CBSE Class 11 English Question Paper Set 4 Solved

SECTION A: (Reading) 

1. Read the passage given below carefully: 

1. Fear of failure is an attitude problem. All of us postpone things. We procrastinate. We rationalize. We make excuses. We foolishly believe that to be creative and to have a positive attitude and to simply do things, we have to have all kinds of preconditions.

2. You can find several excuses for waiting to be more creative. But scratch the surface of these smooth and logical rationalizations, and if you are honest, you will see the face of a little demon, the fear of failure, hiding there.

3. Zig Ziglar reminds us that this is nothing but an attitude problem: „The future can be depressing or magnificent – it is not correlated to the present or the past, past failures or past successes. It is only our attitude towards these failures or successes which determines our future.‟ You can change
yourself by changing your attitude without fear of error.

4. Problems cause stress and stress reduces our effectiveness. So it is very logical that once we solve our problems, we should be able to increase our efficiency and effectiveness. Incidentally, we can‟t eliminate problems unless we have the final exit – the very thought of this itself is very stressful.

5. What causes our problems? Well, roughly speaking one-third of our problems are there because we are alive and kicking. Another one-third of our problems are created by ourselves; and the remaining one-third of our problems exist because of greed and ego.

6. When too many problems are causing you enormous stress and strain, do the following:

(i) Think … there must be a better way to solve these problems. It helps to remember the crow and jug story! Recall similar stories and incidents.

(ii) Ask, ask, ask…from yourself and from others, how to do things in better ways. 

May be certain things should not be done at all or should be clubbed with other activities!

Don’t forget that even stupid questions will get your intelligent and common sense answers.

(iii) Do it now! Start doing it. Don’t forget that the first step towards solving a problem is to begin. The first step is the most difficult one, but taking it will kill procrastination—a disease or a problem in itself. Do not forget to prioritise your problems first. Those which are “C” category jobs should be delegated to others, but do not forget to check and recheck till these get done.

7. There is always a silver lining in any gloomy situation, provided you starve the problems and feed the opportunities. For every problem, there could be several solutions, and solutions point towards opportunities.

8. Apply the MISER concept to solve problems. MISER … where M stands for Merge, I for Improve, S for Simplify, E for Eliminate and R for Reduce. MISER is an excellent conceptual sieve that helps in reducing many problems to a very few ones.

A. Read the questions given below and write the option you consider the most appropriate in your answer sheet:

i Most people procrastinate because …………………..

a) They are not creative

b) They adopt a wrong attitude

c) They are too lazy to do anything

d) They wait for better opportunity

ii. Our future is determined by ………………………

a) past failure                                              b) success in the present

c) efforts in future                                        d) attitude towards past failures or success.

iii. Our effectiveness gets reduced as …………………….

a) problems multiply                                    b) depressing time is painful

c) stress is caused by problems                     d) problems dishearten us

iv. We cannot eliminate problems because ……………………..

a) we are alive and kicking                           b) we are inactive

c) we are afraid of final exit                          d) we postpone actions

v. The best way to tackle a proble m is …………………………

a) to defer it for some time                          b) to seek help of a friend

c) to think of an easy solution                       d) to begin at once

vi. The word „procrastinate‟ in para 1 means ………………………

a) obtain with difficulty                                b) natural tendency to do something bad

c) delay or postpone action                          d) start a court case

B. Answer the following questions very briefly. 

i. How does our effectiveness get reduced?

ii. Can we eliminate problems? Why not?

iii. What is the best way to tackle the problem?

iv. Which saying has been used in the passage for being optimist?

C. Find words in above passage which convey the same meaning as the following: 

i. Delay or postpone action (para 1)

ii. Very large (para 6)

2. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: 

1. India has stood for freedom: Even before Independence we viewed our own struggle and difficulties on the larger canvas of global problems. If democracy is basically tolerance for others' opinions, the concept of co-existence is democracy on the international plane, for it embodies tolerance of other nations and systems. Similarly non-alignment gives depth to our independence and self-reliance for it enables us to retain our freedom of judgment and action on international issues in the light of our national interests. We avoid involvement in the conflicts and disputes of others and this helps to blunt conflict between power blocs. I should like to think that it has also helped world stability.

2. A country is an extended family. When income and resources are limited, one must budget to ensure that waste is avoided, resources husbanded, priorities established, education and other social needs catered to, special provision made for those who are weaker or smaller. Industry has to be balanced with agriculture; technology with culture; state ventures with private initiative; economic growth with social justice; the large with the small. Every section of society must be stimulated to creative activity.

3. That is our planning. In no way is it totalitarian or coercive. Industrializing, modernizing and transforming an ancient society of immense size, population and diversity is a daunting venture and inevitably, a gradual one. Otherwise there will be resentment. Transformation should not cause too much dislocation or suffering for the people nor should it jettison the basic spiritual and cultural values of our civilization.

4. India's planning experience sums up the successes and problems of our democratic development. The magnitude and significance of democracy's operation in India are not well understood, for it is often treated as an adventitious or borrowed growth. Why has democracy worked in India? Our national leadership was dedicated to it and we wanted it to work, but, also, because in our society there were elements and traditions which supported the growth of democracy.

5. In our democratic system, there may be differences in many spheres but we rise above them. To achieve the objective of keeping the country united, we have to transcend political and party based differences, which create dissensions. If we cannot remain united and the country does not remain strong, with whom shall we have differences? Against whom shall we fight? With whom shall we be friends? Brothers and sisters, if the country falls, nobody survives. When we were fighting for the freedom of our country, it did not mean only political freedom. It also meant social justice, equality and economic justice. Only one phase is over and another one is under way. We have to cover a long and difficult path. Whereas the enemies were visible during those days; now they are in disguise. Some of them are openly our enemies, but many become unintentional pawns of others.

a) Make notes on the passage in any suitable format using recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary. Give a title to your notes.

b) Write a summary of the passage based on your notes. 

SECTION – B (Writing & Grammar) 

3. The Literary Club of your school is going to organize a Literary Meet at State level. Write a notice in about 50 words being the Secretary of the Literary Club of your school inviting students from higher classes for being volunteers. Invent other details.

OR

An educational publication has published a very good book for the students seeking success in the entrance examinations for various courses after 12th Std. Prepare a poster for the launch of the same giving relevant details. Do not exceed 50 words.

4. You are Ankit/Anika, 20 East Park Road, Jabalpur. Write a letter in 120-150 words to the Editor of a national daily showing your concern at the mushrooming of illegal colonies and slums in all the metros. Also suggest some remedial measures to stop them.

OR

You are Akash Arora, the proprietor of S.A. Traders, Ludhiana. You want to purchase some electrical appliances. Write a letter in 120-150 words to place an order with Hi-tech Appliances Ltd., GT Road, Faridabad.

5. The use of plastics is not eco- friendly. Things made of plastic are not bio-degradable. They choke the sewers and give out toxic smoke when burnt. Write an article in 150-200 words on the topic „Say No to Plastics‟.

OR

Write a speech in 150 – 200 words to be delivered in the morning assembly on the topic „Discipline shapes the future of a student‟.

6. The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each of the line. Write the incorrect word and the correction in your answe r sheet against the correct numbe r. Remember to underline the word that you have supplied.

                                                                                                  Incorrect      Correct

Lord Byron said, “Blessed is the man who had                          a)_______        ________

Hobbies”. The pursuit of hobbies is not a waste in                     b)_______        ________

time. Rather it prevents us while wasting our                            c)_______        ________

time by other frivolous pursuits. Hobbies                                  d)_______        ________

fill our vacant hours with amusement or interest.                      e)_______        ________

So here, I have justifying my hobbies. I take                            f)_______         _______

child- like pleasure to collecting rare old                                   g)_______         _______

stamps of different nation.                                                       h)______           ________

7. In the following passage one word is missing in each line. Write the missing word against the question number with the word that precedes and follows it. Unde rline the word that forms your answer.

                                                                                               Before            Missing          After

In those early days, when first men                                        a) ______        _________        ________

wandered about, it used to very cold.                                     b) _______      __________       ________

This period called the Ice Age, People                                    c) _______      __________       ________

must found it very difficult to live. Naturally                             d) _______      __________       ________

they lived only there were no glaciers.                                    e) ________    __________       _________

We told by scientists and geographers that                             f) ________    __________       _________

at that time the Mediterranean completely                              g) _______      __________       _________

land locked. Life was difficult one and all.                               h) ________    ___________     __________

8. Rearrange the words and phrases to form meaningful sentences. 

a) healthy person / germs / a / carry / may / of / in / body / typhoid / his / cholera / dysentery/ etc.

b) person / does not / such / usually / a / disease / suffer / the / from

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