English Practice Paper

Class 11

Duration: 3 HRS MM: 80

General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, WRITING and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
3. Attempt all the questions and write your responses in legible handwriting.

READING (20 Marks)

1. Read the passage given below. (10)

Not too long ago, a group of teachers made a study of the students and learning problems. A
curious fact came out of this study. The teachers discovered that the students who did poorly in
subjects such as Mathematics or Art could still do very well in other subjects. But the students,
who did poorly in reading, almost did poorly in all their other courses.
II. For a while the teachers who made the study were puzzled by this, but they soon had an
answer to this puzzle. The teachers looked at the subjects that the students were failing in and
discovered that even subjects like Mathematics and Science were based on reading and
understanding.
III. Of course, there were also other skills involved such as learning to do calculations in
Mathematics class. Most of the explanations of how to do things had to be read by the
students. Much of the homework assignments required students to read long sets of directions
and tests and problems in class often involved story problems, problems that were explained in
words and had to be read and understood before they could be solved. Your success or failure in
these classes will depend on your ability to read the required material.
IV. Finally, if you go to college, almost all your study time will be spent in reading. You need
more and more information and most of the information come from the printed material you
have to read. Even if you could get tapes or movies containing all the information, you need to
know that they would not be of much help until and unless you know how to read. Magazines
and books may all be on microfilm in the next few years, but they will still have to be read. The
same is true of most of what you have to learn in school. Your school is probably not going to
throw all printed material out of the window very soon.
V. Success in school courses still depends on an ability to read and those students, who cannot
read or at least read well enough to master material, are in trouble. You are moving into a world
where every day more and more technical reading is required. Instructions for using
applications are becoming more complex. There are written instructions to follow, for food
preparations, traffic signs, travel directions and safety information, all requiring the ability to
read.
VI. Also your ability to get and keep a job is directly related to your ability to read. Even the
simplest jobs require some reading ability and many people advance to more important and
better paying jobs by getting additional knowledge and skills through reading. The more
specialized the job, the greater the need to read confidently, quickly and efficiently. Doctors
read professional journals so that they can use the latest medical knowledge in treating patients
while pharmacists have to read the prescriptions the doctors write. Lawyers spend their days
reading briefs. The number of semiskilled and professional occupations that require high
reading ability is increasing rapidly. Today a person who cannot read is almost unemployable.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any ten questions by choosing the
correct option.
i). The study of a group of teachers revealed that ............... .
(a) The students who did poorly in reading almost always did poorly in all other subjects.
(b) The students who did poorly in subjects such as Maths or Art could still do very well in other
subjects.
(c) The students who did poorly in subjects such as Maths or Art did poorly in all other subjects.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
ii). How is reading ability helping various professionals in their fields?
1. Doctors read professional journals to be abreast with the latest medical knowledge in treating
patients. 2. Pharmacists read doctor’s prescriptions.
3. Lawyers read briefs.
(a) Only 2 (b) 1 and 2 (c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) 2 and 3
iii). What is the most essential prerequisite to keep a job?
(a) One’s ability to read
(b) One’s ability to write
(c) One’s ability to hear
(d) One’s ability to speak
iv). Complete the dialogue between two friends with reference to the above passage.
Sam: Inspirational and motivational reading also helps us keeping our emotional balance.
Sunil: Very true! ...............
Sam: Exactly! Knowledge is the ultimate aim! Reading is important not only for students but for
each and every person to understand the life in its true sense.
(a) Reading helps you to get success in your studies.
(b) Reading itself is a huge source of acquiring knowledge.
(c) Reading helps you in gaining bookish knowledge.
(d) Reading opens up the world of imagination.
v). Select the option with the underlined word that can suitably replace ‘instructions’ (Para V).
(a) Military leaders command the troops to open fire.
(b) She didn’t acknowledge his order but headed toward the stairs.
(c) In July he issued a decree ordering all unofficial armed groups in the country to disband.
(d) The computer comes with a comprehensive owner manual.
vi). “The students who did poorly in reading, almost did poorly in all their other courses”
because
(a) other courses require different skill-set.
(b) other courses are difficult to read.
(c) other subjects are also based on reading.
(d) other subjects are application-based subjects.
vii). Assonance is resemblance of sound between syllables of nearby words, arising particularly
from the rhyming of two or more stressed vowels (e.g. old, cold, behold).
From the options given below, select an assonance phrase that appears in the Para I.
(a) Not too long ago
(b) A curious fact came out
(c) The teachers discovered that the
(d) Their other courses
viii). Why is reading so important in one’s life?
(a) Success in school courses still depends on an ability to read.
(b) If you go to college, almost all your study time will be spent in reading.
(c) There are written instructions to follow, for food preparations, traffic signs, travel directions
and safety information.
(d) All of the above
ix). Choose the quote that best expresses the central idea of the passage.
(a) “The best advice I ever got was that knowledge is power and to keep reading.”
(b) “Reading is like thinking, like praying, like talking to a friend etc.”
(c) “He that loves reading has everything.”
(d) “Once you learn to read, you will be free.”
x). One’s .............. in school classes depends on one’s ability to read the required material.
(a) promotion or demotion
(b) pass or fail
(c) success or failure
(d) marks
xi) Pick the word from the passage which means ‘confused or baffled’. (Para-II)
(a) puzzle
(b) discovered
(c) perplex
(d) puzzled

Read the passage given below: (10)

1. Celebrities advertising products are nothing new. In fact it has been part of our lives. Back in
the 2000‘s you could not sit through a commercial break without seeing the teen pop icon of
that time. This legacy was later continued by the most famous celebrity we know of, Beyonce.
She was paid millions to promote the carbonated drink Pepsi which outraged health advocacy
groups. Many concerned people questioned her ethics as to why she was supporting a drink
that plays a major role in causing obesity.
2. With the growing importance of social media in a shopper‘s purchase journey, companies are
evolving and stepping up the endorsement game across different channels. With celebrities
vouching for promoting their products, brands can increase awareness, trust and familiarity,
which are important variables in the purchase making decision process.
3. Consumers feel more sympathetic towards a brand, if their products are promoted by a
celebrity they admire or relate to. It is simple psychological effect. People believe that
purchasing a product that is promoted by a celebrity they admire, will allow them to emulate
the celebrity‘s desired traits or attract similar people into their lives. They will associate the
celebrity‘s success, beauty aesthetic skills etc. with a particular product.
4. A research by Nelson conducted in 2015 broke down the level of trust in advertising formats
by different generations. It found that celebrity endorsements resonate more strongly with
Generation Z (ages 15 to 20) and Millennial (ages 21-34), audiences. Brands are taking
advantage of that by increasingly utilizing the social media communities of celebrities. Social
media is a way for consumers, particularly those of younger demographics, to engage and build
intimate connections with the celebrities they follow, making the place for these celebrities to
plug a company or a product on their personal social media accounts.
5. While celebrity endorsements certainly help to attract consumers its direct influence on the
consumers‘ purchasing decisions is inconclusive. As consumers are becoming better educated
and have faster access to information, blind faith in celebrity endorsement is beginning to wane.
They will be attracted to a brand because of a celebrity but they will quickly move away if the
product does not perform. It is the quality of your product that will keep consumers coming
back, not a celebrity link.
6. A brand needs to tell consumers why a product makes sense for them as individuals and what
problem they can solve with it, not solely rely on a real-life Barbie doll, athlete or pop culture
icon. If they can‘t , their products will lose value over time and consumers will be the first one to
turn their backs.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any ten questions by choosing the
correct option.
i). According to the passage, why are celebrities questioned for brand endorsements?
a) For evasion of tax
b) For increasing health
c) For the side effects of using that brand they endorsed
d) For using wrong means to advertise the misleading data.
ii). Big brands started hiring big celebrities to endorse their brands because a) Celebrities have a
huge following
b) It increases awareness, trust and familiarity
c) It increases their profit
d) To achieve name and fame
iii). According to the passage, which category people were more influenced by celebrities while
buying a product?
a) Boomers
b) Gen Z
c) Millennial
d) Both (b) and (c)
iv). Choose the option that lists the correct answer for the following
i) Neerav is a teen who loves watching television. He exceptionally follows everything that his
favourite actor does
ii) Neelam is a working woman. She follows her favourite actress on social media, and while
making decisions she would consider keeping her favourite actress’s choice in her mind. Which
category does she fit into?
a) Neerav belongs to Gen Z and Neelam is Millennial b) Neerav and Neelam both belong to Gen
Z
c) Neerav is millennial while Neelam is a Gen X
d) Both Neerav and Neelam are millennials
v). How does Social Media help in the endorsement of a brand?
(a) it allows to engage and build connections with the celebrities
(b) it promotes that the product will make them the celebrity
(c) it gives the opportunity to reach the level of the favourite celebrity (d) it shows the quality of
the product
vi). What does the passage claim in Para ―6?
(a) There is no relationship between brands endorsements and purchase, it is majorly quality.

(b) we should focus on the quality of the product

(c) Brands must choose proper celebrities for the product
(d) Brands must steer away from false advertisements
vii). Millennial belong to the age group of
(a) 15-20 (b) 21-34 (c) 35-40 (d) 10-20
viii). Through which medium are brands taking advantage of the influence of celebrities these
days? (a) TV advertisements (b) Print Media
(c) social media (d) brand face
ix). According to the passage , brand should not rely on
(a) Real life Barbie dolls (c) Athletes
x). Which word in Para 5 means ‘decrease’?
xi) Pick the word from the passage which means opposite of ‘decisive or definite’. (Para-5)

WRITING (20 Marks)

3. Draft a poster on ‘Water Conservation Day’, 7 October, making the people aware of the need
to preserve water and to use it judiciously as the water table levels are going down day by day.
(5)
4. As the school headboy draft a notice for the school notice board informing students of classes
11th and 12th about an upcoming Lecture Series on the “Financial Literacy Amongst the Youth”
5. A new cafeteria, “Cafe Hangout” was recently established in your school. Draft and invitation
on the occasion of its inauguration inviting parents and other guests to grace the guests. (5)
6. Your school has banned the use of polythene bags as they are non-biodegradable and
harmful to every living being and the environment. But still the students are using them for
carrying things to school and also bringing packed food that has increased the amount of plastic
waste at school. As a member of the Environment Club, you feel the need to spread awareness
about the issue through an article that has been asked to deliver a speech in the morning
assembly on the topic, ‘Say No to Plastics and Polythene Bags’. Write the speech within 120-
150 words. (5)

LITERATURE (40 Marks)

6. Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow. (6)
“Now she’s been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all.
Its silence silences.”
i) Who does ‘that girl’ refer to?

(a) The poet’s dead aunt

(b) The poet’s dead mother
(c) The poet’s dead cousin
(d) The poet’s sister
ii) Why is there nothing to say about the death of the poet’s mother?
(a) Because the poet is confused
(b) Because the poet was not in her senses when her mother expired
(c) Because the death of the poet’s mother has left a deep void in the poet’s heart (d) Because
the poet did not have a good relationship with her mother
iii) Which circumstance is referred to here? (a) the picnic at the beach
(b) the clicking of the photograph
(c) the memories of poet and her mother (d) the death of poet’s mother
iv) When did the poet’s mother die?
(a) twelve years ago (b) a decade back (c) recently
(d) not specified
v) The expression ‘Its silence silences’ is an example of which of the following?
(a) paradox
(b) alliteration
(c) assonance
(d) onomatopoeia
vi) The last line brings out _____________________________________.
(a) the inevitability of death
(b) the silent and still environment
(c) the futility of life
(d) poet’s sense of loss and helplessness

7. Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow. (6) “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.”
i) Who steered the boat at a crucial time?
ii) What was the name of the boat?
iii) How old was Sue at the time of the incident?
iv) Which island did they land on?
v) What does the word 'Recurring' mean?
12) Occurring irregularly 4) None of these
vi) What was the attitude of the narrator's children towards their deteriorating stage?
1) Imbalanced 2) Pessimistic
3) Reprimanding 4) Optimistic
8. Read the given extract to attempt the questions that follow. (4) “As I walked slowly back to
the station I thought about my mother, who had given me the address years ago. It had been in
the first half of the War. I was home for a few days and it struck me immediately that something
or other about the rooms had changed. I missed various things. My mother was surprised I
should have noticed so quickly. Then she told me about Mrs. Dorling. I had never heard of her
but apparently she was an old acquaintance of my mother, whom she hadn't seen for years. She
had suddenly turned up and renewed their contact.”
i) What made the narrator turn up to the station?
1) Mrs. Dorling's recognising her
2) Mrs. Dorling's abusing her
3) Mrs. Dorling's not recognising her deliberately
4) Mrs. Dorling's recognising her deliberately
ii) Where did the war take place?
1) In Armenian
2) In Assyria
3) In Holland
4) In France
iii) Why had Mrs. Dorling renewed her contact with Mrs. S?
1) For true relationship
2) For being with her friend
3) For taking her belongings
4) For printing counterfeit money
iv) What does the word 'Acquaintance' mean?
1) Known one
3) Stranger
2) Unknown one
4) None of these

9. Answer ANY FIVE questions in 30-40 words each. (2*5=10)

i. How does grandmother feel about English education and music lessons at school?
ii. What is the engine of the machine? What is its fuel? (The Laburnum top)
iii. “I didn’t want to worry you when you were trying to save us all,” said Sue. What has
happened to
her?
iv. How is the tree transformed during the bird’s visit?
v. Why do you think the narrator calls Ile Amsterdam ’the most beautiful island in the world’?
vi. “...thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor. There was no chirruping.” Why does the
author say so?
vii. ‘Then sleek as a lizard and alert and abrupt, she enters the thickness’. Explain the given line.

10. Answer ANY TWO questions in 30-40 words each. (2*2=4)

i. Why was Aram unwilling to return the horse so soon, even after getting to know about John
Byro?
ii. Why did the narrator wait a long time before going to the address number 46, Marconi
Street?
iii. “I was in a room I knew and did not know,” says the narrator in the story ‘The Address’. What
prompted her to make this observation?

11. Answer ANY ONE question in 120-150 words. (5)

i) Draw a contrast in the lifestyle of the author’s grandmother in the village and in the city.
ii) Aged people should not be left behind and every effort should be made to accommodate
them in the family. Pen down your views according to your understanding of the lesson ‘The
Portrait of a lady’.

12. Answer ANY ONE question in 120-150 words. (5)

i) ‘I knew my cousin Mourad enjoyed being alive more than anyone else who had ever fallen
into the world by mistake.’ Explain the statement with help of the instances from the story.
ii)Compare and contrast the character of Aram and Mourad.