English Question Paper 2024 [AHSEC Class 11 English Question Papers]

English Question Paper 2024
[AHSEC Class 11 English Question Papers]

Full Marks: 90

Pass Marks: 27

Time: 3 hours

The figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions.

ALLOTMENT OF MARKS

Q. Nos. 1 and 2: [Section—A (Reading)] → 20 Marks

Q. Nos. 3–5: [Section—B (Writing)] → 20 Marks

Q. Nos. 6–8: [Section—C (Grammar)] → 10 Marks

Q. Nos. 9–14: [Section—D (Textual Questions)] → 40 Marks

Total = 90 Marks

SECTION–A (Reading)

1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

The old lady was glad to be back at the block of flats where she lived. Her shopping had tired her and her basket had grown heavier with every step of the way home. In the lift her thoughts were on lunch and a good rest; but when she got out at her own floor, both were forgotten in her sudden discovery that her front door was open. She was thinking that she must reprimand her daily maid the next morning for such a monstrous piece of negligence, when she remembered that she had gone shopping after her maid had left, and she had turned both the keys in their locks. She walked slowly into the hall and at once noticed that all the room doors were open, yet following her regular practice, she had shut them before going out. Looking into the drawing room, she saw a scene of confusion over by her writing desk.

It was as clear as daylight then that burglars had forced an entry in her absence. Her first impulse was to go round all the rooms looking for the thieves, but then she decided that at her age it might be more prudent to have someone with her, so she went to fetch the porter from the basement. By the time her legs were beginning to tremble, she sat down and accepted a cup of very strong tea, while she telephoned the police. Then her composure regained, and she was ready to set off with the porter’s assistance to search for any intruders who might be still lurking in her flat.

They went through the rooms, being careful to touch nothing, as they did not want to hinder the police in their search for fingerprints. The chaos was inconceivable. She had lived in the flat for thirty years and was a veritable magpie at hoarding; and it seemed as though everything she possessed had been tossed out and turned over and over. At least sorting out the things she should have discarded years ago was now being made easier for her. Then a police inspector arrived with a constable and she told them of her discovery of her ransacked flat. The inspector began to look for fingerprints, while the constable checked that the front door locks had not been forced, thereby proving that the burglars had either used skeleton keys or entered through the balcony.

There was no trace of fingerprints, but the inspector found a dirty red bundle that contained jewellery which the old lady said was not hers. So their entry into the flat was apparently not the burglars’ first job that day and they must have been disturbed. The inspector then asked the lady to try to check what was missing by the next day and advised her not to stay alone in the flat for a few nights. The old lady thought that he was a fussy creature but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as a little spot of bother.

Questions

(a) Why did the old lady feel glad to be at her flat? (2 Marks)

(b) Why was she surprised to find her front door open? (2 Marks)

(c) What made her realize that burglars had entered her flat? (2 Marks)

(d) Why did she go to the basement? (1 Mark)

(e) Why did the inspector conclude that the thieves had used skeleton keys? (2 Marks)

(f) What did the police inspector find while searching for fingerprints? (1 Mark)

(g) Pick out the words/phrases from the passage which are the synonyms of the following:

(i) monstrous (Para 1)

(ii) indication (Para 4) (2 Marks)

2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Today, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. A key contributor to this success story is the growing middle class. The liberalisation in the 1990s opened the gates to foreign goods and services, investments and technologies. This led to a growth in disposable incomes and a burgeoning middle class with rising consumption levels.

There are many aspects which can be looked at when discussing increasing consumption of the middle class. One of the key aspects is the rise in globalization and exposure to a vast range of products and services. In addition, access to telecommunications and the internet has provided new avenues for consumers with online retailers offering a mind-boggling choice at low prices. Moreover, a rise in incomes, social media and awareness is leading to increased expenditure on health, education, communication, transport and entertainment. Increasing urbanization too is a factor affecting increased consumption. Another aspect leading to higher consumption is the rise in nuclear families, which spend more per person than joint families.

The growth of the middle class and an increase in consumption is good news for economists as this leads to demand‑led growth resulting in creation of jobs and higher incomes. At the same time, increasing incomes and exposure to global media are leading to changes in consumption behaviours. The younger affluent middle class is spending more on aspirational goods such as branded apparel and gadgets leading to lesser investment in assets. Another fallout of the changing consumer behaviour is the increased use of online purchasing resulting in losses for small neighbourhood shops.

While the industry continues to adapt to changes in consumption patterns, an increase in overall consumption by middle class is a sign of higher income and prosperity. Moreover, it can certainly lead to creation of more jobs and be an engine for growth in the future.

Questions

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it, and add a suitable title. (5 Marks)

(b) Make a summary of the above passage in about 80 words. (3 Marks)

SECTION–B (Writing)

3. (a) You are arranging a picnic party to Kaziranga next Sunday. Describe your arrangement of the picnic party to your classmates in about 100 words. – (6 Marks)

OR

(b) You are Partha/Prarthana, Cultural Secretary of XYZ Public School, Tezpur. Your school observed National Unity Day to recognize the endeavours of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to unite the country. Prepare a report in about 100-125 words for your school magazine. – (6 Marks)

4. You are really worried about environmental degradation. Pollution is increasing day-by-day and is posing a great threat to the environment and mankind. Ozone layer is getting depleted. Write an article on 'Environmental Pollution – a Global Problem' for your school magazine in about 150–200 words. [Marks: 6]

OR

To enforce strict discipline in schools and colleges is a great problem these days when cases of indiscipline have become quite frequent. Write a speech to be delivered at the morning assembly of your school/college on the topic, 'The Importance of Discipline in Student's Life'. [Marks: 6]

5. (a) You are Chetan/Chetana Sarma, a commerce graduate from Gauhati University. You are seeking a suitable job. You came across an advertisement in The Assam Tribune, inviting applications for the post of Sales Assistant in a reputed company. Write an application with complete bio-data to the Manager of the company. – (8 Marks)

OR

(b) Recently there have been a number of reports in newspapers about students of Classes X and XII suffering from nervous breakdowns. Write a letter to the Editor of The Assam Tribune, Guwahati, appealing to the authorities to ease the pressure on children. You are Pragyan/Pragati, a Class XI student in New Guwahati HS School. – (8 Marks)

SECTION–C (Grammar)

6. (a) Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners (any two): – (1 Mark)

(i) He thinks that he is ___ Sarat Chandra.

(ii) Do you have ___ bun left?

(iii) She gave a cookie to ___ child.

(b) Rewrite any two of the following sentences with the correct forms of the verbs given in brackets: – (1 Mark)

(i) If I ___ (know) his address, I would have contacted him.

(ii) They ___ (live) in Guwahati for five years.

(iii) Look, there ___ (go) the bus.

(c) Fill in the blanks with appropriate modal auxiliaries: – (1 Mark)

(i) You ___ take regular exercise. (Advice)

(ii) I ___ go out for a walk but now I don’t. (Past habit)

(d) Correct the following sentences: – (1 Mark)

(i) There is no remedy of this.

(ii) He was invited at the meeting.

7. (a) Complete the following conversation by choosing the correct alternatives from brackets: – (2 Marks)

He said, “Mother, (why/what) don’t you use the new woolen shawl? (Don’t/Haven’t) you like it?” Mother replied,

“(Many/Much) of my sons haven’t got anything for use in winter. (How/Why) can I use mine?”

(b) Rearrange the words to form meaningful sentences (any two): – (2 Marks)

(i) this / is / buildings / that were / one of the / in / the / earthquake / destroyed

(ii) his age, / considering / made / much / he / has / progress

8. Rewrite the following sentences as directed (any two): – (2 Marks)

(a) You must go there to escape being fined. (Change into complex sentence)

(b) I am glad that you have come. (Change into compound sentence)

SECTION–D (Textual Questions)

9. Read any one of the following stanzas and answer the questions that follow:

(a) “Father and son, we both must live

On the same globe and the same land,

He speaks: I cannot understand

Myself, why anger grows from grief.

We each put out an empty hand,

Longing for something to forgive.”

Questions:

(i) Where must the father and son live together? – (1 Mark)

(ii) Can the father understand his son? Why? – (1 + 1 = 2 Marks)

(iii) What makes the father angry? – (2 Marks)

(iv) How do they try to fill up the gap that separates them? – (2 Marks)

(v) Find a word from the stanza that means ‘world’. – (1 Mark)

OR

(b) “A sweet face,

My mother’s, that was before I was born.

And the sea, which appears to have changed less,

Washed their terribly transient feet.”

Questions:

(i) Whose sweet face is referred to here? – (1 Mark)

(ii) Who is ‘I’ in the second line? – (1 Mark)

(iii) What is it that has not changed? – (1 Mark)

(iv) Find the word in the stanza that means ‘transitory’. – (1 Mark)

(v) Compare the change that comes in the mother and the sea. – (4 Marks)

10. Answer any three of the following questions: (2 × 3 = 6)

(a) Describe the three girls with particular reference to the ‘big girl’ in the poem A Photograph.

(b) What does the poet mean by the line, “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”?

(c) What happens when the rain descends in the form of showers?

(d) Describe the things that receive the blessings of the rain.

(e) What is the central theme of the poem Childhood?

(f) What does the poet realize about Heaven and Hell?

(g) What is the father’s problem in the poem Father to Son?

11. Answer any five of the following questions: (2 × 5 = 10)

(a) What did Wu Daozi want to show the Emperor through his painting?

(b) What is Nek Chand’s contribution to the world of art?

(c) Why was it hard for the author to believe that his grandmother had a divine beauty?

(d) How did the sparrows mourn the grandmother’s death?

(e) Why was a mirror put inside a cage in the zoo at Lusaka?

(f) How are croplands and grasslands being converted into wasteland and deserts?

(g) Why, according to Verrier Elwin, should wood carving be taught and encouraged in our educational institutions?

(h) Why did Verrier Elwin say that he was an unconventional visitor?

12. (a) What appeal does Verrier Elwin make to the scholars of Assam concerning the songs and poems of the State? Why does he make this appeal? – (4 + 2 = 6)

OR

(b) Give a character sketch of the author’s grandmother. 6

13. Answer any one of the following questions: 6

(a) “The best way of getting to know a place is to visit it.” Which place does the narrator refer to? What does he say about the place?

 (b) What factors made Einstein’s life in Munich miserable? What did he realize after six months?

14. Answer any two of the following questions in brief: (2 × 2 = 4)

(a) How did Ranga and Ratna react at their unexpected encounter?

(b) Why was the narrator impressed with Ranga?

(c) How did Yuri help Albert in getting a medical certificate?

(d) What was Einstein’s idea of education?

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