ICSE Class 11 English Unseen Passages Comprehensions With Answers

Please refer below for the best collection of ICSE Class 11 English Unseen Passages with questions and answers prepared as per the latest syllabus and examination guidelines for English Class 11. All Comprehensions of English have been prepared based on the latest examination pattern followed in ICSE. Students should read through the passages and then solve the questions given below and then can compare their solutions with the answers given below. You can also refer to the ICSE Class 11 English Sample Papers here.

English Unseen Passages ICSE Class 11

We have provided English Comprehensions with Answers for ICSE Class 11. All Unseen Passages have been provided with questions and answers. These reading comprehensions are expected to come in the upcoming ICSE Class 11th English examinations.

English Unseen Passages Comprehensions with Answers ICSE Class 11

Unseen Passage for Class 11

Read the passage given below:

1. It is an indisputable fact that the world has gone too far with the innovation of new technologies such as mobile phones, the internet and so on, due to which people are able to tour the cosmos virtually sitting at one place using their smart devices or other technological gadgets. Though mobile internet access is oftentimes hurried and short, it can still provide common internet features like alerts, weather data, emails, search engines, instant messages, and game and music downloading.

2. Due to the easy access of smart phones, communication has been very effective and instant. People are able to convey their message all around the globe to their loved ones without spending hefty sums of money. Adults are always fond of such gadgets and they always welcome and adopt such new technology readily. Further, young people have been able to broaden their minds and improve their skills by doing research on the Internet. For instance, they use smart phones to look up any new word they come across. As we know that most of the universities have online teaching provision and smart phones assist the students to complete their assignments on time.

3. The mobile phone has been a lifesaver for a lot of people in case of an emergency. Likewise, use of smart phones can be of vital importance in preventing crimes in the society by providing information to the security forces in time.

4. Nonetheless, for the young the use of mobile phone can be like an addiction and they can misuse it. Young people are also prone to getting involved in undesirable activities on the Internet. This might have adverse effect on their academic performance. Therefore, young people should always be monitored and made aware of its bad outcomes.

5. Also a major contributor to its popularity is the availability of prepaid or pay as you go services from a phone shop or an online store. This allows subscribers to load text or airtime credits to their handsets by the use of their credit cards, debit cards or by buying a prepaid card from the network they subscribe to. This plan also doesn’t commit a particular customer to a contract. If prepaid card is not that appealing to you, then you can opt to subscribe using the pay by month plan.

A. Multiple Choice Questions

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, attempt any five questions.

Question. The reason why communication today has become very effective and instant, is because of the
(a) improved mobility system
(b) easy access of smart phones
(c) growing organisation
(d) increasing number of vehicles

Question. Choose the option that best captures the central idea of the passage from the given quotes.

(1) Mobile phones are beneficial for the young generations
(2) Smart phones have enabled us to research on the internet
(3) Crimes can be prevented by the use of smart phones
(4) Mobile phones are a boon to modern people but their addiction should be avoided

(a) Option (1)
(b) Option (2)
(c) Option (3)
(d) Option (4)

Question. Young people with smart phones in their hands are needed to be monitored because they can
1. waste time
2. be negligent
3. misuse the gadget
4. be indulged in undesirable activities on Internet
5. disobey their parents
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 2 and 4
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 5

Question. Which of the following will be the most appropriate title for the passage?
(a) Smart Phone: A Boon
(b) Smart Phone: Life Savers
(c) Merits and Demerits of Smart Phones
(d) Mobile Phones: A New Innovation

Question. According to the passage, one can opt for …………. plan if prepaid plan doesn’t suit.
(a) yearly
(b) weekly
(c) monthly
(d) daily

Question. Choose the option that correctly states the two meanings of ‘virtually’, as used in para 1.
1. correctly
2. almost
3. more or less
4. similarly
5. online
(a) 1 and 4
(b) 2 and 5
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 4 and 5

OR

B. Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What makes communications effective and instant in the present time?
Answer : Easy access of smart phones makes communication effective and instant in the present time.

Question. How are young people benefited by the smart phones?
Answer : Smart phones help them broaden their mind and improve their skills by doing research on the Internet.

Question. How are smart phones helpful in preventing crimes in the society?
Answer : Smart phones provide information to the security forces in time.

Question. How can we dissuade young people from misusing smart phones?
Answer : We can monitor them and make them aware of its bad outcomes.

Question. What is a major contributor to the popularity of smart phones?
Answer : The availability of prepared or pay as you go services from a phone shop or an online store is a major contributor to the popularity of smart phones.

Class 11 English Unseen Passage

Read the passage given below: Recollections of Early Childhood

1. In the evenings usually many friends came to visit father and he would relax after the tension of the day and the house would resound with his tremendous laughter. His laugh became famous in Allahabad. Sometimes I would peep at him and his friends from behind a curtain trying to make out what these great big people said to each other. If I was caught in the act I would be dragged out and, rather frightened, made to sit for a while on father’s knee.

2. I admired father tremendously. He seemed to me the embodiment of strength and courage and cleverness, far above all the other men I saw, and I treasured the hope that when I grew up I would be rather like him. But much as I admired him and loved him I feared him also. His temper was indeed an awful thing and even in after years I do not think I ever came across anything to match it in its own line. But, fortunately, he had a strong sense of humour also and an iron will, and he could as a ruler control himself. As he grew older his power of control grew, and it was very rare for him to indulge in anything like his old temper.

3. One of my earliest recollections is of this temper, for I was the victim of it. I must have been about five or six then. I noticed one day two fountain-pens on his office table and I looked at them with greed. I argued with myself that father could not require both at the same time and so I helped myself to one of them. Later I found that a mighty search was being made for the lost pen and I grew frightened at what I had done, but I did not confess. The pen was discovered and my guilt proclaimed to the world. Father was very angry and he gave me a tremendous thrashing.

4. I do not remember bearing any ill will toward my father because of this punishment. I think I must have felt that it was a just punishment, though perhaps overdone. But, though my admiration and affection for him remained as strong as ever, fear formed a part of them. Not so with my mother. I had no fear, for I knew she would condone everything I did, and because of her excessive and indiscriminating love for me, I tried to dominate over her a little. I saw much more of her than I did of father, and she seemed nearer to me, so I would confide in her when I would not dream of doing so to father. She was petite and short of stature, and soon I was almost as tall as she was and felt more of an equal with her. I admired her beauty and loved her amazingly small and beautiful hands and feet.

A. Multiple Choice Questions

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, attempt any five questions.

Question. Jawaharlal Nehru as a child would peep at his father and his friends from behind a curtain to
(a) hear their conversation
(b) pass his leisure time
(c) enjoy their conversation
(d) look at them

Question. Jawaharlal Nehru admired his father for his
1. courage
2. cleverness
3. feary nature
4. strictness
5. patience
6. kindness

(a) 2 and 4
(b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 and 5
(d) 1 and 6

Question. The phrase ‘confide in’ means
(a) realise all of a sudden
(b) choose something
(c) tell personal things to someone
(d) criticise someone bitterly

Question. What does the author mean when he says, “my guilt proclaimed to the world”?
(a) his guilt became public
(b) his guilt remained hidden
(c) everyone talked about his mistake
(d) he admitted his guilt

Question. Choose the option that correctly states the two meanings of ‘resound’, as used in para 1.
1. talk loudly
2. praise immensely
3. a place filled with sound or echo
4. a place left abandoned
5. come again
(a) 1 and 5
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 4 and 5
(d) 1 and 4

Question. The author in the second paragraph was impressed with his father because he was endowed with a
(a) strong sense of humour
(b) handsome personality
(c) brilliant communication skill
(d) generous heart

OR

B. Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What made young Jawaharlal Nehru peep at his father and his friends from behind the curtains?
Answer : Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to make out what those great big people said to one another.

Question. What made Jawaharlal Nehru admire his father?
Answer : His father’s strength, courage and cleverness made Jawaharlal Nehru admire him.

Question. What was one thing that J.L. Nehru as a child did not like in his father?
Answer : J.L. Nehru as a child did not like his father’s temper which he called awful.

Question. Which punishment does J.L. Nehru talk about?
Answer : J.L. Nehru talks about the punishment which his father awarded him after his theft of the fountain pen was discovered.

Question. How does Nehru describe his mother?
Answer : Nehru describes his mother as petite and short of stature. She was beautiful with small hands and feet.

Solved Unseen Passage for Class 11 English

Read the passage given below:

1. A youngster quit Facebook in December after spending over three years on the social networking site. With that one act, he bid a silent adieu to more than 300 contacts that he had added to his account during the period. Like almost everyone from his “friends’ circle,” the 20–year–old was a regular on the service; visiting it everyday to post photos and status updates. But last week, a new feature on Facebook called Timeline forced him to reconsider the pros and cons of being on the networking site.

2. ‘Everyone has some skeletons in their closet and I am just not comfortable with Facebook digging up and displaying all the facets of my life on a bulletin board,’ says this youngster who joined the network in July 2007 while he was in Class 11. Facebook, you see, had compressed the time he spent on the site and arranged it in chronological order. And while he initially liked the new, neatly organised scrapbook–like feature, he wasn’t happy to reveal posts from the past, those that, until recently, were hidden under layers and layers of recent updates. Just clicking on a date on the timeline could transport his friends back in time and enable them to view every embarrassing comment, link or photo he had posted on his profile.

3. “I think it’s a recipe for disaster,” he says. “In 2007, I had some wall posts, which seemed appropriate at the time, but now after a lapse of four years, I have moved on and don’t want them to be openly displayed for all to see.” And he is not alone. Many users, worried about how Facebook activity could possibly affect their offline lives, are choosing to commit ‘Facebook suicide’. While some have privacy concerns, others feel that the site that was meant to bring them closer to their friends actually does the opposite – it reduces their friendship to something superficial. 

4. “Poking and liking are not enough to keep a friendship going,” says a business analyst. Having quit Facebook three years ago, she prefers meeting her ‘real’ friends face–to–face, instead of reading their trite posts online. “On Facebook, people hype everyday issues including what they ate and where they went on a daily basis,” says this analyst who continues to use Twitter. Similarly, an engineering student, quit Facebook last December four years after joining it. One fine day, he exported all the data from his account into a little zip file and hit the delete button. “I realised that when it came to my friends who really mattered, I could actually keep in touch with them over the phone or by meeting them in real life,” he wrote on his blog.

A. Multiple Choice Questions

On the basis of your understanding of the passage, attempt any five questions.

Question. The meaning of the word ‘share’ in para 2 is:
(a) liked
(b) timeline
(c) hidden
(d) reveal

Question. According to the passage, the social media:
(a) can cause more harm than good.
(b) is just a waste of time.
(c) connects one to real life.
(d) provides opportunity to meet people face to face.

Question. The feature ‘Timeline’ on Facebook according to passage, forces the youngster to reconsider:
(a) meeting friends face to face.
(b) increasing use of social media.
(c) saving time on social media.
(d) the advantages and disadvantages of being on Facebook

Question. Choose the option that best captures the central idea of the passage from the given quotes.

(1) “What is interesting is the power and the impact of social media…
So we must try to use social media in a good way. “–Malala Yousafzai
(2) “The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people.” –Jon Ronson
(3) “ F a c e b o ok is not your friend. It is a surveillance engine.” –Richard Stallman
(4) “Social media is awesome because I can somewhat paint myself the way I want people to see me.” –Kevin Abstract

(a) Option (1)
(b) Option (2)
(c) Option (3)
(d) Option (4)

Question. The phrase “Facebook suicide” refers to get someone:
(a) poking and liking
(b) quitting Facebook as it could affect their real life.
(c) clicking on a date on the timeline
(d) using Twitter

Question. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
(a) People love being poked and liked on Facebook.
(b) People visit social media everyday to post photos and for status updates.
(c) No one prefers meeting ‘real’ friends face–to–face, instead of reading their trite posts online.
(d) Few think that social media reduces their friendship to something superficial.

OR
B. Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Which new feature of Facebook forced the youngster to quit it?
Answer : The feature of Facebook called timeline forced the youngster to quit it.

Question. Why did the youngster dislike this new feature of Facebook?
Answer : He disliked this new feature of Facebook because just clicking on a date on the timeline could transport his friends back in time and enable them to view every embarrassing comment, link or photo he had posted on his profile.

Question. Why are many users quitting Facebook?
Answer : Many users are quitting Facebook because it could affect their real life.

Question. Why did a business analyst quit Facebook three years ago?
Answer : She realised that poking and liking were not enough to keep a friendship going. Instead she preferred meeting her real friends face-to-face.

Question. What did an engineering student do one fine day?
Answer : One fine day he imported all the data from his account into a little zip file and hit the delete button.

Unseen Passage for Class 11 with Answers

Read the passage given below:

1. Happiness is not something far away and unattainable. Happiness does not depend on circumstances or objects. It is an inseparable part of our consciousness, of our essence, but hidden and covered from sight by our thoughts, desires and worries. We all seek happiness but few, very-few, indeed, get it. We are unhappy partly because we desire much more than what we can hope to attain. Our countless desires are hard to be satisfied. And that is what makes us so sad in life. The secret of happiness lies in the simplification of life. Simple living encourages high thinking. It leads to contentment. Contentment gives us inner wealth, the wealth of the mind and of the soul.

2. A contented man devotes himself to virtues; a man can feel true happiness. I do not mean that for simplification of life, a man should become an ascetic. The happiness of a sadhu is of a negative kind. I want positive kind of happiness. For this I must live in the midst of life and faithfully carry out my responsibilities to my home and my country. But all this should be done in the spirit of selfless service.

3. A man, who wants to lead a happy life, should also make others happy. In making others happy he will taste real and lasting happiness. There is a kind of joy in serving others with virtuous motives, in sacrificing what one has for the good of others. An act of goodness is of itself an act of happiness. The secret of perfect happiness lies in renunciation.

4. Wealth may give us joy for a while and fame may provide us with fleeting excitement. But they cannot give us permanent happiness. Kings have everything to make them happy and yet they feel unhappy. It is because they do not practise renunciation. There is a sense of joy in doing one’s work honestly and efficiently. A research-worker feels joy in research and a journalist in writing. In doing one’s duty sincerely, one feels peace of mind which is an important essence of happiness. It is only by cultivating spirit of renunciation, self-sacrifice, contentment and science work that one can really be happy. The strings of misfortune spare none but they will not cow such a person.

5. Happiness is like the sun, it is often hidden by the clouds of thoughts, worries and desires. We have to scatter and dissolve them to experience happiness. You don’t have to create happiness. All you have to do is calm your mind, because when there is a quiet mind and inner peace, there is happiness.

A. Multiple Choice Questions
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, attempt any five questions.

Question. We are unhappy partly because we have
(a) no inner strength
(b) lost moral and spiritual values
(c) countless, unfulfilled desires
(d) extremely complicated lives

Question. According to the passage, the essence of happiness lies in
(a) worldly desires
(b) doing one’s duty sincerely
(c) avoiding all unfortunate events
(d) adopting a simple life style

Question. What according to the passage is a positive kind of happiness?
(a) Keeping ones motives and feelings under control
(b) Love for life and a country
(c) Leading a simple life of an ascetic
(d) Carrying out all worldly activities in the spirit of selfless service

Question. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE in the context of the passage?
(a) One feels peace of mind in doing one’s duty sincerely.
(b) Renunciation is the result of perfect happiness.
(c) Multiplicity of desires make us unhappy.
(d) Making others happy makes one happy.

Question. The phrase “cow a person” refers to get someone:
(a) spare
(b) conquer
(c) scare
(d) provoke

OR

B. Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What makes us sad in life?
Answer : We wish our countless desires to be fulfilled. Since it is not possible, we feel sad.

Question. Why is contentment important in life?
Answer : Contentment is important in life as it gives us inner wealth, the wealth of the mind and of the soul. It brings true happiness.

Question. Why is it important to make others happy?
Answer : It is important to make others happy because only then one can taste real lasting happiness.

Question. What is an important essence of happiness?
Answer : One feels peace of mind when one does one’s duty sincerely. This is an important essence of happiness.

Question. Why is a king not happy even in the midst of wealth?
Answer : It is because he does not practise renunciation.

Solved Unseen Passages for English Class 11

Read the passage given below:

The epidemic of drug abuse in young generation has assumed alarming dimensions in India. Changing cultural values, increasing economic stress and dwindling supportive bonds are leading to initiation of drug abuse.

Drug addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. June 26 is celebrated as international day against Drug Abuse. It is an exercise undertaken by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular to the menace of drugs.

The pattern of drug abuse in India has under gone changes over the years. Use of drugs like charas, ganja, and opium was a tradition in some places of India, where they were mainly used for ritualistic purposes.

According to a UN report, one million heroin addicts are registered in India, and unofficially there are as many as five million. Inhalation of heroin alone has given way to intravenous drug use that too in combination with other sedatives and painkillers. This has increased the intensity of the effect, hastened the process of addiction and complicated the process of recovery. A large number of people commit suicide due to drug/ alcohol/addiction. Drug abuse is a complex phenomenon, which has various social, cultural, biological, geographical, historical and economic aspects.

The disintegration of the old joint family system, absence of parental love and care in modern families where both parents are working, decline of old religious and moral values etc. lead to a rise in the number of drug addicts who take drugs to escape hard realities of life.

Drug abuse is primarily due to the nature of the drug abused, the personality of the individual and the addict’s immediate environment. The processes of industrialisation, urbanisation and migration have led to loosening of the traditional methods of social control rendering individual vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life. Drug abuse caused a detrimental impact on the society. It has led to increase in the crime rate. According to the World Health Organisation report 2002, 8.9% of the total burden of disease is due to use of psychoactive substances. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the major areas of concern in adolescent and young people’s behaviour. It is estimated that in India, by the time most boys reach ninth grade, about 40% of them have tried at least one of the substances of abusive nature.

A. Multiple Choice Questions
On the basis of your understanding of the passage, attempt any five questions.

Question. What are the factors that cause drug abuse in young generation?
(a) Changing cultural values
(b) Increasing economic stress
(c) Dwindling supportive bonds
(d) All of these

Question. What is/are the adverse impact(s) of drug addiction?
(a) Enormous human distress
(b) Illegal production of drugs
(c) Illegal distribution of drugs
(d) All of these

Question. According to the graph, how many people out of one crore committed suicide due to drug addiction in Maharashtra in 2019?
(a) Nearly 142
(b) Nearly 122
(c) Nearly 132
(d) Nearly 112

Question. According to a UN report, how many heroin addicts are registered in India?
(a) One lakh
(b) Ten lakh
(c) One crore
(d) Ten crore

Question. Based on your understanding of the passage, choose the option that lists the causes of the rise in the number of drug addicts.
1. Disintegration of joint family system 2. Absence of parental love
3. Decline of old religious and moral values 4. Absence of enough money
5. Stress in modern life
(a) 1, 2 and 4
(b) 2, 3 and 5
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Question. Choose the option that lists the correct answers for the following:
1. Peter, a seventeen-year-old student believes that drugs can help to improve his focus in school. What kind of a person is Peter?
2. Mr Paul is a sports-person. He often consumes drugs to boost his performance. What kind of a person is Mr Paul?
(a) 1 is a drug addict and 2 is not a drug addict.
(b) 1 is not a drug addict and 2 is also not a drug addict.
(c) 1 is a drug addict and 2 may/may not be a drug addict.
(d) 1 may/may not be a drug addict and 2 often consumes drugs.

OR

B. Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What are the major causes that lead to initiation of drug abuse?
Answer : Changing cultural values, increasing economic stress and decreasing supporting bonds are the major causes that result in initiation of drug abuse.

Question. What does the WHO report 2002 say?
Answer : The WHO report 2002 says that 8.9% of total disease is due to use of psychoactive substances.

Question. Name the drugs which were mainly used for ritualistic purposes in India?
Answer : Charas, ganja and opium.

Question. Why do some people take drugs?
Answer : Some people take drugs to escape harsh realities of life.

Question. What is the motive behind celebrating 26 June as International Day against drug abuse?
Answer : The motive behind celebrating 25 June as International Day against drug abuse is to sensitise people in general and the youth in particular to the menace of drugs.