COMMON ANNUAL SCHOOL EXAMINATION (2022-23) CLASS: XI SUBJECT: ENGLISH

No. of pages - 16. (M)

COMMON ANNUAL SCHOOL EXAMINATION (2022-23) CLASS: XI

SUBJECT: ENGLISH

Maximum Marks: 70

Time Allowed: 3 hours

General Instructions:

1. The paper is divided into three sections Section-A: Reading Comprehension. Section-B Writing Skills and Grammar and Section-C: Literature. All the sections are compulsory

2. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

3. Please write down the serial number of the question in the answer script correctly before attempting it.

4. Separate instructions are given with each question, wherever necessary

SECTION--A: READING

1. Read the following passage:

I. (The environmental impact of plastic bags) is truly awful. While there are many arguments against eliminating plastic bags based purely on their convenience, the environmental impact must also be considered. (There is no way to strictly limit the environmental effects of plastic bags because there is no solution for disposal that will truly help to solve the problem. While reusing them is the first step, majority of individuals do not do so. These bags are not strong enough to withstand multiple journeys to the store. The most an individual can do is recycle them. The main issue with this is that once they have been soiled, they end up in the trash, which is subsequently disposed of in a landfill or burned. Neither of these options is environment friendly Burning releases hazardous chemicals that harm the environment and raise the quantity of VOCs in the air.) whereas landfills store them eternally as part of the global plastic waste problem.

One of the most serious issues is that 300 million plastic bags wind up in the Atlantic Ocean alone These sacks are extremely hazardous to sea life. particularly animal species. Any hunting mammal that misidentifies the size, shape, and texture of the plastic bag as a food will have its airway shut off. Plastic bag-related deaths are increasing year after year. The rate at which plastic bags find their way into the mouths and intestinal tracts of sea creatures is upsetting the environmental balance of these water bodies) When one species begins to die off at an unusually rapid rate, every other living organism in the water suffers.

The common plastic bag can actually take hundreds of years to decompose over an undetermined length of time. Every bag that makes its way into the nation's woodlands endangers the development of wildlife in a natural way. The chances that the bag will dissipate in an unharmed manner are quite remote because of the slow disintegration rate. The suffocation deaths of woodland creatures and the inhibition of soil nutrients are both caused by plastic bags all over the world.

Options to plastic bags are always available, and research into better and additional alternatives is ongoing(Although paper bags are an option, they are not environment friendly.) There will be a detrimental impact on the environment if more trees are used to produce paper.

In areas where plastic bag use is prohibited entirely, reusable bags are being introduced. These can be used for three to five excursions to the supermarket and are stronger and more durable. The reusable cloth bag is undoubtedly growing in popularity among those who respect the environment. These are the bags that are currently advised to help safeguard environmental concerns.

(Adapted from: https://lochtree.com/blogs/blog/environmental-impact-of- plastic-bags)

On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions: (10x1-10 marks)

i) According to the passage people object to the banning of plastic bags? 

ii) The environmental balance of the oceans is being thrown off by  plastic bags because:

a) The amount of plastic bags is decreasing the water level.

b) The decomposition rate of these bags is fast.

c) Many species of sea animals are dying due to plastic waste.

d) There are 300 million plastic bags lying in Atlantic Ocean.

(iii) What do most individuals do to the plastic bags?

a) Leave them as trash.

b) Recycle them.

c) Clean and send them for reuse.

d) Send them to landfills.

iv) The best option to replace plastic bags is:

a) Paper bags.

b) Reusable plastic bags.

c) Cloth bags.

d) Designer bags

v) Why are paper bags not a good alternative of plastic bags?

vi) Why is it not good to burn plastic?

vii) How are sea animals affected by plastic bags?

viii) Why do we need alternatives to plastic bags?

ix) Find word from the passage which mean the same as the following: gabage (parat)

x) Find word from the passage which mean the same as the following: waste disposal area (paral) tantfilt landfill 

II. Read the following passage:

Did you know talking on a mobile phone can be hazardous to your health? Mobile phones emitCradio trequency energy. Ja form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues close to the phone. The amount of radiofrequency energy a mobile phone user is exposed to, depends on many factors such as the technology of the phone, the distance between the phone and the user, the extent and type of mobile phone use and the user's distance from cell phone towers.

In 2011. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified mobile phone radiation as possibly carcinogenic, which means that there "could be some risk" of carcinogenicity, so additional research into the long- term. heavy use of mobile phones needs to be conducted. While an increased risk of brain tumours from the use of mobile phones is not established, the increasing use of mobile phones and the lack of data for mobile phone use over time periods longer than 15 years warrant further research of mobile phone use and brain cancer risk.

Mobile phone antennas are similar to microwave ovens. While both rely on electromagnetic radiation (EMR), the radio waves in mobile phones are lower in frequency. Microwave ovens have radio wave frequencies that are high enough to cook food, and they are also known to be dangerous to human tissues like those in the brain. The concern is that the lower- frequency radio waves that mobile phones rely on may also be dangerous. It seems logical that holding a heat source near your brain for a long period of time is a potential health hazard.

Scientists have reported adverse health effects of using mobile phones including changes in brain activity, reaction times, and sleep patterns. More studies are underway to try to confirm these findings. A growing number of health professionals worldwide are recommending mobile phone users to err on the side of caution until more definitive studies can be conducted. Individuals who are concerned about radio frequency exposure can limit their exposure, including using an ear piece and limiting cell phone use. particularly among children.

Children have the potential to be at greater risk than adults for developing brain cancer from cell phones. Their nervous systems are still developing and therefore more vulnerable to factors that may cause cancer.

Main symptoms.          Numbers (Percentages) 

                                        (n=441)

Headache                             227 (515) 

Irritability                              224 (50.8)

Lack of concentration        209 (474)

Anxiety                                 170 (38.5)

Eye strain                             161 (365)

Lack of sleep                       156 (35.4)

Exhaustion                           144 (327)

 Body ache                           142 (322)

(Adapted from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350886/&

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303267478 A Study on Some of the Common Health Effects of Cell- Phones amongst College Students/figures?lo-1)

On the basis of your understanding of the above passage. answer the following questions: (8x1-8 Marks)

(i). According to the text, do mobile phones lead to brain tumours?

a) Yes, definitively

b) Definitively not

c) Too late to say

d) Not enough data

(ii). The year 2011 is significant in this passage because it was the year when mobile phones

a) were invented

b) caused cancer

c) became popular

d) were researched

(iii). Why does the article mention microwave ovens?

a) They also use EMR

b) They cause tumours

c) They can be wireless tissues.

d) They cause cancer emitted by mobile phones can be absorbed by human

(iv) As per the table given, if you have been using mobile phone for a long time, you are more likely:

a) to be exhausted

b) to have a headache

c) to have body ache

d) to have anxiety

(FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED CANDIDATES)

(v) What are the adverse effects of using mobile phones as reported by scientists?

(vi) What does the writer mean by 'To err on the side of caution"?

(vii) How can we limit our exposure to the harmful effects of mobile phones?

(viii) Why are mobile phones more hazardous for children than for adults?

III. Read the following passage:

When it comes to eating, many of us have developed habits. (Some are good ("I always eat fruit as a dessert"), and some are not so good ("I always have a sugary drink after work as a reward"). Even if you've had the same eating pattern for years, it's not too late to make improvements.

Making sudden, radical changes, such as eating nothing but cabbage soup. can lead to short term weight loss. However, such radical changes are neither healthy nor a good idea and won't be successful in the long run. Permanently improving your eating habits requires a thoughtful approach in which you reflect, replace, and reinforce.

Reflect on all of your specific eating habits, both bad and good; and, your common triggers for unhealthy eating. Create a list of your eating and drinking habits. Keep a food and beverage diary for a few days. Highlight the habits on your list that may be leading you to overeat. Look at the unhealthy eating habits you've highlighted. Be sure you've identified all the triggers that cause you to engage in those habits. Create a list of "cues" by reviewing your food diary to become more aware of when and where you're "triggered" to eat for reasons other than hunger. Ask yourself Is there anything I can do to avoid the cue or situation? For things I can't avoid, can I do something differently that would be healthier?

Replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones. For example, in reflecting upon your eating habits, you may realize that you eat too fast when you eat alone. Eat more slowly. If you eat too quickly, you may "clean your plate" instead of paying attention to whether your hunger is satisfied.

Eat only when you're truly hungry instead of when you are tired, anxious, or feeling an emotion besides hunger.

Reinforce your new, healthy habits and be patient with yourself. Habits take time to develop. It doesn't happen overnight. When you do find yourself engaging in an unhealthy habit, stop as quickly as possible.

(i) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it,

Using recognizable abbreviations, wherever necessary. Also suggest a suitable title

(5 Marks)

(ii) Write a summary of the passage in not more than 50 words, using the notes you have made. (3 marks)

SECTION B-GRAMMAR & WRITING SKILLS

IV. Grammar

i) Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:(4x1-4 marks) 

a) When he ________ (wake up), his mother ________ (already prepares) breakfast

b) We ________ (go) to London last year because our friends ________ (invite ( us

He ________ (elect) as an MLA and he ________ (take) oath on Monday

d) I ________ (like) the flowers that you ________ (bring) for me yesterday.

ii) Rearrange any three of the following words phrases to form meaningful sentences:(3x1-3 marks)

a) For/I /the /entire /searched /neighbourhood / my /cat

b) He / doing /me /asked/ I /was /there /what

c) rainy /the/ forecast/said/ the /next /day /that /would /be

d) You /would /like /some /gardening /for /to/ do/ me?

V. Creative Writing Skills

i) You are Vipin Kumar Neeru kumari, a leading architect practising in Delhi. You want to buy an independent house at south extension to be used as office-cum-residence. Draft an advertisement in about 50 words for the classified columns of a newspaper. (3 marks)

OR

You are Rajan/Rajni Mahajan. You want to sell your old car because you are moving to another city. Draft an advertisement, in not more than 50 words, to be published in a national newspaper for the sale of your used motor car giving all the necessary details.

ii) You school is celebrating library week from 15 January to 22 January 2023. As part of the celebrations, you have been asked to design a poster in not more than 50 words for your school library on the value of books and good reading habits. You may use slogans. (3 marks)

OR

Design a poster in not more than 50 words on behalf of the municipal authority of Delhi creating awareness about proper garbage disposal and making Delhi a garbage free city. You may use slogans.

iii) Your school celebrates Grand Parents day in the first week of September. On this day students bring their grandparents to school and thank them for being a part of their lives. As the school head boy/ head girl you have asked to deliver a speech in the special assembly on this occasion on the topic of "Importance of grandparents". You are Diwan/Divya. Write the speech in not more than 150-200 words. (5 Marks)

OR

You are Paritosh Pari. You participate in your school's environmental club. You've been to a lot of places and have come to the conclusion that protecting the environment is urgently needed. You make the choice to educate the students. For the morning assembly, draft a speech on "Need to protect the Environment" in not more than 120- 150 words.

iv. During the covid pandemic all of you got to experience online classes. However even after the pandemic, online meetings and classes have become a routine procedure now. Write a debate on the topic "Online classes are more better than offline classes" in not more than 120-150 words. You can choose to write either for or against the motion. (5 marks)

OR

Peer pressure is the social influence that people in your particular group have over you. It can have its pros and cons. Write a debate on the topic 'Peer pressure is good' in not more than 120-150 words. You can choose to write either for or against the motion.

SECTION-C: LITERATURE

vi ) Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:(3x1-3marks)

I. Extract

When did my childhood go?

Was it the day I ceased to be eleven.

Was it the time I realised that Hell and Heaven,

Could not be found in Geography,

And therefore could not be,

Was that the day!

1) When does the poet believe that his childhood has gone?

2) What is the quality acquired by the poet at this stage of his life?

a) rationalism

b) creative thinking

c) individualism

d) sensitivity

3 How did the poet know that 'hell' and 'heaven' are imaginary concepts?

OR

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."

1) Who does "that girl" here refer to?

2) These lines evoke the feelings of

a) Nostalgia and happiness

b) Peace and solace

c) Joy and remembrance

d) Loneliness and grief

3) What is the poetic device used in the last two lines?

II. Extract. (3x1-3 marks)

As hills started to push up once more from the rocky wilderness, we passed solitary drokbas tending their flocks. Sometimes men, sometimes women, these well-wrapped figures would pause and stare at our car. occasionally waving as we passed. When the track took us close to their animals, the sheep would take evasive action, veering away from the speeding vehicle.

1. What does the 'Drokbas' used in the text refer to?

a) Traveller

b) Shepherd

c) Pilgrim

d) Reader

2. What were the feelings of the local men and women towards the narrator's car?

3. How did the sheep react at the narrator's approaching car?

OR

The night of the scan, workmen carried Tut from the tomb in his box. Like pallbearers they climbed a ramp and a flight of stairs into the swirling sand outside, then rose on a hydraulic lift into the trailer that held the scanner. Twenty minutes later two men emerged.(sprinted for an office nearby, and returned with a pair of white plastic fans) The million-dollar scanner had quit because of sand in a cooler fan. Curse of the pharaoh," joked a guard nervously.

1) What happened to the scanner'

a) It stopped working due to malfunctioning of a fan

b) It functioned well

c) It stopped taking images

d) It short circuited

2) Why were the plastic fans brought?

3) What does the 'curse of the pharaoh' refers to?

(III) Extract (4x1-4 marks)

Have you come back?" said the woman, I thought that no one had come back. Only me. A door opened and closed in the passage behind her. A musty smell emerged. I regret I cannot do anything for you.' 'I've come here specially on the train. I wanted to talk to you for a moment." "It is not convenient for me now,' said the woman. 'I can't see you. Another time." She nodded and cautiously closed the door as though no one inside the house should be disturbed.

1) Why was the woman cautious about disturbing anyone in the house? 

2) How do you think the narrator felt at the woman's behaviour?

3) Why did the narrator go to Mrs. Dorling's home?

a) To take her money back.

b) To take her dresses back

c) To meet her daughter

d) To have a look at the things once owned by her mother

4) Why did the woman think that no one had come back?

OR

The The farmer, John Byro, I said. He visited our house. He wants his horse. You've had it a month. I want you to promise not to take it back until I learn to ride. c. We could keep the horse a year, I said. My cousin Mourad leaped to his feet. What? He roared Are you inviting a member of the Garoghlanian family to steal) The horse must go back to its true owner. When? I said. In six months at the latest, he said.)

1) Why did the narrator come to his cousin Mourad's house?

2) The reaction of Mourad in the extract is one of

a) Shock

b) False anger

c) Fear

d) Regret

3) What kind of reputation did the Garoghlanian family enjoy?

4) Why did Aram want to keep the horse for a year?

VII. Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words. (2x3-6 marks)

i) Why doesn't the father know anything about the son even though they live in the same house?

OR

Justify the title of the poem, 'The Voice of the Rain".

ii) What plan of action did Professor Gaitonde have for his visit to Bombay? Why?

OR

What does the disappearance of the painting from the wall in the lesson 'Landscape of the soul' signify? VIII. Answer any one question from the following in about 40-50 words.(1x3-3 Marks

iii) What do you think is the chief purpose of the poet in the poem. "The Tale of Melon city"?

OR

In the lesson 'The Address", why does the author visit Mrs Dorling? Why does she later decide to forget the address?

IX) Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 120-150 words. (1x6-6 marks) 

The million-dollar scanner had quit because of sand in a cooler fan. Imagine yourself as one of the guards who was on duty on the night of the scan of Tut's mummy. Write a diary entry about your experience of the night.

OR

'Gangadharpant had not been to this Bombay before. Imagine yourself as Gangadharpant Describe how this Bombay was different from the one you knew before. (The Adventure)

X) Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 120-150 words. (1x6-6 marks) 

Uncle Khosrove has a simple attitude towards the problems of life. "It is no harm, pay no attention to it". Do you agree with his outlook towards life or do you think this attitude is escapist in nature? Give reasons for your answer.

OR

You believe that the social message conveyed in the lesson Mother's Day' is relevant in the present day too and you wish to convey the message in your school assembly. Write a speech on "Every day is mother's day" in 120-150 words. You make take reference from the lesson.