ISC Class 11 English Literature Half Yearly Sample Paper 2025: Download Free PDF

Question No.

SECTION A - 20 MARKS

1

Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each in brief. Do not write the question:                                                                 [10]

i) In the poem ‘Why I Like the Hospital’, fresh flowers in the wastebasket are a bad sight because ...............

ii) In Act I Scene VII of the play ‘Macbeth’, Macbeth is afraid of the consequences of the murder of Duncan because ...............

iii) In the short story ‘The Paper Menagerie’, Jack had been bullied in school because ...............

iv) Mark Twain in the short story ‘Advice to Youth’ recommends a particular section of books because ...............

v) In Act I Scene VI of the play ‘Macbeth’, the castle of Inverness proves to be a seat of deceit for Duncan because ...............

vi) In Act I Scene V of the play ‘Macbeth’, Lady Macbeth invokes the Spirit of evil to defeminise and dehumanise because ...............

vii) In the poem ‘Abhisara – The Tryst’, Vasavadatta; had been hurriedly removed from the town because ...............

viii) In the short story ‘The Living God’, Hamaguchi emerges out to be a great character because ...............

ix) In Act I Scene IV of the play ‘Macbeth’, in his Castle, Macbeth calls upon the stars to hide their light because ...............

x) In the poem, ‘Death of Naturalist’, the boy dodged the frogs because ...............

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Choose the correct options for the following questions: [10]

i) In Act I Scene 6 of the play ‘Macbeth’, which of the following provides an instance of Shakespearean irony?

a) Honoured hostess

b) Fair and noble hostess

c) The castle has a pleasant seat

d) All of the above

ii) In Act I Scene 2 of the play ‘Macbeth’, which literary device has been used in the last line of the

scene?

“What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won”

a) Personification 

b) Simile

c) Dramatic irony 

d) Metaphor 

iii) In Act I Scene 5 of the play ‘Macbeth’, which of the following is NOT revealed in the letter Lady Macbeth receives?

a) Macbeth has ambition to become King

b) The Witches prophecy

c) Macbeth has been appointed as the Thane of Cawdor

d) The location of Donalbain and Malcolm

iv) The author Mark Twain, in the chapter ‘Advice to Youth’ says that the monument in Boston shows:

a) A rare monument

b) A stolen discovery

c) A truth

d) A great achievement

v) In Act I Scene 7 of the play ‘Macbeth’, what will disclose Macbeth’s heinous crime to the whole world?

a) His crime itself

b) Pity in the form of a heavenly angel

c) Anger of his subjects

d) Betrayal of his own friends

vi) Which qualities are displayed by Hamaguchi in the story, ‘A Living God’?

a) Boastful but loving

b) Both (c) and (d)

c) Selfless action and ability to sacrifice

d) Intelligence and presence of mind

vii) Read the two statements from the poem ‘Death of a Naturalist’ and choose the correct option:

Statement I: “Some sat poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting”. 

Statement II: “I Sickened turned and ran”.

a) Statement I is the cause of the Statement II

b) Statement I and Statement II are not related to each other

c) Statement II is the cause of Statement I

d) Statement I and II are indifferent

viii) The thunder after Vasavadatta’s first meeting in the poem ‘Abhisara – The Tryst’, indicates:

a) Foreboding of evil days

b) Next meeting

c) The changing season

d) Monsoon season

ix) 

(1) Racism and identity

(2) Familial love and estrangement

(3) Art and commercialism

(4) Hatred and negativity

Choose the option that best describes the theme of the story, ‘The Paper Menagerie’?

a) 1 and 2 only 

b) 1 and 3 only

c) 1, 2 and 3 only 

d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

x) In the poem ‘Why I Like The Hospital, the use of the word ‘customers’ in the first stanza of the

poem is suggestive of which of the following:

a) A satire on the present-day Health care institutions

b) A satire on people lacking courage

c) Both (a) and (b)

d) A satire on loneliness suffered by the patients

SECTION-B – 60 MARKS

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PRISM - A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES

i) In the story ‘A Living God’, what perception do you have of Hamaguchi?

Write your answer in about 100-150 words incorporating the following details:

a) Describe the incident that made him lose his capital investment.

b) Hamaguchi's character traits revealed by the incident. [5]

ii) How does Mrs. Luella Bates’ understanding and compassion transform Roger? Write your

answer in about 100-150 words referring closely to the story ‘Thank You; Ma’am’ incorporating the

following ideas:

a) Kindness shown to Roger by Mrs. Luella Bates.

b) Roger’s response to her kindness and understanding. [5]

iii) a) Jack was subjected to racism and bullying. What impact did it have on the relationship between

Jack and his mother? Discuss with reference to the story ‘The Paper Menagerie’ in about 200-250

words. [10]

Or

b) Referring closely to Mark Twain’s essay ‘Advice to Youth’, describe in about 200-250 words, the

incident involving the grandmother and the armed grandson, taking into account Twain’s use of humour.

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RHAPSODY - A COLLECTION OF ISC POEMS

i) Referring closely to the poem ‘Abhisara – The Tryst’, write how Upagupta’s kindness and compassion bring peace and solace to Vasavadatta. Write your answer in about 100-150 words incorporating the following details.

a) Trait of Upagupta’s character revealed by the second encounter. 

b) The two encounters between Upagupta and Vasavadatta.           [5]

ii) a) Death of a Naturalist” is a poem about growing up—specifically, the fraught transition between childhood and adolescence. Discuss the statement with close reference to the poem ‘The Death of a Naturalist’. Write your answer in about 200-250 words. [10]

iii)What caused the ‘death’ of a naturalist in the speaker? Write your answer in about 100-150 words referring to the poem, ‘The Death of a Naturalist’, incorporating the following details:

a) Shift in the speaker’s perception of nature.

b) The speaker’s encounter with the frogs on ‘one hot day.’                 [5]

Or

b) Referring closely to the poem ‘Why I like the Hospital’, elucidate the scenes of human suffering as depicted in the poem. Write your answer in about 200-250 words. [10]

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MACBETH-WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

i) a) How does Shakespeare portray the conflict between ambition and conscience in Macbeth’s soliloquy? What does this reveal about Macbeth’s character and his future actions? Write your answer in about 200-250 words referring closely to Act I Scene 7 of the play ‘Macbeth’.                         [10]

Or

b) How is Lady Macbeth both admirable and despicable? Write your answer in about 200-250 words referring closely to Act I Scene 7 of the play ‘Macbeth’. [10]

ii) Referring closely to Act I Scene 5 of the play ‘Macbeth’, describe in about 100-150 words Lady Macbeth’s opinion of her husband incorporating the following details.

a) Her plan to instill courage in her husband. [5]

b) Lady Macbeth’s assessment of her husband’s character.

iii) What does Banquo observe on reaching Macbeth’s castle and what does it reveal about his character? Write your answer in about 100-150 words referring closely to Act I Scene VI of the play Macbeth incorporating the following ideas:

a) Banquo’s character traits.

b) Banquo’s observation about the martlet and its nesting habits at Macbeth’s castle.                        [5]

CHECK: ISC Class 11 English Literature Half Yearly Sample Paper 2025; Download Free PDF