Practice Paper (Term – II)
Class – XI
English Core (Code: 301)
Max. Marks 40 Max. Time 2 Hrs
General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains Three sections- READING, WRITING & Grammar and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
SECTION A- Reading
1. Read the passage given below.
1. The virtual Green Literature Festival identifies, promotes, and celebrates books, authors, conversations and various cultural expressions on the environment.
2. “There has been an explosion of writing on nature,” says Bahar Dutt, one of India’s most well-known voices for the environment. She was talking at a panel discussion on ‘Writing on Environmentalism in India: Challenges and Opportunities’ at the ongoing Green Lit Fest (www.greenlitfest.com).
“Every second person on social media is writing on nature, environment, ecology and the economy,” she adds.
3. The GLF, conceived by Benedict Paramanand, founder of e-magazine sustainabilitynext.in, is a platform that attempts to enrich and nurture as many useful discussions as possible on matters of India’s ecology. “The
idea is to mainstream conversations on environment,” says Benedict. “We have books on environment and climate change but not much conversations on the topics. This is the space for dialogue on environment
writing and issues. A space for those who care for the planet to hang out.”
4. “We envision green literature in a wider sense, not just fiction, non-fiction, and books, but also children’s literature, poetry, drama and comics,” says Meghaa Gupta who is also a part of the founding team of GLF. “We are curating books for children, adults, and green business.” Meghaa is the author of A Home of Our Own and Unearthed: An Environmental History of Independent India (Penguin).
5. GLF will host a year-long series of dialogues, discussions, and other artistic endeavours around the environment, review books for readers of all ages, release newsletters and hold a three-day fest in December. The highlight of the fest will be the roll-out of annual honour lists of green literature for
adults, sustainable businesses and children.
6. The panel discussion is the first in a series of green dialogues the festival plans to have in the coming days. Bahar Dutt spoke of how the Bhopal gas tragedy proved to be a big trigger event in independent India that gave a fillip to reporting on environment. “It ties in all the issues, the dichotomy between economy and the environment, and human versus environment.” Dutt said the environment beat still has not got the space it deserves.
7. Independent science journalist Disha Shetty spoke of environment from a public health perspective, on how environmental degradation and climate change affect public health. “A decade ago, environment and public health were two different entities. It is not the case any more. The COVID-19 pandemic brought together doctors, environmentalists and journalists.”
8. While drawing the attention on the power of visuals, Dutt also asked how environmental journalism is changing things on ground. “We are not asking tough questions any more. Nature writing is picking up, but it has to be mainstreamed. We are not addressing it enough. People are seeing air pollution, pandemic, realising the importance of nature, blogging about it, and learning more on topics such as climate change.”
Source @greenlitfest
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer ANY EIGHT questions from the nine given below.
i. What is the role of The Virtual Green Literature Festival?
identifies, promotes, and celebrates books, authors, conversations and various cultural expressions on the environment
ii. Why do you think, Bahar says, “Every second person on social media is writing on nature, environment, ecology and the economy”?
rising awareness
iii. How does Benedict plan to mainstream conversations on environment?
through GLF
iv. What kind of people will hang out in GLF?
people who care for the planet
v. What is the vision of Meghaa Gupta?
green literature in a wider sense, not just fiction, non-fiction, and books, but also children’s literature, poetry, drama and comics
vi. Is GLF going to be a single event? How?
No, A year long series of events
vii. What takes an edge in the dichotomy of economy and environment?
Economy
viii. How has the COVID-19 pandemic brought together doctors, environmentalists and journalists.”?
Time for introspection in crisis
ix. What is the power of visuals?
Visual content, information is absorbed faster by brain as compared to other stimuli
2. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
1. Imagine a space where you can pour out your troubles, complaints, grievances and anything that even remotely bothers you… That’s HappyInc for you. “It’s an online peer counselling service, where teenagers between 13 and 18 years can express themselves freely to a team of helpers who will listen, understand what they have to say and support them, without being judgemental,” explains 17-year-old Kian Godhwani, a Bengaluru-based Class XII student, who founded HappyInc along with his friend Nandini Bhattacharya.
2. Nandini explains why they started this initiative. “With exams, figuring out what they want to do with their life, applying to colleges, working at internships and so much more, all the while juggling huge personal and emotional changes in a society that does not understand or even try to understand what they’re going through. In fact, we also saw many who are already shouldering the responsibilities of their family while struggling with their load.”
3. Stereotyping these problems, attributing them to an age-related phase and the stigma surrounding mental health leaves the teens with no choice but to cope alone. Also, the process of seeking help is often complicated and distressing since mental health services are either very expensive or difficult to access. That’s why Kian and Nandini created HappyInc — to provide a free, confidential, safe, anonymous and accessible space.
4. “Our vision is to change the world one smile at a time. We are now working to develop our app through which teenagers can not only seek help from our Helpers system, but also spread hope and happiness through their stories and hobbies, and make a positive impact even if it may be a small one. We plan to make the app a hub of all things happy,” elaborates Kian.
5. HappyInc believes in the power of a good conversation. The process to connect with a Helper is simple. At the website (happyinc.in), a help seeker needs to fill in a few details at the Book A Session page and a Helper is assigned within a few minutes. The sessions are then conducted over Zoom. The Helpers are teenagers who have undergone an in-house training programme that was created with the help of professional counsellors. Help seekers also have the option of chatting with the Helpers and can remain anonymous if they wish. The services are completely free.
6. “HappyInc is a place where teens can express themselves, not just with the Helpers, but also through their HappyBlog, HappyPlaylist, or podcasts. It’s a place where you don’t need to fit in; where you just need to be. No matter how dark your tunnel is, you’ll see a speck of light,” adds Nandini.
(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it using headings and sub-headings. Use recognisable abbreviations wherever necessary. Also, suggest a suitable title.
Note Making (3 marks):
○ Notes-2
○ Title & Abbreviations-1
(b) Write a summary of the passage in not more than 50 words using the notes.
Summary (2 marks):
○ Content-1
○ Expression-1
SECTION B – WRITING & GRAMMAR
3. Draft a suitable poster for COVID APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR (CAB) on behalf of Health Department. Do not exceed the word limit of 50 words.
Content -2 Expression-1 Accuracy *
Value Points
• Social distancing
• Wearing mask
• Washing hands
• Motivating people to follow norms
• Catchy captions
• Issuing authority
4. Attempt ANY ONE from A and B given below.
A. You are Rajan/Rajni, Head Boy/Girl of your school. Request your Principal in writing to arrange extra classes in English for the students of class XI and XII. Give detailed reasons to support your demand. Do not exceed the word limit of the letter which is 120- 150 words.
Value points- Content
• need/ genuine reason
• low performance
• drill & revision required
• Exam stress
• Request on students’ behalf
• extra classes
OR
B. You are Saba Parvin/ Parveen Kumar, a student of KBC PUBLIC SCHOOL. Your school is organizing a debate competition on the topic ‘Online education does more good than harm’. Draft a debate either in favour or against the topic in 120-150 words.
Value Points
• Stating – stance on the topic
5. Rearrange the following words or phrases to make meaningful sentences:
1. crowded/ railway platform/ last Sunday/ the/was/ unusually.
The railway platform was unusually crowded last Sunday.
2. vendors/ carrying/ were at/ sweet smelling/ flowers/ the/ platform.
Vendors carrying sweet smelling flowers were at the platform.
3. the train/ how/ they/ we wondered/ would/ get/ on.
We wondered how they would get on the train.
4. but/the train/ carefully/ they/ boarded/ very.
But they boarded the train very carefully.
SECTION C – LITERATURE
6. Attempt ANY FIVE of the six questions given below, within 40 words each.
i. How does the rain justify its claim ‘I am the Poem of Earth’?
• The poem has the task of bringing joy, happiness, life to its readers
• when the rain falls down over Earth, a rhythm or music is created.
ii. Which awareness according to Nani Palkhivala is growing worldwide?
• The movement gripped the imagination of the entire human race
• the worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism
• metabolic needs and vital processes that need attention because the earth’s vital signs reveal its declining health
iii. A term ‘remove’ has been used in the context of the school mentioned in the story The Browning Version. What does it mean?
When a pupil is promoted to a higher class.
iv. What did the poet notice about independent thinking in the poem Childhood?
• The poet discovered that he was different from others and could think independently
• He could have his own opinions without getting influenced by anyone else
• This discovery was very important to him as it revealed to him his abilities for independent thinking and decision taking.
v. How did music bring comfort to Albert’s life?
• Albert was having a bad time at school where he was supposed to cram facts in which he had no interest
• The teachers would taunt him and punish him
• Even at his lodging, he had no comfort
• All this made him miserable
• He turned to music as his only solace
vi. What does Mrs Fitzgerald’s advice to Mrs Pearson after she had put back the family members in their proper place signify?
• Mrs Fitzgerald advised Mrs Pearson not to be soft and waste all the effort she had put in to change the attitude of her family for the better
• Mrs Pearson is unsure how she would explain her behaviour.
• Mrs Fitzgerald concern for Mrs Pearson
7. Answer ANY ONE of the following in about 120-150 words.
i. Andrew’s visit to the Morgan’s gave him pleasure and satisfaction that he had not achieved earlier. Justify
Value Points
• At half past three, after an hour’s difficult struggle, the child was born lifeless
• mother lay collapsed and almost pulse-less, injected the medicine and struggled to restore the lifeless Susan Morgan, intense effort, her heartbeat became steady.
• turned his attention to the lifeless baby, condition was caused by lack of oxygen in the baby’s blood, artificially induced method of respiration, rushed the child, from one basin to the next, for fifteen minutes.
• last resort, rubbed the child with a rough towel, crushing and releasing the little chest with both his hands, trying to get breath into that limp body, miraculously, the tiny chest began heaving and they heard the child’s cry. He had saved two lives and was eternally relieved at having ‘done something real at last.’
ii. The narrator, in the travelogue ‘Silk Road’, realized that the snow was both dangerous as well as beautiful. Justify.
Value Points
• Tsetan on his way surveyed the snow, not deep, but car could turn over.
• cover the risk, flung handfuls of dirt across the frozen surface, snow was spread with soil, they drove without difficulty.
• stopped at another blockage, this time decided to drive round the snow.
• the risks did not undermine the scenic beauty of the place. In the valley, they saw snowcapped mountains and the river was wide but mostly blocked with ice that was sparkling in the sunshine.
• turns became sharper and the ride bumpier, rocks around were covered with patches of bright orange lichen. Under the rocks, seemed unending shade.