Class 11 Question Paper 2023-24 English (Half Yearly)

2023-24
HALF YEARLY
EXAM
NCERT BASED
SYLLABUS
DOWNLOAD PDF

FOR
CBSE BOARD
AND
STATE BOARDS

Half Yearly Exam 2023-24
Question Paper

Class - XI Subject – English
Time – 3 Hours Maximum Marks- 80

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
 This paper is divided into three sections A, B and C. All the sections are compulsory.
 Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read
the instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully.
 Do not exceed the prescribed word-limit while answering the questions.
SECTION–A (READING) [26]

1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. [10]

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 on nuances like how you treat
people, react to challenges and deal with stressful situations? 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
of 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 interacted 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 a
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 they
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 people you would
normally not have to interact with on a daily basis, would make you a better person at the
workplace.
1

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 two 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.
1.1 Attempt the questions given below by selecting the most appropriate option. (1x5=5)

(a) The quality of our lives depends on …………………………. .
(i) The personalities we have cultivated for ourselves
(ii) The number of New Year resolutions we make
(iii) The challenges that people give us
(iv) None of the above

(b) Our New Year resolutions remain unfulfilled, according to Mary Thomas, because we -----
(i) Make too many resolutions
(ii) Add more goals than what we can accomplish
(iii) Get caught up with our studies
(iv) Feel happy about them

(c) To add value to your life you …………………………. .
(i) Must earn more money
(ii) Become more hardworking
(iii) Should be nice to the people in your immediate surroundings
(iv) Only (ii) and (iii)

(d) Workers feel intrinsically rewarded if …………………………. .
(i) They are given bonuses
(ii) Their work is given recognition
(iii) Their individual differences are acknowledged
(iv) None of the above

(e) Playing worse will …………………………. .
(i) Label you as a flatterer
(ii) Not help you at all
(iii) Make people see through you
(iv) Get your work done better

2

1.2 Answer the questions given below:- [1x5=5]

(f) To improve our personalities, an easy starting point is to look for …………………………. in our
surroundings.
(g) Our …………………………. might play a part in shaping our dispositions, but our behaviour and
attitudes are influenced by our choices.
(h) How does a workplace add value to its employees?
(i) By extending basic courtesies to people around us we add value to our lives. (True/False)
(j) Find a word from the passage which mean the same as ‘basic’ (para 2)

2. Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow. [8]
1. The original Fujita Scale and the new Enhanced Fujita Scale are used to rate the intensity of a
tornado by examining the damage caused by the tornado after it has passed over a man-made
structure. It classifies the damage of the tornado from F0 to F6 i.e. from mild to inconceivable.
2. The Fujita Scale (also known as the Fujita-Pearson Scale) and the Enhanced Fujita Scale may
not be perfect systems for linking damage to wind speed, but they have a distinct advantage
over what had gone on before their inception. And they are simple enough to use in daily
practice without involving much additional expenditure of time or money. From a practical
point of view, it is doubtful that any other system would have found its way into widespread
accepted use. The entire premise of estimating wind speeds from damage to non-engineered
structures is very subjective and is difficult to defend from various meteorological perspectives.
Nothing less than the combined influence and prestige of the late Professor Fujita and Allen
Pearson, director of NSSFC (National Severe Storm Forecast Center) in 1971 could have
brought this much needed system into widespread use. The FPP scale rates the intensity of the
tornado and measures both the path length and the path width.
3. A key point to remember is this: the size of a tornado is not necessarily an indication of its
intensity. Large tornadoes can be weak, and small tornadoes can be violent. A good example of
a relatively 'small' tornado would be the Pampa, Texas Tornado of 1995, which can be seen in
Tornado Video Classics III.
4. The Fujita Scale is very subjective and varies according to how experienced the surveyor is. We
have many readers who have tried to do their own 'surveys' of tornado damage when storms
have occurred in their area. However, the less experienced the surveyor is, the more likely
he/she is to be awed by the damage and the more likely they are to give it a high rating.
The Fujita-Pearson Tornado Intensity Scale

Classification Wind Speed Damage
F0 40-72 mph Mild
F1 73-112 mph Moderate
F2 113-157 mph Significant
F3 158-206 mph Severe
F4 207-260 mph Devastating
F5 260-319 mph Incredible

F6 319-379 mph Inconceivable

3

2.1 Attempt the questions given below by selecting the most appropriate option. [1x4=4]
(a) Which of the following parameters is the basis of the ‘Fujita Scale’ for classifying tornadoes?
1. Pressure Gradient
2. Temperature Gradient
3. Wind Speed
4. Related Property Damages
i. 1 & 2
ii. 2 & 4
iii. 3 & 4
iv. 1 & 4

(b) What is used to rate the intensity of a tornado?
(i) The Original Fujita Scale
(ii) The Enhanced Fujita Scale
(iii) The Varying Fujita Scale
(iv) Both (a) and (b)

(c) Which of the following lists the measurements that can be made by the FPP scale?
1. Timeline 2. Extent of damage
3. Path length 4. Path width
5. Wind speed 6. Intensity
i. 1,2,3
ii. 4,5,6
iii. 3,4,6
iv. 1,2,5
(d) In the line ‘the entire premise' in para 2, the word ‘premise’ does not correspond with :
(i) Assertion
(ii) Basis
(iii)Introduction
(iv) Supposition
2.2 Attempt the questions given below by answering them as briefly as possible. [1x4=4]
(e) List one advantage of the Fujita scale over the earlier methods.
(f) How does the Fujita scale rate the intensity of the tornado?
(g) What does 'F3' on the Fujita Pearson Tornado Intensity Scale classify?
(h) What does the last paragraph of the passage convey?

3. Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow. [5+3=8]

1. A good business letter is one that gets results. The best way to get results is to develop a letter
that, in its appearance, style and content, conveys information efficiently. To perform this
function, a business letter should be concise, clear and courteous.
2. The business letter must be concise. Don’t waste words. Get to the point, make the point, and

leave it. It is safe to assume that your letter is being read by a very busy person with all kinds of
papers to deal with. Re-read and revise your message until the words and sentences you have
used are precise. This takes time, but is a necessary part of a good business letter. A short
business letter that makes its point quickly has much more impact on a reader than a long-
4

winded, rambling exercise in creative writing. This does not mean that there is no place for style
and even, on occasion, humour in the business letter. While it conveys a message in its content,
the letter also provides the reader with an impression of you, its author: the medium is part of the
message.
3. The business letter must be clear. You should have a very firm idea of what you want to say, and
you should let the reader know it. Use the structure of the letter—the paragraphs, topic sentences,
introduction and conclusion—to guide the reader point by point from your thesis, through your
reasoning, to your conclusion. Paragraph often, to break up the page and to lend an air of
organization to the letter. Use an accepted business-letter format. Re-read what you have written
from the point of view of someone who is seeing it for the first time, and be sure that all
explanations are adequate, all information provided (including reference numbers, dates, and
other identification). A clear message, clearly delivered, is the essence of business
communication.
4. The business letter must be courteous. Sarcasm and insults are ineffective and can often work
against you. If you are sure you are right, point that out as politely as possible, explain why you
are right, and outline what the reader is expected to do about it. Another form of courtesy is
taking care in your writing and typing of the business letter. Grammatical and spelling errors
(even if you call them typing errors) tell a reader that you don’t think enough of him or can lower
the reader’s opinion of your personality faster than anything you say, no matter how idiotic.
There are excuses for ignorance; there are no excuses for sloppiness.
5. The business letter is your custom-made representative. It speaks for you and is a permanent
record of your message. It can pay big dividends on the time you invest in giving it a concise
message, a clear structure, and a courteous tone.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it, using headings and
subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (minimum four) and give an appropriate
title. [5]
(b) Write a summary of the passage in about 50 words based on your notes. [3]

SECTION-B (GRAMMAR AND CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS) [23]

Answer ANY SEVEN out of EIGHT questions from (4) and (5) given below. [1X7=7]
4. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb (mixed tenses) given in brackets.
My brother (i)............. (ride) motorcycles for ten years. Yesterday for the first time, he (ii)............
(meet) with an accident. Now he (iii)............. (be) in hospital. The doctor says that he (iv)............
(discharge) from the hospital tomorrow.

5. Read the words and phrases given below and rearrange them to form meaningful sentences.
(i) important/games / studies / are as / as
(ii) even/if/better/decide/come/you/along/is/it/to
(iii) do not/please/the roads/litter

(iv) natural/to/scared/be/of/floods/it/is/and/earth quakes/frequent

5

CREATIVE WRITING SKILL
6. Attempt ANY ONE from either (A) or (B).
(A) You are the Distribution Manager of Alka Foods in Ambala. You have recently taken an
office on rent. You wish to buy some useful furniture for the office. Draft an advertisement in
50 words giving details of the same to be published in ‘The Times of India’ under the
classified column. [1x3=3]
OR
(B) You are Yash Thakur of Shalimar Nagar, Dehradun. You are a Chartered Accountant having
six years of experience and can handle accounts and manage company finances. Draft an
advertisement in not more than 50 words to be published in ‘The Hindustan Times’ seeking a
full-time job for yourself.

7. Attempt ANY ONE from either (A) or (B).
(A) With the fast pacing and trending E-commerce, cases of online fraud are on the rise. People
quite easily get trapped with fake apps and fake calls too. On behalf of the Information and
Broadcasting Bureau, draft an awareness poster in not more than 50 words so that people do
not fall a prey into the hands of such fraudsters. [1x3=3]
OR
(B) The Environment Club of your college is organizing an event ‘Environment Fest’ to promote
the use of environment friendly products. As a member of the club, draft a poster for the event
in not more than 50 words.

8. The ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ was established in May 2020 with the goal of lowering India's
reliance on imports, fostering indigenous manufacturing and building a self- sufficient and
sustainable economy. The program intends to turn India into a powerhouse for global
manufacturing and provide millions of people with jobs. As Tanisha/Tanishq, a student of Class
XI, write a speech in 120-150 words on ‘New and Empowered India’ to be delivered in the
morning assembly on how you look forward towards the initiatives of the program and how shall
the youth be impacted by it in the days to come. [1x5=5]

9. Increasing screen time among students is not only a growing concern but also has been termed as a
“worrying trend”. As Akshita/Akshay of Class XI, write a speech in 120 – 150 words to be
delivered in the morning assembly on “Technology Fasting” suggesting students to restrict their
screen - time and demarcate technology-free zones in their households.
[1x5=5]

SECTION–C (LITERATURE) [31]
10. Read the extracts given below and answer ANY ONE out of TWO for each question. [1x3=3]

(A) Some twenty-thirty-years later
She'd laugh at the snapshot. "See Betty
And Dolly,” she'd say, "and look how they
Dressed us for the beach." The sea holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry

With the laboured ease of loss"

6

(i) Why did ‘she’ laugh?
(a) because of the funny dresses that they were wearing at the sea holiday
(b) because one of them cracked a joke
(c) because of the funny dresses they were wearing at the party
(d) because of the funny man they saw at the sea holiday

(ii) "The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter". This line indicates that …….
(a) the poet is remembering her childhood
(b) the poet is remembering her mother's childhood
(c) the poet is grieving at the absence of her mother
(d) the poet is missing the sea holiday

(iii) Complete the following analogy correctly.
Alliteration: Silence silences:: Oxymoron : ......................

OR
(B) It is the engine of her family.
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
Showing her barred face identity mask

Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.

(i) In the context of the Goldfinch, which of the following matches the phrase "stokes it full” ?
1. protects it
2. entertains it
3. feeds it
4. cares for it
Choose the most appropriate option.
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 3 and 4
(c) Only 3
(d) Only 4

(ii) On the basis of the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements
given below:-
1. The goldfinch shows her barred face identity mask.
2. The goldfinch flies away
(a) 1 can be inferred from the extract but 2 cannot.
(b) 2 can be inferred from the extract but 1cannot.
(c) Both 1 and 2 can be inferred from the extract.
(d) 2 is the reason for 1.

(iii) Mention how the goldfinch launches away? (Write in one sentence)

7

11. Read the extracts given below and answer ANY ONE out of TWO for each question. [1x3=3]
(A) When I went up to University, I was given a room of my own. The common link of
friendship was snapped. My grandmother accepted her seclusion with resignation. She
rarely left her spinning wheel to talk to anyone.
(i) What has been referred to as ‘the common link of friendship’?
(ii) Which word used in the extract is a synonym of ‘separate’?
(iii) What does the author mean by ‘accepted her seclusion with resignation’?
OR
(B) The first indication of impending disaster came at about 6:00 PM 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.

(i) What was the first indication of impending disaster?
(ii) The antonym of the word aft is
a) Back
b) Behind
c) In front of
d) Top of
(iii) Explain the expression ‘ominous silence’.

12. Read the extracts given below and answer ANY ONE out of TWO for each question. [1x4=4]
(A) 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're not dreaming.
Make it quick if you want to ride.
I knew my cousin Mourad enjoyed being alive more than anybody else who had ever
fallen into the world by mistake, but this was more than even I could believe.
In the first place, my earliest memories had been memories of horses and my first
longings had been longings to ride.
(i) The above extract has been taken from the lesson “The Summer of the Beautiful White
Horse.” Who is the author of the lesson?
a) William Shakespeare
b) William Saroyan
c) William Blake
d) William Wordsworth
(ii) Why did the author rub his eyes?
a) because he was dreaming
b) because he was in a state of disbelief
c) because he had an eye infection
d) because he couldn’t see properly.
(iii) Aram wasn’t dreaming. State whether True/False

(iv) According to the extract, what did the author long for?
OR

8

(B) ‘Well, you knew my mother?’ I asked.
‘Have you come back?’ said the woman. ‘I thought no one had come back.’
‘Only me.’
A door opened and closed in the passage behind her. A musty smell emerged.
‘I regret I cannot do anything for you.’
‘I’ve come here specially on the train. I wanted to talk to you for a moment.’
‘It’s not convenient for me now,’ said the woman. ‘I can’t see you. Another time.’
She nodded and cautiously closed the door as though no one inside the house should be
disturbed.

(i) Whose mother has been referred to in the first line of the extract given above? What was her
name?
(ii) ‘I thought no one had come back’. Who said this line and to whom?
(iii) ‘I regret I cannot do anything for you’.
Whom does ‘I’ refer to?
a) Mrs. S
b) Mrs. Dorling
c) Mrs. S’s daughter
d) Mrs. Dorling’s daughter.
(iv) Why did the woman say, ‘I can’t see you now’?

13. Attempt ANY TWO out of FOUR questions given below in not more than 40-50 words.
[3x2=6]
(i) What role did the grandmother play in shaping the author's personality?
(ii) How did Sue and Jonathan contribute during the disaster that struck their ship?
(iii) The sea 'appears to have changed less' in comparison to the three girls who enjoyed the sea
holiday. Comment.
(iv) Explain in detail: 'And the Laburnum subsides to empty'.

14. Attempt ANY ONE out of TWO questions given below in not more than 40-50 words.
[3x1=3]
(i) ‘A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead of his heart.’ Who said these words?
Why?
(ii) ‘I resolved to forget the address. Of all the things I had to forget that would be the easiest.’
What led the author to take such a resolution? Elaborate.

15. Attempt ANY ONE out of TWO questions given below in not more than 120-150 words.
[6x1=6]
(i) Happy moments are short lived but provide a lifetime memory. They provide a cushion to
bear the difficulties which the future has in store for you. Comment in the light of the poem
‘A Photograph’ by Shirley Toulson.

(ii) ‘Indeed, the grandmother was religious in body and spirit.’ Comment with reference to the

lesson The Portrait of a Lady by Khushwant Singh.

9

16. Attempt ANY ONE out of TWO questions given below in not more than 120 – 150 words.
[6x1=6]
(i) ‘The lesson The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse subtly brings out an element of irony
in it.’ In the light of the above statement discuss to what extent Mourad had been able to
keep up to the hallmark of his tribe.

(ii) ‘Post war effects are traumatic not only for the survivors of war but also for the common
people as well.’ Discuss this statement in the light of the lesson ‘The Address’.

10

AglaSem Earn while Learn Program. Send your papers and get paid.
Contact: support@

QUESTION PAPERS
GET PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION PAPERS FOR ALL CLASSES FOR CBSE, ISCSE, ISC AND ALL ALL
STATE BOARDS HERE AT

Andhra Pradesh Board Question Papers
BOARD
WISE Assam Board Question Papers
Bihar Board Question Papers
Chhattisgarh Board Question Papers
Goa Board Question Papers
Gujarat Board Question Papers
Haryana Board Question Papers
Himachal Pradesh Board Question Papers
J&K State Board Question Papers
Jharkhand Board Question Papers
Karnataka Board Question Papers
Kerala Board Question Papers
Madhya Pradesh Board Question Papers
Maharashtra State Board Question Papers
Manipur Board Question Papers
Meghalaya Board Question Papers
Mizoram Board Question Papers
Nagaland Board Question Papers
Orissa Board Question Papers
Punjab Board Question Papers
Rajasthan Board Question Papers
Tamil Nadu Board Question Papers
Telangana State Board Question Papers
Tripura Board Question Papers
Uttarakhand Board Question Papers
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Board Question Papers
West Bengal (WB) Board Question Papers