English LanguageISC Class 11 · Chapter 5

ISC Class 11 English Comprehension: Vocabulary, Short Answers and the Summary Grid

Updated 15 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Comprehension is Question 4 of ISC English Paper I: a passage of about 700 words for 20 marks. Board papers set single-word replacements, the same word with a different meaning, short answers in your own words, and an 8-mark summary of about 100 words written in grid form, without abbreviations or contractions.

What Comprehension is about

Comprehension is Question 4 of ISC English Paper I (Language). The ISC 2028 syllabus (Classes XI and XII) says: 'A passage of about 700 words will be provided.' The questions test 'analytical skills, knowledge of vocabulary, ability to understand the content, infer information and meanings from the text', and one question 'elicits the main ideas of all or part of the passage, where the candidate will be required to frame a summary (keeping to a word limit), in a coherent manner'. It adds: 'Marks will be awarded for expression and the candidate's ability to summarise clearly in complete sentences. Marks will be deducted for linguistic errors. NOTE: This part must be done in the grid form. The use of abbreviations and contractions will not be accepted.'

In the 2025 board paper and the specimen, Question 4 carried 20 marks:

(i)(a) three single words from the passage that replace underlined words in new sentences [3];
(i)(b) for three words from the passage, choose the sentence that uses the same word, unchanged in spelling, with a different meaning [3];
(ii) three short answers 'as briefly as possible in your own words' [2 each];
(iii) a summary of named paragraphs 'in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words' [8].

The 2025 examiners recorded the typical losses: phrases or the wrong word form instead of a single word, choosing the sentence with the *same* meaning in (i)(b), copying 'entire paragraphs' for the short answers, and in the summary using points from outside the given paragraphs, missing points and ignoring the word limit. They asked teachers to train students to 'place only one word per box in the grid'. Class 11 is examined by your school on this same pattern.

Weightage: Question 4: 20 of the 80 marks of Paper I (vocabulary 6, short answers 6, summary 8 in the 2025 paper). The specimen advises not more than 50 minutes.Source: CISCE ISC 2028 English (801) syllabus, Question Four; ISC Analysis of Pupil Performance 2025; ISC Specimen Question Paper 2025

Key concepts

Single-word replacement: same meaning, same word form: Find in the passage ONE word that can replace the underlined words in a new sentence without changing its meaning or grammar. Match the part of speech and form: if the underlined words are 'comes down' after 'till the fever', the answer must be a third-person present verb ('subsides', 2025). The examiners penalised phrases, misspellings and the wrong form, and noted candidates who wrote 'descends' for 'subsides'. Try your word in the sentence before writing it.; Worked example
Passage line: 'The villagers had long abandoned the old well.' Question sentence: 'The crew left behind and gave up on the damaged ship.' Which word replaces the underlined words, and in what form?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Meaning: deserted, gave up completely.
Form: past tense to match 'The crew ___ the damaged ship'.
Test: 'The crew abandoned the damaged ship.'
Answer: abandoned
Same word, different meaning: You are given a word from the passage and four sentences. Choose the sentence that uses the word UNCHANGED in spelling but in a DIFFERENT meaning from the passage. First fix the passage meaning (and part of speech), then reject options that share it or that change the form ('stepped' is not 'steps'). In 2025 'They either chose the sentence with the same meaning or with an incorrect form of the word.' Write the option letter or the sentence, not all four.; Worked example
In the passage, 'light' means brightness (noun). Which sentence uses 'light' unchanged with a different meaning? (A) We read by the light of a lamp. (B) The light in the hall was dim. (C) The suitcase was surprisingly light. (D) Light travels faster than sound.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Passage meaning: illumination (noun).
(A), (B) and (D) all mean illumination.
(C) means not heavy (adjective): different meaning, same spelling.
Answer: (C) The suitcase was surprisingly light.
Short answers: brief, own words, all the points: Each 2-mark answer needs the points the marking scheme expects, typically two to four, expressed in your own sentences. Locate the relevant lines, list the points, then rephrase. The 2025 examiners wrote that 'most candidates copied entire paragraphs from the passage, many of which were irrelevant to the question, leading to a loss of marks'. Inference questions ('explain how trust plays an important role') need points drawn from more than one place.; Worked example
Passage sentence: 'Grandmother never wasted a grain of rice; she had queued for rations in the famine of her childhood.' Question: Why was Grandmother careful with food? Answer in your own words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Point 1: she avoided any waste of food.
Point 2: as a child she had lived through a famine and stood in line for food.
Rephrase; do not copy 'queued for rations'.
Answer: She had known hunger as a child, when famine forced her family to wait in line for their share of food, so she valued every grain and would not let any go to waste.
The summary: points only from the given paragraphs: Read the summary question for its focus and its paragraph range. List the points that answer that focus, from those paragraphs only; the 2025 scheme listed eight points for 8 marks, and the examiners deducted marks for points 'outside the given range'. Drop examples, repetitions, dialogue and descriptive detail. Then join the points into a connected passage in complete sentences, in your own words where possible, in about 100 words.; Worked example
A summary asks for 'the steps the narrator took to save the library' from paragraphs 3 to 6. Paragraph 2 describes how the library was founded in 1950. Should that be included?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
Check the focus: steps taken to save the library.
Check the range: paragraphs 3 to 6.
Paragraph 2 is outside both.
Answer: No. Including it wastes words and the examiners penalise points from outside the given paragraphs.
Grid form: one word per box: The syllabus requires the summary 'in the grid form': write it in a grid of boxes, one word per box, so that the word count is visible. Abbreviations and contractions are not accepted ('do not', not 'don't'; 'for example', not 'e.g.'). The 2025 suggestions: 'place only one word per box in the grid, and strictly adhere to the prescribed word limit.' A hyphenated word or a number counts as one word; keep within about 100 words (roughly 95-105 is a safe range).; Worked example
How many boxes do these use? 'She didn't give up, e.g. she tried again.'
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
'didn't' is a contraction and 'e.g.' an abbreviation: neither is accepted.
Rewrite: 'She did not give up; for example, she tried again.'
Answer: Rewritten version: She / did / not / give / up / for / example / she / tried / again: ten boxes, one word each, punctuation written with its word.

Comprehension in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Summarising for a reader in a hurry

Suppose your father asks you to read a three-page letter from the bank and tell him in a few lines what it requires him to do.

How do the ISC summary skills help?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Identify the focus: what action is required.
Pick only the relevant points (deadline, documents, branch).
Leave out the bank's general information and legal wording.
Say it in complete, clear sentences.

Answer: Selecting points by focus and dropping the rest is exactly what the summary question trains. It is used in minutes, briefings, emails and news reports.

Memory hook: Focus first, then points, then sentences.

Words with several meanings

Imagine a notice that says 'The bank will be closed for the festival' and a younger cousin thinks the river bank will be fenced off.

How do you explain the confusion?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Same spelling, different meanings (homonyms).
Context decides: 'closed for the festival' fits a financial bank.

Answer: Reading for context, which Question 4(i)(b) tests, prevents real misunderstandings in notices, instructions and contracts.

Memory hook: Context chooses the meaning.

Own-words answers

Suppose an interviewer asks you to explain a news story you have read, and you start reciting sentences from it.

Why does paraphrase show understanding better than repetition?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Repeating words shows memory, not comprehension.
Rephrasing shows you know what the words mean and which parts matter.

Answer: Answering 'in your own words' proves understanding, which is why the examiners penalise copied paragraphs. The habit serves interviews, viva examinations and everyday conversation.

Memory hook: If you can say it differently, you understood it.

Topics in this chapter

Summary Writing in Grid Form (Comprehension, 8 Marks)

How the school exam asks Comprehension

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Vocabulary: single-word replacement	'Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentences.' (2025, specimen)	Work out the meaning and the grammatical slot; search the passage; test the word in the sentence; write it in the required form and spell it exactly.
Vocabulary: same word, different meaning	'For each of the words given below, choose the correct sentence that uses the same word unchanged in spelling, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the passage.'	Note the passage meaning and part of speech; eliminate options with the same meaning and options where the word is changed; write the one remaining option letter or sentence.
Short answers and the summary	'Answer the following questions as briefly as possible in your own words.' [2 each] and 'Summarise... (paragraphs 8 to 14). You are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words.' [8]	Short answers: locate, list the points, rephrase. Summary: list the points in the range, cut detail, connect in complete sentences, write in the grid, count.

Tricks to remember Comprehension

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

S-F-T for replacements
Same meaning, same Form, Test it in the sentence.
Use it when: Single-word replacement items.
Same spelling, different sense
Unchanged word + changed meaning = the answer.
Use it when: Question 4(i)(b).
R-F-L-C
Range, Focus, List, Connect: the four steps of the summary.
Use it when: Before writing in the grid.

Comprehension: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Vocabulary items on an original passage · 4 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

Read the passage and answer (a) and (b).

(1) For as long as anyone in Bhimpura could remember, the old stepwell behind the temple had been a dumping ground. Plastic bags drifted down its stone stairs, and goats grazed on the weeds that sprouted between the carved pillars.
(2) Then, in the summer the hand-pumps ran dry, Kavita, a retired schoolteacher, climbed down the first few steps with a broom. The villagers laughed. 'You will need a hundred years,' the sarpanch said.
(3) She did not argue. Every morning she cleared one step, and every evening she sat on it to rest. By the second week, three of her former pupils had joined her. By the second month, the whole village came on Sundays, carrying out sacks of rubbish in a human chain.
(4) The work revealed what the rubbish had concealed: a channel that once led rainwater from the hills into the well. Engineers from the district office, persuaded by photographs the children had posted online, came to repair it.
(5) When the monsoon arrived, the villagers gathered on the steps in silence and watched the water rise, step by step, until it lapped at the very stair where Kavita had first set down her broom.

(a) Find a single word from the passage to replace the underlined words: (1) The fog hid from view the outline of the hills. (2) After much discussion, she was convinced to stay for dinner. (3) Mushrooms grew quickly and suddenly all over the lawn after the rain.
(b) Choose the sentence that uses the word unchanged but with a different meaning from the passage: 'chain' (paragraph 3): (A) A gold chain glittered on her neck. (B) The volunteers formed a chain to pass sandbags. (C) A human chain of students stretched across the bridge. (D) We stood in a chain from the truck to the store.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a)(1) 'hid from view' in the past tense: 'concealed' (paragraph 4).
(a)(2) 'was convinced' in a passive sense: 'persuaded' (paragraph 4), giving 'she was persuaded to stay'.
(a)(3) 'grew quickly and suddenly' in the past: 'sprouted' (paragraph 1).
(b) In the passage 'chain' is a line of people passing things from hand to hand.
(B), (C) and (D) all share that sense, so they are wrong.
(A) uses 'chain', unchanged in spelling, to mean a piece of jewellery made of linked metal: a different meaning.

Answer: (a) (1) concealed (2) persuaded (3) sprouted.
(b) (A) A gold chain glittered on her neck. Check both conditions every time: the word is unchanged in spelling, and its meaning differs from the passage.

Example 2: Short answers in your own words · 6 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Using the Bhimpura passage above, answer briefly in your own words: (a) Why did the villagers laugh at Kavita? [2] (b) How did the cleaning of the stepwell grow from one person's effort into a village project? [2] (c) What does the final paragraph suggest about the meaning of the monsoon for the village? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

(a) Locate paragraph 2: one woman with a broom against years of rubbish; the sarpanch's remark.
(b) Trace paragraph 3 and 4: her daily routine, former pupils, whole village on Sundays, children's photographs, engineers.
(c) Infer from the silence and the water reaching her first step: reward, vindication, renewal.

Answer: (a) The task looked impossible: an old woman with only a broom was taking on rubbish that had piled up for years, and the headman mocked her by saying it would take a century.
(b) Her quiet, steady routine inspired three former students to help; within two months the entire village joined in on Sundays, and when the children shared pictures online, district engineers came to restore the water channel.
(c) The monsoon was the reward for their labour. The silent crowd and the water reaching the very step where Kavita began show their awe and gratitude, and suggest that her persistence had been proved right.

Example 3: Planning and writing the summary · 8 marks · Long answerHarder exam level

Using the Bhimpura passage above, summarise how the stepwell was restored (paragraphs 2 to 5) in about 60 words (a shortened version of the 100-word task, as the passage is short). List the points first.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Point 1: when the hand-pumps failed, a retired teacher began cleaning the well alone.
Point 2: she cleared one step daily despite mockery.
Point 3: her former pupils and then the whole village joined in.
Point 4: the cleaning uncovered an old rainwater channel.
Point 5: photographs posted online brought engineers who repaired it.
Point 6: the monsoon refilled the well.
Leave out goats, the human chain detail and the sarpanch's exact words.

Answer: When the hand-pumps dried up, Kavita, a retired teacher, began clearing the neglected stepwell alone, one step each day, despite being mocked. Her former pupils, and later the entire village, joined her. The cleaning exposed an old rainwater channel, and photographs shared online brought district engineers to repair it. When the monsoon came, the restored well filled again. (58 words)

Example 4: Same word, different meaning: a full item · 1 mark · MCQExam level

In a passage, 'bank' appears in: 'The children sat on the bank and watched the boats.' Choose the sentence that uses 'bank' unchanged in spelling but with a different meaning: (A) Weeds covered the bank of the canal. (B) She opened an account in a bank near her office. (C) A grassy bank sloped down to the stream. (D) Fishermen lined the river bank at dawn.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Passage meaning: the land beside a river.
(A), (C) and (D) all mean sloping land beside water.
(B) means a financial institution; the word is unchanged.

Answer: (B) She opened an account in a bank near her office.

Example 5: Diagnosing a weak summary · 8 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Task: 'Summarise the narrator's reasons for leaving the city (paragraphs 4 to 7) in about 100 words, in grid form.' A student writes 140 words, begins with the narrator's childhood from paragraph 1, uses 'don't' and 'etc.', and puts two words in some boxes. List every fault and its cost.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

140 words: well over 'about 100'; the specimen warns 'Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised.'
Paragraph 1 material: outside the given range; the 2025 examiners penalised this.
'don't' and 'etc.': contractions and abbreviations 'will not be accepted' (syllabus).
Two words per box: breaks the grid rule and hides the true word count.

Answer: Four faults: excess length, points from outside paragraphs 4 to 7, contractions and abbreviations, and misuse of the grid. Each loses marks for content or expression. Fix: list only the reasons from paragraphs 4 to 7, write 'do not' and 'and so on' in full (or drop them), one word per box, and stop near 100 words.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Question 4 (20 marks) as set in the 2025 board paper and the specimen. (20 marks)

Step	Marks
(i)(a) Three single-word replacements from the passage, 1 mark each (correct word, form and spelling)	3
(i)(b) Three same-word-different-meaning choices, 1 mark each (one option only)	3
(ii) Three short answers in own words, 2 marks each (the expected points, briefly)	6
(iii) Summary of the given paragraphs in about 100 words, in grid form: content points from the range, with deductions for expression, linguistic errors and the word limit	8

Where students lose marks in Comprehension

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Wrong form or a phrase in the single-word replacement
Students find the right idea but not the right word. In 2025 some 'wrote phrases instead of single words' or 'used the incorrect form of the required words', and several wrote 'descends' instead of 'subsides'.
Wrong working
'till the fever (comes down)': 'goes down' or 'subside'.
Right working
subsides
Do this: Test the word in the sentence; match tense and number.
Usually costs: 1 mark per item.
Mistake: Choosing the sentence with the same meaning
Students look for the familiar meaning. In 2025 candidates 'either chose the sentence with the same meaning or with an incorrect form of the word', and some wrote all the options.
Do this: Write the passage meaning first; strike out every option that shares it or alters the word.
Usually costs: 1 mark per item.
Mistake: Copying paragraphs for short answers
Copying feels safe. The examiners: 'most candidates copied entire paragraphs from the passage, many of which were irrelevant to the question'.
Do this: List the two to four points the question needs; rephrase them briefly.
Usually costs: Up to 2 marks per answer.
Mistake: Summary points from outside the given paragraphs
Students summarise the whole passage. In 2025 some 'referred to paragraphs outside the given range (8 to 14), leading to a loss of marks'.
Do this: Bracket the paragraph range in the passage before you start listing points.
Usually costs: Content marks, and the word limit.
Mistake: Ignoring the word limit and the grid
Students write freely and count later. The 2025 examiners found 'very few candidates met the 100-word requirement'; the syllabus bans abbreviations and contractions.
Do this: One word per box; aim for 95-105 words; no 'don't', 'etc.' or 'e.g.'.
Usually costs: Expression marks and penalties for the word limit.

Practice questions on Comprehension

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level
Passage sentence: 'The negotiations collapsed when neither side would yield on the question of water.' Find a single word from the sentence to replace the underlined words: 'The old wall fell down suddenly after the heavy rain.'
Hint
Past tense verb meaning fell down suddenly.
Answer
collapsed
Q2 · 1 mark · MCQHarder exam level
In a passage 'fair' means 'just and reasonable' ('a fair decision'). Which sentence uses 'fair' unchanged with a different meaning? (a) The umpire's ruling was fair to both teams. (b) We bought toys at the village fair. (c) It is not fair to punish the whole class. (d) Everyone deserves a fair hearing.
Hint
Fix the passage meaning first, then look for a different meaning with the same spelling.
Answer
(b) We bought toys at the village fair (a fair = a market or festival).
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Passage: 'Ravi had trained for months, yet on the morning of the race his legs felt like lead. He looked at the crowd, then at his mother in the front row, and remembered how she had sold her bangles to buy his first pair of spikes.' Question: Why did Ravi's mother's presence matter to him at that moment? Answer in your own words. [2]
Hint
Two points: his state of mind, and what she had given up.
Answer
He was nervous and drained before the race, and seeing his mother reminded him of the sacrifice she had made, giving up her jewellery to pay for his running shoes, which gave him a reason to overcome his fear and run his best.
Q4 · 8 marks · Long answerHarder exam level
Write a 100-word summary, in grid form, of the reasons a town might give for banning single-use plastic, from these notes: drains choked during monsoon causing floods; cattle die after eating bags; plastic pieces found in fish; burning releases toxic smoke; tourists complain of litter; cleaning costs the municipality crores; cloth bag makers would gain work. Explain which point(s) you might leave out if the question asked only for 'the harm caused by plastic'.
Hint
Focus decides selection. Which notes are about harm, and which are about benefits of the ban?
Answer
For 'the harm caused by plastic', leave out 'cloth bag makers would gain work' (a benefit of the ban, not harm). The summary connects the harms: blocked drains and monsoon floods; deaths of cattle; contamination of fish and the food chain; toxic smoke when burnt; damage to tourism through litter; heavy cleaning costs. Written in complete sentences, one word per box, no abbreviations, about 100 words.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerExam level
A student answers a 2-mark question by copying four lines from the passage word for word. According to the 2025 examiners, why does this lose marks, and what should she do instead?
Hint
What did the examiners say about copying entire paragraphs?
Answer
The question asks for answers 'in your own words', and the examiners reported that copying entire paragraphs, much of it irrelevant, led to a loss of marks. She should pick out only the points that answer the question and rephrase them in two or three concise sentences.
Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Explain the difference between an inference question and a direct question in Question 4(ii), with an example of each from any passage you know.
Hint
The 2025 paper had one of each: 'Why is Mount Michael considered a remote place?' and 'explain how trust plays an important role in Emma's safety'.
Answer
A direct question has its answer stated in the passage (2025: why Mount Michael is remote, answered by its isolated location and distance from stations and shipping). An inference question asks you to connect details and draw a conclusion that is not stated in one sentence (2025: how trust affected Emma's safety, built from her reliance on the guide and the guide's watchfulness). Inference answers need points from several places, expressed in your own words.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.How long is the comprehension passage, and how many marks does Question 4 carry?Show answer
About 700 words; 20 marks.
2.In what form must the summary be written?Show answer
In grid form, one word per box, as a connected passage in complete sentences, without abbreviations or contractions.
3.What is the usual length of the summary?Show answer
About 100 words (8 marks) in the 2025 paper and the specimen.
4.What two conditions must the answer to a 'same word, different meaning' item meet?Show answer
The word is unchanged in spelling, and its meaning differs from the meaning in the passage.
5.What did the 2025 examiners say about short answers?Show answer
Most candidates copied entire paragraphs, many irrelevant, and lost marks; answers should be brief and in their own words.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you find a one-word replacement in the correct form and test it in the sentence?
Can you reject options that share the passage meaning or change the word?
Can you answer a 2-mark question in two or three sentences of your own?
Can you list summary points only from the given paragraph range?
Can you write about 100 words in a grid, one word per box, with no contractions?

Comprehension: frequently asked questions

Does the grid have to be drawn by me?

The syllabus says the summary 'must be done in the grid form'; in practice you rule a grid (or use one provided) and write one word in each box so that the word count is clear.

Do I lose marks for going a few words over 100?

'About 100 words' allows a little flexibility, but the specimen warns that failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. Aim for 95-105.

Can I use words from the passage in the summary?

Key words and names may be used, but the summary should be a connected passage in your own sentences, not copied lines strung together.

In (i)(b), should I write the letter or the sentence?

The 2025 scheme accepted either 'the correct option or the sentence given against the correct option'. Write only one choice.

Based on: CISCE ISC 2028 English (801) syllabus (Classes XI and XII): English Language, Question Four; CISCE ISC Analysis of Pupil Performance 2025: English Language (Question 4, marking scheme and examiners' comments); CISCE ISC Specimen Question Paper 2025: English Paper 1 (Language), with answer key