NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA SAMITI

TERM-II EXAMINATION (2023 - 24)

ENGLISH CORE
CLASS XI

Time Allowed: 3Hours Maximum Marks : 80

General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections - READING, WRITING and LITERATURE.
Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.

Section A (Reading Skill) (26 Marks)

1 Read the text carefully and answer the questions: [1x10]
1. Summer is upon us and the mango has made its appearance. Even as pickles, papads,
preserves, pulp, and powder get prepared for the mango less days ahead, we only
need to sink our teeth into the raw mango or the ripe sweet one for a taste of heaven
on earth. So grab afruit and let us unravel the marvelous mango mystery.
2. Legend has said it that the mango was not only the king of fruits but afruit of kings.
Once upon a time, personal orchards were heavily guarded symbols of status with
exclusive varieties of their fruit cultivated especially for royalty and nobles though
favored folks weregifted baskets of the much - sought - after mangoes.
3. Mangoes trace their origin to India and Burma where they have been grown for over
5000 years. Buddhist monks transplanted it to Malaysia and other parts of South - East
Asia, the Portuguese took it to Brazil andthe West Indies, the Persians to the Gulf and
Africa. It was only in the 1830s that mangoes first appeared in the United States.
4. The word mango originated from out Tamil ‘make - kay’ or ‘man - gay’ which the
Portuguese pronounced as ‘mange’ till Anglicisation made it ‘mango.’
5. Legends and fables bring glory to the fruit. Rama took the fruit and gave divinity to
Shabari and mango leaves are hung on our doorways on auspicious days. Today, over
1200 varieties of mango trees are grown over the world in the warm and wet climate
of the tropics andsubtropics.
6. Among the many Indian varieties the Alphanso or Hapus raised in a small stretch
across the Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra is valued most for its lush sweetness, lack
of fibers in the pulp, and long shelf - life. Mango trees are evergreen and grow about
60 feet tall taking up to4 - 6 years to start producing fruit. World annual production
totals 20 million metric tonnes. Of this, India tops the list of growers (we do export a
small fraction to the Gulf region) while Mexico (the second largest producer) is the
largest exporter.

i. Complete the sentence by choosing an appropriate option. The word "mango" has its
roots in the .
a. Tamil word "make - kay"
b. Portuguese word "mange"
c. Anglicisation of "mange"
d. Carnatic word "man - gay"
ii. Comment on the writer’s reference to the origin of Mangoes.
iii. List any two legendary fables that renders the fruit an auspicious status. (Clue: Think
about the stories woven around the fruit)

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 iv. Select the option that conveys the opposite of ‘non - fiction’, from words used in
paragraph two.
a. Legend
b. orchard
c. exclusive
d. folk
v. In which season does one get to savor mango fruit?
a. Winter
b. Autumn
c. Summer
d. Spring
vi. Mango makes appearance during the summers. Besides this, based on your knowledge,
list few other physical traits/features of mango trees.
vii. How do we prepare ourselves for the mango - less days?
viii. Complete the given sentence with an appropriate inference, with respect to the
following: Mango was not only a king of fruits but a fruitof kings because .
ix. In the earlier days, who besides the noble had access to the mysticalfruit?
a. General Public
b. Soldiers
c. Courtiers and Ministers
d. Favored Folks of the king
x. Select the most suitable creative (or literary) title for the above passage.
a. Of Kings, Nobles and Mangoes
b. Mango - King of Fruits
c. Myth and History of Mango
d. A Delish Story of Mango
2 Read the text carefully and answer any 8 questions: [1x8]
The Measles Resurgence
1. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a range of psychological conditions characterised
by abnormalities in social interaction, behaviour, interests, and communication. The
five forms of ASD include Classical autism, Asperger syndrome, Pervasive
Developmental Disorder, Rett syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.
Although the numbers of reported cases of ASD have experienced a dramatic increase
in the past 25 years, the majority of doctors agree that this increase is due to changes
in diagnostic practices and advances in the understanding of psychiatric health.
2. While there is no general consensus among medical professionals about the
underlying causes of ASD, theories range from genetic inheritance to environmental
factors. One of the most controversial theories to have emerged in recent times is
the hypothesis that ASD could be caused by the MMR vaccine, which is an
immunization against measles, mumps, 1960". The vaccine is a mixture of three live
viruses and is administered via injection to children when they are one year old. By
the late 1990’s, this vaccination had led to the near - eradication of measles in
countries that employed widespread inoculation. However, a combination of
spurious scientific data and alarmist mediaattention led to an entirely preventable
resurgence in measles cases inthe early 21 st century.

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 3. The first claims of a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism were made in
1998, when an article in The Lancet a respected British medical journal, reported on
eight cases of autism that could possibly be traced back to the administration of an
MMR vaccine. The parents of the children in this study contended that the symptoms
of autism in their children developed within days of vaccination. During a press
conference, Andrew Wakefield, one of the doctors to stop giving combined MMR
vaccines, instead advocating for individual inoculations against measles, mumps, and
rubella.
4. Following the publication of this article, Wakefield published several follow - up papers
that further questioned the safety of the MMR vaccine. An onslaught of media
coverage then began. Parents appeared on television sharing anecdotal evidence
linking their child’s inoculation to the onset of ASD. The popular press quickly seized
uponthis story: in 2002, over 1200 articles were written about the link between MMR
vaccines and ASD. Less than 30% of these articles mentioned that an overwhelming
amount of scientific evidence suggested that these vaccinations were completely safe.
i. The purpose of parents appearing on the television sharing anecdotal evidence was
_________.
ii. Select the option that is true for the two statements given below.(1) According to a
study, it is found that the cause behind ASD in children is increasing stress and anxiety
at a tender age. (2) The advancement in diagnostic techniques by doctors had proven
great to decrease the number of ASD cases.
a. (1) is the result of (2).
b. (1) is the reason for (2).
c. (1) is true and (2) is false
d. Both (1) and (2) are false
iii. State the meaning of the statement "The popular press quickly seized upon this
story."
iv. According to the doctors, the number of reported cases of ASD have experienced a
dramatic increase in the past 25 years. It was because of ____________.
v. Select the option listing what the given sentence refers to.The symptoms of ASD did
NOT include: (1) abnormalities in social interaction (2) high fever (3) bipolar behavior (4)
unusual interests (5) Abnormal communication
a. (1), (2) and (5)
b. (2) and (3)
c. (4) and (5)
d. (1), (3) and (5)
vi. The MMR vaccine contained three live viruses. (True/false)
vii. The story of MMR vaccines and ASD relation got attention proving thepower of.
viii. Which of the following options suggest that the safety of the vaccines had no great
evidence as such?
a. The parents of the children in this study contended that the symptoms of autism
in their children developed within days ofvaccination.
b. Wakefield published several followup papers that furtherquestioned the safety
of the MMR vaccine.
c. Parents appeared on television sharing anecdotal evidence linking their child’s
inoculation to the onset of ASD.
d. Less than 30%of these articles mentioned that an overwhelming amount of

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 scientific evidence suggested that these vaccinations were completely safe.
ix. The MMR vaccine was first developed in the 1950’s. (True/false)
x. Complete the given analogy correctly with a word from the passageDangerous : safe : :
retreat:
3 Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Effective speaking depends on effective listening. It takes energy to concentrate on hearing

and to concentrate on understanding what has been heard. Incompetent listeners fail in a
number of ways. First, they may drift. Their attention drifts from what the speaker is saying.
Second, they may counter. They find counter - arguments to whatever a speaker may be
saying.
Third, they compete. Then, they filter. They exclude from their understanding those parts of
the message which do not readily fit with their own frame of reference. Finally, they react.
They let personal feelings about a speaker or subject override the significance of the message
which is being sent. What can a listener do to be more effective? The first key to effective
listening is the art of concentration. If a listener positively wishes to concentrate on receiving
a message, his chances of success are high. It may need determination. Some speakers are
difficult to follow, either because of voice problems or because of the form in which they send
a message. There is a particular need for the determination of a listener to concentrate on
what is being said. Concentrationis helped by alertness. Mental alertness is helped by physical
alertness. It is not simply physical fitness but also positioning of the body, the limbs and the
head. Some people also find it helpful to their concentration if they hold the head slightly to
one side. One useful way for achieving this is intensive note - taking, by trying to capture the
critical headings and sub - headings the speaker is referring to. Note - taking has been
recommended as an aid to the listener. It also helps the speaker. It gives him confidence when
he sees that listeners are sufficiently interested to take notes; the patterns of eye - contact
when the note - taker looks up can be very positive, and the speaker’s timing is aided—he
can see when a note - taker is writing hard and can then make effective use of pauses. Posture
too is important. Consider the impact made by a less competent listener who pushes his chair
backwards and slouches. An upright posture helps a listener’s concentration. At the same
time, it is seen bythe speaker to be a positive feature amongst his listeners. Effective listening
skills have an impact on both the listener and the speaker.
i. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using 5
headings and sub - headings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary -
minimum four) and a format youconsider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to
it.
ii. Write a summary of the passage in about 80 words. 3
Section B (Grammar & Writing Skill) (23 Marks)
4 (i) Fill in ANY FOUR of the following blanks given below choosing the most appropriate options [4]
from the ones that follow.
Television (a) become very popular in our
country. People spend a lot (b) time watching a variety of programmes.
Some of the programmes (c) are telecast these days are of a very
poor quality. We should remember that television is (d)effective in educating (e)
nation.

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 a) (i) is (ii) was (iii) has (iv) had
b) (i) of (ii) for (iii) at (iv) by
c) (i) those (ii) when (iii) here (iv) that
d) (i) so (ii) many (iii) very (iv) some
e) (i) a (ii) an (iii) the (iv) some
(ii) Rearranging the words in meaningful sentence: [1]

wife/room/he/up/entered/stood/his/the/whenever

a) His wife entered the room he stood up whenever.

b) He stood up whenever the room entered his wife.
c) He stood up whenever his wife entered the room
d) He stood up his wife entered the room whenever.
(iii) Rearrange the following words to make meaningful sentences: [1]
the / on / forests / the / industry / oil / depends

a) The industry depends oil on the forests

b) On the forests depends the oil industry
c) The oil industry depends on the forests
d) The forests depends on the oil industry
(iv) Rearrange the following words in the meaningful sentence: [1]
dedicated / the poorest of the poor / entire life / she / to / her / the / service /of

a) She dedicated her entire life to the service of the poorest of the poor.
b) She dedicated entire her life to the service of the poorest of the poor.
c) She dedicated the service to her entire life of the poorest of the poor.
d) She dedicated her entire life to the service of the poor of the poorest.
5 (i) Write an advertisement in not more than 50 words for the Lost and Found column of the daily [3]
‘National Herald’, Lucknow stating the loss of your walletcontaining a DD for Rs 32500 and
some cash, while travelling by bus from Hazratganj to Nirala Nagar in Lucknow. You are
Yashika/Yash, 22 A Hazratganj, Lucknow.
OR
You want to sell your newly built flat. Draft a suitable advertisement in notmore than 50 words
to be inserted in the classified columns of The Hindu’ giving all necessary details. You are
Raksha/Rakshit, 247, JP Nagar, Bangalore.
(ii) Design a poster in about 50 words to create awareness among the people of your city on the [3]
importance of following traffic rules.
OR
Design a poster in not more than 50 words for your school library on the valueof books and
good reading habits. You may use slogans.
(iii) A recent health check - up in your school revealed that many among your classmates were [5]
suffering from weak eyesight. You feel concerned. Write a speech in 150 - 200 words to be
delivered in the morning assembly on how toprotect your eyesight. Make use of the following
clues
 reading in bad light
 bad posture

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  wrong direction, from which light is coming
 excessive TV viewing
 regular washing of eyes
 eat more green vegetables
 enough sleep
OR
Mobile phone of today is no longer a mere means of communication. Music lovers are so
glued to it that they don’t pay attention even to the traffic while crossing the roads. This leads
to accidents, sometimes even fatal ones. Write aspeech in 150 - 200 words to be delivered in
the morning assembly advising the students to be careful in the use of this otherwise very
useful gadget.
Imagine you are Principal of your school.
(iv) ‘The Internet cannot replace a classroom teacher’. Write a debate in 150 – 200 words either [5]
for or against the motion. You are Karuna/Karna.
OR
Loudspeakers, bands etc create a lot of disturbance at all hours of day and night especially for
students and for the sick. Write a debate in favour of or against the motion in 150 - 200 words.
You are Shobha/Saurabh.
Section C ( Literature) (31 Marks)
6 (i) Read the text carefully and answer the questions: [3]
Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup.
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings______

i. Which of the word is not related to the goldfinch?

a. Alert
b. Machine
c. Abrupt
d. Sleek
ii. Choose the odd one out in the context of movement/motion words from the given
extract:
a. Trilling
b. Start
c. Come
d. Tremor
iii. Identify the possible poetic device used in and alert and abrupt?
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Alliteration
d. Oxymoron
OR
Read the text carefully and answer the questions:
The cardboard shows me how it was
When the two girl cousins went paddling,

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 Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,
And she the big girl - some twelve years or so.

i. What is cardboard referred to in the first line of the extract?

a. Old Scrapbook
b. Old Slambook
c. Old notebook
d. Old photograph
ii. At which place did the girls possibly go?
a. Sea Beach
b. Play Station
c. Hill Station
d. Riverside
iii. Which feelings are aroused in these lines?
a. Love
b. All of these
c. Childhood pleasure
Togetherness
(ii) Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: [3]
My headache soon cleared as we careered down the other side of the pass. It was two
o’clock by the time we stopped for lunch. We ate hot noodles inside a long canvas tent, part
of a work camp erected beside a dry salt lake. The plateau is pockmarked with salt flats and
brackish lakes, vestiges of the Tethys Ocean which bordered Tibet before the great
continental collision that lifted it skyward. This one was a hive of activity, men with pickaxes
and shovels trudging back and forth in their long sheepskin coats and salt - encrusted boots.
All wore sunglasses against the glare as a steady stream of blue trucks emerged from the
blindingly white lake laden with piles of salt. By late afternoon we had reached the small
town of Hor, back on the main east - westhighway that followed the old trade route from
Lhasa to Kashmir. Daniel, who was returning to Lhasa, found a ride in a truck so Tsetan and I
bade him farewell outside a tyre - repair shop. We had suffered two punctures in quick
succession on the drive down from the salt lake and Tsetan was eager to have them fixed
since they left him with no spares. Besides, the second tyre he’d changed had been replaced
by one that was as smooth as my bald head.
i. Describe the scene at the work camp beside the dry salt lake.
ii. Provide one possible interpretation or inference that can be made from the
statement, "The plateau is pockmarked with salt flats and brackish lakes, vestiges of
the Tethys Ocean which bordered Tibet before the great continental collision that
lifted it skyward."
iii. Identify the line from the passage that provides evidence of the geographical
features of the plateau near the dry salt lake and their connection to the ancient
Tethys Ocean.
OR
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
In his defence, Carter really had little choice. If he hadn’t cut the mummy free, thieves most
certainly would have circumvented the guards and ripped it apart to remove the gold. In
Tut’s time the royals were fabulously wealthy, and they thought - or hoped - they could take
their riches with them. For his journey to the great beyond, King Tut was lavished with

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 glittering goods: precious collars, inlaid necklaces and bracelets, rings, amulets, a ceremonial
apron, sandals, sheaths for his fingers and toes, and the now iconic inner coffinand mask -
all of pure gold. To separate Tut from his adornments, Carter’s men removed the mummy’s
head and severed nearly every major joint. Once they had finished, they reassembled the
remains on a layer of sand in a wooden box with padding that concealed the damage, the
bed where Tut now rests.
i. How did Carter’s team hide the damage caused by removing King Tut’s adornments?
ii. Who was Howard Carter? What did he find?
Pick evidence from the extract that suggests why Carter felt it wasnecessary to cut the mummy
and separate it from its adornments.
(iii) Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: [4]
At the corner of the road I looked up at the name - plate. Marconi Street, it said. I had been
at Number 46. The address was correct. But now I didn’t want to remember it any more. I
wouldn’t go back there because the objects that are linked in your memory with the familiar
life of former times instantly lose their value when, severed from them, you see them again
in strange surroundings.
i. Complete the sentence appropriately.
"the objects that are linked in your memory with the familiar life of former times
instantly lose their value when, severed from them, you see them again in
strange surroundings," reflects .
ii. What was the narrator’s tone in the given extract?
iii. Why does the narrator not want to go back to Number 46 on MarconiStreet?
a. The address was incorrect.
b. The narrator disliked Marconi Street.
c. The narrator no longer values the objects associated with herformer life.
d. The narrator was lost and could not find her way back.
iv. "But now I didn’t want to remember it anymore." What didn't the narrator want to
remember?
OR
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
As he gazed at the still form a shiver of horror passed over Andrew. After all that he had
promised! His face, heated with his own exertions, chilled suddenly. He hesitated, torn
between his desire to attempt to resuscitate the child, and his obligation towards the mother,
who was herself in a desperate state. The dilemma was so urgent he did not solve it
consciously. Blindly, instinctively, he gave the child to the nurse and turned his attention to
Susan Morgan who now lay collapsed, almost pulseless, and not yet out of the ether, upon
her side. His haste was desperate, a frantic race against her ebbing strength. It took him only
an instant to smash a glass ampule and inject the medicine. Then he flung down the
hypodermic syringe and worked unsparingly to restore the flaccid woman. After a few
minutes of feverish effort, her heart strengthened; he saw that he might safely leave her. He
swunground, in his shirt sleeves, his hair sticking to his damp brow.
i. What is the “still form” referred to in the extract? Why did ‘a shiver of horror’ pass
through Andrew?
ii. Based on your understanding of the given extract, select the option that is NOT true
about the doctor.
a. He was confused.

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 b. He was devastated.
c. His face turned cold.
d. He couldn’t make a conscious decision.
iii. The analogy of Robert Frost’s ‘Road Not Taken’ is an appropriateanalogy for Andrew’s
state of mind because .
Give one reason why the doctor chose to attend to the mother first instead of the lifeless child.
7 Answer ANY TWO of the following questions in 30 - 40 words each: [3x2=
i. Which thought about the grandmother was often revolting and forwhom?(The Portrait 6]
of a Lady)
ii. Who became pharaoh after Akhenaten’s death? (Discovering Tut : saga continues)
iii. According to A Photograph, The sea holiday was her past, mine is herlaughter. Discuss.(
A Photograph)
iv. What does the shower of rain tell the poet? (The Voice of the Rain)
8 Answer ANY ONE of the following questions in 30 - 40 words each: [3]
i. Could Aram learn to ride the horse? (The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse)
ii. Justify the title of the poem The Tale of Melon City. (The Tale of Melon City)
9 Answer ANY ONE of the following questions in 120 to 150 words : [6]
i. What efforts did the narrator make to save the ship and its passengers? Answer in
context of We are Not Afraid to die. (We are Not Afraid to die.)
ii. Is independent thinking a step towards adulthood? If yes, then how? Explain with
reference to the poem Childhood. (Childhood)
10 Answer ANY ONE of the following questions in 120 to 150 words: [6]
i. Why did Cronin title his prose as Birth ?(Birth)
ii. Comment on the ending of the play Mother’s Day.(Mother’s Day)

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