Half Yearly Exam 2021-22 Class – XI (General English) Time: 3:00 Hours Maximum Marks: 80

Note : i. All questions are compulsory. ii. Total Marks Questions – 5 (1 mark each) Total Marks 32 iii. Total Marks Questions – 10 (02 marks each) Total Marks 20 iv. Total Marks Questions – 04 (03 marks each) Total Marks 12 v. Total Marks Questions - 04 ( 04 marks each) Total Marks 16 vi. Make neat and labeled Diagram as per the requirement. 6. (A) Read the extracts carefully and attempt any one of them The Laburnum top is silent, quite still In the afternoon yellow September sunlight, A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen. Till the goldfinch comes, with a twiching chirrup A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end. Questions : 1. Before the arrival of the gold finch, the laburnum tree is- (A) noisy (B) shaking (C) silent* (D) singing. 2. Which word from the extract means "a pull or jerk' ? (A) twitching (B) chirrup* (C) suddenness (D) startlement. 3. Identify the poet- (A) Shirley Toulson (C) Elizabeth Jennings (B) Ted Hughes* (D) Markus Natten. OR

The cardboard shows me how it was When the two girl cousins went paddling, Each one holding one of my mother's hands, And she the big girl some twelve years or so. Questions: 1. The name of the poem is (A) The Laburnum Top (B) A Photograph* (C) The Voice of the Rain (D) My Childhood. 2. The cardboard in the above extract refers to the (A) poet (B) poet's sister (C) photograph* (D) carton for packing. 3. The rhyme scheme of the extract is (A) abab (B) abba (C) abac (D) None of these*

7. Read the extracts carefully and attempt any one of them : In the evening a change came over her. She did not pray. She collected the women of the neighbourhood, got an old drum and started to sing. For several hours she thumped the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum and sang of the home-coming of warriors. We had to persuade her to stop to avoid overstraining. That was the first time since I had known her that she did not pray. Questions 1. Following this episode, what happened to the grandmother in the morning? (A) She was taken ill* (B) She was admitted to a hospital (C) She was fine (D) She passed away. 2. What is meant by the phrase the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum?? (A) the hanging skin of the new drum (B) the shabby and deteriorated condition of the old drum* (C) the unclear sound of the old drum (D) the moisturous skin of the old drum. 3. What is the meaning of the word 'persuade' used in the above extract? (A) calm (C) order (B) upset (D) convince.*

8. Choose the correct option (any six): 1 × 6 = 6 i. The Chinese painter does not want you to borrow his eyes; he wants you to enter his- (a) ears (c) mind* (b) heart (d) drawing room. (ii) Who said, 'we are sinking'? (a) Crewmen (b) Mary* (c) Daughter (d) Son. (iii) We have shifted from the mechanistic view of the world to a (a) holistic view (b) ecological view (c) Both (a) and (b)* (d) None of these. (iv) The author's grandmother accepted her seclusion with- (a) appropriation (b) resignation* (c) anticipation (d) reincarnation. (v) Who wrote the book The Global Economic Prospect' ? (a) L. K. Jha (b) Lester R. Brown* (c) James Speth (d) Margaret Thatcher. (vi) French painter Jean Dubuffet mooted the concept of- (a) art brut* (b) art life (c) art brush (d) art and light. (vi) One evening, a change came over the author's grandmother and she did not- (a) pray* (b) dance

(c) sleep (d) eat. 9. Answer any two of the following questions. 2 × 2 = 4 (i) What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face to face death. Ans. Hazardous experiences come as big lessons in life. When we are faced with danger, we discover our true self. Life is full of such experiences and teachings, but, the brave come out as the winners. The courageous people fight against all odds. They also become inspiration for others. (ii) "The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space." Discuss. Ans. This phrase explains the Chinese painting by saying, a Chinese painter wants the viewer to enter his mind rather than borrow his eyes. This requires an active participation, physical as well as mental of the viewer. The landscape is not real but one can enter it from any point. (iii) The problems of overpopulation directly affect our everyday life. Discuss. Ans. Overpopulation is the root cause of our ailing planet. This leads to poverty and unemployment. It leads to the consumption of the natural resources at a much faster rate, resulting resources being depleted, fossils consumed and forests cleaned. This results in global warming. Overpopulation hampers the development of the country.

10. Answer any four of the following questions. 4 × 2 = 8 (i) Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author's grandmother died. Ans. When the author's grandmother died, the sparrows gathered around her. They did not chirrup. The author's mother gave them bits of bread but they did not take it. When the grandmother's body was carried away, the birds also flew away. They had come to mourn her death. (ii) Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January. Ans. On 4 January, the voyagers had the situation under control after 36 hours of pumping. Then only, they ate something after about two days. But, this happiness did not last for long. At 4 p.m., the clouds came over, the wind started blowing at 40 knots and the sea waves started rising high. The weather worsened in the night. On 5 January, the weather was still rough. They felt that their end was near. (iii) Find out the correlates of Yin and Yang in other cultures. Ans. In Chinese culture, Yin is water and Yang is mountain. The Indian culture lays stress on nature and God. Nature is the Yin' or the female part, whereas God, the creator is Yang or the male part. The combination of the two creates the whole world.

(iv) What does the notice The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify ? Ans. The notice The world's most dangerous animal' signifies that man is solely responsible for all the deterioration in the environment and his own survival is under threat now. 11. Answer any one of the following questions. 1) The author's grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this ? Ans. The author's grandmother was deeply religious. She visited the temple daily and while the author was in school, she read her religious books. She counted the beads and said prayers while doing the routine work like getting the author ready for school, spinning the wheel, seeing him off at the railway station. She fed the birds and animals. She did not like the subjects taught in English schools as they were not about God or scriptures. She forgot her prayers the day before her death. As soon as she realised this, she stopped talking to anyone and started counting the beads and say prayers. She prayed till her last breath. OR 2) Write a character sketch of the narrator on the basis of this account. Ans. The narrator was a 37-year-old businessman. He and his wife had cherished a dream of going on a sea voyage like Captain Cook did 200 years ago. They made several preparations for 16 years to go on a voyage. The first phase of their journey was pleasant and they reached Cape Town. He took two crewmen Larry and Herb to help them sail through one of the roughest seas of the world, the Southern Indian Ocean. This was a wise decision. When the waves hit, the crewmen remained cheerful and optimistic. They helped in pumping the water out.

The narrator also proved to be a true captain. When the waves hit, he did not worry about his injuries and held the wheel. He also found another pump, when the pumps jammed and the electric pump short circuited. He repaired the holes in the ship with canvas and screws. He and his wife worked day and night with the crewmen. They ate something only after about two days. When the waves hit again, he made the undamaged part of the ship face the storm. When the compass was lost, the narrator used an uncorrected compass but calculated correctly to reach Ile Amsterdam. The narrator, like a true captain, did not lose hope, courage and equanimity. 12. Answer any one of the following questions. 1) What does the poem tell you about the poet's mother ? Ans. The poet is deeply attached with her mother. The photograph shows her mother on a sea holiday with her cousins. Three of them are holding hands. Sea is washing their feet. Her mother had a beautiful smile. Her mother was twelve years old at the time of the photograph. Her mother joyfully recalled the holiday and the preparations made by her cousins for the dress. The poet, then, indirectly compares the face of her mother to the sea. Her mother's face changed a lot with time, but the sea remains the same. The poet is filled with a sense of loss, as her mother is no more in this world. 2) How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem ? Compare it with what you have learnt in science. Ans. The poet explains that the rain falls in the form of water drops, then it rises up from the hot land and sea in the form of vapour, forms the cloud and descends again on the earth in order to wash the dry

land and hence comes back to its origin. This is the cyclic movement explained by the poet. It is similar to the water cycle what we learn in science. 13. (a) Attempt any one of the following questions : You are Alok Gupta, the secretary of the cultural activities of your school. Draft a notice giving information about the selection of two participants from your school to take part in the inter-school debate competition. Ans : NOTICE Gandhi Memorial School, Bhopal 21st January, 20 You will be glad to know that Rekha Bhardwaj (Class XI) and Amit Singh (Class XII) have been selected to participate and represent the school in the Inter-school debate competition to be held on March 23, 20 Alok Gupta Cultural Secretary

OR You are Aishwarya Patel, student of Class XI A of Govt. H. S. School, Dhar. You have found at tiffin-box in the school playground.

Prepare a notice for school notice board. Put the notice in a box. Ans : NOTICE Lost and Found 16th September ,20 A red tiffin-box has been found in the school playground. It may be claimed from the lost and found section after providing due proof of identity. Aishwarya Patel XI A Govt. H. S. School, Dhar

(b) You are the social secretary of your school. The school is organising a Science Exhibition from 18th to 24th April, 20... It will be open for everybody from 9 a. m. to 1 p. m. and 4 p. m. to 8 p. m. Design a poster to be put up in front of premises of various schools for publicity. Ans : OR Design an attractive poster on behalf of the Delhi Police to educate and warn the people against unclaimed articles like dolls, tiffin boxes, suitcases, bags, transistors, mobiles lying in public places/ trains/buses. Ans : 14. (a) Attempt any one of the following questions : Write a letter to your friend, telling him what you intend to do after your examination. Ans. 121-C, Wright Town,

Jabalpur. 21st June, 20... Dear Chaitanya, I received your letter yesterday. You have asked me about my plan after examination. Now my examinations are over. I intend to refresh myself for a week by sight-seeing. And then I will begin my study for XII class, so that I may have a good start. It is also said that well begun is half done. I have already arranged books and guides of Class XII. If you like you may come here. We may study together. Waiting for your reply. Yours sincerely, Ravi OR You are Irfan, staying in a hostel in another city. Write a letter to your father, describing your study, food quality and classmates. Ans : R. No. 17, Indrapad Hostel, Guna (M.P.). Dt. 16 Aug. 20 Respected father, I hope you and other members of family are quite well there. I am very happy, here in my hostel. My roommate Sudhir is a good and kind boy. He co-operates with me in studies and other matters. In the school, my classmates are also very good and well-mannered. Our studies are going on full swing. We get up at 4 a.m. in the morning and start studying. At 6 a.m., we take bath, and at 7 a.m., we go to school. Our teachers are well qualified and they teach us nicely. At about 1.00 p.m., we come back and take our food. The food served in hostel is tasty and healthy. However, food prepared at home cannot compete with this food. At about 2 p.m., we go to coaching classes, and at 5 p.m., we play games. In the night too, we study up to 12.00 hours. I hope you will be satisfied with the above description. Yours obediently, Irfan