HBSE Class 11th English Half Yearly Paper 2025- Solution
Here is the FULLY COMPLETED, EXAM-READY answer sheet for Class 11 English Core Half-Yearly 2025. 38–40/40 guaranteed!
HBSE Class 11th English Half Yearly Paper 2025- PDF
Section A (Reading Skills)
Q1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing correct options. (1×5=5)
The passage discusses tiger conservation efforts, warning that without quick action, tigers could become extinct in the next 20 years if countries fail to protect them.
──────────────────────── Name: ____________________ Roll No.: ________ Class: 11 Date: 07 Nov 2025
CLASS 11 ENGLISH CORE Half-Yearly Assessment – September 2025 Time: 90 Minutes M.M.: 40
Instructions
- All questions are compulsory.
- Question numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9 carry 05 (Five) marks each.
- Question numbers 5 and 8 carry 03 (Three) marks each and Question numbers 7 and 10 carry 02 (Two) marks.
──────────────────────────────────────── SECTION A – READING (10 marks)
Q1. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct option. (1×5=5)
Wild tigers could become extinct in the next 20 years if countries fail to take quick action to protect their habitats and step up the fight against poaching, global wildlife experts told a “Tiger Summit” in November 2010. Governments, communities and conservation groups had come together, to secure a future for tigers. If the proper protective measures aren’t taken, tigers may disappear within the next decade, at least in the wild. The summit approved a wide-ranging programme with the goal of doubling the world’s tiger population in the wild from about 3200 to more than 7000 by the next Tiger lunar year, 2022. It was backed by governments of 13 countries that still have tiger populations – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia. The Global Tiger Recovery Programme estimates the countries will need about $350 million outside funding in the first five years of the 12-year plan. The summit will be seeking commitments to help governments finance conservation measures. The summit is driven by the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) which was launched in 2008 by World Bank President Robert Zoellick. About 30 per cent of the programme’s cost would go towards suppressing the poaching of tigers and of the animals they prey on.
a. ________ can ensure help in saving tigers from extinction. (i) Quick action (ii) Protected habitats (iii) Wild-life experts (iv) Tiger Summits
b. A fear expressed in the paragraph is? (i) Wildlife experts will issue a warning (ii) Poaching may not be checked (iii) Tigers could become extinct in the next 20 years (iv) Quick action may not be taken
c. The goal of the programme approved by the “Tiger Summit” is? (i) to seek donations from NGOs (ii) to back tiger conservation programmes of 13 countries (iii) to raise $350 million for tiger conservation (iv) to increase tiger population to more than two
d. In which year was the Global Tiger Initiative launched?
e. Name any three countries that were part of the Tiger Lunar Year 2022 Initiative?
Q2. Read the passage carefully and make notes on it and also supply a suitable title. (5)
Most trees grow a layer of wood each year. When the tree is cut down, the layers can be seen as rings in the trunk. And counting the number of rings tells you how old the tree is! Tree rings also speak of the weather changes that have occurred during the life of a particular tree. In a season of good rainfall, the rings will be thick and during drought, the growth is slowed down and the rings will be thinner. Trees like the bristlecone pines, sequoias and redwoods of California are living records of variations in climate for the last 9000 years! Studying the changes in tree ring patterns is a science called ‘dendrochronology’. Dendrochronology is the dating of climate changes in the past through study of tree rings to understand life in ancient times.
──────────────────────────────────────── SECTION B – WRITING SKILLS (5 marks)
Q3. Attempt any ONE of the following: (5×1=5)
You are a resident of Gurugram. The continuous leaking of drain pipes in your colony is causing diseases and health complications for the residents. Write a complaint letter to the Municipal Commissioner to take necessary actions regarding the same. OR Draft a suitable advertisement for the sale of your laptop in good working condition to be published in the classified columns of a local newspaper.
──────────────────────────────────────── SECTION C – GRAMMAR (5 marks)
Half-Yearly Assessment 2025 – Class 11 English Core (based on the text you provided).
Section A – Reading Skills
Q1. Read the passage and answer the following:
a. What can ensure help in saving tigers from extinction?
✅ (i) Quick action
b. The fear expressed in the paragraph is:
✅ (iii) Tigers could become extinct in the next 20 years
c. The goal of the programme approved by the Tiger Summit is:
✅ (iv) to increase tiger population to more than 7000
d. In which year was the Global Tiger Initiative launched?
✅ 2008
e. Name any three countries that were part of the Tiger Lunar Year 2022 initiative.
✅ India, Nepal, Russia
Q2. Read the passage and make notes. Also supply a suitable title.
Title: Tree Rings and Climate History
Notes:
-
Growth of Trees:
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Trees form one wood layer each year.
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Each layer appears as a ring.
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-
Determining Age:
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Counting rings → reveals tree’s age.
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Weather Indications:
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Thick rings = good rainfall
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Thin rings = drought
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Long-term Record:
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Old trees (sequoias, redwoods, bristlecone pines) record climate for ~9000 years.
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-
Science of Study:
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Study of tree rings = Dendrochronology
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Helps in dating past climate changes.
-
Section B – Writing Skills
Q3. Attempt any one
(i) Letter of Complaint
To
The Municipal Commissioner,
Municipal Corporation, Gurugram.
Subject: Complaint about continuous leakage of drain pipes
Sir/Madam,
I am a resident of Sector 14, Gurugram. The drain pipes in our colony have been leaking continuously for several weeks. The stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, causing diseases like dengue and malaria. The foul smell makes it difficult for residents to move around.
I request you to take immediate action and get the pipes repaired at the earliest for the safety and health of the residents.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Rohit Sharma
(Resident, Sector 14, Gurugram)
(ii) Advertisement for Sale of Laptop
FOR SALE
A Dell Inspiron i5 Laptop (8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) in excellent condition. Hardly used, comes with original charger and bag. Price negotiable.
Contact: Rohit Sharma
Phone: 98XXXXXX90
Section C – Grammar
a. More men than one are absent today. ✅ (ii) are
b. love → verb ✅ (ii) verb
c. Dr. Sinha is an active member of Doctor’s Association. ✅ (ii) an
d. Change the voice: I was listening to music. →
✅ Music was being listened to by me.
e. The pot does not contain any water. ✅
f. Radha lives on the second floor of the building. ✅
g. Your painting is more beautiful than mine. ✅
Section D – Literature
Q5. Read the passage and answer the questions:
a. What did the narrator interpret from the grandmother’s silence?
✅ (iii) She disapproved
b. How did the grandmother spend most of her day after the narrator went to university?
✅ (iii) Spinning the wheel and reciting prayers
c. How did the sparrows react when the grandmother fed them?
✅ (iv) They created a bedlam of chirrupings
Poem Extract – “A Photograph”
a. Who is ‘Dolly’ likely in the poem?
✅ (ii) A childhood friend
b. What does ‘laboured ease of loss’ convey?
✅ (i) Loss is difficult yet familiar to the poet
c. What does the poet mean by “Now she’s been dead nearly as many years / As that girl lived”?
✅ (iii) The duration of death and life are now nearly equal
Q6. (Any one, 100 words)
(i) Why did the narrator and family embark on a sea journey? (We’re Not Afraid to Die…)
The narrator and his family embarked on a sea journey to duplicate the round-the-world voyage made by Captain James Cook 200 years earlier. They wanted to experience adventure and test their sailing skills on the ship Wavewalker. The journey was meant to be both educational and thrilling for the family, demonstrating courage and unity in facing the challenges of nature.
OR
(ii) How does Ted Hughes portray the arrival of the goldfinch? (The Laburnum Top)
The poet beautifully portrays the arrival of the goldfinch as the source of life and movement for the laburnum tree. The tree stands still and silent until the bird arrives, perching on the end of the branch. Her movement and chirping fill the tree with energy, making it alive and trembling with joy. When she flies away, the tree becomes silent and empty again.
Q7. (30 words)
Why did King Tut’s mummy have to undergo a CT scan?
✅ King Tut’s mummy was CT scanned to discover the cause of his mysterious death and to obtain a clearer picture of his physical condition and burial structure without disturbing the remains.
Q8. (50 words, any one)
(i) What does the phrase ‘Strange to Tell’ mean? (The Voice of the Rain)
✅ The phrase shows the poet’s surprise at the rain’s reply. It is strange that an element of nature like rain can speak and describe its life cycle in human-like language, revealing nature’s mystery.
OR
(ii) What is described by the word ‘Sleek’ in the poem? (The Laburnum Top)
✅ The word ‘sleek’ describes the goldfinch’s appearance. It is smooth, shiny, and elegant, symbolizing energy and life as it revitalizes the silent laburnum tree.
Q9. (100 words, any one)
(i) Describe the location where the author and his family lived. (Summer of the Beautiful White Horse)
✅ The author lived in the San Joaquin Valley in California, surrounded by vineyards, orchards, and country roads. The Garoghlanian family’s house was simple but full of warmth and honesty. The natural beauty of the valley, with its fields and horses, reflected their love for nature and freedom.
(ii) How does the mother come to know about Mrs. Dorling and her address? (The Address)
✅ The narrator’s mother met Mrs. Dorling during the war and gave her their valuable household items for safekeeping. After the war, the narrator found her mother’s old address book and read Mrs. Dorling’s address there, which made her visit to reclaim the belongings.
Q10. (30 words)
What was Mrs. Fitzgerald’s opinion about Mrs. Pearson’s attitude? (Mother’s Day)
✅ Mrs. Fitzgerald felt that Mrs. Pearson was too soft and submissive toward her family. She believed Mrs. Pearson should assert herself more and make her husband and children respect her.
