CHAPTER-1 A PORTRAIT OF A LADY

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Ans-1 The three phases of the author’s relationship

with his grandmother before he left the country to
study abroad are:
(i) Childhood: when he went to the village school and
the grandmother helped him to get ready and went to
school with him.
(ii) Boyhood: when he went to the city school in abus.
He shared a room with grandmother but she could no
longer help him in his studies.
(iii) Early youth: When he went to the university and
was given a room of his own. The common link of
friendship was snapped.

ANS-2 The three reasons why the author’s

grandmother was disturbed when he started going to
the city school are :
(i) She hated Western Science and learning.
(ii) She was pained to know that there was no teaching
of God and the scriptures there.
(iii) She was allergic to music. She thought it was not
meant for decent people and gentlefolk. It was the
monopoly of harlots and beggars.
ANS-3 The three ways in which the author’s
grandmother spent her days after he grew up are:
(i) She lived alone in her room as she had accepted
her loneliness quietly.
(ii) She sat at her spinning wheel reciting prayers.
(iii) In the afternoon, she would feed the sparrows for
half an hour.

ANS-4 Just before her death, the author’s

grandmother refused to talk to them. Since she had
omitted to pray the previous night while she was
singing songs of homecoming warriors and beating
the drum, she was not going to waste any more time.
She ignored their protests. She lay peacefully in bed
praying and telling beads.

ANS-5 Thousands of sparrows sat silently

surrounding the dead body of the author’s
grandmother. There was no chirruping. The author’s
mother threw some crumbs of bread to them. They
took no notice of them. As soon as the grandmother’s
corpse was carried off, they flew away quietly. Thus
the sparrows expressed their sorrow.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

ANS-1 The author’s grandmother was a deeply
religious lady. We come to know this through the
different ways of her behaviour. She visited the temple
every morning and read scriptures. At home she
always mumbled inaudible prayers and kept telling
the beads of rosary. She would repeat prayers in a
sing-song manner while getting the writer ready for
school. She hoped that he would learn it by heart. She
did not like English school as there was no teaching of
God and scriptures.
Even while spinning at her spinning wheel she would
recite prayers. Perhaps it was only once that she forgot
to say her prayers. It was on the evening prior to her
death when she felt over excited while celebrating the
arrival of her grandson with songs and beatings of
drum. She continued praying and telling of her rosary
till her last breath.

Ans-2 During his boyhood, the author was completely

dependent on his grandmother. She was a part of his
life. The turning point in their friendship came when
they went to city. She could no longer accompany him
to school as he went there by motor bus. They shared
the same room but she could not help him in his
studies. She would ask him what the teachers had
taught. She did not believe in the things that were
taught at school. She was distressed that there was no
teaching about God and scriptures. She felt offended
that music was also being taught. She expressed her
disapproval silently. After this she rarely talked to
him. When he went to university, he was given a room
of his own. The common link of friendship was
snapped.
However their feelings for each other did not change.
They still loved each other deeply. She went to see the
author off at the railway station when he was going
abroad for higher studies. She showed no emotion but
kissed his forehead silently. The author valued this as
perhaps the last sign of physical contact between
them. When the author returned after five years, she
received him at the station. She clasped him in her
arms. In the evening she celebrated his homecoming
by singing songs and beating an old drum.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS:
Q1. How long had the narrator known his
grandmother- old and wrinkled? What did people say?
How did the narrator react?
Ans-1 The narrator had known his grandmother- old
and wrinkled for the last twenty years. She was
terribly old. Perhaps she could not have looked older.
People said that she had once been young and pretty.
They said that she even had a husband. The narrator
found it hard to believe.

Q2. How did the narrator’s grandfather appear in the

portrait?
Ans-2 His grandfather looked very old. He had a long
white beard. His clothes were loose fitting. He wore a
big turban. He looked too old to have a wife or
children. He looked at least a hundred year old. He
could have only lots and lots of grandchildren.

Q3. Describe ‘the happiest half-hour of the day’ for

the grandmother?
Ans-3 For Khushwant Singh’s Grandmother there was
none other pastime and happy activity than that of
feeding the sparrows in the afternoon for half an hour.
The sparrows could be seen perched on her legs,
shoulders and even on her head but were never shooed
away by her.

Q4. The Grandmother had a divine beauty. How does

the author bring this out?
Ans-4 The Grandmother’s silvery locks scattered
untidily over her pale and wrinkled face. This made
her look an expanse of pure white serenity. She had a
divine beauty. She looked like the winter landscape in
the mountains.

Q5. Everybody including the sparrows mourned

grandmother’s death. Elaborate.
Ans-5 The old Grandmother died peacefully. The
members of the author’s family mourned her death.
Thousands of sparrows came and sat silently in the
courtyard and the verandah where grandmother lay
dead and wrapped in a red shroud they took no notice
of the bread crumbs thrown to them. They flew away
quietly the moment grandmother’s corpse was carried
off.

Chapter- 1 The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse

(SNAPSHOTS)

READING WITH INSIGHT

Ans-1 The story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White

Horse’ is a tale told from the viewpoint of a nine- year
old boy. At that age, imagination is rich and one can
romanticise even insignificant actions. To such a
person the world is full of excellence and glory and
life is delightful and a mysterious dream.
For the young poor boy, a ride on a beautiful white
horse is a dream fulfilled. He had been always longing
to ride and his cherished dream is realised when his
cousin Mourad offers him a chance to ride on
horseback- first with him and then alone. Riding the
stolen horse and hiding it safely are great feats of
adventure for the two boys. Though the story line is
thin, we eagerly follow the course of action taken by
the boys till they return the horse to its right owner.
The story provides us a peep into child
psychology. For boys who are crazy about horses,
stealing a horse for a ride is not stealing. Though they
enjoy the thrill of riding, they are conscious of their
family pride. The Garoghlanian family is well- known
for their honesty and trust. They would neither steal
nor take advantage of anybody in the world.

Ans-2 The story gives no indication that the boys were

afraid of anyone or anything. Hence the return of the
horse was not directed by fear. Secondly, they were
not at all conscience- stricken. They did not feel any
pangs of repentance or remorse at their action of
stealing a horse solely for the purpose of riding it. The
narrator makes it amply clear when he asserts that
stealing a horse for a ride was not the same thing as
stealing something else, such as money. For him, it
was not stealing at all as he and Mourad were so crazy
about horses. In his opinion it would become stealing
only when they offered to sell the horse, which he
knew they would never do.
The last phrase gives a clue to their mental make up.
Mourad had the horse for over a month when farmer
John Byro visited the narrator’s house. They retained
it for two weeks more. Mourad outrightly rejected the
narrator’s suggestion of keeping the horse any longer.
It was his family pride that would not let him steal. He
decided that the horse must go to its true owner.
Hence in order to uphold the family tradition and
reputation, the boys returned the horse to its rightful
owner.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS:
Q1. What did John Byro tell Aram’s mother and
Uncle Khosrove when he got his horse back?
Ans-1 After John Byro got his horse back
mysteriously one day, he came to Aram’s house and
told Aram’s mother and Uncle Khosrove that he did
not know what to think about the whole matter. It was
because the horse was stronger than ever and was
better tempered too and therefore he thanked God.

Q2. What traits of the Garoghlanian family are

highlighted in this story?
Ans-2 The Garoghlanian family though now poor,
were famous for their honesty even when they were
wealthy. They were proud of their family first, honest
next and after that they believed in right and wrong.
None of them would take advantage of anybody in the
world. They would not steal. No member of the
Garoghlanian family could be a thief.

Q3. What did the farmer John Byro tell the two boys
when one day they accidentally met him with his
horse in their custody?
Ans-3 The farmer examined the horse when one
morning he found it with the two boys and he told
them that he could swear that the horse was his very
horse which had been stolen from him many weeks
before if he did not know about their parents. He
added that the fame of their family for honesty was
very well known to him and therefore he liked to say
that the horse could be the twin of his stolen horse.

Q4. How did Aram, the narrator, fare in his solo ride?
Ans-4 Aram leaped to the back of the horse, but it did
not move. Then he kicked into the muscles of the
horse. It reared and snorted. Then it began to run.
Aram did not know how to ride. The horse ran down
the road to a vineyard. It leaped over seven vines,
threw the rider and ran away.

Q5. How did Mourad help the wounded Robin to fly?

What does this incident indicate?
Ans-5 The narrator noticed Mourad trying to cure the
hurt wing of a young robin which could not fly. He
was talking to the bird. After, sometime, he threw the
bird into the air. The bird tried hard and almost fell
twice. However, at last it flew away, high and straight.
This incident shows that in spite of having a crazy
streak, Mourad was kind at heart and gentle towards
God’s creatures.

Q6. What points were put forward by Aram in defense

of Mourad’s act of stealing the horse?
Ans-6 Aram argued to himself that stealing a horse for
a ride was not the same thing as stealing something
else, such as money. And then he went a little ahead
by saying that if one was so much crazy about horses
the way Mourad and he himself were, was not stealing
at all. It would not become stealing until they offered
to sell the horse and he was sure that it was the last
thing they would never be doing.

Q7. “A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead

of his heart”. In what context was this observation
made and by whom?
Ans-7 This observation was made by farmer John
Byro after looking into the mouth of the horse. It
matched his horse tooth for tooth. He would have
claimed it as his own horse if he had not known their
parents or the fame of their family for honesty. The
resemblance was so striking that he called it the twin
of his horse.

Q8. What do you think, induced the boys to return the

horse to its owner?
Ans-8 The boys were impressed by John Byro’s
attitude towards their parents and family. He knew
their parents very well and so believed whatever the
boys said. Secondly, the fame of their family for
honesty was well- known to him. The boys returned
the horse to him for the sake of family pride and
dignity.
 Chapter-1 A photograph (Poem) [Hornbill]
(By Shirley Toulson)
Think it out
ANS-1 The word cardboard denotes the photograph
pasted on a hard thick paper. This word has been used
to refer to a practice in the past when photographs
were pasted on cardboard and framed with glass front
to preserve them.

Ans-2 The camera has captured the three girls- the

poet’s mother and her two cousins, Betty and Dolly, in
their swimming dresses with the poet’s mother in the
middle and the two cousins on either side holding her
hands and walking with bare feet in sea water.

Ans-3 The sea has not changed over the years. Its
waves are as fresh, shining and tireless as they were
years ago. The changelessness of sea reminds us of
the changes in human face with advancing age.

Ans-4 ‘This laugh’ indicated her joy at remembering

an incident connected with her past life, when she was
quite young and free from the tensions and worries of
life.

Ans-5 The sea holiday and the laughter of the poet’s

mother are incidents of the past. There is a sense of
loss associated with them. Both are amusing yet
disappointing as the state of feeling comfortable or
relaxed is unnatural or forced one. This sense of loss
is quite painful to bear.

Ans-6 This circumstance refers to the death of the

poet’s mother.

Ans-7 (i) The girlhood of the poet’s mother- the

period before the birth of the poet.
(ii) Her middle age- the period during the childhood
of the poet.
(iii) Period after the death of the poet’s mother.

Read the extracts given below and answer the

following questions that follow:
(a) The cardboard----------------- some twelve years or
so.
1. What does the word ‘cardboard’ suggest?
2. Where did the girls go? When?
3.What feelings are aroused in these lines?

(b) All three------------- terribly transient feet.

1. Whose sweet face is referred here?
2. What does the poet mean by the sea, which appears
to have changed less?
3. Explain: ‘Terribly transient feet’.
(c) See Betty------------------ mine is her laughter.
1. How did she react whenever she looked at the
snapshot?
2. Explain: The sea holiday! ‘was her past’.
3. Why is mother’s laughter ‘past’ for the narrator?

(d) Now she‘s been------------- Its silence silences.

1. How long, do you think, has the poet’s mother been
dead?
2. Which circumstance is referred to here?
3. What is the mood of the poet here?

Advertisement

What is an advertisement?
An advertisement is a public announcement made
through a popular medium like newspapers,
magazines, television, radio and the cinema. An
advertisement may be displayed on placard as well.

Types of advertisement
1. Classified Advertisement
2. Commercial/ Displayed Advertisement

Main Characteristics of classified Advertisements:

1. They are categorised into columns according to
different classes. The category is stated at the top.
2. They are written in short catchy phrases and words.
3. The language used is simple, factual and formal.
4. They are short, concise and to the point.
5. All the relevant information is provided.
6 .Contact name and address is given.
7. They are written in a box to attract attention.

Samples of Classified Advertisement

Q1. You are Personnel Manager of Green Bio-
Products Ltd., Sector 18, Industrial Area, Faridabad.
You need an effiecient P.A./Stenographer for your
office. Write an advertisement for the ‘Situation
Vacant’ column of a local daily.

SITUATION VACANT

Wanted a smart, efficient P.A./Stenographer for a

leading manufacturing company. Qualifications-
Graduate, age 25-30 years. Typing speed 60 w.p.m.,
shorthand 120 w.p.m. Preference to those who can
handle computers. Salary negotiable. Apply with
complete bio- data within 10 days to Personnel
Manager, Green Bio- Products Ltd., Industrial Area,
Faridabad-18.

Practice Question
Q1. Hotel Lake View, Udaipur, needs young and smart
lady receptionist. Write an advertisement to be
published in the ‘Situation Vacant’ Column of a local
newspaper.

Q2. You are Shrish Saxena of 47, Mall Road, Shimla.

You are a young man of 35 with seven years of
experience as an expert executive. You seek an
immediate change to some prestigious export house in
Mumbai/Bangalore. Draft a suitable advertisement for
the ‘Situation Wanted’ column of a National Daily.

SITUATION WANTED

A highly experienced young export executive in top

export house needs change to some prestigious export
house in Mumbai/ Bangalore. Familiar with E-
commerce, marketing administration advance license
etc. Minimum salary expected: 35000+perks. Please
write to Shrish Saxena, 47, The Mall Road, Shimla.
Mob: 98765XXXXX.

Q3. You want to sell your flat in Ashok Vihar. Write

out an advertisement giving necessary details in about
50 words.
FOR SALE

For Sale Ashok Vihar, DDA flat, first floor, two bed-
rooms. Drawing room/dining with full interiors, Car
parking available. North/park facing, located near
 main market. Reasonable price. Contact :M.L.Goyal,
98675XXXXX.

Q4. You want to let out a flat. Prepare an

advertisement to this effect for publication in a
newspaper, giving location of the building, nature of
accomodation, rent expected etc.
TO LET

Available on rent Sushant Lok, Ansals MIG flats, II

floor, two B/Rs, lobby, balcony, fully furnished, well-
ventilated. Walking distance from main market & taxi
stand. Rent expected 5000(fixed). Company lease
preferred. Contact Subodh 2B/31, Sushant Lok, Mob:
94567XXXXX.

PRACTICE QUESTION
Q2.You are the General Manager, Coal India Ltd.,
New Delhi. Write an advertisement to be published in
a newspaper for suitable accomodation on rent to be
used as guest house for the company.

Q3. You are a secretary of the Indian Institute of

Foreign Languages, Hyderabad. Draft a suitable
advertisement to be published in a newspaper
announcing the commencement of new courses.
 CHAPTER -2 “We’re Not Afraid to die.... If We can
all be together”

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

ANS-1 (i) In order to protect the ship from rough

weather, the captain decided to slow it down. So he
dropped the storm jib and lashed heavy mooring rope
in a loop across the stern. Then they double fastened
everything and went through their life-raft drill.
(ii) Larry and Herb started pumping out water. The
captain stretched canvas and secured water proof
hatch covers across the gaping holes. When the two
hand pumps blocked and electric pump short
circuited, he found another elctric pump, connected it
to an outpipe and started it.

Ans2. On January 4, the voyagers felt relieved after

36 hours of continuous pumping out water. They had
their first meal in almost two days. Their respite was
short lived. They faced dangerous situation on January
5. Fear of death loomed large. They were under great
mental stress.

Ans-3 The first section describes a peaceful journey

from Plymouth (England) to 3500 km East of Cape
Town (Africa). The narrator is relaxed and full of
confidence. As the weather deteriorated, they faced
gigantic waves. They took precautions to save
themselves and struggle with the disaster. The
narration becomes grim. But it exudes the fighting
spirit, confidence and strong will power. By the
morning of January 6, Wavewalker rode out the storm
and by evening they sighted Ile Amsterdam Island.
The narrator is now relaxed. Joy, relief and complete
confidence are apparent.
The subtitle to each section is- Section 1- Cheerful
Journey, Section-2- Facing the Wave, Section 3-
Searching the Island.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:

Q1. What did the narrator plan to do? What
preparations did he make for it?
Ans-1 The narrator planned to go on a round-the-
world sea voyage on the same pattern as Captain
James Cook had done 200 years earlier. For the past
16 years, he and his wife had spent all their leisure
time developing and improving their skills with work
related to travel on the sea.

Q2. Describe the boat which was made for

undertaking the voyage.
Ans-2 The name of the boat which was for
undertaking the voyage was “Wavewalker”. It was a
23 metre, 30 ton wooden-hulled boat which had been
professionally built and the writer and his wife had
spent months fitting it out and testing it in the
roughest weather they could find.

Q3. When and with whom did the narrator begin his
voyage?
Ans-3 The narrator began his sea voyage in July 1976.
He had his wife Mary, six year old son Jonathan and
seven year old daughter Suzanne with him. They set
sail from Plymouth, England.

Q4. Whom did the narrator employ and why? When

did he do so?
Ans-4 The narrator employed two crewmen-
American Larry Vigil and Swiss Herb Seigler in order
to help them tackle the Southern Indian Ocean which
is known as one of the roughest seas of the world. He
engaged them before leaving Cape Town.

Q5. What happened on their second day out of Cape

Town? What worried the narrator and why?
Ans-5 On their second day out of Cape Town, they
began to face strong storms. These storms blew
continuously for the few weeks. He was worried about
the waves. Their size was alarming. This rose up to 15
metres i.e., as high as their main mast.
Q6. What sort of wave hit the ship? How did the
narrator react?
Ans-6 It was mighty and huge wave. It appeared
perfectly vertical. It was almost twice the height of the
other waves. It had a very unpleasant breaking crest.
The narrator had never seen such an enormous wave,
so he was filled with horror.

Q7. What was the impact of the torrnet on the narrator

and Wavewalker?
Ans-7 A tremendous explosion shook the deck. The
narrator’s head struck the wheel and he flew over
board and was sinking below the waves.
Unexpectedly his head came out of water.
Wavewalker was almost capsizing. Her masts were
almost horizontal.

Q8. “I did not want to worry you when you were

trying to save us all,” said Sue. What has happened to
her?
Ans-8 Sue’s head had a bump. It had swollen
alarmingly. She had two enormous black eyes. She
also had a deep cut on her arm. She did not bother her
daddy about her injuries as he was busy in more
important task.

Q9. The narrator says, “ I told him with a conviction I

did not feel”. What led him to believe so?
Ans-9 The narrator had lost his main compass. He was
using a spare one. It had not been corrected for
magnetic variation. He had to make allowance for this
as well as for the influence of the westerly currents.
Though he checked and rechecked his calculations, he
was not sure. He depended on luck as well.

Q10. What did the narrator think of while landing at

the Ile Amsterdam? Why?
Ans-10. He thought of his companions. Larry and
Herb had remained cheerful and optimistic under the
most serious tension. His wife Mary had stayed at the
wheel during the crucial hours. His daughter Suzanne
did not bother him about her head injury. His son
Jonathan was not afraid to die.

Q11. How can you say that Suzanne ‘s injuries were

serious?
Ans-11 Suzanne’s head had a bump. It was quite
swollen. Her blackened eyes narrowed to slits. Her
head injury took six minor operation to remove a
recurring blood clot between skin and skull. This
shows that her injuries were serious.

OMISSION
*fw= first word, o= omission, lw=last word
fw O lw
1. Mammals are vertebrates animals with ___ ___ __
2. backbones. They large brains and a ___ ___ __
3. keen awareness of surroundings. ___ ___ __
4. They warm-blooded and have their skin __ __ __
5. covered hair. The young are born alive __ __ __
6. and suckle milk the milk glands __ __ __
7. of female. You be surprised to know __ __ __
8. that many animals which otherwise __ __ __
very different from one another come under this
category.

Q2.
1. The use of water as agent in the treatment __ __ __
2. of disease is known hydrotherapy. The
3. beneficial effects of water be used in the
4. treatment of disease. Water is one of heaven’s
5. choicest blessing. The Egyptian and Roman
6. heating cooling baths were used various
7. treatments. Water acts on the body in various
8. ways according its temperature. It helps
9. to remove toxins the body.

CHAPTER-2 THE ADDRESS (SNAPSHOTS)

READING WITH INSIGHT
ANS-1 Yes, this statement gives some clue about the
story. During the early part of the war Mrs Dorling
had shifted the important belongings of her
acquaintance Mrs. S. From her house to 46, Marconi
Street. These included table silver wares, antique
plates and other nice things such as the iron Hanukah
candle holder, woollen table cloth and green knitted
cardigan with wooden buttons, since Mrs. S. Had died
during the war, Mrs Dorling did not expect anyone to
come back and claim her costly belongings as she
thought no one else knew her address. The statement
indicates the greedy and possessive nature of Mrs.
Dorling. She did not open the door to the daughter of
her former acquaintance nor did she show any signs of
recognition. She did not let the girl in. She refused to
see her then saying it was not convenient for her to do.
The narrator had gone to this address with a specific
purpose- to see her mother’s belongings.
Even when she told Mrs Dorling that only she had
come back, the woman with a broad back did not
soften a bit. Thus the clash of interests is hinted at by
the aforesaid statement.

ANS-2 During the pre- war times, the narrator lived in

some other city far away from home and she visited
her mother only for a few days. During the first half of
the war the narrator’s mother was always afraid that
they might have to leave the place and lose all
valuable belongings. The narrator lived in the city in a
small rented room. Its windows were covered with
blackout paper. She could not see the beauty of nature
outside her room. The threat of death loomed large.
After the liberation, everything became normal again.
Bread was getting to be a lighter colour. She could
sleep in her bed without fear of death. She could
glance out of the window of her room each day.
One day, she was eager to see all the possessions of
her mother, which she knew were stored at number
46, Marconi Street. She went to that address. She felt
disappointed when Mrs Dorling neither recognised her
nor let her in. She asked her to come again someday. It
was evident she wanted to put her off. She was eager
to see, touch and remember her mother’s possessions.
So, she had to take the trouble of visiting the place
again.

Ans-3 The narrator remembered the address her

mother had told her only once. It was number 46,
Marconi Street. Her mother’s acquaintance Mrs
Dorling lived there. She had stored the valuable
belongings of the narrator’s mother there. After her
mother’s death, the narrator had an urge to visit the
place. She wanted to see those things, touch them and
remember. She went to the given address twice. She
was successful in her second attempt to enter the
living room.
She found herself in the midst of things she wanted to
see again. Everything was arranged in a tasteless way.
The ugly furniture and the muggy smell that hung
there seemed quite unpleasant. She no longer wanted
to see, touch or remember these belongings. She
resolved to forget the address. She wanted to leave the
past behind and decided to move on.
SPEECH WRITING

Q1. In order to promote reading habits in the students,

your school has organised a Library Week. You are
Ranjan/ Reena. You have to speak in the morning
assembly and inform the students about the week-long
programme. You have noted the following points:
- days and date
-new arrival displayed
- exhibition of books by some publishers
LIBRARY WEEK

Respected Principal, Vice- Principal, teachers and

friends!
It gives me great pleasure to speak to you about the
Library Week that our school has organised from 2nd
to 9th September this year. This week is slightly
different from the others. Here we have to shift the
focus to mental attainment. The aim of celebrating this
week is to inculcate reading habits among students.
Reading, you know, makes a man perfect. So new
arrivals in the reference section such as encyclopaedia
and dictionaries as well as general books will be
displayed. National Book Trust and Oxford University
Press are putting on an exhibition. We have invited Dr
Kailash Vajpayee to inaugurate the exhibition. He will
autograph the books and interact with students. Other
authors like Khushwant Singh and Ruskin Bond will
also pay us a visit. During the week, a quiz
competition will be organised. The reading section
will have more new magazines of teenager’s interest.

I appeal to all of you to spend as much free time in the

library as you can.
Thank you

Practice Questions:
Q1. You are Priya/ Piyush. You are a member of the
Environment Club of your school. After visiting many
places you have realized that it is the need of the hour
to protect environment. You decide to create
awareness among the students. Write a speech in 120-
150 words on ‘Environmental Protection’ to be
delivered in the morning assembly.

SAMPLE
Q2. Harsh is deeply upset to read a report of death of
people in thousands due to hunger and homelessness.
He wonders why these homeless people could not be
provided shelter at night in educational institutions
and places of worship. Harsh decides to deliver a
speech in the morning assembly to motivate the
students, teachers and Principal to take pity on the
plight of the homeless and provide them night shelter.
Write his speech in 120-150 words.

SHELTER TO HOMELESS

Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends!

I invite your attention to a social cause. Every year
thousands of homeless people die of extreme cold. It
is the responsibility of the state and the citizens to
provide facilities to homeless people to sleep indoors
during chilly weather.

Since creating new shelters is both time- consuming

and costly, we must find enough shelters for homeless
people in all our cities from the existing stock of
buildings. A large number of spacious buildings at
prime location are vacated every night. There are
schools, colleges, offices and places of worship that
lie empty every night. There is no reason why these
buildings cannot be additionally redeployed with
small modification as night shelters for the homeless.

You may ask why school and college premises should

be deployed additionally as shelters at night. It is not
just that most school and college teaching spaces are
vacant during night and the same space can be used by
dispossessed people who do not have a place to sleep,
without any extra-cost. Far more important is the fact,
that this step would provide these educational
institutions an opportunity to fulfil their social
commitments as responsible social institutions and
teach children and young people first-hand social
empathy and social responsibilty.

I do hope that the authorities of our school would

realize the plight of these homeless people and open
the doors of our schools to them at night. It will show
light to the entire country.
Thank You

SENTENCE REORDERING

1. you/ fail/ will/ your time/ waste/ if you

2. not/ pass/ you will/ work hard/ unless you
3. the girl/ is weeping/ doll/ whose/ lost/ has been
4. the thief/ as soon as/ ran away/ he / the police/ saw
5. Sonu ran/ when the postman/ at the door,/ knocked/
to answer it
6. which/ your friend/ told us/ the story/ we all
enjoyed
7. staged the play/ have you/ from me/ that / you
borrowed?
8. how/ I am going/ the money/ to get/ know/ I don’t
9. is my friend/ the boy,/ in an accident/ died/ whose
father
10. I bought yesterday/ the book/ which/ is lost
11. report/ tomorrow/ shall/ he /for/ duty
12. lay down/ my life/ I will/ my motherland/ for/ of/
the sake
13. will/ please/ you/ the window/ open?
14. he said/ would/ that/ he/ look/ into the matter
15. to / anyone/ can/ happen/ accidents
16. you/ wait/ could/ a few minutes/ for?
17. he said/ borrow/ his bicycle/ that/ I might
18. a / master/ disregard/ his/ servant/ must not
19. more/ slowly/ she / needs to speak
20. work hard/ to pass/ the examination/ should/ we

CHAPTER- 3 DISCOVERING TUT: THE SAGA

CONTINUES
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Ans-1 (i) The mummy of King Tutankhamun has

earned world wide fame for the riches it was buried
with. There is also speculation about the manner of his
death and his age at the time of death. Hence Tut’s
body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.

ANS-1 (ii) Howard Carter’s investigation was

resented because he used unscientific methods and
illegitimate ways. He was focusing more on treasure
and less on cultural and historical aspects.
ANS-1 (iii) Carter found that the ritual resins had
hardened. The result was that Tut’s body had been
cemented to the bottom of his solid gold coffin.
Proper force could not move the resins. Even the
scorching sun failed to loosen the resins. So he got the
resins chiselles away to raise the king’s remains.
ANS-1 (iv) The people of ancient Egypt believed in
resurection of the dead. Their kings were extremely
rich. So Tut’s body was buried with gilded treasures.
Their eternal briliance was meant to guarantee
resurrection. Things of everyday use were also buried
with the king.

Ans-1 (v) Tutankhamun means “living image of

Amun”. He was a major God in ancient Egypt. King
Amenhotep IV who changed his name to Akhenaten
smashed the images of Amun and got his temple
closed. Tut oversaw a restoration of the old ways. He
changed his name to express his belief in Amun.

Ans-2(i) Akhenaten means the servant of the Aten i.e.

the sun disc. He moved the religious capital from the
old city of the Thebes to the new city Akhetaten, now
known as Amarna. He smashed the images of Amun, a
major God and closed his temples. These deeds led
Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as ‘Wacky’.
Ans-2 (ii) The results of the CT scan were quite
encouraging. 1700 digital X- ray images in cross-
section were created. A gray head appeared on screen.
Neck vertebrae were quite clear. The images of hand,
ribcage and skull were equally bright. These revealed
that nothing had gone seriously wrong with Tut’s
body.

Ans-2 (iii) The advances in technology have helped in

improving forensic analysis. Many scientific tests can
be carried out to determine the cause of crime. These
include X- ray, ultrasound, C.T. scan, post mortem,
autopsy and biopsy. All these help in diagnosis and
provide exact information.

Ans-2 (iv) King Tut’s mummy was the first one to be

X- rayed by an anatomy Professor in 1968. on 5th
January 2005 CT scan created virtual reality and
produced life- like images. King Tut is one of the first
mummies to be scanned. Thus in death as well as in
life Tut moved regally ahead of his countrymen.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:

Q1. Why is 5th January 2005 significant in
Tutankhamun’s saga?
Ans-1 On this date for the first time Tutankhamun was
removed from his tomb and taken to a C.T. scanner
brought there to probe the lingering mysteries
surrounding this young ruler.

Q2. What was the Pharaoh’s curse? Who refers to it

and in what context?
Ans-2 The Pharaoh’s curse was that death or
misfortune would fall upon those who disturbed him.
The silent visitors are the first to refer to it. Later on a
guard joked nervously when the million dollar scanner
stopped functioning because of sand in a cooler fan.

Q3. Why do you think the royals carried so much gold

to grave?
Ans-3 There were two reasons: first, the royals were
extremely wealthy. Secondly, they thought or hoped
that they could take their riches with them to the great
beyond.

Q4. What startling fact came to light in 1968 through

X- ray?
Ans-4 In 1968, an anatomy Professor X- rayed the
mummy. He revealed a startling fact. tut’s breast-
bone and front ribs were missing beneath the resin
that covers his chest with a thick layer.

Q5. How can CT scan prove more effective than the

X- ray?
ANS-5 In CT scan, hundreds of X- rays in cross-
section are put together like slices of bread to create a
three- dimensional virtual body. X- ray provides only
a two- dimensional image.

Q6. Why do you think Zahi Hawass smiled and felt

relieved?
Ans-6 Clear images of C.T. scan revealed that the
head, neck vertebrae and ribcage were in proper order.
Zahi Hawass smiled and felt relieved that nothing had
gone seriously wrong. Evidently, the curse of the
Pharaoh had not hindered the work of the technicians.

Q7. How was the atmosphere when the CT scan of Tut

was over?
Ans-7 It was nearly midnight. The wind that blew in
the evening had now stopped. The dust storm and
clouds had cleared off. The winter air lay cold and
still. Just above the entrance to Tut’s tomb stood
Orion- the soul of Osiris, the God of afterlife.

LONG QUESTION
Q1. A.R.Williams says, “ King Tut is...... in death, as
in life moving regally ahead of his countrymen.” how
far do you agree with the assertion and why?

ANS-1 Perhaps no other Pharaoh of Egypt has

Fascinated the public mind so greatly as the boyish
king Tutankhamun. Although he died in his teens and
ruled for about nine years only, he introduced certain
changes during his brief rule. These were significant
as they marked restoration of the old ways of worship
of Amun. The unanswered questions about the cause
and modes of his death as well as his age at the time
of death kept public curiosity alive.

After his death, his dead body has been a centre of

scientific examination. Howard Carter, the British
archaeologist discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922. in 1968,
an anatomy Professor X- rayed the mummy. The
Egyptian Mummy Project began an inventory in late
2003. it has so far recorded 600 and is still continuing.
The next phase of CT scanning with a portable CT
machine began on 5th January 2005. the pride of place
went to king Tut, whose mummy was the first to
undergo C.T. scan. Thus I fully endorse the aforesaid
assertion.

POEM- 2 THE LABURNUM TOP

THINK IT OUT
Ans-1 The beginning and the ending of the poem
highlight the silence and stillness around the empty
Laburnum tree.
Ans-2 The bird’s movement is compared to that of a
lizard. The glossy smoothness between their
movements is the basis for the comparison. Moreover,
the movement is abrupt and marked by alertness.

Ans-3 The middle part of the Laburnum tree produces

a lot of noise and initiates much movement also.
There are a lot of sounds caused by twitterings,
shaking of wings and trillings. It seems as if a
machine had started working. The poet calls it the
engine of her family. The goldfinch feeds the young
ones in the same way as a worker stokes fuel (coal) in
a railway engine.

ANS-4 The poem gives a fine description of the

sounds and movements of a goldfinch in a Laburnum
tree in autumn season. The sensuousness of the poem
has a deep appeal for a sensitive reader.

Ans-5 The face of the goldfinch is only partly visible.

The bars on her face serve as marks for her identity.
They hide more than they reveal.

Read the extracts given below and answer the

questions that follow:
1. The Laburnum--------------- its seed fallen.
Q1. Who is the poet of this poem?
Q2. Why are the leaves of the Laburnum tree turning
yellow?
Q3. Which poetic device is used to reinforce the
dominant colour?

2. Till------------------------ trillings
Q1. How did the goldfinch come to the branch end of
the Laburnum Tree?
Q2. Which poetic device is used in the third line?
Q3. What does the phrase ‘a machine starts up’
convey?

3. The whole tree----------------------face identity mask

Q1. Why does the Laburnum tree seem to tremble?
Q2. What does the image ‘stokes it full’ convey?
Q3. Which poetic device is used in the first line?

4. Then with eerie---------------------- to empty

Q1. What is the destination of the goldfinch?
Q2. After the goldfinch flies away, how does the tree
feel?
Q3. What does the word ‘eerie’ in the line 1 means?
SENTENCE REORDERING
1.
that/children/he/live/hard/may/work/comfortably/his/
so
2. I/ back/till/waited/came/she
3. he/careless/failed/he/so/was
4. Certain/he/be/that/is/will/late
5. that/gold/glitters/not/is/all
6. race/slow/wins/steady/the/and
7. iron/strike/hot/is/while/it
8. starve/would/than/I/beg/rather
9. brother/tall/his/as/is/Mohan/as
10. Mummy/the/King Tut/first/to/was/be/Scanned

Debate Writing
Sample

Q2.’ Our large population is not a cause of poverty but

an asset, a resource.’ Write a debate in 150- 200 words
either for or against the motion.
Ans. Good morning Respected Judges and my fellow
debators. I, Krisha/ Krish, stand here to argue against
the motion that India’s large population is an asset, a
resource.
Our large population creates unemployment as the
population keeps on increasing the job opportunities
keeps on diminishing. Secondly, India’s infrastructure
would not be able to withstand the burden of our ever
growing population. Look at literacy rates- they are
not in direct proportion to the increase in population
and are resulting in people piling up below the
poverty line.

Let’s not ignore that there is a major dip in the

standard of living as well. In fact, the existing grain is
getting used up at a faster rate than the rate at which
the population is growing. Due to this it will be
impossible to supply food and water to the increasing
population in the near future. Also a huge unfed
population can lead to criminalization of the society.

I have no doubt that the country’s ever growing

population is a bane more than a boon as it can
devastate our nation.
With this I rest my case.
Thank You

Practice Question:
You are chosen for representing your school at the
regional level inter- school debate contest. Prepare a
debate for the same on the topic given below:
“Newspapers ought to contain more news and fewer
advertisements.”

CHAPTER- 4 Voice of the rain (Poem)

by- Walt Whitman

Think it out
Ans-1 One of them belongs to the poet and the other
to the rain. These are indicated in lines 1-2 and 3-9
respectively.

ANS-2 The phrase refers to a strange phenomenon-

the rain gives an answer to the poet’s query. It is
surprising to report the answer.

Ans-3 The following words/ phrases indicate the

parallel between rain and music: ‘Poem of Earth’,
‘eternal I rise impalpable out of land and the
bottomless sea’ ‘For song..... duly with love returns.’
Both originate from a source, rise up, reach fulfilment,
wander about whether cared about or not and finally
return to source of origin with love.

Ans-4 Rain water rises untouched out of the land and

deep sea and gathers in the sky, where it changes form
and then comes down to earth to bathe the dry tiny
particles of dust layers and all that lies buried under it.
Then it returns to the place of its origin.

LONG QUESTION
Q1. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out
in the poem “The Voice of the rain”? What points of
similarity do you notice between rain and music?

Ans-1 The rain calls itself the poem of earth. It is

everlasting and perpetual. It is something that cannot
be touched. It originates from the land and the deep
sea. Then it rises upward to heaven where it changes
its form into a cloud, yet remains the same in quality.
From the sky it pours down on earth to wash the dry
tiny particles and dust layers of the earth. The rain
helps the unborn seeds to sprout. These seeds lay
hidden and unborn under the layers of earth. Rain
gives back life to its origin making it pure and
beautiful.
Rain and music are both beautiful and life-giving.
They are eternal sources of joy and go on perpetually.
They inspire even dormant objects and persons with
life and activity.

Extract based questions:

1. And who art thou?----------voice of the rain,
a. What question does the poet ask the rain?
b. What does the experience “Soft falling shower”
suggest?
c. Which poetic device has been used in the last line?

2. Eternal I rise....... seeds only, latent, unborn.

a. From where does the rain originate?
b. What poetic device does the poet use here?
c. How does the rain help the seed?

3. And forever, by-------------- duly with love returns.

a. How does it give back life to its own origin?
b. How does rain purify and beautify it (its origin)?
c. Why are the last lines put within brackets?

SENTENCE REORDERING
1.
THE/ON/FORESTS/THE/INDUSTRY/OIL/DEPEND
S
2.DO/GET/THE/FORESTS/FROM/WHAT/WE
/PRODUCTS/?
3. campaigned/birds/he/caged/free/to
4.
healthy/takes/keep/himself/everyday/exercise/kamal/t
o
5.
grove/Teresa/when/the/family’s/see/was/first/seven/he
r/father/took/to/her/alive
6.
ancestors/father/by/that/her/those/were/told/trees/plant
ed/her/their.
7. dedicated/the poorest of the poor/entire
life/she/to/her/the/service/of.

ERROR AND CORRECTION

Error Correction
1. Ranga was unaware to the narrator’s ____ ___
plan to getting him married to ____ ___
the beautiful girl named Ratna. ____ ___
It tutored Shastri to hint ____ ___
for Ratna’s name in his conversation ____ ___
with Ranga. The narrator believes about ___ __
early marriage to boy and girls. ____ ___
He was succeed in changing Ranga’s ____ ___
mind. Ratna was only eleven ear ____ ___
old, when they got married. ____ ___

2. The photograph is a prized possession, for everyone ____ ___

While all of the photographs make us happy ____ ___
the other may make us feel disheartened ____ ___
In a poem ‘ A Photograph’ the poet reminisces ____ ___
how a photograph showing their mother and her two cousins ____ ___
on an sea beach delighted her mother. ____ ___
After much years this photograph reminds the poet ____ ___
of their mother who is no more now it causes many sorrow to the poet.
____ ___
3. The next day during an break ____ ___
 When all the teacher and students ____ ___
Was eating their snacks, the mother ____ ___
Left the school building hurrily ____ ___
The boy saw him walking ____ ___
quickly from of the school gate ____ ___
When he was drank water after ____ ___
His meal and wonder where his ____ ___
Mother was going.

PRACTICE QUESTION
1. You have been transferred to another city. You want
to sell certain household goods. Draft a suitable
advertisement to be inserted in a newspaper. 3

Shweta/Sagar has to deliver a speech in the morning

assembly on the topic, “The Generation Gap is
destroying family life”. Write her/his speech in about
120-150 words. 5
 DIWALI HOMEWORK

ROLL NO. 1 TO 5 (TOPIC)

1. Do immigrants provide a good or bad impact on a
country’s economy? (800 word limit)

ROLL NO. 6 TO 10
2. Are the virtual world and video games, causing
more violence or more anti- social people?

ROLL NO. 11 TO 15
3. Adoption rights for single parents: why are laws so
strict?

ROLL NO. 16 TO 20
4. What makes communism the best political system
in the world?

ROLL NO. 21 TO 25
5. How can raising the minimum wage to help
increase economic mobility?
ROLL NO. 26 TO 31
6. Democracy is not the best ideology for the modern
world.

ROLL NO. 32 TO 37
7. What CAN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DO IN
ORDER TO HELP UNDERDEVELOPED
COUNTRIES?

Or
Why do people change their leisure time activities as
they get older?

Childhood (Poem) [Hornbill]

By Markus Natten

Think it out

Ans-2 According to the poem, the loss of childhood is

involved in the process of growing up. This loss is
compensated by some gains which come with
adolescence. These are: increase in understanding,
power of rationalising and discrimination as well as a
sense of individuality and self- confidence.
Ans-3 The poet regards childhood as an important
stage in the process of growing up. Childhood is a
period of make- believe. Children readily accept
whatever the elders say. The poet does not feel any
regret or sense of loss on losing his childhood.

Ans-4 The following lines in the poem are most poetic

It went----------------------That’s all I know.
These lines beautifully sum up the process of growth
and the disappearance of a particular stage of life.
These lines have figurative or metaphorical meaning
also. The infant’s innocent face hides many things
behind its smiles. Perhaps the childhood lies hidden in
some forgotten place lying buried deep inside a child’s
consciousness.

Additional Questions
Q1. What did the speaker learn about the existence of
Heaven and Hell?
Ans-1 As speaker grew to be mature, he acquired
reasoning power. He realized that Hell and Heaven
could not be found in Geography books or Atlas.
Since they could not be located anywhere in the world
map, he concluded that they did not exist. He would
believe only what he could see and find.

Q2. How did the speaker realise the hypocrisy of the

adults?
Ans-2 The speaker noticed a wide gulf between what
adults appeared to be and what they actually were in
real life. There was apparent contradiction between
their words and deeds. They talked of love and
advised others to love, but they never acted lovingly.

Q3. How did the realizationof being the master of his

own mind help him?
Ans-3 The realization that he was the master of his
own mind, and could use it in any way he liked, filled
him with self confidence. He could now think
independently and need not repeat parrot like thoughts
of others.

Q4. The poet has asked two questions. One is about

the time and other is about the place. Why has he used
these questions?
Ans-4 He has used these two questions to interpret the
time and place of way of going his childhood away.
He points out the process of being rational at a
particular time and states the place where the innocent
world of childhood resides.

LONG QUESTION
Q1. ‘Childhood is an essential state in the process of
growing up, but it can’t go on forever.” Discuss.
Ans-1 Childhood is an important stage in the process
of growing up of every person. The human infant is
totally dependent on others, but during childhood he
gains physical, emotional and mental strength. As the
tiny baby grows bigger in size, other faculties also
develop. This stage is an important landmark in man’s
growth, but it cannot go on forever.
Childhood being a stage, must give way to another
stage. It is followed by adolescence or early youth.
Now all the faculties are fully developed. The person
acquires reasoning power. His rationalism helps him
to decide truth or falsehood, fact and fiction. He
acquires a fine capability of analysis and
discrimination. Now he can see through persons and
things. He begins to understand the hypocrisy of
adults. He gains confidence and becomes an
independent thinker.

CHILDHOOD
EXTRACT BASED QUESTION

1. When did my childhood------------ and therefore

could not be, was that the day!
Q1. What different possibilities according to the poet
are instrumental in cessation of childhood?
Q2. When does poet lose his childhood?
Q3. What makes the child doubt the existence of hell
and heaven?
2. When did my childhood------------ but did not act so
lovingly was that the day!
Q1. What does the poet think about adults?\
Q2. What does the poet think about preaching and
practice of adults?
Q3. What idea do you get about the child who learns
to see through hypocrisy of the adults?

3. When did my childhood------------ But my own.

And mine alone was that the day!
Q1. When does the poet realise that his mind is really
his?
Q2. How has the poet become independent now?
Q3. What does child experience in the process of
growing up?

4. Where did my childhood go?---------- that’s all I

know.
Q1. What does the first line of stanza indicate?
Q2. How does the speaker feel about the loss of his
childhood?
Q3. What is the mental state of the poet here?
GALLANTRY AWARDS HAVE BEEN
INSTITUTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.

WRITE AN ESSAY/POEMS/STORY/PAINTING/
DRAWING/ VIDEO. (WORD LIMIT IS 1000)

TOPICS ARE: (ATTEMPT ANY ONE)

1. __________(GALLANTRY AWARD WINNER)
has instilled the values of courage, bravery and
selflessness in me. I will inculcate them in my daily
life by ________.
2. I WILL HONOUR MY ROLE MODEL
(GALLANTRY AWARD WINNER) ______ BY
TAKING A PLEDGE TO _______.
3. IF YOU ARE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO
LIVE THE LIFE OF ________ (GALLANTRY
AWARD WINNER), WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
4. ________ (GALLANTRY AWARD WINNER)
HAS INSPIRED TO JOIN THE ARMED FORCES
OF INDIA. I WILL JOIN ARMED FORCES TO
________.

AWARD:
1. 25 SELECTED ENTRIES WILL BE AWARDED A
CASH PRICE OF RS. 10,000 – BY THE MINISTRY
OF DEFENCE.
2. Each of the 25 winners will be invited for Republic
Day Celebration at Delhi.
3. All students whose entry is uploaded on the CBSE
Veer Gatha portal will get an E- certificate of
Participation.

CHAPTER- 7 THE ADVENTURE

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Ans-II. 1. Gangadharpant, according to Rajendra

Deshpande, had made a transition from one world to
another and back again. By making a transition, he
was able to experience two worlds although one at a
time. He neither travelled to the past nor to the future.
He was in the present but experiencing a different
world.

Ans-2 Gangadharpant had passed through a strange

experience. He had the experience of living in two
worlds- the one he lived in now and the other where
he had spent two days. This world had a different
history. Rajendra explains his experience by terming it
as a catastrophic experience

Ans-3 Gangadharpant knew India which had seen the

decline of the Peshwas and experienced the slavery of
the British. But the India he had seen in two days was
entirely different. It had not been subjected to slavery
for the whitemen. It was self- dependant and enjoyed
self-respect. He compared the two countries- the one
that he knew already and the other that he was
witnessing around him. Both had different histories.

Ans-4 The quantum theory is based on the idea that

energy exists in units that cannot be divided. This
theory lacks the belief that people are not free to
choose what they are like or how they behave because
these things are decided by their background,
surroundings and other things over which they have
no control.

ANS-5 Rajendra Deshpande explained to

Gangadharpant that the latter was able to experience
two worlds by making a transition. Gangadharpant
wanted to know why he made the transition. Science
does not provide a ready made answer to it. Rajendra
observed that one needs some interaction to cause a
transition. He made a guess. Perhaps Professor
Gaitonde was then thinking about the catastrophe
theory and its role in wars or he might have been
wondering about the Battle of Panipat.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

ANS2 (ii) Professor Gaitonde had the experience of
speaking at 999 meetings and had faced the Pune
audience as being most hostile. During his visit to the
other world, he found a lecture going on at Azad
Maidan. The presidential chair on the stage was
unoccupied. Professor Gaitonde who believed in
propriety and decorum in social and public life,
considered it to be sacrilege and wanted to correct the
wrong act. He went to the mike to express his views.
But the unfriendly audience was in no mood to listen.
They declared that they were sick of remarks from the
chair, of vote of thanks, of long introductions. They
only wanted to listen to the speaker. They had
abolished the old customs long ago. The presidential
chair was just symbolic. The crowd interrupted
Professor Gaitonde in his lecture and pushed him with
force bodily. This was a very harrowing experience
for the eminent historian and he decided never to
preside over meetings again.

EXTRA QUESTIONS:
Q1. What led Professor Gaitonde to believe that
‘History has taken a different turn, perhaps before
1857’?
Ans-1 Professor Gaitonde noticed an imposing
building facing Bombay V.T. It was called East India
House, Headquarters of the East India Company. He
knew that the East India Company had been wound up
shortly after the events of 1857. Yet here it was not
only alive but also flourishing. So he concluded that
history had taken a different turn.

Q2. How did the victory in the Battle of Panipat affect

the balance of power?
Ans-2 It was a great morale booster to the Marathas. It
established their supremacy in northern India. The
influence of Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao and his
brother Madhavrao had political sharpness and
bravery. The company’s influence was reduced to
small areas near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

Q3. How was the balance of power maintained in the

nineteenth century?
Ans-3 The Peshwas kept the puppet regime alive in
Delhi. There were political reasons for it. The
Peshwas were the real rulers from Pune. They
recognised the importance of the technological age
beginning in Europe. They set up their centres for
science and technology. East India Company saw an
opportunity to increase its influence. It offered aid and
experts. These were accepted only to make the local
centres self- sufficient.

Q4. Why do you think Gangadharpant appreciated the

India he had seen recently?
Ans-4 It was an independent and self- respecting
country. It had never been enslaved by the white men.
It was self- sufficient. It has allowed the British to
retain Bombay as their sole outpost. This was due to
purely commercial reasons. The treaty was signed in
1908. That lease was to expire in the year 2001.

Q5. Why do you think Rajendra’s ‘smile’ was

replaced by a ‘grave expression’?
ANS-5 Rajendra Deshpande had smiled on hearing
Professor Gaitonde’s strange narrative. Perhaps he
thought that Gaitonde’s mind was playing tricks and
his imagination was over excited. He became serious
as he read a page torn out of a book. This page from
Bakhar contained vital evidence about the different
turn in history had taken.

Q6. How does Rajendra Deshpande try to rationalize

the experience of Professor Gaitonde about his
transition to another world and back?
Ans-6 According to Rajendra, Professor Gaitonde had
passed through a fantastic experience, or more
correctly, a catastrophic experience. He tried to
rationalize it on the basis of two scientific theories
that were current then.
One was the catastrophe theory. The result of the
battle would have been determined by the acts of the
leaders and the morale troops at the critical juncture.
The blow of losing the leaders would have led to loss
of morale and fighting spirit. An utter rout would have
followed. If the crucial event had gone the other way,
its effect on the troops would also have been the
opposite. Their morale would have been boosted and
they might have won. The course of history would
have been different.
The other explanation is through the lack of
determinism in quantum theory. Catastrophic situation
offer radically different alternatives for the world to
proceed. All alternatives are viable so far as reality is
concerned. However, the observer can experience only
one of them at a time. Professor Gaitonde made a
transition from one world to the other as he had been
thinking about the catastrophe theory and Battle of
Panipat. The neurons in his brain acted as trigger.

Chapter- 7 Birth (Snapshots)

BY- A.J. Cronin

READING WITH INSIGHT

ANS-1 The young doctor Andrew Manson had done a
commendable work. His exclamation is justified. He
had not only helped the middle- aged lady in the safe
delivery of a male child but also restored them to
perfect health . Susan Morgan’s strength was ebbing
after the delivery. She was almost pulseless. Andrew
gave her an injection and worked severely to
strengthen her heart.
The major achievement of Andrew was to resuscitate
the still born child. First, he laid the child on a blanket
and began the special method of respiration. Then he
tried the hot and cold water treatment- dipping the
baby alternately. He laboured in vain for half an hour.
He then made another last effort. He rubbed the child
with a rough towel. He went on pressing and releasing
the baby’s little chest with both his hands. At last the
baby responded. His chest heaved. Andrew redoubled
his efforts. The child was gasping now. A bubble of
mucus came from his tiny nostril. The pale skin turned
pink. His limbs became hard. Then came the child’s
cry.
Andrew called upon God as witness of his act which
was no less than a miracle. It was not mere theoretical
talk but a practical achievement- something real and
solid.

EXTRA QUESTIONS:
Q1. Who was Joe Morgan? Why had he been waiting
for Dr. Andrew Manson?
Ans-1 Joe Morgan was a driller in Blaenelly, a mining
town. He was a big, strong and heavy middle- aged
person. Joe and his wife Susan, who had been married
nearly twenty years, were expecting their first child.
Joe was waiting for the doctor to help Susan in the
delivery of the child.
Q2. “Don’t you fret, mother, I’ll not run away”. Why
do you think Andrew say so?
Ans-2 Mrs Morgan’s mother offered to make a cup of
tea for the doctor. The experienced woman had
realized that there must be a period of waiting. She
was afraid that the doctor would leave the case saying
that he would return later.

Q3. What had Andrew been thinking about? How

would you like to describe the state of his thoughts?
Ans-3 Andrew had been thinking about the
unsuccessful married lives of some persons he knew.
Bramwell was foolishly devoted to a woman who
deceived him immorally. Edward Page was bound to
quarrelsome Blodwen. Denny was living unhappily
apart from his wife. His thoughts were muddled.

Q4. Why did a shiver of horror pass over Andrew?

Ans-4 Andrew had struggled for more than an hour to
help Mrs Morgan in the safe delivery of her first child.
At last, the child was born, but it was lifeless. As
Andrew gazed at the still form of the baby, a shiver of
horror passed over him.

Q5. What was the dilemma that Andrew faced after

the baby was born?
Ans-5 After the baby was born, Andrew was faced
with the dilemma whether to attend to the baby which
was still- born in order to resuscitate it or to turn his
attention rather to the mother, Susan Morgan, who
was in a desperate state of health because of loss of
blood and labour pain.

Q6. What efforts did Andrew make to revive Susan

Morgan?
Ans-6 He smashed a glass ampule and injected the
medicine. After this he flung down the hypodermic
syringe. Then he worked quiet hard to restore the soft
and weak woman. Her heart strengthend after a few
minutes of feverish effort.

Q7. What is your impression about Dr. Andrew as a

doctor and a human being?
Ans-7 The story ‘Birth’ is a comment on what a doctor
should really be as a doctor and a human being. dr.
Andrew is an exceptionally dutiful and kind and
passionate human being. Not only he sets aside mental
and bodily fatigue to visit Joe Morgan’s house dead at
night, but also he almost rebels against nature;s laws
to keep trying to bring breath back to the still born
baby wherein he succeeds.
`231
Q8. Compare and contrast Andrew’s emotional,
mental and physical state at the beginning of the story
and at the end.
Ans-8 At the beginning of the story Andrew is
physically tired and emotionally upset. He has just
returned from a disappointing evening with Christine,
the girl he loved. His thoughts are heavy and
muddled. The episode he had witnessed at Cardiff
Station still filled his mind with sadness. Though he
thought of marriage as a blissful state, he could not
help remembering the miserable failure of many
marriages.
At the end of the story, Andrew is physically
exhausted but emotionally cheerful and mentally alert.
His mind is filled with joy and self- satisfaction. He
has performed an unusual feat, no less than a miracle.
He calls upon God as witness that he has done
something real at last. This sense of achievement
helps him to overcome physical fatigue. His sense of
duty towards his patients helps him to attend them
whole- heartedly. He forgets his personal feelings and
thinks only of reveiving the patients.

Q9. What impression do you form of Andrew Manson

on the basis of the story ‘Birth’?
Ans-9 Andrew Manson is a youngman who has
recently qualified as a doctor and started his medical
practice as an assistant to Dr. Edward Page in the
small Welsh mining town of Blaenelly. He is in love
with Christine and thinks of marriage as an idyllic
state. His heart is overflowing with love. His steady
mind and reason help him see the marriages of many
persons as dismal failures.
Andrew is mature enough to keep his private and
professional lives apart. Once confronted with his
responsibility, he discharges his obligations to the
utmost capacity. He is duty conscious. He is not a
theorist only. He believes in practical approach. He is
pragmatic and is not afraid to try unique methods.

Andrew has a tender heart. He is aware of the feelings

of others. He knows how deeply Susan loved her
coming baby. He has polite manners and reassuring
tone. On the whole, Andrew impresses us as a
dedicated doctor.

Sentence Reordering
1. crowded/ railway platform/ last Sunday/ the/ was/
unusually
2. vendors/ carrying/ were at/ sweet smelling/ flowers/
the/ platform
3. the train/ how / they/ we wondered/ would/ get/ on
4. but/ the train/ carefully/ they/ boarded/ very
5. he/ stepped out/ had/ hardly/ it began/ when/ to rain
6. she/ rather/ surrender/ would/ than/ die
7. has taught/ teacher/ the/ this/ you/ lesson
8. not/ clear/ to me/ he says/ what/ is
9. this/ letter/ has/ been/ your/ grandfather/ by/ written
10. below/ not/ must/ age/ of/eighteen/ years/ drive/
the/ children
11. their/ room/ boys/ the/ are/ revising/ the/ lesson/ in
12. USA/ tomorrow/ along/ will/ leave/ musicians/
director/ the/ with/ their/ the/ for
13. the/ complaint/ from/ principal/ one/ school/ a /
received/ of/ our/ parents/ today, the/ of
14. the Indian / English/ exploited/ the/ farmers
15.the/ on/ forests/ the/ industry/ oil/ depends

Omission before word after

1. There was dense forest.
A stream flowed ____ ____ ____
2. gently softly in it.
There was a large ____ ____ ____
3. tree on its bank in a
dove lived. At ____ ____ ____
4. the foot the trunk of
the tree, there ____ ____ ____
5. lived ant in a hole. The
ant and the ____ ____ ____
6. dove fast friends.
When they had no work, ____ ____ ____
7. they sat together the
shade of the tree. ____ ____ ____
8. they talked together
and passed their time in fun.

Chapter- 7 The Adventure

CLASS TEST

Q1. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the

country he knew with that he was witnessing around
him.
Q2. “You need some interaction to cause a transition.”
Q3. Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided
never to preside over meetings again?

CHAPTER- 8 Silk Road (Hornbill)

by Nick Middleton

Understanding the text

I. Give reasons
1. The article has been titled “Silk Road”.
ANS-I-1 This article gives an account of a travel from
the hills of Ravu across some of the mountain passes
to Mount Kailash. The narrator with his companions
reach the main east west highway at Hor. It followed
the old trade route from Lhasa to Kashmir. It was
known as ‘Silk Road’. Hence the article has been
titled ‘Silk Road’.
2. Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial
courts.
Ans-2 The Tibetan mastiffs were large dogs with big
heads. They had massive jaws and barked furiously.
They were completely fearless of vehicles. They
would chase persons or animals at great speed. Hence
these ferocious Tibetan mastiffs became popular in
China’s imperial courts as hunting dogs.

3. The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast

to earlier accounts of the place.
Ans-3 The author found Hor a grim, miserable place
with no vegetation but a lot of refuse, dust and rocks.
His experience in Hor came as a stark contrast to
earlier accounts of the place. Ekai Kawaguchi, a
Japanese monk, arrived there in 1900. he was so
moved by the sanctity of the lake that he burst into
tears. The hallowed water had a similar effect on Sven
Hedin, a few years later.

4. The author was disapppointed with Darchen.

Ans-4 The author was disappointed with Darchen as
he found it a horrible place. It was dusty, partially
derelict and interrupted at intervals by heaps of broken
stone or bricks from a building or wall and rubbish or
garbage. The town had a couple of simple general
stores. Men played pool outside one of them. The
town had only one cafe. It had a medical college
where Tibetan medicines were prescribed.

5. The author thought that his positive thinking

strategy worked well after all.
Ans-5 The author had timed his arrival for the
beginning of the pilgrimage season, but it seemed he
was too early. Daniel and Tsetan had returned to
Lhasa. He was alone. He thought he had not made
much progress with his self- help programme on
positive- thinking. He did not come across any one in
Darchen who knew English. Then he met Norbu and
decided to go in his company to the Kailash Kora.
Then he thought that his positive thinking strategy
worked well after all.

II. Briefly comment on

1. The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount
Kailash.
Ans-1 The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount
Kailash, was a religious one. He had to perform
pilgrimage of ‘Kora’ to Mount Kailash. Devout
Buddhists visited Mount Kailash for this purpose.

2. The author’s physical condition in Darchen.

Ans-2 The author’s physical condition in Darchen was
quite bad. One of his nostrils was blocked again. He
was tired and hungry. He started breathing through his
mouth. Then he switched to single- nostril power. He
was inhaling enough oxygen, but he was about to fall
asleep, he woke up instantly. Sitting up made him feel
better. He stayed awake all night.

3. The author’s meeting with Norbu.

Ans-3 The author was staying in a guest house at
Darchen. He was alone as Tsetan had left him and the
pilgrims had not arrived. One afternoon he was
sipping tea in Darchen’s only cafe, looking at his
notebook. Norbu came in, saw his novel and asked if
he could sit opposite him. Norbu asked him if he
knew English. Then they began talking in English.
Soon they fromed a team.

4. Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.

Ans-4 During the journey, Tsetan was the source of
great support to the author. He not only drove them
safe from Ravu to Darchen, but also provided him
valuable information. Tsetan took him to the Darchen
Medical college. These medicines helped him to sleep
peacefully at night after so many sleepless nights.

5. “As a Buddhist, he told me, he knew that it did not

really matter if I passed away, but he thought it would
be bad for business,”
Ans-5 Tsetan was a devout Buddhist. He knew the
purpose of the author’s journey- to do the ‘Kora’ at
Mount Kailash. During the journey at high altitude,
the author suffered from cold, headache and loss of
sleep due to high altitude. Tsetan left him only when
he had recovered after taking the Tibetan medicines
prescribed by the doctor at Darchen. Since the author
was on a religious pilgrimage, Tsetan thought that
death was immaterial. However, he did not approve of
it as guide, since it would be bad for his business.

EXTRA QUESTIONS:

Q1. How was the author’s experience at Hor in stark

contrast to earlier accounts of the place?
Ans-1 Hor is a small town on the main east- west
highway. The highway followed the old trade route
from Lhasa to Kashmir. The town is located on the
shore of Lake Manasarovar. This lake is Tibet’s most
venerated stretch of water. The Sutlej flows from the
lake. The head waters of the Indus, the Ganges and the
Brahmaputra, rise nearby on the flanks of Mount
Kailash. Ancient Hindu and Buddhist books regard
Manasarovar as the source of four great Indian rivers.

Earlier travellers had spoken in superlatives about

their experience on first glimpse of Lake
Manasarovar. Ekai Kawaguchi was Japanese monk.
He had arrived there in 1900. he was so moved by the
sanctity of the lake that he burst into tears. A few
years later, the holy water of the lake had similar
effect on Sven Hedin. He was a Swede. Moreover, he
was not sentimental. Hence his reaction was quite
noteworthy.

The author found Hor a grim, miserable place with no

vegetation. It was just dust and rocks. He was
disappointed to notice heaps of rubbish lying dumped
here and there. He calls Hor an open- air dump. Thus
there was vast difference between legend and reality.
Q2. Give a brief account of the author’s visit to the
medical college at Darchen and the effect of the
Tibetan medicines on him.
Or
What do you learn about Tibetan doctors and
medicines from reading the travelogue ‘Silk Road’?
Ans-2 At first the author was impressed neither by the
building of the medical college nor the Tibetan doctor.
The building looked liked a monastery. The consulting
room was dark and cold. It lacked the paraphernalia of
a doctor. The doctor himself appeared like any other
Tibetan in a thick pullover and a woolly hat. He had
no white coat on him. The author explained his
sleepless symptoms and sudden aversion to laying
down.
While feeling his pulse, the Tibetan doctor asked
some questions. He diagnosed his illness as a cold and
effects of the altitude. By now the author had
developed some confidence in the doctor. He asked if
he would recover enough to be able to do the kora.
The doctor assured him that he would be fine.

The doctor gave him a five- day course of Tibetan

medicine in fifteen screws of paper. The after
breakfast package contained a brown paper. The
author took it with hot water. The lunch time and bed
time packages contained small spherical brown small
pills. They looked like sheep dung, but the author took
them. He found the medicines quite effective. After
his first full day’s course, he slept soundly at night.

FATHER TO SON (POEM)

Think it out
Ans-1 The poem is autobiographical in nature and
describes the relationship between a father and his
son. Beginning on an exclusively personal experience,
the poem rises to a fairly universal phenomenon- the
growing generation gap and lack of communication.

Ans-2 The father’s helplessness is brought about by

the existing circumstances. Usually a father is the best
friend and advisor of the son. However, there is no
bond of affinity or relationship between the two. It
seems that the two are not on speaking terms even
while living under the same roof. The father feels
helpless that he cannot share what his son loves.

Extra questions:
Q1. What does the speaker say about father- son
relationship?
Ans-1 Actually, the father- son relationship is non-
functional. The father does not understand the
aspirations, longings or cravings of the son. They
speak like strangers. Their exchanges, if any, are just
formal. Otherwise, silence surrounds them.

Q2. What do you think is responsible for the distance

between father and son?
Ans-2 The lack of understanding on the part of the
older generation (here, father) is the root of the
problem. The father wants the young man to stick to
home turf. The son, now a young man, seeks fresh
avenues and lives in a world of his own. The father
finds it hard to adjust to the growing changes.

Q3. Why, do you think, does the father appear so

helpless?
Ans-3 The father has been unable to understand what
his son loves to do. He is not in a position to advise
him as there is hardly any intimacy between them.
They speak like strangers, otherwise there is silence
around them. The son has his own dreams and plans
which he does not appreciate.

Q4. How can you infer that the father wishes his son
to remain at home with him?
Ans-4 The father finds the son’s interests quite
different. He is home bound, whereas the son is on the
look out for fresh avenues. He aspires for a world of
his own. The father wants him to return home even if
he undergoes losses by his extravagant ventures. He is
willing to make up with him if he agrees to live with
him.

Q5. Bring out the father’s distrust in the son’s

abilities.
Ans-5 The father in the poem does not trust his son.
He thinks that his son cannot move away from him
and survive. He wants his son always with him.

Q6. What sort of father- son relationship has been

depicted in the poem ‘Father to Son’?
Ans-6 The poem depicts a father- son relationship
which exists in name only. The two have been living
together in the same house for years. Even then the
father does not understand his son. He confesses that
he knows nothing of his son. The bond of affection
between them lie broken. They have become formal
just like strangers. Although the son resembles his
father physically, yet he had his own vision, dreams
and aspiration. He is not home bound and is not afraid
to venture forth. The protective father is willing to
forgive him for incurring loss of material wealth
provided he returns home. The painful experience of
lack of communication fills the father with utter
helplessness, anger and grief. His efforts to restore the
relationship fail as there is no response from the other
side.

Q7. How far has the poet succeeded in transforming a

purely personal matter to a universal experience
prevalent in modern times?
Ans-7 The poem begins on an autobiographical note.
The speaker that is the father recounts his own
experience. He talks about the non- functional father-
son relationship. He neither understands his son nor
knows anything about him. Inspite of living in the
same house, the distance between father and son has
increased. There is lack of communication between
them. They either talk like strangers or silence
surrounds them. The father is unable to share what the
son prefers to do. The distance has reached to
sorrowful limit. Even then the father is willing to
shape a new love and build up a fresh relationship.
His grief takes the form of anger and they fail to reach
any compromise.
This maladjustment or growing break- up of
relationships is typical of the modern materialistic
age.

CHAPTER- 8
A Tale of Melon City

A. Reading With Insight

Ans-1. ‘The Tale of Melon City’ runs like folk tale.
The city is called Melon city because its ruler is a
melon. There is a curious tale around it. Once a fair
and gentle king ruled over a state. He got an arch built
across the thoroughfare. As he passed under the low
arch it struck his head and he lost his crown. He
thought it a disgrace and ordered the chief of builders
to be hanged. The chief lay the blame on the
workmen. The workmen were surprised. They said
that the bricks were made of wrong size. So the
masons were thought guilty. The masons shifted the
blame on the architect. The architect put the blame at
the king’s door as he had amended his original plan.

The king sought a wise man’s counsel. He held the

arch guilty and ordered it to be hanged. A councillor
objected to it as it had touched the king’s head. The
people became restless. They wanted to see someone
hanging. Only the king’s head could fit the noose. So
he was hanged. It was now announced that the next
man who passed the City Gate would chose the king.
An idiot came. He suggested ‘A melon’. So melon
was crowned the king. He was taken to the throne. He
was called melon king.

Ans-2 The state where the king was ‘just and placid’
seems to be a backward region full of ignorant fools
and ruled by a whimsical king. The king considers
himself to be the custodian of people and gets an arch
erected for their spiritual upliftment. The king’s word
is a command and unwritten law. The whole process
of changing judgement on the appeals of the victims
appears as a mock- trial. The Ministers and
Councillors seems to be selfish. They advise the king
to serve their own ends, though they appear to flatter
the king and seem dedicated to the state. The common
people are uneducated and ignorant fools. They need
mental as well as spiritual upliftment. They are fun
loving. In their quest for fun, they can cross all limits.
If deprived of fun, the unruly mob can rebel against
the crown. They do not bother whether the king is a
man or a melon. They want there personal freedom,
free business and peaceful lives.

Ans-3 Various people advocate various means of

maintaining peace and liberty in a state. Some are in
favour of dictatorship while others favour democracy.
I think the best course lies in good governance.
Whatever is well- administered is most fruitful for the
citizens as well as the rulers. It ensures peace and
liberty to the common man. A strong state, in itself, is
safe against any external threat. Dedicated rulers,
enlightened citizens and proper law enforcing
agencies can establish peace and harmony in the state.
Narrow considerations based on region, religion,
caste, etc. Should be discouraged because these are
potent threat to internal security as they fuel
dissensions among the people. Free expression of
opinions must be allowed but respect for law and
order be observed. People should be conscious of their
privileges and rights as well as duties and
responsibilites. This is the only way to maintain peace
and liberty.

Extra Questions:
Q1. Why did the king need some counsel and from
whom? Do you think the man was really the wisest
one? Give a reason for your answer.
Ans-1 The king got confused by the architect’s clever
self- defence. So, he needed the advice of the wisest
man in the country. The man selected was so old that
he could neither walk nor see. He was not really the
wisest one as wisest does not necessarily come with
age. His advice proves his worthlessness.

Q2. What does the comment of the councillor about

the arch reveal about himself and the king?
Ans-2 It shows the councillor’s sycophancy and the
king’s capriciousness. The councillor, an expert in the
art of flattery, checked the king from an absurd action,
through an argument that appeared logical. The
thoughtless king mused over it.

Q3. Why did the king succumb to public demand?

Ans-3 The king noticed that the crowd of spectators
had become restless and people were muttering aloud.
He judged their mood. He trembled to think of the
consequences if they were deprived of the fun of
watching someone being hanged. So, in order to save
his skin, he ordered that someone be hanged
immediately.

Q4. What was the result of the King’s thoughtless

order?
Ans-4 The king noticed that someone be hanged
immediately. So the noose was set up somewhat high.
Each man was measured one by one. Only one man
was found tall enough to fit the noose. He was the
king. He was hanged by the royal order. Thus the king
paid with his life for his thoughtless order.

Q5. What ‘custom’ of the citizens is referred to in the

table? How did the Ministers decide to observe it?
Ans-5 It is their custom to choose the new ruler of
their state. Whoever passed the City Gate first of all
the next day, would choose the ruler of the state. This
method of random choice excluded dynastic rule as
well as conspiracies. The Ministers decided to observe
it with proper formality.

Q6. Comment on the title of the poem ‘The Tale of

Melon City’.
Ans-6 The ending of ‘The Tale of Melon City’ is quite
significant. It has a direct bearing on the title. The
ending of the poem reveals that the incidents took
place long ago. It throws light on the old custom of
the state to choose their new ruler. Confronted with
the dilemma, the ministers took the easy way out. The
person whom passed the City Gate next was to name
the king. It happened to be an idiot who gave the
standard answer “ a melon” to every question. So the
melon was crowned the king, carried to the throne and
respectfully set down there. The people are not at all
ashamed to have a melon as their king. They say thet
if the king rejoices in being a melon, that’s all right
with them. They find no fault with him as long as he
leaves them to enjoy their peace, freedom and free
trade. The capital city is called Melon City after the
king. Thus the ending throws a light on the selfish
nature of the people and their belief in old customs. It
also explains the title.

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS:

Father to Son
1. I do not understand------------ he was when small
a. What does father reveal?
b. What efforts does he make to be able to understand
him?
c. What is the speaker’s intention here?

2. Yet have I killed------------ he loves I cannot share.

a. What does the speaker mean by ‘Seed’?
b. Why do you think they behave and speak like
strangers?
c. Why cannot I share what he loves?

3. Silence surrounds us. I would have------ a new love.

a. What sort of silence is being referred to here?
b. What do you mean by ‘the prodigal son’?
c. What two choices does the father have?

4. Father and son,----- something to forgive.

a. What emotions does the father feel?
b. Explain: ‘we each put out an empty hand’.
c. What do they earn for?