ENGLISH ASPIRANTS

CLASS – X

ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE (184)

CONTENTS
MAKE YOUR ANSWERS PRESENTABLE AND MIND DO’s & DON’Ts:
1) Complete the prescribed word limit asked for short & long answers.
2) Underline the important PHRASES & WORDS which are crucial and fulfil the
answer’s demand.
3) Don’t forget to draw margin on right hand side to make your answers
aligned in a better way.
4) Always write the answers of each section from a new page.
5) Don’t use black pen and avoid overwriting.
6) Don’t leave any question unanswered. Attempting all questions will be
favourable for your result.
7) Write only two short answers on one page and draw outline with pencil
after finishing writing.

MANTRAS TO SCORE 95+MARKS IN ENGLISH EXAMINATION

Students can score 95+ in their CBSE English paper of class X of they pursue the following
mantras which are cited below:
 While attempting Reading Section, first read the question then follow the passage for
finding the answers.
 Improve grammar to ensure accuracy in answers.
 Solve more and more sample papers to be confident and understand the question
paper format properly.
 Give each chapter or poem its due importance even if you find a particular chapter
quite difficult.
 Time Management is very crucial. Decide in advance how much time you want to
devote to each section in your English paper.
 There are three sections in English. So, choose wisely which one is good to solve
first. The right way to complete Question paper within time is such as:
LITERATURE ------ WRITING & GRAMMAR -------READING
 Be systematic and solve a complete section with all answers then move to the next
section. Don't mess up the Answer sheet with inter-section of questions.

Note: Staying COOL HEADED will assist you to achieve clarity in your thought process for
impressive answers.
 TIPS for READING SECTION
How to attempt Questions of passage promptly & accurately?
 Read the passage thoroughly with steadiness by understanding it.
 Focus on the relevant details and underline them with a pencil.
 Read the questions carefully and go back to the passage to find the answers.
 The answers are generally in a logical sequence.
 Try to write the answers in your own words.
 To find answers to the vocabulary-based questions like synonyms, etc., see carefully
if the word is a noun/adjective/verb/adverb/participle; then the Ans: will be of the
same nature.

PURPOSE BEHIND CONSOLIDATING THESE NOTES:

Students usually avoids studying English. Most of the students start revision 2-3 days
beforehand of English exam. Even, several students don’t have consolidated & proper notes
for preparation of the exam. This stirs a kind of commotion in their mind- how to cover the
entire syllabus in a few days, what to read and what to skip. So, here is the solution for their
bafflement. Amit Kumar, an English Educator & Author(How to be the best version of
yourself & English Aspirants) undertook the responsibility to facilitate the students by
providing them accurate notes for better preparation of the English Exam and pass
the exam with FLYING COLORS.
FORMAT OF FORMAL LETTER
 FORMAL LETTERS

Q.1 Write a letter to the editor of an English daily, making a plea to the
common people to switch over to solar energy to conserve electricity and limit
electricity bills.

Answer:
147 Mayur Vihar
New Delhi
11 April 20XX
The Editor
Hindustan Times
New Delhi
Subject: Evoking Awareness Towards Solar Energy

Sir
Through the columns of your reputed newspaper, I wish to make the people aware of
the growing need and demands of solar power. We all know that our earth is
showing signs of a patient in declining health and it is due to excessive pollution on
our planet. Man has a desire to live a luxurious life and for that, he is over consuming
electricity. He doesn’t realize that overuse would exhaust the treasure. We must
conserve electricity which is the need of the hour.
But this conservation can only be done if we start using solar power systems.
Various kinds of solar systems like solar cookers, solar lanterns, solar heating and
cooking system, solar water heater, etc., are available in the market.
These solar systems are non-polluting. They are economical and are available in
different sizes. So, I request you to publish this letter in your newspaper to make
people aware of the need of conserving electricity and limiting electricity bills. Public
must pay attention to the dire need of switching over to solar energy.

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
Divyansh
Q.2 Though there is a movement like ‘Sarvashiksha Abhiyan’ and enrolling of
underprivileged children in schools, there are still many children, like the one
in the picture, who do not go to school, rather have never seen a school. It is
indeed disturbing. You decide to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper
expressing your views and the steps to be taken. Take ideas from the MCB
unit ‘Education’. Write the letter in about 120 words.
Answer:

87 A Saket Colony
Agra
25th October 20XX
The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi
Subject: Educating the Underprivileged

Sir
Through the columns of your reputed newspaper, I wish to draw your attention
towards the movement ‘Sarvashiksha Abhiyan’ which aims at providing knowledge to
all children. Even the act RTE-Right to Education also ensures education for all
children between the age of four to fourteen. But these movements and acts do not
show themselves implemented anywhere especially in the underprivileged class.
There are still many children who do not go to school. They either work as a
domestic labour or work in factories, dhabas(eateries), etc. It is disturbing to note
that our government’s plans are not bearing any fruits. It is all because of lack of
awareness towards these kinds of movements.
We all need the help of print media as well as electronic media to spread messages
of awareness to the masses. The underprivileged children must be made to realize
that they have the right to get education. So, they must go to school. The foremost
thing is to discourage child-labour so as to give these children a bright future. I hope
you will pay attention to this noble cause and publish it in your newspaper.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely

xyz
Q.3 Your grandfather is very upset about the rising prices and keeps thinking
of his olden times when things were very cheap. You are convinced that
inflation has made life difficult for common man. Write a letter in 100-120
words to the editor of a national daily describing the difficulties faced by poor
families.
Answer:

679 Kaveri Vihar

New Delhi
14th July 20XX
The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi
Subject: Rising Prices

Sir
I wish to draw your attention towards the inflation which has made life difficult for
common man. It was not so in earlier times when things were very cheap and were
within the reach of almost everyone. But the sharp rise in prices of all commodities
has made it difficult for a common man to make both his ends meet He cannot bear
even the daily expenses of his family. This is giving rise to disappointments and
dejections in their life. Corruption is also on the rise, so as to avoid financial crisis,
people are turning towards bribery which is the root cause of all evils. The society is
taking a bad turn only because of inflation.
It is high time that the concerned authorities should wake up to this social cause and
try to put reins to the rising price so that people can lead a comfortable and peaceful
life.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely

xyz
Q.4 Write a letter to the editor of a national daily, expressing your opinion and
views on the increased human dependence on technology. Right from a small
child to an adult, or even an old man, everyone wants gadgets only-cell phone,
I-pod, laptop, etc. This also has a negative effect on social relationships. Using
your own ideas and the unit, ‘Science’, write the letter in 100-120 words.
Answer:

230 C.O.D. Colony

New Delhi
15th May 20XX
The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi
Subject: Human Dependence on Technology

Sir
Through this letter of mine, I wish to draw the attention of everyone towards the
increased dependence of humans on technology. We use internet for any type of
information which we find only a click away. Everyone, whether a child or an adult,
wants gadgets like cell phones, I-pod, laptop, etc. No doubt, technology is a boon to
mankind and has a great future ahead. But in my opinion, we should not depend on
it as excess of everything is bad. It is making everyone lazy. On the other hand,
cyber-crimes are also growing. The key word for this is caution.
We must make judicious use of technology and should not totally depend on it. We
must believe in natural and simple living.
I hope you will publish this letter in your newspaper for better future of human
beings.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
Q.5 Kush read the following article in The Economic Times: An Urban Farm in
an Urban Jungle-Can you create functional, green spaces in a crowded city
like Mumbai? ‘Fresh and Local’ is an initiative to transform underused spaces
into productive, community areas through urban farming. It aims to inspire city
residents to make the most use of the spaces that surround them to grow
fruits, herbs and vegetables. Not only can urban farming improve the
environment, but also the health of the city residents.
Kush decides to write a letter to the Editor of a National Daily to raise public
awareness about using the space around them for productive community
areas. Use your ideas and ideas from the unit ‘Environment’ to write the letter
in about 120-150 words.
Answer:
18 Model Town
Mumbai
14th May 20XX
The Editor
The Times of India
Mumbai

Subject: Steps to Improve Environment

Sir
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of
the general public towards the underused spaces in crowded cities like Mumbai.
These spaces can be best used by taking some initiative to make them green. We
can grow fruits, vegetables and herbs which will help in the improvement of
environment as well as the health of the City residents. Urban farming should not be
taken as a Herculean task. It is only a matter of effort taken to’transform these
areas/spaces into productive, community area. Thus, people will be able to breathe
and live in pollution free environment which is good for the health. Conservation of
soil and more of greenery will be an added advantage.
I hope, people will become aware of these underused spaces and take some action
after reading this letter of mine.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
Kush
Q.6 The Pie-chart given below shows the changing trends in the recreational
activities of children of two different generations. You are disturbed at very
little importance given to book reading, followed by sports and games which
are mostly indoors resulting in poor health and stamina. You decide to write a
letter to the Editor of ‘The Herald Tribune’, New Delhi on this issue, suggesting
ways and means to improve the condition. Sign yourself as Malavika/Manas, a
Health Specialist from New Delhi and write the letter in about 120 words.

Answer:
Deptt. of Health Care
New Delhi
14th April 20XX
The Editor
The Herald Tribune
New Delhi

Subject: Changing Trend in Children’s Activities

Sir
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of
the general public to the changing trend in the recreational activities of children of
modem tunes. It is shocking to know that present day children don’t want to spend
their leisure hours on book-reading, sports and games or any other outdoor activity
as was done in the years from 1960-1980. Rather modem day juveniles are more
interested in indoor activities. Only 10% of them are interested in book reading
whereas 60% can be seen busy with gadgets. This is not a positive trend. It is
leading our children towards poor health and stamina.
In my opinion, children should be made to understand the importance of reading
books and this can be done at school level as well as by parental interference. The
advantages of outdoor games must be stressed upon. They must realise that
outdoor games impart them the value of discipline as well as team spirit Parents
should not provide them electronic gadgets at an early stage.
Hope this letter of mine will spread awareness among children as well as parents
and recreational activities of children will again get channelized in a positive way.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
Malavika
(Health Specialist)
Q.7 You are Amit/ Amita. You happened to take part in a medical camp
organized by Health Club of your school in a remote village near Delhi. You are
surprised to find that most of the people there have no awareness of basic
health and hygiene. As a concerned citizen you decide to take up their cause
and organize camps to make the villagers aware of the importance of hygiene.
Taking ideas from the given notes and the unit on ‘Health and Medicine’ along
with your own ideas, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, in about 120
words, expressing your concern and encouraging youngsters to take part in
such campaigns.

 Causes of ill health

 Regular discussions and camps to be held
 A small dispensary to be setup
 Youngsters to volunteer

Answer:
47, COD colony
Jaipur
18th February 20XX
The Editor
The Hindu
New Delhi

Subject: Creating Awareness towards Health and Hygiene

Sir
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of
the youngsters towards the negligent attitude of people towards basic health and
hygiene. The villagers are not paying any attention to sanitation and personal
hygiene which is leading them towards ill health. This hurdle can be overcome by
organizing Health Camps in these areas where we can make these villagers aware
of the importance of a healthy lifestyle by means of discussions or health check-ups
by specialists. A small dispensary can also be set up there for their regular routine
check-up. They must be taught that cleanliness is next to godliness. I invite
youngsters through this letter of mine to volunteer their names so that we can put our
plan into action. A little effort on our part will save these villagers from contracting
serious diseases.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
Amit
Q.8 You recently visited an important historical monument. You were shocked
to find it in a state of utter neglect Taking help from unit, ‘Travel and Tourism’,
the clues given below and with your own ideas write a letter to the editor of a
leading newspaper highlighting the poor condition of important archaeological
and heritage ‘sites. Point out the lack of essential services, the poor state of
maintenance and its misuse by people. Give suggestions for improving the
situation.
Answer:
136, New Kamla Nagar
Agra
27th May, 20xx
The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi

Subject: Poor Condition of Heritage Sites

Sir
Last Sunday I went to visit Taj Mahal along with my parents. I was quite excited but
all the excitement was only short-lived as the place was not as beautiful as it should
have been. The Taj no doubt, is an epitome of beauty. But the place outside was
littered with plastic plates, broken bottles, leftover food, etc. Many tourists come to
Agra to view Taj but the mess around the monument leaves a bad impression on the
tourists. People must acquire some good civic habits. Dustbins should be provided at
short distances and people should use them. They should throw the wastes and
leftovers in the dustbins. Spitting of pan-masalas should not be done. Children
should be taught civic habits right from the beginning. Parents should ensure that the
children are following good habits. There is a dire need to check all this and to take
preventive steps.
Through this letter of mine, I want to create awareness among general public that we
must not neglect our archaeological and heritage sites. We must take good care of
them by following good civic habits and following the code of conduct ethically.
Thanking you.

Yours truly
xyz
Q.9 You visited the Water Park in your city as part of school excursion. You
noticed that the water was not clean and also had a stale smell which could
result in many water borne diseases. Taking ideas from the unit, Health and
your own ideas, write a letter in about 120 words to the editor of a local
newspaper about your experience on visiting the place and how the polluted
water would affect the visitors. Include the precautions that should be taken in
the Water Park. You are Neeta/Nitin.

Answer:
389, Mayur Vihar
New Delhi
14th May, 20xx
The Editor
The Hindu
New Delhi

Subject: Critical Condition of Water Park

Sir
Through the columns of your reputed newspaper, I would like to share my
experience with one and all that I had during my recent visit to the Water Park. We
visited the place as a part of school exclusion but were shocked to see its plight. The
water in the park was dirty and a stale smell was emanating from it. It can result in
many water borne diseases. There were very few visitors due to the degrading
condition.
I want to make the concerned authorities aware that they must ensure the regular
cleaning of water at proper intervals. Draining can also be done. To restore its
popularity, a canteen or snack-bar can be opened. This place can become a popular
holiday spot if taken care of properly.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
xyz
Q.10 Every day you are late to school by fifteen minutes. Your school bus is
stuck in a traffic jam near Chintpumi Temple crossing. Along with own ideas,
write a letter to the editor of a newspaper highlighting this problem and
suggesting some remedy for it.
Answer:
232, Friends Colony
Noida
16th May 20XX
The Editor
The Hindustan Times
New Delhi

Subject: Chaotic Traffic Condition

Sir
Through this letter of mine, I wish to draw the attention of the authorities towards the
problems faced by students every day. We reach our school fifteen minutes late as
our school bus gets stuck in a traffic jam near Chintpumi Temple crossing. People
park their vehicles in a haphazard way. Beggars crowd the gates as well as roads,
waiting for someone to come out of the temple and give alms to them. There is a
traffic signal at that crossing but people do not follow it.
It is my humble request that a parking area should be allotted to the Temple site so
that people can park their vehicles in a proper way. The Temple Trust should appoint
someone who can make the beggars sit in a queue and that too on the footpath and
not on the road. And last but not the least, a police-picket should be there at the
crossing to make people follow the rules and regulations.
I hope you’ll publish this letter in your esteemed newspaper so that some actions can
be taken in this matter.
Thanking you.

Yours sincerely
XYZ
 ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH

 Keep the following points in mind for scoring well:

 Carefully analyze the provided information
 Try to comprehend the literal and surface meaning of the data given
 The facts and data should be accurate
 Follow a sequential and logical pattern while writing the content
 Use simple and lucid language
 To depict the comparisons, variations and withdraw the conclusion implement
functional language
 Do proofread to avoid any grammatical and structural errors
 Present the factual information in the best possible manner
 Try to cover every little piece of information that is provided by the
charts/diagrams/graphs etc.
Analytical Paragraph – 1
Q.1 The given pie chart represents the amount of money spent by a family on
different items in a month. Write an analytical paragraph using the information
given in the chart.

Answer:
The pie chart provides information about the amount of money a family has spent on
different items in a month. On an average, the family has spent majorly on grocery
which is twenty-three percent of the total expenses. Whereas it has spent 20 percent
on education which shows that it’s the second priority for the family.
The other item on which it has spent the most is clothes and transportation which
levels off 19 and 18 percent respectively. Fifteen per-cent of their expenses were on
other items that might include stationery, cosmetics, accessories, etc. and the least
they had spent was on their rent. The maximum amount was spent on grocery,
education, transportation and clothes.
Overall the data shows that they have not spent much on the unnecessary items or
miscellaneous. After spending on grocery which is of utmost importance, they have
spent a significant amount on education. The least money is spent on miscellaneous
items after spending on their rent which is their liability. Thus, it is evident that 85%
of their total amount of money was spent on their liabilities whereas only 15 percent
was spent on other items that might not be necessary to spend on.
 Analytical Paragraph – 2
Q.2 The given bar graph shows the increasing use of skin care products by
men and women over the period of three months. Write an analytical
paragraph elaborating the given information.

 
Answer:
The given bar graph shows the usage of skin care products by men and women over
the time of three months. The products used are facewash, toner and sunscreen.
The bar graph of men shows that the most used product by men is facewash. In the
month of June the facewash was used around 33 times, in July 30 times and in
August 35 times. The toner was used around 27 times in the month of June, 20
times in July and around 33 times in the month of August. The sunscreen was used
29 times in the month of June, 25 times in July and 32 times in August.
The bar graph of women shows that the most used product is sunscreen. In the
month of June the facewash was used 25 times, in July 22 times and in August 24
times The toner was used 22 times in the month of June, in July 25 times and in
August 27 times. The Sunscreen being the most used product was used 34 times in
June, 29 times in July and 35 times in August. To conclude the given information, the
usage of facewash by man saw a rise in the month of August and reached its peak
and usage of sunscreen by women saw its rise in the Month of August too, reaching
its peak of 35 times of usage.
 Analytical Paragraph – 3
Q.3 The given double bar graph shows the preferences of children in a school
in playing different games over the span of six years. Write an analytical
paragraph about the given information.

Answer:
The given double bar graph shows the preferences of children in a school in playing
different games over the period of six years i.e., from 2014 to 2019.
The graph shows that the highest number of children interested in playing volleyball
is in the year 2016 whereas in the year 2019, very less number of children preferred
volleyball. The graph shows a hike in the game of volleyball again in the year 2018.
The data shows that the preference of people in basketball is almost constant, like in
the years 2014, 2017, and 2018 same number of children showed interest in it.
Basketball got a slight hike of interested children in the year 2016 but a decline has
been seen in it in 2019 which is equal to 2015.
If we observe the graph, we can see that childrens preference related to volleyball is
continuously changing every year. Although initially 200 children were interested in
volleyball in 2014. Then it reached 300 in 2015, the greatest hike of 450 in 2016, but
it again declined to 250 children in 2017, it again showed a hike of 400 children in
2018 and the lowest number of children i.e., only 150 in 2019.
Whereas basketball was much preferred in 2014 than volleyball. It shows a decline
of 100 children in 2015 but again reached 400 in 2016 and then remained same in
2017 and 2018.
To conclude the data shows that throughout the six years basketball was more
preferred in comparison to volleyball. Although data shows that volleyball has got the
highest number of interested children in 2016 but the numbers are constantly
flickering which reached the lowest and is less preferred by the children in the year
2019 also.
 LITERATURE (FIRST FLIGHT)

IMPORTANT Q & A FOR BOARD EXAM

A LETTER TO GOD

Q.1 What was Leneho’s pride and possession?

Answer:
Lencho lived in the solitary house on the crest of a low hill in the valley. From here,
he could survey and see the river and his pride, the field of ripe corn dotted with
flowers. These always promised a good harvest.
Their only wish was a downpour and Lencho, who knew his fields intimately,
predicted rain. His prediction turned true when it started raining during dinner. He
went out to feel the rain and surveyed with satisfaction, his crop draped in a curtain
of rain. He regarded rain drops as a new silver coins.

Q.2 Bring out Lencho’s immense faith in God.

Answer:
Lencho wanted some rain for his crop. The ripe corn stood proud in the field and
promised a good harvest. Rain came, as he predicted but turned to hail and ruined
his crop. Lencho’s heart was filled with sorrow. But he did not lose heart. He had firm
belief in God. He wrote a letter to God, asking him to send 100 pesos so that he
could sow his field again. He dropped ‘the letter in the mail. The postmaster read the
letter addressed to ‘God’ and to preserve the man’s faith in God, he raised 70 pesos
and sent them to Lencho.

Lencho could not believe that God had made a mistake. He wrote again asking God
to send the rest of the money, but not through mail. He believed that the post office
employees were ‘a bunch of crooks.

Q.3 How was Lencho’s crop destroyed? How did he ask God for help?
OR
How did the hailstones affect Lencho’s field? What was Lencho’s only hope?
Answer:
Being a farmer, Lencho was completely dependent upon the crops of his field. Once
a heavy downpour occurred. Along with rain large hailstones also started falling. As
a result, the field turned white as if it had been covered with salt all over. His annual
crop was completely destroyed. Even there was not a single flower left on the plants.
In the entire village there was no one to help him in the lurch. Being a firm believer in
God, he turned to the Almighty for the help. He wrote a letter requesting him to send
100 pesos so that he might sow his fields again till the next crop comes. He had a
belief that God would certainly help him with the money.

Q.4 “I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter.” In the light of this
statement describe Lencho’s character.
Answer:
As soon as the postmaster received and read the letter written by Lencho to God, he
expressed his feelings in the words by referring Lencho’s faith in God. Lencho, the
writer of the letter was a simple farmer. He had a firm belief in God. Once, when his
crop was destroyed by hailstones, he turned to God for help. He wrote a letter
believing that God would not leave them to die of hunger and starvation. When he
received a packet full of money, he was not the least surprised. Being simple in mind
and generous by soul, he never knew that some generous soul had sent him the
money in the name of God.

Q.5 As the postmaster, write how you felt when Lencho accused you and your
men of stealing money. Comment.
Answer:
I was shocked and discouraged at the first sight when I grabbed the letter of
complaint from Lencho in which he accused me and my employees of stealing
money. I could not expect such kind of a treatment. Although I had involved every
man in my office in that generous work, yet Lencho regarded us as a bunch of
crooks. This man proved very ungrateful. I was so downcast that I decided not to
send the rest of the money. If I did so he would be convinced that we had already
cheated him. In the name of God, we should let him suffer and face the situation
boldly. I pray to God to have pity on him.

Q.6 Why did Lencho write a letter to God?

Answer:
Lencho was a hardworking, simple farmer. He had sown a field of com and was
waiting for rains. His joy knew no bounds when it started raining. He expected^ good
harvest. But his joy turned to sorrow when rain gave way to hail. After an hour, the
field of golden corn was covered with snow. The crop was totally destroyed. Lencho
faced ruin. The year seemed bad without any food. This simple, god-fearing man
had immense faith in the Almighty. He wrote a letter to God asking for 100 pesos to
sow his field again.

Q.7 What did the postmaster need to answer the letter? How did he collect it?
How did Lencho react to the help?
OR
How did post office employees help Lencho? How did Lencho react to their
help?
Answer:
The postmaster needed something more than ink and paper to answer the letter. He
needed 100 pesos. He gave up a part of his salary and asked all other employees to
help. Even friends were made to contribute for a cause of charity. Thus, he managed
to collect 70 pesos. Lencho wasn’t surprised to receive the letter. But he was angry
to receive 70 pesos instead of 100. He didn’t doubt God, such was his confidence.
So, he wrote another letter to God asking him to send the rest of the money. He
warned him not to send it through the post office because those people were a
‘bunch of crooks.
Q.8 How do you think the postmaster felt when he received Lencho’s second
letter? What do you think he did?
Answer:
The postmaster must have felt shocked and let-down. The contentment, which he
had felt when Lencho had taken the letter, would have been replaced by
consternation. All his generosity and desire to maintain Lencho’s faith had been
wasted. Yet, I believe, he must also have been amused at Lencho’s unshakeable
faith in God. He must have made greater effort to collect the rest of the money. He
would have sent a letter along with the money, saying that the postal employees
were not a ‘bunch of crooks.

Q.9 If you had been Lencho, and this incident would have happened with you,
what would have you done? Describe your feelings in simple words.
OR
We are faced with difficult situations at some points of time in life. God’s help
comes to our rescue then. But God helps those who help themselves.
Comment.
Answer:
If I had been Lencho and this incident would have happened with me, the way of
solving my problem would have been different. I am quite familiar with the realities of
the world. I know that God cannot receive any letter by the post and neither can God
help me directly. “God only helps those who help themselves.”
I would have tried to search another work for some time so that I could survive and
feed my family. Then I would have tried to save some amount to sow my field again.

Q.10 “Faith can move mountains.” Do you think that this feeling had been in
Lencho’s mind and so he could have been able to write a letter to God? Throw
light on his feelings.
Answer:
Without any doubt, I can say that this statement has a great importance. This
statement can give a great strength to anyone who is about to fall deep down in
earth, reason may be different. According to me, this is true that Lencho has deep
faith in God. Because of his faith in God, he wrote a letter to God. When he got
seventy pesos, once again he wrote a letter to God to get the remaining amount. So,
we can say that his feelings for God were very powerful.

Q.11 The reader may also be impressed with Lencho’s faith as the postmaster
was. Can we see such an example in present time? If you were in place of
postmaster what would have you done?
Answer:
Yes, it is quite obvious that the reader may get impressed to see Lencho’s faith in
God because it is rare. It is also possible that the thoughts might be different. Now
the time is very fast and no one has so simple and pure feelings. It is very difficult to
find out such an example at present. The example of the postmaster is also very
rare. Now even our close relatives do not help us in our need. If I were in place of
postmaster, I too would have helped Lencho. But my pattern would have been
different. I would have called Lencho and handed over the amount to him. I would try
to make him realise that God does not help us directly and “God helps only those
who help themselves.
Q.12 Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story
tell you this?
Answer:
Lencho has complete faith in God. The following sentences tell us this.
(a) Lencho thought only of his one hope – the help of God, whose eyes, as he had
been instructed, see everything even what is deep in one’s ‘conscience’.
(b) He wrote “God, if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year”.
(c) “God, the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me, send me the
rest”.

Q.13 Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the
irony in the situation? (Remember that the irony of a situation is an
unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is strange or amusing because it is
the opposite of what is expected?)
Answer:
Lencho has thought that the rest of the money has been taken by the post office
employees. He believed that God could not send him less money than what he had
asked for. Here one can find the irony that the money has been collected and paid
by the post-office employees. He does not believe in them. He calls them “a bunch of
crooks”. He thinks that thirty pesos have been kept by the post office employees. He
has got no idea that even the amount of seventy pesos has been sent by them.

An irony is an amusing or a strange situation because we find it quite opposite in

nature from what we duly expect. Here the post office employees collect and send
money to Lencho. He calls them a group of cheats on not receiving the full amount.

Q.14 Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person
would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to
answer the Q..
greedy, naive, stupid, ungrateful, selfish, comical, UnQ.ing.
Answer:
One can find many people like Lencho in the real world. In true sense, Lencho is a
simple minded fellow. He is quite ignorant of worldly events. Like an innocent
person, he has firm faith in God. He thinks “God sees everything, even what is deep
in one’s conscience”. He believes in his work and is like an ox of a man who goes on
working and minding his own business. In reality he is an unQ.ed worshipper and
follower of God. He is a hardworking person. He lives-with his family on a hill. He is a
naive, comical and unQ.ing person.

Q.15 There are two kinds of conflicts in the story: between humans and nature,
and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Answer:
We can find two kinds of conflicts in the story namely:

 between humans and nature

 between humans themselves Let us see about them:
Between humans and nature: Lencho is a hardworking farmer. He needs a shower
of rain for his crop. He waits for the rain to come. By chance the rain starts pouring
with hailstones. It hailed heavily. The crop was totally destroyed. He was totally
upset. This is one conflict.

Between humans themselves: After complete destruction, Lencho writes a letter to

God for money. The postmaster opens the letter addressed to God. In order not to
shake the writer’s faith in God, he collects money from his employees. He too
contributes from his salary. He sends more than half to Lencho signed as God. On
receiving the money, Lencho gets angry. He believes that the post office employees
have taken some of his money. This is a conflict between humans themselves.
 NELSON MANDELA

Q.1 Discuss the scene of the inauguration ceremony? Who took oath in the
ceremony? Why is the inauguration called a historic occasion for South
Africa?
Answer:
It was the bright and clear day of 10th May, 1994. The inauguration ceremony took
place in the Union Buildings amphitheatre in Pretoria. The most famous world
leaders and representatives gathered there. The generals and police officers were
also there. They had medals and ribbons on their chests. South African jets,
helicopters and troop carriers roared in perfect formation over the Union Buildings.
First of all, Mr. De Klerk, then Thabo Mbeki and then Nelson Mandela took the oath.

The inauguration can be called a historic occasion for South Africa as on this day the
first democratic government was installed. It was an end of more than three
centuries of the white rule.
Nelson Mandela became the first Black President of South Africa.

Q.2 What were Mandela’s opinions about the first and last decades of the
twentieth century?
Why does he say on the day of the inauguration that he was overwhelmed with
a sense of history? .
Answer:
On the day of the inauguration, the speaker’s mind went back to history. He
remembered the first decade, when the whites ruled over South Africa and they
made a discrimination against the blacks. They built a system of racial discrimination
against the blacks. Their behaviour was full of cruelty. They meted out inhuman
treatment to the blacks. But now in the last decade of this century, this cruel system
was overturned. Now a new system replaced it. It was the first democratic
government of South Africa. Now there will be no discrimination on the basis of
colour.
That is why, on the day of the inauguration, he was overwhelmed with a sense of
history.

Q.3 What docs Mandela think about the patriots? Can they be repaid?
Answer:
Nelson Mandela thinks that the freedom and democratic government have all come
only due to the great sacrifices of thousands of patriots. They were those men who
did not care about their lives and died for their people and country. They can’t be
repaid. He thinks himself the sum of all those who had sacrificed their lives. Now he
regrets that he was not able to thank them. According to Mandela, the policy of
apartheid greatly wounded the people. It was hard to recover. It would take much
time. These great patriots were Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Luthuli, Dadoo,
Fischer, Sobukwe, etc.

Q.4 What ideas does Mandela have about courage, love and hate?
Answer:
According to Mandela, he learnt the meaning of courage from his comrades. They
struggled very hard for the freedom of the country. They did not care for their lives.
They sacrificed everything for their people and country. They did not break before
the brutality of the oppressors. They showed their full strength. So Mandela learned
courage from them. To him, courage means not the absence of fear but the victory
over it. The brave man is one who conquers fear. No man is born hating another
man due to colour or religion. Love comes more naturally to the human heart than
hate. According to Mandela, both the oppressor and the oppressed are the prisoners
of hatred. No one can become happy after taking away other’s freedom.

Q.5 What ideas did we get about freedom, the oppressor and the oppressed
from this lesson? How did Nelson Mandela get hunger for freedom?
Answer:
According to Mandela, both the oppressor and the oppressed need freedom. Not
only the oppressed is without freedom, but also the oppressor. He is the prisoner of
hatred, only his level of thinking encourages him to snatch others freedom. It is all
due to his narrow mindedness. It is an obvious idea that the oppressed has no
freedom. Nelson Mandela had hunger for freedom, when he knew that his freedom
had been snatched. His idea for freedom was an illusion. He saw that his brothers
and sisters were without freedom. His hunger for freedom encouraged him to join the
African National Congress.

Q.6 What differences came in Mandela’s opinion about the meaning of

freedom, when he was a little boy and when he became young?
Answer:
There were many differences in Mandela’s opinion about the meaning of freedom,
when he was a little boy and when he became young. While he was a little boy, the
meaning of freedom was to run in the fields and to swim in the streams.When he
became young, he realised that his freedom was an illusion. Now he had realised
that not only his freedom, but also others freedom had been seized. So he felt a
hunger for freedom now. He wanted that all the people of his country should live with
self-respect. They must do what they liked.

Q.7 What are two obligations that Mandela described in this lesson? What was
the reason that he was not able to fulfil those obligations?
Answer:
In the lesson, Mandela described two obligations that everyone had to perform.
One obligation is for the family, children and wife and second obligation is for the
country and community. But due to apartheid policy in South Africa, Mandela was
not able to fulfil his obligation. Although men could fulfil these obligations according
to their capacities and abilities. But in South Africa it was impossible for the blacks.
When Mandela tried to fulfil them for his family, he was cut off from his family. He
was forced to live the life of separation. When he tried to serve his country, he was
put into prison. Thus, Mandela was not able to fulfil his obligations.

Q.8 Nelson Mandela was the hero of South Africa’s freedom movement.
Comment.
Answer:
Nelson Mandela was a true hero of South Africa’s freedom movement. His
conscience encouraged him to demand a respectful and unique life for all. His soul
cleared him about the twin obligations for everyone. He was always determined to
fulfil them. He performed his obligations for his family as well as for his community.
Although he was prevented from doing so, yet he did not stop and got discouraged.

He became homeless. In spite of all these difficulties he could not change his
decision. He had a soul power to challenge the racial system of the white. He did not
care the apartheid policy and announced that this policy had created a lasting wound
in the country. He fought against it. At last, he got success. He became the first black
President of South Africa.

Q.9 India is a country of unity in diversity. Can you explain any type of
discrimination in India, on the basis of colour or creed?
Answer:
India is a very wide country. In spite of that India is a country of unity in diversity.
There are different religions in it. We can find different dresses, lifestyle and food
habits in India. Even then, they all have a pride to be an Indian.

India has a democratic form of government and there is no place for discrimination in
this country. But there is some sort of discrimination on the basis of caste or creed.
Here people are known by their caste and creed. They have no right to marry freely.
Even today caste system has not gone out completely from our mind. But it is good
for all Indians that our Constitution has given equality to all. There is no place for
discrimination in Indian Constitution

Q.10 India is a country of unity in diversity—there are different languages,

traditions, dresses, castes and cultures. Do you find any sort of discrimination
in India?
Answer:
India is a very big country. It has different languages, traditions, dresses, castes and
cultures. Even then India has unity in diversity. Its Constitution gives equality to
every citizen. There is no place for colour prejudice in it. In India everyone has a right
to get education to appear in competitions and to live at any place. There is no
discrimination among Indians on the basis of caste, creed and colour. Indians can
live in any state and they can marry in any caste. There is no colour discrimination in
India.

Q.11 Nelson Mandela described ‘twin obligations’ for a man. Do you agree with
these obligations? Do you think that every person should fulfil these
obligations in real life?
Answer:
In this lesson, Nelson Mandela described two obligations for a man. These two
obligations are—one for the family and second is for the country. He said that one of
the obligations is to work for his family. The other obligation is to his people, his
community and his country.
We must agree with these obligations. In fact, we take care of families heartily and
never think about country. If we don’t care about our country, it will never prosper. So
in my opinion, we must fulfil both these obligations in our real life.

Q.12“I was not born with a hunger to be free.” What was the result of his
hunger for freedom?
Answer:
When Nelson Mandela was a young boy, he didn’t know anything about freedom.
His hunger for freedom began when he saw his people being punished under the
policy of apartheid. It was clear to him that his boyhood freedom was just an illusion.
Then he had come to know that he and his countrymen had no freedom.

They could not say anything freely. Now Mandela’s hunger for freedom had
increased. Although, as a student, he wanted freedom only for himself but after
growing up, he started to think maturely about the freedom. He saw that in South
Africa everybody’s freedom was curtailed. Thus the result of his hunger for freedom
was the freedom of the country.

Q. 13 What does courage mean to Mandela? How did he learn the meaning of
courage? What do you get about courage, love and hate from this chapter?
Answer:
In this chapter, Nelson Mandela says that he learnt the meaning of courage from the
comrades. They were freedom fighters. They did not care about their lives. He had
seen those people who had sacrificed their life for the country.

He learnt that courage was not the absence of fear, but triumph over it. In other
words, the brave man is one who conquers fear. In Mandela’s opinion, no man is
born to hate another man on the basis of skin, colour or religion. Love comes more
naturally to the human heart than from its opposite. Both the oppressor and the
oppressed are the prisoners of hatred. They take away each other’s freedom.

Q. 14 Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the

inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
Answer:
A large number of international leaders attended the installation ceremony of first
democratic non- racial government in South Africa. It was the end of apartheid in
South Africa. It was a common victory for justice, for peace and for human dignity.
The international community supported the cause of South Africa. It signified the
triumph of humanity against oppression, fear and discrimination. Both the oppressor
and the oppressed were liberated.

Q. 15 What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all
those African patriots” who had gone before him?
Answer:
Mandela’s hunger for freedom forced him to join African National Congress to
eradicate the system of apartheid. Before him thousands of the patriots had
sacrificed their lives.
Mandela does not take the entire credit. He calls himself simply the sum of all those
African patriots who had laid the path towards the achievement of success. He
continued the movement started by them. He was only a part of that movement.

Q. 16 Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of

character”? How does Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own
examples to this argument?
Answer:
Yes, it is true that the depths of oppression create heights of character. Nelson
Mandela illustrated this argument by giving examples of some people of
extraordinary courage and wisdom. This period of struggle to end apartheid
produced people like Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, Bram Fischers and so on in
the soil, of South Africa. Nelson Mandela himself was a product of the same
conditions. The hunger for freedom changed his life. The history of India is full of
such characters. Mangal Pandey, Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Mahatma
Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai and so on were the people of extraordinary courage
produced by the depth of oppression in India.

Q. 17 How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and

experience?
Answer:
Mandela’s understanding of freedom changed with age and experience. When he
was a boy, freedom for him was to run freely in the fields, free to swim in the stream
and ride the broad backs of slow- moving bulls. Later on he realised that his boyhood
freedom was an illusion. He discovered as a young man that his freedom had been
taken away from him.

As a student he wanted freedom only for himself which were: freedom to stay out at
night, freedom to read what he wanted and so on. As a young man he yearned for
the basic and honourable freedom of achieving his potential, of earning of marrying
and having a family. With the advancement of age and experience, he felt that not
only his freedom but also the freedom of everyone was curtailed. Now he wanted
freedom for all his people.

Q. 18 How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?

Answer:
Nelson Mandela was not born with a hunger to be free. With time and experience he
discovered that the boyhood freedom was only an illusion. He found that as a young
mem his freedom had already been taken away from him. His people and community
were denied the fundamental right of living a dignified life.

This made him hungry for freedom. Ha joined the African National Congress. This
desire for the freedom transformed him from a frightened young man into bold one, a
law-abiding person to a criminal, a family-loving person to a man without a home.
This desire forced a life-loving man to live the life of a monk.
 TWO STORIES ABOUT FLYING

Q. 1. Why was the young seagull left alone in the ledge by his family?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly. His father and mother wanted him to go and fly
with them. But whenever he had taken a little run forward to the extreme edge of the
ledge and tried to move his wings, he became afraid. He failed to muster up courage
to thrust himself forcibly in the space, and started flying.

His two brothers and his sister had the wings shorter than him but they started flying.
But the young seagull somehow thought that his wings would not support him for it.
For this, he was scolded by his parents, who gave a threat to him and he was left
alone in the ledge.

Q. 2. How did the young seagull learn floating on the sea?

Answer:
After flying for some time, the young seagull came near the sea. He was a flying
straight over it. He saw, a vast green sea beneath him, with little ridges moving over
it. His brothers and sister had landed on the sea and they were calling in a shrill
voice and beckoning to him. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs
sank into water. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his
wings.

But he was tired and weak with hunger. He was exhausted due to flying for so long.
His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther.
He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and
offering him food from their beaks. This is how he learnt floating on the sea.

Q. 3. How do you find the seagulls in the beginning and at the end of the
lesson?
Answer:
In the beginning we find the young seagull too frightened and terrified to fly. He had
bigger wings as compared to his two brothers and sister. But still he was afraid even
to attempt flying. When they flew away, he could gather courage to thrust himself
forcibly in space, which made him scared and desperate.

When he was starving for a day, his mother came across to him with a piece of fish
in her beak. When she reached near him, she stopped and ‘maddened by hunger,’
he dived at the fish. But his mother had swooped upward. He found his wings spread
and was more confident now. In the end we see him flying till he was tired and
dropped himself on the surface of the sea.

Q. 4 What methods were used by the seagull’s family to help him overcome his
fear of flying?
Answer:
The young seagull was scared of flying. His brothers and sister had started flying but
he could not muster courage to do so. His parents scolded him shrilly and threatened
to let him starve on the ledge unless he flew away. When his family left him, he felt
the pangs of hunger. Next day, when he saw his mother with a piece of fish in her
beak, be begged her for food. She flew across to him, but halted when the piece of
fish in her beak was just within reach of the young seagull. The young seagull dived
at the fish, but now her mother swooped upwards. Gradually his fear of flying was
over and he enjoyed it now.

Q. 5. The young seagull was “trying to find some means of reacting his
parents without having to fly”. Was he successful in doing so?
Answer:
After being left alone by his family, the young seagull was hungry. So he wanted to
join his family on the plateau. But he could not do so unless he tried to fly. As he was
afraid of flying, he was trying to find some other means to reach them. But on each
side of him the ledge ended in a steep fall in a vertical cliff, with the sea below.

Moreover, between him and his parents there was a deep and wide crack in the
earth. He could reach them without flying if he could only move towards north along
with the steep rock. There was no ledge and he could not fly. And above him he
could see nothing. The vertical cliff was very steep, and the top of it was perhaps
farther away than the sea beneath him. So, he was not able to reach them without
flying.

Q. 6 Do you think hunger was a good motivation for the young seagull in his
first flight? Comment.
Answer:
Yes, I do think that hunger played a vital role in the young seagull’s attempt to start
flying. He was left
alone on the ledge by his family because he would not try to fly with them. His
parents scolded him in a shrill voice and threatened him of starvation, but he still was
afraid to fly. Then they left him alone.

He was so hungry that he had to live on whatever he could find there. When he saw
his mother with a piece of fish in her beak, he begged her for food. Then he uttered a
joyful scream when he saw his mother flying across to him with a piece of fish in her
beak. But she stopped when she came opposite to him.

When the young seagull realised that she won’t come nearer, and “maddened by
hunger,” he dived at the fish. This was his first attempt to fly. Gradually when his
hesitation and fear were removed, he started flying which he enjoyed very much.

Q. 7 “Then he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly.”
Comment on the young seagull’s first flight in light of this statement.
Answer:
The young seagull was suffering from the pangs of hunger after his family left him.
Next day when he saw them on the plateau, he tried to draw their attention. Then his
mother flew across to him with a piece of fish in her beak. But she stopped opposite
him with her motionless wings. He could no more tolerate the hunger and
“maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish” though terrified, he felt his wings spread
outwards.

He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. Now he was soaring
gradually downwards and outwards. He was no more afraid of flying now. He flapped
his wings once and he soared upwards. He screamed to encourage himself and
share his happiness. He forgot that previously he was not able to fly.

Q. 8 Fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things. Do you
agree? How did these two traits of the young seagull make him coward? How
did he overcome these shortcomings.
Answer:
Yes, it is true that fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new things as
in the story, the young seagull lacked the value of courage and confidence in his
character. He was too scared of flying.

His family tried hard to make him fly but he refused to do so because of his fear of
sinking in the seawater. They even scolded him for his cowardice. They tried to
tempt him with food but he was not willing to learn flying. Once he dived, his fear
disappeared and he enjoyed his first fight. It is a fact that unless we try for something
and overcome our fear, we cannot learn anything. Confidence and motivation are the
two most important traits that make any learning possible.

Q. 9 “Hunger made the young seagull mad and gave him success.” How can
you explain it and justify with the story?
OR
Hunger is a great motivational force. It is true that a person can take any
extreme step for food. How far do you agree?
Answer:
It is a fact that hunger makes us mad and every person works for food. It is only
hunger that encourages and forces us to do work. If it is not in our life, all the
boundation of work will automatically be finished. Every person works for food and to
satisfy his hunger. No one in this universe can remain hungry. This hunger makes us
work day and night. It can change the mentality of any human being as well as any
creature.

We find that young seagull did not gather courage to fly; when he saw fish in the
mouth of his mother, he gathered courage and flew over the ledge. He could not
control himself at the sight of the food and jumped at the fish. He fell from the ledge
and tried to flap his wings. Thus, he found himself flying into the air.

Q. 10 “Mother is the first teacher”. Do you agree with this statement? Explain
with reference to the young seagull.
Answer:
Yes, it is true that mother is the first teacher. It is a well-known point for all. A baby
takes birth and first of all sees mother’s face. It is mother who gives him a new life by
feeding him. The mother helps a baby to walk him first step. The mother introduces
him to this world, gives him knowledge of relations. She teaches him how to speak.
She gives him power and strength to face the difficulties of life.

The same thing we find in this story, when no one could encourage the young
seagull to fly, his mother thought out a plan and took a piece of fish near him, but
she did not go nearer and her plan worked.

Q. 11 Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are
afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do
you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly because he felt that his wings could not support
him. Yes, I think that all young birds are afraid to make their first flight. It’s new
experience for them. However, some of the birds are more timid than others. They
take some time to muster the courage to begin their first flight. It is true in case of a
human baby also. They find it a challenge to take their first step.

Q. 12 “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What
compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Answer:
The sight of the food maddened him. He had been hungry for 24 hours. He was
impatient and desperate. He dived at the fish in his mother’s beak. She flew
upwards. He fell downwards. His wings spread outwards, cutting through the air.
Thus began his flight.

Q. 13 “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s
father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Answer:
The young seagull was afraid to fly. He was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and
his sister had already flown away the day before. But he was too timid to fly. He felt
that his small wings would never support him. His father and mother came around
calling to him shrilly. They threatened him to starve on his ledge unless he flew
away. They wanted him to take his first flight.

Q. 14 In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone

conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer
to the previous Q., was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you
to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?
Answer:
In the case of bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it
should succeed. But in case of learning something, success is never guaranteed. To
succeed, one has to put in hard work and continuous practice. When a child learns
to step, to run, to speak success is almost guaranteed because these are natural
acts but when one learns a skill, it is not a natural act. Success is not guaranteed.
One has to try regardless of a possibility of failure.
 FROM THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK

Q. 1 What punishment did Mr Keesing give to Anne Frank? How did she finally
stop him from punishing?
Answer:
Mr Keesing was an old-fashioned maths teacher. Anne talked too much during Mr
Keesing’s class and this annoyed him. He gave her several warnings but that did not
keep Anne away, from talking in the class. So, Mr Keesing had to punish her time
and again Mr Keesing assigned her some extra homework as a punishment for
talking in the class.

He asked her to write an essay on the subject ‘A Chatterbox’. On the second

occasion, she was asked to write an essay, on the subject ‘An Incorrigible
Chatterbox’. On the third occasion, Mr Keesing assigned her a more difficult topic. It
was “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox”.

Mr Keesing was trying to play a joke on her when he asked her to write an essay
entitled “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox” so she decided to play a
joke on Mr Keesing himself. She had nearly exhausted her ingenuity on the topic of
chatterboxes. Her friend Sanne suggested her to write the essay in a poetic form.

She wrote about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings who
were bitten to death by father because they quacked too much. Mr Keesing took the
poem in the right way and understood the joke. After that he never assigned any
extra homework to Anne for talking in the class. On the contrary, he was always
making jokes in the class.

Q. 2 What do you know about Mr Keesing? How did he punish Anne?

Answer:
Mr Keesing was an old-fashioned maths teacher. Anne talked too much during Mr
Keesing’s class and this annoyed him. He gave her several warnings but that did not
keep Anne away, from talking in the class. So Mr Keesing had to punish her time
and again.Mr Keesing assigned her some extra homework as a punishment for
talking in the class.

He asked her to write an essay on the subject ‘A Chatterbox’. On the second

occasion, she was asked to write an essay, on the subject ‘An Incorrigible
Chatterbox’. On the third occasion, Mr Keesing assigned her a more difficult topic. It
was “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox”.

Mr Keesing was trying to play a joke on her when he asked her to write an essay
entitled “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox” so she decided to play a
joke on Mr Keesing himself. She had nearly exhausted her ingenuity on the topic of
chatterboxes. Her friend Sanne suggested her to write the essay in a poetic form.

She wrote about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings who
were bitten to death by father because they quacked too much. Mr Keesing took the
poem in the right way and understood the joke. After that he never assigned any
extra homework to Anne for talking in the class. On the contrary, he was always
making jokes in the class.

Q. 3. Why was Anne’s teacher annoyed with her? How was she able to bring
about a change in his attitude towards her?
Answer:
Mr. Keesing, her maths teacher, was annoyed with Anne because she talked too
much. When she did not improve, despite several warnings, he punished her. The
punishment was extra homework. She was supposed to write an essay on “A
Chatterbox”, then an essay on “An Incorrigible Chatterbox” and finally “Quack,
Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox”.

In her first essay Anne argued that talking was a student’s trait and her mother talked
too much. She could not do anything with an inherited trait. Finally, Anne wrote the
third essay in verse form. After reading the poem Mr Keesing read it to the class. It
was about three ducklings bitten to death by their father swan because they quacked
too much. After that Mr Keesing never gave her any punishment.

Q. 4 Write the character sketch of Anne Frank.

OR
How do you assess Anne’s character?
Answer:
Anne was a sensible, 13-year-old girl. Though she had loving parents and thirty
friends, she was lonely. She could not share her innermost thoughts and feelings
with her friends. She knew that no one would understand her need to keep a diary.
Anne was very caring and loving. She adored her father. She loved her grandma and
often thought of her after her death. She was quite mature for her age, for she knew
that no one would have time for the thoughts of a 13-years old. It was because of
this maturity that she could not confide in her friends.

She was very talkative and was often punished by her maths teacher. Yet she was
intelligent and had a good sense of humour. She convinced her teacher with her
arguments, ultimately, he took the joke and did not punish her any more.

Q. 5. Was Anne an intelligent girl? Give instances in support of your answer.

Answer:
I think Anne was not only an intelligent girl, but she was far mature than her age. The
very fact that
she thought so much that she needed to write a diary shows that she was intelligent.
Anne was also intelligent enough to realise that no one would be interested in her
musings. Anne believed that paper had more patience than people. She knew that
she had friends with whom she could enjoy.

Yet, she could not confide in them. She realised that things would not change. She
was quite a popular student. She knew that she would be promoted though Maths
was her weak point. She also took her punishment of writing essays good
humouredly. Ultimately, she convinced Mr Keesing with her arguments and she got
rid of her punishments.

Q. 6 “Paper has more patience than people’. Do you agree with the statement?
OR
Paper has more patience than people’. Explain with reference to “From the
Diary of Anne Frank”.
Answer:
Anne Frank thought of a saying ‘Paper has more patience than people’. It requires a
lot of patience to listen to someone’s private feelings and problems. It is not the
listening that is important but the more important thing is to keep another’s secrets to
oneself. It is a human tendency that after knowing someone’s secrets, we pass them
over to others. There is limit for listening to someone’s problems.

After some time, one is fed up with the person and tries to avoid him. But paper is a
lifeless thing. It is never fed up with one’s problems. One can confide as much as
one likes on a paper. Paper never becomes impatient. One can write on it as much
as one desires and for as long as one wants to. As long as anyone else does not
read it, the secret remains a secret.

Q. 7 “Our entire class is quacking in its boots”. Explain with reference to

“From the Diary of Anne Frank”.
Answer:
Anne Frank was sent to Montessori nursery school. There she stayed till the sixth
form. Her teacher Mrs. Kuperus was the headmistress. At the end of the year, the
farewell function was arranged. It was a tearful farewell with the headmistress. Then
Anne was admitted in a school. There were nine teachers. Among them two were
females and rest were the male teachers.

The meeting was going on among the teachers. They had to decide who would be
moved up to the next form and who would be kept back. This was a movement of
nervousness for the entire class. They were uncertain for their fate. Even some of
the students had staked their savings in bets. There were some of the dummies who
could be kept back. All the students were confused about themselves. Even Anne
was not sure due to mathematics. So, the entire class was quacking in its boots.

Q. 8 “From the Diary of Anne Frank” throws light on teacher-student

relationship, class atmosphere and discipline. Discuss.
OR
Write a paragraph on, the values of these aspects of school and how far these
values are necessary for learning and life.
Answer:
From the Diary of Anne Frank’ describes the teacher-student relationship, class
atmosphere and discipline. Anne Frank who talks a lot in the class gets punished by
Mr Keesing, her maths teacher. He asks her to write essays as punishment is
learning in disguise because he wanted her to focus on studies. He cannot be
blamed for the punishment as he did it for the development of Anne.
The teacher student relationship is very respectful and sacred. It is about discipline
and classroom manners which is essential for every student as well as teacher,
otherwise both teaching or learning could hamper. This relationship is clearly shown
in Mr Keesing and Anne Frank actions as they both try to joke with each other but in
very humorous and healthy manner. So, this healthy relationship is needed
everywhere in the class for effective teaching and learning.

Q. 9 “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been

able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and
support.” Explain.
Answer:
Anne writes this on the inside cover of her diary just after she receives it for her
thirteenth birthday. At the time, she feels that she does not have any true confidants,
which makes her feel lonely and misunderstood. Anne does, however, have many
friends and admirers, and she is a playful, amusing, and social young girl. Thus, her
sentiments in this passage may seem odd and a bit exaggerated, but she later
explains that even though she has friends, she is never fully able to open up to them.

Anne finds that she and her friends talk only about trivial things, even when she has
deeper things on her mind that she wishes to share. For example, she never
broaches the subjects of her developing body or Germany’s occupation of Holland.
Having a diary—which she addresses as “Kitty,” like a friend— enables her to
express her thoughts without fear of being criticized by others. Anne’s relationship
with her diary helps in comforting her through her insecure, lonely, and fearful time in
the hiding.

Q. 10 Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in
the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
Answer:
Anne was not at all right in having such a view about her musings. Her writings were
translated in different languages under the title “The Diary of a Young Girl”. Her work
became one of the world’s most widely read books. They are available in films.

Q. 11 There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You
Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What
language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary
different?
Answer:
If we compare them with the diary of Anne, we get a difference. Anne gives minute
details of all actions and feelings. The diary is written in Dutch language. Anne’s
diary is different because she calls her diary her friend. All writings are referred to
her friend ‘Kitty’, the name given to her diary.

Q. 12 Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she
treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
Answer:
Anne says that none will understand a word of her stories in case she starts writing
directly in ‘Kitty’ since she is her friend in the shape of a diary. She is a non-living
organism. So, she gives a brief description of her family. Anne does not think her
diary as an outsider. She is an insider to her.

Q. 13 How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and
Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
Answer:
For Anne, her father is the most adorable man. Her grandmother is very lovely for
her. She is very much attached with Mrs Kuperus and her farewell is full of tears. Mr
Keesing is a hard task master. Her father has a high affection for Anne. The
grandmother loves her much. The headmistress has good relations with Anne.
Keesing calls her talkative.

Q. 14 What does Anne write in her first essay?

Answer:
Anne writes her first essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. She states that talking is a trait of
students. She tries to control but she has inherited this trait from her mother. She is
more talkative than Anne.

Q. 15 Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing

unpredictable? How?
Answer:
Anne is right in saying that most of the teachers are unpredictable. Mr Keesing is
quite like this. None can tell about him. It is he who assigns different topics to Anne
about which none can even think of. About the result the teachers have their own
whims.
 GLIMPSES OF INDIA

Q. 1 Describe the pen-portrait of a traditional Goan village baker.

Answer:
There is a deep impact of Portuguese culture on Goan life. The baker is also a part
of this culture. They are known as paders in Goa. When author was a child, one
could see the traditional baker in the village. He used to be friend of children. He
visited the house twice a day. Children arose with the sound of thud and jingle of the
bamboo in the morning. They would run to greet him. Children were fond of sweet
bread and the bread bangles. The ladies of the house bought the bread. Bakers
were professional and it was a family business. It was a profitable business and most
of the bakers were plump. They had their peculiar traditional dress called Kabai.

Q. 2. “Not enough can be said to show now important a baker can be for a
village”. How were the services of the baker required on various occasions?
OR
Why was the baker’s furnace essential in a traditional Goan village?
Answer:
A baker is very important and essential for a Goan village. He does not merely
represent a profession but a highly admired Portuguese tradition. His breads are
essential on each and every occasion. Marriage gifts are meaningless without the
sweet bread known as the bol. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well
as other festival. He enjoys respect and love of the people. The children consider
him their friend, companion and guide. Thus, the presence of the baker’s furnace in
the village is absolutely necessary.

Q. 3. Rodrigues describe his childhood and the bakers of Goa. What does he
remember so fondly about these bakers?
OR
What, according to the author, do the elders of Goa think fondly about the
past?
Answer:
Rodrigues describes his childhood and old Portuguese days and their famous loaves
of bread. The bakers are known pader in Goa. The writer remembers a baker fondly.
The baker would come at least twice a day for selling his bread. The jingling thud of
his bamboo would wake the children and they would run to meet and greet him. The
children longed for his visit for those bread-bangles or sometimes for sweet bread of
special make. The baker would greet the lady of the house with ‘good morning’.
Then he would place his basket on the vertical bamboo. He collected the bill at the
end of the month.

Q. 4. Baking was considered an important and a profitable profession in a

traditional Goan village. Explain.
OR
Bread and cakes were essential of Goan life in older days. Describe the
memories that the author recollects about good old Portuguese days and their
loaves of bread.
Answer:
In olden days, Goa was very much influenced by the Portuguese. Baking was
considered an essential and profitable profession in a traditional Goan village. The
Portuguese were famous for preparing the loaves of bread. Baking was the
traditional family work. The villages were much fond of the sweet bread known as
‘bol’. The marriage gifts were meaningless without it. So, the bakers’ furnaces were
the most essential and ‘cakes and bolinhas’ formed an important item there. At
various occasions like Christmas and other festivals the bakers would collect the bill
at the end of month. Baking was a profitable profession in olden days.

Q. 5 Bread and cakes were an integral part of Goan life, in olden days. Based
on your reading of the “A Baker from Goa”, describe the Goan culture.
Answer:
Goa in west India, called golden Goa by the Portuguese, has an important
Portuguese colony in Asia. The Portuguese were driven by their desire to spread
their faith to the local population. Thus, the culture of Goa is deeply influenced by
Portuguese culture. Modem day Goa, a state of India, is a quaint blend of tradition,
religion and modernity. Hindu temples are as much a part of Goa as are Christian
monuments. The culture of Goa today is a synthesis of Portuguese and Indian
cultures. It is one of the most attractive cultures in India. A Goan is said to be born
with music in his blood and music literally accompanies him from the cradle to the
grave. Musical traditions run in generations.

Q. 6 “The custom of baking bread is closely associated with Goan culture”.

Explain/Discuss, with reference to the chapter ‘A baker from Goa’.
Answer:
Bread forms an essential part of the Goan culture. There is no party or festival
without bread. Marriage gifts are meaningless without the sweet bread known as the
bol. Any party or a feast loses its charm without bread. A baker is very important for
a village. The lady of the house must prepare sandwiches on the occasion of her
daughter’s engagement. Cakes and bolinhas are a must for Christmas as well as
other festivals. Thus, the presence of the baker’s furnace in the village is absolutely
essential. Loaves of bread are very popular in Goa and is a staple food even in
remote villages. The bread has health benefits. There are still a few small bakeries
left in some of the smaller towns.

Q. 7 Instead of enjoying their childhood the children today are keen to enter
adulthood. After reading about all the joys that the author Lucio Rodrigues had
in his childhood, do you think such a keenness on the part of children is
desirable?
Answer:
Rodrigues describes his childhood. Those were good old Portuguese days, the
Portuguese and their famous loaves of bread. The loaves were baked in the
furnaces and one can see them even today. The baker visited the house twice a day.
In the morning thud and jingle of the bamboo would awake people and children
would run to greet him. It was their traditional family work. Those bakers are known
as paders.in Goa. They have their peculiar dress. The maid servants purchased the
loaves. The bakers also sold breads bangles, sweet bread of special make, cakes
and bolinhas. He collected the bill at the end of the month.
 MIJBIL THE OTTER

Q. 1 “The airhostess was the very queen of her kind” Do you agree? Comment.
Answer:
The airhostess was the very queen of her kind. I fully agree with the author’s
statement. The chief duty of an airhostess is to make the passengers feel
comfortable during the journey. The airhostess on Maxwell’s plane does all she can
do for him. That is why Maxwell calls her the very queen of her kind.

She calmly listens to the author, allows him to keep the animal on his knees and tries
to catch it when it escapes. In doing so she does not lose her patience. The author
also tries to catch the animal and in doing so, he lands himself on a passenger. His
face is covered with curry. Once again, the airhostess comes to Maxwell’s help.
Thus, we see that the airhostess was really a nice lady/kind lady.

Q. 2 What do you know about Mijbil’s journey to London?

Answer:
The author had to come back to London from Basra. The British Airlines does not
allow to fly animals so he had to book his ticket in another airline. The airline
authorities insisted the author to pack Mijbil in a box. The author had a box and put
Mijbil in it an hour before he started for the airport so that Mijbil. would become
accustomed to it and left for a hurried meal. When he came back, he found Mijbil
wounded in the box. He had ten minutes left to catch the flight, so he kept it back to
the box.

In the flight, the author told the airhostess about the miserable condition of Mijbil and
took her into confidence. She was a considerate lady and suggested that he could
keep Mijbil on his knee. The author opened the box. Mijbil was out of the box in a
flash and disappeared down the aircraft. The author dived to catch Mijbil and he
missed; but he found his mouth covered with curry. The airhostess helped in the
search. The author came back to his seat and found Mijbil near his knee.

Q. 3 If you were in place of the airhostess and some incidents might have
happened with you in the flight, how would you describe your experience?
Answer:
If I were in place of the airhostess and the same incidents might have happened with
me in the flight, my experience might be the same as of the airhostess. But I would
like to say something in this matter. As an airhostess, I would never permit to open
the box of the otter (animal). I would be punctual for my duties. I know that kindness
has a unique importance in our life. But duty is above all. I would think about the bad
impacts of a free otter in the plane. It might be a great risk for all the passengers. In
that condition, my reaction might be different. When the author would ask me to let
him open the box, I would make him understand about the risk. In the name of rules
and regulations basic values are ignored but people like the airhostess in “Mijbil the
Otter” as a ray of hope.

Q. 4 What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly
and fun-loving animal who needs love?
Answer:
Mij was an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal. When the author received it, for
the first twenty- four hours it remained aloof and indifferent but later on he took
interest in his surroundings. He became friendly to the author. He enjoyed his bath.
One day he disappeared from the bedroom and entered the bathroom where he tried
to open the tap.

His intelligence is further revealed when he invented a game of his own of ping-
pong ball. Mij discovered that if the ball was placed on the high end of the suitcase, it
would rather run down the length of the suitcase. He enjoyed playing with ball and
marbles. Mij had developed certain compulsive habits like school children. He used
to gallop at full speed on the thirty yards wall of a primary school.

Q. 5 What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
Answer:
Some of the things we come to know about otters from this text are as under:
(i) they are intelligent, friendly and fun-loving creatures.
(ii) they love to see water flowing.
(iii) they don’t,like static water.
(iv) they love galloping and jumping.
(v) they like to be in water.

Q. 6 Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

Answer:
Maxwell brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland. He took the otter,
called Mijbil, to the London zoological society, where it was decided that this was a
previously unknown sub-species of smooth coated otter, and it was named after him.
Since then, Mij’s species is known as Maxwell’s otter.
 MADAM RIDES THE BUS

Q. 1 “On and on went her thoughts as she calculated and recalculated,

planned and replanned”. In which manner did Valli calculate, plan and prepare
herself for the ride on the bus?
Answer:
Valli had made careful, painstaking and elaborate plans for her visit to the city. She
had saved every coin she could. She overcame the temptation to buy peppermints,
toys, balloons and the juice. Finally, she had saved a total of sixty paise. She
suppressed her strong desire to ride on the merry-go-round at the village fair. Her
next problem was how to slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge. But
she managed this without much difficulty as every day after lunch her mother would
take a nap from about, one to four or so. She would visit the city during this period.

Q. 2 ‘Never mind ‘she said, “I can get on by myself.” “You do not have to help
me”, said Valli to the conductor. She shows extraordinary courage in making
the bus journey all alone. Taking inspiration from Valli’s character, write how
ability and courage to take risk are essential to fulfill one’s dreams.
Answer:
It is absolutely true that ability and courage to take risk are essential to fulfill one’s
dream. Valli was an eight-year-old girl. She never made a journey to outside. She
even never rode a bus. Her parents did not allow her to go outside her house. But
she mustered up the courage and rode on a bus to make a bus journey. She enjoyed
the journey and understand the reality about the outside world. She was a young girl
but she made the journey without any difficulty because she had courage to take
risk.

In other words, we can say that the thing or task that seems to be very hard is
actually not so tough. We can do it if we have the ability and courage to take risk. If
we do not dare to take risk, we lose opportunities to get better.

Q. 3 Whenever we want to achieve something, difficulties always come in our

way. What did Valli have to do to go and ride in a bus?
OR
Once we decide to achieve something, so many difficulties come in our ways
with focused attention we can make that achievement. How did valli succeed
in fulfilling her desire of riding a bus?
Answer:
It is true that whenever we want something, difficulties do come in our way. But one
must be ambitious in life. Achieving goals require perseverance. Valli wanted to ride
the bus, however, she did not have the money to do so. The challenge in front of her
was to arrange for the required amount of money. Valli had carefully saved whatever
stray coins came her way, resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys,
balloons and the like. Finally, she had collected thirty paise. Moreover, she watched
the bus, its routine and schedule very carefully. She also listened to people’s
conversation about their journey. But due to her efforts, finally she accomplished her
desire.
Q. 4 Compare Valli’s journey to the city with her journey back home. Why was
there a change in her mood?
OR
“Valli’s journey to the city is also her introduction into the mystery of life and
death. Elaborate.
OR
Why did Valli not enjoy her bus ride back home?
Answer:
Valli’s journey to the city is also her introduction into the mystery of life and death.
While on her way to the city Valli saw a cow running very fast in the middle of the
road, right in front of the bus. Valli enjoyed the scene. She kept on laughing initially
and her eyes were filled with tears. She saw life in the form of a small cow. This is
what life gives us—happiness, enjoyment. Valli enjoyed the scene.

On her way back home, she saw a dead cow lying on the road. It was hit by some
speeding vehicle. She recognised it. It was the same cow that filled her life with fun
and joy only a few minutes before. She was overcome with the feelings of sadness.
She realised how death can change the things.

“What had been a lovable, beautiful creature just a little while ago had now suddenly
lost its charm and its life and looked so horrible, so frightening.” The memory of the
dead cow haunted Valli and she did not enjoy her remaining journey

Q. 5 What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story
that tell you this.
Answer:
It was the deepest desire of Valli to enjoy a bus ride. There ran a bus between her
village and the nearest town. She was able to fulfil her desire. The following words
and phrases tell us about this.
The fascinating things, the sight of the bus, a source of un-ending joy. A tiny wish
crept into her head overwhelming desire, listening carefully discreet Q.s and stop the
bus, etc.

Q. 6 How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus and
how did she save the fare?
Answer:
Valli was a Tamil girl of eight years. She had no playmates. It was her favourite
pastime to stand on the front doorway of her house. She watched what was
happening in the street outside. She had the keenest desire to have a bus ride. She
listened to the conversation between her neighbours and people who were regular
bus commuters. She even questioned them. She had got ample knowledge about
the bus, bus fare and duration of time. There ran a bus between her village and the
nearest town. The town was six miles from her village.

The fare was thirty paise for one way. So, she had to collect sixty-paise for the both
side journey. This she had heard from a well-dressed person. The trip to the town
took forty-five minutes. She would board at one O’clock afternoon bus and reach the
town at one forty-five. She would be back by about two forty-five. She resisted all her
temptations of buying balloons, toys and saved money. She collected all the stray
coins that came her way. At the village fair, she avoided the swing and the merry-go-
round. Thus, she collected her requisite money.

Q. 7 Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?

Answer:
The conductor is a man of worldly-wise nature. He has evaluated that the girl has
innocence and ignorance in her behaviour. In order to enjoy and have fun and not to
make her unhappy, he calls Valli as ‘Madam’ though she is simply a girl of eight
years.

Q. 8 Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on
the bus.
Answer:
The following lines in the text tell us that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.

 While the bus was moving on a narrow road along the bank of a canal,
she saw distant mountains, fields, sky and so on. She went on seeing as
far as her eyes could see. She uttered, “Oh, it was all so wonderful.
 The bus rolled on cutting across a bare landscape and was about to
gobble up another vehicle. The bus left everything safely. Valli suddenly
clapped her hands with glee.
 There came a cow, it ran faster at the horn and came right before the
bus. This scene made her laugh until there were tears in her eyes. The
conductor said, ‘Hey, lady, haven’t you laughed enough? Better save
some for tomorrow’.
 The bus passed the shopping street. There were displays of clothes and
other merchandise! Such big crowds! Struck dumb with wonder, Valli
gaped at everything.

Q. 9 Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?
Answer:
While on her way back, Valli saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside. It looked
horrible and frightening. There was a fixed stare in her lifeless eyes with blood all
over. Its memory haunted her very much. She lost all her enthusiasm and
excitement. She no longer wanted to look out of the window.

Q. 10 What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you
said about things happening without our knowledge?”
Answer:
Valli entered her house after her bus journey. She found her mother conversing with
one of her aunts. She overhears their discussion on the things happening in their
midst as well as in the world outside. They could not know about everything. Even
some of them could not be understood by them. At this juncture, Valli too opined like
a wise person and told that many things were happening without their knowledge.
 THE SERMON AT BENARES

Q. 1 Why was Gautama known as Buddha?

Answer:
‘Buddha’ means ‘The Awakened’ or ‘The Enlightened’. After seven years of
wandering Gautama attained wisdom. When he started sharing his new
understandings with the suffering people, he was called ‘Buddha’.

Q. 2 Where did Gautama Buddha preach his first Sermon? What was it all
about?
Answer:
Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon at Benares, the holiest city. It was about
the ways to overcome our sorrows. It reflects Buddha’s wisdom about one
inscrutable kind of suffering.

Q. 3 Why was Kisa sad? What advice was given to her?

Answer:
Kisa Gotami had lost her only son. He was dead. She loved him very much and
wanted him to be alive. But she could not find any medicine so she was sad. She
was advised to go to Buddha.

Q. 4 What did Kisa request her neighbours to give for her son? Did she get it?
Answer:
Kisa Gotami asked her neighbours to give her a medicine that could bring life back to
her son. No, she could not get any.

Q. 5 How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a normal process?
Answer:
Buddha asked Gotami to bring mustard seeds from a house which had never lost
any member of the family. She was unable to get such a house only then she came
to know that life and death is a normal process so as man is mortal and is bound to
die.

Q. 6. When and where was Gautama Buddha born? Why did he decide to leave
the palace?
Answer:
Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. in Northern India. Buddha was away from all
the sorrows of life. Once he saw a sick man, a beggar, an aged man and a funeral
procession. He realised that the world was full of sorrow. He wanted to attain
knowledge. So, he decided to leave the palace to get enlightened.

Q. 7 How did ‘Bodhi Tree’ get its name?

Answer:
After seven years of wandering Gautama sat under a peepal tree. He attained
knowledge under that tree and got enlightened. He renamed the tree as ‘Bodhi tree’
which means the tree of wisdom. ‘Bodhi’ means knowledge.
Q. 8 What kind of suffering is reflected in the Sermon?
Answer:
Grief over the death of a loved one is the main theme of this sermon. People fail to
understand that death is common to all. All mortals have to die. There is no use of
lamentation. One does not get peace of mind unless one overcomes the sorrows.

Q. 9 What were the greatest sorrows that pained Buddha?

Answer:
Poverty, illness and death were the greatest sorrows that pained Buddha. He saw a
poor man begging, an old man and a funeral procession that changed his course of
life. These sights moved him so much that he went out into the world to seek
enlightenment and truth.

Q. 10 Why did people think that Kisa had become mad?

Answer:
Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. She was not ready to accept the fact that once a
mortal dies, he/she cannot be brought back to life. She went to her neighbours with
her dead son to get some medicines to bring him back to life. People thought that
Kisa had gone mad.
 THE PROPOSAL

Q. 1 Neighbours must have a cordial relationship that Lomov and Natalaya do

not have. Describe/ Justify/ Explain the first fight between them.
Answer:
Neighbours must have a cordial relationship but in the case of Lomov and Natalaya,
it was different. Lomov and Natalaya were rich people. They were wealthy people
and had a competition between them on the subject of wealth. Both were
neighbours. Lomov, at a critical age of thirty-five, thought that he had to marry and
found Natalaya not bad looking, an excellent housekeeper. So, he decided to
propose to her.

Lomov, in a well-dressed manner, wearing coat and gloves, one evening went to
Chubukov’s house. Chubukov was Natalaya’s father. When he came there and said
that he wanted a help, the help which could only be done by him. Chubukov, for first
time suspected that he had come for asking money. But after a long struggling and
shivering, Lomov uncovers his need. He had come to propose to Natalaya.
Chubukov was mistaken and he was filled with extreme joy and called Natalaya.
Lomov asked then, whether Natalaya would agree for it or not. Then, Chubukov said
that, she would be ready to accept it because she was a lovesick cat.

When Natalaya arrived, she actually did not know that Lomov had come to propose
to her. They started talking and when they were talking about land, Lomov stated
“Our Oxen Meadows”. Then Natalaya said, “Our Oxen Meadows”, it is not your Oxen
Meadows’, it is theirs. Lomov did not agree. But Natalaya initiated a heated
argument. By arguing with each other, they did not solve any problem. They got
trapped in a long argument just because of their lack of tolerance towards each other
and their desire to keep their pride. Neighbours must have a cordial relationship
which Lomov and Natalaya do not have.

Q.2 Anton Chekov has used humour and exaggeration in the play to comment
on courtship in his times. Illustrate with examples from the lesson, “The
Proposal”. Also mention the values, you think, any healthy relationship
requires.
OR
The principle ‘forgive and forget’ helps a lot is maintaining cordial relations
with our neighbours. Do you think Chubukov conveys this message in the play
“The Proposal’.
Answer:
Lomov and Natalaya meet for a serious purpose, i.e., to talk about marriage that
decides the progress of one’s life as a member of the conventionally established
society. But the purpose of their meeting gets lost on two consecutive occasions
because Lomov’s faith in the values of his society disrupts his approach to the topic
of marriage. He learns that the girl and her father like him, but instead of proposing
to marry her and discussing how their marriage should be organised, he goes on to
talk about properties, relations, family histories, and pets, draws them into an
unnecessary argument, and antagonises both of them.
Finally, Chubukov marries Lomov and Natasha by force before another problem
crops up. Thus, the play ends in a comic note, just because the couple gets together
with their father to celebrate their marriage while the dispute over the pets is still
continuing. For any healthy relationship there should be mutual understanding and
respect. Quarreling over trivial issues like dog cannot guarantee longevity of a
relationship.

Q. 3 Is Natalaya really a lovesick cat as called by her father? If it is so, why

does she quarrel with Lomov?
Answer:
Natalaya was a young unmarried girl of twenty-five years. She lived in the
neighbourhood of Lomov, a young unmarried man. She was an excellent
housekeeper and was not bad looking. She wanted love in her life. Her father called
her a lovesick cat. Lomov said that she was well educated, but she did not seem to
be so.

She was very quarrelsome and abusive by nature. She began a bitter quarrel with
Lomov over a piece of land that had little value. She said that those meadows were
not much worth to her but she could not stand unfairness. But when she learnt that
Lomov had come to propose to her, she forgot all fairness and unfairness.

She began to wail over the lost chance. She forced her father to call him back. But in
no time, she started quarrelling with him again. It was on their dogs. Both claimed
their respective dogs to be of a superior breed.

Q. 4 What type of person is Natalaya? Give two examples to show her

quarrelsome nature.
Answer:
Natalaya is also rather hypocritical, and she is obstinate and argumentative. When
Natalaya first
enters the room, she greets Lomov with warmth and is very gracious as she permits
him to smoke and compliments him upon his appearance. However, when Lomov
speaks of “my meadows,” she abruptly interrupts and contradicts him. An argument
then ensures over who own what land.

Even when Lomov offers them to her as a gift, she continues to insist upon her
ownership of them in the first place, reigniting the argument until Lomov leaves.
When her father finally reveals to Natalaya that Lomov has actually come to propose
marriage; she is infuriated, blaming her father for causing the neighbour to depart.

Q. 5 The principle ‘Forgive and Forget’ helps a lot in maintaining cordial

relations with our neighbours. Do you think the author proves this message in
the play “The Proposal”?
Answer:
Life is a journey which is often compared to the roller coaster ride. It means life is full
of ifs and buts and ups and down. But the path of life can be smoothened by virtues
of our actions, attitudes and behaviour. And the principle of forgive and forget comes
from these virtues. Letting go of anger and bitterness can work wonders both for our
attitude and for our health.

Anger may spoil anything like poison. One cannot afford to remain wallowing in the
marsh of anger or sad feelings. Life has to move on and if one wants to get ahead
one has to imbibe “forgive and forget”. Only sensitive and great people can follow
this gospel.

In the present play “The Proposal” we find that Lomov visits the house of Chubukov
with a proposal to marry his daughter Natalaya. Chubukov’s joy knows no bound to
hear this. But in course of their common talk, they pick up nonsensical issue and
stand fighting and abusing each other.

Even Natalaya also jumps into the ring of verbal quarrel. When things become
normal after the sudden departure of Lomov, Natalaya comes to know about the
proposal. She asks her father to call Lomov back. When he comes back this time, he
and Natalaya starts abusing each other and have heated oral fight over dogs. But in
the end, they compromise, they forget their issue and forgive each other. The
proposal changes into marriage. Hence, we see that the principle helped them unite.

Q. 6 What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov had come for? Is he
sincere when he later says, “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you
were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.
Answer:
Chubukov has often helped Lomov with money whenever he requested for it. So, he
thinks and suspects that Lomov will ask for money. But this time the case is different.
He requests a proposal to get Natalaya’s hand for marriage. Since long, Chubukov
wanted match for his daughter. Finding fact in his favour, Chubukov changes and
uses sweet words and becomes ready for the match.

Q. 7 Chubukov says of Natalaya, “… as if she won’t consent! She’s in love;

egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would you agree? Find reasons for your
answer.
Answer:
In reality Natalaya has got the fittest age for the marriage. She wants a life partner.
On the other hand, Chubukov also desires that his daughter should be married.
Lomov is the most suitable match in every respect. In order to say something
outwardly, Chubukov happens to pour out these words. It is an acceptable fact that
Natalaya loves Lomov from the core of her heart.
 POETRY

DUST OF SNOW

Q. 1 How did the crow change the poet’s mood?

Answer:
The poet was going somewhere in a snowy morning. He was upset. All the trees
were covered with snow dust. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook the tree in
such a way that some dust of snow fell on the poet. This changed his mood and he
became happy and relaxed.

Q. 2 What was the reaction of the poet when the dust of snow fell on him?
Answer:
Normally, people thought both crow and hemlock tree are auspicious. But when the
dust of snow from hemlock tree fell on poet, he took it in other way. He was
depressed and sorrowful but the moment the crow shook the hemlock tree and dust
of snow fell on him, he felt unburdened and relieved.

Q. 3 How does the poet react to crow and hemlock tree?

Answer:
Crow and hemlock tree are considered inauspicious in the west. They are generally
taken /is bad omen. But the poet did not take them in negative way. They saved his
day. His negative outlook changed to the positive one.

Q. 4 What made the poet change his mood?

Answer:
A crow on the hemlock tree shook down the dust of snow on the poet. The falling
dust of snow on the poet has changed his mood.

Q. 5 Why does the poet feel that he has saved some part of the day?
Answer:
Crow shook down the dust of snow on the poet. Both crow and hemlock tree are
considered inauspicious. The falling of dust of snow from hemlock tree is bad omen.
But the poet took it in a positive way. He found himself relieved from sorrow after this
incident. Now he could use his entire day in a fruitful way.

Q. 6 Simple moment proves to be very significant and saves rest of the day of
poet from being wasted. Explain on the basis of the poem ‘Dust of Snow”.
Answer:
‘Dust of Snow’ is a beautiful poem written by Robert Frost. This poem conveys that
even a simple moment has a large significance. The poet mentioned crow and
hemlock tree in this poem. Crow signifies his depressive and sorrowful mood and
hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. Both these signify that the poet was not in a good
mood and so he describes the dark, depressive and bitter side of nature to present
his similar mood.
The poet says that once he was in a sad, depressive mood and was sitting under a
hemlock tree. A crow, sitting on the same tree, shook off the dust of snow, small
particles of snow that remained on the surface after the snowfall, on the poet. This
simple action changed the poet’s mood. He realised that he had just wasted a part of
his day repenting and being lost in sorrow. But the change in his mood made him
realise that he should utilize the rest of the day in some useful activity. His sorrow
was washed away by the light shower of dust of snow. His spirit was revived and he
got ready to utilize the rest of the day.

Q. 7 The poet was sad and depressed. But one comical incident lifts his spirits.
He is full of joy and happiness again. Based on your reading of the poem, write
a paragraph on the topic – Happiness is relative.
Answer:
No one is always happy. It is just a passing phase of one’s life. It varies from time to
time and place to place. It depends on certain people who you are close to. There
are times when we are extremely happy or sorrowful. In most circumstances, our
happiness is decided l>y certain moments in our life. Some light moments can really
enliven our mood. The actions of our friends can make us happy or sometimes
sorrowful. We must also realize that on every cloud there is a silver lining. This
means that every sorrowful moment is followed by a period of joy and happiness.

Q. 8 What do the ‘Hemlock’ tree and ‘Crow’ represent? What does the dust of
snow metaphorically stand for?
Answer:
The poet was going somewhere in a snowy morning. He was upset. All the trees
were covered with snow dust. A crow sitting on a hemlock tree shook the tree in
such a way that some dust of snow fell on the poet. This changed his mood and he
became happy and relaxed.

Q. 9 Narrate a similar experience of your life when nature intervened and

changed your mood. Discuss.
Answer:
Normally, people thought both crow and hemlock tree are auspicious. But when the
dust of snow from hemlock tree fell on poet, he took it in other way. He was
depressed and sorrowful but the moment the crow shook the hemlock tree and dust
of snow fell on him, he felt unburdened and relieved.

Q. 10 What is a “Dust of Snow”? What does the poet say has changed his
mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?
Answer:
A ‘Dust of Snow” means the fine particles of snow. This ‘Dust of Snow” changed the
poet’s mood. The poet’s mood changed from that of dismay to joy. He was holding
the day in regret when this dust of snow fell on him and this simple little thing brought
him some joy.
 FIRE AND ICE

Q. 1 What are two different views about the end of the world in the poem ‘Fire
and Ice’?
Answer:
The two different views of people regarding the end of the world are—Fire and Ice
i.e., by desire and hatred.

Q. 2 What does the poet think about the end of the world?
Answer:
The poet thinks about the end of the world that people think fire is the main cause of
destruction. But by the end of the poem, he says that both Fire and Ice are equally
destructive. Both have the same power of causing destruction.

Q. 3 What do ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ symbolize in the poem ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’?
Answer:
‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ are symbolized here. ‘Fire’ stands for conflict, fury, intolerance,
insensitivity while ‘Ice stands for greed, avarice, lust, rigidity, coldness, indifference,
hatred, etc.

Q. 4 How can fire destroy the world?

Answer:‘
Fire’ symbolizes passion or hatred. It will lead to conflicts and ultimately result in the
destruction of the world. Fire represents desire that is fervent, consuming, always
wanting more. Ice represents hatred that is hard and cold.

Q. 5 What message does the poet wish to convey through the poem ‘Fire and
‘Ice’?
OR
What is the central idea of the poem ‘Fire and ‘Ice’?
Answer:
The poet presents two possibilities about the end of the world. It will be either due to
‘Fire and ‘Ice’ he prefers the first as he believes the world will end in fire but the ice
will not go away.

Q. 6 Today’s world is conflict ridden. People fight over various issues and
there is no peace in the world. Explain/Describe based on your reading of the
poem ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’.
Answer:
Hatred is a predominant issue in today’s world. Neighbour hates his neighbour,
brother hates his brother. None is willing to forgive each other or tolerate each other.
As a result of the hatred, we live in a very fragmented world. If hatred continues to
rule our lives and world, nothing will remain intact. All our achievements will perish
and the world will come to an end. If we have to save the world we need to learn how
to forget and forgive. For this we need to have enormous amount of love and
compassion and be willing to tolerate the differences and learn to get along with
each other.
Q. 7 What does ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’ stand for and what is the general opinion
regarding the world?
Answer:
Fire’ stands for fury, desire, lust, anger, avarice, cruelty, greed. Ice is symbolic of
hatred, coldness, rigidity, insensitivity and intolerance. The general opinion regarding
the world is that the world will end in fire and some say in ice. Both the reasons
contrast each other and one is equally opposite to each other. People who favour fire
believe that it will be the heat and passion which will end the world. On the other side
some people think that it will be the ice which will freeze the world.

Q. 8 There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the
world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun
got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?
Answer:
There are many ideas about how the world will end. Robert Frost points out two
destructive forces—Fire and Ice, they may cause an end to the world. Yes,
everything is subjected to an end. The world would come to an end someday. The
cause may be a war or natural calamity. The sun is the main source of energy. It is
life on the earth. If the sun got so hot that it “burst’ or grew colder and colder the life
on the earth would come to an end.

Q. 9 For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas:

Answer:
Robert Frost compares and contrasts two destructive forces Fire and Ice. For him
‘Fire’ stands for desire, greed, lust, intolerance conflict etc. These vices consume
and destroy the fabric of society. ‘Ice stands for hatred, rigidity, insensitivity,
coldness and indifference. Hate is something that causes people to be rigid,
unmoving and cold.
 A TIGER IN THE ZOO

Q.1 How does the tiger act in the cage?

Answer:
The tiger is in the cage. He is powerless and helpless. He longs for freedom. His
velvet pads do not make ‘any noise. He is in the silent anger roaring and ignoring the
visitors.

Q. 2 What would the tiger do in a forest?

Answer:
In the forest, the tiger can enjoy complete freedom. He would walk around freely
without any fear. He would terrorize the villagers by growling. He would show his
teeth and claws.

Q. 3 What does the poet want to convey through this poem?

Answer:
The poet wants to convey that like human beings, animals also like freedom. They
do not want to be caged; they cannot live a miserable life. If their habitat is destroyed
by human beings, these animals cannot survive.

Q. 4 What would the tiger do in a forest?

Answer:
In the forest, the tiger can enjoy complete freedom. He would walk around freely
without any fear. He would terrorize the villagers by growling. He would show his
teeth and claws.

Q. 5 “Freedom is a birth right. It is the most beautiful gift of God. It is valuable

for all human beings as well as for creatures,” Discuss with reference to the
poem “A Tiger in the Zoo.”.
Answer:
Freedom is the most beautiful gift of God. Freedom is a birth right; without freedom
all is in vain. Since the man has come on his earth, he tries to enslave the weaker
sections for his own selfishness. If a bird lives in a golden cage, it cannot become
happy. It loves to fly freely in an open sky. In the same way, if ‘a man lives in a
prison and gets everything, he cannot feel happiness. But if a man lives freely, he
will be happy even in poor conditions. In this poem, we find the descriptions of two
tigers, one is in a cage and second in an open field/forest. There is a great contrast
between their behaviours.

Q. 6 Tigers are becoming extinct due to deforestation and poaching. How can
people be sensitized about the need of tiger.
Answer: Tigers are considered as an endangered species. People are killing tigers
for their skins, bones, claws and teeth. Due to this, the population of tigers has
declined. We should not encroach on their habitat. As we all need sheltered home,
tigers also need natural surroundings. Forests should not be cut down. They (Tigers)
must be given more space to move freely around.
Q. 7 ‘Freedom’ is a life for both humans and animals. Elaborate.
Answer:
The poet describes the feelings of the tiger in the zoo. He keeps on moving from one
comer to another. “He stalks in his vivid stripes moving the few steps of his cage”.
He is not happy. He expresses his silent anger.

Q. 8 Those who deny freedom to others, do not deserve it for themselves.

Comment.
Answer:
The poet describes the feelings of the tiger in the zoo. He keeps on moving from one
comer to another. “He stalks in his vivid stripes moving the few steps of his cage”.
He is not happy. He expresses his silent anger.
 HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS

Q.1 How can you identify the Asian Lion?

Answer:
The poet in the humorous way says that if a person goes to the jungles in the east
and if a large and brownish wild animal roars while killing him, the dying^jnan can
know that it is the Asian Lion.

Q. 2 How can you identify the Bengal Tiger?

Answer:
A person can identify the Bengal Tiger when a beast with black stripes on yellow
body meets and eats him. This is how he can make out that it is the Bengal Tiger.

Q. 3 How can a man know that the beast is leopard?

OR
Describe some features of the leopard.
Answer:
Leopard has spots on its body. It is a dangerous and powerful animal. It has the
quality of leaping again and again. It leaps over its prey at once. It eats its prey.

Q. 4 How does the poet tell us to identify a bear?

Answer:
The poet says that if, while walking round the courtyard of his house, a person meets
there a creature who hugs him very, very hard, then he be can be sure that it is a
bear.

Q. 5 How does the poet distinguish the hyena from crocodile?

Answer:
The poet tells us how to distinguish a hyena from crocodile. A hyena is an animal
who can laugh. The poet says that if a creature greets a person while smiling merrily,
then that creature is hyena. If a creature sheds tears while swallowing a person, then
it is a crocodile.

Q. 6 What does the poet tell us about a chameleon?

Answer:
The poet tells us that a chameleon is found on a tree. It is a creature which can
change its colour according to its surrounding. It is very difficult to see a chameleon
on the tree because it changes its colour according to the colour of the tree.

Q. 7 The poet has used some special qualities to describe the animals and
create humour in the poem. Each of us also has some special qualities which
make us quite different from others. Do you agree with this statement?
Comment with reference to the poem ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’.
Answer:
The poet has used the selected words and expressions to describe the animals and
to create humour. For example she says, “A noble beast greets you’ for “The Bengal
Tiger”, “A bear – hugs you” “Crocodiles weep” and ‘Hyena smiles’. Like these
animals, each of us has some special qualities which make us quite different from
others. For example, we face many people in a day, but even then we can easily
recognize them only through their voice or through their special habits. These
distinctive qualities give them a unique identification. This, statement is absolutely
right.

Q. 8 The poet uses humour in a perfect manner in her poem—‘How to Tell Wild
Animals’ to bring smile on the face of readers. In our daily life also humour is
the best medicine for every ailment. Do you agree? Comment.
OR
“Humour is the perfect medicine for all diseases”. Discuss this statement by
taking examples from the poem “How to Tell Wild Animals”.
Answer:
The poet talks about wild animals in a funny manner. All the dangerous, wild animals
like lions, tigers, leopards, bears, hyenas, crocodile, chameleon have been portrayed
humorously. The poet describes their dangerous activities in such a manner that
they produce laughter.

Q. 9 Does ‘dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’? Can you say it in such a way that it
does?
Answer:
No ‘dying does not rhyme with ‘lion’. It is for this reason that the poet has used ‘dyin’
so that when we pronounce it, it rhymes with ‘lion’.

Q. 10 How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When
can you do so, according to him?
Answer:
The poet suggests that if a large and tawny beast comes towards us, then it is an
Asian lion. We can identify it when it roars at us while, we are dying with fear. When
while roaming, we come across a wild beast that is yellow in colour with black
stripes, it is Bengal tiger. We can identify it when it eats us.

Q. 11 Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt
correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?
Answer:
No, the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ are spelt incorrectly. The poet has spelled them like this
in order to maintain the rhythm of the poem. When spelled this way, they rhyme with
the first part of ‘leopard’, thus giving emphasis to ‘leopard’ in each line.

Q. 12 Do you know what a ‘bearhug’ is? It’s a friendly and strong hug—such as
bears are thought to give, as they attack you! Again, hyenas are thought to
laugh, and crocodiles to weep (‘crocodile tears’) as they swallow their victims.
Are there similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in your
own language(s) ;
Answer:
A ‘bearhug’ is the bear’s tight embrace. Hyenas never laugh. But their faces look like
that. Crocodiles do not weep but tears come when they swallow their victims.
 THE BALL POEM

Q.1 How was the boy’s hall lost?

Answer:
The boy was playing with his ball. The ball bounced and it went down the street.
From the street the ball fell into the water. This is how the boy lost this ball.

Q. 2 How did the boy react after losing the ball?

Answer:
The boy was very much upset after losing the ball. He was filled with sadness, which
affected him greatly. Stunningly he stood in a stiff manner, overpowered with grief,
trembling and staring down where his ball was lost.

Q. 3 How does the boy ‘Senses first responsibility?

Answer:
The boy loses his ball and gets upset. This was his first lesson in sensing first
responsibility. He has the experience of losing something and learning how to cope
up with the loss. He understands the nature of loss or what it means to lose
something. He now will be more responsible and vigilant to avoid losing something in
future.

Q. 4 What do you think the poet means by the following lines?

People will take Balls,
balls will be lost always, little boy.
And no one buys a ball back.
Answer:
We think the poet, in these lines, conveys a great message. Losing ball here
symbolises miseries arising out of the losses one suffers in life. In this materialistic
world, there is cut throat competition. So, losses are bound to happen some day or
the other. You have to make up for your own losses. Nobody else will, do it.

Q. 5 What does the poet mean by “epistemology of loss”?

OR
How important is the learning to “epistemology of loss” for the boy?
Answer:
According the poet, the epistemology of loss is the greatest lesson, the boy is
learning. It teaches him to value and preserve his cherished things. It also teaches
him to recover from the loss and move on with, his life. When we try to understand
what it means to lose something, we are more vigilant to check the further losses.
Thus, it helps us to be self-reliant and stand up on our own feet.

Q. 6 Why is it important for everyone to experience loss to stand up after it?

Answer:
The poet believes that nothing is eternal. Everyone must experience the loss to help
him bear it. It also teaches him how to recover from it and stand up. It will remind him
to protect and preserve his possessions.
Q. 7 Why does the poet say that ‘Money is external’?
Answer:
The poet believes that money cannot buy each and everything. It can bring just
external happiness by buying us possessions but it cannot make a boy recover from
his unhappiness due to loss of a loved one or valued thing.

Q. 8 What does the poet say about “A world of possessions”?

OR
Why does the poet call the world ‘A world of possessions’?
Answer:
The poet calls the world ‘A world of possessions’ because man values and is valued
on the basis of his worldly possessions. All his feelings and his whole life are
dominated by his possessions.

Q. 9 Why is it important for everyone to experience loss and to stand up after

it?
OR
There’s always loss and there’s always disappointment. When someone is
learning from loss, he is moving towards achievement. Elaborate.
OR
It’s often been said that you learn more from losing than you do from winning.
You learn a lot from a loss. It really gets your attention and it really motivates.
Described.
OR
Loss is an essential and significant experience of one’s life. Explain.
Answer:
Everyone experiences a loss at some point in one’s life. It might be the loss of a
beloved, or a parent or a close relative or even a pet. Humans have a tendency of
getting attached to things and the loss of things or people close to heart causes
grievance. But one must not let that pull us down. Loss is an essential and significant
experience of one’s life. And one must learn to deal with it and move on.

If we keep thinking about it or grieve over that loss, we can never come out of it. It
will only affect us psychologically and can have severe consequences. Brooding
over a loss will never help in bringing things back to normal. Loss is inevitable
sometimes. Once a loss occurs, one must grieve, but only for a short while.
Thereafter one must get over it and move on in life.

Q.  10 Write the central idea of the poem “The Ball Poem”.
Answer:
The poet John Berryman “The Ball poem” describes the grief of a boy over the loss
of his ball. This loss makes him realise his first responsibility. The poet wants us to
understand that in this materialistic world nothing is forever. We will be forced to give
up things which we love and even in time of problems, we have to learn to stand up.
We have to learn to accept fate of our life.

Q. 11 Why does the poet say, “I would not intrude on him’? Why doesn’t he
offer him money to buy another ball?
Answer:
The poet wants the boy to experience the loss. He should learn that it is the part of
life. That is why the poet does not want to interfere and wants the boy to be strong
and handle the situation himself and does not want to offer him money to buy
another ball.

Q. 12 Staring down/ All his young days into the harbour where/His ball went…”
Do you think the boy has had the ball for a long time? Is it linked to the
memories of days when he played with it?
Answer:
Yes, it seems like the boy has had the ball for a long time. When it bounced into the
water, all his memories of the days of childhood flashed in front of him. This led to a
realization that those moments would not come back, just like the ball. He can buy
new balls and can create new similar moments, but those that are gone, and would
not ever return.

Q. 13 What does “in the world of possessions’ mean?

Answer:
“In the world of possessions’ means people like to possess all sorts of things in the
world. Money is an external thing because it can buy only material objects. It cannot
buy everything that one loses or cannot bring back your long-lost memories.

Q. 14 Do you think the boy has lost anything earlier? Pick out the words that
suggest the answer.
Answer:
No, it seems that the boy has not lost anything earlier. The words that suggest so
are, “senses first responsibility in a world of possessions”.

Q. 15 What does the poet say the boy is learning from the loss of the ball? Try
to explain this in your own words.
Answer:
The boy has lost his ball while playing. The poet says that from this loss, the boy will
learn in his years, what it means to lose something. Thus he will understand the
nature of loss or how to face and cope up with losses one suffers in life. This
experience of losing something will enable him to learn to be self- reliant and to
stand up on his feet in the life where losses do occur, though they might not be
important enough to worry about.

Q. 16 Have you ever lost something you liked very much? Write a paragraph
describing how you felt then and saying whether—and how—you got over
your loss.
Answer:
Last year, our beautiful dog Tommy was lost. All the family loved the dog very much,
but I was very deeply attached to Tommy. I used to take full care of him and Tommy
would accompany me wherever I allowed him to do so. I felt desperate and upset
when Tommy was not traced at all the possible places, where we could find him. I
did not feel like eating or going for morning walk. Tommy always used to accompany
me when I went for my morning walk, Gradually I reconciled with the situation and
consoled myself.

I totally engrossed myself in my studies though I did not feel like playing. I never
stopped missing Tommy. Then, one day, when I went to another colony to meet a
friend, I found Tommy tied in someday else’s home. When I approached them, they
said that the beautiful dog seemed to have lost his way and so they had been giving
care to him. I thanked them and returned home happily with Tommy.
 AMANDA

Q.1 What does the poet ask Amanda not to do in the poem” ‘Amanda’?
Answer:
The poet advises Amanda not to bite her nails, not to hunch her shoulders and not to
eat chocolate. She advises her to sit straight and take care of her acne. She further
advises her to keep herself clean.

Q. 2 In which way does Amanda imagine herself to be mermaid? .

Answer:
Mermaid is believed to be a creature with a woman’s head and body, and a fish’s tail
instead of legs.
Amanda imagines herself or wishes to be free like a mermaid, which is moving
slowly in a state of bliss in the sea, which is green like an emerald.

Q. 3 What instructions were given to Amanda about her homework, room and
shoes?
Answer:
Amanda had been commanded or advised to finish her homework and keep her
room neat and clean. She is also instructed to clean her shoes.

Q. 4 How and why does Amanda say that she is an orphan?

Answer:
Amanda seems to be fed up with continuous instructions and naggings. She is
feeling that her freedom is curtailed. So, she imagines herself to be an orphan street
child who leaves imprints caused on the soft dust by her bare feet. She feels that
silences is golden or precious and freedom is sweet.

Q. 5 What impression do you form about Amanda, after reading the poem ‘Ama
ida’?
Answer:
Amanda feels suffocated because she is controlled and instructed not to do one
thing or the other. She feels that her freedom is curtailed. But Amanda wishes to be
free to live in her own world. She is a very sensitive girl who indulges in daydreaming
quiet often. She highly values silence and freedom.

Q. 6 What type of life does Amanda wish for?

Answer:
Amanda feels that her freedom has been curtailed. She is leading a controlled life
under constant nagging. She wishes for a life free from all the restrictions. She wants
to lead a life like a fairy, a mermaid or an orphan. Like a mermaid she wants to drifts
blissfully. For, silence is golden and freedom is sweet.

Q.7 “Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!”
Amanda’s parents were over anxious about her. She often found their
instructions very stifling. Reading the poem and based on Amanda’s
experience, write a paragraph on the topic “Should parents be allowed to
control children?”
Answer:
It goes without saying that no child can survive the early years of its life without the
care and protection of its parents. But some parents are so over protective and over
anxious about their children that they don’t let their children live in peace. They don’t
allow them to explore and find out things on their own. Such parents kill the child’s
initiative in learning. These parents always boss around and irritate their children.

They don’t trust their child’s capability to do things independently. However, the
parents may control the children and guide them as long as it is necessary.
Equipped with knowledge and confidence they will be able to face the world boldly.
Gradually the child should be allowed to grow on its own and be responsible for its
actions. When parents give freedom to their children, they gain confidence and learn
to do things in a better way.

Q. 8 If it’s fact that every person including a young child has his/her own
individuality and personality. It is not necessary that the child will see the
world according to the direction of his/her parents. Based on the reading the
poem “Amanda” write a paragraph on: Should children be given freedom”.
Answer:
Growing up is a phase which requires a lot of space. A single child in his teens would
feel more claustrophobic than four kids in the same family. The reason being parents
of a single child tend to be more protective and possessive. What they fail to
understand is that without sufficient space to grow the child will only end up disliking
his/her parents. Freedom is necessary in any relationship.

A child should be allowed to choose his hobbies, to learn what he pleases, to play
with kids of his age. In the present times, where nothing is safe and none can be
trusted, parents are only dissuaded from sending their kids out to play. It is only
through these activities can a child learn to socialize and understand values.
Therefore, parents should give enough freedom for the child to grow but also make
sure that the child is not led away by material needs.

Q. 9 Childhood blooms and bounces with the wind of innocence and fanciful
fantasy. Any kind of outside or forceful restriction is completely unbearable to
a child. If he is nagged or scolded, he may feel alienated and withdrawn. But
nagging is not a good option. In the context of the poem “Amanda”, write a
paragraph on “effects of parental nagging”.
Answer:
Nagging is never a good option. Parents have a tendency to nag their children,
especially regarding their studies. But nagging never helps. When a parent keeps on
ranting to the child to study, the child will only grow averse to studying. It will create
resentment between the child and the parent.

After a while a point will be reached where the child will simply stop listening to the
parent. It also makes the child feel controlled. Parents keep repeating what is to be
done, how it is to be done, etc. over and over again, always supervising. This will
create stress for the child and make him/her uncomfortable. Hence, parents should
indulge in looking at the brighter side and praise their kids’ accomplishments and
avoid pointing out the weaknesses.

Q. 10 It is said that excess of everything is bad. Excess of parental love may

make a child pampered, in the same way excess of nagging may throw a child
into negativity. These statements are seen justified to some extent in the poem
‘Amanda’. Explain.
Answer:
None can refute the pious role of parents or elders or teachers in the proper
grooming and holistic development of a child. Parent’s personality resonates and
reflects through the behaviours and personality of a child. Parents do every possible
thing, they can do, to shape the character and habits of their child. But sometimes, in
course of nurturing the kid, the parents cross the limits unknowingly.

They became either over caring or over protective or over anxious. They forget the
fact that, when a matured mind cannot tolerate excess of do’s and don’ts, how can
they expect it from a child who is totally unaware of the worries and cares of the
world. To a child the world means a world of imagination fancy and fairy.

If being nagged repeatedly she may form negative opinions about his/her mother
and father. The same thing we find in the poem ‘Amanda’. Amanda is a girl of around
8-11 year of age who lives in her own fairy land. She does not appreciate the
constant scolding or nagging of her father/mother.

She feels that her freedom is punctuated. So, she instead of following the
instructions, remains wandering in her own world of imagination. Excess of nagging
has resulted into negativity as Amanda considers herself orphan. She sulks. She
avoids eye to eye contact. Hence, parents must understand the line of boundary and
act.

Q. 11 How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Answer:
Amanda is a teenager. This is the age when a child wants to have freedom.
Teenagers do not like nagging and want to have free life. The poet advises Amanda
to take care of her acne which commonly appears on the face of a teenager.

Q. 12 Why are stanzas—2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

Answer:
The stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis because they are the thoughts of the
child in between the instructions that she is being given by her mother, which are
given in stanzas! 3 and 5. The scolding by the mother and the child’s thoughts are
placed in alternate stanzas by the poetess.

Q. 13 Who is speaker in stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is

listening to speaker in stanza 1, 3, 5 and 7?
Answer:
In stanzas 2, 4 and 6, the speaker is the child Amanda? No, she is not listening to
her mother who is speaking in stanza 1, 3,5 and 7. She is lost in her own thoughts
and does not listen to what is being said to her.

Q. 14 What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

Answer:
If Amanda were a mermaid, then she would drift slowly in a languid emerald sea.
She would be the sole inhabitant of relaxed green sea and would move slowly on it.

Q. 15 Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

Answer:
No, Amanda is not an orphan. She says so because she wants to be alone and
enjoy being herself, she wants to roam around in the street alone and pattern dust
with her bare feet. She finds silence ‘golden’ and freedom ‘sweet’. It is for this reason
that she calls herself an orphan.

Q. 16 Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Answer:
Rapunzel was a mythological figure, who was absolutely carefree, leading a calm
and quiet life in tower, Amanda wishes to lead a carefree, calm and quiet life like
Rapunzel.

Q. 17 What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about
Amanda?
Answer:
The girl (Amanda) yearns for a life of freedom. The poem tells us that she is an
imaginative girl who is constantly nagged by her unimaginative mother.
 THE TREES

Q.1 Why do the trees need to move out? Where have they been and why?
Answer:
The trees in the forest have been cut and man has planted trees in his courtyard for
his selfish decorative purposes. It makes the trees feel suffocated and out of place.
So, they need to move out into the forest. They have been in the city houses as men
have imprisoned them there.

Q. 2 What makes the forest empty? What cannot happen in a-treeless forest?
Answer:
Man’s cutting the trees of the forest at an uncontrollable speed has resulted in the
empty forests. In a treeless forest, birds and insects cannot find shelter and make
their homes there. The sun cannot cool its rays in the shadow there.

Q. 3 How do the trees rebel against their imprisonment at the hand of the man?
Answer:
Man has imprisoned the trees of the forest in his houses in cities. The trees rebel
against their imprisonment. The roots come out of the floors by breaking them. The
leaves come out of the windows by breaking the glasses. The long-cramped
branches start expanding themselves. Thus, the trees move out into the forest.

Q. 4 What kind of whispers can the poet hear? Why will these be silent
tomorrow?
Answer:
The poet can hear the voices of the trees talking to each other, asserting their right
to be free and the sounds of their moving out. It may also be her inner voice that
reprimands her for imprisoning the trees. The whispers will be silent tomorrow as the
trees will move out into the forest and will be free.

Q. 5 What does the poetess compare the bough with and why?
Answer:
The boughs are long and cramped. The poet compares the boughs with the patients
who have been recently discharged and are moving out of the clinic doors because
the boughs also move out in the same semi-dazed state as if they are under a spell.

Q. 6 The poem ‘The Trees’ presents a conflict between Man and Nature.
Discuss.
Answer:
The poem ‘The Trees’ presents the rebellion of the tree against the human
oppression and imprisonment within walls. The forest is the natural habitat of the
trees. The trees feel suffocated in houses. They rebel against it and move out.

Q. 7 Why is the poet writing long letters? Why does she not mention the
departure of the trees?
Answer:
The poet can feel the sorrow of the trees imprisoned in the cities. So, she is writing
long letters or poems voicing the trees’ right to be in their natural habitat i.e., the
forest. She does not mention the departure of the trees in her letters as she is too
embarrassed for imprisoning them ever.

Q. 8 How does the changing forms of moon relate to the moving out of the
trees?
Answer:
The moon also changes its forms with the moving out of the trees. In a treeless
forest it appears as a whole, closed body. But with the trees moving out into the
forest, the moon also appears as a broken mirror. Its pieces flash light on the tallest
of trees.

Q. 9 Describe the symbolism in the poem “The Trees”.

Answer:
The poet uses trees as a metaphor for human beings. The human beings feel
suffocated and sad under the oppression and dependence. They yearn for their
freedom and independence. They rebel against the oppression, slavery and
exploitation to be free and be on their own. The trees also rebel against
imprisonment to return to the forest. Thus, they are apt symbol for human beings.

Q. 10 Conflict between human and nature is always there. Nature is also

rebelling against civilization and becoming destructive. Explain.
OR
A conflict between man and nature is going on, in this civilization pursuit, men
are disregarding the natural growth of plants and trees. In total confinement,
nature also rebels against civilization and becomes destructive. Elaborate.
Answer:
Man has been destroying nature due to personal and material pursuits. He is
endlessly playing havoc with nature. He is trying to harness wind, solar energy and
flora. In this pursuit man has forgotten that excessive destruction can carry us to any
situation. Man is cutting trees and destroying the natural habitat. This is causing
global warming with overall rise in temperature. If these practices go unchecked, we
might soon be drowned due to melting of ice from polar caps. Man should wake up
and save the planet earth from destructive forces of nature.

Q. 11 The trees in the poem stretch out their branches, break remove common
barriers and struggle hard even out in the open in their natural environment.
Analyze the efforts one puts into breaking sway captivity and striving for
freedom.
OR
Freedom is the basic theme of happiness for all creatures as well as plants.
Explain this statement with reference to the struggle of the branches to come
out in open in the veranda of the poet’s house.
Answer:
It is true that freedom is the basic theme of happiness in this universe. Freedom is
the true law of nature. This idea can be found everywhere and, in all spheres, even
the palace of gold is useless without freedom. We have read about so many national
heroes who have sacrificed their everything for freedom and to make their country
free. Freedom is the very first need for all for human beings as well as for animals. “

In this poem, the poet has described the deep feelings of the trees that want to
become free from human beings’ prison. The description of struggle made by the
branches to come out in open from the floor is too real and heart touching. The trees
don’t want to live in these surroundings. So, they do their best to come out of the
floor and window.

Q. 12 After reading the poem ‘The Trees’ we come to conclude a definite point
that there is clear conflict between nature and human beings and the reason is
behaviour of human beings. Describe.
Answer:
Man’s cutting the trees of the forest at an uncontrollable speed has resulted in the
empty forests. In a treeless forest, birds and insects cannot find shelter and make
their homes there. The sun cannot cool its rays in the shadow there.

Q. 13 (i) Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless
forest.
(ii) What picture do these words create in your mind: … “sun bury its feet in
shadow…”?
(ii) What could the poet mean by the sun’s ‘feet”?
Answer:
(i) The three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest Eire the sitting of a bird on
tree, the hiding of insects and the sun burying its feet in the shadow of the forest.

(ii) The sun radiates heat and the given words create a picture of the hot, radiating
sun cooling its feet in the cool shadow of the forest. The sun’s feet refer to its rays
that reach the earth.

Q. 14 (i) Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves and
their twigs do?
(ii) What does the poet compare their branches to?
Answer:
(i) In the poem, the trees are in the poet’s house. Their roots work all night to
disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves make efforts
to move towards the glass, while the small twigs get stiff with exertion.

(ii) The poet compares the ‘long-cramped’ branches that have been shuffling under
the roof to newly discharged patients who look half-dazed as they move towards the
hospital doors after long illnesses and wait to get out of the hospital. The branches
also have cramped under the roof and want to get out into the open to spread
themselves in fresh air.

Q. 15 (i) How does the poet describe the moon:

(a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and
(b) at its end? What causes this change?
(ii) What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?
(iii) Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest
from the house” in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about
important happenings that are so unexpected that they embarrass us? Think
about this again when you answer the next set of question).
Answer:
(i) (a) In the beginning of the third stanza of the poem “The Trees”, the poet
describes the moon at its perfection. She tells us that full moon shines in an open
sky.

(b) In the end of the third stanza, the poet describes that the moon is broken like a
mirror. The cause of this change is that the poet imagines that the forest or trees and
plants are moving out from her home. When the forest was in her home the moon
seemed full to her. But when the trees are moving out of the house into the forest,
the moon seems fragmented to her.

(ii) When the trees move out of the house, the poet feels that the glass is breaking
and the trees are partially falling towards the front in the night. Winds rush to meet
and welcome the trees.

(iii) When the trees are moving out of the poet’s house, she is writing long letters. But
in the letters the poet does not mention about the departure of the forest from the
house. I think the poet does not mention about moving out of the trees because
howsoever she may not want it, yet it happened so hastily and unexpectedly that she
felt embarrassed. That is why she could not mention about it in her letter.

Q. 16 Now that you have read the poem in detail, we can begin to ask what the
poem might mean.
Here are two suggestions. Can you think of others?
(i) Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with
A Tiger in the Zoo. Is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for
‘interior decoration’ in cities while forests are cut down, are ‘imprisoned’, and
need to ‘break out’?
(ii) On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been known to use trees as a
metaphor for human beings; this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new
meanings emerge from the poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this
particular meaning?
Answer:
(i) The poem “The Trees’ depicts the serious problem of deforestation worldwide,
which causes ecological imbalances and the risk of global warming. The poet means
to say that we are depriving the forest of their trees and creating concrete jungles in
the cities. The irony of the situation is that we are decorating our homes and cities
with trees and plants and cutting the trees from the forest. If we compare this poem
to another poem, ‘A Tiger in the Zoo’, we find many similarities.

We imprison the tigers and other animals in the zoo whereas their true places is in
the forest. Similarly, we ‘imprison’ the trees and plants in our houses and cities
whereas their true place is in the forests. There is nothing wrong with decorating the
houses and cities with the plants and trees. But it is something unpardonable to
deprive the forests of the trees and plants. That is why the poet imagines that the
trees from the houses want to be liberated and move to the forest.

(ii) There is another aspect of this beautiful poem. Adrienne Rich in many of her
poems has used trees as a metaphor for human beings. So, if we think of the poem
from this point of view, it signifies that human beings are constantly going away from
the country life. Everybody seems to settle in big cities where we are deprived of the
qualities of enjoying nature in its various forms. Migration of more and more people
towards city life creates a vacuum in the minds of such human beings. So, they
crave and long for moving to natural surroundings. They earnestly and eagerly
desire to go back to nature.
 FOG

Q.1 How does a eat behave?

Answer:
A cat is very quiet. It comes quietly and stealthily on its little padded feet. It sits on
the haunches and observes the city and the harbour. Then, it moves on silently
without making any noise.

Q. 2 How is the fog like a cat?

Answer:
The poet finds the fog like a cat. The fog comes stealthily like a cat. It sits looking
over the harbour and city as a cat does. Later, it moves on just like a cat to settle
somewhere else. These things prove that the fog’s comparison to a cat is
appropriate.

Q. 3 How does the fog spread over the harbour and the city?
Answer:
The fog-comes to a city stealthily just like a cat. It makes no noise. It spreads over
the harbour and the city and settles over them for sometimes. There, it rises high
and moves away. In this way the fog arrives over a city, observes it and then leaves
it to move away.

Q. 4 Difficulties come but they are not to stay forever. They come and go.
Comment referring to the poem “Fog’.
Answer:
None can deny that fact that after every nightfall, there is sunshine. In other words,
sorrows follow happiness. Life has many ups and downs. We must all accept that
problems as a part of life. We should strengthen ourselves so much that we are able
to face them and stand up to solve these problems. We should not get carried away.
We should learn that time and tide wait for none.

Fog is also symbolic of darkness but it comes quietly like a cat and goes away. It
symbolises that if we are not disturbed by difficulties then life will itself move to
lighter side and things will be easy to confront. We should always remember that; we
must face all the problems boldly.

Q. 5 Write the central idea of the poem “Fog”.

Answer:
The poet Carl Sandburg in his poem ‘Fog’ describes fog as a cat. Fog is treated to
be a living creature. Fog comes quietly and stealthily like a cat. Fog sits looking over
the harbour like a cat does. Then it moves to settle somewhere else. Just as cat
doesn’t settle at one place and in the same way fog keeps on moving and finally
vanishes.

Q. 6 The poet is able to visualize the image of a cat in the fog. Similarly, there
is an inseparable connection between native and all creations in it. Based on
the reading of the poem, write a paragraph on the topic—“God lives in His
creations in native”.
Answer:
God is omnipresent and nature is a gift of God to us. Nature has both, the power to
sanctify and power to destroy. He makes his presence which provides us with the
vital oxygen, the food that grows beneath and above the ground, the water that
satisfies out thirst etc. He has made everything and everyone with a purpose and he
lives in all of them. Nature cannot exist on its own. It is because God’s reflection falls
on each of his creation that we, mere mortals survive and thrive on this planet. Thus,
we must always respect, love, and care for all of God’s creations.

Q. 7 (i) What does Sandburg think the fog is like?

(ii) How does the fog come?
(iii) What does ‘it’ in the third line refer to?
(iv) Does the poet actually say that the fog is like a cat? Find three things that
tell us that the fog is like a cat.
Answer:
(i) According to Sandburg, the fog is like a cat.
(ii) The fog comes on little cat’s feet.
(iii) In the third line ‘it’ refers to the fog that has covered the city and it seems as if it
is looking over the city like a cat.
(iv) No, the poet does not actually say that the fog is like a cat. However, he has
used cat as a metaphor for describing the fog. He says that the fog comes on its little
cat feet, which implies that the fog, like a cat, comes slowly. He also says that the
fog looks over the harbour and the city and then moves on, implying that the fog has
covered the city and is sitting and looking at it, thereby again comparing it to a cat.

This is reiterated when he says that the fog looks over the city sitting on ‘silent
haunches. This also shows the reference to a cat as a cat always sits with its knees
bent. Hence, he has compared the fog to a cat without actually saying so.
 THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON

Q.1 What were the names of Belinda’s pets?

Answer:
The names of Belinda’s pets were Ink, a little black kitten; Mustard, a little yellow
dog; Blink, a little grey mouse and a dragon whose name was Custard.

Q. 2 How did the pirate look?

Answer:
The pirate held a pistol in his left hand and another pistol in his right hand. He had
black beard and his one leg was of wood. He held a bright cutlass in his teeth. It was
clear that his intentions were not good.

Q. 3 Why did the Belinda cry for help?

Answer:
Belinda was scared to see the pirate who had pistols in his hands and had a bright
cutlass in his teeth. There was something bad in his appearance and intention.
Therefore, Belinda was afraid of the pirate and cried for help.

Q. 4 What did the custard do at last?

Answer:
Custard saved Belinda and the other pets from the pirate. He showed his braver side
and attacked the pirate and gobbled him up. Finally, Custard showed that he was not
as coward as others.

Q. 5 Why did the Custard, the dragon cry for a nice, safe cage?
Answer:
Custard, in fact, was very brave but still he kept asking for a nice, safe cage. It made
people think him to be cowardly. He might be crying for a nice, safe cage so that he
might not harm anyone when in anger or he might be proving that a little safety cage
averts a disaster. The others thought that he cried for a cage as he was a coward.

Q. 6 What did Belinda and her pets hear?

Answer:
Belinda and her pets heard a nasty sound made by the pirate breaking in through the
window. Belinda and her pets except Custard were terrified and cried for help. Ink,
Blink and Mustard fled away cowardly. Custard fought with him bravely and killed
him.

Q. 7 What terrified the pirate? Who killed him and how?

Answer:
Custard, the dragon, jumped up, snorting and clashing his tail. He was making a lot
of clatter and clankering and he was squirming. He attacked the pirate. It terrified the
pirate. He fired at Custard and missed. Custard killed him by swallowing him up. It
shows that he was brave.
Q. 8 Write the poetic aspect of the poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon”.
Answer:
The poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” is a light-hearted story, written in the
ballad style. It is written in a four-lined stanza format with the rhyming scheme of
aabb. It takes it near to the heroic couplet. The poem offers many similes. The
stanzas vary in size. The lines are prosaic and long. The first two stanzas act as
refrain to indicate continuity. The words are simple.

Q. 9 When the pirate attacked Belinda, ail of her brave friends—Ink, Blink and
Mustard ran away. Only Custard fought with the enemy. Based on your reading
of the poem, write a paragraph on the topic: ‘A friend in Need is a Friend
Indeed’.
Answer:
Man is a social animal and we all have survived throughout the civilization through
the process of socialization. The beginning of any friendship is when one tries to
socialize with the other. But not all socializations result in friendship. Some people
walk past us in the journey of life, and some stay back and see us grow. The ones,
who walk away when the clouds are cast, are the ones who will never stick around
when we need them the most.

A true friend is the one who always sticks around irrespective of how good or bad the
situation is. Therefore, it is rightly said that those who survive the test of friendship
i.e., those who stand by us in our most trying times are the real friends. Truly, a
friend in need is a friend indeed.

Q. 10 Everyone believed that the Custard was a coward; but when an

opportunity came, he showed exemplary courage. Based on y our reading of
the poem, write a paragraph on the topic: ‘Courage is a Mind, not of Muscle’.
Answer:
Mark Twain once said that ‘Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not
absence of fear’. Courage is not merely a show of power but the ability to overcome
fear and not allow it to paralyze our minds. Most of us tend to generalize and call
people who shy away from a physical show of power as being cowards.

But the truth lies in the fact that those who indulge in physical aggression are the
ones who are the most insecure. David was barely one-fourth of Goliath, the giant.
Yet David succeeded, in killing him. He had used his presence of mind and stood
successful over an entire army. Thus, we must remember that courage is a matter of
mind, not muscle.

Q. 11 The dragon Custard was considered a coward. The humble dragon

proved his bravery in adversity. Analyses that certain qualities like bravery
and courage are situation and spontaneous. Explain with reference to the
poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon”.
Answer:
The pirate held a pistol in his left hand and another pistol in his right hand. He had
black beard and his one leg was of wood. He held a bright cutlass in his teeth. It was
clear that his intentions were not good.
Q. 12 Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.
Answer:
The characters in this poem are Belinda, a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a
little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate.

Character Pet name

Kitten Ink

Mouse Blink

Dog Mustard

Dragon Custard

Q. 13 Why did Custard cry for a nice, safe cage? Why is the dragon called
“cowardly dragon”?
Answer:
Custard cried for a nice, safe cage because it was a coward. It is called a ‘cowardly
dragon’ because everybody else in the house was brave. Belinda was as brave as a
barrel of bears. Ink and blink are described as so brave they chased lions down the
stairs and Mustard was as brave as a tiger in rage. Compared to them, Custard cried
asking for a nice and safe cage, which is why it is called a coward.

Q. 14 “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…” Why?

Answer:
Belinda tickled the dragon unmercifully because it was very scared and cried for a
safe cage. They all laughed at it as it was a coward.

Q. 15 The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example:
“Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon”—the poetic device here is a simile.
Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the
poem?
Answer:
In the entire poem, the poet has made extensive use of similes. Apart from simile,
another poetic device that has been used is repetition. For example, the repetitive
use of the word ‘little’ in the first stanza to emphasize how everything from the house
to Belinda to her pets were all little. Also, in the seventh stanza, the poet has made
use of incorrect spelling as a poetic device to maintain the rhyme scheme of the
poem. He has chosen to write ‘winda’ instead of ‘window’ as ‘winda’ rhymes with
‘Belinda’, whereas ‘window’ does not. He has also used alliteration in the poem. For
example, in the tenth stanza, ‘custard’ has ‘clashed’ his tail with a ‘clatter’ and a
‘clank’. Similarly, in stanza eleven, the pirate ‘gaped’ at the dragon and ‘gulped’
some ‘grog”.

Q. 16 Read the stanza three again to know how the poet describes the
appearance of the dragon.
Answer:
The teeth of the dragon, Custard was having fine edges or points. There were spikes
with sharp points on the top of his body and beneath his body had scales or hard
body. His mouth looked like a fireplace or hearth and his nose was like a chimney.
And there were short pointed daggers like sharp points on his toes.

Q. 17 Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying

what they mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?
Answer:
Some such images used in the poem are ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a
nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate
like a robin at a worm’, etc.

Q. 18 Do you find The Tale of Custard the Dragon to be a serious or a light-

hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.
Answer:
The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a light-hearted poem. It is almost a parody. The
names of the pets of Belinda are all rhyming and funny. Belinda has been compared
to a barrel full of bears. The kitten and mouse, both little, could chase lions down the
stairs. The little yellow dog was as brave as a tiger, while the dragon was a coward
and they all teased him. However, when the pirate came to their little house, all of
them were engulfed in fear and had hidden themselves.

Ironically, the ‘cowardly’ dragon came to their rescue and jumped snorting like an
engine. It clashed its tail and charged at the pirate like a robin at a worm and ate him
up. Even as everybody became happy to see the bravery of the dragon, they again
came back to glorifying themselves that they could have been twice or thrice braver
than the dragon. Finally, at the end of the poem, the situation again came back to the
other pets being brave and the dragon being the coward.

Q. 19 This poem, in ballad form, tells a story. Have you come across any such
modern song or lyric that tells a story? If you know one, tell it to the class.
Collect such songs as a project.
Answer:
‘Light of Asia’ is an epic that has been read. It tells us a story in verse. In it we get
the story of Prince Siddhartha, the son of king Sudhodhana. We get from it the
complete story of his life, how he was brought-up and how he got married and how
he became a saint.

FOR ANNE GREGORY

Q.1 What does the young woman wish?

Answer:
The young woman wishes that she should be loved for herself alone and not for her
yellow hair. She says that she could dye her hair in brown or black or carrot
coloured.

Q. 2 Would the young man love her for herself alone?

Answer:
The young man’s desires have been frustrated for want of hope because he has
fallen from her grace, he will never love her for herself alone, though he might love
her yellow hair.

Q. 3 Why is the youth in despair in the poem “For Anne Gregory”?

Answer:
The young man loves Anne. He is attracted towards her external beauty. He feels
that young men are in despair because of her exquisite beauty.

Q. 4 What did the religious man tell the poet?

Answer:
The religious man told the poet that he found a book to prove that only god could
love her for her spiritual beauty and not for her physical beauty.

Q. 5 The poet in the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ conveys that We should give
importance to the inner beauty and not to the physical appearance. Explain
with reference to the poem.
Answer:
It is an accepted fact that external beauty is short-lived but inner beauty remains
forever. Inner beauty gives satisfaction and joy. We should thus learn not to accept
things at their face value. We should try to. discover the inner beauty and strength of
a person, though it is not easy to do so. We should accept the person with positive
and negative values.

As the time passes relations are strengthened. In the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ the
beloved wants that her lover should love her for herself not the colour of the hair.
She wants to strengthen this fact that inner beauty is more important than external
beauty.

Q. 6 Write a paragraph on the topic “All that Glitters is not Gold”. With
reference to the poem “For Anne Gregory” written by W. B. Yeats.
Answer:
What we see through the naked eye might not always be the naked truth. Like
shining pieces of glass that shine and glitter like diamonds, the way people appear
on the outside can be very misleading. We must never judge a book by its cover as
there is a possibility that we might be wrong.

Appearances should never be trusted. It can lead us to wrong conclusions. A person

may be very handsome or beautiful outside but inside if the character is not good
that person’s appearance is of no value. So always try to look beneath the skin
because beauty is skin deep. The real beauty lies in the personality of the person,
not in external appearances.

Q. 7 What does the young man mean by “great honey-coloured / Ramparts at

your ear?” Why does he say that young men are “thrown into despair” by
them? ”
Answer:
The “great honey-colored / Ramparts at your ear” refers’to the beautiful yellow
coloured hair that falls at the woman’s ear and cover it like a wall around a fort. He
says that the young men are “thrown into despair” by them because they look so
beautiful on the women that her beauty gets thoroughly enhanced. The young men
fall in love with her and feel despair. He says that it is not possible that someone
would love her alone and not her yellow hair.

Q. 8 What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can
change it to? Why would she want to do so?
Answer:
The young woman’s hair is of yellow colour. She says that she could get her hair
dyed to brown, black or carrot colour. She would change the colour of her hair so
that the young men in despair would love her only and not her yellow hair. She
wanted them to love her for what she was and not for her appearance such as her
hair colour.

Q. 9 Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you
think of some objects (a car, a phone, a dress…) and say what qualities make
one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an
object: what qualities would you emphasise?
Answer:
Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. There are many factors
that make them desirable such as their usefulness, utility, disability, their price and
appearance.
 FOOTPRINT WITHOU FEET (PROSE)

A TRIUMPH OF SURGERY

Q. 1 “I think 1 know a cure for you”. What was Dr Herriot’s ‘cure’ for Tricki?
Answer:
Seeing the miserable condition of Tricki Dr Herriot at once decides to keep him away
from his mistress Mrs Pumphrey for a while. So, he suggested that Tricki should be
hospitalized for about a fortnight as he had to be kept upder observation.

Q. 2 Why was Dr Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?

Answer:
Dr Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance because he had become hugely fat.
His eyes looked bloodshot and rheumy and his tongue lolled from his jaws. He could
walk with difficulty.

Q. 3 What was MrsPumphrey’s reaction when Dr Herriot suggested Tricki’s

hospitalization?
Answer:
Dr Herriot had made his plan in advance. So, when Mrs Pumphrey reported Tricki’s
illness, he at once suggested him to be hospitalized for about a fortnight to be kept
under observation.

Q. 4 Which two suggestions did Dr Herriot give to Mrs Pumphrey at the initial
stage? Did she follow?
Answer:
Dr Herriot suggested Mrs Pumphrey to cutdown on the sweet things given to Tricki.
He asked her to provide more exercise to the dog.

Q. 5 What did Mrs Pumphrey do to bring him back to normal health? Was she
successful?
Answer:
When Mrs Pumphrey found Tricki weak, she started giving him extra diet between
meals to build him, up. She gave him some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of
Horlicks at night. She never forgot to give him cream cakes and chocolates which
Tricki really loved. She was hot successful rather she put her dog in more trouble.
He started gaining weight which made fys condition worse.

Q. 6 Why did Mrs Pumphery make a frantic call to Dr Herriot?

Answer:
Suddenly Tricki stopped eating. He refused even his favourite dishes and had bouts
of vomiting. He spent all the time lying on rug, panting and did not do anything. So
Mrs Pumphrey was distraught and made a frantic call to Dr Herriot.

Q. 7 What step did Dr Herriot take to save Tricki?

Answer:
Dr Herriot immediately hospitalised Tricki for about a fortnight as it was necessary to
part him from his mistress. Tricki’s only problem was overfeeding which he knew.
Tricki needed dieting which was possible only in absence of Mrs Pumphrey. He
stopped giving food to Tricki. He was given only plenty of water.

Q. 8 Why was Tricki an uninteresting object for other dogs at the surgery?
Answer:
When Tricki was brought to the surgery, all the household dogs surged around him
but Tricki looked down at the noisy pack with dull eyes and lay motionless on the
carpet. So, after sniffing him for a few seconds, they found him an uninteresting
object and moved away from him.

Q. 9 What evidence do you get from the text about Tricki’s affluent living?
Answer:
Tricki was loved by his mistress. She was very much concerned for him. She was
rather blind in love. Tricki lived a more lavish life than any noraml human bring. He
had a whole wardrobe of clothes for different weather, raincoat for wet days.
Different bowls for different meals, toys, cushions, comfortable bed and what not. He
was given rich diet including cream cakes and chocolates which he loved.

Q. 10 Describe the ‘parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs Pumphrey’s house
hold?
Answer:
The -only way to save Tricki was to take him away. When Mr Herriot was about to
take him to his surgery for treatment, Mrs Pumphrey started wailing. The entire staff
was roused and maids rushed in and out bringing his day bed, night bed, favourite
cushions, toys and rubber rings and different bowls.
As Mr Herriot moved off, Mrs Pumphrey, with a despairing cry, threw an armful of the
little coats, through the window. Everybody was in tears. It was a sad and tearful
parting.

Q. 11 Write the brief character sketch of Mrs Pumphrey.

Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey was a rich but eccentric lady. She was an ignorant kind of person.
She had a pet dog Tricki, whom she loved more than anything. Her way of showing
love was very different. She overfed Tricki. She showed her concern by giving him
rich and extra diet between meals which finally made Tricki ill. She couldn’t bear
Tricki doing exercise. She thought that it would make Tricki tired while it was
necessary for him.

She pampered her pet which had a wardrobe of clothes for every season, different
bowls for each meal, toys and what not. Her way of loving was not normal. But she
was also a kind- hearted lady who finally burst into tears while parting with her dog.
She had all human qualities as she didn’t forget to thank Mr Herriot at the end.

Q. 12 What evidence do you get of Tricki’s affluent living from the text?
Answer:
Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. Dr Herriot is shocked
at Tricki’s appearance. He hafe become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg
at each corner. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue
lolls from his jaws.

Mrs Pumphrey explains to Dr Herriot that Tricki must be suffering from malnutrition.
So, she has been giving him some little extras between meals to build him up, some
malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep. Above all, he
gets cream cakes and chocolates.

To make the things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet.
hospital, the entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night
bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper
bowl. When Dr Herriot informs Mrs Pumphrey that the little fellow is convalescing
rapidly, she begins to send fresh eggSc,and wine to build him up. It all shows that
Tricki has an affluent living.

Q. 13 Give a brief character sketch of Tricki.

Answer:
Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. He has become hugely
fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each comer. His eyes, bloodshot and
rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue lolled from his jaws. He is greedy and
never refuses food. His mistress gives him some little extras between meals to build
him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him
sleep.

Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make things worse he had been
doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet. Hospital, the entire staff of Mrs
Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys
and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. It all shows that Tricki has
an affluent living.

Q. 14 “Over-pampering is not only bad for human but also for animals”.
Explain this statement in the light of the story “A Triumph of Surgery’.
OR
“Kids or cubs need fondling but too much pampering may harm them”. How
far does it apply in the case of Tricki?
Answer:
We all know that children are over-pampered by the parents due to their sentimental
attachment …to them. In the story ‘A triumph of Surgery’ a dog Tricki is over-
pampered by his wealthy mistress Mrs Pumphrey. She believes that her little dog is
suffering from malnutrition so she gives him some little extras between meals to build
him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him
sleep.

Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make the things worse he had
been doing no exercise. When Dr Herriot takes the dog to his Vet. hospital, it seems
all the items of Tricki’s comfort would be sent with him. Even during his stay at the
hospital, Mrs Pumphrey tries to provide him all the comforts. But Dr Herriot deals
with the situation cleverly and the dog cures rapidly to return back to his mistress.
OR
Mrs Pumphrey is very fond of her pet, Tricki, she gives him rich diets and even richer
caring like having wardrobes full of different weather clothes for him. Tricki has
neither fix timings nor control over eating. This makes him greedy and soon ill. His
mistress still keeps him stuffing despite consistent warnings from the Doctor; soon
Tricki comes to trotting, drooping and panting for breath. Finally, he had to be sent to
hospital for recovery. Only discipline on eating and fun play cure him.

Q. 15 Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey is worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. He is
not even ready to eat his favourite dishes. Tricki has bouts of vomiting and spends
all his time lying on the rug and panting. Tricki does not even want to go for walks or
do anything.

Q. 16 What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Answer:
She calls the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision is wise. The doctor suggests
that Tricki should be hospitalized. She gets upset and wails, but lets the dog go with
the doctor.

Q. 17 Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Answer:
Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggest that the
narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey. The narrator is able to
provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed whereas at Mrs Pumphrey’s house,
Tricki has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a
lunch bowl, a supper bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many
more things. When he arrives to take the dog with him, Mrs Pumphrey has her entire
staff at her disposal to transfer all of Tricki’s belongings to the doctor’s car.

Secondly, on hearing from the doctor about Tricki’s gradual recovery, Mrs Pumphrey
sends along two dozen eggs at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy—all in
order to help in Tricki’s speedy recovery. Finally, when she calls upon the narrator to
take her recovered dog back home, she comes in a chauffeur-driven “thirty feet of
gleaming black metal” (an obvious reference to a limousine). All these instances
point to the fact that Mrs Pumphrey lived a luxurious life.

Q. 18 How does the doctor treat the dog?

Answer:
The doctor knew that Tricki was not ill but just overweight qnd restless due to Mrs
Pumphrey’s overindulgence in taking his care. So, he decided not to give any food to
Tricki, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in
hi§-surroundings and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On the third
day, the doctor saw Tricki licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs.

Next day, a separate bowl was kept for him and the doctor was pleased to note that
Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, his progress
was rapid. He did not require any medical treatment and recovered quite well at the
end.

Q. 19 Why is the doctor tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?

Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey has started bringing around eggs to build Tricki’s strength. Later,
even bottles of wine and brandy began to arrive. The narrator and his partners
started enjoying the eggs, wine and brandy meant for Tricki. According to the
narrator, those were the days of deep content for him and his staff starting with an
extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing off the day with
brandy. This is the reason why the narrator is tempted to keep Tricki on as a
permanent guest.

Q. 20 Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of

surgery”?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey thinks that the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery” because in two
weeks, Tricki had recovered completely and had been transformed into a hard-
muscled animal. When Tricki saw her, he leaped into her lap and licked her face.
She was so excited that tears started rolling out of her eyes. She declared Tricki’s
recovery as a triumph of surgery to express her happiness and gratitude towards the
doctor.

Q. 21 What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon,

is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?
Answer:
I think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, seems to be a practical and tactful person.
He knows how to deal with people. He adjusts himself well to the circumstances. He
immediately understands Tricki’s problem, Tricki doesn’t suffer from any sort of
illness. The main cause of his illness is overfeeding. He takes the dog to his surgery.
There the doctor keeps him on water diet and makes him physically active and treats
without any medicine. The dog gets well under his supervision and natural
environment of surgery.

Q. 22 Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will
happen now?
Answer:
Yes, Tricki was very happy to go home. When the dog was brought into the surgery,
he was ill. But in spite of that the dog got cured in two days without any medication.
The doctor provided proper diet to Tricki and regular exercise also helped a lot in his
speedy recovery. The dog regained his best health and was no longer restless.
Now, I think Mrs Pumphrey may again go back to her old ways of treating Tricki with
love and care or learning a lesson from what she experienced, she may mend her
ways and make him an agile and healthier dog.

Q. 23 Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture

of both?
Answer:
This story could be a mixture of both: real life episode and a mere fiction. Mrs
Pumphrey is a rich lady and has a pet dog. It is because of her overindulgence that
she overfeeds her dog which results in his being overweight and restless. Although
her intention was not wrong but excess of everything is bad. This episode can be
treated as a fiction for those who do not take things seriously. At the same time, it
can be called a real-life episode for the people who take excessive care of their
children and thus spoil their habits.

Q. 24 This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is

foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people
are merely silly, or can their action cause harm to others?
Answer:
These sorts of people have enough disposable money but are ignorant about results
of their actions. They show their excessive love and affection without knowing its
consequences to others. Undoubtedly, their intentions are good and they don’t have
any sort of ill-will but these actions do more harm than good to the object of affection.

Q. 25 Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?

Answer:
Yes, there are parents who are too much possessive about their kids. Their sense of
overindulgence can go either way. There are examples of parents spoiling their
children by protecting them in each and every way, thus creating hardships for them
later in their life. Also, there are examples of parents who are strict and want their
child to be disciplined and so unnecessarily put pressure on them to study hard and
always follow a standard behavioural pattern.
 THE THIEF’S STORY

Q.1 How did the thief realise that Anil knew that he was robbed?
Answer:
When Anil gave him a fifty-rupees note it was still damp. The damp note was telling
the whole story. Hari Singh knew that Anil was intelligent enough to understand what
had happened in the rainy night.

Q.2 Why was it not easy for the thief to rob Anil?
Answer:
It was not easy for the thief to rob Anil as he was the most trusting person he had
ever seen. The thief knew that it was easy to rob a greedy man because he could
afford to be robbed. But to rob a careless man like Anil sometimes gave no pleasure
of the work as he even did not notice that he had been robbed.

Q.3 What was the thief s reaction when he took Anil’s money?
Answer:
As the thief got the money he quickly crawled out of the room. When he was on the
road, he began to run. He had the notes at his waist, held them by the string of his
pyjamas. Later on, he slowed down to walk and counted the notes. He thought that
with those 600 rupees he could lead a luxurious life like an oil-rich Arab at least for a
week.

Q.4 How, according to Hari Singh, would the greedy man, the rich man and the
poor man react. when they had lost their goods?
Answer:
Hari Singh had made a study of men’s faces when they had lost their goods.
According to the thief, on losing their goods a greedy man’s face would show fear,
the rich man’s face would show anger and the poor man’s face would show
acceptance.

Q.5 How did Hari Singh know that Anil had forgiven him?
Answer:
It seems Anil knew about theft but neither his lips nor his eyes showed anything. He
gave him fifty rupees and told him that now he would be paid regularly. He informed
him that he would teach him to write sentences. It shows that Anil had forgiven him.

Q.6 Why did the thief smile without any effect towards the end of the story?
Answer:
The thief smiled at Anil towards the end of the story in his most appealing way. But
unlike as on previous occasions, this smile was natural and from the innermost
comer of his heart. Being spontaneous, the smile was “without any effect”.

Q.7 What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Answer:
When Hari asks Anil if he could work for him, Anil replies that he could not pay him.
Finally, they reach an agreement that if he would cook, then Anil would feed him.
However, Anil soon found out that he did not know how to cook. So, he taught him
how to cook and later, how to write his name. He promised he would teach him how
to write whole sentences and also how to add numbers. Apart from this, when Hari
went out to buy the day’s supplies, he would make a profit of a rupee a day.

Q.8 How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
Answer:
The thief thinks that on discovering the theft, Anil’s face would show a touch of
sadness. The sadness would not be for the loss of money, but for the loss of trust.

Q.9 What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are
robbed?
Answer:
In his short career as a thief, he has studied reactions of so many people when they
are robbed off their belongings. He has Observed that the greedy people showed
fear; the rich showed anger and the poor people showed acceptance.

Q.10 Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?

Answer:
Yes, Anil has realized that he has been robbed. He knew this probably because all
the notes were wet and damp because of rain. However, he did not say anything to
the thief and behaved normally.

Q.11 “Everyone must have a chance to reform”. How did Anil worked upon
these values and succeeded?
Answer:
Hari Singh had all the sharp wickedness to rob a person. He knew how to rob and
whom to rob. He chose Anil for his purpose because the later was simple and easy,
to approach. But when Anil started teaching him how to write words and then
sentences and adding numbers, a good man in Hari Singh started dreaming of a life
full of honestly and dignity. He got the chance to rob, he robed but the dream of
being educated did not let him go. He returned to be educated.

Q.12 ‘Money cannot make a man as much as education can’. Elucidate this
statement.
Answer:
Hari Singh had all the sharp wickedness to rob a person. He knew how to rob and
whom to rob. He chose Anil for his purpose because the later was simple and easy,
to approach. But when Anil started teaching him how to write words and then
sentences and adding numbers, a good man in Hari Singh started dreaming of a life
full of honestly and dignity. He got the chance to rob, he robed but the dream of
being educated did not let him go. He returned to be educated.

Q.13 “Love, trust and compassion transformed Hari Singh”. Explain with
reference to the story “The Thief s story”.
Answer:
It is love and sympathy which has transformed Hari Singh into a respectable person.
Anil Singh’s job was to write for a magazine. His income was not regular. He led an
easy-going life. Anil can easily understand that he had been robbed when he found
the notes wet. Anil does not react but rather offers him fifty rupees in the morning.
Initially also Anil promised Hari Singh to teach him cooking as well as to write
sentences. It was thus good action of Anil that helped Hari Singh to forget about the
money and gave more importance to education.

Q.14 How did Hari Singh happen to stay with Anil? How did he stay with Anil
before he tried to rob him?
Answer:
Though Hari Singh was only fifteen years old yet he was a seasoned and successful
thief. He met Anil at a wrestling match. He decided to rob him. He got himself
introduced to Anil. He lied that he could cook. Anil allowed Hari Singh to stay with
him. He would not pay but feed him. Anil did not turn him away though he cooked
hopeless food. Anil promised to teach Hari Singh to cook as well as to write.

Due to lack of a regular income, Anil did not pay him any money. Hari Singh
prepared the morning tea. He cheated Anil in the shopping and made about a rupee
a day. Anil trusted him completely though he knew everything. It was quite difficult to
rob Anil, a trusting and careless person. Anyhow he tried to rob him because his
thievish nature urged him to do so.

Q.15 Why did. Hari Singh decide to return stolen money? What light does it
throw on his character?
Answer:
After stealing the money Hari Singh rushed to the railway station to catch 10.30
Express to Lucknow. But for some inexplicable reason he did not board the train. He
decided to return to the man whom he had robbed. He sat down in the shelter of the
Clock Tower and began to reflect upon his life. Suddenly he realised that Anil was
helping him to learn reading and writing and that could change his life once and for
all.

In his further mediation he made up his mind to return. It shows Hari Singh was
grateful to Anil for helping him learn read and write. It also shows that deep in heart
he had a- desire to change the course of his life. He wanted to give up theft and
wanted to lead a life of a respectable person.

Q.16 If you were Anil, would you have pardoned the thief? If Yes/No why?
Answer:
Once Hari Singh, a seasonal thief met Anil at a wrestling match. He gave Anil an
artificial smile and asked for work in case he could feed him. Anil agreed but, on
every purchase, Hari Singh made a profit. One day Hari Singh stole Anil’s money
which was kept-under the mattress and left for the station. But the train left. In
between, a good sense prevailed on Hari Singh. He slipped the money under the
mattress and slept.

After tea, Anil gave Hari Singh a fifty rupee not and promised to pay him regularly.
The note was still wet. Anil understood everything but did not expose the thief s
doing. If I had been Anil, I would have pardoned him and traced the reasons for his
thievish nature. I would give him an opportunity to mend his ways after serving a
warning on the thief.

Q.17 “A thief in Hari Singh changed into a good human being”. How far was
Anil’s considerate nature responsible for this transformation?
Answer:
Hari Singh was an experienced thief who had robbed many people at such a tender
age of fifteen years.’ He joined Anil as a cook with a motive of stealing money. But
Anil was a kind and considerate person. He employed Hari Singh and taught him
how to cook. He trusted him like his younger brother. He was always sympathetic
towards him. Hari Singh found it was very difficult to rob such a good human being.
He stole money but his conscience did not allow him to run away. He came back and
became a good human being. There was a change in his heart. Thus, it was Anil’s
considerate nature which was responsible for this transformation.

Q.18 What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an

education? Do they change over time? (Hint’, compare, for example, the
thought: “I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be
no limit to what I could not achieve” with this later thought: ‘Whole sentences,
I knew, cloud one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a
simple matter to steal—and sometimes just as simple to be caught. But to be a
really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else.”)
What makes him return to Anil?
Answer:
When Anil offered to educate him, he thought of it as a bright career prospect for
him. Hari knew that once he learnt to read and write, he would achieve more
because the motivation behind it was robbing people and becoming a more cunning
cheat. But soon Hari Singh’s reaction to the prospect of receiving education changed
and there was a change in his heart. Probably because he got influenced by the
calm in Anil’s life.

Now he also wanted to earn respect and developed a desire to be part of the
civilized society. Although, both of them depended on irregular sources of income,
but Anil seems to be more satisfied. This motivation was enough for him to return to
Anil.

Q.19 Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most
people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such
employers?
Answer:
Anil does not hand over the thief to the police because he realized that Hari has
already learnt a lesson and he has changed for the better now. Otherwise he would
have never put the money back in its place. Though Anil knew how Hari cheated him
of a rupee while buying the daily supplies but he never made it obvious in front of
him.

Anil wants to give Hari one more chance to mend his ways and thus forgives him.
Hari’s case is such that nobody would have forgiven him and straightway handed
him over to the police. But Anil is a little different from such employers because he is
modest in nature and does not want another person to suffer without giving him a
chance to become a better person.

Q.20 Do you think people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction, or
are there such people in real life?
Answer:
I don’t think that people like Anil and Hari Singh are found only in fiction. There are
such people in real life also. Although they are rare in today’s society but yes, they
do exist. The first reaction of people, if someone is caught stealing, is that they will
try to punish him and then hand him over to the police. But it should be realized that
humans are bound to make errors but that shouldn’t let them loose a chance to
rectify their mistake and change for good. At least a chance to reform should be
given to that person. This is the only way to bring anyone to right path rather than
punishing severely and thus making him a criminal forever.
 THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR

Q.1 Why did Fowler want to meet Ausable? Why was he disappointed?
Answer:
Fowler was a young romantic writer. He had a fine imagination about spying and
secret agents. He loved adventure and thrill. So, he wanted to meet Ausable who
was engaged in collecting sensitive information. He was disappointed after spending
a dull evening in a French music hall with a fat, sloppy man as there was nothing
mysterious or romantic about him.

Q.2 How can you show that Ausable showed great presence of mind in
situation of danger and surprise?
Answer:
Ausable showed a great presence of mind when Max pointed gun at him when he
entered note room with Fowler. Though his looks were not mysterious but with his
presence of mind he cooked up the story of non-existent balcony. Max, though
smart, was befooled by Ausable and even lost his life.

Q.3 Who actually had knocked at the door of Ausable’s room? Why did he
come there?
Answer:
Henry, the waiter was knocking at the door in hotel. Infact, Ausable had ordered for a
bottle of wine and two glasses. When there was a knock at the door he reached as if
policeman was at the door. He had come there as Ausable had ordered drinks
before coming into the room.

Q.4 Where and why did Ausable take Fowler?

Answer:
Ausable brought Fowler in his room which was on the sixth floor in a hotel. He
wanted Fowler to have some thrill and excitement as he was expecting some
important papers to be delivered there.

Q.5 For what purpose had Max entered Ausable’s room?

OR
Why and how did Max enter Ausable’s room?
Answer:
Max wanted those important papers from Ausable so he entered his room secretly
from the main door. He had managed to get the pass key to open the door.

Q.6 What story did Ausable frame about calling the police?
Answer:
As soon as there was a knock at the door, Max enquired of it. Ausable told him that
he had already informed the police to check if everything was okay at intervals
because of the important papers. Ausable told Max that they were on their duty to
check.
Q.7 How is Ausable different from other secret agents?
Answer:
Ausable is different from other secret agents in more than one way. He has a small
room in the musty corridor of a gloomy French hotel. It was the sixth and topmost
floor and it was scarcely the setting for a romantic adventure. Ausable was extremely
fat. In spite of living in Paris for over twenty years, he spoke French and German
moderately and had an American accent. Instead of getting messages slipped into
his hands by dark-eyed beauties, he got only a telephone call making an
appointment. In these ways, he was different from the conventional notion of a spy.

Q.8 Presence of mind is basically mental preparedness or the ability to think

and act wisely in a dangerous or surprising situation”. Explain/Discuss with
reference the story.
OR
“Presence of mind and intelligence are more powerful than gun”. How far is it
true in case of Ausable, the secret agent?
Answer:
Ausable did not at all have the conventional image of a secret agent. He was short
and very fat. However, Ausable had a very sharp and active mind. When he entered
his hotel room with Fowler, he found Max with a gun in his room. Max was an agent
of another organisation. Ausable, with presence of mind, invented a story of non-
existent balcony. Max was convinced about existence of balcony and this led to r his
tragic end. Ausable did not use physical strength but only his presence of mind.

Q.9 “Telling a lie is sin and killing someone is a crime”. Why then Ausable told
lies more than once and killed Max?
Answer:
Of course, morally Ausable had done wrong. But his profession allowed him to take
such steps when the security and integrity of the nation were at stake. He did not tell
lies and killed Max for his own sake but for his country. He is a true soldier to protect
the country from inside.

Q.10 “A procrastinatist is one who delays action and invites a tragedy to

happen with him”. Is Max a procrastinatist, why, why not?
Answer:
No, Max is not a procrastinatist. He did not delay the action of his own. He had to
wait until the paper he was seeking, arrived. He was overconfident and foolish
enough to be duped by Ausable so simply and easily. He believed Ausable and did
not confirm anything himself.

Q.11 What was Ausable’s problem? How did he solve it?

Answer:
Ausable was a secret agent in an organisation. He had gone out with Fowler to
spend the evening in a French music hall. When they returned to Ausable’s room in
the hotel, they found Max standing in the middle of the room. He had a revolver in
his hand. Ausable did not lose his calm. With unique presence of mind, he fabricated
a story. He said that it was the second time someone had entered his room through
the balcony under the window. Max took the concocted story as true.
Instantly, there was a knocking on the door. Max got panic stricken when Ausable
remarked that there were the police. He had requested them to provide him extra
security. Max was bewildered. He went towards the window and jumped on the non-
existing balcony from the sixth floor. Max met with his death. Thus, Ausable’s
problem was solved.

Q.12 What impression do you form of Ausable as a secret agent after reading
the story “The Mid night Visitor”?
Answer:
Ausable was a determined secret agent. He was dedicated to his work. He was agile
in action even though he was a sloppy fat man. He was sane and shrewd. Being
calm and cool headed by nature he did not lose his presence of mind when he found
Max in his room with a revolver. It was midnight. He cooked up a false story of a
balcony existing under the window just to befool the intruder.

Instantly they heard a knock at the door. Ausable remarked that the police had come
to check on him and to provide him security. Getting nervous, Max rushed towards
the window. He dropped to the balcony and fell down dead. He was patient, fearless,
courageous, ready-witted and resourceful.

Q.13 How did Max attempt but failed to acquire the secret paper from Ausable?
Answer:
Max’s organisation had ordered him to grab the secret report on missiles which the
people of Ausable’s organisation had managed to get. He used a passkey and
entered Ausable’s hotel room at midnight. He was holding a revolver in his hand
since he intended to grab the report at pistol point. Ausable invented the fake story of
a balcony extending under his window just to embarrass Max.

He remarked that it was the second time in the month that somebody had got into his
room through that’ balcony. Instantly there was a knock at the door. Ausable’s
remark that police had arrived to check on him unnerved Max.- To save his life, Max
rushed towards the window. In hot haste, Max dropped to the non-existent balcony
and met his tragic end. Thus, he failed to acquire the secret paper.

Q.14 “Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever
read.” What do secret agents in books and films look like, in your opinion?
Discuss in groups or in class some stories
or
movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their
appearance with that of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters
from fiction in languages other ‘than English. In English fiction you may have
come across Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot,
or
Miss Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)
Answer:
Secret agents in fiction are projected like ideal men, “Tall dark and handsome’. They
are usually well built and have beautiful women to accompany them. They would
always smoke pipe or cigar and do death ‘defying stunts. James Bond is a very
famous character by Ian Fleming. Movies based on James Bond show hi-tech
gizmos which assist the detective in countering villains. But there are some
exceptions as well.

There is a character named Feluda which was created by Satyajit Ray, the famous
Bangla filmmaker. Feluda despite being a strongly built man and adept in martial
arts, relies mostly upon his superb analytical ability and observation skill, mostly
referred to as the Magajastra or brain-weapon to solve cases instead of using
physical strength or weapons.

Q.15 How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony
attached to his room?
Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?
Answer:
Ausable tells Max that someone entered his room through the balcony earlier also.
He also told him that ^ he had asked police to give him protection as he had some
important papers with him. On listening this, Max became nervous and just wanted
to escape from police and as a result, without noticing, he jumped out of the window
and fell down. Ausable’s ability to think quickly and calmly in a situation of panic,
makes it convincing.

Q.16 Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought up his
plan for getting rid of Max? Do you think he had worked out his plan in detail
right from the beginning? Or did he make up a plan taking advantage of events
as they happened?
Answer:
No, I don’t think that he had worked out his plan in detail right from the very
beginning. He took advantage of the events as they happened. Ausable made a
story of the balcony outside the room and as there was a knock at the door at the
same time, he told it would be police. All these events threatened Max. He became
restless and without seeing, jumped out of the window hurriedly.

Q.17 In this story, Ausable shows great ‘presence of mind’ or the ability to
think quickly and act calmly and wisely, in a situation of danger and surprise.
Give examples from your own experience, or narrate a story, which shows
someone’s presence of mind.
Answer:
This story is in reference to the play ‘If I Were You’. Gerrard was captured by a
criminal and when he pointed a gun towards him, Gerrard treated the criminal as a
guest and trapped him in his confidence. He succeeded in making the criminal to run
away as police was behind him. He told the criminal to run I through the exit door,
which was actually a cupboard door. The criminal exited through the door and was
caught in the cupboard.
 A QUESTION OF TRUST

Q.1 What did Horace Danby hear from the doorway?

Answer:
Horace Danby heard a voice from the doorway. It was the voice of a lady. As Horace
Danby has sneezed loudly, therefore the lady asked what it was and he replied that it
was due to hay fever.

Q.2 How did the lady in red convince Horace Danby to open the lock?
Answer:
The lady told Horace Danby that she had promised her husband to take her jewels to
the hank but she left them in the safe. She had forgotten the numbers to open the
safe and wanted to wear the jewels to a party. Horace Danby believed her and
opened the safe for her.

Q. 3 Was Horace Danby a typical thief?

Answer:
Horace Danby was not a typical thief. He made locks and was successful in his
business. He loved rare and expensive books. To purchase these books, he used to
rob only one safe every year.

Q. 4 What advice did the lady give Horace Danby about his. hay fever?
Answer:
The lady advised him that he could cure his hay fever with a special treatment, if he
could find out just. what plant gave him the disease. She said sympathetically that he
had better see a doctor if he was serious about his work.

Q. 5 Why did Horace Danby feel sure of his success in that year’s robbery?
Answer:
Horace Danby felt sure of his success in that year’s robbery as he had been studying
room, paths and gardens of the house at Shot over Grange for two weeks. He knew
that the family was in London and two servants who lived in the house had gone to
watch a movie that afternoon.

Q. 6 Did Horace Danby get the jewels from the Grange safe? Then why did the
Police arrest him?
Answer:
Horace Danby did not get the jewels from the Grange safe but he was arrested by
the police as his fingerprints were traced on the lighter which he gave to the lady to
light the cigarette. He was eager to please the lady to win her favour.

Q. 7 What story did the lady tell Horace Danby to get the jewels?
Answer:
The lady made up a story that before going to London, she promised her husband to
take her jewels to their bank, but she left them there in the safe. She wished to put
on the jewels to a party that night. Above all she had forgotten the numbers to open
the safe. Thus, she convinced Horace Danby to open the safe.
Q. 8 Why was it not difficult for Horace to open the safe?
Answer:
It was not difficult for Horace Danby to open the safe because he had lived with locks
and safes all his life. The burglar alarm was poorly built. He cut the wire without any
difficulty.

Q. 9 What does the author tell us about Horace Danby’s life?

Answer:
Horace Danby was unmarried and fifty-year-old and lived with a housekeeper who
bothered about his health. He had hay fever. He made locks and was successful in
his business. He was good and respectable but not honest.

Q. 10 How often did Horace Danby commit a robbery every year? What did he
do with the stolen money?
Answer:
Horace Danby committed only one robbery every year. He was fond of collecting
rare and expensive books. He used to buy these books with stolen money through
an agent secretly.

Q. 11 Why does he steal every year?

Answer:
He used to steal every year so that he could buy the rare and expensive books that
he loved to collect. He planned meticulously before attempting a burglary, stole
enough to last twelve months and secretly bought the books through an agent.

Q. 12 Who is speaking to Horace Danby?

Answer:
A lady standing in the doorways is speaking to Horace Danby. She is young and
pretty, and is dressed in red. She said she had come just in time, or else her family
would have been robbed by Horace. She, thus, pretended to be one of the members
of the family living at Shotover Grange.

Q. 13 Who is the real culprit in the story?

Answer:
The real culprit is the woman who pretended to be a member of the family living at
Shotover Grange. She tricked Horace into believing her, and cleverly took away all
the jewels that were kept in the safe.

Q. 14 What do you think is the meaning of the phrase ‘honour among thieves?
Which of the two thieves lack the honour?
OR
Which of the two thieves lacked ‘honour’ in the story ‘A Q. of Trust’?
Answer:
“There is honour among Thieves” means that ‘dishonest people may have certain
standards of behaviour which they will respect’. The young lady pretended to be the
owner of the house and innocently asked Horace Danby to-open the safe as she
would need the jewels to wear to the party that day. Horace Danby found himself
trapped in a tricky situation and could not make out how to escape. He readily
opened the safe unwittingly leaving his fingerprints. He was arrested and nobody
believed that the lady of the house asked him to open the safe.

Q.15 At times we keep on planning things but our plans fail, we are not always
responsible for the failure. Explain with reference to the story ‘A Question of
Trust’.
OR
In the story ‘A Question of Trust’, Horace Danby carefully planned his theft,
but was outwitted by another thief‘The lady in red’. Would you agree that over
confidence may prove fatal one day? Discuss.
Answer:
It is true that we keep on planning things in our life. We wish thing would materialise
as we had planned but Man proposes God disposes. Horace Danby was a very
careful planner. He made all plans very carefully before the robbery. He drew picture
of wiring of electricity and even took every effort of befriending pets. But fate had
planned something different. Lady in red turned out to be smarter and duped him.
Horace, without any suspicion, opened the safe without gloves. This mistake landed
him in prison. So, one lesson that we learn that we should not trust anyone.

Q.16 “Lying and stealing are next door neighbours”. Comment.

Answer:
A path of truthfulness and honesty is always better than an easy path of deceit.
Horace Danby was a thief, he robbed safe every year. But, in the end he was be
fooled by another thief and was arrested by the police. Stealing or lying cannot bring
happiness or success. A truthful and honest person always leads a happy and
peaceful life. He does not have to live with any kind of guilt. Stealing or lying robs
one of peace. Those who are honest do not live a life of tension and are able to get
peace of mind too.

Q.17 Our sins never go unpunished. Horace Danby ultimately had to go to

prison. This shows that in spite of planning a crime intelligently and carefully a
criminal can’t escape the law— Explain / discuss.
Answer:
A path of truthfulness and honesty is always better than an easy path of deceit.
Horace Danby was a thief, he robbed safe every year. But, in the end he was
befooled by another thief and was arrested by the police. Stealing or lying cannot
bring happiness or success. A truthful and honest person always leads a happy and
peaceful life. He does not have to live with any kind of guilt. Stealing or lying robs
one of peace. Those who are honest do not live a life of tension and are able to get
peace of mind too.

Q.18 “Horace Danby was clever but the young woman was cleverer”. Discuss.
OR
How did the lady in red turn out to be smarter than Horace Danby?
Answer:
Horace Danby was a cleaver thief. He lived a life of a respectable and successful
businessman. He used to make locks. He was fond of rare and expensive books. He
did not have enough money to buy these books. He used to rob a safe for this once
in a year. He was very clever. He made his plan in such a way that he was never
caught. He spent a lot of time in planning his mission. He never left any sign of theft
but the lady who was another thief proved herself cleverer than Danby. She was a
great actress as well.

She pretended to be the owner of the house. She tricked Danby who opened the
safe for her and ‘handed over the jewels. Horace was so nervous that he did not
realise that he had no gloves in his hand. The lady had no tools, no gloves but
managed to rob the safe without leaving any evidence against her. Thus, we can say
that the lady was cleverer than Danby.

Q.19 Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was
not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you
realize this, and how?
Answer:
Yes, one does begin to suspect before the end of the story that the lady was not the
person Horace Danby took her to be. She was unusually calm on seeing Horace.
This seemed strange enough. When she did not call the police, and instead asked
Horace to break open the safe and take out all the jewels from it. It seemed
suspicious. Moreover, it also seemed unlikely that she would forget the code to open
the safe. Therefore, it was evident, before the story ended, that she was not the
person Horace had taken her to be.

Q.20 What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace
Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house? Why doesn’t Horace suspect
that something is wrong?
Answer:
Her confident walk, her act of touching up her make-up and the ease with which she
picks cigarette at the right place, are enough to deceive anybody. Horace was too
frightened to think properly so he didn’t suspect anything.

Q.21 “Horace Danby was good and respectable but not completely honest”.
Why do you think this description is apt for Horace? Why can’t he
be.categorized as a typical thief?
Answer:
“Horace Danby was good and respectable—but not completely honest”. This
description is apt for Horace. He was about fifty years old. He robbed only from rich
people. His purpose of stealing money was only to buy rare and expensive books.
He stole only once every year. His intention to use the booty in buying books was
good. However, the fact that he stole to achieve this intention showed that he was
not completely honest.

He cannot be categorized as a typical thief because he did not steal to eat or drink
and was not a regular offender. He did not harm anybody during the act. He had a
house. He made locks, had two people to help him, and was successful in his
business. He only stole enough money to buy the books. For a couple of days, he
even kept his promises to the lady he met at Shotover Grange by not stealing or
planning any robbery.
Q.22 Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did
he go wrong and why?
Answer:
Horace Danby failed to get enough information about real occupants of the house.
He seemed to be too occupied with collecting other little details and information
about house map, wiring and location of valuable things. Although he was smart
enough to know the dog’s actual name but overlooked getting identity of each and
every occupant of the house. Once he was in problem then probably his clever mind
gave way to carelessness leading him to open the safe without wearing gloves.

Q.23 Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished, or that he deserved
what he got?
Answer:
He deserved what he got. A crime is a crime no matter what the thief does with the
booty. Whether it is committed a hundred times or just once, or even if nobody gets
harmed still it is a punishable act.

Q.24 Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do

something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means? Do you think
that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honestly?
Answer:
“Ends do not justify means”, this is a very old saying and has been tested many a
times. Nobody should harm others for his own benefit. But this world doesn’t function
on idealism. There are many examples of people duping others for quick gains and
earning easy money. But crime is crime even if done for something good. These acts
should be deplored and dealt with severely.
 FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

Q.1 What did the scientist do when he became furious? Why were the people
in the bar horrified? What happened to the constable?
Answer:
The scientist took off his bandages and spectacles and became headless. The
people in the bar were shocked to see a headless man. Griffin hit the constable
Jaffers hard and made him senseless.

Q.2 How do you assess Griffin as a scientist?

Answer:
Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He invented some drugs and made himself as an
invisible person. But he misused his scientific discovery and became a lawless
person. Griffin was, thus not a true scientist.

Q.3 Why did the landlord want to eject Griffin? Why did Griffin set the house
on fire?
Answer:
The landlord wanted to eject Griffin from his house because his activities were
whimsical. Griffin set the house on fire to take his revenge on the landlord.

Q.4 Who was Mr Jaffers? What was his surprise?

Answer:
Mr Jaffers was a police constable. His surprise was that he was ordered to arrest a
lawless person who was totally invisible.

Q.5 Why were they surprised when they opened the room?
Answer:
Both the clergyman and his wife were surprised because the room was empty. They
searched everywhere but couldn’t find anyone. Yet the desk had been opened and
the housekeeping money was missing.

Q.6 What did the scientist do when Mrs Hall confronted him?
Answer:
When Mrs Hall confronted the scientist, he threatened her and threw off his
bandages, whiskers, spectacles, and even the nose in a minute. The people were
horrified to see the headless man.

Q.7 How did Griffin escape?

Answer:
Griffin began throwing off his bandages, whiskers, spectacles and even the nose.
Then he became even more invisible by throwing off all the garments one after
another. There followed a male and none knew where he was.

Q.8 Do you think Griffin’s discovery was of any use to humanity?

Answer:
No, Griffin’s discovery, through remarkable, was of no use to anyone except himself.
He began robbing money and other things and even assaulting people after he
became invisible.

Q.9 ‘Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was a lawless person. Does this
statement approve the apprehension that science in wrong hands is Devil’s
Pandora Box?
Answer:
Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He had discovered a rare drug that could make a
human body invisible. This made Griffin an arrogant lawless person. He broke the
law more them once but never for a good reason. He could dedicate his discovery to
his country but he didn’t do that. His lawlessness made the law helpless. All his
actions prove that science in devil’s hand is disastrous.

Q.10 ‘Griffin could use his discovery for welfare of the people but misuses it to
take revenge.’ Discuss with reference with the story Footprints without Feet.
OR
Do you think Griffin misused a scientific discovery or he took advantages of
his discovery?
OR
Griffin misused his invention, instead of using it for the betterment of the
society. Do you think moral values are important along with intellectual
abilities? Discuss.
Answer:
Griffin was a scientist who had made a discovery due to which he could be invisible.
But he was rather a lawless scientist, who misused a scientific discovery for his
petty, selfish gains. He set his landlord’s house on fire, when he asked him to vacate
it. He entered the store invisible, stole clothes and food.

At another shop, he attacked the shopkeeper from behind and ran away after
robbing his money., At Iping, he stole the clergyman’s money from his desk and hit
Mrs Hall by throwing a chair on her. He hurled blows on the police constable Mr
Jaffers and knocked him down. In this way, Griffin misused his scientific discovery
without making benefit to the mankind.

Q.11 The modem world has created great scientific inventions. But very often
these inventions are more misused than used for the benefit of man. Griffin
had made wonderful discovery; but be used it for unlawful means. Write a
paragraph on “Science is being more misused than used”.
Answer:
Science is being more misused than used. The present time is highly dependent on
science and technology. In the 21st century, survival without gadgets and electronics
is unimaginable. But there are various instances where science is being misused to
create panic and terror in the society.

Scientific experiments on various deadly disease are let out to cause mass
destruction. Technology is used more for warfare purpose, to kill and to terrorize.
The resulting products of science have been valuable to human society and have
greatly raised the quality of life. But they have also led to the growth of means to
destroy human society.

Q.12 “Scientific discoveries have made life easier but insecure.” Explain with
reference to the story ‘Footprints without Feet’ written by H.G. Wells.
Answer:
There is no doubt that scientific discoveries have made life easier. Take any sphere
of human activity, electricity, telecommunications, electronics, computer, etc, these
have totally changed man’s life. We can interact and walk on moon. Trip to Mars is
next on our agenda. We can fly like birds. Supersonic planes fly at more than the
speed of sound. Wonderful drugs can overcome deadly diseases. Surgery can
replace defective limbs.

Despite all these discoveries, human life is becoming insecure. Weapons of mass
destruction are a constant danger. The fear of chemical, or biological warfare looms
large. Diseases like AIDS and SARS can destroy human race.

Q.13 “A lawless scientist is a curse to the society.” Discuss.

Answer:
It is true, that a lawless scientist is a curse to the society. A true scientist uses his
discoveries for the good of the society and welfare of the people. It helps the nations
to progress. A lawless scientist increases the miseries and sufferings of society. In
this story, we find how Griffin misuses his discovery.

He causes pain and suffering to others. He causes destruction. Suppose the nuclear
weapons fall in the hands of a lawless scientist, he can cause widespread
destruction. He may ruin the achievements of other scientists. That’s why the leaders
of the world are worried about chemical weapons falling into the hands of lawless
heads of governments or terrorists. If this happens, all the scientists of the world will
be doomed.

Q.14 How did the invisible man first become visible?

Answer:
Griffin was completely invisible until he happened to step in some mud, which
caused him to leave footprints as he walked. Two boys noticed these footprints and
followed him as long as the prints were visible. Griffin, after getting rid of them, went
into a big London store to put on some warm clothes. After the store was shut, he
got himself dressed in an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat. He also put on a pair of
shoes. This made him visible to the people who came to work at the store the next
day.

Q.15 Why was he wandering the streets?

Answer:
Griffin was a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to get rid of him. In
revenge, Griffin set fire to his house. He had to remove his clothes to get away
without being noticed. This was why he had become a homeless wanderer—without
clothes and money.
Q.16 Why does Mrs Hall find the scientist eccentric?
Answer:
The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in itself a strange occurrence. In
addition, the stranger had an uncommon appearance. In spite of Mrs Hall’s repeated
attempts to be friendly, he would respond in a closed manner. He told her that he
had no desire to talk and wanted to live in solitude. He did not wish to be disturbed in
his work. For all these strange reasons, she regarded him as an eccentric scientist.

Q.17 What curious episode occurs in the study?

Answer:
A clergyman and his wife were awakened by some strange noises in the study very
early in the morning. Creeping downstairs, they heard the chink of money being
taken from the clergyman’s desk. He and his wife looked under the desk and behind
the curtains, and even up the chimney. There wasn’t a sign of anybody. Yet the desk
had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing.

Q.18 What other extraordinary things happened at the Inn?

Answer:
The landlord and his wife were surprised to see the door of the scientist’s room
open. Usually, it is shut and locked and Griffin becomes furious if anyone enters his
room. So, they did not want to miss this opportunity. They peeped round the door,
and finding nobody inside, decided to enter and investigate. The bedclothes were
cold, showing that the scientist must have been up for some time now. All of a
sudden Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later that hat on the bed
suddenly leapt up and dashed itself onto her face.

Then the bedroom chair became alive. Springing into the air, it charged straight at
her legs. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair
pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after
them. Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. She was, by now, convinced
that the room was haunted by spirits and the stranger had somehow caused these to
enter into the furniture.
 THE MAKING OF A SCIENTIST

Q.1 What opened the world of science for Richard Ebright?

Answer:
Ebright was encouraged by his mother. He kept on enriching his treasure of rocks,
fossils, coins and butterflies. He collected all 25 varieties. His mother bought him a
book The Travels of Monarch X. It opened a new world of science to him.
Q. 2 “Without the support and motivation of his mother, Richard Ebright would
not have been a successful scientist.” Do you agree? Elaborate.
Answer:
It is true that without the support and motivation of his mother, Richard Ebright would
not have been a successful scientist. It was his mother who recognised his driving
curiosity and bright mind. She always encouraged his interest in learning. She
organised trips for him so that he could learn more.
Q. 3 What other interests, besides science, did Richard Ebright pursue?
Answer:
Besides science, Ebright had pursued some other interests too. He was an all-
rounder. He was a champion debater, a good public speaker and a good canoeist.
He was an expert photographer too.
Q. 4 “Richard Ebright had all the ingredients required for the making of a
scientist.” Do you agree?
Answer:
Yes, I agree that Ebright had all the ingredients required for making a scientist. For
becoming a scientist, one needs to be a keen observer, thinker and hardworking
person. Scientific curiosity is the most important ingredient required in the making of
a scientist. Richard Ebright had all these elements in him right from the beginning.
Q. 5 Why did Richard Ebright give up tagging of butterflies?
Answer:
Ebright lost interest in tagging butterflies because it was tedious and there was not
much feedback. He could capture only two butterflies.
Q. 6 Why did Viceroy butterflies copy the Monarchs?
Answer:
The viceroy butterflies taste good, whereas the monarch butterflies do not taste
good. Naturally, the birds do not eat the monarch butterflies. So, in order to protect
themselves from the birds, they copy the monarchs and mislead the birds.
Q. 7 “But there was one thing I could do – collect things.” What collection did
Ebright make? When did he start making the collection?
Answer:
Ebright did not have friends when he was in Pennsylvania. He had no one to play
with. He started collecting things from his surroundings. He used to collect rocks,
fossils, coins and butterflies. He started making a collection in his childhood.
Q. 8 What was Ebright’s achievement in his senior year?
Answer:
Ebright had scientific curiosity right from the beginning. In his second grade, he had
collected all the twenty-five species of butterflies found in that area.
Q. 9 How did Ebright raise a flock of butterflies?
Answer:
When Ebright realized that butterflies could only be caught for six weeks in late
summer, he started raising them in the basement with the help of the monarch
butterflies.
Q. 10 What opened the world of science to Ebright?
Answer:
One day his mother gave him a book ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. This book was
about the migration of butterflies to central America. It opened the world of science to
Ebright.
Q. 11 How did Richard Ebright excite the world of science at the age of twenty-
two?
Answer:
At the age of twenty-two, Richard Ebright excited the scientific world with a new
theory on how cells work. Richard Ebright and his roommate explained the theory in
an article published in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’.
Q. 12 How did Ebright spend his time in Pennsylvania?
Answer:
In his childhood, in Pennsylvania, Ebright did not have friends to play with. He used
to spend his time in collecting fossils and rocks. He became an eager astronomer
too. He used his time in star-gazing all night.
Q. 13 How was Ebright as a student in the school?
Answer:
Ebright was a brilliant student. He earned top grades in his class. When he was in
second grade, he had collected all the twenty-five species of butterflies. He was a
keen learner.
Q. 14 Why did Ebright start a project of tagging the butterflies?
Answer:
Ebright used to collect different species of butterflies. He had collected all the
species of butterflies found in that area. He read the book ‘The Travels of Monarch
X’. At the end of the book, the readers were asked to help study butterflies’
migration. So, Ebright started tagging the butterflies.
Q. 15 What was Ebright’s first project in a competition? What did he learn from
his defeat?
Answer:
Ebright’s first project in a competition was in his seventh grade. His entry was slides
of frog tissues which he showed under a microscope. He did not win any prize. He
learnt that mere neat display of facts does not win a prize. One must work on real
projects.
Q. 16 What was the project of Ebright in the eighth grade? What was the
result?
Answer:
For his eighth-grade project, Ebright found the cause of a viral disease that kills all
monarch caterpillars every few years. He tried to prove this fact but could not get any
results. However, his efforts were appreciated and he won a prize.
Q. 17 What was his science fair project?
Answer:
His science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarch.
The theory was that viceroys look like monarchs to save themselves from the birds
which don’t like monarchs. So, the more they look like monarchs, the less likely they
are to become a bird’s dinner.
Q. 18 Which project led Richard Ebright towards his theory on the life of cells?
Answer:
In his second year, Ebright studied the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a
monarch pupa. He concluded that these spots were not ornamental but they
produced hormones necessary for their development. This project led him towards
his theory on the life of cells.
Q. 19 When and how did Ebright get the idea of his new theory about cell life?
Answer:
During the junior year, Ebright got the idea for his new theory about cell life. He was
looking at X-ray photos of the chemical structure of a hormone. Seeing the photos,
he believed that the photos gave him the answer to the puzzle—how the cells can
read the blueprint of its DNA.
Q. 20 Why was it a great achievement for Ebright when his article was
published in the magazine ‘The Proceedings of the National Academy of
Science’?
Answer:
It was for the first time that the article of a student was published in this important
science journal. It was like making a big league at the age of fifteen. It was indeed a
great achievement.
Q. 21 Why could Ebright not play baseball?
Answer:
Ebright could not play baseball because he was a solitary child with no companion at
home. In fact, from his early childhood, he had a driving curiosity along with a bright
mind.
Q. 22 How did Dr. Urquhart encourage Ebright through a book?
Answer:
Dr Urquhart wrote in his book a note for the readers for inviting them to tag
butterflies. Ebright started tagging the butterflies and whoever came across those
tags was requested to send them to Dr Urquhart. Thus, he learnt to take keen
interest in his job and involve other people in the projects.
Q.23 “Failure is a step towards success.” How did a failure in the first
competition help Ebright in becoming a successful scientist? What do you
learn from this?
Answer:
Richard Ebright had scientific curiosity right from his chidhood. He always spent his
time in observation of his surroundings. He was an intelligent boy having interest in
collection of fossils, rocks and other things. His mother recognised his driving
curiosity along with his bright mind. He worked hard and entered a county science
fair with a project on frog tissue. He did not win anything.
He realised that the winners should try to do real experiments. A simple and neat
display of facts does not win a prize. He failed to win a prize but this failure was a
step towards success. He was not demotivated. It was a learning for him. We should
learn from it that we should never give up and move on. After that failure, Ebright
worked on real experiment and became a successful scientist.
Q. 24 “Where there is a will, there is a way.” Ebright had a will to become a
scientist but did not have enough resources. How does will and curiosity help
us in becoming a successful person in our life? Elaborate with reference to
Ebright.
Answer.
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Ebright had a will to become a scientist but did
not have enough resources. His will and curiosity was satisfied by his mother till his
school education. He worked hard on various projects and models and won many
prizes. As a high school junior, he continued his advanced experiments on the
monarch pupa.
His hard work was rewarded and he won a prize. This gave him another chance to
work in a well-equipped advanced Army Laboratory during the summer. In his senior
year, he again got an opportunity to work at the army laboratory. Thus, he was able
to conduct many experiments. His will to work and curiosity overcame the lack of
resources and helped him in becoming a successful scientist. When we are willing to
do something, resources are automatically generated. We get help from every
corner.
Q.25 Richard did not win a prize in the competition but he did not lose hope
and continued working hard and finally succeeded and became a successful
scientist. As a student what is more important, participation in the competition
or a prize? How would you react to not winning a prize in a competition?
Answer:
Winning a prize in any competition is the most desirable thing for all of us. We want
to win as it motivates us for more hard work. But everyone cannot be the winner. For
me participating in the competition is more important than winning a prize. If one
participates in the competition and does not win a prize, it should not demotivate
one.
We should continue hard work. Richard is an example to follow. He did not win
anything at the science fair but it was a stepping stone for his success. He continued
hard work and one day became a successful scientist. As a student it is more
important for me to participate in the competition rather than craving for a prize. If I
don’t get a prize in any competition, it will not demotivate me. It will be a stepping
stone for me to move ahead.
Q.26 Curiosity and motivation are the basic foundation for becoming a
successful scientist. In addition to it what are the other values required in
becoming a successful scientist. What do you learn from
the character of Richard? Elaborate with reference to the lesson ‘The Making
of Scientist’.
Answer:
Curiosity and motivation are the basic foundation for becoming a successful
scientist. It is the urge to know more that develops scientific aptitude. One cannot be
a rational, well-informed person if one does not have curiosity to know more. One
has to think differently if one wants to do something different. Richard Ebright is an
example. At a very young age Richard Ebright was competitive. He put in extra effort
in his work. He was always curious to know more about the things around him.
In addition to curiosity and motivation, there are many other values which are
required in becoming a successful person. One has to be hardworking, sincere,
determined and patient. One should never lose hope but should be optimistic. One
must accept success and failure in the right spirit. I learn the value of curiosity, hard
work, determination and strong willpower from the life of Richard Ebright.
 THE NECKLACE
Q.1 How did the Loisels react when they realised that the necklace had been
lost?
Answer:
Matilda Loisel became very sad when they realised that the necklace had been lost.
They were sure that the loss of necklace would make their life hell because Mr Loisel
was only a petty clerk and it was very difficult for him to replace necklace of
diamond.
Q. 2 Why did Matilda not like to visit her rich friend?
Answer:
Matilda had inferiority complex. Whenever she visited her rich friend, she felt
dejected and disappointed because of her poverty. She used to compare her
lodgings to that of her friend’s. She did not have attractive dress and jewellery to
adorn herself with. That is why, she did not like to visit her rich friend.
Q. 3 Why is Matilda unhappy with her life?
Answer:
Matilda is unhappy with her life because she ceaselessly, felt herself born for all
delicacies and luxuries. The shabby walls, the worn chairs in her house tortured and
angered her.
Q. 4 Her husband is kind and loving. Do you agree? Give examples to support
your answers.
Answer:
He wants her to be happy. He spends a huge savings that he had saved for years to
buy a gun for his hobby for buying a pretty dress for his wife so that she could attend
a big party and enjoy it. When the costly necklace is lost, he spends all his savings
and even borrow to repay it. He works day and night but never creates any ruckus
with his wife.
Q. 5 What had Matilda’s husband saved the money for? Why did he then part
with his savings?
Answer:
Matilda’s husband had saved a good amount of money to buy a gun for him. But
when his wife refused to attend the party without a new dress, he had to give up
buying the gun. He used the saved four hundred francs to buy her costume.
Q. 6 What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Answer:
Matilda’s aspiration and unrealistic dreams were the cause of her ruin. She paid due
importance to materialistic things. She could have easily avoided if she had
remained within her means. She was not a practical lady and had not understood her
husband’s feelings.
Q. 7 What did Mme. Forestier tell Matilda about the reality of her Necklace?
Answer:
After having lost the borrowed necklace, Matilda replaced it with a diamond necklace
bought for thirty-six thousand francs. But Mme Forestier told her that her necklace
was false costing about 500 francs.
Q. 8 What changes came into the life of Loisels after the necklace was lost?
Answer:
They had to shift to a cheaper room and dismiss the servant. She did all the
household works and shopping by herself. She fetched water, washed the floor,
utensils and dirty clothes by herself. Matilda’s husband worked in the evening and
late at night to pay back the debt.
Q. 9 Why was Mme Forestier shocked to hear Matilda’s story?
Answer:
One Sunday, while walking, Matilda happened to see Mme Forestier. Matilda called
her, but she could not recognise Matilda because she looked much older than her
age. Mme Forestier was shocked to know that Matilda had suffered so much
worrying about losing her necklace of real diamonds, whereas it was false.
Q. 10 Do you think Matilda’s over-ambitious nature was the cause of her
miseries?
Answer:
Yes, I do think that Matilda’s overambitious nature led to her avoidable miseries. Just
to show herself a rich lady, she borrowed a necklace from her rich friend. Her
miseries started when the necklace was lost by her.
Q. 11 What kind of a person is Mme Loisel—why is she always unhappy?
Answer:
Mme. Loisel is a woman who lives in the world of dreams. She gives much value to
her dreams and hence overlooks the realities of life. That is why she is always
unhappy as dreams are a virtual reality and can’t be true.
Q. 12 What kind of a person is her husband?
Answer:
Her husband is a very simple and kind-hearted person. He is an ordinary man, who
just like others, is caring and wants his wife to be happy.
Q. 13 What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
Answer:
After buying a pretty dress, Mme Loisel was bothered by yet another problem. She
had no jewels to adorn herself with. She said she would feel inferior and have a
poverty-stricken look. Her husband -” suggested that she should wear some natural
flowers. However, she refused and said that there was nothing more humiliating than
to have a shabby air in the midst of rich women.
Q. 14 How is the problem solved?
Answer:
Mme Loisel’s husband solved this problem. He told his wife to request her friend,
Mme Forestier, to lend her some jewels. When she went to Mme Forestier, the latter
brought a jewel case for Mme Loisel so that she could choose whichever jewels she
liked.
Q. 15 What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?
Answer:
When M. and Mme Loisel realized that the necklace was missing, they tried finding
out where she could have possibly lost it. They concluded that it might have been
dropped in the cab they were travelling in. But they did not remember its number. So,
in an attempt to find the necklace, Loisel went over the track where they had walked.
When he found nothing, he went to the police and to the cab officers. He even put an
advertisement in the newspapers, offering a reward. Meanwhile, he asked Matilda to
write a letter to Mme Forestier, explaining that she had broken the clasp of the
necklace and would get it repaired and return it soon. This gave them time to find the
necklace. However, they eventually decided to replace the necklace with a new one.
Q. 16 How do they replace the Necklace?
Answer:
They decided to replace the necklace. They bought a new one for thirty-six thousand
francs. Mr Loisel had eighteen thousand francs which his father left him. He
borrowed the rest on a very high rate of interest.
Q. 17 What, was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Answer:
The cause of Matilda’s ruin was her dissatisfaction with whatever life offered her.
She was always unhappy. She felt that she was born for all the delicacies and
luxuries of life. She disliked being in her current circumstances. She could have
avoided this ruin by bringing content with whatever she had.
Q. 18 A little confession would have changed the life of Matilda. Should we
confess our mistakes courageously? Do you agree about above statement.
Answer:
Yes, a small mistake makes our life miserable and dark. People who are open-
minded and speak the truth stay much happier. A little mistake made by Matilda
changed her life completely. If Matilda had confessed that she had lost Madam
Forestier’s necklace, her life would have been different. Confession could have
brought peace of mind. Matilda would have at once come to know that necklace is
not a real but it is an imitation. Hard work which Matilda put into repay the borrowed
necklace could have been saved. We all get a very important message that we
should not delay in admitting our mistake.
Q. 19 On inability to accept our circumstances may lead to an unhappy life.
Explain with reference to the story “The Necklace”.
Answer:
We fail to recognise the situation in which we are placed but rather keep on
grumbling. We become frustrated and want our life to be different. We should accept
the life as it comes to us and should not keep on cribbing about unhappy
circumstances. As we read the story The Necklace’ we find that Matilda is not at all
happy with her husband. She had wished her life to be luxurious. It is this frustration
of hers which puts her in a fix and spoils rest of her life. She does not work for
solution but rather complicates the situation for her.
Q.20 ‘Love is blind’ is a phrase that was justified by Monsieur Loisel in the
lesson ‘The Necklace’. Substantiate the answer from the story you have read
in about 100 – 120 words.
Answer:
Monsieur Loisel’s acceptance and contentment differ considerably from Matilda’s
emotional outbursts and constant dissatisfaction, and though he never fully
understands his wife, he does his best to please her. When Monsieur Loisel tries to
appease Matilda, he does it so blindly, wanting only to make her happy. When she
declares that she cannot attend the party because she has nothing to wear, he gives
her money to purchase a dress. When she complains that she has no proper
jewellery, he urges her to visit Madame Forestier to borrow some.
Monsieur Loisel’s eagerness and willingness to please Matilda becomes his downfall
when she loses the necklace. He is the one who devises a plan for purchasing a
replacement necklace and orchestrates the loans and mortgages that help them pay
for it. Although the decision costs him ten years of hard work, he does not complain
or imagine an alternate fate. It is as if his desires do not even exist or, at the very
least, his desires are meaningless if they stand in the way of Matilda’s.
Q.21 ‘The Necklace’ reveals that vanity is an evil. It may bring joy for short
period but ultimately it leads to ruin. If you are placed in a situation similar to
that of Matilda, what would you have done? Express your views.
Answer:
No doubt, Matilda was proud and self-loving. She was very beautiful and charming
and she was proud of her beauty. Because of her beauty, she thought that she was
born in a family of clerks through the error of destiny. She felt that she was born for
all delicacies and luxuries. She also felt that she was made for expensive frocks,
jewels and other such things.
Therefore, we can conclude that Matilda was very vain and proud because of her
beauty. When we read the story, we find out that she suffered because of her vanity.
If I were placed in a situation similar to that of Matilda, I would have valued the love
of my husband. I would have not insisted on buying an expensive dress to wear to
the party. There would be no Q. of borrowing an expensive necklace from my friend.
I would have saved me and my husband from all hardships which the Loisels went
through.
Q.22 What changes came in the lifestyle of Matilda after she had lost the
necklace?
Answer:
To return the borrowed money Mr and Mrs Loisel suffered for ten long years. First,
they sent away the maid servant. Then they changed their lodging and rented some
rooms. Now Matilda learnt heavy cares of household life, she had to do the difficult
chores of her kitchen. She had to wash dishes, greasy pots and stew pans. She had
to use her rosy nails to wash the greasy pots and the bottoms of the stew pans.
She had to wash dirty clothes and to hang them on the line to dry. Then each
morning she had to take down the refuse to the street. She also had to bring up the
water for daily use. She had to stop at each landing to catch her breath. She did not
have much money so she haggled with the shopkeepers to get reduction in prices.
Once she was very beautiful and used to wear beautiful dresses. Now she seemed
old. Now she looked like a common household woman. She had badly dressed hair
and dirty dresses. Her hands were red and she spoke in a loud tone. She washed
the floors with large pail of water.
Q. 23 “At the end of the ten years, they had restored all”. What had Matilda and
her husband restored and at what cost?
Answer:
Matilda lost the necklace borrowed from her wealthy friend Mme Forestier. They
desperately tried to find out the necklace but in vain. Finally, they decided to replace
the necklace with a new one. M. Loisel spent his entire savings and even borrowed a
loan to buy the? necklace.
To repay the debt, they cut down their expenses. They sent away the maid and
reported some rooms in an attic. They cut down their expenses. M. Loisel worked
evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order, and nights he often did
copying at five sous a page. This life lasted for ten years. At the end of ten years,
they had restored all.
Q. 25 Matilda would not have suffered much if she had confessed the loss of
necklace. Do you think our mistakes become more serious if we try to cover
them?
Answer:
Yes, a small mistake makes our life miserable and dark. People who are open-
minded and speak the truth stay much happier. A little mistake made by Matilda
changed her life completely. If Matilda had confessed that she had lost Madam
Forestier’s necklace, her life would have been different.
Confession could have brought peace of mind. Matilda would have at once come to
know that necklace is not a real but it is an imitation. Hard work which Matilda put
into repay the borrowed necklace could have been saved. We all get a very
important message that we should not delay in admitting our mistake.
Q. 26 Our inability to accept our limitations may lead to an unhappy life.
Analyze with reference to the story ‘The Necklace’.
Answer:
We fail to recognise the situation in which we are placed but rather keep on
grumbling. We become frustrated and want our life to be different. We should accept
the life as it comes to us and should not keep on cribbing about unhappy
circumstances. As we read the story The Necklace’ we find that Matilda is not at all
happy with her husband. She had wished her life to be luxurious. It is this frustration
of hers which puts her in a fix and spoils rest of her life. She does not work for
solution but rather complicates the situation for her.
Q. 27 The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Answer:
The course of the Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. After replacing the lost
necklace with a new one, they had to repay all the money that they had borrowed to
buy the new necklace. They sent away the maid and changed their lodgings. They
rented some rooms in an attic. Matilda learnt the odd work of the kitchen. She
washed the dishes, soiled linen, their clothes and dishcloths.
She even took down the refuse to the street each morning and brought up the water,
stopping at each landing to catch her breath. She went to the grocer’s, the butcher’s,
and the fruiter’s, with a basket on her arm, shopping, haggling to save her money.
Loisel worked in the evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order. At
night, he did copy work at five sous a page. This lasted for ten years, and at the end
of the said period, they were finally able to repay their lenders.
Q. 28 What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend
that she had lost her necklace?
Answer:
If Matilda would have confessed to her friend she had lost her necklace, she might
have been in lesser trouble than what she had to face after having replaced the
necklace. Her friend would have definitely been angry with her. Most likely, she
would also have asked Matilda to replace it and given her the details from where she
had bought the necklace and how much it had cost her. Matilda would have thus
known that the jewels in the necklace were actually not real diamonds. It would have
cost her a far lesser amount to replace it. Matilda would thus have saved herself and
her husband of all the trouble they went through and life would have been much
better and easier for them.
Q.29 If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with
it?
Answer:
If I were caught in such a situation, I would have faced it boldly. I would have gone to
Mrs Forestier and made a confession. Confessing one’s mistake needs courage and
I would have generated that much courage to confess my mistake. It would have
saved me from the sufferings that Matilda bore for such a long time. On my
confessions, Forestier would have told me the reality of the necklace. Even if it were
genuine diamond necklace, she being my friend and rich, would have forgiven me.
Q. 30 We should be content with what life gives us.
Answer:
Yes, we should be content with what life gives us. It is never ending desire which
forces us to follow wrong path. Sometimes a person becomes dishonest to get more
in life. The desire to have more makes a person unhappy. Matilda was a victim of
such situation. Had she been content with what she had, she would not have ruined
her life.
 BHOLI
Q.1 Why was Bholi reluctant to go to school with her father?
Answer:
Bholi did not know what a school was like. She had never heard about it. When her
father held her hand and told her that they were going to school, she got frightened
fearing to be dragged out of the house. So, she was reluctant to go to school with
her father.
Q. 2 What made her feel that she is going to a better place than her home?
Answer:
Bholi never got attention before that day. She was bathed and given a clean dress.
Oil was rubbed into her dry and matted hair. This made her feel that she was going
to a better place than her home.
Q. 3 Did Bholi enjoy her first day in school? What made her happy on this very
day?
Answer:
It was a mixed day for Bholi. She was happy to see the girls of her age. She was
fascinated with the colourful pictures on the wall of the classrooms. But when the
teacher asked her name, she could not answer properly and other girls laughed at
her. She cried. But her teacher’s soft words made her happy on this very day.
Q.4 Which incident touched her heart?
Answer:
All the girls were laughing at her. The teacher called her by name in her soft and
soothing voice. This touched her heart because she had never been called in that
loving way.
Q.5 “Her heart was throbbing with a new hope and a new life”.
(i) What was the new hope and new life?
(ii) What did she relate the pictures in the school wall to?
Answer:
(i) The new hope was that she would become learned like others. People would
listen to her. She would be able to speak without stammering. Now she would not be
treated as inferior to others.
(ii) She related the pictures of the school wall with the real things around her. The
goat was black like the goat of their neighbour. The cow was just like their Lakshmi.
The horse was brown just like the Tehsildar’s horse.
Q. 6 How does she become a masterpiece?
Answer:
The teacher transformed a simpleton girl into a well-behaved and confident girl. Bholi
was a foolish and stammering girl. The teacher put in all her hard work in
transforming her into a mentally strong and well-educated girl. It was really a
masterpiece of the teacher.
Q.7 Why did Bholi look at Bishamber with cold contempt?
Answer:
Bholi looked at Bishamber with cold contempt because he had demanded 5000 to
get married to her. Bholi saw how her father got humiliated; she realised that
Bishamber was greedy and exploiting her father due to her look.
Q.8 Why did Bishamber’s marriage with Bholi not take place?
Answer:
Bishamber’s marriage with Bholi did not take place because Bholi refused to marry a
greedy man. She also realised that Bishamber was trying to exploit her father due to
her looks.
Q.9 Why did Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s proposal? Give three
reasons.
Answer:
Bholi’s parents were always worried about her marriage as she was not beautiful and
intelligent. Bishamber was wealthy and did not demand any dowry also. So, they
accepted the proposal after a little discussion.
Q. 10 Why did Bholi talk very little as a child?
Answer:
Bholi could not speak till she was five, and when at last she learnt to speak, she
stammered. The other children would make fun of her and even mimicked her. So,
she used to talk very little.
Q. 11 How did Bholi react when her father caught her by the hand to take her
to school? Why?
Answer:
When Ramlal caught Bholi by the hand to take her to school, she was frightened.
She did not know what a school was like. She thought her father was turning her out
of the house. She shouted in terror and pulled her hand away from her father’s grip.
Q. 12 What kind of a mother, do you think, Ramlal’s.wife was?
Answer:
Ramlal’s wife’was an uncaring and callous mother. She never showed the affection
to Bholi that she deserved as her child. She felt that the girl with pox-marks and lack
of sense was a burden. That’s why she sent her to school so that the teachers took
the trouble to handle the girl. Even when it was the matter of her marriage, the
mother showed no sympathy and consented to get her married to an old and lame
man.
Q. 13 Give example from the text to show that Bholi was a neglected child.
Answer:
Due to her physical appearance Bholi was neglected by her parents. New dresses
were made for her sisters; the old dresses of her sisters were passed on to her. No
one ever cared to mind or wash her clothes. She was sent to school as her mother
believed her to be a burden.
Q. 14 Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?
Answer:
Bholi’s father is worried about her as she has neither good looks nor intelligence. He
did not know how he would find a suitable groom for her.
Q. 15 For what unusual reasons is Bholi sent to school?
Answer:
Bholi is sent to school because there is little chance of her getting married because
of her ugly face and lack of sense. Also, her father has to send her to school as the
village headman has commanded him to do so.
Q. 16 Does Bholi enjoy her first day at school?
Answer:
Yes, Bholi enjoys her first day at school as she was glad to find so many girls almost
of her own age present there. She hoped that one of these girls might become her
friend.
Q. 17 Does she find her teacher different from the people at home?
Answer:
Yes, she finds her teacher different from the people at home as the teacher was
affectionate, polite and this touched her heart.
Q. 18 Why do Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal?
Answer:
Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal because if they don’t accept
it, she would not be married for the rest of her life.
Q. 19 Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her
feel that she was going to a better place than her home?
Answer:
Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. She remembered how their
old cow, Lakshmi, had been turned out of the house and sold. When she got a clean
dress, was bathed and her hair was properly done with oil, only then she felt that she
was going to a better place than her home.
Q. 20 How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of
her life?
Answer:
Bholi’s teacher played an important role in changing the course of her life. She was
polite and friendly which touched her heart. She encouraged her every time and was
affectionate towards her. The teacher transformed her into a confident person who
could read, write and speak clearly. This gave her the required confidence.
Moreover, teacher’s appreciation and encouragement helped her overcome her own
morale.
Q. 21 Do you think the characters in the story were speaking to each other in
English? If not, in which language were they speaking?  (You can get clues
from the names of the persons and the non-English words used in the story.)
Answer:
No the characters in the story do not speak English. Their original language in Hindi.
They use words like Pitaji, Izzat, Tehsildar, etc.
Q.22 “Put the fear out of your heart and you will be able to speak like anyone
else.” These words of encouragement from the teacher highlight that change
of social attitude and encouragement can help a child like Bholi to become
confident and face the world bravely. With reference. to the story ‘Bholi’ write
how the social attitude towards Bholi made her an introvert. What should be
done to help such children to face the world bravely?
Answer:
Bholi was neglected by her parents on account of her looks and lack of intelligence.
She used to stammer so the other children made fun of her and mimicked her. As a
result, she talked very little. It was a daunting task for the teacher to encourage
Bholi. The teacher talked to her affectionately and friendly. She assured her if she
put the fear out of her heart and she would be able to speak like anyone else.
Through the efforts of years Bholi became a transferred personality. She refused to
marry a greedy man who was trying to exploit her father due to her looks. Such
children should be constantly encouraged by the parents, teachers and even by the
other relations. They must be taught to fight back their handicaps rather to accept it
as facts.
Q. 23 What social attitudes are presented in the story, ‘Bholi’? How does
Bholi’s teacher help her overcome these barriers?
OR
God created this world but teachers create human beings. How does Bholi’s
teacher succeed in changing the course of her life?
Answer:
Bholi was neglected by her parents on account of her looks and lack of intelligence.
She was sent to school as her mother thought her to be a burden and let the
teachers at school worry about her. Ironically, the teachers transformed her life
completely. God created this world but teachers create human beings.
Bholi did not know what exactly a school was and what happened there, in the class
when her teacher asked her name, she stammered and began to cry. She kept her
head down throughout the class. The teacher was very encouraging and friendly to
her and this made her gain confidence to speak.
She started seeing a ray of hope for a new life. After years of gaining education and
with the help of her teacher, Bholi turned into a confident girl. She no longer
stammered and could speak properly. She even had the courage to refuse marrying
the lame old man because he was greedy and asked money from her father to marry
her.
Q. 24 “Don’t you worry, Pitajil In your old age I will serve you and mother”.
Through this statement the narrator wants to highlight the moral values Bholi
imbibed with. Based on the reading of the lesson, what made Bholi aware of
her rights and how did she use them?
Answer:
Bholi became an introvert child who lacked confidence. She was neglected and even
made fun of due to her appearance and lack of intelligence. Years of education
made her bold and confident. She got an aim in her life. When she refused to marry
greedy Bishamber, her father became worried. She assured her father not to worry
and promised that she would take care of him and her mother in their old age.
She said that she would teach in the school where she learnt so much. During her
education Bholi’s teacher made her aware of her rights as well as duties. She faced
the challenge of rejecting greedy Bishamber with determination and confidence.
Thus, she protected her self-respect and integrity.
Q. 25 Education is always a great asset in the life of a woman. How did Bholi,
an educated girl free the challenge posed by Bishamber’s greed?
OR
School education turned Bholi from a dumb cow into a bold girl. How did she
save her father from a huge expense and become his support in his old age?
Answer:
Ironically, Bholi was sent to school as her mother believed she was a burden and let
the teachers at the school worry for her. The teacher showed affection and
encouraged her to shed her fear. She was assured by her teacher that she would
speak like others one day.
Years of hard work transformed Bholi into a bold and confident young woman.
Bishamber refused to marry Bholi due to her appearance and demanded five
thousand rupees. Bholi saw how her father was humiliated for no reason. She
refused to marry a greedy, mean and contemptible coward. She assured her father
that she would serve him and her mother in their old age. She had a mission in her
life; she would spread the light of education in her village.
Q.26 Write a character sketch of Sulekha.
OR
On the basis of your understanding of the story, sketch the character of Bholi.
OR
Write a character sketch of Bholi.
“Bholi’s whole personality underwent a complete transformation towards the
end of the story”. Explain.
Answer:
Bholi’s real name was Sulekha but she was called Bholi, the simpleton as she was a
backward child. She started speaking only when she turned five but she stammered
when she spoke and as a result she was always mimicked or made fun of by the
other children. Therefore, Bholi talked very little.
Bholi did not know what exactly a school was and what happened there, in the class
when her teacher asked her name, she stammered and began to cry. She kept her
head down throughout the class. The teacher was very encouraging and friendly to
her and this made her gain confidence to speak. She started seeing a ray of hope for
a new life.
After years of gaining education and with the help of her teacher, Bholi turned into a
confident girl. She no longer stammered and could speak properly. She even had the
courage to refuse marrying the lame old man because he was greedy and asked
money from her father to marry her. On seeing her father worried about her
marriage, she said that he need not worry as she would teach in the same school
where she learnt so much and would take care of him and her mother in their old
age.
Q. 27 “Dowry is a negation of the girl’s dignity”. Explain this statement in the
light of the story of ‘Bholi’.
Answer:
Initially Bishamber did not demand dowry to get married to Bholi. He was a widower,
having children and of the age of Ramlal. But during the marriage ceremony he
happened to see the face of Bholi. He bargains if he was given five thousand rupees,
he will marry the girl. Bholi’s father Ramlal placed his turban at his feet but he
refused.
A girl is considered a liability in her own natal home due to prevalence of the custom
of dowry practice. Some parents are unwilling to give higher education to their
daughter as they have to search for ‘highly educated boy for marriages and a better
educated boy will demand more dowry which creates unnecessary problefn, for
parents.
Besides, the boy who receives huge amount of dowry may think of himself as more
dignified as having a higher status, greater prestige and more respectful than the girl.
Subsequently the girl develops inferiority complex. Fortunately, Bholi refuses to
marry greedy Bishamber and decides to serve her parents instead in their old age. ‘
Q.28 How did the teacher encourage Bholi on her first day in school?
OR
On the basis of your understanding of the story, describe the role played by
the teacher in the life of Bholi.
OR
What values did the teacher display in transforming Bholi into a confident girl?
Answer:
Bholi was neglected by her parents on account of her looks and lack of intelligence.
She was sent to school as her mother thought her to be a burden and let the teacher
at school worry about her. The teacher in the school asked her to tell her name. She
stammered -and began to cry.
The teacher showed her affection and encouraged her in a friendly manner to put
aside her fear. Bholi somehow told her name. The teacher assured her that she
would be able £o speak like everyone else one day. Bholi was surprised. The
teacher asked her to come to school regularly. Love and encouragement shown by
the teacher brought out drastic changes in Bholi’s personality. Within a few years
she became so confident that she refused to marry a greedy man.
Q.29 ‘Love and encouragement make the impossible possible. Explain this
statement on the basis of the story ‘Bholi’.
Answer:
Bholi was sent to school as her mother thought her to be a burden. She was
neglected by her parents as she was not beautiful and lacked intelligence. The
teacher in the school asked her to tell her name. She stammered and began to cry.
The teacher showed her affection and encouraged her in a friendly manner to put
aside her fear.
Bholi somehow told her name. Bholi was surprised. The teacher asked her to come
to school regularly. Love and encouragement shown by the teacher brought out
drastic changes in Bholi’s personality. Within a few years she became so confident
that she refused to marry a greedy man.
Q. 30 No one is always foolish. Time and circumstances give us intelligence
and change out. personality. Explain with reference to ‘Bholi’.
Answer:
Yes, it is quite right that no one is always foolish. Time decides everything. Our
maturity and knowledge depend on our experience. Experience is always based on
circumstances. Time and experiences teach us different things and make life perfect.
Without experience or practical knowledge all bookish knowledge is in vain. It is
never used. There are many such examples in our real life that prove this statement
correct. Here I would like to share my own experience about a very simple doctor.
He started his practice very slow in a poor area. Many famous doctors made fun of
him. Time passed and gradually he became famous in the neighbouring areas. His
treatment was not so costly. Once a very serious accident occurred near his hospital
and the people brought the injured person to a costly hospital.
But his condition was very serious and the doctor refused to admit him. Then that
doctor took the case and tried his best to save him. At last, he succeeded. All were
surprised to see and listen to it.
Q. 31 Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later
reject the marriage? What does this tell us about her?
Answer:
This is a normal practice in India that girls seldom oppose their parent’s choice for a
groom. The upbringing of daughters does a kind of mental conditioning which
doesn’t give them enough courage to rebel against their parent’s wish. Bholi more or
less followed the tradition of being an ideal Indian girl, and agreed to an unequal
match because her mother felt she was lucky to get a well-to-do groom who owned a
big shop, had a house of his own and had several thousands in the bank. Moreover,
he was not asking for any dowry.
Bholi also heard her mother saying that he did not know about her pox-marks and
her lack of sense. If the proposal was not accepted, she might remain unmarried all
her life. Later on, when the groom bared his greed to everyone, it repulsed Bholi and
she opposed the marriage. Unlike her sisters, Bholi is educated and has a mind of
her own. She is as independent as any other modern girl of a big city.
On seeing her father pleading and getting humiliated, she decided not to marry him.
This tells us that she loves and respects her parents, has self-respect and knows
what is right or wrong and is able to take a wise decision.
Q.32 Bholi’s teacher helped her overcome social harries by encouraging and
motivating her. How do you think you can contribute towards changing the
social attitudes illustrated in this story?
Answer:
Bholi’s teacher helped her overcome social barriers by motivating and encouraging
her. The same act can be performed by the young generation too. If, we the new
generation, identify the social evils, like corruption, dowry, child marriage,
unemployment, poverty, gender discrimination and decide to fight against them; it
will revolutionise the system. Thus, we can remove all the above-mentioned evils
from the society.
Q.33 Should girls be aware of their rights, and assert them? Should girls and
boys have the same rights, duties and privileges? What are some of the ways
in which society treats them differently? When we speak of ‘human rights’, do
we differentiate between girls’ and boys’ rights?
Answer:
Yes, girls should be aware of their rights and assert them. The girls and boys should
have the same rights. There should not be any gender discrimination. But, even
today girls are deprived of education, nourishment in food in comparison to boys. No
doubt that in rural India there is still a gender bias but the new generation is aware of
it. There should be no differentiation in terms of human rights between girls’ rights
and boys’ rights.
 THE BOOK THAT SAVED THE EARTH
Q.1 What was Oop’s opinion about the ‘sandwiches’ he had eaten?
Answer:
Oop was forced to eat ‘sandwiches’ and he made terrible faces while chewing. He
said that it was not delicious; rather as dry as Martian dust. He remarked that he
could not understand how the Earthlings could get those ‘sandwiches’ down without
water.
Q. 2 What was Noodle’s version to describe the so-called ‘sandwich’?
Answer:
Noodle hesitantly told Think-Tank that he had ‘insignificant’ information about those
‘sandwiches. He informed him that he had seen surveyor films of those sandwiches.
He had noticed that the Earthlings did not eat them. They used them as some sort of
communication devices.
Q. 3 Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the Book?
Answer:
The twentieth century was often called the Era of the book as there were books
about everything. Books taught people how, when, where, and why of everything.
They illustrated, educated, punctuated, and even decorated.
Q. 4 How Does Think-Tank compare the Martians with the people on Earth?
What does he call the Earth mockingly?
Answer:
Think-Tank considers earth ‘a ridiculous little planet’ ariel intends to put it under his
generous rulership. He feels the earth is actually an unimportant place where ugly
earthlings, with their tiny heads, reside. He believes the Martians to be a superior
race. He mockingly calls the earth ‘Primitive ball of mud’.
Q. 5 What saved the Earth? How?
Answer:
One dusty old book of nursery rhymes saved the earth from a Martian invasion. The
Martian could not decipher the meaning of nursery rhymes. Their misinterpretation
made the situation comical. They began to believe that the Earthlings had advance
technology and were planning to invade the Mars. They called off their mission and
even left the Mars isolated to escape to a far-off planet.
Q. 6 What guesses are made by Think-Tank about the books found on Earth?
Answer:
Think Tank first of all announced that the books found on the Earth were sandwiches
and to confirm it he forced Oop to eat them. Later on, Noodle shared his observation
and he declared that he was about to say the same thing. Now he announced that
those books were a sort of communication devices.
Q. 7 Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his
mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
Answer:
Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank very meticulously. He never disagrees with his
opinion but he does not miss any opportunity to put forward his suggestions no
matter even if he does it hesitantly. He always shows admiration to Think-Tank’s
intelligence. He never puts himself into the conflicting ideas from his boss.
Q. 8 How did the book change Think-Tank’s opinion about the Earthlings?
Answer:
Think-Tank used to believe that the Martian was a superior race to the Earthlings.
But after cracking the so-called code of an old nursery rhyme book, he changed his
view about the Earthlings. He now thought that the Earthlings has reached a high
level of civilization and planning to invade the Mars. It made him call off his mission.
Q. 9 What does Think-Tank infer on listening to the nursery rhyme, ‘Hey diddle
diddle ….’?
Answer:
On listening to the nursery rhyme, ‘Hey diddle diddle…’, Think – Tank inferred that
the Earthlings had reached a high level of civilization. It was alarming that they had
taught their domesticated animals’ musical cultures and space technique. He
announced that even their dogs had a sense of humour.’ He believed that the
Earthlings could launch an interplanetary attack of millions of cows any time soon.
Q. 10 What does Noodle tell Think-Tank about the books?
Answer:
Noodle hesitantly informs Think-Tank that the books were a sort of communication
device. He said that he had seen surveyor films of those ‘sandwiches’. He had
noticed that the Earthlings did not eat them. They used them as sort of
communication device.
Q. 11 How did the relations between the Earthlings and the Martians improve
in the twenty-fifth century?
Answer:
Think-Tank attempted an invasion on the earth but got so frightened that he had to
leave the Mars. He was replaced by Noodle. Noddle was an intelligent and wonderful
person. The Earthlings resumed contact with the Martian. They became friendly and
taught the Martians how to read. The Earthlings established a model library in their
capital city of Marsopolis.
Q. 12 Who is Think – Tank? How did Noodle address him?
Answer:
Think-Tank is the ruler of Mars. Noodle addressed him, “O Great and Mighty Think-
Tank, Ruler of Mars and her two moons, most powerful and intelligent creature in the
whole universe.
Q. 13 What was the book about? How did Think-Tank interpret the rhymes?
Answer:
They were reading the rhymes book named Mother Goose. When captain Omega
and her team were reading and enjoying the rhymes, Think-Tank interpreted them in
a different way. He concluded that he was being attacked. He at once asked his
people to come back. He decided to evacuate the entire planet of Mars.
Q. 14 What did Think-Tank intend to do?
Answer:
Think-Tank intended to invade the earth. He wanted to control the earth and put it
under his rulership.
Q. 15 What did Noodle suggest about the book?
Answer:
Noodle suggested that the book was not a sandwich, it was some device used for
communication. Later on, he suggested that the team should eat vitamins to
increase their intelligence so that they could read them.
Q. 16 Where did Captain Omega reach with her team?
Answer:
Captain Omega landed on the earth with her team. They found themselves in the
Centerville Public Library amidst thousands of books. They thought they were in
some sort of storage bam.
Q. 18 Half knowledge is dangerous. It never helps to achieve success. Discuss
how incomplete knowledge can lead to disaster in reference to the lesson “The
Book That Saved the Earth’.
Answer:
It is a fact that incomplete knowledge can lead to disaster. Suppose we sit to work on
a satellite and able to command only half of the instructions. In that case things
would fail and cause disaster. Half knowledge is dangerous and never helps to
achieve success. If we are able to apply knowledge fully to any kind of task, we can
have self-contentment.
We read in the lesson “The Book That Saved the Earth” that the Martians had to
suffer. They had the mission to invade the earth but due to incomplete knowledge
they misinterpreted the nursery rhyme book.
Q.19 Rushing to conclusion without going into details may lead to chaos and
failure. Elaborate this with reference to the Martian invasion in the chapter ‘The
Book That Saved the Earth’.
Answer:
The Martians were very proud of themselves. Great and mighty Think-Thank
regarded as the ruler of Mars was always caught in self-praise. He had a quick mind
and wishes to attack the earth in a great hurry. Martians misinterpreted the signals
received from earthlings’ book of nursery rhymes and fled away. If they had planned
the things decisively things would have been different. In any kind of situation rash
decisions would never give results. It is only through knowledge, perseverance.
Q.20 It is morally incorrect to invade another country/ planet for one’s own
benefit. The Martians did not understand the value of peaceful coexistence.
How did the book of nursery rhyme save the Earth from the Martian invasion?
Answer:
Great and Mighty Think-Tank believed that the Martians were a superior race so they
must invade and put the earth under his generous rulership. He scornfully called the
Earth ‘primitive ball of mud’. The Martians did not understand the value of peaceful
coexistence and sent a mission to invade the earth. The crew landed in a library and
could not make out what the books actually were. It was believed – that the books
were a sort of communications device.
Think-Tank asked the member to decipher the code of the ‘sandwiches’. The nursery
rhymes were totally misinterpreted and it was believed that the Earthlings had
developed an advance civilization and were planning to invade the Mars. The
mission was called off and the Martians escaped to a remote place to save their
lives. Thus, the books saved the earth.
Q.21 How do the three nursery rhymes frighten Think-Tank in the play, ‘The
Book That Saved the Earth’?
Answer:
The rhyme ‘Mistress Mary, quite contrary makes Think-Tank believe that the
Earthlings have discovered how to combine agriculture and mining. He thinks that
they can grow explosives. The rhyme ‘Hey diddle diddle’, makes him conclude that
the Earthlings have reached a high level of civilization: even their animals have
musical culture and know space techniques.
He fears that at that very moment, the Earthlings might be launching an
interplanetary attack of millions of cows. Oop reads the rhyme. ‘Humpty Dumpty’ and
shows him a picture of Humpty Dumpty. Think-Tank concludes that it is his picture
and the Earthlings are planning to invade Mars.
Q.22 How did one old book of nursery rhymes save the world from a Martian
invasion?
OR
Who tried to invade the earth in the twenty first century and what saved it?
Answer:
The Martians sent a mission to invade the earth. The crew landed in a library and
could not make out what the books actually were. It was believed that the books
were a sort of communication device. Think-Tank asked the members to decipher
the code of the ‘sandwiches’. The nursery rhymes were totally misinterpreted and it
was believed that the Earthlings had developed an advance civilization and mission
was called off and the Martians escaped to a remote place to save their lives. Thus,
the books saved the Earth.
Q.23 What is Think-Tank’s opinion about the Earth?
Answer:
Think-Tank called the Earth a ridiculous little planet and showed his wish to put it
under his generous rulership. The planet Earth was insignificant to him. He believed
that the Martians were the most handsome race. He referred to the people of the
Earth as Earthlings and mocked their tiny heads.
He showed his desire to invade ‘primitive ball of mud’ called Earth before lunch. But
after misinterpreting the book of nursery rhymes, he began to believe that the
earthlings had developed a more advanced civilization and were even planning to
invade the Mars.
Q.24 Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his
mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
Answer:
Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank, but at the same time, he very cleverly tries to
correct his mistakes also. Whenever Noodle had to say something contrary to what
Think-Tank said, he would present his thoughts by referring to them as being of no
particular importance. In this way he would correct Think- Tank’s errors without
making him feel that he was being corrected. Noodle appears to be quite an expert
in handling these kinds of people.
Q. 25 Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion? Which is your
favorite book and why? Write a paragraph about that book.
Answer:
Books are known to be as man’s best companion. They can make us mentally
strong, improve our vocabulary and enhance the horizon of our knowledge. Books
can be our guide and best friend. I love to read books, especially the ones that have
children as their main characters and the story highlights their psychology and how
innocent the children could be.
One such book in Malgudi Days written by a very renowned author R K Narayan. I
love this book because the story revolves around the children. The way child’s
psychology has been depicted in this book is what gives me pleasure while reading
this book.
Q.26 In what ways does Think-Tank misinterpret innocent nursery rhymes as
threats to the Martians? Can you think of any incidents where you
misinterpreted a word or an action? How did you resolve the
misunderstanding?
Answer:
Think-Tank misinterprets innocent rhymes. He just takes that verbal meaning of the
rhymes. He does not bother to go into the depth. It always happens. If we do not try
to understand the context in which the words have been used, we shall commit
mistakes as Think-Tank has done. I misinterpreted once a word ‘helping’. I took its
simple meaning that is to do something in the favour of a person. I resolved this
misunderstanding with the help of a dictionary. I found that its meaning is a part of
food also.
Q. 27 The aliens in this play speak English. Do you think this is their
language? What could be the language of the aliens?
Answer:
I don’t think English is their language. Had English been their language, they would
have easily understood the book. Their language could be something else. They
must be using language which is completely different from any language of this
planet earth.
 GRAMMAR
DIRECT & INDIRECT SPEECH

CHART -1

CHART-3
 MODAL VERBS

TENSE (CHART-1)
TENSE (CHART-2)
 ALL THE BEST, CHAMPS!
AMIT KUMAR
ENGLISH EDUCATOR