AADHARSHILA VIDYAPEETH

SUBJECT: English
TOPIC: Ch-17 ( Miss Smith and the Black Pearl)
CLASS: VII
DATE: 03 February 2021
 ▪ The students will learn to appreciate the influence of a
LEARNING teacher on the lives of the student.

▪ Understand the determination of an unpriviledged boy

OUTCOME to follow his dreams.
 CH-17
( Miss Smith and
the Black Pearl)
 1. a. ‘They’ is being referred to the students of class XI of
the Penrose Road School. They moved to the music on
Miss Smith’s music player and imagined that they are
trees, butterflies or gazelles. They enjoyed the dance
and forgot about all the worries at home.

QUICK RECAP b. Miss Smith coaxed them gently and almost hypnotised
them into dancing in her class.
c. Miss Smith taught Spellings, sums, drawing and
reading.
d. The students came from very ordinary backgrounds,
with financial difficulty and domestic troubles.
e. This line indicates that the students were quite weak in
their studies and did not know even simple tables and
basic spellings.
 2. a. The end of term concert, West Side Story, in which James
Ogori was the lead performer is being referred to here.

b. James played the leader of the Puerto Rican Gang.

c. It was James Ogori’s school leaving year. It was his last
concert at Penrose Road School.

d. James’ mother cried when she saw her son performing so

SHORT well, while the father had a lump in his throat as he felt pride
at his son’s performance.
QUESTIONS 3. a. Miss Smith is speaking to James Ogori’s mother, Mrs.
Ogori.
b. James wanted to go to London and also take up stage
performances. His father had refused while his mother was
frightened. This is when Miss Smith reassured them.

c. James wanted to take up the stage performances in London.

 d. In London, James was quickly picked out of the chorus line of
some ordinary show and given a solo part. Then, he got a larger
part in a better show, until at nineteen, he was cast in a remake of
West Side Story, in the very same role that he played in school
years ago. Soon, a famous songwriter wrote a rock version of
Othello specially for James Ogori. It went on to become a huge
success in London.
4. a. James Ogori, who had become a celebrity, was going to
SHORT come to his old school, Penrose Road School. The occasion was
the end term Concert, Godspell.
QUESTIONS b. The headmaster informed Miss Smith of the letter he had
received from James’s agent. The letter informed of James’
intention of coming back to his school for the annual concert.
c. James Ogori was a celebrity and the most famous student like
him was never produced. Therefore kids qere nervous
performing in front of him.
d. The students performed Godspell in the concert that year.
 PART B
1. The term refers to the fears a sociologist have in seeing a
whole lot of kids from a disadvantaged background being
together. The school had different children from
underprivileged baxkgrounds, where there was so much
domestic trouble and financial difficulties which affected
the children.

SHORT 2. Miss Smith had brown grey hair which was cropped short.
Her skin was waxy and pale. However, her eyes were
QUESTIONS bright and of cornflower blue in color.
3. James Ogori had more zest and rhythm in his movements.
It seemed he danced with his heart, soul and mind. Miss
Smith would push him to do more than the others, often
more challenging steps than the others. In this way, his
talent was honed.
4. Perspiring profusely after the demanding practices of
Miss Smith, James resembled a glistening black pearl.
After someone pointed it, the nickname stuck with him.
 5. Miss Smith pushed James more than the other students to
perform the most difficult steps and jumps. Moreover, she
sponsored James’ special classes in a good but expensive
dancing school.

6. Miss Smith thought that James would definitely return to meet

her when he had reached the top of his career. She knew that he
was ambitious and would return after accomplishing his goals.

SHORT 7. James gifted his teacher a fragile chain with a black pearl
hanging from it. The gift represented his gratitude to her for
QUESTIONS having recognised and encouraged his talent, the talent of the
'black pearl’.

8. Miss Smith revealed that she was actually a clumsy dancer who
could not dance well. All she can do is to make others dance.

9. James is being compared to a shiny black pearl because of his

appearance after exhausting dance practices. 'like a tiny beacon’
means Miss Smith was a tiny lamp of hope as she taught the
children with her back arched and with outstretched arms.
 1. Miss Smith was understanding, encouraging,
empathetic, inspiring, selfless and very humble.
2. Miss Smith was a kind of a teacher who had the ability
to identify the talents in the students and hone it. She
herself being clumsy dancer taught dance to James
Ogori and all the students of Penrose Road School.

PONDER 3. It did not matter to James Ogori that his teacher was a
clumsy dancer rather he respected her and was
(HINT POINTS) grateful to her as she recognised the talent in him and
honed it and showed him a path of success by fulfilling
his dreams.
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