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CBSE | Class 11 | English
Explore 4 extract-based question sets designed to build reading comprehension and exam confidence.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 1
Reading SetPassage
The train stopped beyond the long tunnel. It was a small station called Sarhad. An Anglo-Indian in uniform went through the train checking permits. "This is where the British Raj begins. You are going for the first time, I presume?" Khan Sahib asked.
Sarhad
Anglo-Indian
The Professor was a historian who knew that the British Raj had ended decades ago in his world. Hearing that he was just entering British territory made him realize he was in a reality where the British still held some power or territory.
'Sarhad' means border or frontier. In the story, it symbolizes the crossing point between the Indian-controlled territory and the British-leased area of Bombay. It marks the Professor's entry into a reality that is fundamentally different from the one he previously knew.
This extract introduces an immediate historical contradiction. By mentioning the British Raj as an ongoing entity and the requirement of permits to enter Bombay, the author creates a sense of unease and curiosity, prompting the reader to wonder why history has changed.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 2
Reading SetPassage
Gaitonde began to read the Bakhars. He found that the Maratha army had been facing a crisis. Vishwasrao, the son of the Peshwa, was leading the charge. Suddenly, a bullet whistled past his ear... and the history of India changed forever. The Marathas won the battle.
Bakhars
missed
In real history, Vishwasrao's death caused the Maratha army to lose heart and flee, leading to defeat. In this version, his survival acted as a morale booster, allowing the Marathas to stay organized and eventually win the crucial Third Battle of Panipat.
As a historian, the Professor needed to find the exact point where the history of this world diverged from his own. He knew that only a detailed study of the records would reveal how the present state of India was reached.
This extract highlights the 'catastrophic' moment where a single event—a bullet's path—changed the fate of a nation. It illustrates how a small, unpredictable occurrence can lead to a massive shift in historical outcomes, which is the essence of Catastrophe Theory.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 3
Reading SetPassage
But the audience was in no mood to listen. "Move aside, Professor!" "We are tired of chairmen!" "The speaker is what we want!" A shower of tomatoes and eggs followed. Gaitonde, however, stood his ground. He had to defend the sanctity of the chair.
tomatoes
sanctity
The audience belonged to a society that had abolished the unnecessary formality of having a chairman for public lectures. They found the tradition boring and time-consuming. When the Professor tried to force the tradition on them, they viewed it as an unwelcome intrusion.
It shows that the Professor is deeply traditional and stubborn about academic and public protocols. Even in the face of physical violence, he refuses to back down because he believes he is upholding a necessary standard of decorum and historical tradition.
The Professor was physically overpowered and ejected from the stage. This physical struggle served as the final moment in the alternate reality, after which he woke up in a hospital in his own world, returning to his original timeline.
Extract Questions
Passage with linked answers
Extract 4
Reading SetPassage
"You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience. Why did you make the transition? At the time of the collision, you were thinking of the Battle of Panipat and the role of the Bakhars. Your neurons were triggered."
catastrophic
neurons
The speaker is Rajendra Deshpande, a scientist and a close friend of Professor Gaitonde. He uses his knowledge of physics and mathematics to provide a scientific explanation for the Professor’s seemingly supernatural experience of a parallel world.
He explains that the mind can jump between different states of reality during a moment of crisis. Because the Professor was intensely focused on a historical 'turning point' (the Battle of Panipat) during his accident, his brain successfully bridged the gap to an alternate reality.
The message is that reality is not a single, objective truth. Instead, it is subjective and depends on the observer's state. It suggests that multiple versions of history and the world exist simultaneously, and our perception determines which one we experience.