DAYANAND ANGLO VEDIC PUBLIC SCHOOL, AIROLI

SAMPLE PAPER FOR ENGLSH

CLASS XI

SECTION A: READING COMPREHENSION:(26 Marks)

Q 1. Read the passage given below. 10
1. Hod Lipson, a mechanical engineer who directs the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia
University, has shaped most of his career around what some people in his industry have called
the c-word-consciousness.
2. "This topic was taboo," said the Israel-born roboticist. "We were almost forbidden from
talking about it "Don't talk about the c-word; you won't get tenure-so in the beginning I had to
disguise it, like it was something else."
3. That was back in the early 2000s, when Lipson was an assistant professor at Cornell
University. He was working to create machines that could note when something was wrong with
their hardware and then change their behaviour to compensate for that impairment without the
guiding hand of a programmer.
4. This sort of built-in adaptability, Lipson argued, would become more important as we became
more reliant on machines. Robots were being used for surgical procedures, food manufacturing
and transportation, the applications for machines seemed pretty much endless, and any error in
their functioning, as they became more integrated with our lives, could spell disaster. "We're
literally going to surrender our life to a robot," he said. "You want these machines to be
resilient."
5. One way to do this was to take inspiration from nature. Animals, and particularly humans, are
good at adapting to changes - an ability that might be a result of millions of years of evolution.
This kind of intelligence would be flexible and fast. As machine learning grew more powerful,
this goal seemed realizable.
6. Lipson earned tenure, and his reputation grew. So, over the past couple of years, he began to
articulate his fundamental motivation for doing all this work. He began to say the c-word out
loud: He wants to create conscious robots.
7. The first difficulty with studying the c-word is that there is no consensus around what it
actually refers to
8. Most roboticists tend to skip the philosophy and form their own functional definitions. Lipson,
too, settled on a practical criterion for consciousness: the ability to imagine yourself in the future.
9. One of the earliest self-aware robots to emerge from the Creative Machines Lab had four
hinged legs and a black body with sensors attached at different points. By moving around and
noting how the information entering its sensors changed, the robot created a stick figure
simulation of itself.
10. As the robot continued to move around, it used machine-learning algorithm to improve the fit
between its self-model and its actual body. The robot used this self-image to figure out, in
simulation, a method of moving forward. Then it applied this method to its body; it had figured
out how to walk without being shown how to walk.
On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions as directed.

(a) Choose the best option.

The passage is about making robots
1. that can do multiple activities
2. that have a flexible and fast intelligence
3. that do not need their masters for every activity
4. that can correct their faults
(1) 2, 3 and 4 (ii) 1 and 4 (iii) 2 and 3 (iv) All the above

(b) In the early days of robotic science ________________ .

(i) the scientists did not dare to experiment
(ii) 'consciousness' in robots was forbidden subject
(iii) the evolution and development of robots was strictly controlled
(iv) the future of robotics was uncertain

(c) Complete the sentence.

Lipson was working on robots which could _____________even without their programme.

(d) Robots become 'more integrated with our lives' means that
(i) every household has a robot
(ii) robots can think and act
(iii) the application of robots covers almost all activities of our lives
(iv) the functions of robots are error free

(e) In order to develop fast and flexible intelligence in robots, scientists ________.
(i) took inspiration from nature
(ii) experimented endlessly
(iii) improved machine learning techniques
(iv) competed with each other

(f)The first robot with self awareness could _________without being told how to.

(g) The word in paragraph 2 which means 'banned' is __________.

(h) The word in paragraph 6 which means to express' is __________.

(i) Choose the best option to complete the sentence.

It is not easy to study the C word because __________________.
(i) it is a forbidden area
(ii) it is not clearly defined
(iii) one can get caught in its philosophy
(iv) most scientists are not interested
(j) Fill in the blank with a word or a phrase.
The ability to ______________ was Lipson practical criterion for consciousness.

Q 2. Read the passage given below. 8

1.The story of Joanne Kathleen Rowling’s near magical rise to fame is almost as well known as
the characters she creates.
2.Rowling was constantly writing and telling stories to her younger sister Dianne. “The first
story I ever wrote down was about a rabbit called Rabbit.” Rowling said in an interview. “He got
the measles and was visited by his friends including a giant bee called Miss Bee. And ever since
Rabbit and Miss Bee, I have always wanted to be a writer, though I rarely told anyone so.
3.However, my parents, both of whom come from impoverished backgrounds and neither of
whom had been to college, took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing
personal quirk that would never pay a mortgage or secure a pension.
4.A writer from the age of six, with two unpublished novels in the drawer, she was stuck on a
train when Harry walked into her mind fully formed. She spent the next five years constructing
the plots of seven books, one for every year of his secondary school life.
5.Rowling says she started writing the first book, Harry’ Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in
Portugal, where she was teaching English.
6.At first nobody wanted to publish Harry Potter. She was told that plot was too complex.
Refusing to compromise, she found a publisher.
7.In 1997 Rowling received her first royalty cheque. By book three, she had sky rocketed to the
top of the publishing world. A row of zeroes appeared on the author’s bank balance and her life
was turned upside down. Day and night she had journalists knocking on the unanswered door of
her flat.
8.Rowling’s quality control has become legendary, as her obsession with accuracy. She’s thrilled
with Stephen Fry’s taped version of the books and outraged that an Italian dust jacket showed
Harry minus his glasses. “Don’t they understand that the glasses are the clue to his
vulnerability.”
Annual earnings of J.K. Rowling from 2010 to 2019

(i) ‘near magical rise to fame’ in the first para means

a.rising above reality
b.becoming popular
c.be on the top of the world
d.all of these

(ii) The publishers reason for rejecting Rowling’s book was_________________.

a.the characters were complex
b.the plot wasn’t good enough
c.too expensive
d.none of these

(iii) What was the drawback of achieving fame?

(iv) Why was Rowling outraged with the Italian dust jacket?

(v) Find a word in the last para that means the same as ‘insecure/helpless.

(vi) According to the graph, how many years did it take Rowling to become very successful?
a.4 b.5 c.8 d.6
(vii)How did JK Rowling bring in the character of Harry Potter in her mind?

(viii)What does JK Rowling’s annual income statistics reveal?

Q3. Read the following passage 8

1. Life on our planet earth began with the sea, it is the birth place of life on the earth. The carth is
the only planet of our solar system so far known which contains plenty of water and this water
has made our earth colourful, pulsating with life of a vast variety.
2. At present sea occupies about 70 per cent of the earth's surface. In the southern hemisphere it
occupies more area than that in the northern. About 97% of the total water on the surface of the
earth is found in the seas and the remaining three per cent, which is generally fresh, in lakes,
rivers, ponds, etc.
3. Sea has given food and shelter to countless creatures. It is a potential source of protein. In
1900 the population of the world was only 150 crore, now it is more than 560 crore and is
increasing at a very fast rate. As a result, there is a terrible hunger in many parts of the world. In
Africa, Asia and South America, millions of people do not get enough to eat. Many die of
malnutrition. Sea, if used scientifically and judiciously, can meet most of our demands.
4. Plankton or algae mostly constitutes the plant life. Like plant plankton there are also animal
plankton; the smallest living creature in the sea. These animal plankton feed on plant plankton
and small fish. Thus, there is an unbroken chain of life in the sea.
5. Arctic and Antarctic seas abound in plankton and algae and so in fish also. Blue whales, the
largest living creatures of the world, are also found here in great number.
6. Some countries have developed sea farming to a great extent. The Japanese and the Hawaiians
relish cating sea plants but it is not so in other countries though some use them to feed their cattle
or as manure in their fields. The fact is that sea plants contain rich nutrients not found in other
vegetarian food. It is good that even in our country some scientists have developed some recipes
for curries, jams, etc. to be made from algae.
7. But we must remember one thing that sea is not to be exploited immediately. For example,
man in his greed has hunted whales and some other sea creatures so recklessly that some of their
species have either become extinct or are on the verge of extinction. Now, nations of the world
have realised their folly and have taken some joint decisions. For example, one such decision is
that the size of the holes in fishing nets should be big enough to let baby fish escape through.
Otherwise, killing of large quantities of very young fish would have an adverse effect on the fish
population. In the same way another decision is for the protection of the blue whales.

a) On the basis of your reading of the passage, make notes using headings and sub headings.
Use recognizable abbreviations and a format you consider suitable 5
b) Write a summary of the passage in not more than 50 words. 3

SECTION B : WRITING SKILL AND GRAMMAR: (23 Marks)

Q4.Fill in the blanks with appropriate tense forms : 4
a. Right now India a)____________ (face) a big dilemma.The crime rate among juveniles
b)___________ (increase). One of the theories to c)_____________ (contain) it d)_________
(favour)strong punishment for the parents. How can parents be e)_________ (punish) for the
crime committed by their ward? In the previous social set up parents f)______________(hold)
responsible for the acts of their children by society. Society g)_____________(be) strong then,
now law h)______________ (be).

Q5. Rearrange the following sentences to make meaningful sentences: 3

a.my winning a medal / I told him / until / about / not known / he had
b.boy / each / was / of the class / punished / yesterday

Q6.You want to launch a tuition centre from Class X and to Class XII. Draft a classified
advertisememt with all relevant details. 3
OR
You are the owner of Star Travels, providing package for Mauritius. Draft an advertisement
including all necessary details.
Q7.Woman Health Club needs a poster on yoga day to promote its importance. Draft a poster
highlighting main points. 3
OR
Draft a poster depicting the hazards of using plastic bags.

Q8.Youngsters can perform a significant role in curbing corruption. Write a speech to be given
in the morning assembly on the same topic. 5
You may include points like
 Education the need of the hour
 Saying no to donations
 Saying no to private tuitions
 Promoting merit based selection
 Equipping oneself with high education
 OR
You are concerned about the craze for fast food in the younger generation. You wish to tell the
schoolmates the hazards of junk food. Write a speech on this topic to be delivered in the morning
assembly.

Q9.You are Kamakshi /Kamal.You have been selected to represent your school in an All India
School Debate Competition organised by Rotary Club. The topic for the Debate is “Value based
education is the only remedy for decreasing crime rate amongst the educated folks”.Write a
speech enumerating points for / against the topic in not more than 200 words. 5
OR
You are representing your school house.The topic for the debate is Academic is the only
requirement for a successful career. Write a speech enumerating points for / against the topic in
not more than 200 words.
SECTION C: LITERATURE: (31 Marks)
Q10. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: 3
“The sea holiday
was her past, mine was her laughter. Both wry
with laboured ease of loss.”
a. Which sea holiday was referred to here?
b.What was the poetess past?
c.Explain: ‘Both wry with laboured ease of loss’
OR
“The laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight
A few leaves yellowing, all its reeds fallen”
a.Which season is being discussed in these lines?
b.Name the poetic device used in the second line.
c.Describe the Laburnum tree.

Q11. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: 3
The first indication of impending disaster came at about 6 p.m., with an ominous silence. The
wind dropped, and the sky immediately grew dark. Then came a growing roar, and an enormous
cloud towered aft of the ship. With horror, I realized that it was not a cloud, but a wave like no
other I had ever seen. It appeared perfectly vertical and almost twice the height of the other waves,
with a frightful breaking crest.
1.Which word in the extract mean “forthcoming”?
2.What is the wind dropped?
3.Why the sky had become dark?
OR
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.
1.Which word in the passage mean” beat through cleverness and wit”.
2.What is the choice that is being spoken about?
3.What can we derive from the last line of the extract “they could take riches with them”?

Q12. 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.
1.Where was the name plate of Marconi Street put up?
2.How did author convince herself that she had come at the right address?
3.Why did she not want to remember the address?
4.Why did author not want to go back there again?
OR
It wasn’t morning yet.but it was summer and with day break around the corner of the world it
was light enough for me to know I wasn’t dreaming. My cousin Mourad was sitting on a
beautiful white horse. I stuck my head out of the window and rubbed my eyes.Yes, he said in
Armenian. It’s a horse. You are not dreaming. Make it quick if you want ride.
1.What was the time of the day?
2.Which chapter is the above extract taken from?
3.What do you understand from the line “I wasn’t dreaming” ?
4.What did Mourad say?

Q13.Answer the following questions any2 : 6

1.What problems did the narrator face during the night of January 2,1977?
2.How does the poet, Ted Hughes portray the arrival of the Goldfinch on the end of the The
Laburnum tree?
3.How did the sparrows pay their homage to the departed soul?
4.What are the losses of the poet’s mother and the poet?

Q14. Answer the following questions any1 : 3

1.How did the narrator come to know about Mrs Dorling and the address where she lived?
2.What points were put forward by Aram in defense of Mourad’s stealing?What does it speak
about Aram?

Q15. Answer the following questions any1 : 6

1.How does the story “We are not afraid....” suggests Optimism helps to endure the direst stress?
2.Traditions, rituals and funerary practices must be respected. Comment.

Q16. Answer the following questions any1 : 6

1.Relate some of the humorous incidents in the story The summer of a beautiful white horse.
2.Comment on the significance of the title The Address.