NCERT STUDY MATERIAL

English 9th

 

CONTENTS

PROSE 

01.Packing.

02.Gulliver in Lilliput I & II.- click here

03. Saint of the Gutters.

04. Sheikh Noor-Ud-Din Wali.

05. The Fun They Had.

06. The Tempest I & II.

07. How a Client was Saved.

POETRY

01. No. Men Are Foreign.

02. To Blossoms.

03. Beauty

04. The Road Not Taken

05.I Cannot Remember My Mother

06. On Killing a Tree

07. Cart Driver

08. To the Cuckoo

09. Palanquin Bearers.

10. The Child's Prayer

SHORT STORIES 

01. The Adventure of Toto---click here

02. Moti-Guj- Mutineer

03. Old Man at the Bridge

04. The Last Leaf

05. The Happy Prince

PLAY

01. A Basketful of sea-Trout

02. If I were you

___________________________________________________________________________________                              01.Packing.

Thinking about the text

Q1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don’t forget the dog).

Answer:-  There are four characters in the narrative.  They are Jerome (the narrator), George, Harris, and Montmorency (the dog).

Q2. Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?

Answer:- The narrator volunteered to do the packing as he took pride in himself for his packing skills. It was one of those things that he felt he knew more about than any other person living.

Q3. How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?

Answer:-  George and Harris readily accepted Jerome’s suggestion. George put on a pipe and spread himself over the easy-chair. Harris put his legs on the table and lit a cigar. No, Jerome did not like their reaction.

Q4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to pack?

Answer:-  When Jerome had offered to pack, his real intention was that he would boss the job, and Harris and George would work under his directions. Then, he would push them aside every now and then, and teach them how to do it properly. That is why their reaction irritated him.

Q5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then to ask?

Answer:-  After the bag was shut and strapped, Harris asked Jerome if he wasn’t going to put the boots in. Jerome knew that Harris was like that. He would not have said a word until he had shut and strapped the bag.

Q6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?

Answer:-  The “horrible idea” that occurred to Jerome a little later was if he had packed his toothbrush or not. He always forgot if he had packed his toothbrush or not.

Q7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?

Answer:- After  going  through  everything  he  had  packed,  Jerome  finally  found  the toothbrush inside a boot.

 Q8. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?

Answer:-  Jerome had to reopen the bag because he found that he had packed his tobacco- pouch in it.

Q9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?

Answer:-  George and Harris offered to pack the hampers for carrying food. Harris said that they would want to start in less than twelve hours’ time and therefore it was better that he and George should do the rest of the packing.

 Q10.  What does Jerome say was Montmorency’s ambition in life? What do you think of Montmorency and why?

 Answer:-   Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way and get scolded. It felt that its day was not a waste if it could go anywhere where he was not wanted and be a perfect nuisance, make people mad, and have things thrown at its head. Its highest aim was to get somebody to stumble over it and curse it steadily for an hour. When it succeeded in accomplishing this, its pride in itself became unbearable.

 Q11. Of the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or worst packer? Support your answer with details from the text.

Answer:-  All three friends, Jerome, George and Harris prove to be bad at packing things. Jerome volunteered to do the packing as he took pride in himself for his packing skills. However, his packing skills were not up to the mark. He forgot to pack the boots; could not remember if he had packed his toothbrush or not; and accidentally packed his tobacco-pouch. On each of these occasions, he had to unpack everything he had already packed.

When George and Harris began packing the hampers, they proved to be a lot worse than Jerome. They broke a cup; packed heavy things on top of light items; put things behind them and then couldn’t find them when they wanted them; stepped on things; and upset almost everything.

 Q12. How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing?

Answer:-  Montmorency came and sat down on things just when they were about to be packed. According to the narrator, the dog had a fixed belief that whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything, it was its cold damp nose they wanted.

It put its leg into the jam and disturbed the teaspoons. It pretended that the lemons were rats. It went into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could hit it with a frying pan. Harris blamed Jerome for encouraging the dog. However, Jerome said that a dog like Montmorency did not require any encouragement. It had a natural and original sin that was born in it, which made it do all such things.

 Q13. Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it? (Pick out at least three; think about what happens, as well as how it is described.)

Answer:-  This  story  is  funny  as  it  shows  three  adults  making  complete  fools  out  of themselves. The bad packing skills of the narrator and his friends are on display in this story. The narrator, who prides himself on his packing ability, unpacks and re- packs the same things three times, much to the amusement of his friends. When it is their turn to pack, they are worse than the narrator.  Emulating his friends, the narrator simply sits back and watches them make a mess of everything. Things get more chaotic when the dog, Montmorency enters the picture.

The narrator compares the things he unpacked for finding his toothbrush to the same state of chaos that existed when the world was created. On seeing all that George and Harry had managed to do with the butter, the narrator says that he had never seen anyone do more with one-and-two pence worth of butter.  The  narrator describes  how  Montmorency  pretended  that  lemons  were  rats  and  got  into  the hamper and killed three before Harris could land a frying pan on him.

Language Work

Papaya is the healthiest .............infection from spreading complete the following:

Ans:

1. The other names for papaya are Papaw and Mamao.

2. Though now found in every tropical country, papaya fruit originated in southern Mexico and neighbouring Central America.
3. One of the most important virtues of papaya is the protein digesting enzyme in the milky juice and latex.
4. Intestinal irritation can be overcome by papain in raw papaya.
5. Diseases cured by papaya are habitual constipation, bleeding piles and chronic diarrhea.
6. Throat disorders can be cured with juice of raw papaya mixed with honey.
7. Ringworm is cured by- Papaya seeds
Q:  Match the words/phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

Answer:-

Column A

Column B

Slaving

working hard

Chaos

complete confusion and disorder

Rummage

search  for  something  by  moving  things  around hurriedly or carelessly

scrape out

remove  something  from  inside  another  thing using a sharp tool

stumble over, tumble into

fall, or step awkwardly while walking

Accomplish

finish successfully, achieve

Uncanny

strange, mysterious, difficult to explain

(to have or get into)

a row

a quarrel or an argument

II Use the following phrases in your own sentences.

1. Toss for: There is only one ticket left- i'll toss you for it.
2. Toss about: I kept tossing about in bed all night.
3. Fall into: He fell into bad company and lost all his money.
4. Fall out: He has fallen out with his elder brother and doesn't speak to him.
5. Search for: He is searching for his lost purse.
6. Scrape out: Scrape out the flesh of the melon with a spoon.
7. Mess about: Will you stop messing about and get on with some work.
                              

02.Gulliver in Lilliput I & II

.
                                   Gulliver in Lilliput – I

Thinking about the text

Q1. Why did Reldressel visit Gulliver?

Answer:-  Reldressel, the chief secretary for private affairs wanted to have a private conversation with Gulliver because the emperor had sent him to discuss some important problem of the state with Gulliver.

 Q2. How did Gulliver receive Reldressel?

Answer:-  Gulliver received Reldressel with honour; he even offered to lie down so that Reldressel could conveniently talk to him. But Reldressel preferred to stand on Gulliver’s hand while talking.

 Q3. What were the two political parties in Lilliput? What was their difference?

Answer:-  The two political parties in Lilliput were, the high heels and the low heels. They were distinguished by the heels of their shoes.

 Q4. Why was the government in the hands of the low heels though they were less numerous than the high heels?

Answer:-  His Majesty, the emperor was in favour of the low heels and he himself wore low heels only. That is why government was in the hands of low heels.

 Q5. What as the external danger that the country had to face?

Answer:-  The external danger that the country had to face was an invasion from the empire of Blefescu, which was the other great empire.

 Q6. What was the question of religious principle that gave rise to the war between Lilliput and Blefescu?

Ans: The question of religious principle that gave rise to the war between Lilliput and Blefescu was at which end the egg should be broken – the bigger end or the smaller end.

 Q7. Why was the ancient way of breaking an egg prohibited in Lilliput?

Answer:-  The ancient way of breaking an egg at the bigger end was prohibited because the present emperor’s grandfather, when he was a boy happened to cut his finger while breaking the egg at the bigger end. Thus, his father published an order prohibiting the practice of breaking the egg at the bigger end.

 Q8. How did the people take the new law?

Answer:-  When the government declared the new law that the egg should be broken at the small end, there was a bitter opposition to this new law and there were frequent rebellions on account of it. One emperor lost his life, another crown in these rebellions.

 Q9. What was the emperor of the Blefescu’s part in the internal troubles of Lilliput?

Answer:-  When the new law was introduced, there were many rebellions in which many people died. Many rebels escaped to Blefescu, the emperor of Blefescu gave them his sympathy and encouragement, thus interfering in the internal troubles of Lilliput. 

 Q10.  What was the teaching of their ancient religion about the right way of breaking eggs?

Answer:-  The teaching of the ancient religion as that “All believers shall break their egg at the convenient end”.

 Q11. What in Reldressel’s opinion, was the meaning of teaching?

Answer:-  In Reldressel’s opinion, the convenient end was to be decided by a man according to his conscience.

 Q12. What did Gulliver promise to do for the emperor?

Answer:-  Gulliver asked Reldressel to tell the emperor that he was his loyal soldier and was ready to fight for the country in case there was an invasion.   

Language work

a) Use the following phrases in our own sentence.

Phrase

Sentence

Wait upon

He waited upon the guests efficiently.

Carry out

He carried out the journey well.

Attend on

There was no one to attend on him

Depend on

I don’t depend on my helper for anything.

Discuss with

I discuss everything with my mother regarding my problem.

Engage with

He has the ability to engage with his work more efficiently.

Charge with

He was charged with theft.

Engage in

I have no time to engage myself in the useless discussion.

Prefer to

I prefer to be alone than in a bad company.

On account of

On account of charges made by his master, the servant was jailed.

b) Give the adjective of the following nouns and use them in your own sentences.

Word

Adjective

Sentence

Attention

Attentive

We must be attentive to our studies.

Base

Basic

In order to succeed we should stick to the basics.

Convenience

Convenient 

We should always follow convenient method to solve a problem.

Empire

Imperial

The imperial king was a very wise man. His knowledge is empirical.

Majesty

Majestic

The majestic look made the house look more humble.

Honour

Honourable

The honourable chief minister was called on the stage.

Opposition

Opposite

They were standing on the opposite sides of the road.

Religion

Religious

My aunt is a religious lady.

Sympathy

Sympathy

Every parent is sympathetic their child.

Invasion

Invasive

Nadir Shah invaded Delhi with his full might.

c) Use the following words as nouns and verb  in your own Sentences:

Charge:  (n)-  I have paid the admission charges. 
               (v) -  They charged me fifty rupees for the breakfast.  
Converse (n)-   Building new roads increases traffic and the converse is also true. 
                (v)-    Have you conversed with him on this issue? 
Divide  (n)-    There is a big divide between the protestants and Catholics of  Scotland 
             (v)-    Can you divide the love of a mother? 
Honour   (n)-   Power without honour has no value .
                (v)-    you  must honour your promise. 
Principal (n)-    A leader must be a person of principle.
                (v) -   (use as a verb is not possible)
Rebel (n)-    Armed rebels advanced towards the capital. 
            (v)-    Most teenagers find something to rebel against. 
Report (n)-   I  have received your progress report. 
            (v)-   We have reported the matter to the police. 
(d)   Find from the lesson words or phrases which mean the following :
Answers 
   (section I, para 1)  
  1.   attend 
 2.   conversation 
3.   problem  
4.   prefer
 (section I, para 2) 
1.   add
2.   on account of 
3.  external 
 (section I, para 3)
1.  divide into 
2.  heel 
3.  according to 
4.   distinguish 
5.   oppose 
6.  member 
7.   in favour of 
 (section I, para 4) 
1.  region
2.  principle 
3.  publish 
4.  prohibit 
5.  interfere
6.   charge 
7.  encourage 
8.  report 
 (section I, para 5)  
1.  avoid 
2.  principle 
Writing work

Q. Explain how war broke out between the empire of Blefescu and Lilliputians?

Answer:-  Blefescu and Lilliput were the two great regions of the universe. The mighty powers had been engaged in a bloody war for 36 months. The war had begun about a question of religious principle, namely, whether one should break the egg on the bigger end or the smaller end. The ancient practice was to break at the bigger end. But the present emperor’s grandfather, when he was a boy, happened to cut his finger while breaking the egg at the bigger end. So, the emperor, his father, published an order prohibiting the practice of making eggs at the bigger end. There was a bitter opposition to the new law and there were frequent rebellions on account of it.  At least 11000 people suffered death at various times because they preferred death to dishonour. Many rebels escaped to Blefescu, the emperor of Blefescu gave them his sympathy and encouragement. He frequently charged the Lilliputian emperor with causing a division in religion by encouraging people to disobey a basic teaching of their ancient religion.

Gulliver in Lilliput – II

Thinking about the text

Q1.where was Blefescu situate and what separated it from Lilliput?

Ans: the empire of Blefescu was an island to the north-east of Lilliput. It was separated from Lilliput by a channel about 800meters wide.

Q2. Why did Gulliver avoid appearing on the north-east coast of Lilliput?

Ans: Gulliver avoided appearing on the north-east coast of Lilliput, so that the enemy could not see him.

 Q3. How deep was the channel? What were the devices with which Gulliver armed himself?

Ans: in most places, the channel was about 5 feet deep. Gulliver ordered a great quantity of strongest cable and bars of iron. The cable was as thick as packthread, and the bars were of the size of knitting needles. Gulliver twisted the cables together and made fifty strong cords. Then he made fifty hooks by twisting three bars together at a time and fastened the hooks carefully to the cords. These were the devices with which Gulliver armed himself.

 Q4. Why did Gulliver seek advice of the most experienced sailor?

Ans: Gulliver sought the advice of the most experienced sailor because he wanted to know the actual depth of the channel in order to cross it properly.

 Q5. What did the Blefescan soldiers do while Gulliver was fastening hooks to the warships?

Ans: while Gulliver was fastening hooks to the warships, the Blefescan soldiers shot at him several thousand arrows, as big as knitting needles. Many of them stuck in his hand and face and gave him sharp pain.

 Q6. What did Gulliver do to save his eyes?

Ans: Gulliver quickly took out his eye glasses and put them on in order to save his eyes.

 Q7. Why did the ships not move when Gulliver pulled them?

Ans: The ships didn’t move when Gulliver pulled them because they were fastened by the anchors.

 Q8. What did Gulliver do to relieve the pain cause by arrows?

Ans: in order to relieve the pain caused by arrows, Gulliver rubbed an ointment given to him by the Lilliputians.

Q9. What did the emperor and his court think on seeing the fleet at a distance?

Ans: When the emperor and the court saw the enemy fleet advancing towards them, they thought that Gulliver had been drowned and the enemy fleet was advancing for battle.

 Q10. How did Gulliver show his loyalty to the emperor?

Ans: Raising his hand high out of the water Gulliver cried out in a loud voice “Long live the mighty king of Lilliput” to show his loyalty to the emperor.

 Q11. How did the emperor reward him for his services?

Ans: The emperor received Gulliver with honour and made him a great lord on the spot as a reward for his services.

Language work

Phrase

Sentence

Leave alone

Leave me alone, I don’t want to be disturbed in my work.

Let go

I will never let go my high principles in my life.

On the spot

The thief has been caught by police on the spot.

In case of

In case of an emergency, we should call the police.

Look up

I am trying to look up for new words in the dictionary.

Give up

We should never give up while going gets tough.

Give in

I am trying my best to never give in easily in an argument.

Give way

We should not give way to difficulties in our lives.

Give away

The teacher asked the chief guest to give away the prizes to the children.

Help out

He is always willing to help out someone is in trouble.

At least

She may be slow, but at least she is reliable.

Be situated in a place.

The headquarters of U.N are situated in New York .

Distinguish from

Can you distinguish from the two sisters?

Lie at anchor

The enemy fleet lay at anchor in the harbour.

 Writing work

Q. Give a brief account on how Gulliver captured the Blefescan fleet?

Ans: Gulliver showed great foresight in preparing himself for the task. He armed himself with 50 strong cords and hooks and prepared himself thoroughly. He joined the cables and then checked the depth of the channel in which he waded, he swam a little and in about half an hour reached near to the enemy fleet. The enemy soldiers got so frightened to see Gulliver that they leapt out of their ships and swam ashore. They were at least 30000 in number Gulliver took out the cords and fastened the hook to the prow of each warships leaving the transport alone. While he was engaged in his work, the Blefescan soldiers shot arrows at him which gave him sharp pain. When he fastened the hooks to the prow of all the warships, he tied their ends together into a knot. Taking the knotted end in his hand he pulled but not a ship moved because they were anchored to the shore. He then began to cut the cables that fastened the anchor. Then he took up the knot and with ease drew after him the entire enemy fleet. 

                                                  03. Saint of the Gutters.

Thinking about the Text

 Q1. What activities made Mother Teresa so exceptional?

Answer:- Mother Teresa did not hold any powerful position in politics or government, yet she ruled over the hearts and minds of the countless people in almost every part of the world. She had no material possession of his own, as she had selflessly dedicated to herself to a life of poverty and a humble submission to the God.

 Q2. Why did mother Teresa leave St. Mary high School?

Answer:- mother Teresa began teaching the Indian girl students from affluent backgrounds at St. Mary’s high school. But she could not keep her eyes away from the desperately poor and homeless who lived on the streets of the city in slums. She wanted to devote maximum time with them and thought that it was an order from the nature that she could not disobey and hence she left the St. Mary’s School.

 Q3. What did Mother Teresa mean by ‘to fail would be to break faith’?

Answer:- One day in 1946, when she was travelling in a train from Kolkata to Darjeeling she heard a voice, like the one she had heard before, telling her that now she must leave the convent and help the poor by living with them. She felt that it as an order which she could not disobey and to quote her words, ‘to fail would be to break faith’, she meant if she went against God’s calling she would be disobeying him and then would not be a true servant of God.

 Q4. What kind of life did Mother Teresa lead?

Answer:-  Mother Teresa lived a life of purity, austerity and simplicity. She gave up her nuns habit and dressed in cotton blue bordered white sareee. She lived among the poor, destitute and down trodden. Se dedicated her life totally in humble submission to God. She learnt Bengali so that she could easily understand and converse with the people she had to come to serve.

 Q5. Why do you think Mother Teresa learnt Bengali?

Answer:-   Mother Teresa learnt Bengali so that she could easily understand and converse with the people she had come to serve.

 Q6.  What did Malcolm Muggeridge see on the streets of Calcutta?

Answer:-   while walking through a street, Malcolm Muggeridge happened to see a small little figure in slum, cleaning the sores on the body of a half dead man without the slightest trace of disgust at the stench. He could not believe that a human being could looks happily while doing such a repelling task. Te deep, warm glow of peace and love on mother Teresa’s  face made a deep impression on his mind and inspired him to write a book and make a documentary film on Mother Teresa.

 Language work:

 

Word

Sentence

Flock

The shepherd took the flock of sheep to the forest to graze.

Humble

Mother Teresa was a humble lady.

Dignity

Our dignity is in our own hands.

Mystic

 Sheikh Noor ud din  Wali was famous mystic of Kashmir.

Desperate

She was desperate to meet the C.M. when her only son disappeared without any traces.

 Writing work

 Q. Malcolm Muggeridge titled the biography of Mother Teresa “Something beautiful for God”. What do you understand by beautiful? What are the things that make Mother Teresa beautiful?

Answer:-   By “beautiful” I mean “pleasing” not merely to the eyes but to heart and soul as well. Whatever is pleasing merely to the eyes, not to the heart and soul, cannot be called truly beautiful. And there can be nothing in the world that is pleasing to the heart and soul, but not to the eyes.            

            The things that made Mother Teresa beautiful were her acts that touched the hearts and the souls of countless people all over the world. She lived a selfless life in the service of the poorest of poor. She won the hearts and minds of all the classes of people through the beauty of her soul. No other beautiful thing can compare with the beauty of her soul. 

04. Sheikh Noor-Ud-Din Wali.

Thinking about the Text

Q1. Why did Sheikh Noor Ud Din Wali enter the cave?

Ans: The sheikh Noor Ud Din exhibited an ascetic tendency from his early childhood. At the prime of his youth he adopted a monastic way of life. He entered a cave near Kaimoh and according to legends he spent 12 years there in order to do penance and to purify himself. This was a period of spiritual training and preparation.

 Q2. What made people flock around the Sheikh?

Ans: When the Sheikh finally left the cave he had turned into a dedicated missionary. He moved from place to place in Kashmir preaching his simple way of the fear of God and accountability before him after death, commitment to the principle of truth, justice and love and service of mankind. By his saintly life he set an example of simplicity. Truthfulness and he devoted himself to the service of people. These qualities of Sheikh Noor Ud Din Wali made the people flock around him.

 Q3. What does Sheik ul Alam mean?

Ans: Sheikh ul Alam means the spiritual guide of the world or a saint of worldly stature.

 Q4. What kind of life did Sheikh ul Alam lead?

Ans: Sheikh ul Alam exhibited an ascetic tendency from his early childhood. This continued even after his marriage. At the prime time of his youth, he adopted a monastic way of life and also set an example of simplicity and truthfulness. He devoted himself to the service of people.

 Q5. What did Sheikh ul Alam teach people?

Ans: Sheikh ul Alam moved from place to place in Kashmir preaching his simple way of the fearing of God and accountability before God after death, commitment to the principles of truth, justice, love and service of mankind. By his saintly life, he set an example of simplicity, truthfulness and devoted service of people. As a missionary, he taught us that a true saint is not one who escapes from life but who does the duties of life with honesty and humility. In one of his life verse he tells us that, the chosen servants of God are those worship him sincerely and fulfill their duties in life regularly.

 Writing work

Q. What moral lesson do you learn from the life of Sheikh ul Alam?

Ans: Sheikh ul Alam preached his simple way of the fearing of God and accountability before God after death, commitment to the principles of truth, justice, love and service of mankind.  The lesson that is learnt from his teachings is that we should have faith in God and life hereafter.  By his saintly life, he set an example of simplicity, truthfulness and devoted service of people.  We should follow his path of God fearing and devote our lives towards the service of humanity with pure thought and actions. We should not escape from life but should perform the duties of life with honesty and humility. In one of his life verse he tells us that, the chosen servants of God are those worship him sincerely and fulfill their duties in life regularly. So we should be truthful, honest straightforward and honest in our dealings with others. We should be the torch bearers of peace, love and universal brotherhood.

05. The Fun They Had.

Thinking about the text

I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

Q1. How old are Margie and Tommy?

Ans: Margie was eleven years old while Tommy was thirteen.

 Q2. What did Margie write in her diary?

Ans: Margie wrote in her diary, “Today Tommy found a real book!”

 Q3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

Ans: No, Margie had never seen a book before.

 Q4. What things about the book did she find strange?

Ans: On turning the pages of the book, she found it awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to on a screen. When they turned back to the previous page, it had the same words on it when they read it the first time.

 Q5. What do you think a textbook is?

Ans: A textbook is a book that could be read on screen. Words move on the screen for the students to read. All the lessons appear on the big screen and are followed by questions from the book.

 Q6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?

Ans: Margie’s school was in her home itself. In fact, it was next to her bedroom. It was a mechanical teacher on whose screen lessons and questions appeared. She had to put her homework in a particular slot and write the answers in a punch code. She did not have any classmates.

 Q7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

Ans: Margie and Tommy learnt geography, history and arithmetic.

 II. Answer the following with reference to the story.

Q1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”

(i) Who says these words?

(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?

(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?

Ans:

 (i) Tommy said these words.

(ii) ‘It’ refers to the television screen, which had a million books on it.

(iii) Tommy is comparing the television screen to the books in the earlier times in which words were printed on paper. He thought that after reading such books, one would have to throw them away. However, he would never have to throw away his textbooks.

 Q2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?

(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?

(iii) What is it contrasted with?

Ans:

(i) ‘They’ refers to the students who studied in the old kind of schools centuries before the time the story being set in.

(ii) Here, ‘regular’ refers to the mechanical teachers that Tommy and Margie had.

(iii) The mechanical teacher is contrasted with the teacher of the earlier times, who was a human being.

 III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

Q1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?

Ans: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They had large black screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. These mechanical teachers had a slot in which the students had to put their homework and test papers. They had to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately.

 Q2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?

Ans: Margie had been given many tests in geography by the mechanical teacher. She had been performing worse and worse in them. It is for this reason that she sent for the County Inspector.

Q3. What did he do?

Ans: The County Inspector gave Margie an apple and started working on the mechanical teacher. Margie had hoped that the Inspector would not know how to put the mechanical teacher together again, but he managed to assemble it. He slowed up the geography sector of the teacher because it had become too quick.

 Q4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the Country Inspector do to help her?

Ans: Margie was doing badly in geography because the geography sector of the mechanical teacher had been adjusted at a higher level. The County Inspector rightly told her that she could not be blamed for her poor performance.

The County Inspector slowed down the geography sector of the mechanical teacher to an average ten-year level. He also told Mrs. Jones that Margie’s progress pattern was satisfactory.

 Q5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?

Ans: Once, Tommy’s teacher had to be taken away for nearly a month because its history sector had blanked out completely.

 Q6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?

Ans: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. The mechanical teacher always turned on at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays.

Margie had regular days and hours for school because her mother said that little girls learned better when they learned at regular hours.

 Q7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?

Ans: Tommy says that the old kind of school existed centuries ago. They had a teacher, who was a man. This teacher taught in a special building where all the kids assembled and learned the same things according to their respective ages.

 Q8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?

Ans: He says that the teacher in old times was a man, who taught the students inside a special building. He gave them homework and asked them questions. When Margie said that a man was not smart enough to be a teacher, he contradicted her by saying that his father knew as much as his mechanical teacher.

 IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 − 150 words)

Q1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?

Ans: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They had large black screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. They had a slot in which students had to put their homework and test papers. They had to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately.

Their schools were in their homes itself. They did not have any classmates. They learnt geography, history and arithmetic. They had regular days and hours for school. Margie’s school was right next to her bedroom. The mechanical teacher always turned on at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays because her mother said that little girls learned better when they learned at regular hours.

 Q2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

Ans: Margie hated school because it was not fun. She had been doing badly in the geography tests that her mechanical teacher had been giving her. When her mother sends for the County Inspector, she hopes that the inspector would take the mechanical teacher away. She is disappointed when the County Inspector manages to assemble all the parts of the mechanical teacher. The part that she hated the most was inserting the homework and test papers in the slot on the mechanical teacher. She did not like the fact that she had to write her answers in a punch code.

        She thought that the old kind of school must have been fun as she imagined all the kids from the entire neighbourhood coming together, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard. She imagined that they would sit together in the classroom and go home together at the end of the day. They would learn the same things and could help one another with the homework and talk about it. Also, the teachers were people. All these aspects made her believe that the old kind of school must have been fun.

 Q3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans: Yes, schools today are more fun than the school in the story. In the story, there is no interaction among students regarding studies. Studying and answering questions seems to be a boring idea. Doing homework without anybody’s help and writing them in a punch code would also be draining. Moreover, children develop a better understanding about each other and of their surroundings when they go to a school and interact with each other. It is a healthier way of learning.

Listening to teachers explaining lessons is always more interesting than reading the entire lesson on a mechanical computer. Also, if any student faces any problem with the subject or in homework, he can discuss it with the teacher and other kids. The excitement of waiting to know the marks scored in exams is greater when one is sitting in a classroom with other students. It does not have the same effect when the marks are calculated immediately after a test has been taken. Therefore, schools today are more fun than the school in the story as they are more interactive. They promote a healthy environment for the students to study and learn.

 Adverbs

1. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.

Awfully

sorrowfully

Completely

Loftily

Carefully

differently

Quickly

nonchalantly

Ans: 1. (i) Awfully : They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to − on a screen, you know.

(ii) Sorrowfully : The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.

(iii) Completely: They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.

(iv) Loftily: He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

(v) Carefully: He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

(vi) Differently: “But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”

(vii) Quickly: “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.

(viii) Nonchalantly: “May be,” he said nonchalantly.

 2. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

(i) The report must be read __________ so that performance can be improved.

(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions __________ shrugging his shoulders.

(iii) We all behave __________ when we are tired or hungry.

(iv) The teacher shook her head __________ when Ravi lied to her.

(v) I __________ forgot about it.

(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled __________ and turned away.

(vii) The President of the Company is __________busy and will not be able to meet you.

(viii) I finished my work __________ so that I could go out to play.

Ans: (i)  The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.

(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, shrugging his shoulders.

(iii) We all behave differently when we are tired or hungry.

(iv) The teacher shook her head sorrowfully when Ravi lied to her.

(v)completely forgot about it.

(vi)When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.

(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.

(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.

 3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.

Ans:

(i)

angry

Angrily

(ii)

Happy

Happily

(iii)

merry

Merrily

(iv)

Sleepy

Sleepily

(v)

easy

Easily

(vi)

Noisy

Noisily

 4. Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.

1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, __________.

2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, __________.

3. Unless you promise to write back, I __________.

4. If she doesn’t play any games, __________.

5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat __________.

Ans: 1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be angry.

2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will miss your evening meal.

3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you.

4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will become dull and lazy.

5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will pounce on it.

                            06. The Tempest I & II.

TEMPEST-I

Textual Questions

Q1. Who was Ariel, and how did the com to be Prospero’s servant ?

Ans. Ariel was a spirit. A witch named Sycorax had imprisoned him in the heart of a tree. The witch died without releasing him. When Prospero came to the island, he released him by the power of his magic. Ariel became Prospero’s faithful servant.

Q2. Who was Caliban ? What did he look like?

Ans. Caliban was the son of a witch named Sycorax. He looked more like a fish than a man.

 Q3. What did Miranda ask Prospero to do when she saw the ship caught in the tempest?

Ans. Miranda thought that it was her father who had raised the tempest. She asked him to end the tempest because she could not bear the cries of the drowning sailors.

 Q4. What did Prospero say he raised tempest for?

Ans. Prospero said that he had raised the tempest for the sake of Miranda herself. But he didn’t explain plainly how Miranda was to benefit from the tempest.

 Q5. Why did Prospero leave the management of state affairs to Antonio?

Ans. Prospero’s chief aim in life was knowledge. Wealth and other worldly things didn’t matter to him. So he left the management of state affairs to his brother, Antonio.

 Q6. Who helped Antonio to size the throne?

 Ans. The king of Naples was Prospero’s enemy. Antonio took his help. He had bribed

Prospero’s ministers also. All of them helped him.

 Q7. What did Antonio’s soldiers do?

Ans. The soldiers took Prospero out of his palace on a dark night. His little daughter, Miranda, was also with him, crying in his arm. The soldier put them in old and damaged ship. They left the two to die at the sea.

 

Q8. How did old Gonzalo help prospero?

Ans. Gonzalo was a kind of old lord. He secretly stored the ship with food, water and clothes. He also put in the ship some books, which prospero valued more than his dukedom.

 

Q9.Who were in the ship that was caught in the tempest?

Ans. Antonio, his son Ferdinand , the king of  Napels and all other enemies of prospero were in the ship at that time.

 

Q10. What did the Ariel remind Prospero of, when Prospero mentioned more work?

Ans. He reminded Prospero of his promise to free him after the task assigned to him had been done.

                                                    

 

 

                                                              Tempest-II

Q1. What did Miranda at first think Ferdinand was and why?  Was Ferdinand and Miranda’s love at first sight?

Ans. She thought that it was sprit because Ferdinand had a noble and beautiful appearance. So far, she had not known what a young man looked like. The love between Ferfinand and Miranda was a love at first sight.

 

Q2. Why did Prospero pretend to think that Ferdinand was a spy?

Ans. Prospero wanted to test if Ferdinand really loved Miranda truly. That was why he pretended to think that Ferdinand was a spy and made him a prisoner

 

Q3. What was the task that Prospero gave Ferdinand?

Ans. Prospero gave Ferdinand the task of pilling up heavy logs.

 

Q4. What made Ferdinand’s labour seem light?

Ans. Miranda’s presence made Ferdinand’s task seem light.

 

Q5. What were the king and his party doing in the meantime?

Ans. They were wandering about on the island. At last , tired and hung they sat down on rest.

 

Q6. Why were they amazed to see Prospero?

Ans. They were amazed to see Prospero because they believed him to have been drowned in the sea long before.

 

Q7. Prospero told the king that was lost his daughter in the tempest and in a sense he vwas right. Can you say in what sense?

Ans. It was in the sense that Miranda gad been lost in the tempest of her love for Ferdinant. It was a tempest from which there could be no escape.

 

Q8. Why did Prospero give up his magic powers?

Ans. He gave up his magic powers because he had no further use of them.

 

Q9. What was Ariel’s last service to his master?

Ans. He  helped with favourable wind when Prospero and other of his party left in a ship for Naples. 

                                             


07. How a Client was Saved.


 

Q1. Why did Rustomji’s smuggling offences not been discovered earlier?

Ans. Rustomji was on the best terms with the customs officials. No one suspected him. Perhaps some even connived at his smuggling. That was why his offences had not been discovered earlier.

 

Q2. What did Rustomji consider to be the greatesr cause for shame to him?

Ans. Going to jail was to him the greatest cause for shame.

 

Q3. What did Gandhiji consider to be greatest cause for shame?

Ans. Gandhiji considered the committing of offence a greater cause for shame.

 

Q4. Which words that Rustomji used to describe the offence show us that he did not consider it to be saved or not?

Ans. He called his smuggling activities merely ‘tricks of the trade’. It shows thathe did not consider it a moral offence.

 

Q5. Who, according to Ghandhiji, was the one who would finally decide whether Rustomji was to be saved or not?

Ans. According to him, it was the customs Officer who wasto decide this And the Customs Officer was in turn to be guided by the Attorney General.

 

Q6. Gandhiji and the other counsel differed in the way in which the thought the case ought to be handled. How did (a) Ghandhiji and (b) the other counsel hope to settle the case?

Ans. Gandhiji wanted Rustomji to make a confession of his offence and be prepared to suffer the punishment The other counsel said that they should take the case to court. He said that he hoped to win it.

 

Q7. Gandhiji sp[oke of two penances.

(a) What were they?

(b) Which of them did Rustomji not have to do?

Ans. The one penance was to undergo imprisonment. The other was to resolve never to smuggle again. Rustomji did not have to go to prison.

 

Q8. Why did Gandhiji have to go the Attorney General as well as to the customers officers?

Ans. He wanted to concince them that Rustomji was really repentant and that they should not prosecute him. They could, however, impose suitable penalty on him.

 

Q9. Which two qualities of Gandhiji’s helped him to persuade the Attorney Genersl not to drag Rustomji  into court?

Ans. It was Gandhiji’s frankness and his persuasiveness.

 

 

 

Q10. What did Rustomji (a) lose, (b) partly save by the settlement if the case?

Ans. He lost only a little amount of money. He partly saved his honour because he did not have to go to jail. 


08. No. Men Are Foreign.


Central idea: The poem “No men are Foreign” has been written by James Kirkup. Universal brotherhood is the paramount need of the hour. Human beings from every corner of the earth are alike. This anti war poem is an insightful poem endorsing man to give up wars as it is incorrect to differentiate between people and breed hatred and violence on the basis on the basis of caste, creed, colour, language, region, religion and gender.

 

Summary:  The poem emphasizes on the point that no men are strange and no countries foreign. People may wear different kinds of dresses, but essentially all have the same kind of body. They live on the same earth and are sustained by the same air giving life. The earth they walk in is the same everywhere, just as the earth they will be buried in after death.                         

               People everywhere enjoy the benefits of the same sun, air and water. Everywhere people grow and harvest crops that are a result of their hard work and labour in time of peace. Starvation results for humanity, when it wages war globally. The poet says that everywhere men have the same kind of hands which labour to support the lives of their loved ones.                                                         

                People all over have the same kind of eyes that wake up and sleep. Everywhere strength can be won not by power or force but by the language of love and affection. The poet further says that the beauty of life is same everywhere and can be recognized ad understood if we keep our hearts and minds open. Therefore, the poet admonishes us not to listen to war mongers who teach us the language of hatred. We should love and respect other human beings besides the difference on the basis on the basis of caste, creed, colour, language, region, religion and gender. So, the poet repeats and tells us to remember that no men are foreign and no country is foreign.

 

Understanding the Poem

Q1. What does the poet mean by ‘uniforms’ in the poem?

 Answer:- It means various dresses that people put on, which vary across different countries. However, he says that under such uniforms lies a single body, which is the same for everyone.

 

 

Q2.  What according to the poet makes all the people alike on earth?

Answer:- The poet suggests that all people on the earth are the same by saying that people may wear different uniforms, but basically they are all humans. Under those uniforms lies a single body that breathes the same as everybody else. Everybody walks on land, breathes air, drinks water, and is aware of the presence of the sun. Everyone feeds himself with the harvest. Their hands are the same as everybody else’s and they show the labour that they have gone through just as others have. They have eyes and they sleep and wake up like others. They all understand and recognize ‘life’, which is common to all lands. Hence, the poet suggests that nobody is foreign and no country is strange. They are all alike.

 

Q3. What outrages the innocence and the beauty of this earth?

Answer:-   By taking up arms, we pollute the earth that belongs to mankind. The fire and destruction of war results in the contamination of the air we breathe in and the water we drink.

 

Q4. What message do you get from the poem?

Answer:-  We learn from the poem that universal brotherhood is a paramount need of the hour. Human beings from every nook and corner of the earth are alike in every respect. This poem is an insightful poem endorsing man to give up wars as it is incorrect to differentiate between people and breed hatred and violence on the basis on the basis of caste, creed, colour, language, region, religion and gender.

 

Q5. Do you find any rhyme-scheme in the poem?

Answer:-  This poem has been written in the free verse and hence has no rhyme scheme.

 

Q6. What is the style used by the poet in the poem?

Answer:-  The poet has used repetition and plain logic.

09. To Blossoms.

y Robert Herrick. In this poem, the poet has beautifully illustrated that human life is like a blossom which withers away in a short span of time. The poet sorrowfully addresses the magnificent blossoms of a tree very sadly, e wonders why they fall and fall away so fast. He doesn’t see the need for them to fall so fast, as they still have time to bloom, blush and smile. He seems to suggest that although all living things which finally die, yet life must be lived to the fullest.                                                                                                                              

               The poet ponders why the blossoms were born merely for an hour and half’s delight. He says that it is indeed a pity that nature gave birth to such beauty only to snatch it away so quickly. The poet mourns the fact that blossoms have a short life span. The poet compares blossoms to the leaves/pages of a book where we can read the fate of our morality. The poet feels that blossoms are brave they give their best in terms of colour and beauty, fully aware that death is inevitable. Giving their best, they beautifully glide into their grave without regret. Although dejected, the poet realises that blossoms show us that every moment is precious and one must live life to the fullest as it is ever changing.

 

Understanding the poem

Q1. In what ay are the blossoms pledges of the fruitful tree?

Answer:-   The poet has beautifully compared blossoms to be pledges of a fruitful tree signifying that if there are more blossoms, then a good harvest of fruit can be expected in the future. The deeper symbolic meaning is that young children are like blossoms from which parents have great expectations. Parents believe that their dreams will be fulfilled by their offsprings.

 

Q2. What is the poet’s wish about the blossoms?

Answer:-  The poet wishes that blossoms should stay for a longer time and not wither away so fast in a quick span of life. He feels that they should captivate the heart of on lookers by their presence. The deeper symbolic meaning is that the period of youth should be longer and death should not come quickly.

 

Q3. What does the poet mean by saying “why do ye fall so fast”?

Answer:-  The poet asks a rhetorical question to the blossoms ‘why do ye fall so fast?” because the blossoms are gone in too short span of life. The deeper symbolic meaning is that period of youth should stay longer and death should not come quickly.

 

 

Q4. Why does the poet compare human life to blossoms?

Answer:-  The poet compares human life to blossoms because they share the same fate. They show that for all living things death is inevitable. Life is ever changing which can be seen as a beautiful palette of colours both black and white, where a thing created will ultimately has to vanish.

 

Q5. Name some blossoms of the J&K state?

Answer:-  Some of the blooming trees of the Jammu and Kashmir state are almond, Cherry, Peach. Apricot,  Apple etc.

 

Q6. What is ‘pity’ referred to in second stanza?

Answer:-  Pity in the second stanza is referred to the blossoms because the blossoms are gone in too short span of time. The poet wants them to stay longer and captivate the heart of onlookers. The deeper symbolic meaning is that the period of youth should be longer and death should not come quickly.

10. Beauty


Summary: The poem “Beauty” has been written by John Edward Mansfield. In this poem, the poet seems to be fascinated by the beauty of his beloved. In this poem the poet compares his beloved to all the beauties of nature but finds her the most beautiful. He says that he had seen the beauty of dawn and sunset on the moors and also on windy hills. The poet is attracted by the beauty of his beloved just as someone is attracted by the slow old sublime tunes of Spain. He further says that he has watched the beauty of the daffodils and lovely springing grasses that spring up in April. He has enjoyed the soft showers of rain in this month. He had also been impressed by the sweet melodies produced by blossoms and the chanting sound of the sea waves. He has also travelled far and wide and has seen many strange lands.

            The poet has seen many beautiful things on the earth. But he thinks his beloved’s beauty has attracted him the most. He has been attracted by the sweet voice, beautiful hair, attractive eyes and a curve of her lips. Actually, the poet means to say God had not created anything as beautiful as his beloved.

 

Understanding the Poem

 

Q1. What are the various things of beauty the speaker has seen?

Answer:-  The speaker has seen the beauty of dawn and sunset on the moors and windy hills, the lady April that brings the daffodils, springing grass and soft showers of rain. He has also heard the sweet melodies produced by blossoms and the chanting sound of sea waves. He has seen strange lands from sea ships and heard slow old tunes of Spain. But the most beautiful things which he has seen are his beloved’s sweet voice, beautiful hair, attractive eye and red curve of her lips.

 

Q2. What are the loveliest of all these things God has shown to the poet?

Answer:-  The loveliest things God has shown to the poet are his beloved’s sweet voice, beautiful hair, attractive eye and red curve of her lips.

 

Q3. To whom do the words in the last time refer to?

Answer:-  The words in the last line refer to the poet’s beloved.

 

Q4. Why does the poet compare dawn and the sunset to slow old tunes of Spain?

Answer:- The dawn and the sunset are very lovely scenes of nature. They attract the on-lookers and leave a deep impression on their mind. The poet compares the dawn and sunset, the slow old tunes also attract the lover’s of music and leave a deep impression on their minds and also gives a soothing sensation.

 

Q5. How does God’s creation appear to the poet?

Answer:-  God’s creation is very beautiful and unique. It consist of many wonderful and beautiful scenes of dawn and sunset, the slow old tunes of music, beautiful flowers like daffodils, green grass, blossoms, strange lands, sweet melodies produced by blossoms and the chanting sound of sea waves etc. are all attractive. But God’s art in creating poet’s beloved’s sweet voice, beautiful hair, attractive eyes and a red curve of her lips is priceless.

 

Q6. What does the poet mean by the song of blossoms?

Answer:-  When the wind blows fast, the blossoms produce a murmuring sound. It sounds to the poet like the sweet tones of music coming out. He is thrilled by these melodies.

 

Q7. What is the contrast between the last line and the rest of the poem? What does it suggest?

Answer:-  In the rest of the poem, the poet has described many wonderful and beautiful sights and scenes of nature. He had described the scene of dawn and sunset, beautiful flowers like daffodils, the slow old tunes of Spain, green springing grass, blossoms, strange lands, sweet melodies produced by blossoms and the chanting sound of the sea waves etc. but in the last line the poet says that there are things more beautiful which are his beloved’s sweet voice, beautiful hair, attractive eyes and a curve on her lips.  He means to say that beauty of all the objects of nature can be put to a no match before his beloved.

 

04 The Road Not Taken

SummaryThe poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about the choices that one makes in life. It tells about a man who comes to a fork in the road he is travelling upon. He feels sorry that he cannot travel both paths as he must choose one. Frost uses this fork in the road to represent a point in the man’s life where he has to choose the direction he wishes to take in life. As he thinks about his decision he looks down one path as far as he can see trying to foresee what life will be like if he walks that path. He then gazes at the other trail and decides the outcome of going down that path would be just as pleasant. At this point he concludes that the trail that has been less travelled on would be more rewarding when he reaches the end of it. The man then decides that he will save the other path for another day, even though he knows that one path leads to another and that he won’t get a chance to go back. The man then says that he will be telling this story with a “sigh” someday in the future suggesting that he will wonder what life would have been like if he had chosen the more walked path even though the path he chose has made all the difference.

 

Understanding the poem

Q1. Where does the traveler find himself? What problem does he face?

Answer:- The traveler found himself at a place from which two roads diverged into a yellow wood. The problem he faced was that he had to choose between the two roads. He could not travel both. Hence, the making of the decision of which road to take was the dilemma in his mind.

 

Q2. What is the difference between the two roads as described by the poet

(i) in stanzas two and three?

(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?

Answer:-  (i) In stanzas two and three, the poet expresses the similarities between the two roads. He says that both were equally fair. The road that he took was grassy and seemed as if it wanted some wear as it had not been used enough. However, he again says that the people who had taken the two roads had worn them both about the same. That particular morning when he had to make the choice between the two roads, he saw both of them as they lay equally in leaves that no step had crushed or worn out to make them black. Hence, the poet has shown the two roads as quite similar to each other.

 

(ii) In the last two lines of the poem, the poet has expressed his thought that he had taken the road that was less travelled by. This is when he had walked down that road. Hence, in the last two lines, he is aware of what the road he took brought him to. While earlier he found the two roads quite similar to each other when he was in the dilemma of making the decision of which road to take, in the end he realized that the road he had finally chosen was less travelled by, which eventually made all the difference.

 

Q3. Which road does the poet choose? Does he regret his choice?

Answer:-  Both the roads were covered with undergrowth. The one which the poet took was “grassy” and apparently less used and thus, wanted wear.  The road he chose seemed to tread upon lesser than the other. His road seems to be grassy as well while the other was not.

 The mention of a “sigh” indicates that the poet regretted his choice. However, the satisfied expression in the line, “And that has made all the difference” compels us to think otherwise. The speaker seems happy and satisfied when he says - “And that has made all the difference.” However, the sigh just before this makes us question his happiness.

        The poet says “I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.” The difference that the poet mentions is probably the degree of success which he has achieved and the amount of happiness and fulfillment he must have felt by travelling the unexplored way.

 

Q4. Find the rhyme scheme of the poem.

Answer:-  Rhyme scheme in a poem is the pattern of rhyme formed in between the lines. It can also be explained as the pattern of end rhymes or lines. A rhyme scheme gives the scheme of the rhyme; a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem (the end words). It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme.

The rhyme scheme of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost is a, b, a, a, b.

     For instance,

I shall be telling this with a sigh

A

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

B

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

A

I took the one less travelled by,

A

And that has made all the difference.

B

Q5.  Explain the meaning of the following phrases.

(i)   A yellow wood

(ii)  Bent in the undergrowth

(iii) Trodden black

 

Answer:-  Meaning of Phrases:

i.        It could mean either a forest with trees having yellow leaves or may be a forest with sandalwood trees.

ii.      The road that he decided to take was grassy and it was less worn out as compared to the other. This implies that the road was not too much in use as the grass was still afresh and it seemed that not many people had walked on it.

iii.    This refers to the fact that the road was lined with leaves, which were fresh and no step had trodden them black. This means that nobody has walked on that road as there were no marks of foot on the leaves and they were as fresh as ever.

05.I Cannot Remember

My Mother


Summary: The poem “I cannot remember My Mother” has been written by Rabindranath Tagore is a gentle, nostalgic poem written by the poet. The poem eloquently reveals the deep seated emotional bonding, the poet feels for his mother whom he lost during infancy. Although the poet cannot remember his mother clearly, moments shared with her form an image in his mind which show the sensitive and intense feelings, he feels has for his mother.                                                                            

                   The poet says that although he cannot remember his mother, he sometimes senses her presence while playing. At certain times he hears a tune which triggers off a memory and he seems to hear that tune while playing with his toys. The tune reminds him of a song (lullaby) she sang while rocking the cradle.                                                                                                                                         

                    The smell of shiuli flowers on an early autumn morning makes him recollect how his mother, who was a religious woman, prepared prayer (pooja) service in the temple. When he smells the shiuli flowers he feels his mother’s presence. At times, when the poet is gazing up at the sky from his bedroom window, he does not feel alone or motherless as he can feel his mother looking at him with love and concern. It spread all across the sky and is protecting him in its warm embrace.  

 

Glossary

Word

Meaning

Hover

to stay in one place in the air, usually by moving the wings quickly

Hum

to make a continuous low sound

Rock(v)

to (cause someone or something to) move backwards and forwards or from side to side in a regular way

Rock(n)

a type of popular music with a strong loud beat which is usually played with electric guitars and drums

Cradle

a small bed for a baby, especially one that swings from side to side

Shiuli

(Chamomile) A white flower used by devotees in pooja in Bengal.

Gaze

to look at something or someone for a long time, especially in surprise, admiration or because you are thinking about something else

 

Understanding the poem

Q1. What is the poet doing when he remembers his mother?

Ans: The poet is playing with his playthings when he remember his tune humming over, exactly like, when his mother hummed tunes to send him to sleep in a cradle.

 

Q2. In what ways does the poet feels the presence of his mother?

Ans: The poet feels the presence of his mother in many ways. While playing he hears as if there is some tune humming over, exactly like, when his mother hummed tunes to send in to sleep in the cradle. In the autumn mornings, he gets the smell of shiuli flowers and he feels her presence because his mother took shiuli flowers  for the morning service in the temple. Sitting at the window of his bedroom and looking at the sky, he feels that his mother is gazing at him from above the sky in the same way as she used to bend over him gaze at him with motherly affection when she was above.

 

Q3. What does the poet hear when he is at play?

Ans: While at play the poet hears as if someone is humming a tune in the same way as his mother hummed tunes (lullaby) to send him to sleep in the cradle.

 

Q5. Is the poet’s mother dead or alive? How do you come to know about it?

Ans: The poet’s mother is dead. She died when the poet was just a child (infant). That is why he doesn’t remember her fully. He only has faint memories about his mother. The poet mentions various experiences which remind him of his mother.

 

Q6. What sights and smell reminds poet of his mother?

Ans: The poet feels the presence of his mother in many ways. While playing he hears as if there is some tune humming over, exactly like, when his mother hummed tunes to send in to sleep in the cradle. In the autumn mornings, he gets the smell of shiuli flowers and he feels her presence because his mother took shiuli flowers  for the morning service in the temple. Sitting at the window of his bedroom and looking at the sky, he feels that his mother is gazing at him from above the sky in the same way as she used to bend over him gaze at him with motherly affection when she was above.

 

Q4. What word do we use for the cradle song?

Ans: The word ‘Lullaby’ is used for the cradle song. In the poem the word ‘Humming Tune’ is used for the cradle song.

 

Q7. What are the feelings that this poem arouses in you?

Ans: This poem arouses feelings of pity for the poet. He lost his mother when he was an infant. He does not remember anything about her. Yet he feels her presence in everything about him.

 

Q8. Pick out the visual and aural images which appeal to our senses directly?

Ans: The poet hears a tune hovering over his playthings. It is an aural image. He feels the smell of shiuli flowers floating in the air. It is a visual image. He also feels the scent of the morning service in the temple. It is again a visual image.

 

Q9. The poem does not have a rhyme scheme or a fixed length for each line. Did you enjoy the poem? If yes, why?

Ans: There is no rhyme scheme in this poem. The length of the lines is also not uniform. Yet the poem charms by virtue of its music. It sweeps the reader with its effortlessness and word pictures. It is a highly imaginative piece which is the hallmark of all good poetry.

06. On Killing a Tree

Summary: The poem “On Killing A Tree” has been written by ‘Gieve Patel’ in this poem the poet expresses his sympathetic feelings towards the trees. E states that tree is as alive as other living things. The tree grows to its full size and strength by absorbing the years of sunlight, water and air. It slowly grows out of the earth and sprouts leaves and branches.                                                              

                If the tree is chopped by an axe, the sap oozes out of its cut portion just as a wounded person bleeds but with the passage of the time that portion of the tree gets healed up and ne branches and leaves grows in their original size and appearance if remained unchecked.                                                 

                 At the end the poet says that a tree can’t be killed by simply giving it a blow or a chop by the knife or an axe keeping in view its strength it has gained in the due course of time.  It can be killed completely by uprooting it out of the earth, because its roots get exposed to open air and will dry up leading to its death by draining out all the wetness and nutrients out of it.                                                         

                 In the same way the poet explains that we cannot end an evil until and unless it’s very source is found out, exposed and destroyed. To kill an evil, its source has to be rooted out. All life has to be drained out of it till it is completely dead. No chance should be left out its sprouting again. The poem is thus a dark reminder of the reality that evils continue to grow if man adopts an uncaring and complacent attitude towards the evils in the society.

 

Theme: The poem is in the form of a satire, in which poet has used a tree as a symbol of some deep rooted evil. The poet explains that we cannot end an evil until and unless its very source is found out, exposed and destroyed. To kill an evil, its source has to be rooted out. All life has to be drained out of it till it is completely dead. No chance should be left out its sprouting again. The poem is thus a dark reminder of the reality that evils continue to grow if man adopts an uncaring and complacent attitude towards the evils in the society.

 

Understanding the poem

Q1. Growth of a tree is a longer process; killing of a tree is a longer process. Do you agree?

Ans: A simple blow of a knife cannot kill a tree because it takes many years for a tree to grow and rise out of the earth. It absorbs years of sunlight, water, minerals and air to grow leaves and become tall. Hence, only a chop cannot kill it because it will slowly rise again and grow to its original size. To kill a tree it needs to be uprooted from the earth. So, killing a tree is a longer process.

 

 

Q2.  How has the tree grow to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.

Ans: The tree grows to its full size by absorbing years of sunlight, water, and air. It slowly grows out of the earth and sprouts leaves. The words suggestive of its life and activity are ‘grown slowly consuming the earth’, ‘rising out of it’, ‘feeding upon its crust’, ‘absorbing years of sunlight, air, water’, and ‘sprouting leaves’.

 

Q3. What does the poet mean by the “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?

Ans: ‘Bleeding bark’ refers to the area on the tree trunk where the tree had been hit with the axe. The poet uses the word ‘bleeding’ in order to show that the wood cutter has wounded the tree by hitting and chopping it. It bleeds because the woodcutter has tried to take away its life and has, therefore, harmed it by cutting it, which resulted in the ‘bleeding’.

 

Q4. The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does it signify?

Ans: In the beginning of the third stanza, the poet has said “No” to lay emphasis on the fact that the mere chopping of the tree would not kill it. The tree would grow again and retain its original size. In order to kill it, it needs to be uprooted from the earth.

 

Q5. What does the poet mean by the “earth cave”?

Ans: “Earth cave” refers to the ground on which the foundation of the tree is laid as it holds the roots and keeps the tree standing tall and protects it from adversities such as heavy rainfall or storm.

 

Q6. What according to the poet can kill a tree?

Ans: According to the poet a tree cannot be killed by a simple blow of a knife. It can be killed by only uprooting it from the earth. The tree is finally killed by the uprooting of its roots. When the roots, which had anchored it lying hidden in the earth for years, were dug out, the tree’s strength was exposed and this led to the death of the tree. It dried up after it had been uprooted.

 

Q7. How do you find the style employed by the poet in the poem? Read the poem once again.

Ans: The poem is in the critical form in which poet has used a tree as a symbol of some deep rooted evil. The poet explains that we cannot end an evil until and unless its very source is found out, exposed and destroyed. To kill an evil, its source has to be rooted out. All life has to be drained out of it till it is completely dead. No chance should be left out its sprouting again. The poem is thus a dark reminder of the reality that evils continue to grow if man adopts an uncaring and complacent attitude towards the evils in the society.


07. Cart Driver

   Summary of the poem

This poem depicts the love of a mother for her young ones. In the darkness of the night, the footfalls of a bulbul are heard. It is moving its steps in a very careful and caurious manner. It is looking for food for its four little ones who are in the nest.

The bulbul is moving about fearfully. It doesn’t want to be noticed by anyone. It hears a sound and get disturbed. It has a grain in its beak and want to reach its nest quickly. Its little ones don’t know what this sound is and continue chirping in the nest.

It is the sound of a bullock cart passing through the forest. The bulbul hides itself in the bushes. The bullocks are moving, but the driver is asleep. His eyes are covered with his turban. He is snoring. If his hookah overturns, There can be a fire in the forest. The bulbul imagines that there is a fire and at once tries to fly to its young ones in the nest. But out of fear, it can’t lift its legs and fly.

Thus this poem reveals the love of a mother for her children and also her concern for her own life.

Textual Questions

Q1. Why is the bulbul afraid? Why does the bulbul want to hasten to its nest?

Ans. It is afraid because it has heard same sound. It wants to hasten to its nest because its little ones are there and it does not want to harm should come to them.

 

Q2. Why does the bulbul hide itself in the bushes?

Ans. It hides itself in the bushes because it has heard the sound of wheels moving on the dry leaves.

 

Q3. What does the bulbul imagine?

Ans. It imagines the forest is on fire.

 

Q4. What feeling does bulbul’s imagination arouse in the reader?

Ans. It arouses feelings of pity in the reader.

 

Q5. Why is the poem named ‘Cart Driver’?

Ans. It is because of the foolish driver’s irresponsible act that the poor bulbul filled with fear. The poet wants the readers not to commit the folly of the cart driver. That is why the poet has been named ‘Cart Driver’.

 

Q6. Have you ever feared anything either in the reality or in your imagination?

Ans. Once while passing through a forest at night, I heard all sorts of sounds. They filled with me fear. I don’t know if the fear was real or imaginary.

 

Q7. What images does the poet use to create an atmosphere of fear and silence in the poem?

Ans. The following images create an atmosphere of silence and fear in the poem:

1.fearful silence of the forest.

2. Its ears pricked to pick some sound somewhere.

3. Throes of fear.

4. The cart driver’s hookah overturns.

5. Imagines the forest on fire.

6. Cannot lift its legs out of fear.

Q8. The poem reveals a tussle between the love a mother has for her children and the love the mother has for own self as a person. Discuss.

One’s own life is also but natural. So I don’t think there is any tussle between these two kinds of love. The mother does try to fly to its little ones, but she Can’t lift her feet out of fear. There is no tussle in her mind.


08. To the Cuckoo

                 Summary

The poet hears the sweet voice of a cuckoo. It has recently come from its winter quarters. The sweet music of bird fills the poet’s heart with joy. He welcomes the bird with many sweet names. He calls it a happy newcomer. He calls it a wandering voice since the cuckoo’s voice is heard sometimes from far off and sometimes from very near. The song of the cuckoo brings to the poet memories of his boyhood days. He used to look for the bird in bushes, in trees and in the sky. But he could never find the bird. He could only hear its voice. He says that even now the cuckoo is to him an invisible mysterious thing. He calls it the darling of the spring and a blessed bird. It transforms this earth into a fairyland. In other words, on hearing the song of cuckoo, the poet forgets all the sorrows and sufferings of the material world.

 

Textual Questions

Q1. How does the cuckoo’s voice charm the poet?

Ans. It fills the poet’s heart with joy.

 

Q2. Why does the poet call the cuckoo a ‘wandering voice’ and the ‘darling of the spring’?

Ans. The cuckoo keeps moving from place to place while it is singing. So the poet calls it a ‘wandering voice’. Its song is heard only in spring season. So the poet calls it the ‘darling of the spring’.

 

Q3. Which childhood experiences does the poet describe in stanzas five and six?

Ans. On hearing the sweet voice of cuckoo, the poet would start looking for it everywhere. He would look for it in bushes, in trees and in the sky. He would look for it in the woods and on the green. But he was never able to find it. It always remained an invisible mysterious thing for him.

 

Q4. What does ‘golden time’ refer to?

Ans. It was the time of the poet’s boyhood when he was a schoolboy.

 

Q5. What is personified in the poem?

Ans. The sweet voice of the cuckoo has been personified in the poem.

Q6.  What is the rhyme-scheme of the poem?

Ans. The rhyme-scheme in each stanza is abab.

 

Q7.What imagery does Wordsworth use to portray the beauty of nature in the poem?

Ans. Wordsworth uses the imagery of pictorial pictures to portray the beauty of nature. His descriptions create visual pictures of the cuckoo. We can see with our mind’s eye the cuckoo hopping and singing from tree to tree and bush to bush.

 

Q8. Have you ever heard a cuckoo sing? How did you feel about it?

Ans. There is a mango grove near our house. I have often heard the bird singing there in the spring season. Its sweet music always charms my heart.

 

Q9. Discuss the importance of music in our day to day life?

Ans. Music relieves the tensions of our life. It calms and soothes our troubled spirit. It is a food of the soul.


09 Palanquin Bearers.

Palanquin Bearers (Sarojini Naidu)

Summary of the Poem

 This poem is in the form of a song sung by a group of palanquin-bearers. They go singing their song while they are carrying the bride to her husband’s house. In their song, they describe how the bride looks as she is being carried. The poem is merely a collection of different similies used to describe the bride. There are  twelve lines in the poem and seven  

of these are in the form of similes. They are---

1. She sways like a flower in the wind of our song.

2. She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream.

3. She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.

4. We bear her along like a pearl on a string.

5. She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.

6. She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide.

7. She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.

Some of these similes are quite clear as;--‘falls like tear from the eyes of a bride’. Others are very abstract; as—‘floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream’. In these two similes, we have mingling of the two similes, we have a mingling of the two emotions of joy and sorrow. There is sorrow in the bride’s heart because she is leaving her parents. And there is joy at the prospect of a new life with her soulmate. The beauty of the poem lies in these similes.

    Textual Questions.

 

Q1. What are the feelings of the palanquin-bearers as they carry the princess inside the palanquin?

Ans. The feelings of the palanquin-bearers reveal their pleasure. For them, the princess is something very light, delicate and tender. She is like flower, a bird, a laughter, a star and a beam. The palanquin-bearers are quite sensitive to the princess’ delicate situation. They look upon her like a brittle thing. That is why they carry her with all care.

 

Q2.Lightly, O lightly we bear her along; she sways like a flower in the wind of our song.

What are these opening lines of the poem suggestive of? Do you think that the palanquin-bearers are sensitive to the presence of the bride?

Ans. In these lines, the palanquin-bearers describe through their song the manner in which they are carrying the bride in their palanquin. They are carrying her along very lightly. The bride sways as she is being carried along. She looks like a flower swinging in the wind. Yes, the palanquin-bearers are quite sensitive to the bride’s presence. They look upon her like a brittle thing. That is why they carry her with all care.

 

Q3. What is the rhyme-scheme of the poem? Pick out the pairs of rhyming words in the poem?

Ans. The rhyme-scheme of both the stanzas is aabbcc. The pairs of rhyming words are: long-song; stream-dream; sing-string; tide-bride.

 

Q4. In line 4, the poet says, ‘She floats like a laugh from the lips of dream’ and in line 10 she writes, ‘She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.’ Do you think that the poet has deliberately used the device of contrast? Why has she done so?

Ans. The poet has deliberately used the device of contrast because, on then one hand the bride is dreaming of a joyful and romantic life with her husband but, on the other, is full of deep pain aver her separation from the parents brothers and sisters.

 

Q5. Simile is a figure of speech used to compare the qualities of two objects or things using words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’. For example, the poet compares the bride to the flower. He says, ‘She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.’ The poem is full of similes. Pick out all the similes used by the poet in the poem.

Ans. The similes used in the poem are:

1. She sways like a flower in the wind of our song.

2. She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream.

3. She floats like a laugh from lips of a dream.

4. We bear her long like a pearl on the string.

5. She hangs like a star in the dew of our song.

6. She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide.

7. She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.

 

Q6. Refrain: Poet often use the device of refrain (refrain is a line or a part of aline or a group of lines repeated in the course of a poem). Did you notice that some words, lines/ parts of lines repeated in the poem?

Pick out these words or lines that are repeated. What effect does such repetition create in the poem?

Ans. The last line of the stanza 1 and that of the stanza 2 (We bear her long like a pearl on a string) has been used as refrain. This device produces charming music in the poem. It adds to the rhythmic appeal of the poem.

 

Q7. You have studied in the last poem about images. Read the poem and complete the following table by matching lines from the poem with the related images conveyed by them.

 

Line from the poem

Image conveyed

1. Skims like a bird

1. gliding movement of a bird flying a stream.

2. Sways like a flower

2. swaying movement of a flower in the    cool breeze.

3. Floats like laugh

3. floating movement of a bird in the sky.

4. Hangs like a star

4. twinkling of a solitary star in the sky.

5. Springs like a beam

5. springing beams of light on a tide.

6. Fall like a tear

6. galling tear on the face of a bride.

 


                        

10. The Child's Prayer


(Sir Muhammmad Iqbal)

Summary of the Poem

This poem is in the form of a child’s prayer of God. The child prays that his life may serve as a candle light for others. He wishes the darkness and ignorance of the world to vanish. He wishes to fill every corner of the world with the light of knowledge and goodness. He also wants to love his land and make it beautiful in the same way as blossoms make a garden beautiful. He wants God to develop in him such love of knowledge which is an intense as the love of a moth for a shining light. In other words, he prepared even to sacrifice his life in the pursuit of knowledge. The mission of his life would be to love and serve the poor, the weak and those who are in pain. He wants his heart full of sympathy for poor and the suffering. He prays to God to save him from all snares of evil. He prays for a strong determination so that he can always keep to the way of virtue.

Textual Questions

 

Q1. Who is the speaker in the poem and whom is it addressed?

Ans. The speaker in the poem is a child. The poem is addressed to God.

 

Q2. What does the child wish to be? List his wishes in order they are described in the poem?

Ans. The child wishes to become candle light for others. He wishes that through him the darkness of the world may vanish. He wants to make his motherland as beautiful as a garden. He wants to serve the poor, the weak and those who are in pain. He wants to keep away from all evil. He wants to follow the path of goodness in his life always.

 

Q3. Why does the child wish to be- (a) candle (b) moth (3) blossom?

Ans. He wants to all these; a candle of light, moth of love and blossom of beauty.

 

Q4. What is the child’s mission?

Ans. This child’s mission is to love and serve the poor. He wants to give his sympathy for those who are weak and those who are in pain.

 

Q5. Identify metaphors and similes in the following lines:

My tender hopes arise to the lips I pray:

Kindly candle light may my life be!

As the moth goes round in the shining light in Zest

So let me love the candle of knowledge best!

Save me, my God, from all snares of evil:

Ans. Metaphors:

1. My tender hopes arise to the lips.

2. The candle of knowledge.

3. Snares of evil.

4. Kindly candle light may my life be!

Simile:  As the moth goes round the shining light in zest.


01. The Adventure of Toto


(PDF Source: MBD English Guide-D.P BHANOT and SHAILJA SANGAR)



Thinking about the text

Q1. How did Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?

Answer:-  Grandfather bought Toto from a tonga-driver for five rupees. The tonga-driver kept the monkey tied to a feeding-trough. It looked so out of place there that grandfather decided he would add it to his private zoo.

Q2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?

Answer:-  Toto was pretty in its features. Its bright eyes sparkled with mischief beneath deep-set eyebrows. Its teeth, which were pearl white, were very often displayed in a smile that frightened the life out of elderly Anglo-Indian ladies. Its fingers were quick and wicked and its tail, while adding to its good looks, served as a third hand.

Q3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how?

Answer:-  Toto was transferred to a big cage in the servants’ quarters where a number of grandfather’s pets lived together. However, Toto would not allow other animals to sleep at night. Therefore, grandfather, who had to leave for Saharanpur to collect his pension, decided to take it along with him. A big black canvas kit-bag with some straw at the bottom was arranged for Toto to travel in. The canvas was too strong for Toto to bite and he could not get his hands out through the opening in the bag.

Q4. Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?

Answer:-  When Toto poked its head out of the bag at Saharanpur station, the ticket collector was taken aback. He called Toto a dog and asked grandfather to pay for its travel. Even after repeated explanations and convincing by the grandfather, the ticket collector charged him for the monkey by calling it a dog. As all he could see was a four legged animal which he thinks to be a pet dog and the four legged animals are being charged making them to travel through train.

Q5. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this?

Answer:-  A large bowl of warm water was given to Toto for his bath. He would cunningly test the temperature of water with his hand before stepping into the bowl. He would then gradually step into the bowl. Once comfortable, he would take the soap and rub it all over himself using his hands or his feet. When the water became cold, he would get out and run quickly to the kitchen fire in order to dry himself. Toto learnt to do so as he had seen the narrator do the same.

Q6. How does Toto almost boil himself alive?

Answer:-  Once, a large kitchen kettle had been left on the fire to boil for tea. Toto removed the lid and found the water warm enough for a bath. He quickly got into the kettle with only his head popping out. When the water began to boil, Toto raised himself a little. However, finding it cold outside, he sat down again. He continued hopping up and down for some time until grandmother took him out. By this time Toto had almost boiled himself alive.

Q7. Which activity of Toto annoyed grandmother?

Answer:-  Toto picked up a dish of pullao and went out through a window. He stayed on the branch of the jackfruit tree all afternoon. He ate slowly all the grains of rice in the dish. Then he threw the dish down the tree. When the dish broke into pieces, he chattered with delight. All this annoyed grandmother very much.

Q8. Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?

Answer:-  The author said that Toto was not the sort of pet they could keep for long because he was very mischievous and kept destroying things at home. He would tear things to pieces. He would make every effort to tear a hole in the narrator’s aunt’s dresses. On a particular instance, the narrator and his family saw Toto on the dining table stuffing itself with rice. In order to spite the grandmother, he threw the rice dish down from the tree and chattered with delight when it broke into pieces. The narrator and his grandfather realized that they were not too well-to-do and could not afford the loss of household items on a frequent basis. It is for this reason that grandfather sold Toto back to the tonga-driver that too only for three rupees.

 

 

 

19. Moti-Guj- Mutineer


Glossary

Trample

to act without any respect for someone or something causing damage or injury

Pound (n)

 (money) the standard unit of money in the UK and some other countries

Pound (n)

(weight) a unit for measuring weight, One pound is approximately equal to 454 grams

(Written abbreviation lb).

Pound (v)

(beat) to hit or beat repeatedly with a lot of force, or to crush something by hitting it repeatedly

Yell

to shout something or make a loud noise, usually when you are angry, in pain or excited

Stumps

the part of something such as tree, tooth, arm or leg which is left after most of it has been removed, the stump of a tree

Bang

to (cause something to) make a sudden very loud noise or noises

Gallop

(of a horse) to run fast so that all four feet come off the ground together in each act of forward movement, or (of a person) to ride a horse that is running in this way.

 

Thinking about the text

Q1. Why did Moti Guj love his master even though he would beat him sometimes?

Ans: Moti Guj was the absolute property of his mahout - Deesa, Moti Guj was a very powerful elephant but Deesa was a foolish drunkard. Deesa used to beat Moti Guj on his nails with a tent peg, but Moti Guj never hurt him because he knew that when the beating would be over, Deesa would embrace his trunk and weep with regret. He would call Moti Guj his love and give him some liquor, which Moti Guj was very fond of.

 

Q2. How long was Deesa to be away and how did he tell Moti Guj about it?

Ans: Deesa was to be away for ten days. He told Moti Guj about it by hitting him 10 times on the nails of his rear forefoot with a tent peg.

 

Q3. What were the lies that Deesa told his employer? Why did he do so?

Ans: Deesa told many lies to the planter. He told him that his mother had died. The planter who knew Deesa’s way of lying told him that his mother had died one year ago and again two months before. Then Deesa told him it was his aunt and when this didn’t work e told that there was plague in his village and all his wives were dying.                                                                                                         

        Deesa told such dreadful stories because he wanted to get properly drunk as his daily dose of little liquor could not satisfy his thirst. He could only be satiated by getting properly drunk.

 

Q4. How did Deesa look after Moti Guj?

Ans: Deesa fed Moti Guj fully and when though he got violent sometimes yet he loved him. Once in a week, Deesa would lead Moti Guj to the river. Moti Guj would lay on his side in the shallows, while Deesa rubbed him with a coir swab and a brick. Moti Guj never mistook the pounding blow of the brick or the smack of the coir swab that warned him to get up and turn over on the other side. Deesa would then look at his feet and examine his eyes and turn up the corners of his mighty ears in case of sores. After inspection the two would stand up; Moti Guj all black and shining.

 

Q5. How did Moti Guj bid Deesa goodbye?

Ans: Deesa as going away for 10 days to become fully drunk. Moti Guj felt very sad because was not going, he put his trunk around Deesa and swung him in air twice, this was his way of bidding goodbye.

 

Q6. Why did Moti Guj become a mutineer?

Ans: When Deesa was gone for 10 days, Moti Guj felt very lonely without him. He waited patiently for Deesa to return, but on the dawn of 11th day Deesa was nowhere to be seen. He had become drunk and danced in a marriage procession of his own cast. Moti Guj wandered meaninglessly in the plantation. This is why Moti Guj became a mutineer.                                                                                

        While he was roaming, Chihun, his temporary mahout ran after him and ordered him to put Chihun on his neck, when Moti Guj refused to obey him, he went to the plotter, who came out with a dog whip, but Moti Guj chased the planter away. He roamed away and slapped the other elephants at work and also made fun of them. When he was tired he returned to Chihun and waited for his food, but Chihun told him that if he won’t work he wouldn’t get any food. This enraged Moti Guj and he picked up Chihun’s baby who was his love and lift him twelve feet in the air above his father’s head.

 

Q7. How did Moti Guj react to Deesa’s return?

Ans: when Deesa came back he called upon the elephant and was very jubilant to see him. He fell into Deesa’s arms trumpeting with joy.

 

Q8. Why was Chihun angry with Moti Guj? How did Moti Guj react to his remarks?

Ans: As Moti Guj refused to follow his orders after 10 days and had spoilt the whole work field and also provoke the other elephants by disturbing them. So Chihun was angry with Moti Guj.

      When Moti Guj refused to work and later came back for his food in the evening Chihun threatened Moti Guj not being served the food as it didn’t obey his orders and refused to work. Moti Guj reacted very cleverly to Chihun’s remarks by lifting his baby high up in the air and agreed to put him down only when it will be served with the food Chihun promised for putting down the baby safely.

 

Writing work

Q. Write an account of love between Deesa and Moti Guj.

Ans:  Moti Guj and Deesa loved each other in such a way as if they were real brothers of each other and were made for each other. They would not bear to remain way from each other. They would embrace each other’s love very much.                                                                                                 

           Moti Guj was the absolute property of his mahout - Deesa, Moti Guj was a very powerful elephant but Deesa was a foolish drunkard. Deesa used to beat Moti Guj on his nails with a tent peg, but Moti Guj never hurt him because he knew that when the beating would be over, Deesa would embrace his trunk and weep with regret. He would call Moti Guj his love and give him some liquor, which Moti Guj was very fond of.

Deesa fed Moti Guj fully and when though he got violent sometimes yet he loved him. Once in a week, Deesa would lead Moti Guj to the river. Moti Guj would lay on his side in the shallows, while Deesa rubbed him with a coir swab and a brick. Moti Guj never mistook the pounding blow of the brick or the smack of the coir swab that warned him to get up and turn over on the other side. Deesa would then look at his feet and examine his eyes and turn up the corners of his mighty ears in case of sores. After inspection the two would stand up; Moti Guj all black and shining.

       Moti Guj loved Deesa so much that it would not bear his separation for long and go for a mutiny if required for showing its frustration in absence of its master Deesa.

 

20. Old Man at the Bridge


Q1. Why were the old man’s clothes dusty? Why did he not cross the bridge?

Ans: The old man had come walking twelve kilometers on foot. That was why his clothes were dusty. He was now too tired to cross the bridge.

 

Q2: Why did the old man leave San Carlos? Why did he want to go to Barcelona?

Ans: he was told that there was going to be artillery fire, and was asked by  an army captain to leave the place. The soldier had told the old man that the army trucks were going towards Barcelona. Since the old man had no other place to go to, he thought of going to Barcelona itself.

Q3: ‘Oh,’ I said, not quite understanding….. what  was it about the old man’s statement; ‘I was taking care of animals’, that the narrator did not understand?

Ans: The old man did not look like a shepherd or a herdsman. So the narrator could not understand what animals the old man could have been taking care of.

 

Q4: Where did the narrator expect the approaching battle to take place?

Ans: the narrator expected the approaching battle to take place at some distance across the bridge.

 

Q5: ‘it’s better not to think about the others.’ What does the old man mean by ‘the others’? why does he say so?

Ans: By ‘the others’, the old man means his two goats and four pairs of pigeons. He is certain that his cat will take care of itself, but he is worried about ‘the others’. That is why he says, “ it’s better not to think about the others.”

 

Q6: Did the old man look upon his animals as his family? What made him worry about them? What did the old man fear would harm his animals?

Ans: yes, the old man looked upon his animals as his family. He had to leave them alone and did not known what would happen to them. He feared that the artillery fire would harm them.

 

Q7: The old man was a victim of he war, but he had not wish to play a part in it. How  do you come to know of this from the story?

Ans: the old man doesn’t say a word about war. He says he has no politics. It doesn’t matter to him which side wins or loses. His only concern seems to be his animals. To me, the old man seems to be a bit unhinged.

 

Q8: wars have an adverse effect on our lives. How does the story bring out this truth?

Ans: Wars certainly have an adverse effect on our lives. The whole town of San Carlos had to be evacuated. People had to leave their homes and they became refugees. The poor old man of the story had to walk twelve kilometers on foot. He had to leave his animals behind which he considered to be his family.



21. The Last Leaf

Thinking about the Text

Q1. What as the cause Johnsy’s illness? How could the illness be treated?

Ans: Johnsy was suffering from pneumonia. Only the willingness to live could cure her. She had made up her mind that she was not going to get well. The doctor said that if she did not want to live, then medicines would not help her.

 

Q2. Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers?

Ans: The feeling of depression that Johnsy had is common among teenagers. They get tense and depressed because of various factors. Studies, not scoring well in the examinations, expectations of parents, and peer pressure are some of the factors that have led to the growing problem of depression among teenagers.

 

Q3.  What was Behrman’s dream? Did it come true?

Ans: Behrman was a sixty year old painter. His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece. It does come true when he paints a leaf such that it looks extremely natural. He painted the last leaf left on a creeper.

 

Q4. How is “The Last leaf”? What makes Sue say so?

Ans: Behrman’s masterpiece was the painting of a leaf. It was the last leaf left on the creeper. Sue told Johnsy that Behrman had died of pneumonia. He was ill for only two days. The first day the janitor had found him on his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering. He had been out in that stormy night. They found a ladder and a lantern still lighted lying near his bed. There were also some brushes and green and yellow paints on the floor near the ladder. Sue asked Johnsy to look out of the window at the ivy leaf, which was the last remaining leaf on the creeper. She asked her if she did not wonder why it did not flutter when the wind blew. It was so because that last leaf was Behrman’s masterpiece. He painted it the night the last leaf fell. His masterpiece had given the strength to Johnsy to come out of her illness. Behrman’s masterpiece saved her life but took his own.

 

Language work

Idiomatic expression

Meaning

Sentence

Make up one’s mind

To reach a decision

He has made up his mind to go for MBBS.

Out of work

No work to do

During rainy season most of labourers remain out of work

By leaps and bounds

Gradual growth

It takes a number of leaps and bound for a tree to grow to its fullest.

Pour out worries

To unburden

After the examination is over students poured out all their worries.

Shed leaves

Falling of leaves

Most of the trees normally shed their leaves in the Autumn season.

Take after

To resemble or to follow

The normal work has been taken after the long strike.

Draw the curtain

To sneak in

Someone must have sneaked in the open shop to rob.

Draw the curtain

To forget

We should draw the curtain over what has happened in the past for our success.

Raise the curtain

To initiate or start

The curtain has been raised by the minster in the inaugural function of a new bridge.

22. The Happy Prince


Thinking about the text

Q1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?

Ans: The courtiers called the prince ‘the Happy Prince’ because he was always happy. When he was alive, he did not know what tears were for he lived in a palace where sorrow was not allowed to enter. However, when he died and was made into a statue, he was not happy and tears flowed down his eyes on seeing the state of his city. He could see all the misery and ugliness of the city around him.

 

Q2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress’ house?

Ans: The Happy Prince sent a ruby for the seamstress as she was extremely poor and could not feed her child who was suffering from fever.

The swallow picked out the ruby from the Happy Prince’s sword and flew to the seamstress’ house. On reaching the house he saw that the seamstress had fallen asleep because she was tired and the little boy was tossing feverishly on the bed. The swallow laid the ruby on the table and flew gently round the bed, fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings. The boy immediately felt cool, thought the fever must be improving and fell off to sleep.

 

Q3.For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?

Ans: The Happy Prince sent the sapphires for two people: the young writer across the city and the match girl. The young writer was trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre. However, he was too cold to write anymore, there was no fire in the grate and hunger had made him faint. He sent the sapphire to the young playwright so that he could sell it to the jeweler, buy firewood, and finish his play. On seeing the sapphire, the young man felt appreciated and believed that he could finish his play.

The Happy Prince then saw a little match girl who was standing in the square just below him. She had let her matches fall in the gutter because of which they were all spoiled. The prince knew that her father would beat her if she did not bring home some money. When the swallow slipped the jewel into the palm of the little girl’s hand, she ran home happy and laughing.

 

Q4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?

When the swallow was flying over the city, it saw the rich making merry and the beggars sitting at the gates of the rich men’s houses. It flew into the dark lanes and saw the white faces of starving children. Under the archway of a bridge, it saw two little boys lying in each other’s arms trying to keep themselves warm in the rain. They were extremely hungry and on top of it, they were asked by the watchman to vacate the archway. The swallow went back and told the Prince about all it had seen.

 

Q5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?

When the Happy Prince had given both his sapphire eyes to the needy, the swallow decided to stay with him as he was blind. It did not leave for Egypt even though the Prince urged him to. When the snow came, followed by frost, the little swallow grew colder and colder. However, it did not leave the Prince as it loved him very much. It fed itself on the crumbs outside the bakery and kept itself warm by flapping its wings. However, at last, it knew it was going to die. It flew to the Prince, said goodbye, and asked if it could kiss his hand. It kissed the Prince’s lips and fell down dead at its feet.

23. A Basketful of sea-Trout

(Neil Grant)

          Vocabulary 


wwoword-Meaning

s     parsely


Textual Questions

Q1. The atmosphere is eerie and makes even the judge jumpy.

Let us see how the eerie atmosphere is built up.

(i). the wind: does it moan or does it blow gently?

(ii). The lodge: Is not in the heart of a village gently?

(iii). Servants: Do servants live in the lodge or not?

(iv). Glen: Is it silent or is it full of strange sound?

(v). time of the day: Does the action take place at twilight or when there is pitch darkness outside?

Ans. 1. The wind moans.

         2. It is isolated

         3. No, servants don’t live in the lodge.

         4. It is full of strange sounds.

         5. There is pitch darkness.

 

Q2. Nellie Salter ‘ rejoiced in evil’. How does Mrs Lomond describe Nellie’s character? If so, why?

Ans. Mrs. Lomond paints Nellie as an evil character. She says that Nellie rejoiced in ensnaring young men and then ruining their lives. She felt happy to see men giving their lives or killing each other for  her sales. Mrs. Lomond thus tries to justify her action of killing Nellie Salter.

 

Q3: “I have lost my son.” Why did Mrs. Lomond make this statement?

Ans: Mrs. Lomond had already committed suicide. And it was for the shake of her son that she first killed Nellie and then killed herself. Thus she was in a way right that she had lost her son. Death had separated her from her son.

 

Q4: the judge did not believe that Hector was tracking Nellie. Why?

Ans: Nobody could tell during the trial what way Nellie had taken while coming back down the hill or the way in which she had been murdered. That was why  the judge did not believe that Hector was tracking Nillie.

 

Q5: Why, do you think, Mrs. Lomond committed suicide?

Ans: She committed suicide for the sake of her son. She did not want that her son should be rearrested if the case of Nellie’s murder was reopened. So she wrote down a statement confessing Nellie’s murder and then committed suicide.

Q6: Why leaving the judge’s lodge, the chief constable says, “it has been a most interesting experience.” Why does he say so?

Ans: it has been proved that Mrs. Lomond had committed suicide in the afternoon. But it also seems certain that she visited the judge’s lodge that very night and had left a basketful of sea-trout there. That is way the chief constable says, “it has been a most interesting experience.”

 

Q7: Why has the play been given the title ‘A Basketful of Sea-trout’?

Ans: the whole suspense and mystery of the play centres round the basket of trout.without it, there could be any explanation of Jean’s visit to the judge’s lodge. It could be said that the judge and his friend were merely hallucinating. That is why the play has been titled ‘A basketful of Sea-trout’. It is both the centre and the climax of the play.

 

Q8: how did the judge and Brodie deduce that Mrs. Lomond had killed Nellie Salter?

Ans: Mrs. Lomond’s own descriptions lead the judge and Brodie to deduce that it was she who had committed the murder. She knows each and every detail of Nellie’s activities on the day of the murder. She knows every  detail of het way Nellie had taken whil going up the hill and also while  coming back down the hill. She also knows that Nellie, while going up the hill, had takenout her make-up material, and beautified herself. And then ther is the dark pain in which she paints her character. She says that Nellie was a wicked woman. She enjoyed ensnaring young men and then  ruining their lives. She felt a great joy to see men giving away their lives or killing each other for her sake. Mrs, Lomond’s own son had fallen in Love with her  and she feared a sad end for him also. All these details given by Mrs. Lomond Leave the judge and Brodie in no doubt that it was mrs. Lomond  who had killed Nellie while she was coming down the hill  and was following the path as the path of Red Deer.

 

Q9: Why did mrs Lomond come to the judge’s lodge? Give two reasons

Ans: Mrs. Lomond visited the judge’s lodge for two main reasons:

1. she wanted  to thank the judge for having set her son free from the charge of murder. She also wanted to have form him an assurance that the boy  won’t be arrested again if the case was re-opened. In order to express her  sense of gratitude, she brings for the judge a gift also. It is a basketful of sea trout.

2. Mrs. Lomond also wants to explain to the judge that her son was really innocent and that Nellie was wicked lady. Mrs. Lomond tells the judge that Nellie enjoyed ensnaring young men and then ruining their lives. She felt a great joy to see men  giving away their lives or killing each other for  her sake. Mrs. Lomond’s own son had fallen in love with her and she feared a sad end for him also. All these details given by Mrs. Lomond leave the judge in no doubt that it was mrs. Lomond who had killed Nellie. Mrs. Lomond deliberately does all this so that her son is not implicated once again in the old case of murder.

 

Q10. Does Mrs. Lomond evoke sympathy or horror? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans: Mrs. Lomond doesn’t evoke in us any horror. She evokes in us a deep scense of sympathy the poor lady has to commit a murder in order to save her son form  the cluthches of a wicked lady. And then she commits suicide to save herself form the ignominy of having to go to the gallows.

 

 

Q11. Suppose the spirit of Nellie Salter enters the judge’s lodge. What do you think she would say or do?

Ans: I think Nellie Salter’s spirit would tell the judge what fires of hell she was being subjected to. She would confess all the evil actions she had been doing in her life and tell the judge not to convict anybody for her murder.

 

Q12 A person having a rational, scientific outlook does not believe in ghosts and spirits. What incident in this play would such a person reject, not believe in?

Ans: Mrs. Lomond’s visit to the judge’s lodge is not a believable thing because she had committed suicide that very afternoon and there was sufficient proof of it. But the judge and his friend must have been hallucinating on that dark night. As for the basket of trout, someone else could have left it there and not told the judge about it.


24. If I were you

Words and meanings

Cultured

sophisticated; well mannered

count on

depend on; rely on

Engaged

occupied; busy

Melodramatic

Exaggerated

to be smart

(American English) an informal way of saying that one is being too clever

Inflection

here, a tone of voice

wise guy

(American English) a person who pretends to know a lot

a dandy bus

an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle

trades people

Merchants

Gratuitous

unnecessary and usually harmful

Dodge

Avoid

lucky break

an unexpected opportunity for success

Sunday-school teacher

a Christian religious teacher who teaches on Sundays in Church

Frame

Trap

 

Thinking about the text

Q1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does he say it?

(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Ans: (i) Gerrard said the given line.

(ii) He said so because the intruder had asked him to talk about himself.

(iii) He was being sarcastic. The audience, i.e., the intruder was in no ways sympathetic. In fact, he told Gerard, at gunpoint, to talk about himself so that he could use the information to further his own interests.

 

Q2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?

Ans: The intruder chose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wanted to take on because he was of the same build as Gerrard. Also, as Vincent Charles Gerrard, he would be free to go places and do nothing. He could eat well and sleep without having to be ready to run away at the sight of a cop.


Q3. “I said it with bullets.”

 (i) Who says this?

(ii) What does it mean?

(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?

Ans: (i) Gerrard said the given line.

(ii) It means that when things went wrong with him, he had committed a murder and got away. Here, “I said it with bullets” means that he fired at someone to escape.

(iii) No, it was not the truth. Gerard said so because he wanted the intruder to believe that he too was dangerous. The intruder would have killed him if he had not lied about his identity. He told him that he himself was a crook; that he had also killed someone and escaped. However, his partner had been caught, and he had not burnt the papers that should have been burnt. Therefore, the cops were after him too, and this meant that the intruder would still not be safe even after taking on Gerrard’s identity.

 

Q4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.

Gerrard could have been a theatrical artist, perhaps a playwright. There are several parts in the play which suggest that he had something to do with theatre. When he saw the intruder, he said “This is all very melodramatic, not very original, perhaps, but…” When the intruder asked him to talk about himself, he said “At last a sympathetic audience!” He also asked the intruder “Are you American, or is that merely a clever imitation?” Then, when the intruder had told him his plan of killing him and taking over his identity, he said “In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated.” Later, he again said “I said, you were luckier than most melodramatic villains.” When he told the intruder about his false identity in order to save himself, he told him “That’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not”. Finally, after locking him up, he picked up the phone and said “Sorry, I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I’ve had a spot of bother − quite amusing. I think I’ll put it in my next play.”

 

Q5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

Ans: (i) The intruder said the given line.

(ii) When Gerrard did not show any signs of being perturbed by the intruder’s presence, the intruder responded by saying “Trying to be calm and — er —”. He stopped and fumbled for words and then, Gerrard completed his sentence by saying “‘Nonchalant’ is your word, I think”. Peeved at the smartness displayed by Gerrard, the intruder said that Gerard would stop being smart once he knew what was going to happen to him.

(iii) According to the intruder, Gerrard would stop being smart once he knew what was going to happen to him. The intruder’s plan was to kill Gerard and take over his identity. He felt that when Gerrard would know this, he would stop being smart and start getting scared.

 

Q6. “They can’t hang me twice.”

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Ans: (i) The intruder said the given line.

(ii) The intruder had been telling Gerrard that he had murdered one man, and that he would not shy away from murdering him too. This is because the police could not hang him twice for two murders.

 

Q7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Ans: The mystery that Gerrard proposed to explain was the story he made up to dodge the intruder and escape him. The story was that Gerrard himself was a criminal like the intruder. He asked why else would he not meet any trades people and was all over different places. When things went wrong with him, he had committed a murder and got away. Unfortunately, one of his men had been arrested and certain things were found which his men should have burnt. He said that he was expecting some trouble that night and therefore, his bag was packed and he was ready to escape.

 Q8. “This is your big surprise.”

(i) Where has this been said in the play?

(ii) What is the surprise?

(i) The given line was spoken twice in the play. First, it was spoken by the intruder when he revealed to Gerrard why he was there and what he was going to do with him. On the second occasion, it was spoken by Gerrard when he was about to reveal his made-up story to the intruder.

(ii) When the intruder said this line, the surprise was that he was going to kill Gerrard and take over his identity. He told him that as Vincent Charles Gerrard, he would be free to go places and do nothing. He could eat well and sleep without having to be ready to run away at the sight of a cop.

When Gerrard said this line, the surprise was his made-up story about himself. The story was that Gerrard himself was a criminal like the intruder. When things went wrong with him, he had committed a murder and got away. Unfortunately, one of his men was arrested and certain things were found, which his men should have burnt. He said that he was expecting some trouble that night and therefore, his bag was packed and he was ready to escape.

Language work

I. Choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.

1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).

2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.

3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.

4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.

5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).

6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.

7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.

8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.

Answer:

1. The site of the accident was ghastly.

2. Our college principal is very strict.

3. I studied continuously for eight hours.

4. The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.

5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.

6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.

7. Our school will host an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.

8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.


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