PRACTICE SET -2

READING AND WRITING SKILLS

(SESSION 2023-24)
SUB - ENGLISH CORE (301)
CLASS - XI
TIME ALLOWED: 60 MINS M.M.: 25

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
i. All questions are compulsory.
ii. The Question Paper contains both objective and subjective questions.
iii. Separate instructions are given with each part of the question, wherever necessary.
iv. Read the instructions very carefully and follow them strictly.

SECTION A
READING SKILLS (10 MARKS)
1. Read the following text. (10 M)
1. How often do we remember to treat others as you would like them to treat you? In our quest to get more and
more, we forget that the quality of our lives depends on the kind of personalities we have cultivated for ourselves.
Genes might play a role when it comes to one’s disposition, but the major portion of our attitudes and behaviour
is influenced by the choices we make. So in the beginning of every year should you resolve to make more money,
learn a new language, travel more frequently then you must discontinue to be the same grumpy, impatient soul
you always were, should you then not seek to refine your character, focus more on nuances like how you treat
people, react to challenges and deal with stress? For most people such a course would yield rich results.
2. According to Mary Thomas, usually our New Year resolutions remain unachieved because we try to achieve
the impossible or, sometimes, just add more goals that we wish to accomplish to the list resolutions, but
strangely, we do not remember much about them during the course of the year as we do not seem to value them
enough to complete them. The better option would be to address something fundamental to you, to who you
really are, and go ahead with completing them instead of making any drastic resolutions which you will never be
able to fulfil. You could resolve to be a better person by having a positive attitude towards people you come across
in life. This could involve being nice with the lady who cleans the house, or your colleague who sits near you, but
you never interact with. Another trick is to acknowledge people for the value they add to your personal or
professional life. By extending basic courtesies to people around you, you add value to your life and that pays off
in the long run.
3. Sometimes, we know that there is room for improvement as far as our personalities are concerned but we have
little or no idea where to make the start. An easy starting point could be to look for opportunities in one’s
immediate surroundings. One positive starting point could be taking positive attitude towards life and dispelling
all negative thoughts. You could make a positive beginning by being a better person at work. This means treating
everyone with respect. You should not only interact politely, but also value each person’s ideas however far
removed these may be, to your own. After all, your friend’s ideas are an integral part of the organisation to which
both of you belong. Inculcating this habit of making an effort to talk to the people you would normally not have
to interact with on a daily basis, would make you a better person at the workplace.
4. Also, you do not have to do something extraordinary to prove your good intentions. Just greeting or smiling at
your colleagues first thing in the morning could always brighten someone’s day. These are simple things that we
are taught while growing but tend to forget as we move through life. So essentially, being better is an exercise in
learning to be nice, and you will see that playing nice will get your work done better than scolding or frowning
or passing orders.
5. A purposeful life should contain skills that lead to practical changes. After all, no people are alike, so why should
your ideas be the only right solution? A company, where individual differences are nurtured, information is not
suppressed, soon becomes a workplace that adds value to its employees, rather than merely extracting work out
of them. It makes workers feel intrinsically rewarded. It is, therefore, imperative that co – workers and partners
share a camaraderie that transcends mere professional conduct and delivery. Thus, for a person who wishes to
remain happy and content, it is as valuable to spend time on nurturing qualities like friendship and consideration
as it is on acquiring skills and knowledge.

Answer the following questions, based on the passage above.

i. The quality of our lives depends
A. the personalities we have cultivated for ourselves
B. the number of New Year resolutions we make
C. the challenges that people give us
D. None of the above
ii. Why does our New Year resolutions remain unfulfilled according to Mary Thomas?
iii. To add value to your life you _________________________________
A. must earn more money
B. become more hardworking
C. should be nice to the people in your immediate surroundings
D. only (i) and (iii)
iv. Workers feel intrinsically rewarded if _____________________________
A. they are given bonuses
B. their work is given recognition
C. their individual differences are acknowledged
D. none of the above
v. Playing worse will _____________________________
A. label you as a flatterer C. make people see through you
B. not help you at all D. get your work done better
vi. You could become a better person by _______________________________________
A. developing a positive attitude towards people around you
B. being nice to the workers in your house
C. interacting nicely with your colleagues who sits next to you and have ever never talked to him
D. all of the above
vii. The word ‘acknowledge’ in paragraph 2 means to _______________________
A. insult someone C. recognize someone’s efforts or accomplishments
B. belittle and abuse someone’s ideas D. accompany someone to a place of work
viii. A good company is ______________________________________________
A. where values are not nurtured C. only work is extracted out of the employees
B. individual rights are suppressed D. none of the above
ix. ‘Comraderie’ in paragraph 5 stands for ______________________
A. good friendship and loyalty among group members
B. hostility between two groups
C. a feeling of fierce competition
D. one upmanship
x. State TRUE or FALSE.
You need to do something extraordinary to prove your good intentions
SECTION B
GRAMMAR AND CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS (15 MARKS)
2. Read the following paragraph and fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs: (8 x ½ =4)
Driving (i)____________________ a big fun. However, obedience to traffic rules (ii)____________________ it more
enjoyable and safer. While (iii)____________________, it must be (iv)____________________ that you
(v)____________________ enjoyable for yourself as well as the life of other road users. With alarming rise in
the number of road mishaps, the need for road safety (vi)____________________ a lot of importance across
the globe. By practicing a few golden rules, you (vii)____________________ a responsible citizen who
(viii)____________________ in safe driving and the safety of others.
i. A. is B. was C. will be D. being
ii. A. makes B. made C. will make D. make
iii. A. driven B. driving C. drives D. drove
iv. A. remembers B. remembered C. was remembered D. will remember
v. A. have B. are C. have been D. were
vi. A. gains B. has gained C. gained D. will be gained
vii. A. become B. becomes C. became D. will become
viii. A. believed B. will believe C. believes D. had believed
3. There is an error in each line with respect to the tenses. Write the incorrect word and the
correction as given below: (4 x ½ =2)
INCORRECT CORRECT
Mamta lost her father when she is still (a) ____________________ ___________________
a child. Her uncle looked at all the property (b) ____________________ ___________________
that she inherit from her father. Afterwards he (c) ____________________ ___________________
thinks, “This property can make me rich. How (d) ____________________ ___________________
long should I keep serving my niece?”
4. Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences: (4 x 1 =4)
i. no / than / did / disappeared / rise / the / sooner / mist / sun / the
ii. lay / honour / their / would / down / they / lives / to / uphold / their
iii. they / hall / the / hours / in / for/ watching / two / been / television / had /
iv. fly / escape / these / to / birds / and / south / chill / starvation / to
5. You are Kritika/Karan Srivastava of Gacchibowli, Hyderabad, where there is no post office.
Write a letter to the Editor of a national daily drawing the attention of the government to this
basic need of the residents of your area. Justify the opening of a post office in your locality in
about 120-150 words. (5)