Sub: English

Class: XI
Topic: Summer Vacation Homework

WEEK 1
Unseen Comprehension
1. Read the passage and answer the following questions.

My Vision of My India
In 3000 years of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our
lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards, the Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the
Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was
ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not
grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why?
Because we respect the freedom of others.
That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM. I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857,
when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and
build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us.
My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time
we see ourselves as a developed nation.
I have a third vision. India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to
the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a
military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand in hand.
My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai of the Dept. of space,
Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr. Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material. I was
lucky to have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the great opportunity of my life.
Here I am reminded of an instance – One day an orthopaedic surgeon from Nizam Institute of Medical
Sciences visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light that he took me to his hospital
and showed me his patients. There were these little girls and boys with heavy metallic callipers weighing
over three kg. each, dragging their feet around. He said to me:" Please remove the pain of my patients".
In three weeks, we made these Floor reaction Orthosis 300 gram callipers and took them to the
orthopaedic centre. The children didn't believe their eyes. From dragging around a three kg. load on
their legs, they could now move around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was bliss to me.
I have a question:
Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths,
our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse
to acknowledge them. Why?
Another question:
Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts.
We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported? Don‘t we realise that self-
respect comes with self-reliance?
I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her
what her goal in life is: She replied: ‘I want to live in a developed India.’ For her, you, I will have to build
this developed India.

You must proclaim. As an aside from yours truly: India is not an underdeveloped nation, it is a highly
developed nation in an advanced state of decay! (APJ Abdul Kalam)

Q.1. A. Choose the best alternative from the answers given below:

a) India has been plundered by :

i) the Greeks and the Portuguese ii) the French and the Dutch

iii) the British iv) all of the above.

b) What does the author mean when he says ―Yet we have not done this to other nations ?

i) India has not conquered and plundered other nations

ii)India has not snatched away the history and culture of other nations
iii) Both(i) and (ii)
iv) None of the above

c) India has not conquered other nations because

i) India is afraid of other nations ii) India respects the freedom of other countries
iii) India lacks military strength iv) All of the above
d) When did Indians first have the vision of freedom?
i) In 1857 during the first war of independence
ii) During the first World War
iii) During the Quit India Movement

iv) None of the above

e) Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam envisages India which is….

i) Free and developed ii) Militarily and economically strong
iii) Self- reliant iv) All of the above
f) How long did it take to make Orthosis 300 gm callipers?
i) One week ii) two weeks iii) three weeks iv) four weeks

B. Answer the following questions in reference to the above passage: (4 marks)

a) Why must India stand up to the world? 1

b) Explain briefly the statement, “That was bliss to me.” 2

c) Find the synonym of ‘Nurse’ from the above passage. 1

WEEK 2

Grammar Exercises

1. Fill in the following blanks given below choosing the most appropriate options from the ones
that follow.
Most Indian schools fail to ensure their students’ adequate playtime and fitness regime. Two out of
every five school, going children ____(a)____ have a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) and 50% of
children ____(b)____ adequate lower body strength. Some schools ____(c)____ found to offer three
or ____(d)____ physical education periods per week.

a) (i) does (ii) does not (iii) don’t (iv) do

b) (i) lack (ii) lacked (iii) have lacked (iv) had lacked
c) (i) was (ii) are (iii) is (iv) have
d) (i) much (ii) many (iii) more (iv) less

2. Choose the correct options to fill in the blanks to complete the narration.

Ram: What a cold day it is! I think this must be the coldest day of the season.
Shyam: I don’t mind the cold. It is the summer that bothers me.
Ram: Well! I am only worried about my mother.
Ram explained that (i)__________and was positive that (ii)__________ Shyam replied that he didn’t
mind the cold, it was the summer that bothered him. Ram stated that he was worried about his
mother.

3. Look at the sentences given below in a disorderly form. Re-order (Rearrange) them to form
meaningful sentences:

i.We / live / eat / we / may / that /so

ii. we / I / succeed / am / will / sure

WEEK 3

1. Publicly we proclaim that dowry is an evil. Privately we want our sons to fetch good dowries. Right
from our school days we should be taught that demanding and even giving dowry is not only illegal
but immoral too. Draw a poster in about 50 words highlighting dowry as a curse. You are
Vikram/Sonia.

2.Imagine yourself to be the captain of Wavewalker. After the harrowing experience of your boat
nearly capsizing, you managed to find Ile Amsterdam. Record your feelings after finding the island in
your own word.

WEEK 4

Project and English Enrichment

1. Prepare the following speech topics for speaking test. Test to be conducted after school re
opening.

➢ Impact of Globalisation
➢ Actions speak louder than words
➢ Student bullies should be expelled
➢ Homeschooling is better than normal schooling

2. English Project:

TOPIC: Listen to podcasts/ interviews/radio or TV documentary on a topic and prepare a report

countering or agreeing with the speakers. Write 800 - 1000 words report and submit it on 15th June.
(Details to be explained in class and shared in English study materials)