Descriptive writing: expresses opinions. It can be argumentative, i.e. may give reasons, explanations, or explore cause and effect relationship. Passages of this kind are analytical. Sometimes the author presents his views with great depth of reasoning or force of argument with the intention of convincing the reader to his point of view. Such texts have great persuasive power.
Basic English Grammar rules can be tricky. In this article, we’ll get you started with the basics of sentence structure, punctuation, parts of speech, and more.
We also providing Extra Questions for Class 11 English Chapter wise.
Unseen Passage for Class 11 Descriptive CBSE With Answers
1. Read this article and answer the questions that follow.
Blind Opera Seeing The World In Their Own Way
by Ranjita Biswas
1. You go up a dark, rickety stairwell of a building on crowded street in Calcutta. You enter a small room. The red cement floor is reminiscent of a past era. The centre of the room is empty but the corners are stacked with bedrolls, utensils, water bottles. Musical instruments, drums, cymbals, gongs are piled in a corner. Today, the room is filled with the laughter of men and women in colorful attire. Two members of the group are getting married. Among the happy chorus of congratulations and laughter, you notice both the bride Chumki Pal and the groom Sandeep are blind, as are most of the people surrounding them. Pal is wearing a bright turquoise blue sari. “I know it’s blue because people have told me but I can’t imagine how it looks. But believe me, when I dream, I dream only in colours,” she says. Their romance blossomed when they met as members of Blind Opera, the only one of its kind in the country as well as in Asia.
2. The 36 spirited members of Blind Opera demonstrate that physical disability is not an obstacle. They enact plays by Rabindranath Tagore, considered challenging even by veteran theatre groups.
3. Blind Opera was launched in 1996, by four theatre aficionados, who took it as a challenge to get together the talents of these visually impaired people. The challenge to present the cast on stage is immense since space management is a problem. To solve this, the directors use ropes to separate the stage and the wings. When the actors step on the rope they know that it is the entrance to the stage. The members cannot see, they can smell, hear and touch – three elements inherent to any theatre. At Blind Opera, they “believe that the blind can see. That is, they see in their own way, if not in our way, with the help of these abilities.”
4. Subhashis Gangopadhyay, one of the founders, believes that, for the visually impaired, theatre is the medium for expression of their creative urges. “They respond instinctively; they cannot copy anyone else because they cannot see. Their body language tells the story and hence it is very spontaneous.”
5. The members have earned kudos from Calcutta audiences. For the members of the troupe, discovering the language of the body is in a way also a journey of the persona. Coming from diverse backgrounds but bound together by the same disability, they have found an outlet for their creativity through the plays. They do not feel isolated anymore because they can relate to their fellow performers. As Debashish Das, 18, a partially blind boy, says: “I had to leave my studies after the school finals. I was sitting around at home, doing nothing. Now I feel useful. I belong.” It also has a therapeutic effect because their confidence grows as they are able to reach out to the sighted audience. Marzina Khatun, mother of a young child, echoes the feelings of others when she says they build a bridge between the “seeing” world and the dark world of their own. They sing, they dance, and they experience joy. The joy of being able to communicate, both at the personal level and to the audience, is great.
6. There is also a greater purpose behind it: to use theatre to build a community and mainstream the huge number of disabled living in isolation. Together they can be a force to demand better facilities in public life.
7. Ashok Pramanik, a co-founder of the Opera, believes that blind children should enter the mainstream from the beginning. “Often, parents hideaway a child with a disability or don’t give as much attention. If you suddenly want a grown-up boy to play football, for example, he cannot do so because by that time his body is too sedentary and he cannot respond.” The big dream of the group is to establish a drama school following the ideal of Tagore’s Santiniketan, offering a platform for creative expression to all those who are economically and socially forced to stay in the periphery. Like Chumki Pal, they all dream in colour.
Unseen Passage With Answers for Class 11 Descriptive CBSE
1.1 (i) Complete the sentences.
a. The greatest problem in training the visually challenged was in training them in
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
b. The theatre is the best medium for expression for the visually impaired because
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
c. The visually impaired do not feel secluded in this Opera chiefly because
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Answer:
a. The greatest problem in training the visually challenged was in training them in space management.
b. The theatre is the best medium for expression for the visually impaired because they respond instinctively since they cannot see and thereby cannot copy anyone. They tell their story through their body language and hence it is very spontaneous.
c. The visually impaired do not feel secluded in this Opera chiefly because they can relate to their fellow performers full of energy; b. people who possess expertise in something; c. one that spends a lot of time sitting down and not moving.
(ii) Write the synonyms of the italicized words.
a. spirited members of Blind Opera
b. four theatre aficionados
c. his body is too sedentary
Answer:
a. full of energy
b. people who possess expertise in something
c. one that spends a lot of time sitting down and not moving
1.2 Choose the correct options.
(i) The mood in the room is
a. jubilant.
b. solicitous.
c. dismal.
d. perplexed.
Answer:
a
(ii) Pal is wearing a blue saree
a. and likes the particular shade a lot.
b. but can’t see the colour herself.
Answer:
b
(iii) A cymbal is
a. a musical instrument in the form of a round metal plate. It is hit with a stick, or two of them are hit against each other.
b. a musical instrument made of a hollow round frame with plastic or skin stretched tightly across one or both ends.
c. a round piece of metal that hangs in a frame and makes a loud deep sound when it is hit with a stick.
d. none of the above options.
Answer:
a
(iv) The word “obstacle” means
a. prophecy.
b. augur.
c. hurdle.
d. help.
Answer:
c
(v) The word “mainstream” means
a. the ideas and opinions that are thought to be normal because they are shared by most people.
b. unconventional.
c. existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical reality.
d. none of the above options
Answer:
a
(vi) The antonym of the word “periphery” is
a. edge.
b. boundary.
c. border.
d. center.
Answer:
a
2. Read this passage and answer the questions that follow.
1. A piano teacher described an interesting encounter she had had with a young lady who came to inquire about music lessons. The young lady asked her, “How long will this course take? My father tells me that it is in fashion now to be able to play musical instruments and that I should learn one quickly. I want something that will be quick, fast and easy like, like….” When the amused teacher explained that it would take a lifetime of meticulous practice to learn music, her face fell and, needless to say, she never came back.
2. The single most important factor that distinguishes those of us who succeed in any venture and those of us who don’t is this ‘instant coffee’ attitude. Most of us want results quickly. We want to reach the top immediately and get worked up when things go wrong. Perseverance and patience are forgotten words. We get upset, frustrated, and angry when a skill or activity requires us to put in a lot of effort and time. We get dejected and want to give it up.
3. But such thinking serves no good. For, it doesn’t solve the problem. Life is tough for those with an ‘instant coffee’ attitude.
4. Success, real success, and happiness come to those who have a ‘bread-making’ attitude. Those who are willing to knead the dough, wait for hours for it to rise, only to punch it down and knead some more, wait for another couple of hours for it to rise again, then bake it before it is ready to be eaten. Nothing is instantaneous. For every endeavour-whether in the area of career, academics, music, sports, relationships, physical fitness, or even in spirituality-it is a long arduous journey.
5. Only if we are willing to put in the time, painstaking effort and have faith, can we get results. If we don’t accept this difficult-but-true fact of life, our lives will be far from being happy and fulfilling. For we may not make that extra effort which can change the course of life dramatically, for the good.
6. The major problems with these ‘instant coffee’ solutions are that they are invariably shortlived. If we stubbornly refuse to give up this search for quick solutions, all we do is end up on the wrong track.
2.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices.
Question (а)
Why did the young lady wishing to learn piano not go back to her teacher?
(i) Because the teacher was incompetent.
(ii) Because the young lady wanted to learn guitar.
(iii) Because the teacher told her that piano learning would take a lifetime of practice.
(iv) Because she did not have enough money.
Answer:
(iii) Because the teacher told her that piano learning would take a lifetime of practice.
Question (b)
What does instant coffee attitude consist of?
(i) quick results.
(ii) good taste.
(iii) good aroma.
(iv) enjoyment.
Answer:
(i) quick results.
Question (c)
……………….. is an integral part of the ‘instant coffee’ attitude.
(i) Patience.
(ii) Perseverance.
(iii) Impatience.
(iv) Hard work.
Answer:
(iii) Impatience.
Question (d)
Bread-making attitude consists of …………………
(i) hard work and patience.
(ii) intelligent planning.
(iii) support from family.
(iv) exceptional talent.
Answer:
(i) hard work and patience.
Question (e)
Dramatically in paragraph 5 means
(i) as in drama.
(ii) Suddenly and vastly
(iii) unrealistically.
(iv) only visibly
Answer:
(ii) Suddenly and vastly
Question (f)
Stubbornly in paragraph 6 is the opposite of,
(i) gradually.
(ii) unknowingly.
(iii) blindly.
(iv) flexibly.
Answer:
(iv) flexibly.
2.2 Answer the following.
(a) Success, real success, and happiness come to those who have a ………………. attitude.
(b) We get upset, frustrated, and angry when a ……………………. or activity requires us to put in a lot of effort and time.
(c) Life is easy for those with the ‘instant coffee’ attitude. [True/False]
(d) Painstaking effort and faith can help us reach the top. [True/False]
Answer:
(a) bread-making
(b) skill
(c) False
(d) True
2.3 (a) Find a word which means the same as ‘going on in spite of difficulties’ (para 2).
(b) Find a word which means the same as ‘extremely careful’ (para 1).
Answer:
(a) perseverance
(b) meticulous
3. Read this article and answer the questions given below.
Puppetry – A Dying Traditional Art
1. In the stress-ridden world, traditional pastimes that could prove therapeutic are dying for want of patronage. One such is the art of puppetry. The word “puppet” is derived from the Latin word pupa, meaning “doll” or “girl”. Puppets came into being in India in the third century A.D. Here it was honed into a theatrical art. It helped to propagate the works of saints and religious leaders, and also depict stories from epics. Later, it spread to South East Asia. The Cambodian puppeteers inspired the Thais. Java and Bali followed though it didn’t catch on in Sumatra. The Malays followed the Siamese and Japanese styles in the nineteenth century.
2. Gradually, puppets became more sophisticated in appearance, as skilled craftsmen began to make the models. Puppeteers became trained as performers. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, puppet theatres became extremely popular in artistic circles. Writers like George Sands and Goethe organised their own well – prepared puppet shows to entertain their friends. George Washington even wrote down the sum he had spent, to take his family to the show. Puppet shows have been mentioned in the literature by Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, and many others.
3. However, with the advent of World War II, there was a decline in puppetry. Most of the young men were called to arms. Basically, there are three kinds of puppets. Shadow puppets are made of translucent leather and coloured vegetable dyes. Buffalo, goat, or sheep skin is treated to become translucent. Limbs are jointed loosely so that they can be made to move separately. A stick is attached vertically in the middle. Movement of the sticks causes general movements. But for special movements, single strings attached to the limbs are used.
4. These leather puppets are projected on a screen, which is illuminated by a light source placed behind the puppets. The puppeteer sits behind the source of light and manipulates the puppets, to form moving shadows on the screen. He also speaks the parts, sings, or is accompanied by music. The light source is a bowl filled with castor or coconut oil and lit by a wick. These are now replaced by low – voltage electric bulbs.
5. String puppets involve puppets that are manipulated by six strings. The performance is on a stage six feet long and four feet wide, with a background of blue or black cloth. The puppeteers are never seen. They wear anklets which produce the illusion that the puppets themselves are dancing. The main storyteller recites the storyline, while the puppets perform, and the dialogue and music are provided by the puppeteers.
6. Rod or stick puppets are constructed around the main central rod. A short horizontal bar serves as the shoulders, from which the upper limbs dangle. The arms, made of cloth and stuffed with straw or paper, are jointed or manipulated with other thinner rods. These puppets can be the size of a human being. The puppeteer hides behind the puppet and manipulates it. The coordination of the limbs comes only through practice.
7. Body puppets are made with cloth and manipulated with hands and fingers. One needs deft fingers for movements, and a ventriloquist’s voice to simulate speech.
8. Construction of puppets needs good powers of observation and the ability to replicate characters, something like a cartoonist. It needs basic knowledge of anatomy, and skill in making the joints mobile. Innovation with various materials like cardboard, biscuit tins, even banana skins is possible.
9. Puppetry is a good communication medium. Messages can be propagated in a realistic way. Continents like Africa are already using puppets for health propaganda. Puppet making and performing is good occupational therapy for convalescents and physically disabled people. Muscular coordination and manual dexterity improve with effort. Rural advertising is another possibility. However, the best use of this art is that it can provide delightful hours of fun to young and old alike.
3.1 (i) Complete the sentences.
a. Puppetry in India was perfected into an art form to ………………………….
b. Puppetry waned as theatrical entertainment because ………………………….
c. Moving shadows on the screen are created by ………………………….
Answer:
a. Puppetry in India was perfected into an art form to propagate the works of saints and religious leaders, and also depict stories from epics.
b. Puppetry waned as theatrical entertainment because of the advent of World War II.
c. Moving shadows on the screen are created by a puppeteer sitting behind a source of light and manipulating the puppet.
(ii) Give the meanings of the following words.
a. propagate
b. manipulated
c. propaganda
Answer:
a. spread
b. controlled
c. biased information
3.2 Choose the correct options.
(i) Puppetry can be beneficial in the modern world because
(a) puppets are cheap and durable.
(b) it is a good leisure activity.
(c) it doesn’t require expertise.
(d) it enjoys a great deal of support.
Answer:
b
(ii). Traditional pastimes that could prove therapeutic are dying
a. because people are not so creative these days.
b. because people don’t have pastimes.
c. for want of patronage.
d. none of the above options
Answer:
c
(iii). The word “honed” means
a. having horns or having something that looks like horns.
b. developed and improved something, especially a skill, over a period of time.
c. wanted something to happen and thought that it was possible.
d. all the above options
Answer:
b
(iv). The word “translucent” means
a. allowing one to see through it.
b. not clear enough to see through or allow light through.
c. allowing light to pass through but not transparent.
d. all the above options
Answer:
c
(v) Construction of puppets needs
a. a good powers of observation and the ability to replicate characters.
b. cloth, straw, and water.
c. bananas and biscuits.
d. none of the above options.
Answer:
a
(vi) The word “dexterity” means
a. clumsiness.
b. ineptitude.
c. deftness.
d. none of the above options
Answer:
c
4. Read the article and answer the questions that follow.
Whales
1. Whales are the largest animals that have ever lived on earth – even bigger than the largest dinosaur. It is believed that millions of years ago, whales walked upon land. With the passage of time, their hindlimbs disappeared and their forelimbs became flippers.
2. Whales do not have gills and cannot breathe underwater. They need to come up to the surface of the water to breathe through their blowhole which is on their back. When whales sleep, they stay at the top of the water, with their blowhole above the surface. Sometimes, whales swim up to the surface of the water and quickly blow air out of their blowhole. This is called the whale’s blow or spout.
3. As whales are mammals, they suckle their babies. A baby whale is called a calf. Whales eat during the summer months building up layers of blubber. When the water begins to cool, the whales begin their migration to warmer waters. Whales migrate further than any other animal. They do not eat during their migration. All they do is swim and rest for short periods of time. Sometimes, when whales are migrating, they swim very close to the shore and can be seen blowing and breaching.
4. Whales are noisy and talkative. They love talking to each other and squeak, moan and groan. These underwater sounds can travel great distances. The sounds they make are called whale songs. Whales are the loudest animals in the world.
5. Blue whales are the largest animals on the planet. A blue whale’s spout is more than 20 feet high and can be spotted from quite a distance.
6. The humpback whale has long flippers. Its majestic tail and variety of spectacular behaviours make this whale a favourite of whale watchers. They are well known for their spectacular breaching tricks. The reason for the urge to breach has not been ascertained till date but it makes them one of the most fascinating creatures.
7. The killer whale, also known as the orca, is one of the most well–known types of whales. One of the most popular attractions at aquariums, the killer whale has several stories and films made around it. Their large, sharp teeth add to their reputation of being deadly and dangerous. The killer whale has a spindle–like a shape and beautiful, crisp black and white markings, making them striking and unique. Killer whales live in pods which may include 10 to 50 whales. They are highly intelligent and have been seen using several tricks while hunting both alone and with the pod. One can find a plethora of information on them on the internet including videos of them approaching and interacting with humans. They seem to be as friendly as dolphins towards humans but are capable if just as much cruelty. Killer whales are one of the few animals who have been spotted to kill for entertainment.
8. Beluga whales live in colder seas and extremely social creatures, like dolphins. A pod of beluga typically migrates and hunt together. Beluga whales reach out to one another by singing and can make many different noises. They can whistle, they can chirp, and captive belugas are also known to mimic human voices. Belugas are known as the canaries of the sea. The beluga is one the smallest whale species measuring only about 13 feet in length.
9. Today whales are fighting for their survival. Water pollution has been one of the major causes of depletion in their numbers. We often come across images of whales beached with their bodies full of waste disposed of by humans. Another major factor is whaling. Many countries consider meat, oil, and blubber from whales as essential products and so whaling is a significant part of their economy. Conservation of whales is a major concern for conservationists and environmentalists. The questions is what we can do and how.
4.1 (i) Complete these sentences.
a. Millions of years ago whales walked on land but ………………………….
b. When a blue whale spouts ………………………….
c. Killer whales seem to be very friendly towards humans but ………………………….
Answer:
a. Millions of years ago whales walked on land but with the passage of time, their hind limbs disappeared and their forelimbs became flippers.
b. When a blue whale spouts it can be spotted from quite a distance as it is more than 20 feet high.
c. Killer whales seem to be very friendly towards humans but
(ii) Which words in the passage have similar meanings as the following? Answer any three.
a. jumping out of water
b. abundance
c. imitate
d. hunting or killing of whales
Answer:
a. breaching
b. mimic
c. plethora
d. whaling
4.2 Choose the correct options.
(i) Whales are
a. fish.
b. reptiles.
c. amphibians.
d. mammals.
Answer:
d
(ii) Another word for a whale’s spout is
a. water.
b. blow.
c. breathing
d. blowhole.
Answer:
b
(iii) As mammals, whales
a. give birth to babies.
b. suckle their babies.
c. do not have gills.
d. All of the above.
Answer:
d
(iv) The whale most well – known for its breaching techniques is
a. the blue whale.
b. the humpback whale.
c. the orca.
d. the beluga.
Answer:
b
(v) The most intelligent whale is
a. the blue whale.
b. the humpback whale.
c. the orca.
d. the beluga.
Answer:
c
(vi) The canary of the sea is
a. the blue whale.
b. the humpback whale.
c. the orca.
d. the beluga.
Answer:
d
5. Read this passage and answer the questions that follow.
The Tiger Temple In Kanchanaburi
1. For the jaded traveller who thinks they’ve seen and done everything, Thailand still has a surprise in store. For the chance to see wild tigers interacting with trusting monks, head to Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno Monastery.
2. Walking fully grown tigers on a leash is all part of a day’s work for a group of Buddhist monks who have taken on the task of protecting the endangered animals by offering them a home within the walls of their temple.
3. The sanctuary is run by head monk Phusit Khantidharo, who insists all 10 tigers living at the temple in western Kanchanaburi province have adopted peaceful Buddhist ways. “We are a big family here and we live together,” said Phusit, sitting cross-legged on a rock surrounded by five large tigers who take turns to affectionately nuzzle up to their saffron-robed master.
4. The tigers, with names like Storm, Lightning, and Great Sky, live among monkeys, horses, deer, peacocks, geese, and wild pigs in a scenic gully where they are free to roam and feed during the day. Visitors to the remote temple, about 200 kilometers west of Bangkok, are invariably stunned by the sight of the monks frolicking with tigers.
5. The monks have documented the personalities of all the big cats in a booklet with profiles varying from “likes to be a star and loves showing off” to “pretends to be tame and gentle but will bite.”
6. The first tiger was brought to the temple in 1998 after being injured by a hunter but died within days. Soon after, two very ill cubs arrived with large knife wounds in their stomachs. Inexperienced hunters had tried to cut them open and inject them with the preserving agent formalin; in a bungled attempt to stuff them for a collector. Miraculously, they survived, and the temple quickly earned a reputation as a tiger haven. “When the villagers saw how we tended to the first tigers, they brought others. Some were injured by hunters who had a change of heart, others by people who did not want the tiger near their village but also did not want to see it die,” he said.
7. Sitting with his tigers, and three handlers who keep an eye on the beasts just in case they get excited by the visiting strangers, Abbot Phusit conceded that the temple grounds were a less than ideal home for his striped guests. “We have started building an area in which they can roam, of about 12 acres, and eventually we want to send them back to the forest once they are ready to return,” he said.
8. To return to the wild, the tigers would not have far to go. The temple sits on a small plain surrounded by jagged rocky outcrops about 40 kilometers beyond Kanchanaburi’s fabled World War Il – era Bridge on the River Kwai. Smugglers still ply this thinly populated area close to the Myanmar border, where armed patrols on both sides keep watch on rebel armies and ancient contraband routes. But despite the remoteness of the region, the tigers are still far from safe.
9. The World Wildlife Fund believes the rare tigers and the animals they feed on are still widely hunted in Thailand to maintain a steady supply of illegal tiger and other animal products. “We don’t have an exact number for Thailand of how many tigers are left in the wild, but it varies somewhere between 150 up to a maximum estimate of about 500,” said Robert Mather, who heads WWF’s Thai operations, adding that the lower estimate was likely to be the most accurate figure. “But direct hunting here is not as big a problem as it is in Myanmar which still has more forest and so probably more tigers, with the bones going straight up to China, for traditional Chinese medicine,” he said.
5.1 (i) Answer the following questions.
a. Why is the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi surprising?
b. Why are tigers in Thailand far from safe?
c. What does the head of the sanctuary say about the 10 tigers living at the temple in western Kanchanaburi province?
Answer:
a. Ans. The Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, officially known as the Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno Monastery, is surprising because there we can see wild tigers living and interacting with trusting monks.
b. Tigers in Thailand are far from safe because the tigers and the animals they feed on are widely hunted to maintain a steady supply of illegal tiger and other animal products.
c. Monk Phusit Khantidharo, the head of the sanctuary, insists that the tigers at the temple have adopted peaceful Buddhist ways. He includes the tigers as part of their big family that lives together at the monastery.
(ii) Write the meanings of the following words.
a. jaded
b. frolicking
c. bungled
Answer:
a. tired and bored
b. playing or moving around in a lively, happy way
c. something done badly
5.2 Choose the correct options.
(i) To return to the wild, the tigers would not have far to go. Why?
a. The temple is near forests.
b. There are many animals in the area.
c. The monks will leave them there.
d. The tigers would not like to go.
Answer:
a
(ii) The word “haven” means
a. paradise.
b. shelter.
c. dreamland.
d. none of the above options.
Answer:
b
(iii) The word “conceded” means
a. approved.
b. denied.
c. maintained.
d. none of the above options
Answer:
a
(iv) The word “contraband” means
a. a type of music band.
b. paradox.
c. goods that are illegally taken into or out of a country.
d. agreement.
Answer:
c
(v) The word “frolicking” means
a. plodding.
b. pedantic.
c. nitpicking
d. playing
Answer:
d
(vi) A monk is
a. a person whose job is social work.
b. a member of a religious group of men who often live apart from other people in a monastery and who do not marry or have personal possessions.
c. a person who creates works of art, especially paintings or drawings.
d. a person who has been trained in medical science, whose job is to treat people who are ill/sick or injured.
Answer:
b