LESSON-9 SKIVERS

-DAVID WILLIAMS
HARD WORDS:

1. commotion
2. stampede
3. marathon
4. gross
5. professional
6. trophy
7. reckon
8. athletes
9. reluctantly
10. greyhounds
11. undetectable
12. bothered
13. indistinct
14. announcement
15. climax
16. stretched
17. track
18. tannoy
19. puffing
20. twit
Extra meanings:
1)stampede- an occurrence in which a large group of
frightened or excited animals or people run together in wild
and uncontrolled way to escape from something.
2) pace- the speed at which something happens
3) javelin- a long spear that people throw as far as they
can as a sport
4) reckon- to think or suppose (something): to believe that
(something) is true or possible
5) tees- a mark aimed at in various games
6) twit- a stupid or foolish person
7) stacks- a usually neat pile: a group of things that are
put one on top of the other.

Textbook Meanings:
Answer the following questions:

Q:1. Why do Claire and Paula decide to skive off? Do

you think they have skived of during sports before?
A.1.Paula and Claire skived off during the race because they did
not want to run the four‐mile race and Claire’s house was on
the way, so they went there for a cup of coffee instead. No,
Claire and Paula had not, perhaps, skived off during sports
before.

Q:2. How will you describe these characters? Choose at least

three appropriate words to describe each of them? Also, think
of reasons for your choices.
A.2.(a) Claire: She was dishonest, mischievous and
opportunistic. This is so because Claire did not mind being a
cheat and winning the race, even though she had not meant to
win the race and this had happened only by chance. She was
mischievous because it was her idea to skive off on the sports
day with her friend. She was opportunistic because she did not
want to give up the chance of receiving the trophy.

(b) Paula: She was honest, reasonable, optimistic and gullible.

Paula was honest because she felt ashamed to win the race by
cheating. She was reasonable and tried to find logic behind
their likes and dislikes. She was optimistic because she was
more flexible in her views and was not impenetrable about new
ideas. She was gullible because Claire could convince her to
skive off on the sports day.

(c) Helen Clark: She was a good sports person, she was
hard‐working, but a nagging girl. Helen always won the races
and so we know that she was a good sportsperson. She was a
hard working girl and kept winning races year after year. She
was a nagging girl because she complained at the slightest
opportunities, for example, she whined about others in the
front getting a start on her and the others, at the beginning of
the race.

(d) Miss Dunn: She was strict, opportunistic and a keen

observer. Miss Dunn was strict and hence, students who hated
sports hated her. She was opportunistic because she did not let
Helen speak when a reporter made her pose along with the
winners, Paula and Claire. And she was a keen observer
because when Paula and Claire won the race; she asked them
whether they had taken any shortcuts as she had never seen
them run that fast before.

Q:3. When Claire and Paula decide to skive off at the

beginning of the play, are you angry with them? Or do you
sympathize with them because they are been forced to do
something they do not want to do?
A.3.I was not angry with Paula and Claire when they skived off
at the beginning of the play because it seemed to be an
impulsive and naughty decision on their part to have done so.
Also, children must not be forced to do something that they do
not like.

Q:4. What do you think will happen when the truth about
Claire and Paula is discovered? Will Helen Clark finally get
Miss Dunn to listen to what she has to say? What do you think
Miss Dunn will say to them? Will she punish them?
A.4. When the truth is discovered, Miss Dunn would most
probably punish Paula and Claire for having deceived
everybody. Also, she would finally let Helen say what she
wanted to say. Miss Dunn might excuse Paula because she did
not want to receive the award and it is she who wanted to
come out with the truth; however, Claire would have been
admonished and punished.