KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA SANGATHAN REGIONAL OFFICE RAIPUR

HALF YEARLY EXAMINATION 2022-23

English Core
Time allowed: 3 hours CLASS -XI Maximum Marks: 80
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General Instructions:
1. 15 minutes prior reading time allotted for question paper reading.
2. The question paper contains three sections – Reading, Grammar & Writing and Literature.
3. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part. Write the correct question number
in your answer sheet to indicate the option/s being attempted.
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Section A (Reading) 26 marks
I. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: 10 marks
1. Early automobiles were sometimes only ‘horseless carriages’ powered by gasoline or steam engines.
Some of them were so noisy that cities often made laws forbidding their use because they frightened
horses.
2. Many countries helped to develop the automobile. The internal combustion engine, invented in
Austria and France was an early leader in automobile manufacturing. But it was in the United States
after 1900 that the automobile was improved most rapidly. As a large and growing country, the United
States needed cars and trucks to provide transportation in places not served by trains.
3. Two brilliant ideas made possible the mass production of automobiles. An American inventor named
Eli Whitney thought of one of them, which is known as ‘standardisation of parts’. In an effort to speed
up production in his gun factory, Whitney decided that each part of a gun could be made by machines,
so that it would be exactly like all the others of its kind.
4. Another American, Henry Ford developed the idea of the assembly line. Before Ford introduced the
assembly line, each car was built by hand. Such a process was, of course, very slow. As a result,
automobiles were so expensive that only rich people could afford them. Ford proposed a system in
which each worker would have only a portion of the wheels. Another would place the wheels on the
car. And still, another would insert the bolts that held the wheels to the car. Each worker needed to
learn only one or two routine tasks.
5. But the really important part of Ford’s idea was to bring the work to the worker. An automobile
frame which looks like a steel skeleton was put on a moving platform. As the frame moved past the
workers, each worker could attach a single part. When the car reached the end of the line, it was
completely assembled. Oil, gasoline, and water were added and the car was ready to be driven away.
With the increased production made possible by the assembly line, automobiles became much
economical and, more and more people were able to afford them.
6. Today, it can be said that wheels run America. The four rubber tyres of the automobile move
America through work and play.
7. Even though the majority of Americans would find it hard to imagine what life could be without a
car, some have begun to realise that the automobile is a mixed blessing. Traffic accidents are increasing
steadily and large cities are plagued by traffic congestion. Worst of all, perhaps, is the air pollution
caused by the internal combustion engine. Every car engine burns hundreds of gallons of fuel each
year and pumps hundreds of pounds of carbon monoxide and other gases into the air. These gases are
one source of the smog that hangs over large cities. Some of these gases are poisonous and dangerous
to health, especially for someone with a weak heart or respiratory disease.
8. One answer to the problem of air pollution is to build a car that does not pollute. That’s what several
major automobile manufacturers are trying to do. But building a clean car is easier said than done. So
far, progress has been slow. Another solution is to eliminate car fumes altogether by getting rid of the
internal combustion engine. Inventors are now working on turbine-powered cars, as well as on cars

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powered by steam and electricity. But most of us won’t be driving cars run on batteries or boiling water
for a while yet. Many automakers believe that it will take years to develop practical models that are
powered by electricity or steam.
9. To rid the world of pollution-pollution is caused not just by cars, but by all of the modern industrial
life-many people believe that we must make some fundamental changes in the way many of us live.
Americans may, for example, have to cut down on the number of privately owned cars and depend
more on public mass transit systems. Certainly, the extensive use of new transit systems could cut
down on traffic congestion and air pollution. But these changes, sometimes clash head-on with other
urgent problems. For example, if a factory closes down because it cannot meet government pollution
standards, a large number of workers suddenly find themselves without jobs. Questioning the quality
of the air they breathe becomes less important than worrying about the next paycheque. Drastic action
must be taken, if we are to reduce traffic accidents, traffic congestion and air pollution. While wheels
have brought better and more convenient transportation, they have also brought new and unforeseen
problems. Progress, it turns out, has more than one face.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given below. 1×10=10 marks

i) What did the United States need for transportation in places that were not served by trains?
a) They needed trains
b) They needed fuel
c) They needed cars and trucks
d) All of the above

ii) How does standardisation of parts help to make mass production possible?

iii) What was the impact of the increased production made by the assembly line?
a) Automobiles became much economical
b) More people were able to afford them
c) Traffic accidents increased
d) Both (a) and (c)

iv) How does the assembly line help to make mass production possible?

v) What has brought better and more convenient transportation?

a) Engines
b) Public mass transport systems
c) Wheels
d) None of these

vi) What did Henry Ford develop?

a) The idea of the assembly line
b) Horseless carriages
c) Automobile frame
d) Wheels for the car

vii) Why do some Americans call the automobile a mixed blessing? Write any two points.

viii) What is the one solution to the problem of air pollution?

a) To burn hundreds of gallons of fuel each year

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 b) To build a car that does not pollute
c) To increase the production of cars
d) To provide transportation in all the places

ix) What suggestions are offered in the passage for getting rid of pollution?

x) Find a word from the passage (para-8) which means ‘to remove or take away’.

II. Read the following passage carefully with attention to the graph given below: 10 marks

With the enormous amount of information potentially available to travellers, the Internet constitutes
an important platform for information exchange between the consumer and industry suppliers (e.g.,
hotels, transportation sectors, attractions), intermediaries (e.g., travel agents), controllers (e.g.,
governments and administrative bodies), as well as many non-profit organizations such as destination
marketing organizations.
Different technological interfaces, such as search engines, online travel booking sites and websites of
destination marketing organizations facilitate the information exchange between online travellers and
the so called "online tourism domain.” Particularly, it has been argued that understanding the nature
of the online tourism domain, i.e. the composition of online tourism related information potentially
available to travellers, provides an important stepping-stone for the development of successful
marketing programmers and better information systems in tourism. The relation between social
interaction, communication media and content can provide various supplementary advantages. It is
more convenient and efficient way of spreading information compared to traditional media and thus,
more and more companies are utilizing it as a marketing channel. Furthermore, through media
visibility companies are able to create more approachable image possibly bring awareness among new
customers as well as retain existing consumer relationship it’s no wonder destinations, airlines, hotels
and most travel marketers are embracing social networks such as Pinterest, but also photo / video
applications such as Instagram and Vine, as part of storytelling toolkit, reaching out to growing crowds
of travellers.

Based on your understanding of the passage and data, answer the questions given below.
1×8=8 marks
i. Pick up the suitable word from the passage to complete the following analogy.
Inefficient : Efficient :: Tiny : _____________

ii. Pick the option that lists statements that are NOT TRUE according to the passage
1. Different technological interfaces facilitate the information exchange.
2. Few people embracing social networks such as Pinterest
3. The internet is an unimportant platform for information exchange.
4. Companies are able to create an approachable image using media visibility.

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 a) 2 and 4
b) 1 and 2
c) 2 and 3
d) Only 2

iii. Why has internet became a vital medium for exchange of information?

iv. According to the given data graph, which marketing field shows the greatest influence of tourists?
a) Travel Metasearch sites
b) Portal travel channels
c) Online travel agencies
d) Airline sites

v. Online tourism domain can be understood as _______________________.

vi. Select the figure which shows the CORRECT representation of date regarding percentage of use
of online sites?

vii. Replace the underlined word with its antonym from the extract.
The council will arbitrate among the interest groups.

viii. Which of the below given statement elucidate the meaning of “Approachable”.
a) The two societies have the most cordial relations.
b) I would far rather remain aloof on that point.
c) His children found him strangely distant.
d) The yard scales were on partible strips, so that fresh strips could be inserted for variations in velocity.

III. Read the passage given below: 8 marks

1. Bitcoin is a digital currency created in January 2009 following the housing market crash. It follows
the ideas set out in a whitepaper by the mysterious and pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. The identity
of the person or persons who created the technology is still a mystery. Bitcoin offers the promise of
lower transaction fees than traditional online payment mechanisms and is operated by a decentralized
authority, unlike government-issued currencies.
2. There are no physical bitcoins, only balances kept on a public ledger that everyone has transparent
access to, that – along with all Bitcoin transactions – is verified by a massive amount of computing
power. Bitcoins are not issued or backed by any banks or governments, nor are individual bitcoins
valuable as a commodity. Despite it not being legal tender, Bitcoin charts high on popularity, and has
triggered the launch of hundreds of other virtual currencies collectively referred to as Altcoins.
3. Bitcoin is a collection of computers, or nodes, that all run Bitcoin's code and store its block chain.
A block chain can be thought of as a collection of blocks. In each block is a collection of transactions.
Because all these computers running the block chain have the same list of blocks and transactions and

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can transparently see these new blocks being filled with new Bitcoin transactions, no one can cheat
the system. Anyone, whether they run a Bitcoin "node" or not, can see these transactions occurring
live. In order to achieve a nefarious act, a bad actor would need to operate 51% of the computing power
that makes up Bitcoin. Bitcoin has around 47,000 nodes as of May 2020 and this number is growing,
making such an attack quite unlikely.

A. Based on your understanding of passage make notes on the above passage using an appropriate
format, indentation and minimum four abbreviations wherever necessary. Also supply a suitable
heading. 5 marks
B. Write the Summary of the passage in about 50 words. 3 marks

Section B (Grammar and Creative Writing Skills) 23 marks

IV. Grammar
Attempt any seven questions out of the eight from grammar section (Q. 1 and 2) 7x1=7 marks

1. Fill up the gaps by choosing the most appropriate option.

Recently (a)……… young Indian side battled it out with the mighty Aussies on their own soil. (b)
…… did Australia know that their Gabba fortress would be breached that badly by a bunch of gritty
youngsters. Even the experts, before the series, (c)…………… India off. They had predicted a 4-0
rout. Such brilliance by (d) …… Asian side (forget an Indian side) was unprecedented.

a. i) an ii) no article iii) a iv) the

b. i) A little ii) Little iii) The little iv) Few
c. i) had written ii) wrote iii) has written iv) written
d. i) some ii) ) every iii) each iv) any

2. Answer the following by choosing the most appropriate option:

You are required to rearrange these parts, which are labelled P, Q, R and S to produce the correct
sentence.
e. P) for thousands of years
Q) famous symbols of ancient civilizations
R) Monuments have been created
S) and they are often the most durable and
i) SRQP ii) QPRS iii) PRSQ iv) RPSQ
f. P) is one of the most widely used indicators
Q) of ecosystems and their biodiversity
R) for assessing the condition
S) The conservation status of plants and animals
i) SPRQ ii) SRQP iii) QRPS iv) PQRS
g. P) for a short time where a new, innovative, or much-improved product
Q) The practice of ‘price skimming’
R) is launched onto a market
S) involves charging a relatively high price
i) PRSQ ii) RSQP iii) QSPR iv) RQSP
h. P) was designed by the British architect George Wittet and
Q) The Gateway of India
R) in the year 1924
S) was opened for general Public
i) QSPR ii) QPSR iii) PQSR iv) SRQP

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V. Creative Writing Skills
1. Attempt anyone from A and B given below. 3 marks
A. You are Amrita and your brother has been missing from his home for the last two days. Draft an
advertisement to be published under classified columns of a local newspaper. Provide necessary
details.
OR
B. You are the General Manager of a leading newspaper. You need an editor for your newspaper. Draft
an advertisement in not more than 50 words to be published in the Times of India, New Delhi under
the classified columns.

2. Attempt anyone from A and B given below. 3 marks

A. Suppose you are Ranjit/Ranjita, the in-charge of Cyber Cell, Police Station, Lajpat Nagar, Delhi.
Draft an attractive poster in not more than 50 words to spread awareness about cyber-crimes like
phishing, identity theft & hacking. Also suggest some safety measures.
OR
B. Child Labour is a serious offence affecting millions of children in the country. On urging people to
behalf of the Child Welfare Ministry, design an attractive poster urging people to help prevent injustice
towards minors.

3. Attempt anyone from A and B given below. 5 marks

A. - Women’s magazine Femina is organizing a declamation contest in your school on the occasion-
of International Women’s Day. Your teacher has selected you to participate in the competition and
asked you to prepare a speech on the topic “Empowerment of Women”. Draft a speech in about 120-
150 words.
OR
B. Write a speech in about 120-150 words discussing- the use and abuse of the internet by youth,
giving suggestions how it can be a valuable tool for national progress and for promoting international
understanding. You are Avni/ Anuj of class XI.

4. Attempt anyone from A and B given below. 5 marks

A. Imagine that your school authorities are unhappy with the amount of mobile phones usage inside
the school campus. Teachers have complained that the students are distracted by their mobile phones.
Your school has decided to organize a debate on topic ‘Students should be allowed to own and use
mobile phones’ before taking any decision. You are Aditya/Manali. Write a debate in about 120-150
words against or in favour of the topic.
OR
B. An inter-school debate is arranged on the topic ‘Democracy is the best form of government’. You
are Harsh/Harshita of Kendriya Vidyalaya, New Delhi. You are selected to participate in the debate
competition. Write a debate in about 120-150 words against or favour of the topic.

Section C (Literature) 31 marks

VI. Read the given extracts to attempt the questions with reference to context. 1x3 = 3 marks

1.A “Now she has been dead as many years as that girl lived
And of this circumstance...”
i. What does “dead as many years as that girl lived” apprise us about the mother’s death?
a. She lived for 12 years
b. The mother died at the age of 12
c. Her mother died when the poetess was a girl of 12

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 d. She died 12 years ago
ii. What is the significance of 'now'?
a. Now indicates the present time when she looks at the snapshot
b. Now emphasizes that her mother has been dead for 12 years. She was alive when they
looked at the photo together
c. Now expresses the sense of loss the poetess feels when she looks at her mother's photo
d. Now underlines the fact that her mother is no more. It shows a contrast between happy
past and tragic present
iii. What does this 'circumstance’ refer to?
OR
1.B “And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower
Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain”
i. What is strange for the poet?
a. The sound of the soft falling shower
b. The comparison between the rain & the poem
c. Language of the rain
d. The fact that he received an answer from the soft-falling shower
ii. Name the poetic device used in the phrase “I am the Poem of Earth”.
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Transferred epithet
d. Alliteration
iii. Whom does I refer to in the first and the third line?

2. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 1x3 = 3 marks

2.A
At dawn on January 2, the waves were gigantic. We were sailing with only a small storm jib
and were still making eight knots. As the ship rose to the top of each wave, we could see endless
enormous seas rolling towards us, and the screaming of the wind and spray was painful to the
ears. To slow the boat down, we dropped the storm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope in a
loop across the stern. Then we double-lashed everything, went through our life-raft drill,
attached lifelines, donned oilskins and life jackets – and waited.

i. “We double-lashed everything, ………. life jackets – and waited”. What are they waiting for?
ii. What does the word 'Knot' symbolise?
a) Unit of Distance
b) Unit of Weight
c) Unit of Speed
d) Unit of Time
iii. Why were they sailing with a small storm jib?
a) the ship was small
b) wind was strong
c) no other jib was available
d) the other sails were damaged
OR
2.B “For several hours she thumped the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum and sang of the home-
coming of warriors. We had to persuade her to stop to avoid overstraining. That was the first time
since I had known her that she did not pray.”

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 i. Why were they persuading her to stop thumping the drum?
a) All were sleeping and it was disturbing
b) The music was not nice to hear
c) She was very old and may fall ill
d) The narrator did not like her
ii. Why did the narrator mention that she was not praying?
a) She was religious and always used to pray
b) He wanted her to say prayers
c) He wanted her to avoid overstraining
d) He wanted to show that the grandmother loved him
iii. Why was she singing the song?

3. Attempt ANY ONE of two extracts given. 1x4 = 4 marks

3.A
I looked up. The girl put cups ready on the tea-table. She had a broad back. Just like her mother.
She poured tea from a white pot. All it had was a gold border on the lid. I remembered. She
opened a box and took some spoons out.
That's a nice box. I heard my own voice. It was a strange voice. As though each sound was
different in this room.
Oh, you know about them? She had turned round and brought me my tea. She laughed. My
mother says it is antique. We've got lots more. She pointed round the room. See for yourself.

i. What similarity did the author noticed about the daughter of Mrs. Dorling?
ii. Which of the following is the incorrect meaning of I heard my own voice?
a. To speak about important facts
b. To talk without purpose
c. To speak pointless things
d. To speak about useless things
iii. What was the reason behind saying, That's a nice box?
a. To complement the finishing of box.
b. It was beautiful in colour.
c. Because of its shape and pattern.
d. Because author had recognised it.
iv. Why had the narrator paid a visit to the girl’s house?
OR
3.B
Nobody could understand where we ever got money enough to keep us with food in our bellies,
not even the old men of the family. Most important of all, though, we were famous for our
honesty for something like eleven centuries, even we had been the wealthiest family in what
we liked to think was the world. We were proud first, honest next, and after that, we believed
in right and wrong. None of us would take advantage of anybody in the world, let alone steal.

i. What were the attributes of the Garoghlanian tribe?

1) honesty
2) poverty
3) wealthy
4) proud
5) brave
6) trustworthiness
a) 1,2,3,6 b) 1,2,5,6 c) 1, 4,3,6 d) 1,2,4,6

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 ii. Who among the tribe was aware of their means of income?
iii. The phrase ‘right and wrong’ has been used in the extract. Which of the following phrase is not
similar to it.
a) right and left
b) poor and rich
c) cold and hot
d) admit and accept
iv. No member of the Garoghlanian family could be _______.

VII. Answer any two (at least one each from prose & poetry) questions in about 40-50 word.
3x2 = 6 marks
a) When the people are pious and good even nature mourns their death. Justify the statement
with reference to the lesson ‘The Portrait of a Lady’.
b) How did Carter infer that Tut burial has taken place in the month of March or April?
c) What is the importance of the goldfinch bird for the laburnum tree?
d) Why does the rain call itself the Poem of the Earth?

VIII. Answer any one of the following questions in about 40-50 words. 3x1 = 03 marks

a) “A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead of his heart”. In what context was
this observation made by John Byro?
b) Why did George think that they were at sixes and sevens?

IX. Answer any one of the following questions in 125-150 words. 6 marks

i. The British archaeologist Howard Carter has been invited in a seminar to share the hardships
he faced before and after discovery of King Tut’s mummy. Imagine yourself as Howard
Carter and write the speech you will deliver in the seminar.
ii. Kushwant Singh regrets that he did not spend much time with his grandmother after being
admitted in a city school and the grandmother has passed away. Imagine a conversation
between Kushwant Singh and his mother. Write the conversation.
You may begin like this:
Mother, I can not express the pain and regret I have after demise of grandmother …………

X. Answer any one of the following questions in 125-150 words. 6 marks

i. Mother is the most neglected member of a family. She never gets credit or acknowledgement
for her services. Imagine yourself as Mrs. Fitzgerald and you have to deliver a speech to the
students of class IX to XII on the same subject. Write your speech in corelation with the play
‘Mother’s Day’.
ii. Earnest Hemingway said, “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is
not a crime”. Analyze the tragic impact of war with reference to the lesson, ‘The Address’.
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