ATOMIC ENERGY JUNIOR COLLEGE, MUMBAI

UNIT TEST– 1, 2023-2024

CLASS: XI MAX.MARKS:25
SUB: ENGLISH TIME:90 minutes.

SECTION I (READING FOR COMPREHENSION & GRAMMAR)

Q.1.A. Read the first activity, read the extract, and then do all the activities:
A.1. Complete the following figure with relevant points to describe the house of the March
family and that of the Laurence family. (2)

House of the March a ) -------------- and -----------------

•
family • b) looking -------------- and -------
-
• c) a ----------------- mansion
House of the Laurence
• d) promising every --------------
family

Meg went back to toast her feet and read Ivanhoe, and Jo began to dig paths with great energy.
The snow was light, and with her broom she soon swept a path all-round the garden, for Beth
to walk in when the sun came out and the invalid dolls needed air. Now, the garden separated
the Marches' house from that of Mr. Laurence. Both stood in a suburb of the city, which was
still countrylike, with groves and lawns, large gardens, and quiet streets. A low hedge parted
the two estates. On one side was an old, brown house, looking rather bare and shabby, robbed
of the vines that in summer covered its walls and the flowers, which then surrounded it. On
the other side was a stately stone mansion, plainly betokening every sort of comfort and
luxury, from the big coach house and well–kept grounds to the conservatory and the glimpses
of lovely things one caught between the rich curtains.
Yet it seemed a lonely, lifeless sort of house, for no children frolicked on the lawn, no motherly
face ever smiled at the windows, and few people went in and out, except the old gentleman
and his grandson.
To Jo's lively fancy, this fine house seemed a kind of enchanted palace, full of splendours and
delights which no one enjoyed. She had long wanted to behold these hidden glories, and to
know the Laurence boy, who looked as if he would like to be known, if he only knew how to
begin. Since the party, she had been more eager than ever, and had planned many ways of
making friends with him, but he had not been seen lately, and Jo began to think he had gone
away, when she one day spied a brown face at an upper window, looking wistfully down into
their garden, where Beth and Amy were snow–balling one another.
"That boy is suffering for society and fun," she said to herself. "His grandpa does not know
what's good for him, and keeps him shut up all alone. He needs a party of jolly boys to play
with, or somebody young and lively. I've a great mind to go over and tell the old gentleman
so!"

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A.2. Say whether the following statements are True or False. Rewrite the false statement/s
correctly. (2)
a) Jo started sweeping a path all-round the garden for Meg to walk in.
b) Since the party, Jo had always wanted to see the splendours of the Laurence house.
A.2. “To Jo's lively fancy, this fine house seemed a kind of enchanted palace.” What does the
expression ‘enchanted palace’ refer to? Mention two reasons that made Jo think so. (Word
limit 50) (2)
A.3. "That boy is suffering for society and fun." Do you agree with Jo’s opinion about Laurie?
Justify your answer in not more than 50 words. (2)
A.4. Grammar
1. The garden separated the Marches' house from that of Mr. Laurence. (Rewrite the sentence
in Passive Voice) (1)
2. My friend said, “I live in the city centre.” (Rewrite the sentence in Indirect Speech) (1)
3. I think we will need --------------- discuss the problem in private. (Fill in the blanks with correct
Preposition) (1/2)
4. Pick one word from the passage with a Suffix. (1/2)
SECTION II (POETRY & APPRECIATION)

Q.2.A. Read the following stanzas and answer the questions that follow.
Eight years have passed
Since I placed my cherry seed in the grass.
“Must have a tree of my own,” I said,
And watered it once and went to bed
And forgot; but cherries have a way of growing,
Though no one's caring very much or knowing.
And suddenly that summer near the end of May,
I found a tree had come to stay.
It was very small, five months child,
Lost in the tall grass running wild.
Goats ate the leaves, the grass cutter scythe
Split it apart and a monsoon blight
Shrivelled the slender stem...... Even so,

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Next spring, I watched three new shoots grow,
The young tree struggle, upward thrust
Its arms in a fresh fierce lust
For light and air and sun.
A.1. Complete the following statements. (2)
a) “Its arms in a fresh fierce lust.” The poetic devices used by the poet in this line is -----------.
b) The rhyme scheme of the underlined lines in the extract is ---------------------
A.2. “The young tree struggle.” Do you believe that the life of the young tree was threatened?
Quote two reasons to justify your answer. (2)
B. 1. Write an appreciation of the poem “Cherry Tree” highlighting the following points: (3)
a. The Poet and the Theme
b. Style and Poetic Devices used
c. Your opinion about the Poem
SECTION III (WRITING SKILLS)

Q.3. Attempt any one of the following writing skills: (4)

You have been asked to speak in the morning assembly on the International Youth Day. You
decide to speak on the importance of focussed and dedicated hard work, inspired by Swami
Vivekananda’s words “Everything is easy when you are busy. But nothing is easy when you are
lazy.” Prepare the speech in not more than 120 words. OR
Imagine your cousin successfully completed a Marathon Race in record time. Draft an email
congratulating him/her in not more than 120 words. OR
You and your parent (Father/Mother) are discussing your career goals after class XII. Write the
dialogue with not more than 5 dialogues for each speaker.
SECTION IV (DRAMA)

Q.4. Answer the following questions.

A.1. Say whether the following statements are True or False. (2)
1. The Plot is not an element of a Drama.
2. Natyashastra was written by Mulk Raj Anand.
3. The earliest seeds of modern Indian Drama can be found in the Sanskrit drama.
4. The dramatist must have players, a stage and an audience.
A.2. Complete the following sentences. (1)
1. When the Romans were in England, they established vast -----------------for the production
of plays.
2. William Shakespeare was a prominent dramatist of the -------------- era.

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