THE MASK

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
●● note the anger the culprit had nursed until he could avenge the wrong done to him.
●● evaluate if the culprit could have done better than punish the wrongdoer.
●● infer the predicament of the guilty person.
●● assess the wrong clues leading to dead ends.
●● identify the features of a detective story.

Pre-reading
1. Why do we wear masks?
2. How can this be the title of a detective story?
3. Why do you think the culprit would want to wear a mask?

Understanding the Text enough and this could be his way of making Rajen
Babu ill enough to visit him.)
Read the text / Play the audio from the Smart Book.
The second person…had three suspects, but no
Feluda or Prodosh Chandra Mitter…he would
culprit yet.
naturally go to his doctor.”
Ask students:
Ask students:
Who was the other suspect? (Mr Ghoshal, who
How is suspense introduced at the very beginning
was an expert in antiques, was the second suspect
of the detective story? (The speaker creates suspense
because Rajen Babu collected masks, daggers and
by saying he overheard something strange that
old paintings.) Why did Tinkori Babu think Dr
needed an investigation. This is typical of a detective
Ghoshal was a crook? (He thought Dr Ghoshal only
story.) Why had Rajen Babu taken Tinkori Babu as
pretended to be interested in antiques. And that he
a paying guest? (A friend had recommended Tinkori
bought antiques at a cheap price from the locals
Babu and he was living alone, anyway.) What is the
only to sell them at a higher rate to foreigners.) Why
detail about Tinkori Babu that is significant? (Tinkori
was Feluda convinced that Tinkori Babu could be
Babu smokes cigars and the strong acrid smell may
right? (He had heard that a curio shop was getting a
become a clue to suspect him.) What did the letter
new stock and thought that Dr Ghoshal had written
mean? (That someone would punish Rajen Babu for
the letter to make Rajen Babu stay at home so that
some wrong he had done in the past) Why was it not
he would be able to buy up the new stock.) Why was
handwritten? (So that Rajen Babu may not know
Prabeer Majumdar the third suspect? (Prabeer was
who had sent it) Why did Feluda think Dr Phoni
Rajen Babu’s son and he had been asked to leave the
Mitra could have sent the letter? (Feluda thought
house as he was stealing money from his father. He
Dr Phoni Mitra could have sent the letter to make
had recently returned to Darjeeling and could have
Rajen Babu ill with fear. The doctor was not earning

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 threatened his father.) Why does Feluda say that
Rajen Babu should not be told that his son was in
town? (Rajen Babu was already stressed out with the
letter. Feluda felt he was not in a position to take the
news that his errant son was back again in town and
could have written that letter to threaten him.)
Then something very frightening happened…and left
the room abruptly.
Ask students:
How is the suspense heightened? (Rajen Babu
sends for Feluda. He is ill in bed with Tinkori Babu and
Dr Mitra by his bedside. Rajen Babu tells him that a
masked man had bent over him the previous night.
Rajen Babu seemed very upset and scared.) Why does
Feluda notice the mud-stain on Dr Mitra’s jacket?
(To make us wonder if Dr Mitra could be the guilty
person)
Discuss:
Why is Tinkori Babu shown as being concerned
about Rajen Babu needing protection? (To throw
us off the scent so that we may not suspect him)
What purpose does the detail about Prabeer and
Mr Ghoshal being at a party until early in the
morning serve here? (It makes us suspect that they
could be guilty of scaring Rajen Babu.)
I lay on the bed…(Tinkori Mukhopadhyaya)
Ask students:
How did Feluda scare the speaker that night? (He
woke the speaker with his face in a mask, in the dead
of night.) How were the two able to zero in on the
culprit? (One of the masks smelt of cigar and they
Post-reading
Discussion:
1. Was Tinkori Babu justified in punishing Rajen Babu after fifty years? Explain your stand.
2. Does it feel good to be punished for a wrong-doing? Why do you think so?
3. Would it have helped the two of them to find a better closure if Tinkori Babu had revealed his
identity and spoken to Rajen Babu about the way he had hurt him fifty years earlier? How?
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knew that Tinkori Babu was the man who had worn it
to scare Rajen Babu.) Why were Feluda, the speaker
and Rajen Babu shocked to arrive at the conclusion
that Tinkori Babu was the guilty person? (They
could not understand why he would have scared
Rajen Babu because he seemed to respect him.) How
does Tinkori Babu explain the motive behind his
action? (Some fifty year earlier, when the two were
in school together, Rajen Babu had made Tinkori
Babu fall during a race by tripping him. Tinkori Babu
had missed the medal and had also been hurt badly.
He could not settle scores with Rajen Babu at that
time, as his father had been transferred. However, he
carried a grudge against Rajen Babu since then. And
when he came to live with Rajen Babu now, he saw
a childhood photograph of his and recognised him
as his schoolmate. He wanted to put him through
anxiety as a way of punishing him for having hurt
him both physically and mentally. Now that he had
settled scores, he hoped they could forget the whole
episode.) Why was Tinkori Babu in such a hurry to
leave town? (Initially, he may have been happy at his
good fortune in being a guest at his enemy’s house,
recognising him in a photograph and punishing him
sufficiently. Now that he had settled scores, he may
have wanted to leave.)
Discuss:
How do you think Rajen Babu would have felt after
reading Tinkori Babu’s letter? (1.He may have felt
relieved that the stress and tension was sorted out
and he could live without further anxiety. 2. He may
have felt happy that Tinkori Babu had found a way
to resolve his long-standing anger against him and
could be at peace henceforth.)
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 Appreciating the Text
The detective story has the following features:
1. There is a threat of danger to Rajen Babu.
2. There are three suspects,
a. Dr Phoni Mitra who may need Rajen Babu
as his patient since his practice was not
doing very well
b. Mr Ghoshal who may need him to be in bed
while he bought up a new stock of curios
c. Prabeer Majumdar, Rajen Babu’s son who
had been sent away from home for stealing
money from his father
3. The culprit, Tinkori Babu, who is beyond
suspicion because he seems concerned
about Raken Babu and helps Feluda in
the investigations with his comments and
suggestions
4. The detective, Feluda, who puts together clues
to zero in on the criminal and yet does not
suspect Tinkori Babu
5. The assistant to the detective who is the speaker
in the story
a. He brings information that needs
investigation.
b. He helps the detective with bits of
information and his own surmises.
c. He shares the suspense and the clues with
the readers so that we too may feel we are a
part of the team of detectives.

Grammar and Usage the infinitive and gerund as subject

Recap finite and nonfinite verbs with students.
Tell students:
The three types of Non-finite verbs are Participles, Infinitives and Gerunds.

Infinitives and Gerunds as subjects

Write on the board:
1. To polish the table is difficult. 2.  To leave my pet alone at home is not advisable.
3. Polishing the table is difficult. 4.  Leaving my pet alone at home is not advisable.
Tell students:
●● The words in italics are infinitives in sentence 1 and 2. They act as the subject of the sentences 1
and 2 and therefore act as nouns.
●● (What is difficult? To polish the table) (What is not advisable? To leave my pet alone at home)
●● The words in italics are gerunds in sentence 3 and 4. A gerund is the –ing form of a verb that
functions like a noun.
●● They act as the subject of the sentences 3 and 4 and therefore act as nouns.
(What is difficult? Polishing the table) (What is not advisable? Leaving my pet alone at home)
Guide students to do the exercise given in the Reader.

Words in Use verbs as adjectives

Words that are normally verbs can sometimes be used as adjectives.
Sometimes the present participle (verb plus -ing) form of a verb becomes an adjective:
rolling stone interesting story

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 Sometimes the past participle form of a verb becomes an adjective:
written apology broken chair filtered water updated version 
Guide students to do the exercise given in the Reader.

Listening post-listening: comprehension

Tell students to listen to the audio that will be played for them. Allow them time to read the questions
before listening to the audio. Tell them to listen but not to attempt to answer the questions. Tell them
that they will be given time to answer the questions. Tell them that the recording will be played only
twice.
Play the audio track. Give them time to state whether the statements are True or Not True. Play the
recording a second time and ask them to note down any details they may have missed out the first
time.
Check the answers.

Writing book review

Pre-writing brainstorming
Purpose of a book review:
The basic purpose of a book review is to help readers decide whether to read the book themselves.
A book review should identify the central idea of the book; give the reader some indication of the
author’s style, approach, then offer an overall evaluation and recommendation.
The review should do the following:

●● Inform ●● Contrast
●● Describe ●● Analyse
●● Compare ●● Evaluate

Points to be covered in the review:

Name of the book:
Author:
Setting: (Where does the story take place?)
Characters: (Who is in the story? Describe what they are like (personality, appearance and so on)
Plot: (Outline of the plot without giving away the story)
Theme: (Main themes and sub-themes of the story)
Your Opinion: (What was your favourite part of the text and why? Would you recommend this book to
anyone?)

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 Format
It will have a beginning, middle and an end, written in different paragraphs.
Introduction: Short, descriptive sentence about the book, Name of the book and author
Body (Detail 1): A brief introduction of the subject, plot, setting, theme and characters
Body (Detail 2): Description and analysis of the style of writing
Body (Detail 3): Strengths and weaknesses of the book
Conclusion: Your opinion and recommendation of the book
Guide students to do the exercise given in the Reader.

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 WORKSHEET
THE MASK GRAMMAR

Name of Student: Class:

A. In each of these sentences, underline the finite verbs and circle the non-finite verbs.
1. Do you want to play football?

2. I enjoy swimming.

3. Subash likes exercising every morning.

4. He is fond of painting during the day.

5. Hiking is a popular activity.

6. There are many interesting stories to read on adventure.

B. Combine these sentences using infinitives.

1. He did not have any money. He could not buy a ticket.

2. He has a goal in life. It is to climb Mount Everest.

3. I want to receive a scholarship. I am studying hard for that reason.

4. He has to feed his family. He works hard for that reason.

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 THE MASK VOCABULARY

Name of Student: Class:

Add -ing, -ed or -en to the verbs in Column A, to form adjectives and match them to the words in
Column B.
Example: exciting evening

A B
1. excite a. fence
2. frighten b. experience
3. break c. speech
4. inspire d. evening
5. paint e. chair

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 THE MASK WRITING

Name of Student: Class:

Write a book review of any of the stories in this Reader.

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 ANSWER KEY TO THE WORKSHEETS

THE MASK
Answer key to the grammar worksheet
A. 1. F – want; NF – to play   2.  F – enjoy; NF- swimming   3.  F – likes; NF – exercising
4. F – is; NF – painting   5.  F – is; NF –hiking   6.  F – are; NF – to read
B. 1. He did not have any money to buy a ticket.
2. His goal in life is to climb Mount Everest.
3. I am studying hard to receive a scholarship.
4. He works hard to feed his family.
Free response

Answer key to the vocabulary worksheet

2. frightening experience  3. broken chair  4. inspiring speech  5. painted fence

QUESTION BANK WITH ANSWER KEY

THE MASK
1. Read the lines and answer the questions.
I suddenly sensed the presence of someone else in the room. My blood froze.
a. Who says these words?
b. Why was he terrorised?
c. Was someone playing a prank on him?
Answers:
a. Feluda’s cousin Topshe says these words.
b. He was horrified to see a ghost-like face leaning over him.
c. No, Feluda was the one wearing a mask and leaning over Topshe. He was not playing a prank over
him but was just trying out the masks in the room.

2. Answer in brief.
a. How did Feluda come to know that Rajen Babu was in some kind of trouble?
Answer: Feluda , the private detective, and his cousin Topshe were holidaying in Darjeeling. While
sitting in a mall, Topshe happened to overhear Rajen Babu confiding in Tinkori Babu, his tenant,
about a threatening letter that he had received by post. Topshe thought Rajen Babu, who was an
amiable man would need help. Hence he informed his cousin, Feluda.
b. Why did Rajen Babu readily accept Feluda’s offer to help him?
Answer: Rajen Babu needed help. He was quite shocked to get such a threatening letter as he had
never offended or harmed anyone. Hence, when Feluda offered to help him he readily agreed.
He also felt comfortable accepting his offer of help because Rajen Babu had once helped Feluda’s
father.
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 3. Answer in detail.
a. What were the contents of the threatening letter? Why was it not handwritten?
Answer: Feluda met Rajen Babu and wanted to know more about the letter. Rajen Babu showed the
letter to Feluda. It was not a handwritten letter. The words were ‘Be prepared to pay for your misdeeds’
and every letter of the words had been cut and pasted there. The reason could be that the sender was
known to Rajen Babu and he would recognise the handwriting. Handwritten messages could expose
the writer to sleuths and this could have also been a reason. Another reason could be just to add
mystery to the whole act. Despite this, it helped Feluda, to some extent, to get closer to the suspect.
b. Who were the people Tinkori Babu talked about to Feluda? What did Feluda surmise from the
information he got?
Answer: Rajen Babu had a friend named Ghoshal who was an expert in antiques and often visited
Rajen Babu. Tinkori Babu thought Ghoshal was a crook. He felt that under the pretext of showing
interest in art and antiques he only wanted to buy them from Rajen Babu and sell them to
foreigners at a higher rate. This made Feluda wonder if Ghoshal had a motive in sending the letter
to frighten Rajen Babu and confine him at home. That would enable Ghoshal to buy all the new
antique pieces from the shop before Rajen Babu bought them. Tinkori Babu also talked about
Rajen Babu’s son Prabeer who was sent away from home by Rajen sixteen years ago. So Feluda
thought Prabeer also might have had a motive to threaten his father.

4. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)

a. Was it possible for Feluda to get to the right suspect easily? Why? / Why not?
Answer: Detectives do not usually get closer to the suspects from the beginning. Everyone
around the crime scene is under their focus. So here too, Feluda expressed, openly, his suspicion of
those other than the actual suspect but in his mind he would have had Tinkori Babu also in his list
of suspects.
b. Whom did you suspect first? Why?
Free response

STUDENTS’ BOOK ANSWER KEY

THE MASK
Style Focus
1. The writer has given us this specific detail about Tinokri Babu because it is something that can be
associated with him or which he can be identified by. The writer thus probably wants us to remember
him for this particular quality.
2. The writer makes us curious about what is going to happen next by making the atmosphere appear
very mysterious. Here we find out that Rajen Babu is ill, but we don’t know what has happened to him.
The writer also uses incomplete sentences to indicate that something very strange has taken place.
Thus in not telling us what has happened, the writer makes us curious about what is to come. Moreover,
the case also had three suspects, but Feluda had still not been able to figure out who the culprit was.
3. The writer has shown Tinkori Babu as someone who takes an active interest in Rajen Babu’s welfare
because he wants us to believe that he genuinely cares about Rajen Babu. Therefore, as readers, we
begin to trust Tinkori Babu and are convinced that he has Rajen Babu’s best interests at heart.
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 Understanding the Text
A. 1. c  2. b  3. a  4. a  5. c  6. a
B. 1. The shock was received by Rajen Babu. He received a threatening letter with words cut out from
newspapers. The letter read, “Be prepared to pay for your sins!”. The speaker was suggesting that
Rajen Babu should not be told that his son was in town so as not to upset him further.
2. Tinkori Babu came to Darjeeling to perhaps take a holiday or maybe for a change of scene. But
when he found out that Rajen Babu was the same person who tripped him and upset him as a
boy, he decided to change the purpose of his visit and use the opportunity to take revenge.
3. These words were said by Rajen Babu. He had woken up in the middle of the night to the sight of
a masked face bending over him.
4. Everyone was surprised to find out who the culprit was because from the very beginning, he only
showed care and concern for Rajen Babu. He also very cleverly provided several reasons for other
people to have committed the crime while appearing genuinely interested in ensuring that the
case was solved. For example, he called Ghoshal a crook and showed him in a bad light, thus giving
reasons for Feluda to suspect him. He also came up with reasons to support Feluda’s theory about
why Ghoshal could be the culprit thus imprinting it in people’s minds that Ghoshal was a man not
to be trusted. He also stressed on the need to hide the fact that Prabeer Majumdar was in town, from
Rajen Babu. This would delay the possibility of father and son meeting and also perhaps prevent
Feluda from investigating him. When Rajen Babu was lying in bed, he fanned him thus showing
the others that he was deeply concerned about his well-being. After he was satisfied with what he
had done, he made a quick escape to prevent anyone from questioning him. Before leaving, he also
offered to get the police involved. By doing this, he ensured that no one would suspect him.
5. Yes, Feluda is a good detective. As soon as he visited Rajen Babu, he made a list of people that
were in touch with him to find out if anyone had any motive to frighten Rajen Babu. He even
investigated Ghoshal and found out that he was getting some new antique pieces. This tells
us that he was quick to act and was methodical in his approach. On his own, he found out that
Prabeer Majumdar had visited Darjeeling and found out that there were problems between him
and his father which gave him a reason to commit the crime. Thus we see that he didn’t wait for
people to give him information but went and found it on his own. When the doctor, who was also
a suspect, came to visit Rajen Babu, Feluda observed him carefully and noticed the mud stain on
his clothes. This shows us that he observed all things carefully. He also observed the mask closely
and was able to smell cheroot which led him to the culprit. He probably realizes that the culprit
must have been in the house, given the time of the appearance of the masked human. Therefore,
we see that he looks for clues that can connect the event to the people in the house. This tells us
that he pays attention to minute details and is thorough in his investigations.
(Suggested answer. Accept any logical answers.)

Appreciating the Text

1. ● Yes there is a threat of danger or harm—someone is threatening Rajen Babu.
● There are three suspects—Mr Ghoshal who is an antique dealer with a bad reputation;
Dr Phoni Mitra whose practice is not doing well; Prabeer Majumdar, the son of Rajen Babu—
the two are not on talking terms. The ‘evidence’ against Mr Ghoshal is that he may want to
scare Rajen Babu against buying antiques so that he can have them for himself. Dr Phoni Mitra
stands to gain if Rajen Babu falls ill because he will have to come to him for treatment-this
enables Dr Phoni Mitra to earn some money. Prabeer Majumdar stole from his father and since
then, the two have not spoken—he may be trying to get back at his father.
● Tinkori Babu—he seems very concerned about Rajen Babu and is doing his best to ensure his
welfare. He puts the spotlight on Mr Ghoshal and gives Feluda reasons to suspect him; he ensures

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 that Rajen Babu is not told about his son’s presence in the town. This makes him seem concerned
about Rajen Babu’s health and also allows him to prevent a meeting between the two—this
ensures that the air is not cleared and that Prabeer Majumdar continues to be a suspect.
● Feluda is the detective. He finds information about all the suspects based on the clues that
he gets directly from other people or from his own observations. Based on these clues and
observations, he is able to come to a logical conclusion about the events.
● Topshe, Feluda’s cousin is the assistant who first tells him about the strange letter and then
wonders about the presence of the masked human at night, which gives Feluda the idea that
he must observe the mask to look for clues.
2. Free response

Grammar and Usage

A. 1. F, NF  2. NF  3. NF, F  4. F, NF  5. NF  6. F, NF
B. 1. Overeating last night was not a good idea.
2. Going down that corridor would be the shortest way.
3. Yes, to meet Akash after a long time was wonderful.
4. Travelling for sixteen hours has made us feel quite exhausted.
5. Yes, to let the children travel alone to Delhi was a bold decision.

Words in Use
A. 1. frightening  2. exciting  3. painted  4. surprising  5. inspiring  6. broken
7. translated

Listening
Listening Text
Listen to the text, and say if these sentences are true (T) or not true (NT). You may listen more
than once.
For centuries, the legend of a prehistoric monster living in Loch Ness, which is a lake in Scotland,
has captured people’s imaginations. Loch is an old Scottish word that means lake. The lake itself is
believed to be about 25,000 years old.
In the 1930s, people claimed that they could see some sort of monster in the lake. But no one could say
exactly what the monster looked like—moreover, different people described the monster differently.
They started to fondly refer to the monster as Nessie. With the invention of photography, people tried
to get visual proof of Nessie’s existence but none of the images were clear. Even today, many tourists
are attracted to the shores every year hoping for an encounter with the supposed monster.
Now, scientists are hoping to settle the question of Nessie’s existence by studying water samples to
understand what kind of creature lives in the lake. They will study the DNA of the living matter in
these water samples. They will then compare the DNA with other things in databases around the
world in order to try and identify the monster.
Hopefully, the true identity of the Loch Ness monster will be revealed. And will it be a monster after all
or simply, some mysterious animal? Let us wait and watch...
1. NT  2. 
T  3. NT  4. 
T  5. 
T  6. NT

Writing
Free Response

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