Page 1
28-1 Page 1 P.T.O.
Candidates must write the Q.P. Code
on the title page of the answer-book.
Series &RQPS
Q.P. Code
Roll No.
Please check that this question paper contains 19 printed pages.
Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions.
Q.P. Code given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written
on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate.
Please write down the serial number of the question in the answer-book
before attempting it.
15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the
answer-book during this period.
ENGLISH (Elective)
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80
General Instructions :
Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them :
(i) This question paper contains 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) This question paper has three sections Section A, B and C. Section A :
Reading, Section B : Grammar and Writing, Section C : Literature and
Fiction.
(iii) Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary.
(iv) Do no exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
2 8
SET-4
Page 2
28-1 Page 1 P.T.O.
Candidates must write the Q.P. Code
on the title page of the answer-book.
Series &RQPS
Q.P. Code
Roll No.
Please check that this question paper contains 19 printed pages.
Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions.
Q.P. Code given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written
on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate.
Please write down the serial number of the question in the answer-book
before attempting it.
15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the
answer-book during this period.
ENGLISH (Elective)
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80
General Instructions :
Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them :
(i) This question paper contains 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) This question paper has three sections Section A, B and C. Section A :
Reading, Section B : Grammar and Writing, Section C : Literature and
Fiction.
(iii) Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary.
(iv) Do no exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
2 8
SET-4
28-1 Page 2
SECTION A
(Reading) 20 Marks
1. Read the passage given below : 12
(1) The United States and China are currently involved in an
extraordinary standoff over allegations of espionage through
high-altitude balloons. Last week, the US downed three unidentified
o over its airspace and that of Canada. The downed
o recovered, so it is not clear whether these
were balloons.
(2) But the first incident involved a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed
was meant for research purposes and was accidentally blown off
course by wind. The US has also claimed that Chinese balloons
entered its airspace on at least four earlier occasions, remaining
undetected at that time. China, in turn, has accused the US of
sending surveillance balloons over its airspace at least 10 times since
last year.
(3) Balloons have been in frequent use for several decades now, though
the first use goes back by at least 200 years. They are used mainly for
scientific purposes, but increasingly for tourism and joy rides,
surveillance, disaster relief and rescue.
(4) The bigger balloons can be as large as a football stadium, go up to
40 50 km from the ground, and carry a few thousand kilograms of
payloads. Most of these are built of thin sheets of polyethylene, like
the common plastic bags, and are filled mostly with helium gas.
Balloons can stay in flight from anywhere between a few hours to a
couple of months. Those that are meant to remain in air for long, and
go higher up in the atmosphere, are made of more advanced
materials for increased sturdiness.
Page 3
28-1 Page 1 P.T.O.
Candidates must write the Q.P. Code
on the title page of the answer-book.
Series &RQPS
Q.P. Code
Roll No.
Please check that this question paper contains 19 printed pages.
Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions.
Q.P. Code given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written
on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate.
Please write down the serial number of the question in the answer-book
before attempting it.
15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the
answer-book during this period.
ENGLISH (Elective)
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80
General Instructions :
Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them :
(i) This question paper contains 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) This question paper has three sections Section A, B and C. Section A :
Reading, Section B : Grammar and Writing, Section C : Literature and
Fiction.
(iii) Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary.
(iv) Do no exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
2 8
SET-4
28-1 Page 2
SECTION A
(Reading) 20 Marks
1. Read the passage given below : 12
(1) The United States and China are currently involved in an
extraordinary standoff over allegations of espionage through
high-altitude balloons. Last week, the US downed three unidentified
o over its airspace and that of Canada. The downed
o recovered, so it is not clear whether these
were balloons.
(2) But the first incident involved a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed
was meant for research purposes and was accidentally blown off
course by wind. The US has also claimed that Chinese balloons
entered its airspace on at least four earlier occasions, remaining
undetected at that time. China, in turn, has accused the US of
sending surveillance balloons over its airspace at least 10 times since
last year.
(3) Balloons have been in frequent use for several decades now, though
the first use goes back by at least 200 years. They are used mainly for
scientific purposes, but increasingly for tourism and joy rides,
surveillance, disaster relief and rescue.
(4) The bigger balloons can be as large as a football stadium, go up to
40 50 km from the ground, and carry a few thousand kilograms of
payloads. Most of these are built of thin sheets of polyethylene, like
the common plastic bags, and are filled mostly with helium gas.
Balloons can stay in flight from anywhere between a few hours to a
couple of months. Those that are meant to remain in air for long, and
go higher up in the atmosphere, are made of more advanced
materials for increased sturdiness.
28-1 Page 3 P.T.O.
(5) Balloons typically have a basket attached to them, called gondolas,
that carry instruments or human beings. In unmanned flights, the
gondolas are also attached to a parachute. Once the job of the balloon
is done, a device in the gondola is triggered to snap its ties with the
balloon as well as create a rupture in the fabric of the balloon. With
the help of the parachute, the gondola then glides down to the earth,
followed by the ruptured balloon. The possible landing zone is
calculated ahead of the flight based on weather conditions.
(6) The most common use of balloons is in scientific research. In a way,
balloons equipped with instruments were able to perform the
functions of a satellite before the space age dawned. Even in the
times of advanced satellites, there are situations in which balloons
are considered more suitable. Weather agencies routinely use
balloons to make measurements of air temperature, pressure, wind
speed, direction and aerosol concentrations.
(7) Because of the high altitudes that to balloons can attain,
they are considered useful for astrophysicists and even space
agencies. These are relatively clear spaces, much above the heights at
which airplanes fly and far below the nearest orbits, about 200 km
from earth, where satellites are placed. Very often, they offer better
opportunities to observe specific parts of the earth, and are also
thousands of times cheaper than satellites.
(8) Moreover, because the balloons are brought down after their job is
done, the instruments used are recoverable and resaleable.
(9) NASA has a full-fledged balloon programme that does four-five
launches every year. Several universities and research institutions
also use balloons for research work.
(10) Balloon-based experiments have resulted in at least two Nobel prizes
for Physics in 1936 and 2006.
Page 4
28-1 Page 1 P.T.O.
Candidates must write the Q.P. Code
on the title page of the answer-book.
Series &RQPS
Q.P. Code
Roll No.
Please check that this question paper contains 19 printed pages.
Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions.
Q.P. Code given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written
on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate.
Please write down the serial number of the question in the answer-book
before attempting it.
15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the
answer-book during this period.
ENGLISH (Elective)
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80
General Instructions :
Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them :
(i) This question paper contains 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) This question paper has three sections Section A, B and C. Section A :
Reading, Section B : Grammar and Writing, Section C : Literature and
Fiction.
(iii) Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary.
(iv) Do no exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
2 8
SET-4
28-1 Page 2
SECTION A
(Reading) 20 Marks
1. Read the passage given below : 12
(1) The United States and China are currently involved in an
extraordinary standoff over allegations of espionage through
high-altitude balloons. Last week, the US downed three unidentified
o over its airspace and that of Canada. The downed
o recovered, so it is not clear whether these
were balloons.
(2) But the first incident involved a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed
was meant for research purposes and was accidentally blown off
course by wind. The US has also claimed that Chinese balloons
entered its airspace on at least four earlier occasions, remaining
undetected at that time. China, in turn, has accused the US of
sending surveillance balloons over its airspace at least 10 times since
last year.
(3) Balloons have been in frequent use for several decades now, though
the first use goes back by at least 200 years. They are used mainly for
scientific purposes, but increasingly for tourism and joy rides,
surveillance, disaster relief and rescue.
(4) The bigger balloons can be as large as a football stadium, go up to
40 50 km from the ground, and carry a few thousand kilograms of
payloads. Most of these are built of thin sheets of polyethylene, like
the common plastic bags, and are filled mostly with helium gas.
Balloons can stay in flight from anywhere between a few hours to a
couple of months. Those that are meant to remain in air for long, and
go higher up in the atmosphere, are made of more advanced
materials for increased sturdiness.
28-1 Page 3 P.T.O.
(5) Balloons typically have a basket attached to them, called gondolas,
that carry instruments or human beings. In unmanned flights, the
gondolas are also attached to a parachute. Once the job of the balloon
is done, a device in the gondola is triggered to snap its ties with the
balloon as well as create a rupture in the fabric of the balloon. With
the help of the parachute, the gondola then glides down to the earth,
followed by the ruptured balloon. The possible landing zone is
calculated ahead of the flight based on weather conditions.
(6) The most common use of balloons is in scientific research. In a way,
balloons equipped with instruments were able to perform the
functions of a satellite before the space age dawned. Even in the
times of advanced satellites, there are situations in which balloons
are considered more suitable. Weather agencies routinely use
balloons to make measurements of air temperature, pressure, wind
speed, direction and aerosol concentrations.
(7) Because of the high altitudes that to balloons can attain,
they are considered useful for astrophysicists and even space
agencies. These are relatively clear spaces, much above the heights at
which airplanes fly and far below the nearest orbits, about 200 km
from earth, where satellites are placed. Very often, they offer better
opportunities to observe specific parts of the earth, and are also
thousands of times cheaper than satellites.
(8) Moreover, because the balloons are brought down after their job is
done, the instruments used are recoverable and resaleable.
(9) NASA has a full-fledged balloon programme that does four-five
launches every year. Several universities and research institutions
also use balloons for research work.
(10) Balloon-based experiments have resulted in at least two Nobel prizes
for Physics in 1936 and 2006.
28-1 Page 4
(11) High altitude balloons are tempting vehicles for espionage operations
though their use is not known to be very common. Drones and
satellites are used more frequently, and spy planes have been in use
since World War I. But here again, balloons have certain advantages.
They can hover over an area for a prolonged time. Big balloons can
carry a few thousand kilograms of payloads, which means they can be
packed with spying instruments.
(12) The biggest advantage is the greater prospect of their remaining
undetected. Because of their relatively slow movement, balloons are
mostly flagged as birds by defence radars, thus escaping attention. In
fact, the US has now said it will recalibrate its radar systems to
detect slow-moving objects.
(13) Balloons lack the sophisticated navigation systems of an aircraft,
drone or satellite, being largely at the mercy of wind speed and
direction. But the balloon that was downed on February 4 seemed to
have a solar panel attached to it, which has given rise to the
possibility of it powering an onboard propulsion device.
(14) Scientific balloons have been used in India for more than 70 years;
the first one having been sent in 1948 by Homi Bhabha for cosmic
ray research. The Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research started balloon fabrication work in the 1950s and several
balloon flights were launched from Mumbai and Hyderabad. It is
regularly used by the space institutions under ISRO and weather
institutions like the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.
Institutions like the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of
Astro
private educational institutions, also have balloon programmes. In
1969, the TIFR opened a full-fledged balloon plant in Hyderabad,
such facility today.
Page 5
28-1 Page 1 P.T.O.
Candidates must write the Q.P. Code
on the title page of the answer-book.
Series &RQPS
Q.P. Code
Roll No.
Please check that this question paper contains 19 printed pages.
Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions.
Q.P. Code given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written
on the title page of the answer-book by the candidate.
Please write down the serial number of the question in the answer-book
before attempting it.
15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question
paper will be distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the
students will read the question paper only and will not write any answer on the
answer-book during this period.
ENGLISH (Elective)
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 80
General Instructions :
Read the following instructions very carefully and strictly follow them :
(i) This question paper contains 13 questions. All questions are compulsory.
(ii) This question paper has three sections Section A, B and C. Section A :
Reading, Section B : Grammar and Writing, Section C : Literature and
Fiction.
(iii) Separate instructions are given with each part and question, wherever necessary.
(iv) Do no exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.
2 8
SET-4
28-1 Page 2
SECTION A
(Reading) 20 Marks
1. Read the passage given below : 12
(1) The United States and China are currently involved in an
extraordinary standoff over allegations of espionage through
high-altitude balloons. Last week, the US downed three unidentified
o over its airspace and that of Canada. The downed
o recovered, so it is not clear whether these
were balloons.
(2) But the first incident involved a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed
was meant for research purposes and was accidentally blown off
course by wind. The US has also claimed that Chinese balloons
entered its airspace on at least four earlier occasions, remaining
undetected at that time. China, in turn, has accused the US of
sending surveillance balloons over its airspace at least 10 times since
last year.
(3) Balloons have been in frequent use for several decades now, though
the first use goes back by at least 200 years. They are used mainly for
scientific purposes, but increasingly for tourism and joy rides,
surveillance, disaster relief and rescue.
(4) The bigger balloons can be as large as a football stadium, go up to
40 50 km from the ground, and carry a few thousand kilograms of
payloads. Most of these are built of thin sheets of polyethylene, like
the common plastic bags, and are filled mostly with helium gas.
Balloons can stay in flight from anywhere between a few hours to a
couple of months. Those that are meant to remain in air for long, and
go higher up in the atmosphere, are made of more advanced
materials for increased sturdiness.
28-1 Page 3 P.T.O.
(5) Balloons typically have a basket attached to them, called gondolas,
that carry instruments or human beings. In unmanned flights, the
gondolas are also attached to a parachute. Once the job of the balloon
is done, a device in the gondola is triggered to snap its ties with the
balloon as well as create a rupture in the fabric of the balloon. With
the help of the parachute, the gondola then glides down to the earth,
followed by the ruptured balloon. The possible landing zone is
calculated ahead of the flight based on weather conditions.
(6) The most common use of balloons is in scientific research. In a way,
balloons equipped with instruments were able to perform the
functions of a satellite before the space age dawned. Even in the
times of advanced satellites, there are situations in which balloons
are considered more suitable. Weather agencies routinely use
balloons to make measurements of air temperature, pressure, wind
speed, direction and aerosol concentrations.
(7) Because of the high altitudes that to balloons can attain,
they are considered useful for astrophysicists and even space
agencies. These are relatively clear spaces, much above the heights at
which airplanes fly and far below the nearest orbits, about 200 km
from earth, where satellites are placed. Very often, they offer better
opportunities to observe specific parts of the earth, and are also
thousands of times cheaper than satellites.
(8) Moreover, because the balloons are brought down after their job is
done, the instruments used are recoverable and resaleable.
(9) NASA has a full-fledged balloon programme that does four-five
launches every year. Several universities and research institutions
also use balloons for research work.
(10) Balloon-based experiments have resulted in at least two Nobel prizes
for Physics in 1936 and 2006.
28-1 Page 4
(11) High altitude balloons are tempting vehicles for espionage operations
though their use is not known to be very common. Drones and
satellites are used more frequently, and spy planes have been in use
since World War I. But here again, balloons have certain advantages.
They can hover over an area for a prolonged time. Big balloons can
carry a few thousand kilograms of payloads, which means they can be
packed with spying instruments.
(12) The biggest advantage is the greater prospect of their remaining
undetected. Because of their relatively slow movement, balloons are
mostly flagged as birds by defence radars, thus escaping attention. In
fact, the US has now said it will recalibrate its radar systems to
detect slow-moving objects.
(13) Balloons lack the sophisticated navigation systems of an aircraft,
drone or satellite, being largely at the mercy of wind speed and
direction. But the balloon that was downed on February 4 seemed to
have a solar panel attached to it, which has given rise to the
possibility of it powering an onboard propulsion device.
(14) Scientific balloons have been used in India for more than 70 years;
the first one having been sent in 1948 by Homi Bhabha for cosmic
ray research. The Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research started balloon fabrication work in the 1950s and several
balloon flights were launched from Mumbai and Hyderabad. It is
regularly used by the space institutions under ISRO and weather
institutions like the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.
Institutions like the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of
Astro
private educational institutions, also have balloon programmes. In
1969, the TIFR opened a full-fledged balloon plant in Hyderabad,
such facility today.
28-1 Page 5 P.T.O.
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any twelve out of
the fifteen questions given below : 12 1=12
(i) Balloons have been used primarily for :
(A) scientific purposes.
(B) tourism and joy rides.
(C) providing disaster relief.
(D) keeping an eye on the enemy installations.
(ii) The advantage of the balloons is that they :
(A) can take off from anywhere.
(B) can carry heavy payloads.
(C) stay in flight for as long as we wish.
(D) are much cheaper in comparison to satellites.
(iii) The basket- :
(A) can carry payloads and human beings.
(B) have to be manually ruptured after the job is completed.
(C) need to be refuelled.
(D) have a device which is fixed in the gondola to trigger to snap
its ties with the balloon.
(iv) Even after the dawn of the modern space-age, the importance of the
balloons has not _____________ .
(A) been curtailed
(B) enhanced
(C) become popular
(D) become redundant
(v) As compared to satellites, the balloons are more useful to
astrophysicists and space agencies because
(A) balloons can reach greater heights.
(B) they provide better opportunities to observe specific parts of
the earth.
(C) they .
(D) balloons are invisible.
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