A Text book of English
for
Class VII
Tulip series
The Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education
The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom
Comprehension Check
Answer the following questions:
Question 1. Why did the neighbours kill the dog?
Answer: The neighbours killed the dog in frustration and anger. They were expecting the dog to help them find a treasure the way the dog helped the old couple find one. But the dog took them to a place where there was a foul-smelling dead kitten.
Question 2. Mark the right item.
(i) The old farmer and his wife loved the dog
(a) because it helped them in their day-to-day work.
(b) as if it was their own baby.
(c) as they were kind to all living beings
Answer: (b) as if it was their own baby.
(ii) When the old couple became rich, they
(a) gave the dog better food.
(b) invited their greedy neighbours to a feast.
(c) lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.
Answer: (c) ) lived comfortably and were generous towards their poor neighbours.
(iii) The greedy couple borrowed the mill and the mortar to make
(a) rice pastry and bean sauce.
(b) magic ash to win rewards.
(c) a pile of gold.
Answer: (c) a pile of gold.
Working with the text
Answer the following questions.
Question 1. The old farmer is a kind person. What evidence of his kindness do you find in the first two paragraphs?
Answer: The old farmer is a kind person. We find evidence of kindness in various instances in the story. For example, the first paragraph says that the old couple treated the dog as if it were their own child. They used to feed him pieces of fish with their own chopsticks. They used to offer him boiled rice. The second paragraph says that the old man often turned up sod on purpose to give food to the birds.
Question 2. What did the dog do to lead the farmer to the hidden gold?
Answer: To lead the farmer to the hidden gold, the dog came running to the farmer and kept its paws against his legs. It continuously kept directing the old man towards a place behind him. The old man at first thought that the dog was just playing, but when it kept running and whining, the old man followed it to the place.
Question 3. (i) How did the spirit of the dog help the farmer first?
(ii) How did it help him next?
Answer: (i) The spirit of the dog appeared in the farmer’s dream and instructed him to cut off the pine tree. It also said that the old farmer should make a mortar and hand mill with that. When the farmer followed the instructions of the spirit of the dog, he received heaps of gold. That is how the spirit of the dog helped him first.
(ii) The second time the spirit of the dog appeared in the farmer’s dream, it told the old man to collect the ashes of the mortar and the mill from the wicked neighbours and sprinkle it on the dead trees. It said that if the farmer did so, the trees would blossom again. When the farmer followed his instructions and sprinkled the ashes on the cherry tree in front of the daimio, it blossomed, and the old man was rewarded with high-valued gifts.
Question 4. Why did the daimio reward the farmer but punish his neighbour for the same act?
Answer: The daimio rewarded the farmer but punished his neighbor for the same act. This is because when the old farmer sprinkled the ash on the withered cherry tree in front of the daimio, it blossomed. The farmer’s act of welcoming him pleased the daimio.
But, when the neighbour sprinkled the ashes on the tree in front of the daimio, nothing blossomed. Instead, the same ash fell on the daimio and its fine particles entered his and his wife’s eyes. This spoiled the dignity of the procession and irritated the daimio. That is why the neighbour was punished severely.
Working with language
Question 1. Read the following conversation.
RAVI: What are you doing?
MRIDU: I’m reading a book.
RAVI: Who wrote it?
MRIDU: Ruskin Bond.
RAVI: Where did you find it?
MRIDU: In the library.
Notice that ‘what’, ‘who’, ‘where’, are question words.
Questions that require information begin with question words.
Some other question words are ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘where’, ‘which’ and ‘how’.
Remember that
• What asks about actions, things, etc.
• Who asks about people.
• Which asks about people or things.
• Where asks about place.
• When asks about time.
• Why asks about reason or purpose.
• How asks about means, manner or degree.
• Whose asks about possessions.
Read the following paragraph and frame questions on the italicized phrases.
Anil is in school. I am in school too. Anil is sitting in the left row. He is reading a book. Anil’s friend is sitting in the second row. He is sharpening his pencil. The teacher is writing on the blackboard. Children are writing in their copybooks. Some children are looking out of the window.
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
Answer:
- Where is Anil?
- Which row is Anil sitting in?
- What is he doing?
- Which row is Anil’s friend sitting in?
- What is his friend doing?
- Who is writing on the blackboard?
- What are some of the children doing?
Question 2: Write appropriate question words in the blank spaces in the following dialogue.
NEHA: ________ did you get this book?
SHEELA: Yesterday morning.
NEHA: ________ is your sister crying?
SHEELA: Because she has lost her doll.
NEHA: ________ room is this, yours or hers?
SHEELA: It’s ours.
NEHA: ________ do you go to school?
SHEELA: We walk to school. It is nearby.
Answer:
NEHA: When did you get this book?
SHEELA: Yesterday morning.
NEHA: Why is your sister crying?
SHEELA: Because she has lost her doll.
NEHA: Whose room is this, yours or hers?
SHEELA: It’s ours.
NEHA: How do you go to school?
SHEELA: We walk to school. It is nearby.
Question 3: Fill in the blanks with the words given below.
how, what, when, where, which
(i) My friend lost his chemistry book. Now he doesn’t know ________ to do and ________ to look for it.
(ii) There are so many toys in the shops. Neena can’t decide ________ one to buy.
(iii) You don’t know the way to my school. Ask the policeman ________ to get there.
(iv) You should decide soon ________ to start building your house.
(v) Do you know ________ to ride a bicycle? I don’t remember ________ and ________ I learnt it.
(vi) “You should know ________ to talk and ________ to keep your mouth shut,” the teacher advised Anil.
Answer:
(i) My friend lost his chemistry book. Now he doesn’t know what to do and where to look for it.
(ii) There are so many toys in the shops. Neena can’t decide which one to buy.
(iii) You don’t know the way to my school. Ask the policeman how to get there.
(iv) You should decide soon when to start building your house.
(v) Do you know how to ride a bicycle? I don’t remember when and where I learnt it.
(vi) “You should know when to talk and when to keep your mouth shut,” the teacher advised Anil.
Question 4: Add im- or in- to each of the following words and use them in place of the italicized words in the sentences given below.
patient, proper, possible, sensitive, competent
(i) The project appears very difficult at first sight but it can be completed if we work very hard.
(ii) He lacks competence. That’s why he can’t keep any job for more than a year.
(iii) “Don’t lose patience. Your letter will come one day,” the postman told me.
(iv) That’s not a proper remark to make under the circumstances.
(v) He appears to be without sensitivity. In fact, he is very emotional.
Answer:
(i) The project appears impossible at first sight, but it can be completed if we work very hard.
(ii) He is incompetent. That’s why he can’t keep any job for more than a year.
(iii) “Don’t be impatient. Your letter will come one day,” the postman told me.
(iv) That’s an improper remark to make under the circumstances.
(v) He appears to be insensitive. In fact, he is very emotional.
Question 5. Read the following sentences.
It was a cold morning, and stars still glowed in the sky.
An old man was walking along the road.
The words in italics are articles. ‘A’ and ‘an’ are indefinite articles and ‘the’ is the definite article. ‘A’ is used before a singular countable noun. ‘An’ is used before a word that begins with a vowel.
• a boy • an actor
• a mango • an apple
• a university • an hour
Use ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ in the blanks:
There was once ________ play which became very successful. ________ famous actor was acting in it. In ________ play his role was that of ________ aristocrat who had been imprisoned in ________ castle for twenty years. In ________ last act of ________ play someone would come on ________ stage with ________ letter which he would hand over to ________ prisoner. Even though ________ aristocrat was not expected to read ________ letter at each performance, he always insisted that ________ letter be written out from beginning to end.
Answer:
There was once a play which became very successful. A famous actor was acting in it. In the play his role was that of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in a castle for twenty years. In the last act of the play someone would come on the stage with a letter which he would hand over to the prisoner. Even though the aristocrat was not expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that the letter be written out from beginning to end.
Question 6. Encircle (underlined here) the correct article.
Nina was looking for (a / the) job. After many interviews she got (a / the) job she was looking for.
A : Would you like (a/an/the) apple or (a/an/the) banana?
B : I’d like (a/an/the) apple, please.
A : Take (a/an/the) red one in (a/an/the) fruit bowl.
You may take (a/an/the) orange also, if you like.
B : Which one?
A : (A/An/The) one beside (a/an/the) banana.
Answer:
A : Would you like (a/an/the) apple or (a/an/the) banana?
B : I’d like (a/an/the) apple, please.
A : Take (a/an/the) red one in (a/an/the) fruit bowl.
You may take (a/an/the) orange also, if you like.
B : Which one?
A : (A/An/The) one beside (a/an/the) banana.
Speaking and Writing
Question 1. Do you remember an anecdote or a story about a greedy or jealous person and the unhappy result of his/her action? Narrate the story to others in your class.
Here is one for you to read.
Seeing an old man planting a fig tree, the king asked why he was doing this. The man replied that he might live to eat the fruit, and, even if he did not, his son would enjoy the figs.
“Well,” said the king, “if you do live to eat the fruit of this tree, please let me know.” The man promised to do so, and sure enough, before too long, the tree grew and bore fruit.
Packing some fine figs in a basket, the old man set out for the palace to meet the king.
The king accepted the gift and gave orders that the old man’s basket be filled with gold.
Now, next door to the old man, there lived a greedy old man jealous of his neighbour’s good fortune. He also packed some figs in a basket and took them to the palace in the hope of getting gold.
The king, on learning the man’s motive, ordered him to stand in the compound and had him pelted with figs.
The old man returned home and told his wife the sad story. She consoled him by saying, “You should be thankful that our neighbour did not grow coconuts.”
Answer: Do it yourself.
Question 2. Put each of the following in the correct order. Then use them appropriately to fill in the blanks in the paragraph that follows. Use correct punctuation marks.
• English and Hindi/both/in/he writes
• and only/a few short stories/many books in English/ in Hindi
• is/my Hindi/than my English/much better
Ravi Kant is a writer, and __________________. Of course, he is much happier writing in English than in Hindi. He has written ____________________________________. I find his books a little hard to understand. __________________.
Answer:
Ravi Kant is a writer, and he writes both in English and Hindi. Of course, he is much happier writing in English than in Hindi. He has written many books in English and only a few short stories in Hindi. I find his books a little hard to understand. My Hindi is much better than my English.
Question 3. Are you fond of reading stories? Did you read one last month? If not, read one or two and write a paragraph about the story. Use the following hints.
• title of the story
• name of author
• how many characters
• which one you liked
• some details of the story
• main point(s) as you understand it
Tell your friends why they should also read it.
Answer: Do it yourself.
________________________________________________________________________
Contents
PROSE
1. The Markhor (Abridged)
2. Lal Ded (Abridged)
3. Tobacco- The Silent killer (Abridged)
4. A Mad Tea Party (Lewis Carrol)
5. Macbeth (Shakespeare-edited by McDonagh)
6. Fetching the Doctor (Hamlin Garland & Helen Tures dell Heath)
7. The Bahu Fort (Abridged & adapted)
POEMS
1. Windows (Wes Magee)
2. Trees (joyce kilmer)
3. Abou Ben Adhem (Leigh Hunt)
4. The Rebel ( D.j Enright)
5. Sympathy (Charles Mackay)
6. To Sleep (Wordsworth)
7. The Gumbie Cat (T.S Eliot)
SHORT STORIES
1.Three Questions (Leo Tolstoy)
2. The Little Girl (Katherine Mansfield)
3. Face Showing (B.P Sathe)
4. A Shadow (R.K Narayan)
5. Lalajee (Jim Corbett)
_____________________________________________________________________
PROSE
1. The Markhor (Abridged)
2. Lal Ded (Abridged)
3. Tobacco- The Silent killer (Abridged)
4. A Mad Tea Party (Lewis Carrol)
5. Macbeth (Shakespeare-edited by McDonagh)
Lesson No: 06
Fetching the Doctor (Hamlin Garland & Helen Tures dell Heath)
Working With the text
Qno1: The word 'I' has been used repeatedly in the beginning of the lesson. Who does 'I' here refer to ?
Ans: 'I' in the lesson is, referred to Hamlin. Hamlin is the writer of the lesson.
Qno2: Why was the mother's face white and frightened & What did she ask Hamlin to do?
Ans: The mother's face was white and frightened because her husband was in terrible pain. She asked Hamlin to get the doctor.
Qno3: What did Hamlin do to get the doctor?
Ans: Hamlin put on his coat, rode on a mare and made his way in the dark night through mud and rain to call the doctor.
Qno4: How did the doctor come?
Ans: The doctor came on a swaying carriage drawn by powerful horses.
Qno5: Why did the writer fee content at the end?
Ans: The writer felt satisfied because he did a lot by bringing sweet relief to his mother and getting his father treated in time.
Language work
I. Use the following phrases in sentences:
Put out: Please put out the fire before leaving.
Put on: it was too cold so he put on his coat.
Fly off: The boy and his horse fly off the home to get the doctor.
Call on: Hamlin call on his horse and went to the doctor.
Come to: I know he will come to his health soon.
at once: Your father is in pain, you should go to the doctor, at once.
Cry out: I was on the way to the doctor when I heard my father cry out of pain.
take time: It will take more time to get the work completed.
To get up: I am still trying to get up the energy to reply.
Call out: The boy was in a hurry but the doctor call him out to take time.
Lay in deep sleep: The patient laid in deep sleep after getting the medicine:
Look out: The doctor looked out at the boy standing in the black night of rain.
II. Rewrite the following sentences using a work from the lesson in place of the underlined words:
1. The lantern was moving from side to side because of the strong wind.
Ans: The lantern was swaying because of the strong wind.
2. Hamlin was greatly surprised when he was awakened suddenly from sleep.
Ans: Hamlin was greatly surprised when he was roused from sleep.
3. Hamlin chose a particular horse because it was known never to fail.
Ans: Hamlin chose a particular horse because it was brave.
4. He got employed in the army as a person carrying in messages.
Ans: He got employed in the army as messenger.
Grammar Work
Write the comparative and the superlative degrees of the following adjectives:
Positive Comparative Superlative
Lazy Lazier Laziest
Clever Cleverer Cleverest
Dull Duller Dullest
Useful More useful Most useful
Warm Warmer Warmest
Proud Prouder Proudest
Merry Merrier Merriest
Quick Quicker Quickest
Ugly Uglier Ugliest
Much More Most
Fit Fitter Fittest
Grey Greyer Greyest
Dim Dimmer Dimmest
2. Fill in the blanks using suitalbe degree of adjectives from the brackets:
1. Aabid is stronger than Junaid. (strong)
2. Your book is more interesting than mine. (interesting)
3. July is the hottest month of the year. (hot)
4. Saba is the wisest of all the girls in the school. (Wise)
5. Gold is the costliest of all the metals. (costly)
6. Nirma finds English easier than Mathematics. (easy)
7. The Himalayas are the highest of all the mountains. (high)
7. The Bahu Fort (Abridged & adapted)
POEMS
1. Windows (Wes Magee)
Summary of the poem
The poem "windows" is written by Wes Magee. The poem is about a student who walks down a long corridor and sees different things. He sees colourful pictures covers of books and animals of the places he had never visited. The poet tries to bring out the feelings of a student about the classroom and its surroundings. The student looks onto the world, through a window, he has never visited where he sees white clouds, icebergs, waterfalls, and many other things. He is always willing to carry messages or registers to other classrooms or offices as it gives him a chance of seeing these things repeatedly.
Reading is Fun
Q1: Where does the speaker walk?
Ans: The speaker walks down the long corridor on the way to his classroom.
Q2: What "view" does he get from the window of the classroom? is it dull or exciting? Pick out words in support of your answer.
Ans: From the window of the classroom, he sees elephants on a plain of Africa, a jet airliner cruising far above the white clouds, waterfalls, icebergs, and cavemen fighting with a wild cat. This view is exciting for the speaker. Such places! Such worlds!, are the words of the excitement of the speaker from the poem.
Qno3: Why does the family cower in the cave?
Ans: The family cowers in the cave because of the fear of the wild cat. They save themselves from the wild animals.
Qno4: Why is the playground deserted?
Ans: The playground looks deserted because there is no one moving on the ground. Children are busy in classrooms, and it is cold outside.
Qno5: Name the things, Which the speaker sees in stanza 3.
Ans: The speaker sees the deserted playground, the grey November sky, and rows of houses and chimneys of a closed-down factory.
Qno6: Why is the speaker willing to take the register or messages to the office and the classroom?
Ans: The speaker is willing to carry registers or messages to the office or classroom because it gives him a chance of seeing the exciting things again and again.
Qno7: Who is "I" in this poem?
Ans: "I" is the speaker of the poem and the speaker is a student in the poem.
Language work
1. Fill in the blanks with the words given below:
Looks, willing, classroom, waterfalls, Africa, walks, sees, visited
The poem is about a student who walks down the long corridor and sees different things. He, looks onto the worlds, through a window, ha has never visited. He also sees elephants in Africa, a jet airliner cruising far above the white clouds, waterfalls, icebergs, and many other things. He is always willing to carry messages or registers to other classrooms or offices as it gives him a chance of seeing these things again, and again.
Qno2: Write down at least five words, which have been, repeated in the poem.
Ans: Classroom, world, walk, window, down, see, corridor, etc., are repeatedly used in the poem.
Let's Talk
Did you enjoy the poem? Why? Talk to other students about the things you see in your classroom and outside your classroom.
Ans: Yes, I enjoyed the poem because it is about a student who sees the different things while walking down the corridor. In my classroom, i see whiteboards, chairs, pictures on walls, and smiling faces in my classroom, and trees of different sizes, green grass, animals, birds, and many other enjoyable things outside my classroom.
Let's Write
1)
Write a short description of your classroom.
Ans: I read in seventh class. My classroom is on the ground floor of the school building. it is a big room. it is 15 feet long 14 feet wide and 9 feet high. Its walls are all yellow washed. it has three windows and a door. it has a cemented floor. There is one chair, a teacher's desk ad a white board in my classroom. There are two rows of desks for boys and girls. My classroom is good and airy. I love my classroom.
b) Name the objects mentioned in the poem, which are also, found in your school.
Ans: Books, register, picture.
2. Trees (joyce kilmer)
3. Abou Ben Adhem (Leigh Hunt)
4. The Rebel ( D.j Enright)
5. Sympathy (Charles Mackay)
Lesson No:6
To Sleep (Wordsworth)
A) Answer the following question
Qno1: To whom is the poem addressed?
Ans: The poem is, addressed to a sick boy who has spent more than two sleepless nights on the sick bed.
Qno2: What does the speaker want?
Ans: The speaker wants the recovery from his sickness so that he can enjoy moments of joyous health.
Qno3: How many sleepless nights did the speaker have?
Ans: The speaker had more than two sleepless nights.
Qno4: What will the speaker hear in the morning?
Ans: The speaker will hear the first cuckoo's melancholy cry in the morning.
Qno5: What are the qualities of sleep that the poet appreciates?
Ans: The poet says that the quality of sleep is morning's wealth, the mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health.
B) Say whether the following statements are True or False.
a) A flock of sheep hurriedly passes by. False
b) The speaker has sweet dreams. True
c) The speaker will hear the first cuckoo's melancholy cry in the morning. True
d) The speaker has three sleepless nights. False
e) The speaker calls sleep dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health. True
f) The peom is about the necessity of sleep. True
LANGUAGE WORK:
A. Find the rhyming words in the poem:
Ans: Bees = Seas, Lay = Day, Wealth = health, lie = cry etc
B. Match the following
1. An army of soldiers.
2. A band of Musicians.
3. A chain of Mountains.
4. A flight of Locus.
5. A herd of Deer.
6. A litter of Puppies.
7. A string of Camels.
8. A pride of Lions.
9. A team of Horses.
10. A hive of bees.
C. Match the animals/birds with their cries/sounds:
Ans:
|
S.NO |
Animals |
Cries/Sounds |
|
1 |
Asses |
Bray |
|
2 |
Bees |
Buzz |
|
3 |
Cats |
Purr |
|
4 |
Camels |
Grunt |
|
5 |
Crows |
Caw |
|
6 |
Hens |
Cluck |
|
7 |
Ducks |
Quack |
|
8 |
Eagles |
Scream |
|
9 |
Flies |
Hum |
|
10 |
Turkeys |
Gobble |
|
11 |
Wolves |
Howl |
|
12 |
Lions |
Roar |
|
13 |
Frogs |
Croak |
|
14 |
Monkeys |
Chatter |
|
15 |
Parrots |
Talk |
|
16 |
Sheep |
Bleat |
|
17 |
Snakes |
Hiss |
|
18 |
Swans |
Cry |
|
19 |
Pigeons |
Coo |
7. The Gumbie Cat (T.S Eliot)
SHORT STORIES
Lesson No1.
Three Questions (Leo Tolstoy)
Working with text
Ans: Three questions in the story are:
Ans: Because the king thought that he would never fail if he knew the answers of these questions.
Ans: The king was, advised to go to the magicians because in order to decide the right time for doing something it was necessary to look into the future and only the magicians could do that.
-but the Bleeding would not stop. -to answer three questions -but their answers were so varied that the king was not satisfied -and follow it. -to help the king at the right time.
2. The Little Girl (Katherine Mansfield)
3. Face Showing (B.P Sathe)
4. A Shadow (R.K Narayan)
Lesson No:5
Lalajee (Jim Corbett)
(A) Answer these questions
Q1: Name the disease Lalajee was suffering from.
Ans: Lalajee was suffering from cholera.
Q2: Why could the author not spare time to nurse Lalajee?
Ans: The author could not spare time to nurse Lalajee because he already had three cholera patient to care about and he could not expect help from his servants.
Q3: What did the author make clear to Lalajee?
Ans: The author made Lalajee clear that he had not brought him (Lalajee) into his compound to let he dies there but he had brought him to make him well.
Q4: What was Lalajee's Profession?
Ans: Lalajee was a merchant. He had a flourishing grain business.
Q5: Why was Lalajee no longer a merchant?
Ans: Lalajee made a mistake by making an unknown man as his partner. When Lalajee was away for business his partner stole everything, he had in his shop that is why Lalajee was not longer a merchant at the time, he met the author.
Q6: Why was it difficult for him to start business once again
Ans: It was difficult for Lalajee to start his business again because he thought that there was no one to trust him and no servant could work only on seven rupees per month for him, also he had only five hundred rupees in his possession.
Q7: What surprise was in store for Lalajee before he left Mokameh Ghat?
Ans: Before Lalajee left Mokamesh Ghat, to his surprise, there was a ticket for Gaya and five one-hundred-rupee notes which the author put in his hand.
Q8: How did Lalajee react when he got the money and the ticket?
Ans: When Lalajee got the money and ticket his face kept glancing and he put his head on his (Author) feet and promised for the return of his money.
Q9: What promise did Lalajee make?
Ans: Lalajee promised to return his (Author's) money within one year.
Q10: How did Lalajee pay back the author's courtesy?
Ans: For the author's respect and help, Lalajee paid back by sending him a big basket of choicest mangoes from his garden, each year for eleven years.
B) Write True or False against each statement:
1. The narrator had been at Mokameh Ghat for ten years. True
2. People in India are not afraid of cholera. False
3. Lalajee was merchant basically. True
4. Lalajee was on his way from Gaya to Muzaffarput. Ture
5. The train to Gaya left a 8:30 p.m. False
6. Lalajee was happy when the narrator did not accept his interest. False
7. Lalajee attained the ambition of becoming a merchant once again. True
LANGUAGE WORK
A) Substitute the following with one word:
a) The acts or instances of suspecting.
Ans: Suspicions
b) attacking or affecting many persons simultaneously in a community or area.
Ans: Epidemic
c) to continue in existence after a passage of adversity.
Ans: Accomplish, survive
d) a rough and violent person.
Ans: Brute
e) ending of stipulated time
Ans: Expire
A) Fill in the blanks with 'ing' form of verb or infinitive ( to+ base form of the verbs) given in brackets:
i) How old were you when you learned to drive?(drive)
ii) I don't mind walking home. (walk)
iii) I can't make decisions. I keep changing my mind. (Change)
iv) She refused to help me.(help)
v) Children enjoy listening to stories. (listen)
vi) The thief denied stealing the watch. (steal)
vii) Students suggested going for a picnic. (go)
viii) Our teacher dislikes smoking. (smoke)
ix) My son likes playing cricket. (Play)
x) If you don't succeed, you should go trying. (try)
xi) I was very tired. I tried to keep my eyes open but i couldn't. (keep)
xii) I can't afford buying or to buy a car. (buy)
xiii) Hasn't it stopped raining yet? (rain)
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