Class 11 English Previous Year Paper - 1 | English Class 11 PDF Download

 Page 1


 
 
General Instructions: 
 
(i)        This paper is divided into three Sections: A, B, and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these 
instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
(iii)  Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. Marks will be deducted if 
this limit is crossed.  
(iv) Attempt all questions of a section without mixing them with another section. 
 
 SECTION-A (READING) 20 MARKS 
 
 
1 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 12 
 1. We sit in the last row, bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull crossroads of 
the city, and we are soon in the open countryside, with fields of sunflowers as far as the eye can see, 
their heads all facing us. Where there is no water, the land reverts to desert. While still on level 
ground, we see in the distance the tall range of the Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism laid 
horizontally on the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the peaks are under permanent 
snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all around. Heaven Lake lies part of the way up this range, 
about 2,000 metres above sea-level, at the foot of one of the higher snow-peaks. 
2. As the bus climbs, the sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm to wear: it 
is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man behind me is eating overpoweringly 
smelly goat?s cheese. The bus window leaks inhospitably but reveals a beautiful view. We have 
passed quickly from desert through arable land to pasture, and the ground is now green with grass, the 
slopes dark with pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones; it is a 
Constable landscape. The stream changes into a white torrent, and as we climb higher I wish more and 
more that I had brought with me something warmer than the pair of shorts that have served me so well 
in the desert. The stream (which, we are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our 
slow ascent. About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake, and look for a place to stay at the foot, which is 
the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am happy to note that there are thick quilts on 
the beds. 
3. Standing outside the cottage we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long, sardine-shaped and 
fed by snowmelt from a stream at its head. The lake is an intense blue, surrounded on all sides by 
green mountain walls, dotted with distant sheep. At the head of the lake, beyond the delta of the 
 
Roll Number 
      
 
 
SECOND TERM EXAMINATION 2017 
 
 
ENGLISH 
 
CLASS: XI Time Allotted: 3 Hrs 
  Max. Marks: 80 
Page 2


 
 
General Instructions: 
 
(i)        This paper is divided into three Sections: A, B, and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these 
instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
(iii)  Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. Marks will be deducted if 
this limit is crossed.  
(iv) Attempt all questions of a section without mixing them with another section. 
 
 SECTION-A (READING) 20 MARKS 
 
 
1 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 12 
 1. We sit in the last row, bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull crossroads of 
the city, and we are soon in the open countryside, with fields of sunflowers as far as the eye can see, 
their heads all facing us. Where there is no water, the land reverts to desert. While still on level 
ground, we see in the distance the tall range of the Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism laid 
horizontally on the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the peaks are under permanent 
snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all around. Heaven Lake lies part of the way up this range, 
about 2,000 metres above sea-level, at the foot of one of the higher snow-peaks. 
2. As the bus climbs, the sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm to wear: it 
is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man behind me is eating overpoweringly 
smelly goat?s cheese. The bus window leaks inhospitably but reveals a beautiful view. We have 
passed quickly from desert through arable land to pasture, and the ground is now green with grass, the 
slopes dark with pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones; it is a 
Constable landscape. The stream changes into a white torrent, and as we climb higher I wish more and 
more that I had brought with me something warmer than the pair of shorts that have served me so well 
in the desert. The stream (which, we are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our 
slow ascent. About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake, and look for a place to stay at the foot, which is 
the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am happy to note that there are thick quilts on 
the beds. 
3. Standing outside the cottage we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long, sardine-shaped and 
fed by snowmelt from a stream at its head. The lake is an intense blue, surrounded on all sides by 
green mountain walls, dotted with distant sheep. At the head of the lake, beyond the delta of the 
 
Roll Number 
      
 
 
SECOND TERM EXAMINATION 2017 
 
 
ENGLISH 
 
CLASS: XI Time Allotted: 3 Hrs 
  Max. Marks: 80 
 
 
inflowing stream, is a massive snow-capped peak which dominates the vista; it is  part of a series of 
peaks that culminate, a little out of view, in Mount Bogda itself. 
4. For those who live in the resort, there is a small mess-hall by the shore. We eat here sometimes, and 
sometimes buy food from the vendors outside, who sell kabab and naan until the last buses leave. The 
kababs, cooked on skewers over charcoal braziers, are particularly good; highly spiced and well-done. 
Horse?s milk is available too from the local Kazakh herdsmen, but I decline this. I am so affected by 
the cold that Mr. Cao, the relaxed young man who runs the mess, lends me a spare pair of trousers, 
several sizes too large but more than comfortable. Once I am warm again, I feel a pre-dinner spurt of 
energy „dinner will be long in coming?, and I ask him whether the lake is good for swimming in. 
5. „Swimming?? Mr. Cao says. „You aren?t thinking of swimming, are you?? 
6. „I thought I might?, I confess. „What?s the water like?? 
7. He doesn?t answer me immediately, turning instead to examine some receipts with exaggerated 
interest. Mr. Cao, with great off-handedness, addresses the air. „People are often drowned here,? he 
says. After a pause, he continues. „When was the last one?? This question is directed at the cook, who 
is preparing a tray of mantou (squat, white steamed bread rolls), and who now appears, wiping his 
doughy hand across his forehead. „Was it the Beijing athlete?? asks Mr. Cao. 
 
1.1 Read the questions given below and write the correct option you consider the most appropriate 
in your answer sheet: 
6 
1.  One benefit of sitting in the last row of the bus was that 
(i) the narrator enjoyed the bumps                    (ii) no one stared at him 
(iii) he could see the sunflowers (iv) he avoided the dullness of the city 
 
2.  The narrator was travelling to 
(i) Mount Bogda                                       (ii) a desert 
(iii) a 2,000-metre high snow-peak         (iv) Urumqi 
 
3 On reaching the destination the narrator felt relieved because 
 (i) he had got away from the desert.                 (ii) a difficult journey had come to an end. 
 (iii) he could watch the snow-peak.                  (iv) there were thick quilts on the beds. 
 
4  Mount Bogda is compared to 
(i) a horizontal desert surface.              (ii) a shining prism. 
(iii) a Constable landscape.                  (iv) the overcast sky. 
 
5 The ironic part about the lent pair of trousers was 
(i) it was several sizes large but comfortable         (ii) it didn?t belong to him 
(iii) way too long                                                    (iv) didn?t keep him warm 
 
Page 3


 
 
General Instructions: 
 
(i)        This paper is divided into three Sections: A, B, and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these 
instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
(iii)  Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. Marks will be deducted if 
this limit is crossed.  
(iv) Attempt all questions of a section without mixing them with another section. 
 
 SECTION-A (READING) 20 MARKS 
 
 
1 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 12 
 1. We sit in the last row, bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull crossroads of 
the city, and we are soon in the open countryside, with fields of sunflowers as far as the eye can see, 
their heads all facing us. Where there is no water, the land reverts to desert. While still on level 
ground, we see in the distance the tall range of the Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism laid 
horizontally on the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the peaks are under permanent 
snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all around. Heaven Lake lies part of the way up this range, 
about 2,000 metres above sea-level, at the foot of one of the higher snow-peaks. 
2. As the bus climbs, the sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm to wear: it 
is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man behind me is eating overpoweringly 
smelly goat?s cheese. The bus window leaks inhospitably but reveals a beautiful view. We have 
passed quickly from desert through arable land to pasture, and the ground is now green with grass, the 
slopes dark with pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones; it is a 
Constable landscape. The stream changes into a white torrent, and as we climb higher I wish more and 
more that I had brought with me something warmer than the pair of shorts that have served me so well 
in the desert. The stream (which, we are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our 
slow ascent. About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake, and look for a place to stay at the foot, which is 
the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am happy to note that there are thick quilts on 
the beds. 
3. Standing outside the cottage we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long, sardine-shaped and 
fed by snowmelt from a stream at its head. The lake is an intense blue, surrounded on all sides by 
green mountain walls, dotted with distant sheep. At the head of the lake, beyond the delta of the 
 
Roll Number 
      
 
 
SECOND TERM EXAMINATION 2017 
 
 
ENGLISH 
 
CLASS: XI Time Allotted: 3 Hrs 
  Max. Marks: 80 
 
 
inflowing stream, is a massive snow-capped peak which dominates the vista; it is  part of a series of 
peaks that culminate, a little out of view, in Mount Bogda itself. 
4. For those who live in the resort, there is a small mess-hall by the shore. We eat here sometimes, and 
sometimes buy food from the vendors outside, who sell kabab and naan until the last buses leave. The 
kababs, cooked on skewers over charcoal braziers, are particularly good; highly spiced and well-done. 
Horse?s milk is available too from the local Kazakh herdsmen, but I decline this. I am so affected by 
the cold that Mr. Cao, the relaxed young man who runs the mess, lends me a spare pair of trousers, 
several sizes too large but more than comfortable. Once I am warm again, I feel a pre-dinner spurt of 
energy „dinner will be long in coming?, and I ask him whether the lake is good for swimming in. 
5. „Swimming?? Mr. Cao says. „You aren?t thinking of swimming, are you?? 
6. „I thought I might?, I confess. „What?s the water like?? 
7. He doesn?t answer me immediately, turning instead to examine some receipts with exaggerated 
interest. Mr. Cao, with great off-handedness, addresses the air. „People are often drowned here,? he 
says. After a pause, he continues. „When was the last one?? This question is directed at the cook, who 
is preparing a tray of mantou (squat, white steamed bread rolls), and who now appears, wiping his 
doughy hand across his forehead. „Was it the Beijing athlete?? asks Mr. Cao. 
 
1.1 Read the questions given below and write the correct option you consider the most appropriate 
in your answer sheet: 
6 
1.  One benefit of sitting in the last row of the bus was that 
(i) the narrator enjoyed the bumps                    (ii) no one stared at him 
(iii) he could see the sunflowers (iv) he avoided the dullness of the city 
 
2.  The narrator was travelling to 
(i) Mount Bogda                                       (ii) a desert 
(iii) a 2,000-metre high snow-peak         (iv) Urumqi 
 
3 On reaching the destination the narrator felt relieved because 
 (i) he had got away from the desert.                 (ii) a difficult journey had come to an end. 
 (iii) he could watch the snow-peak.                  (iv) there were thick quilts on the beds. 
 
4  Mount Bogda is compared to 
(i) a horizontal desert surface.              (ii) a shining prism. 
(iii) a Constable landscape.                  (iv) the overcast sky. 
 
5 The ironic part about the lent pair of trousers was 
(i) it was several sizes large but comfortable         (ii) it didn?t belong to him 
(iii) way too long                                                    (iv) didn?t keep him warm 
 
 
 
6 Mr. Cao did not like the narrator to swim in the lake because 
(i) it was too cold                               (ii) people drowned there 
(iii) tourists weren?t allowed             (iv) he was indifferent  
 
1.2 Answer the following questions very briefly. 4 
a) Which two things in the bus made the narrator feel uncomfortable? 
 
 
b) What made the scene look like a Constable landscape? 
 
 
c)  What did he regret as the bus climbed higher? 
 
 
d) Why did the narrator like to buy food from outside? 
 
 
1.3 Find words in the above passage which convey the same meaning as the following 2 
 a) sellers (Para 4) 
b) increased (Para 7) 
 
2 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 8 
 1. There are two types of diabetes, insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent. Between 90–95% of 
the estimated 13–14 million people in the United States with diabetes have non-insulin-dependent, or 
Type II, diabetes. Because this form of diabetes usually begins in adults over the age of 40 and is most 
common after the age of 55, it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Its symptoms often develop 
gradually and are hard to identify at first; therefore, nearly half of all people with diabetes do not 
know they have it. For instance, someone who has developed Type II diabetes may feel tired or ill 
without knowing why. This can be particularly dangerous because untreated diabetes can cause 
damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. While the causes, short-term effects, 
and treatments of the two types of diabetes differ, both types can cause the same long-term health 
problems. 
 
2. Most importantly, both types affect the body's ability to use digested food for energy. Diabetes does 
not interfere with digestion, but it does prevent the body from using an important product of 
digestion, glucose (commonly known as sugar), for energy. After a meal, the normal digestive system 
breaks some food down into glucose. The blood carries the glucose or sugar throughout the body, 
causing blood glucose levels to rise. In response to this rise, the hormone insulin is released into the 
bloodstream and signals the body tissues to metabolize or burn the glucose for fuel, which causes 
blood glucose levels to return to normal. The glucose that the body does not use right away is stored 
in the liver, muscle, or fat. 
 
3. In both types of diabetes, however, this normal process malfunctions. A gland called the pancreas, found just 
behind the stomach, makes insulin. In people with insulin-dependent diabetes, the pancreas does not produce 
insulin at all. This condition usually begins in childhood and is known as Type I (formerly called juvenile-
onset) diabetes. These patients must have daily insulin injections to survive. People with non-insulin-dependent 
diabetes usually produce some insulin in their pancreas, but their bodies' tissues do not respond well to the 
insulin signal and, therefore, do not metabolize the glucose properly, a condition known as insulin resistance. 
 
Page 4


 
 
General Instructions: 
 
(i)        This paper is divided into three Sections: A, B, and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these 
instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
(iii)  Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. Marks will be deducted if 
this limit is crossed.  
(iv) Attempt all questions of a section without mixing them with another section. 
 
 SECTION-A (READING) 20 MARKS 
 
 
1 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 12 
 1. We sit in the last row, bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull crossroads of 
the city, and we are soon in the open countryside, with fields of sunflowers as far as the eye can see, 
their heads all facing us. Where there is no water, the land reverts to desert. While still on level 
ground, we see in the distance the tall range of the Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism laid 
horizontally on the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the peaks are under permanent 
snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all around. Heaven Lake lies part of the way up this range, 
about 2,000 metres above sea-level, at the foot of one of the higher snow-peaks. 
2. As the bus climbs, the sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm to wear: it 
is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man behind me is eating overpoweringly 
smelly goat?s cheese. The bus window leaks inhospitably but reveals a beautiful view. We have 
passed quickly from desert through arable land to pasture, and the ground is now green with grass, the 
slopes dark with pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones; it is a 
Constable landscape. The stream changes into a white torrent, and as we climb higher I wish more and 
more that I had brought with me something warmer than the pair of shorts that have served me so well 
in the desert. The stream (which, we are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our 
slow ascent. About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake, and look for a place to stay at the foot, which is 
the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am happy to note that there are thick quilts on 
the beds. 
3. Standing outside the cottage we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long, sardine-shaped and 
fed by snowmelt from a stream at its head. The lake is an intense blue, surrounded on all sides by 
green mountain walls, dotted with distant sheep. At the head of the lake, beyond the delta of the 
 
Roll Number 
      
 
 
SECOND TERM EXAMINATION 2017 
 
 
ENGLISH 
 
CLASS: XI Time Allotted: 3 Hrs 
  Max. Marks: 80 
 
 
inflowing stream, is a massive snow-capped peak which dominates the vista; it is  part of a series of 
peaks that culminate, a little out of view, in Mount Bogda itself. 
4. For those who live in the resort, there is a small mess-hall by the shore. We eat here sometimes, and 
sometimes buy food from the vendors outside, who sell kabab and naan until the last buses leave. The 
kababs, cooked on skewers over charcoal braziers, are particularly good; highly spiced and well-done. 
Horse?s milk is available too from the local Kazakh herdsmen, but I decline this. I am so affected by 
the cold that Mr. Cao, the relaxed young man who runs the mess, lends me a spare pair of trousers, 
several sizes too large but more than comfortable. Once I am warm again, I feel a pre-dinner spurt of 
energy „dinner will be long in coming?, and I ask him whether the lake is good for swimming in. 
5. „Swimming?? Mr. Cao says. „You aren?t thinking of swimming, are you?? 
6. „I thought I might?, I confess. „What?s the water like?? 
7. He doesn?t answer me immediately, turning instead to examine some receipts with exaggerated 
interest. Mr. Cao, with great off-handedness, addresses the air. „People are often drowned here,? he 
says. After a pause, he continues. „When was the last one?? This question is directed at the cook, who 
is preparing a tray of mantou (squat, white steamed bread rolls), and who now appears, wiping his 
doughy hand across his forehead. „Was it the Beijing athlete?? asks Mr. Cao. 
 
1.1 Read the questions given below and write the correct option you consider the most appropriate 
in your answer sheet: 
6 
1.  One benefit of sitting in the last row of the bus was that 
(i) the narrator enjoyed the bumps                    (ii) no one stared at him 
(iii) he could see the sunflowers (iv) he avoided the dullness of the city 
 
2.  The narrator was travelling to 
(i) Mount Bogda                                       (ii) a desert 
(iii) a 2,000-metre high snow-peak         (iv) Urumqi 
 
3 On reaching the destination the narrator felt relieved because 
 (i) he had got away from the desert.                 (ii) a difficult journey had come to an end. 
 (iii) he could watch the snow-peak.                  (iv) there were thick quilts on the beds. 
 
4  Mount Bogda is compared to 
(i) a horizontal desert surface.              (ii) a shining prism. 
(iii) a Constable landscape.                  (iv) the overcast sky. 
 
5 The ironic part about the lent pair of trousers was 
(i) it was several sizes large but comfortable         (ii) it didn?t belong to him 
(iii) way too long                                                    (iv) didn?t keep him warm 
 
 
 
6 Mr. Cao did not like the narrator to swim in the lake because 
(i) it was too cold                               (ii) people drowned there 
(iii) tourists weren?t allowed             (iv) he was indifferent  
 
1.2 Answer the following questions very briefly. 4 
a) Which two things in the bus made the narrator feel uncomfortable? 
 
 
b) What made the scene look like a Constable landscape? 
 
 
c)  What did he regret as the bus climbed higher? 
 
 
d) Why did the narrator like to buy food from outside? 
 
 
1.3 Find words in the above passage which convey the same meaning as the following 2 
 a) sellers (Para 4) 
b) increased (Para 7) 
 
2 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 8 
 1. There are two types of diabetes, insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent. Between 90–95% of 
the estimated 13–14 million people in the United States with diabetes have non-insulin-dependent, or 
Type II, diabetes. Because this form of diabetes usually begins in adults over the age of 40 and is most 
common after the age of 55, it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Its symptoms often develop 
gradually and are hard to identify at first; therefore, nearly half of all people with diabetes do not 
know they have it. For instance, someone who has developed Type II diabetes may feel tired or ill 
without knowing why. This can be particularly dangerous because untreated diabetes can cause 
damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. While the causes, short-term effects, 
and treatments of the two types of diabetes differ, both types can cause the same long-term health 
problems. 
 
2. Most importantly, both types affect the body's ability to use digested food for energy. Diabetes does 
not interfere with digestion, but it does prevent the body from using an important product of 
digestion, glucose (commonly known as sugar), for energy. After a meal, the normal digestive system 
breaks some food down into glucose. The blood carries the glucose or sugar throughout the body, 
causing blood glucose levels to rise. In response to this rise, the hormone insulin is released into the 
bloodstream and signals the body tissues to metabolize or burn the glucose for fuel, which causes 
blood glucose levels to return to normal. The glucose that the body does not use right away is stored 
in the liver, muscle, or fat. 
 
3. In both types of diabetes, however, this normal process malfunctions. A gland called the pancreas, found just 
behind the stomach, makes insulin. In people with insulin-dependent diabetes, the pancreas does not produce 
insulin at all. This condition usually begins in childhood and is known as Type I (formerly called juvenile-
onset) diabetes. These patients must have daily insulin injections to survive. People with non-insulin-dependent 
diabetes usually produce some insulin in their pancreas, but their bodies' tissues do not respond well to the 
insulin signal and, therefore, do not metabolize the glucose properly, a condition known as insulin resistance. 
 
 
 
 
4. Insulin resistance is an important factor in non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and scientists are 
searching for the causes of insulin resistance. They have identified two possibilities. The first is that 
there could be a defect in the insulin receptors on cells. Like an appliance that needs to be plugged 
into an electrical outlet, insulin has to bind to a receptor in order to function. Several things can go 
wrong with receptors. For example, there may not be enough receptors to which insulin may bind, or a 
defect in the receptors may prevent insulin from binding. The second possible cause of insulin 
resistance is that, although insulin may bind to the receptors, the cells do not read the signal to 
metabolize the glucose. Scientists continue to study these cells to see why this might happen.  
 
5. There's no cure for diabetes yet. However, there are ways to alleviate its symptoms. In 1986, the 
National Institute of Health panel of experts recommended that the best treatment for non-insulin 
dependent diabetes is a diet that helps one maintain a normal weight and pays particular attention to a 
proper balance of the different food groups. Many experts, including those in the American Diabetes 
Association, recommend that 50–60% of daily calories come from carbohydrates, 12–20% from 
protein, and no more than 30% from fat. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates, like breads, cereals, 
fruits, and vegetables, break down into glucose during digestion, causing blood glucose to rise. 
Additionally, studies have shown that cooked foods raise blood glucose higher than raw, unpeeled 
foods. A doctor or nutritionist should always be consulted for more of this kind of information and for 
help in planning a diet to off-set the effects of this form of diabetes. 
 
a) Make notes on the passage in any suitable format using recognizable abbreviations wherever 
necessary. Give a title to your notes. 
5 
b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words based on your notes. 3 
                         SECTION-B (WRITING & GRAMMAR) 30 MARKS  
3. Your school is organizing a Public Awareness Exhibition. In connection with it, prepare a poster to 
bring home the importance of the conservation of electricity. Your school is A.K. Public School, 
Green Park, Delhi. 
4 
 OR  
 Your school has decided to celebrate Golden Jubilee of KVS, by arranging a day long programme. 
Students are urged to participate actively & co-operate in making the celebrations a grand success. 
You are Monisha/Manoj, Cultural Secretary of your school. Write a notice in this regard in not more 
than 50 words to be put up on the school notice board. 
 
4.  You are Sonal/ Samkit of Vidyanjali Public School, Lucknow. You have seen an advertisement in 
„The Times of India? related to new batches of „Astronomy Club? initiated by National Science 
Centre, Lucknow starting from the coming fortnight .You wish to join the Club. Write a letter to the 
Director, enquiring about the venue, duration, fee- structure, activities, transportation etc. Invent other 
necessary details. 
6 
Page 5


 
 
General Instructions: 
 
(i)        This paper is divided into three Sections: A, B, and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
(ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read these 
instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
(iii)  Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. Marks will be deducted if 
this limit is crossed.  
(iv) Attempt all questions of a section without mixing them with another section. 
 
 SECTION-A (READING) 20 MARKS 
 
 
1 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 12 
 1. We sit in the last row, bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull crossroads of 
the city, and we are soon in the open countryside, with fields of sunflowers as far as the eye can see, 
their heads all facing us. Where there is no water, the land reverts to desert. While still on level 
ground, we see in the distance the tall range of the Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism laid 
horizontally on the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the peaks are under permanent 
snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all around. Heaven Lake lies part of the way up this range, 
about 2,000 metres above sea-level, at the foot of one of the higher snow-peaks. 
2. As the bus climbs, the sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm to wear: it 
is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man behind me is eating overpoweringly 
smelly goat?s cheese. The bus window leaks inhospitably but reveals a beautiful view. We have 
passed quickly from desert through arable land to pasture, and the ground is now green with grass, the 
slopes dark with pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones; it is a 
Constable landscape. The stream changes into a white torrent, and as we climb higher I wish more and 
more that I had brought with me something warmer than the pair of shorts that have served me so well 
in the desert. The stream (which, we are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our 
slow ascent. About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake, and look for a place to stay at the foot, which is 
the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am happy to note that there are thick quilts on 
the beds. 
3. Standing outside the cottage we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long, sardine-shaped and 
fed by snowmelt from a stream at its head. The lake is an intense blue, surrounded on all sides by 
green mountain walls, dotted with distant sheep. At the head of the lake, beyond the delta of the 
 
Roll Number 
      
 
 
SECOND TERM EXAMINATION 2017 
 
 
ENGLISH 
 
CLASS: XI Time Allotted: 3 Hrs 
  Max. Marks: 80 
 
 
inflowing stream, is a massive snow-capped peak which dominates the vista; it is  part of a series of 
peaks that culminate, a little out of view, in Mount Bogda itself. 
4. For those who live in the resort, there is a small mess-hall by the shore. We eat here sometimes, and 
sometimes buy food from the vendors outside, who sell kabab and naan until the last buses leave. The 
kababs, cooked on skewers over charcoal braziers, are particularly good; highly spiced and well-done. 
Horse?s milk is available too from the local Kazakh herdsmen, but I decline this. I am so affected by 
the cold that Mr. Cao, the relaxed young man who runs the mess, lends me a spare pair of trousers, 
several sizes too large but more than comfortable. Once I am warm again, I feel a pre-dinner spurt of 
energy „dinner will be long in coming?, and I ask him whether the lake is good for swimming in. 
5. „Swimming?? Mr. Cao says. „You aren?t thinking of swimming, are you?? 
6. „I thought I might?, I confess. „What?s the water like?? 
7. He doesn?t answer me immediately, turning instead to examine some receipts with exaggerated 
interest. Mr. Cao, with great off-handedness, addresses the air. „People are often drowned here,? he 
says. After a pause, he continues. „When was the last one?? This question is directed at the cook, who 
is preparing a tray of mantou (squat, white steamed bread rolls), and who now appears, wiping his 
doughy hand across his forehead. „Was it the Beijing athlete?? asks Mr. Cao. 
 
1.1 Read the questions given below and write the correct option you consider the most appropriate 
in your answer sheet: 
6 
1.  One benefit of sitting in the last row of the bus was that 
(i) the narrator enjoyed the bumps                    (ii) no one stared at him 
(iii) he could see the sunflowers (iv) he avoided the dullness of the city 
 
2.  The narrator was travelling to 
(i) Mount Bogda                                       (ii) a desert 
(iii) a 2,000-metre high snow-peak         (iv) Urumqi 
 
3 On reaching the destination the narrator felt relieved because 
 (i) he had got away from the desert.                 (ii) a difficult journey had come to an end. 
 (iii) he could watch the snow-peak.                  (iv) there were thick quilts on the beds. 
 
4  Mount Bogda is compared to 
(i) a horizontal desert surface.              (ii) a shining prism. 
(iii) a Constable landscape.                  (iv) the overcast sky. 
 
5 The ironic part about the lent pair of trousers was 
(i) it was several sizes large but comfortable         (ii) it didn?t belong to him 
(iii) way too long                                                    (iv) didn?t keep him warm 
 
 
 
6 Mr. Cao did not like the narrator to swim in the lake because 
(i) it was too cold                               (ii) people drowned there 
(iii) tourists weren?t allowed             (iv) he was indifferent  
 
1.2 Answer the following questions very briefly. 4 
a) Which two things in the bus made the narrator feel uncomfortable? 
 
 
b) What made the scene look like a Constable landscape? 
 
 
c)  What did he regret as the bus climbed higher? 
 
 
d) Why did the narrator like to buy food from outside? 
 
 
1.3 Find words in the above passage which convey the same meaning as the following 2 
 a) sellers (Para 4) 
b) increased (Para 7) 
 
2 Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 8 
 1. There are two types of diabetes, insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent. Between 90–95% of 
the estimated 13–14 million people in the United States with diabetes have non-insulin-dependent, or 
Type II, diabetes. Because this form of diabetes usually begins in adults over the age of 40 and is most 
common after the age of 55, it used to be called adult-onset diabetes. Its symptoms often develop 
gradually and are hard to identify at first; therefore, nearly half of all people with diabetes do not 
know they have it. For instance, someone who has developed Type II diabetes may feel tired or ill 
without knowing why. This can be particularly dangerous because untreated diabetes can cause 
damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. While the causes, short-term effects, 
and treatments of the two types of diabetes differ, both types can cause the same long-term health 
problems. 
 
2. Most importantly, both types affect the body's ability to use digested food for energy. Diabetes does 
not interfere with digestion, but it does prevent the body from using an important product of 
digestion, glucose (commonly known as sugar), for energy. After a meal, the normal digestive system 
breaks some food down into glucose. The blood carries the glucose or sugar throughout the body, 
causing blood glucose levels to rise. In response to this rise, the hormone insulin is released into the 
bloodstream and signals the body tissues to metabolize or burn the glucose for fuel, which causes 
blood glucose levels to return to normal. The glucose that the body does not use right away is stored 
in the liver, muscle, or fat. 
 
3. In both types of diabetes, however, this normal process malfunctions. A gland called the pancreas, found just 
behind the stomach, makes insulin. In people with insulin-dependent diabetes, the pancreas does not produce 
insulin at all. This condition usually begins in childhood and is known as Type I (formerly called juvenile-
onset) diabetes. These patients must have daily insulin injections to survive. People with non-insulin-dependent 
diabetes usually produce some insulin in their pancreas, but their bodies' tissues do not respond well to the 
insulin signal and, therefore, do not metabolize the glucose properly, a condition known as insulin resistance. 
 
 
 
 
4. Insulin resistance is an important factor in non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and scientists are 
searching for the causes of insulin resistance. They have identified two possibilities. The first is that 
there could be a defect in the insulin receptors on cells. Like an appliance that needs to be plugged 
into an electrical outlet, insulin has to bind to a receptor in order to function. Several things can go 
wrong with receptors. For example, there may not be enough receptors to which insulin may bind, or a 
defect in the receptors may prevent insulin from binding. The second possible cause of insulin 
resistance is that, although insulin may bind to the receptors, the cells do not read the signal to 
metabolize the glucose. Scientists continue to study these cells to see why this might happen.  
 
5. There's no cure for diabetes yet. However, there are ways to alleviate its symptoms. In 1986, the 
National Institute of Health panel of experts recommended that the best treatment for non-insulin 
dependent diabetes is a diet that helps one maintain a normal weight and pays particular attention to a 
proper balance of the different food groups. Many experts, including those in the American Diabetes 
Association, recommend that 50–60% of daily calories come from carbohydrates, 12–20% from 
protein, and no more than 30% from fat. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates, like breads, cereals, 
fruits, and vegetables, break down into glucose during digestion, causing blood glucose to rise. 
Additionally, studies have shown that cooked foods raise blood glucose higher than raw, unpeeled 
foods. A doctor or nutritionist should always be consulted for more of this kind of information and for 
help in planning a diet to off-set the effects of this form of diabetes. 
 
a) Make notes on the passage in any suitable format using recognizable abbreviations wherever 
necessary. Give a title to your notes. 
5 
b) Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words based on your notes. 3 
                         SECTION-B (WRITING & GRAMMAR) 30 MARKS  
3. Your school is organizing a Public Awareness Exhibition. In connection with it, prepare a poster to 
bring home the importance of the conservation of electricity. Your school is A.K. Public School, 
Green Park, Delhi. 
4 
 OR  
 Your school has decided to celebrate Golden Jubilee of KVS, by arranging a day long programme. 
Students are urged to participate actively & co-operate in making the celebrations a grand success. 
You are Monisha/Manoj, Cultural Secretary of your school. Write a notice in this regard in not more 
than 50 words to be put up on the school notice board. 
 
4.  You are Sonal/ Samkit of Vidyanjali Public School, Lucknow. You have seen an advertisement in 
„The Times of India? related to new batches of „Astronomy Club? initiated by National Science 
Centre, Lucknow starting from the coming fortnight .You wish to join the Club. Write a letter to the 
Director, enquiring about the venue, duration, fee- structure, activities, transportation etc. Invent other 
necessary details. 
6 
 
 
 
OR 
 
  Tech- India Pvt. Ltd. has offered the job of Accountant in one of the national daily. You are Ram 
Sharma, a resident of 29, Dilshad Garden, New Delhi. Apply for the job in the offering. Write an 
application to the HR Manager of the company.  
 
 
5 You are Suraj/Sandhya of Gargi Senior Secondary School Delhi. Games and Sports should be made 
compulsory in schools. Write a speech for morning assembly on the „Importance of Games and Sports 
in Personality Development? in about 150 -200 words. 
10 
 
OR 
 
 On the threshold of being a world super power, India does have a large young workforce but 
unfortunately not many in this force are employable for want of necessary skills. Write in about 150-
200 words, an article for a newspaper on the topic 'Skill Development is the Need of the Hour'. You 
are Anita/Arnav.  
 
6 The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each of the lines. Write the 
incorrect word and the correction in your answer sheet against the correct number. Remember 
to underline the word that you have supplied.                                                                                             
The process of borrowing a book from the school                                          
a) library is very simple. Each student is issuing a                   
b) library card. The library maintains the record of all            
c) books in catalogues. The student which wants to borrow   
d) a book have to fill up a requisition slip bearing                  
e) the name of the book and it?s author. If it is available        
f) it is at once issued for the student against his borrower?s     
g) card. In case it has being issued to another card holder,      
h) the student is asking to contact on a particular date             
when the book is due.  
 
 
 
 
4