Shrishti Vidyashram Sr. Sec.

School
Grade : VIII ENGLISH

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LITERATURE READER QUESTION ANDA NSWER

Lesson 1. THE GUEST HOUSE Date5/05/20

Answer the following questions:

1.What is a human being compared to? Why?

Ans.The human being is compared to a guest house. Just as a guest house has new andunexpected
visitors everyday, so does the human being experience new and unforeseenemotions such as joy,
sorrow, shame or malice.

2.what does the poet ask us to do? What is the reason he gives for it?

Ans.The poet asks us to welcome each emotion or experience, however sorrowful it may be,
foritprepares us mentally and spiritually for something good.

3. What message does the poet seek to convey through this poem?

Through this poem, the poet seeks to convey the message that we should not regard ouremotions and
experiences with despair or ill-will, and shun them from our lives or reactnegatively to them. Rather, we
should accept them wholeheartedly and gratefully as a guidesent 'from beyond', that is, from a higher,
divine power. They serve to educate us so thatwe are better informed and guided in our future actions.
They help to make us better andstronger human beings.

4.What does The Guest House poem mean?

Ans. ‘The Guest House’ by Rumi, a poem for the broken-hearted. Frequently recited in mindfulness
circles, this poem is a reminder not to resist the thoughts and emotions passing through you but to meet
them with courage, warmth, and respect.
 Lesson 2. A CHRISTMAS CAROL

A. Answer with reference to the context.

1. ‘My dear sir,’ said the other, shaking hands with him.

‘I don’t know what to say to such munificence-‘

a. Name the speaker.

The speaker here is the gentleman who had approached Scrooge in his office the daybefore with a
request for donation to bring Christmas cheer to the poor and destitutepeople.

b. To whom were these words said?

The speaker said these words to Ebenezer Serooge.

c. why did the speaker say these words?

The speaker said these words because Scrooge had promised to give him a generousdonation for the
poor for Christmas.

2.‘What do you mean by coming here at this time of day?

a. Name the speaker.

The speaker is Ebenezer Scrooge.

b.To whom were these words spoken?

The words were spoken to Bob Cratchit.

c. Was the speaker really angry?

Scrooge was not really angry; he was only pretending to be so.

d. Why was the person spoken too late?

Bob Cratchit was late because he was making merry on Christmas till late into the night.

B. Answer the following questions.

1. Which words sounded the ‘blithest’ to the ears of Ebenezer Scrooge?

The words "Good morning, sir! A merry Christmas to you' sounded the blithest to the ears ofEbenezer
Scrooge.

2. What kind of a reception did Scrooge get in Fred’s home?

Fred and his wife were at first startled to j Scrooge's voice. But they were overjoyedwhen they realized
that their Uncle Serooge had come to have dinner with them onChristmas. In no time, Scrooge was
made to feel at home. The atmosphere was cheerful andhappy, with good food, games, and joyful
togetherness.
3. Why did Scrooge reach office early the day after Christmas?

Scrooge reached office early the day after Christmas because he wanted to catchCratchit coming late to
office.

4. What Christmas cheer did Scrooge bring for Bob Cratchit?

The Christmas cheer that Scrooge brought for Bob was to raise his salary and promise to assist his
struggling family.

C. Think and answer. (HOTS)

Why do you think Bob Cratchit thought of calling people for help when Scrooge informed him that he
would raise his salary?

Ebenezer Scrooge was an ill-tempered and miserly employer. He never cared about others, andnever
helped anyone. He made Bob Cratchit work long hours with poor pay. He would evengrudge the leave
on Christmas, for he felt that he was having to pay money for no work done. So when Bob Cratchit came
late to office the day alter Christmas, and Scro0ge declared that hewould raise his salary because of it,
Bob thought Scrooge was out of his mind. It was more likeScrooge to deduct someone's salary for
coming late than to give a raise for it.

Lesson 3. Dusk Date: 12/06/20

A. Answer with reference to the context.

1.The young man turned to him with a look of disarming frankness which put him instantly on his
guard.

a. To whom did the young man turn?

The young man turned to Norman Grotsby.

b. What did the young man say to him?

The young man told Grotsby that he had done a very silly thing.

c. Describe the young man.

The young man was quite well-dressed, but looked upset and angry. He sat down on the seat next to
Grotsby with an angry expletive, which showed that something was troubling him a lot.

d. Why do you think the ‘look of disarming frankness’ put the person on his guard?

The look of disarming frankness on the young man's face put Grotsby on his guard probably because the
young man was a stranger, and for a stranger to suddenly act familiar and confiding is unusual.
2. ‘It’s a lesson to me not to be too clever in judging by circumstances.’

a. Name the speaker.

The speaker is Norman Grotsby.

b. Whom did the speaker judge?

The speaker judged the young man who sat with him on the bench, and told him how he had lost his
way and had no money to lodge for the night in a hotel.

c. Did his judgement turn out to be correct?

Yes, the judgement of Grotsby turned out to be correct. The man was indeed a fraud, duping people of
their money. The discovery of the soap had momentarily made Grotsby doubt his judgement, but he
was actually correct.

d. What lesson did the speaker ultimately learn?

The lesson that Grotsby ultimately learnt was not to be hasty in drawing conclusions. When he
discovered the cake of soap, he thought he had been mistaken in judging by Circumstances, and he
chided himself for it. But he was mistaken again in concluding hastily that the young man was innocent.

B. Answer the following questions:

1. According to the narrator, who does the dusk hour belong to?

According to the narrator, the dusk hour belongs to people who are undistinguished in any sphere of
life, and do not wish to be noticed. They are, as Grotsby says, 'the defeated, preferring to stay away
from the bright lights and prosperous crowd of the city.

2. Compare and contrast the two people who came and sat on the bench with Norman Grotsby.

The person who first sat on the bench with Norman Grotsby was an elderly gentleman. His personality
seemed to suggest that he had little control over anything or anybody, and was not of much importance
or interest to anyone. He was not shabbily dressed, but was not well dressed either. On the other hand,
the second person who sat on the bench with Grotsby was a young man who was fairly well-dressed.
While the elderly man looked defeated, the young man looked agitated. The old man seemed reconciled
to the fact that nobody notices him. The young man seemed to want the world to take notice of him and
his problem. While the old man sat quietly by Gotsby's side on the bench, the young man flung himself
onto the seat and swore very audibly.

3. What proved to be the weak point in the young man’s story?

The weak point in the young man's story was his inability to produce the soap which he said he had
purchased.
4. ‘Lucky thing your finding it.’ What ‘luck’ did the young man have in the story?

The luck' that the young man had in the story was Grotsby's finding the cake of soap. The young man
had made up the story about his getting lost in the city and with no money after having spent it on a
cake of soap and a drink in a bar. Grotsby was not taken in by the man's story, and pointed out that had
the story been true, the man would have been able to produce the soap. Grotsby was right in detecting
the young man's fraud. So the finding of a soap near the bench, which implied that the story was true,
was indeed very lucky for the man.

Chapter 4. MILK FOR THE CAT

A. Answer the following questions. (pg no.31)

1. What happens at five o’clock?

Tea is served at five o'clock, and the little black cat comes purring almost immediately for its saucer of
milk.

2. Why does the cat stamp her claws, lift her ears, twist her tail and begin to stir?

The cat stamps her claws, lifts her ears, twists her tail and begins to stir to express her impatience for
the saucer of milk.

3. How does the author describe the saucer of milk that is given to the cat?

The saucer of milk is compared to a full moon, with the 'creamy sea' of milk in it.

4. What does the cat do after drinking the milk?

After drinking the milk, the cat goes to sleep contentedly for a few hours.

B. pg no.31

1. ( the cat) Is suddenly purring there.

2. And presently her agate eyes take a soft large milky haze, and her independent casual glance
becomes a stiff, hard gaze.

3. Then she stamps her claws or lifts her ears, Or twists her tail and begins to stir, Till suddenly all her
lithe body becomes one breathing, trembling purr.

4, But the cat is grown small and thin with desire, 1ransformed to a creeping lust for milk.

5. The children eat and wriggle and laugh; the two old ladies stroke their silk

6. The white saucer like some full moon descends At last from the clouds of the table above

7. She sighs and dreams and thrills and glows, Transfigured with love. A long, dim ecstasy holds her life;
her world is an infinite shapeless white, till her tongue has curled the last holy drop, then she sinks back
into the night.