ANSWER KEY READER 7

1. The Master Artist verb) 8. Main (Verb has a meaning

Carol Moore enjoys writing and illustrating of its own)
childrens stories. She loves giving classic B. 1. but 2. While 3. Neither,
fairytales a spin, mixing scientific facts with nor 4. not only, but also 5. as if
imaginary events and writing illustrated stories 6. unless 7. Both, and 8. as
with animation.
Words in Use
A. 1. NT (Para 2) 2. T (Para 4)
A. 1. give his imagination wings
3. T (Para 2) 4. T (Para 4)
2. If truth be told
5. NT (Para 15) 6. T (Para 17)
3. time consuming endeavour
B. 1. Monsieur Signy lAbbaye had 4. must stay private 5. explore the
been a master artist of his day; The limits 6. to break free
patron knew how highly the artist
B. 1. Mother could not tolerate the squeaky
had been recommended. 2. The
noise the old fan was making, so she
guild expected its artists to paint in
switched it off. 2. My uncle wants
Byzantine or Proto-Renaissance styles.
to retire from the post of secretary of his
3. Monsieur Signy lAbbaye wanted
club. 3. The speaker continued even
to break free of restraints and paint
after the buzzer went off. 4. The
Signor Bartolis portrait in his own
police revealed his identity only after
way and he had his patrons features
the thieves were caught. 5. The
memorised. He requested his patron to
guards withdrew from their posts after
give him complete privacy because he
the president had safely reached his
did not want anyone to disturb his craft.
office. 6. Prita was jubilant because
4. The masterpiece took 6 months to
she was going to Antarctica, something
complete. Monsieur Signy lAbbaye
she had yearned to do all her life.
was using the best of materials and it
was a long process to get things right. Listening
5. His mouth fell open, his eyes turned 1. mix 2. ratios 3. brands
red, he grabbed what few hairs he had 4. thoroughly 5. watery 6. mixture
left on his head, he did a little hop, a 7. mould 8. acrylic 9. water-
twitch and his eyebrows contorted. based 10. gloss 11. bowls
12. clog
Structure and Usage
A. 1. Main (Verb has a meaning of its own) Madhobi, The Young Spring Flower
2. Auxiliary (It is a helping verb) Madhobi, The Young Spring Flower is a
3. Auxiliary (It is a helping verb) translation from the original Bengali poem
4. Auxiliary (It is a helping verb) written by Rabindranath Tagore. The English
5. Main (Verb has a meaning of its translation here is by Anandamayee Majumdar.
own) 6. Auxiliary (It is a helping Rabindranath Tagore (18611941) was a Bengali
verb) 7. Auxiliary (It is a helping polymath who reshaped Bengali literature

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 READER 7

and music. He became the first non-European and the southern breeze is indicated to be
to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. murmuring.
Tagore is generally regarded as one of the
2. A Secret for Two
outstanding creative artists of the modern Indian
Quentin Reynolds (19021965) published twenty-
subcontinent. He is known for modernising
five books apart from his autobiography. He
Bengali art, freeing the language from its earlier
seems to have been affected by the huge loss
traditional Sanskrit bindings.
of lives suffered during World War II. In his
In the poem we are introduced to the young and
autobiography, he described the war as being
much loved Madhobi flower. The flower wants
Short on glamour and long on tragedy.
to go just as it arrives. The wind wants to carry
the flower away and the stars are awaiting its A. 1. ... he had delivered milk to the
arrival. But the leaves upon the plant on which families on this street for thirty
the Madhobi grows do not want to let it go and years. 2. ... the horse reminded him
plead with it to stay. of St. Joseph, who was also kind, gentle
and faithful. 3. ... he learnt his route
Understanding the Poem
very fast. 4. ... Joseph knew the milk
1. Is in a rush to leave; As soon as it arrives:
route so well. 5. ... he was panic-
These two lines show that Madhobi is a short-
stricken at the thought of not driving
lived flower. 2. The words, sudden wave
Joseph every day.
of splendour describe how the flower was at
the time it appeared. 3. The leaves urge B. 1. The secret was that Pierre had been
the flower to stay. The stars in the sky want blind for the last 5 years. Pierre and
to have it with them. 4. The southern Joseph shared the secret. 2. Pierre
wind tries quietly to take the flower along. worked with Joseph for fifteen years.
5. The flower does not speak anything in Pierre had become blind probably 10
the poem. 6. The leaves try the hardest years after they started working together.
to have the flower with them. They make 3. The horse was acknowledging
repeated appeals to the flower to not leave Pierres presence while making sure it
them. 7. The size of the flower is was him. The others joked that it seemed
understood when the wind calls it little one. like Joseph was smiling at Pierre.
Its season of bloom, spring, is mentioned 4. A blind man did actually handle the
in the title and the first line of the poem. route later on. The man was Pierre himself,
8. What the poet sees: stars in the heaven, during the last five years of his service.
leaves encircling the blossom, the infinite blue 5. Pierre and Joseph had been working
sinking into the twilight, the night of the full together for fifteen years and had grown
moon receding, dancing leaves, disappearing older together. 6. Pierre always had
flower. What the poet imagines: leaves a cap pulled over his eyes to keep the
crying and protesting, stars exclaiming, wind morning wind out of them. This kept
murmuring. everyone from guessing that Pierre was
blind.
Appreciating the Poem
1. He uses the words protest, exclaim, Structure and Usage
whisper, murmur and plead instead of said. A. 1. You should have offered to
2. The leaves are shown to be whispering and help. 2. must have understood
pleading; the stars are shown to be exclaiming 3. would have heard 4. would

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 TEACHERS RESOURCE PACK

have called me 5. must have after cutting her thick hair. Her thick
practised hard. 6. would have hair is compared to the wood and
dropped us 7. must have missed the the lighter mane left after chopping
flight. 8. should have reminded me. the locks is compared to the open
plain. 4. Maggie began to regret
B. 1. should not have batted first
her act when she saw that Tom was
2. must not have been exciting
laughing at her. She suddenly realised
3. would not have bought it 4. must
that she was going to be scolded for
not have forgotten 5. should not
being naughty and that she would
spend more time 6. should not have
hardly feel any sense of triumph when
got lost
she faced her family. 5. a. NT
C. 1. c (First conditional) 2. b. NT c. T d. T e. T 6. He
e (Second conditional) 3. a described the dessert in detail which
(First conditional) 4. f (Second made Maggie hungry enough to go the
conditional) 5. b (Second table. 7. Uncle Pullet commented
conditional) 6. d (First conditional) on her appearance and said she looked
Words in Use very funny. Aunt Glegg said she should
B. 1. wearily 2. frantically be severely punished and starved for
3. patiently 4. fluently doing such a shocking thing. Mrs.
5. daintily 6. readily Tulliver was displeased and angry
and felt ashamed of her daughters
Dictionary Work deed. Uncle Glegg tried to take the
1. moved 2. took out 3. sketched edge off his wifes severe criticism
4. pulled 5. got 6. tie by teasing Maggie saying she should
Spelling be sent to prison. Mr. Tulliver was
1. audible 2. washable 3. affordable amused and proud of his daughter as
4. creditable 5. credible she had found her own way of rebelling
6. divisible 7. edible 8. valuable against conventions. 8. It was
9. usable very bitter that Tom could not be more
sympathetic towards Maggie. First he
3. Maggie Cuts Her Hair laughed at her and then he wanted to go
George Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans in 1819, down to dinner indifferent to her plight.
in Warwickshire, England. She said she used a She might have to forego dinner and be
male pen name to ensure her works would be scolded by everyone.
taken seriously. Her first novel became an instant Structure and Usage
success. Thereafter, many novels followed, A. 2. complex 3. compound
which were based upon her own experiences and 4. complex 5. compound
observations. She died in 1880. 6. compound 7. complex
Understanding the Text 8. complex
A. 1. Maggie wanted to cut her hair and B. 2. Tom started laughing at her so she
wanted Tom to help her with it. began to feel bad. 3. Tom did warn
2. Tom meant that Maggie would be Maggie not to cut her hair yet she went
soundly scolded for cutting off her on to snip it off. 4. She had better
hair. 3. Maggie felt free and light go down to dinner soon or her mother

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 READER 7
would be angry. 5. Maggie felt her
father would be sympathetic so she
ran to him and wept on his shoulder.
6. Maggie was crying her heart out
whereas Tom only wanted to enjoy the
sweets on the table.
C. 2. She leaned out of the window so that
she could wave goodbye. 3. The
next day, Jaggu noticed that his bicycle
had a flat tyre. 4. It is so crowded
on the beach today that it is impossible
to relax. 5. Deepak laughed when
he saw his reflection in the mirror.
6. I saw an injured puppy which was
limping down the road.
Words in Use
A. 1. e 2. a 3. i 4. h 5. b
6. c 7. l 8. k 9. j 10. f
Upon Westminster Bridge
William Wordsworth (17701850) is considered
one of Britains greatest poets. It is well known
that he drew much of his inspiration from nature,
and always lived in close contact with it. He spent
a lot of time in the Lake District of northern
England, and a lot of his poems, including very
long ones like The Prelude, spring from his
leisurely wanderings there. His poems have a
wide readership among children and adults alike.
His poems about children usually depict their
innocence, which he treasured.
Understanding the Poem
1. The poet could see the city with its ships,
towers, domes, theatres, temples, river and
houses from his position on the bridge.
2. Dull of soul refers to a person who may
be bored and unmoved by any experience
or sight. 3. The garment referred to in
the poem is the beauty of the morning. The
city is wearing it. 4. They are open unto
the fields and to the sky. They are silent and
bare. 5. We can normally find valley, rock
and hill in rural settings. He is using these
words to compare the brilliance of the sunrise
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10_Class-7_Non-CBSE_Student Book Answer key.indd 119
in the countryside and in London. 6. No.
He refers to the citys life as mighty heart.
7. It shows us that Wordsworth thought the
city was beautiful, grand and awe-inspiring.
Majesty here refers to the grandeur of the city.
8. The poet draws a grand and imposing
picture of London. He builds the feeling of
awe and grandeur through the choice of words
like majesty, open unto sky, mighty, etc.
Appreciating the Poem
1. The city is compared to a person wearing
a garment. This city now doth like a
garment wear the beauty of the morning;
4. The Whale Story
Understanding the Text
A. 1. b 2. c 3. a 4. c 5. b
B. 1. It indicates that whale hunting
was a huge business in the 1800s.
The whales were hunted for meat and
blubber. 2. Leviathans are monster
sea creatures. Sperm whales were
described as leviathans because of
their massive size. 3. Mocha Dick
got its name from the Pacific island of
Mocha. It was widely known for its
violent streak. 4. J N Reynolds
called it a monster and an old bull whale
of prodigious size and strength. He
described it in such detail that it sounded
almost supernatural.
Structure and Usage
A. 1. Geeta wanted to know how deep
whales can dive. 2. People
wondered if the moving white mass
was a whale. 3. In the olden days,
people had no clue about why whales
attacked people. 4. He wondered
sadly how his grandparents would feel
when he left the village.
5. Sunil had to know whether the
teacher would reveal the news at the
school assembly. 6. This incident
tells us how the loss of a school
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 TEACHERS RESOURCE PACK
becomes the loss of a neighbourhood.
7. The interviewer asked the dancer
why dancing was so important to him.
B. 1. Mother asked me whether I
have prepared for the test and I said
had. 2. Sarita asked Pranav if he
read a lot and he said he did not.
3. Gopal asked Saif if he could join
them for a game of cricket and he
readily agreed. 4. Nandita asked
Harsha if he would try the local cuisine.
He said he certainly would. 5. My
neighbours asked us whether we were
visiting the Pink City and we said yes.
Words in Use
A. 1. mainly 2. gigantic 3. crew
4. renowned 5. encounters
6. treacherous 7. legendary
B. 1. c 2. e 3. a 4. b
Listening
1. The big black whale can be seen when
one goes deep into the ocean in a submarine.
2. They live in the ocean. 3. They are
black and have a few spots of white.
4. They eat sea creatures, fish and seal.
5. They weigh around six tons and
sometimes even more.
Writing
1. which 2. at once 3. In the next few
minutes 4. With the help of 5. But
6. Determined to help 7. They
8. Then 9. The moment 10. However
5. The Meeting Pool
Born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, in 1934,
Ruskin Bond grew up in Jamnagar, Dehra Dun
and Shimla. His first novel, The Room on the
Roof, was written when he was seventeen and
received the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial
Prize in 1957. Since then, he has written over
three hundred short stories, essays and novellas,
and more than thirty books for children. His
10_Class-7_Non-CBSE_Student Book Answer key.indd 120
autobiography in two volumes is titled Scenes
from a Writers Life. He is the recipient of the
Sahitya Akademi award for English writing in
India, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999.
Understanding the Text
A. 1. They did not realise that they
would go different ways and their
life would be far different from the
way it was as young boys at the
pool. 2. He had heard the murmur
of water from far and wanted to find
its source. He wanted to see and touch
the water. 3. When Rusty found
the pool, he turned and ran into town
to tell the others. This shows his
excitement at the discovery.
4. Anil was wild, moody and impulsive
but was charming. Somi, on the other
hand, was gentle in his ways. They
5. d both had a sense of fun and chose
the adventures the boys would go
on. 5. Yes, the others recognised
the pool as Rustys discovery. Somi
said they would call it Rustys pool in
his honour. 6. Somi was a gentle
but fun boy. The grown-up Somi had a
fierce military moustache.
7. The boys tried to catch fish, wrestled
in the sand and rode buffaloes.
8. Rusty returned to the pool as a
grown up because he happened to be in
the same place. The words, In April, I
happened by chance to be in the same
part of the country, and I decided that
I at least would keep my part of the
pledge. indicate it.
Structure and Usage
A. 1. Restrictive 2. Non-restrictive
3. Restrictive 4. Restrictive
5. Restrictive 6. Non-restrictive
7. Non-restrictive 8. Restrictive
B. 2. I wonder if anybody can win the
reward offered by the police.
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 READER 7

3. To prepare the dish, we needed a is known about his personal life and childhood
lot of ingredients which we luckily years. The reasons behind his death remain
had at home. 4. The letter which equally shrouded in mystery.
arrived by courier brought us news of According to the poet, a person who flatters
the scholarship. 5. He scored the you is not necessarily your friend as his words
century which delighted many of his are like the winds which come, go and change
friends yesterday. 6. They decided direction very easily. He says that as long as you
to stop for a day at Jog where there is a
are affluent all will be your friend but when you
famous waterfall.
need some help no one will come to help you. In
Words in Use fact all will try to ignore you. But a true friend
A. 1. thrashing 2. wallowing will always be with you. If you are in sorrow he
3. glided 4. splashed will weep with you, he will stay awake if you
B. 1. adventure 2. charming cant sleep. Every time you grieve, he grieves
3. moody 4. gentle 5. grumble too. These are the basic differences that should
6. impulsive be kept in mind to segregate a friend from a
Punctuation flatterer.
1. At the bookstore, Sheba went to the fiction Understanding the Poem
section; Shammi went to the stationery 1. The poet is referring to the words of
section. flatterers. The flatterer does not have to
2. At the Olympics, Kenya is trying to beat the commit to what he is saying and his words
world record in athletics; however, Germany are therefore easy. 2. Faithful friends are
is expected to perform better. 3. Video hard to find. 3. a. money b. you are
cameras have to be easy to use; otherwise having a misfortune c. spend on them
not many would buy them. 4. Jupiter, d. you are a king e. you have lost all your
the biggest planet, has been explored by money f. you are not rich anymore
satellite; hence scientists know a lot about g. every grief h. you are awake 4. It
it. 5. We can be proud of Indias culture shows that he has seen the best and worst
and heritage; they have withstood the test of of people both when he had money and,
time. 6. My favourite people include P G when he had none. 5. The poem is about
Wodehouse, the author; David Beckham, the the poets feelings about the truth of life.
football player; and Celine Dion, the singer. It showcases the poets disappointment,
bitterness and realisation of the dark side of
human nature. It comes across as more than
Friends and Flatterers
just a calm observation.
William Shakespeare (c. 15641616), often
called the English national poet, is widely Appreciating the Poem
considered the greatest dramatist of all time. He 1. But if fortune once do frown use
is thought to have been born in Stratford-upon- his company no more farewell his great
Avon in England and to have attended school renown
there. Known throughout the world, the works 2. Faithful friend from flattering
of William Shakespeare have been performed foe Whilst thou hast wherewith to spend
in countless hamlets, villages, cities and 3. meaning: fawn, charm Opposite:
condemn, criticise 4. flattering foe
metropolises for more than 400 years. Much less

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6. Sir Isaac Newton
Nathaniel Hawthorne (18041864) served as the
editor of the American Magazine of Useful and
Entertaining Knowledge. He also contributed
short stories to various periodicals which he
collected in 1837 in a compilation called Twice-
Told Tales. Failing health prevented him from
completing several stories. Hawthorne died in his
sleep in Plymouth.
A. 1. Isaac was very skilled in mechanics
and built many tools by himself which
he used to create curious objects.
2. Newtons grandmother opined that
he would make a good workman. The
neighbours thought that he would make
a good carpenter or architect.
3. People noticed that little Isaac was
good at mathematics. They thought
he would go on to become a clock
manufacturer. They were not wrong in
assuming so since the boy had made
a water-clock that had never been
seen in Woolsthorpe. 4. Isaac had
made her a water-clock and a sundial
for use in different weathers. Thus the
grandmother could tell the time of the
day. 5. The wind set the sails of
the windmill in motion. 6. The
little model worked like a real windmill
because when Isaac fed a handful of
grain into the windmill, it came out as
fine white flour. 7. He was knighted
by his country and made a Member of
Parliament. 8. I seem to myself
like a child, he would often say,
playing on the sea-shore, and picking
up here and there a curious shell or
a pretty pebble, while the boundless
ocean of Truth lies undiscovered before
me. From these words we know his
humility and thirst for knowledge.
B. 1. a. the wind b. Wind never blows
in a steady stream. Its intensity varies
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10_Class-7_Non-CBSE_Student Book Answer key.indd 122
and hence the usage. c. Wind cannot
be controlled. d. He made the wind
tell him the measure of its strength.
2. a. Jumping against the wind
b. He wanted to know the strength of
the wind. c. He found out how to
calculate the strength of the wind based
on how far he could jump against it.
3. a. The windmill near his
grandmothers house. We know he had
discovered its mechanism when we
read about how he built a miniature
working replica of the windmill.
b. He searched out all the laws by
which the planets are guided through
the sky. c. Gravity and the complex
mechanism of the universe and how
planets moved in their orbits.
Structure and Usage
A. 1. If Newton had not discovered the
nature of light, we would not known
the composition of sunlight.
2. Luckily, Isaacs grandmother did
not follow the neighbours advice. If
she had, she would have sent Isaac to
a clock maker for training. 3. How
sad that we cant go! I really think that
father would have permitted us to go, if
we had asked him more nicely.
4. They would have performed in
Mumbai this week, if two of the artists
had not fallen ill. 5. Arvind would
have surely arrived in time, if he had
set out in time.
B. 1. c 2. d 3. a 4. b
5. f 6. e
Words in Use
A. 2. When the boat had capsized, the
coast guards did not rest till they had
rescued the last person. 3. Never
at a loss for words, my grandfather
always explains things correctly and
clearly. 4. The coach watched his
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 READER 7
students closely for he was sure that
they would do well in the game when
they grew up. 5. Our athletics team
had worked very hard and there was
every reason to believe that they would
win the trophy at the All India Sports
Meet. 6. Adnans mother constantly
reminded him to complete the project
which, left to himself, Adnan would
have forgotten. 7. The lighthouse
near the seashore is constantly sending
a signal which helps the ships to stay on
the right path.
7. Vet in the Forest
D K Lahiri-Choudhury grew up in
Mymensingh district, now in Bangladesh,
inhabiting a near mythic world of household
elephants. Over seventy years, he has
traversed the forests of Lower Assam, Barak
Valley, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Arunachal
Pradesh and Orissa, as well as Uttaranchal,
Mudumalai, Bandipur and Periyar in quest of
the elephant. Vet in the Forest is an episode
from A Trunk Full of Tales: Seventy Years with
the Indian Elephant, a short-story collection by
Choudhury. A Trunk Full of Tales is a wildlife
memoir filled with humorous and ironic
anecdotes and always marked with a deep
knowledge of elephants. Lahiri-Choudhurys
experience with elephants includes tracking
them in undivided Assam and penetrating
remote areas in pursuit of man-killing rogues.
Understanding the Text
A. 1. S C De, Chief Wildlife Warden
of the State, Subrata Choudri, an
officer specialising in tranquilising
animals and the author, Dhriti K
Lahiri-Choudry. They had come to
help the Wildlife Wing of the Forest
Department to save a young, injured
tusker. A veterinary officer joined
them later. 2. The young man
told them that he knew where the
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10_Class-7_Non-CBSE_Student Book Answer key.indd 123
injured elephant was. As the animal
was unable to move much, the young
man was taking cut branches of trees
daily to feed it. 3. They were
enormously impressed with what the
young man was doing as the villagers
fields were regularly ravaged by these
elephants and yet he was kind enough
to help one of them.
4. The injured animal was in the
middle of the herd and it would be
impossible to separate the creature
from the herd. The injured elephant
was separated from the herd by chasing
away the herd using crackers and a lot
of noise by the villagers.
5. The veterinarians earlier
experiences had been limited to langurs
where he could take his own time to
prepare the syringe. But here he was
to deal with a wild elephant and time
was of the essence. 6. Showing
admirable calm, he spread a cloth
on the ground and arranged all the
phials on it neatly and methodically,
taking all the time in the world. The
frightened elephant got restless and
began to limp away from them.
7. He first made a deep incision across
the swollen part of the leg to bring out
a flow of blood. After the necessary
treatment of the elephants leg and a
shot of antibiotic, the others helped the
vet to bandage the animals leg.
8. a. come out of its drug-induced sleep
b. the team and the villagers to stay on
the ground 9. a. tranquilliser
c. antidote
B. 1. a. the injured elephant b. so that
they could cure it fast c. enthusiastic
villagers, two boys came running
up 2. a. The team which was
following the elephant to cure it.
b. They quickened their footsteps
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 TEACHERS RESOURCE PACK
because the elephant they were
following had quickened its steps.
c. The injured elephant lay on its side
because the tranquiliser had caused
it to sleep. 3. a. They did not
stay around to see if the elephant was
alright on waking up. b. No. They
were not irresponsible but practical.
There was no tree that was strong
enough to hold a machan and staying
on the ground when a herd of angry
elephants was coming for them would
have been foolish. c. Yes. The
next day they found that the injured
elephant had revived during the night
and the herd had taken it away.
Structure and Usage
A. 1. Who was this problem solved
by? 2. Why is breakfast being
cooked by Dinesh today? 3. What
change was noticed in him by them?
4. Will the students be addressed by
the Principal today? 5. When was
the old building demolished by the
municipality? 6. Has a date been
decided on by the students?
7. Were your questions being answered
sincerely by Priya? 8. Where on
earth are the books lent to me by my
aunt?
B.1. Who was the radio invented
by? 2. How has the book been
divided? 3. When is the building
expected to be completed? 4. Why
was the film banned? 5. Was the
museum inaugurated?
Words in Use
A. a. constantly b. track c. agony
d. limping e. winced f. stump
g. revival h. reluctantly
B. Para 7 (chased, lag, fleeing)
C. Para 9 (higher level: elevation; lower
level: depression)
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10_Class-7_Non-CBSE_Student Book Answer key.indd 124
Listening
The The Asian
African elephant
elephant
1. twin-domed head
2. ears much smaller
3. much bigger
4. can handle objects
easily with only
one finger
5. eats more grass
6. male and female
have tusks
A Narrow Fellow in the Grass
Emily Dickinson (18301886) was born in
Massachusetts. Her education outside of home
lasted only a year. Dickinson lived in almost
complete isolation from the outside world, but
actively maintained many correspondences and
read widely. Dickinsons poetry was heavily
influenced by the Metaphysical poets of
seventeenth-century England. The first volume
of her work was published posthumously in 1890.
The speaker of the poem is a man who recounts
his encounter with a snake as a young boy. He
narrates in lucid words the movement of the snake,
its appearance and the fear it produces in the one
it comes face to face with. The speaker points out
that he doesnt remember any encounters with the
fellow without a feeling of fear.
Understanding the Poem
1. The snakes notice is sudden. The snake
is found amidst cool, wet grass. He makes
his appearance suddenly. 2. Boggy
acre refers to ground where corn stalks will
not grow. According to the poet, the snake
prefers the cool ground. The place wont be
safe for the snake with people treading there.
3. We get to know the speaker is a boy.
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 READER 7

4. The poet compares the snake to a a person who indicates that he knows
whip. 5. The line, When stooping to the narrator, while the narrator has
secure it, shows that the boy tries to catch no clue as to who he is. The narrator
the narrow fellow. He does not succeed. intends to find out by remaining cool
6. The poet refers to the fear he feels while and sharp. 4. The narrator treats
in the presence of the snake. 7. Natures the conversation as a game in order
people refers to animals, insects and reptiles. to know the identity of the stranger
The words show that the speaker regards without asking him directly. It was not
each living thing as real persons. Her attitude successful because the narrator could
reflects in the line, I feel for them a transport not find out who the stranger really
Of cordiality. 8. No. The gender is male. was. 5. Here the narrator starts
A young boy. asking the stranger some safe questions
Appreciating the Poem and throwing in common names for
2. We can feel the movement of the snake effect. The method does not help him
when the poet says, a whip-lash unbraiding in any way. 6. The narrator had
in the sun. surprised the stranger by saying that
4. Tighter breathing and zero at the bone the dead person used to smoke not
refer to fear experienced by the speaker knowing that the stranger was talking
in his younger days. He tells us this about the narrators grandmother. That
in the last stanza. The sight of the was the stupidity. 7. The friend was
snake makes the boy imagine a whiplash worried that he had missed the station.
in his mind. He was barefoot. He was agitated. 8. Dismay
B. 1. NT. He thinks he is, but he is
8. My Unknown Friend deceived easily. 2. NT. He says
Stephen Leacock (18691944) was a Canadian there are occasions when he can recall
teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist. nothing. 3. NT. The narrator could
In the early part of the 20th century, he was not place the man. 4. T 5. NT.
considered the best-known humorist in the He was worried that the man would fail
English-speaking world. Early in his career, to get off.
Leacock turned to fiction, humour, and short
Structure and Usage
reports to supplement his regular income. His A. 2. It is not possible to recall where I
stories, first published in magazines in Canada have met this person. 3. It is not
and the United States and later in novel form, possible for the narrator to forget the
became extremely popular around the world. incident in the train. 4. It is possible
Understanding the Text to reserve a table for two in the restaurant.
A. 1. The narrator was sitting alone in the 5. It is not possible for you to enter the
smoking compartment. He was quite stadium without permission. 6. It
observant of the new entrant. is possible for the journalist to conduct
2. The stranger seemed to be able to the interview after the chief guest
identify the narrator but the narrator leaves. 7. It is not possible us to
was unable to place the stranger. support this decision without hearing
The line, Who indeed, I thought both sides of the argument.
to myself suggests this. 3. The B. 2. Many trees in this park can be
situation is having a conversation with saved. 3. The temperature in

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the oven can be maintained quite up. Everything he sees reminds him of his friend,
easily. 4. No one could complete whom he cannot see or hear or talk to anymore.
that project in time 5. Can they The ocean waves keep breaking on the beach and
build up their business so quickly? time keeps marching on, but the speaker cannot
C.1. a 2. the 3. a 4. the, go back in time to when his friend was still alive.
the 5. the, the Understanding the Poem
Words in Use 1. The sea. 2. The speaker wishes that
B. 1. I flatly refuse to spend any more he could break his thoughts on the rocks
time repairing the bicycle. 2. From like the sea breaks on the grey rocks. It
Razias slow movements we can see shows he is sad and agitated or disturbed.
she is evidently in pain. 3. The 3. The fishermans son and his sister and
police employed force to enter the the sailor are the people mentioned in the
building. 4. When the fire alarm second stanza. The children are playing and
went off in the shopping mall, the mother the sailor is singing in his boat. 4. The
grabbed the hand of her child and ran poet is disturbed by the ships. His disturbed
out. 5. The captain beamed when he state of mind is shown in the lines, But O for
presented the trophy to the principal. the touch of a vanishd hand, And the sound
of a voice that is still! 5. The poet is
C. hiss, clang
reminded of someone who was very close to
Listening him. He wishes to feel the touch and hear the
1. NT. 2. T. 3. NT. 4. T. voice of the person he is missing. 6. The
5. T. 6. T. poet says that the beautiful days he had known
Punctuation would never come back to him because
2. a six-hour ride 3. sad-looking someone who used to be part of those days
eyes 4. a bushy-tailed dog is no longer there with him. 7. The poet
5. shoulder-length hair 6. a three-month- is sad and angry in the first stanzas, yearning
old baby 7. a brown-haired girl in the third and takes on a reconciliatory
8. a one-lakh prize tone towards the end. The following lines
show the difference in mood. And I would
Break, Break, Break that my tongue could utter The thoughts
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (18091892) is considered that arise in me. But the tender grace of a
among the finest and most popular of Victorian day that is dead Will never come back to
poets. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge me. 8. Thepoemcapturesvariouslivingand
where he befriended Hallam who helped him non-living things carrying on with their
come out of his shell. Tennyson was selected poet normal activities despite the tragedy that had
laureate in succession to Wordsworth in 1850. befallen him.
This poem is considered to have been written
Appreciating the Poem
when the poet was mourning the death of his 1. The sea is personified. The poet asks of
dear friend, Hallam. Here the speaker is looking the sea to break on its cold, grey rocks. The
at the ocean and wishing he knew how to express reader gets a negative feeling, like the sea
his grief. The usually enjoyable sights at the is indifferent to the suffering of the speaker.
seaside refuse to cheer the poet up. He sees a 2. The repetition used is Break, break, break.
fishermans son playing with his sister, and he The word imparts a persistent, crashing,
hears a sailor singing, but they dont cheer him negative feeling. The poet uses repetition to

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 READER 7

reinforce this feeling. 3. sadness: cold Everest. Simple present: In a few

gray stones, vanished hand, sound of a voice years, it is difficult to meet the person
that is still, day that is dead happiness: play, who has not climbed the Everest.
sings 4. Simple present: Sonal hosts
a farewell party for Kumar next
9. Everest Reactions week. Present progressive: Sonal
R K Narayan (19062001) became very popular is hosting a farewell party for
with his semi-autobiographical novel Swami and Kumar next week. 5. Simple
Friends set in the fictional South Indian town of present: When does the time table
Malgudi. Known for his ability to write simple change? Will: When will the time
yet engrossing stories, R K Narayan won many table change? 6. Going to: We
awards for his works. He was the elder brother of are going to create a new logo for
the famous cartoonist, R K Laxman. our team. Will: We will create a
Understanding the Text new logo for our team. 7. Will:
A. 1. a 2. b 3. c 4. d Will the monsoon season start in
B. 1. Worried that human beings are November? Present progressive:
conquering everything and may Is the monsoon season starting in
become proud 2. Disappointed November? 8. Simple present:
that such important news has come The minister speaks to the people
to them through Thambi, the habitual tomorrow. Going to: The minister is
purveyor of news titbits, instead of going to speak to the people tomorrow.
arriving in a spectacular manner with B. 1. had 2. was 3. grew
a fanfare of trumpets 3. Happy and 4. picked 5. cut 6. jumped
proud about the clear-headed planning 7. made 8. ran 9. have been
as it is the most difficult thing to looking 10. am 11. have
achieve 4. Confident that success found 12. are 13. will return
was due to an accurate reading of
their horoscopes 5. Excited at the
Words in Use
commercial prospects for quarrying
A. 1. c. generally 2. e. simultaneously
all that ice and for revolutionizing the
3. a. occasionally 4. b. continuously
cold-storage industry 6. Strongly
5. d. immediately
patriotic in asserting Indias claim to
conquering the Everest and wishing to B. money and skill
see the Indian flag planted there Listening
Structure and Usage 2. c 3. d 4. a
A. 2. Will: I will write to Colonel Hunt Spelling
tomorrow and ask for the horoscopes 1. factory 2. crockery 3. category
of the team members. Present 4. theory 5. satisfactory 6. boundary
progressive: I am writing to 7. laboratory 8. imaginary
Colonel Hunt tomorrow to ask 9. mockery 10. confectionery
for the horoscopes of the team 11. directory 12. treachery
members. 3. Going to: In a few
years, it is going to be difficult to meet Wandering Singers
the person who has not climbed the Saroji Naidu (18791949) born as Sarojini
Chattopadhyay is also known by the sobriquet,

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The Nightingale of India. A child prodigy,
she was also an Indian independence activist
and poet. Naidu was the first Indian woman to
become the President of the Indian National
Congress and the first woman to become the
Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Her writings describe
India, its people and their everyday life in all its
lovely colours.
The poem talks about a band of singers who
travel from one city to another, one town to
another and from one village to another to spread
the message of love through their singing. They
pass various landscapes, villages, streams and
people, singing and going where the wind leads
them. They sing of happy, simple and sorrowful
things seen in everyday life and they hope to
gather the dreams that they sow.
Understanding the Poem
1. a. T b. NT. They sing through the streets
and through the forest. c. T. 2. With
lutes in our hands ever-singing we roam, All
men are our kindred, the world is our home.
and No love bids us tarry, no joy bids us
wait: 3. They sing about cities that have
lost their lustre, about the laughter and beauty
of women from the past, of swords, old battles
and crown of old kings. They sing of happy,
simple and sorrowful things. Their listeners
get a piece of history from their songs.
4. The first line talks about the days activity.
The last line talks about their whole life.
5. They have no notion about family or home.
They call the world their home. They show
no sadness about it. 6. These words add
lyrical sense to the poem. Also they leave a
much bigger impression about the places and
things spoken about. They are also words that
bring to mind different sounds, especially
that made by music.
Appreciating the Poem
1. The poem is about singers who sing
for a living passing through villages with
no hurry. Hence wander and roam are the
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10_Class-7_Non-CBSE_Student Book Answer key.indd 128
more appropriate words to describe their
movement.
2. Yes, it sounds like a song.
10. His First Flight
Liam O Flaherty (18961984) was an Irish
novelist and short story writer. He abandoned
his training for the priesthood and became
a soldier in World War I, a migrant labourer
in the Americas and the Middle East, and a
revolutionary in Ireland. He was a leading writer
of the Irish literary renaissance. His novels
include Thy Neighbours Wife, The Informer,
Skerrett, Famine, and Insurrection. His First
Flight is taken from Liam O Flaherty: The
Collected Stories, Volume 1. The story is about a
family of seagulls and highlights the psychology
and intelligence of these birds. Written in a
simple and convincing style, it tells the tale of a
young seagull that was afraid to fly and how he
finally comes of age.
Understanding the Text
A. 1. His brothers and his sister had
already flown away and so had his
parents. 2. His parents scolded
and threatened him for fearing to fly
away. 3. No, he had a little sister
who finds a mention in the story.
4. The mother carried some food up for
him and stood hanging in the air enticing
him to reach out and get it out of her beak.
5. He was excited to fly. The lines, He
uttered a joyous scream and flapped
them again. He soared higher indicate
that. 6. He just happened to float on
the sea. He knew he was floating since
he hadnt sunk fully.
B. 1. The young seagull did that because
he was afraid to take off from the ledge.
He went into the little hole under the
ledge. 2. His brothers and sister
having taken off. 3. His mother. She
was tearing a piece of fish with her beak.
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 READER 7

He went crazy with hunger and wanted guest fell sick. 5. I could only find three
desperately to eat the fish. 4. It of the ingredients: sugar, flour and coconut.
would probably mean, Come here 6. To summarise, we found the camp, set up
and get this piece of fish yourself. our tent and then it poured the whole night.
5. Because he had now started to fly and
11. Zero Hour
they were happy for him.
Understanding the Text
Structure and Usage
A. 1. Paragraph 4. The following two
A. 1. had seen 2. had soared
sentences tell us about his fathers
3. had failed 4. had searched
plans and his own Father was going
5. had run out of 6. had gone out
to rocket to the Moon. And Mother did
B. 2. had got 3. had failed 4. had
not even know the Lunar project was
chosen 5. had worked out
in the worksshe would naturally not
6. felt 7. reached 8. had
even dream that he was going with
remained
Father! 2. So secret that top scientists
Words in Use like his father, John Kendall, didnt
A. 1. flapped 2. swooped even discuss them with their families.
3. soaring 4. banked 3. Bobbys rocket was six feet long with
5. skimming two seats and an instrument panel. That
B. 1. great expanse 2. For the life morning Bobby did not spend time on it
of me, 3. muster up 4. almost with real interest. He just fussed around
within reach 5. took no notice of it until he could distract his mother
her 6. lasted only a moment and slip away unnoticed to the rocket
Listening drome. 4. Bobby walked through an
1. are something you are born with. alley that nobody ever walked through
2. learn the singing patterns of song birds. till he reached a round lid. He lifted this
3. the first moving object they see as lid and climbed down the ladder into an
soon as they hatch. 4. the first person underground area which he called the
to scientifically study imprinting in young sewer, a place full of wires and faint
birds. 5. thought of him as their little lights. This sewer led him to the
mother and followed him. big drome where the rocket was being
built. 5. Initially, Bobby did not
Punctuation know where the rocket was going. One
1. Gulls typically have harsh wailing or
day when he had gone to take a peek at it
squawking calls, longish bills and webbed feet.
secretly, he heard his father and another
2. The major holidays in the next few scientist discussing that rocket was
months are as follows: Independence Day,
going to the moon. They were speaking
Dussera, Diwali, Christmas and New Years
in such low voices that he could not
Day. 3. John F Kennedy issued this
catch their full conversation. However,
stirring challenge: Ask not what your
since his father was the second biggest
country can do for you; ask what you can do
scientist at Buffalo Flats and since the
for your country. 4. The School Day was
highest scientist was too old to make
a disaster! A number of unexpected problems
a trip, Bobby assumed that his father
cropped up: the letters did not go out on
would definitely go on the rocket.
time, our mikes did not work and the chief
6. We see him next in his bedroom

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at night waking up for a short while secret 3. he had been working in

from his sleep. We know he is home the garden for hours 4. had been
because his father John Kendall goes playing professional tennis for twelve
to the bedroom to check in on his years 5. we had been travelling
son. Bobby explains to his father that for more than twenty-four hours
he had got into the Moon rocket but 6. I had been working on my project the
came out at the last minute because he whole morning.
thought his mom would be alone if both
B. 2. had been, retired 3. had
he and his father went on the rocket.
been 4. they had been writing to
7. Bobby was referring to the real rocket
each other as pen pals for five years.
whereas his father assumed he was
5. hurt because she had been reading
talking about his toy rocket. We can
until late in the night.
tell this because the text says that John
Kendall thought that children lived in Words in Use
a dream world. No, they did not clear A. 1. spill 2. slip away
the misunderstanding. 8. In the end, 3. sauntered 4. duck 5. tousled
none of them went on the rocket and B. 1. Mother said, as she stepped out,
both of them stayed back. See to it that the fish is fed before
B. 1. a. Bobby says this to his mother you go out to play! 2. The
when she asks him his plans for the day. thought of March Past practice in
b. His mother thinks he is joking. the blazing sun is too much to bear.
c. He wants to give his mother a hint 3. They have no doubt that they will win
about his plan to go on the rocket to Moon the tournament. 4. Taking a deep
with his father. 2. a. Bobby says this breath, I told him it was wrong of him to
to his father when he asks his son if he speak to me in that tone.
was planning to make the trip to Moon Dictionary Work
too. b. Bobby is referring to the real verb noun adjective
rocket as he had made plans to go to the explode explosion explosive succeed success
Moon. c. His father, however, assumes successful suspect suspicion suspicious
that Bobby is referring to his toy rocket inspire inspiration inspiring
and an imaginary mission to the Moon.
Spelling
3. a. Mrs. Myra Kendall says this when
her husband John tells her that they suffered, conferred, levelled, propelled, profited,
have fired an explosion rocket at the benefited
moon. b. She makes this comment Lobster Quadrille
when he explains that when the rocket Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (18321898), better
hits the moon, the explosives in it known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was a
will go off and throw dye all over the British writer, mathematician and photographer.
place. c. She seems to be jesting. She His most famous works are Alices Adventures
is used to her husband being part of a in Wonderland, its sequel Through the Looking-
lot of secret projects and does not seem Glass, and the poem The Hunting of the Snark,
much interested in the latest one. all examples of the genre of literary nonsense.
Structure and Usage This poem is one of the songs from Alices
A. 2. had been trying to find out his fathers Adventures in Wonderland. The poems are

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 READER 7
musical because of the clever use of repetition,
rhythm and rhyme. Though the poem sounds
light-hearted with its jumpy rhythm, it is
nevertheless thought-provoking and provides a
contrast between the adventurous whiting and
the timid snail. Are there not some of us who say,
Too far! while others may simply reply, So
what?
Understanding the Poem
1. The whiting and the snail. The whiting
is faster and more eager. 2. The whiting
wants them to go to the dance that is to take
place on the shingles/pebbles. Others who are
going there are porpoise, lobster and turtle.
They are all going to dance. 3. The
whiting invites the snail to a dance. 4. He
looks forward to being picked up and thrown
into the sea along with the lobsters. The
snail says he doesnt want to get thrown too
far. 5. No, the snail does not want to go
to the dance. He is suspicious about what will
happen there. He is too polite to decline and
gives other reasons for the same. 6. The
snail says, Too far, too far. The words are
informal. 7. The whiting likes his friend
and wants him to really go along with him to
the dance. We know this from the whitings
caring words to the snail that go, Then turn
not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the
dance. 8. The whiting makes a second
attempt to convince his friend. The whiting
reasons with the snail thus:
What matters it how far we go? his scaly
friend replied.
There is another shore, you know, upon the
other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to
France
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come
and join the dance.
Will you, wont you, will you, wont you,
will you join the dance?
The above lines also tell us that the whiting
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10_Class-7_Non-CBSE_Student Book Answer key.indd 131
felt that his friend was feeling a little nervous
and unsure about the dance.
12. The Play
Understanding the Text
A. 1. The actors meet in a green
plot. They think it is convenient
there because it is perfect for their
requirement. 2. A prologue is an
introduction. Bottom wants a prologue
to be written that can be read out
before Pyramus draws his sword to kill
himself in order not to scare the ladies
in the room. He wants the prologue to
say that he was indeed not Pyramus
but Bottom the weaver. 3. They
resolve the issue of the lion by deciding
to announce that the lion is actually a
person and not a real lion. They also
decide to tell the audience that the lion
is actually Snug, the joiner.
4. Quince wants moonlight in the
chamber as in the play Pyramus and
Thisby meet by moonlight. 5. Puck
is referring to Bottom. Bottom makes
for a strange Pyramus because he
cannot seem to remember his lines,
mixes up the words and misses his
cue to speak. 6. Everyone flees
on seeing Bottom return from the
hawthorn brake with an asss head
in place of his own. 7. Titania
hears Bottom singing and wakes up
to see him. She falls in love with him
because Puck had smeared her eyes
with magic potion that would make
her fall in love with the first thing that
she cast her eyes upon. 8. This
refers to Bottom. Titania orders her
fairies to be kind and courteous towards
Bottom. 9. The reference is to
Mustardseed.
10. Every little flower weeps as well.
B. 1. a. Bottom. He thinks others are
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 TEACHERS RESOURCE PACK

saying that he has changed just to B. 2. knows 3. comes out

make a fool of him and to frighten him. 4. gather 5. is 6. bring
b. No c. He decides to sit there and sing. 7. begins 8. continues
2. a. Bottom b. Titania. Bottoms 9. is 10. look 11. are
virtue moves the speaker. The speaker Words in Use
swears to love him. 3. a. Bottom is A. 1. clarity 2. play the part of
speaking to Titania once she confesses 3. oddest 4. transformed
her feelings for him. b. Titania has 5. take good care of him
said that she was in love with him.
c. Bottom says that love and logic do not B. 1. enable 3. enchant
exist together or that love is blind. 4. endanger 5. enlarge

Structure and Usage

A. 1. every 2. every 3. Each
4. one of 5. Some 6. Some
7. One 8. Each 9. every
10. Some

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