and clothing.
Poverty is glaring at our face even in the supersonic age. Reason? Our large population. Twenty-two per cent of population is still below the poverty line, according to official statistics. To add more, theft, kidnapping, rape, robbery and burglary in most cases are committed by the migrant labourers living in slums on the outskirts of towns and cities. Many a time, the teeming, unregistered population find their names in the voters’ list just to
be used as muscle power by unethical political leaders, creating a class of hoodlums and assassins only. With a question, I put an end to my words. Are these thieves, murderers, robbers, hoodlums and assassin’s assets? We all know the answer.
Thank you.
OR
A number of your classmates (especially those from science and commerce streams) bunk their classes in order to attend coaching centres. Write a debate in 120-150 words on ‘Tuition at coaching centres is not essential.’
Answer:
Tuition at Coaching Centres is not Essential
Good morning everyone,
Today, coaching classes have become ubiquitous in the lives ot city students. It is impossible to imagine students’ lives without them. But here the question that arises is are they really essential or more advantageous to us? Today I am going to present my views in favour of the topic Tuition at Coaching Centres is not Essential’. No, I don’t agree that we have to go to coaching centres to perform well in our exams.
In fact, going to coaching classes results in the wastage of a lot of time which we could have used for self-study. I believe that our school teachers are far better equipped to handle our syllabus and our requirements related to that. This is for the simple reason that they do not work for any other motive than for our benefit. Coaching centres, on the contrary, are only money-making machines that operate only for financial motives. I ask you how many of us can actually go to a teacher at the coaching centre and sit with him to clear our doubts, but we can always do this with our school teachers.
Our school teachers know our strengths and our weaknesses and work in accordance with that. In fact, the feedback that goes to parents from the school inspires or influences us to perform better. How many coaching centres are bothered to send our performance feedback to our parents. Performance, my friends, depends on our efforts not on coaching centres.
It depends on how well we can understand the concepts, practice those concepts, know our strengths and weakness and work on them and for all that I am sure schools are any day a better choice than coaching centres. They should re-orient their teaching towards competition, i.e., they should also impart competition oriented education in addition to the routine syllabus.
Thank you.
Section – C (31 marks)
(Literature)
Question 10.
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: (1×3 = 3)
A. In the afternoon yellow September sunlight
A few leaves yellowing, all its reeds fallen
Question 1.
Which plant is described in the poem?
(A) Apple tree
(B) Cherry tree
(C) Gulmohar tree
(D) Laburnum tree
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: The plant that is described in the poem is a laburnum tree. This is evident from the lines “In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,” and “A few leaves yellowing, all its reeds fallen.” Laburnum trees are yellow in color, and they shed their leaves in the fall.
Question 2.
Identify the poet.
(A) Shirley Toulson
(B) Ted Hughes
(C) Walt Whitman
(D) Markus Natten
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The poet who wrote the poem “The Laburnum Top” is Ted Hughes. The poem was first published in his 1957 collection of poetry, “The Hawk in the Rain.”
Question 3.
Who visited the tree?
Answer:
A goldfinch visited the tree.
Explanation: The tree was visited by goldfinch. This is evident from the lines, “A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end. A goldfinch, its wings a blur of yellow/Is perched there.” The goldfinch. is small, yellow bird that is often seen in laburnum trees.
OR
B. Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,
Question 1.
Who are in conversation?
(A) Poet and the earth
(B) Poet and the rain
(C) Poet and a stranger
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The poet and the rain are in conversation. This is evident from the lines “Which, strange to tell, gave mean answer/I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain.H The poet is asking a question, and the rain is answering.
Question 2.
Which poetic device is used in ‘I am the Poem of Earth’?
(A) Personification
(B) Paradox
(C) Alliteration
(D) Simile
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The poetic device used in ‘I am the Poem of Earth’ is personification. Personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities to inanimate objects or animals. In this case, the rain is personified as a poet, who is saying that it is the poem of Earth.
Question 3.
Name the poet.
Answer:
Walt Whitman
Explanation: The poet is Walt Whitman. He is an American poet who is best known for his long, free verse poems about nature and democracy. The poem ‘The Voice of the Rain” is one of his most famous poems.
Question 11.
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow. (1×3=3)
A. She hobbled about the house in spotless white with one hand resting on her waist to balance her stoop and the other telling the beads of her rosary. Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face, and her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer. Yes, she was beautiful. She was like the winter land scape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment.
Question 1.
Who is the author of these lines?
(A) Shirley Toulson
(B) Nani Palkhivala
(C) A. R. Williams
(D) Khushwant Singh
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: The author of these lines is Khushwant Singh. He is an Indian author who wrote the short story “The Portrait of a Lady,” The story was first published in 1960, and it is included in his 1962 collection of short stories0 “Train to Pakistan.’
Question 2.
Who is being referred to here by the author?
(A) His grandmother
(B) His mother
(C) His wife
(D) His elder sister
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The author is referring to his grandmother in these Lines. This is evident from the lines ‘She hobbled about the house” and “Her silver locks were scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face.” The authors grandmother was a short, old woman with white hair.
Question 3.
What was the colour of the dress she used to wear?
(A) Black
(B) White
(C) Red
(D) Blue
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: The dress that the grandmother used to wear was spotless white. This is evident from the lines “She hobbled about the house in spotless white.” The author’s grandmother was a devout Hindu, and she often wore white clothes as a sign of purity.
OR
B. The night dragged on with an endless, bitterly cold routine of pumping, steering and working the radio. We were getting no replies to our Mayday calls – which was not surprising in this remote corner of the world.
Question 1.
Who are the authors of these lines?
(A) Gordon Cook and Alan East
(B) Khushwant and Williams
(C) Nathalie and Nani Palkhivala
(D) None of these
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The lines are taken from the “We’re Not Afraid to Die If We Can All Be Together” written by Gordon Cook and Alan East.
Question 2.
Which incident is being described here?
(A) Journey to reach Cape of Good Hope
(B) Journey across the Indian Ocean
(C) Journey across the Pacific Ocean
(D) Journey across the Mediterranean Sea
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The incident being described here is the authors’ journey across the Indian Ocean in a small boat. The journey was fraught with danger, and the authors were forced to make several Mayday calls when they encountered problems.
Question 3.
What does ‘Mayday’ refer to?
(A) Blood needed signal
(B) Pleasure signal
(C) Distress signal
(D) Death signal
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: The word “Mayday” is a distress signal that is used by ships and aircraft in distress. It is derived from the French phrase “m’aider,” which means “help me.”
Question 12.
Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow. (1×4=4)
A. Nobody could understand where we ever got money enough to keep us with food in our bellies, not even the old men of the family. Most important of all, though, we were famous for our honesty. We had been famous for our honesty for something like eleven centuries, even when we had been the wealthiest family in what we liked to think was the world.
Question 1.
Who is the author of these lines?
(A) Marga Minco
(B) William Saroyan
(C) Masti Venkatesha Iyenger
(D) Patrick Pringle
Answer:
Option (B) Is correct.
Explanation: The author of these lines is William Saroyan. He is an American-Armenian author who wrote short stones, novels, and plays. The passage is from his short story “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse.”
Question 2.
What was the main problem of Aram’s tribe?
(A) Population
(B) Unemployment
(C) Poverty
(D) Illiteracy
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: The main problem of Aram’s tribe was poverty. They were a poor family, and they often struggled to make ends meet.
Question 3.
Virtues of which tribe are being mentioned?
(A) Garoghlanian
(B) Garolanian
(C) Garo
(D) Garoglanian
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The virtues of the Garoghianian tribe are being mentioned. The Garoghianians were a proud and honest people, and they were known for their integrity.
Question 4.
What was not a virtue of this tribe?
(A) Pride
(B) Honesty
(C) Theft
(D) Clarity
Answer:
Option (C) is correct.
Explanation: Theft was not a virtue of the Garoghianian tribe. The Garoghianians were honest people, and they would never steal from others.
OR
B. ‘There is my daughter,’ said my mother. She beckoned to me.
The woman nodded and picked up the suitcase under the coat-rack. She wore a brown coat and a shapeless hat.
‘Does she live far away?’ I asked, seeing the difficulty she had going out of the house with the heavy case.
Question 1.
From which story has this passage been taken?
(A) The Address
(B) Mother’s Day
(C) Birth
(D) None of these
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The passage is from the story The Address’ by Marga Minco. The story is about a young woman who returns to her home after the war to find that her mother has been living with a woman named Mrs. Dorling. The woman in the passage is Mrs. Dorling.
Question 2.
What was the woman carrying in the suitcase?
(A) Gold
(B) Silver
(C) Platinum
(D) Diamond
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The woman was carrying the narrators mothers belongings, which had been stored at Mrs.Dorling’s house during the war which were mostly silver.
Question 3.
Why didn’t the narrator object to Mrs. Dorling’s activities in time?
(A) She was silenced by her mother.
(B) She had come back to her home only during holidays.
(C) She was shy to confront others.
(D) She was indifferent about the activities of Mrs. Dorling.
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The narrator is young and inexperienced, and she does not want to upset her mother. She is also afraid of what Mrs. Dorling might do if she objects to her activities.
Question 4.
Where is the story set?
(A) Germany
(B) Russia
(C) Britain
(D) Holland
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: The story is set in Holland during World War II. The narrator’s family was Jewish, and they were forced to flee their home when the Nazis invaded Holland. They hid in Mrs. Dorling’s house, and Mrs. Dorling helped them to survive.
Question 13.
Answer the following questions in 40-50 words each. (3×2=6)
(a) What problem did Carter face when he reached the mummy? How did he find a way out?
OR
What stories of the grandmother did the author treat as ‘Fables’ of the Prophets? Why?
Answer:
Carter found that the ritual resins had become quite hard. These had fixed Tut to the bottom of his solid coffin. The heat of the sun could not melt it. So, the solid resins had to be chiseled away to free the King’s remains from the box.
OR
The author treated the stories of grandmother’s youth and beauty as fables as he had always seen her old and he found it hard to accept that she could once be pretty and young.
(b) The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did her laugh indicate?
OR
Describe the scene when goldfinch with her family starts chirruping to the maximum.
Answer:
The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot of her when she was a child. This ‘laugh’ indicates her joy and youthfulness. It also indicated her innocent youthful spirit.
OR
When the goldfinch starts chirruping to the maximum, the scene becomes musical. Chittering and trilling is heard all round. The whole tree seems to be trembling and thrilling because the tree has become like a live engine of great power.
Question 14.
Answer any one of the following questions in 40-50 words each. (3×1=3)
Who was Joe Morgan? Why had he been waiting for Dr. Andrew Manson?
OR
How was the melon crowned the king of the state?
Answer:
Joe Morgan was a driller in Blaenelly, a mining town. He was a big, strong and heavy middle-aged person. Joe and his wife Susan, who had been married for nearly twenty years and were expecting their first child. Joe was waiting for the doctor to help Susan in the delivery of the child.
OR
The ministers sent out messengers to declare that the next man to pass the City Gate would choose the ruler of their state. An idiot happened to pass the gate. When asked to decide who was to be the King, he replied, “A melon”. This was his standard answer to all questions. The minister declared that a melon would be their new” ruler. They crowned the melon and it became the city king.
Question 15.
Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (6×1=6)
What made the narrator set sail from Plymouth, England in July 1976? How did he prepare for his voyage?
Answer:
The narrator’s grandmother was a true picture of love, affection and care. She had all those virtues which grandmothers generally have for their grandsons. She was highly religious but a conservative lady. The grandmother presented a picture of peace and contentment.
Her spotless white dress and her silver white hair gave her spiritual beauty. The grandmother was not physically very attractive. She had deep love and affection for her grandson. She got him ready for school. She accompanied him to his school and came back home with him. She was a very religious lady. She was always telling the beads of her rosary. She had compassion even for animals and birds.
She fed the village dogs. She took to feeding the sparrows in the city. But the grandmother was a conservative lady. She didn’t like the English language and Science. She hated music. She associated music with prostitutes and beggars.
OR
Gangadhar Pant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him. Elucidate.
Answer:
Wu Prof. Gaitonde and Khan Sahib were travelling by Jijamata Express. The train was going from Pune to Bombay. After a long tunnel, the train stopped at small station called Sarhad. Here, Khan Sahib spoke to Gaitonde. He informed him that the area of British Raj began at that station.
He asked if Gaitonde was going to Bombay for the first time. Gaitonde replied in positive because it seemed that he was in a new world where everything was different from what he had known. Gangadhar Pant, then, asked Khan Sahib how he would go to Peshawar.
Khan Sahib said that he would go to Delhi from Bombay, then to Lahore and from there to Peshawar. Thereafter, Khan Sahib spoke a lot about his business which Gangadhar Pant listened with interest. He did so because this was giving him some idea of the life of this new India he was in.
Question 16.
Answer any one of the following questions in about 120-150 words: (6×1=6)
Describe the narrator’s experience of early morning ride with his cousin Mourad in the story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse.’
Answer:
It was summer. Early one morning the narrator’s cousin Mourad came to his house. He was sitting on a beautiful white horse. He invited the narrator to enjoy a ride. The narrator got ready and leaped onto the horse behind Mourad. In less than three minutes they were in the open. The horse began to snort. They let the horse run as long as it felt like running.
Then, Mourad asked the narrator to get down as he wanted to ride alone. The narrator agreed on the condition that Mourad would let him also try to ride alone. Mourad kicked his heels into the horse. The horse stood on its hind legs, snorted, and began to run. Mourad made the horse run across a field of dry grass to an irrigation ditch.
He crossed the ditch on the horse. Five minutes later he returned. Now it was the narrator’s turn to ride alone. When he got onto the back of the horse, it ran down the road to a vineyard instead of running across the field to the irrigation ditch. It began to leap over vines. It had hardly leaped over seven vines when the narrator fell off. The horse kept running, and then disappeared. It took Mourad half an hour to trace the horse and bring it back.
OR
There lies a great difference between textbook medicine and world of practicing physician. Discuss.
Answer:
There lies a great difference between text book medicine and the world of practicing physician. Text book medicine is purely a science whereas treating a patient is an art. The world of practicing physician requires a different set of skills and knowledge.
Text book medicine no doubt provides the conceptual framework for treatment but no doctor can treat a patient without the use of his or her intuitive practices. In the story ‘Birth’, the way Andrew brings back life in the still born child is a testimony to this fact.
The nurse at first dumps the child thinking it to be dead. But Andrew takes a chance and the miracle happens. He, in the beginning, applies his text book knowledge but the child does not recover. He does not lose heart. He applies his own intuitive method and the miracle then happened. Treatment is science and beyond. It is both a science and an art. The story ‘Birth’ is a realistic fiction.
In other words, the elements of the story have been taken from real life experiences and woven in the fabric of fiction. Textbook medicine may give a physician information regarding the symptoms of an ailment and the treatment to be administered to the patient but he cannot rely on it.
While practicing he has to bring in several innovations keeping in view the complexity of the case. We observe that Andrew rightly diagnosed from the symptoms that the child was suffering from Asphyxia Pallida. It was a case of suffocation or unconsciousness caused by lack of oxygen and excess of carbon dioxide in the blood, accompanied by paleness of the skin, weak pulse and loss of reflexes. He knew treatment also and gave it to the child, but the child did not respond. Then, he used an innovation and the child recovered. A practicing physician has to use his mind along with his knowledge of text book medicines.