Eng Literature Class 8

ICSE EDITION
NEW
ENGLISH COURSE
COURSEBOOK 8
ASHIMA BATH
SASWATI DASGUPTA
Consulting Editor:
ANAHITA LEE
CB 8_prelim.indd 1 31/08/17 4:08 PM

3
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© Oxford University Press 2011, 2015, 2018
The moral rights of the author/s have been asserted.
First Edition published in 2011

Second Edition published in 2015
This New ICSE Edition published in 2018
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New Mulberry English Course
New Mulberry English Course is an easy-to-use integrated language and literature course.
With grammar at its core, the course is based on sound language learning principles,
literary content, multicultural themes and inclusive learning. This new edition is completely
aligned to the ICSE curriculum released in November 2016. The reading passages and the
tasks have been carefully chosen to attain the learning outcomes defined in the curriculum,
employing the suggested transactional processes and learning resources.
Features of the ICSE Curriculum

Theme-based selections Child-centred approach
• Selections curated from the ICSE reading • Course designed so as to develop skills
list and aligned to the interdisciplinary required by the learners at each level
themes recommended by the ICSE • Progresses from immediate to external
curriculum environment, simple to complex, familiar
to unfamiliar
Spiralling
Variety of learning
• Topics are carefully graded to provide experiences
a spiral of cumulative learning
• Wide range of tasks, such as projects,
interviews, presentation, reports, posters etc.
Integration
• Learning is linked across various subject

Inclusivity
areas through activities and projects
• Caters to different learning styles

Social-constructivist • Based on Howard Gardner’s theory of
approach Multiple Intelligences
• Promotes inclusivity and respect for all
• Projects involve learning by doing
• Research-based tasks
Contextualization
Life skills
• Universal themes, relevant to the learners
• Integrated life skills such as communication, • Content provides the flexibility to be
critical thinking, caring, self-awareness adapted to individual’s needs

Course Features
Areal—
Workbooks Digital
Coursebooks Classes 1–8 support
Primers A & B • ICSE based grammar and writing for students
Classes 1–8 • Multiple Intelligence based writing tasks • Animation
• ICSE recommended • Life skills • Audio
selections—prose, poetry,
• Intercurricular projects • Interactivities
drama and graphic stories
• Special grammar revision • Slide shows
• ICSE curriculum suggested
• Video
vocabulary, grammar, writing,
and listening and speaking Teacher’s
tasks Resource Packs
Oxford Educate—
• Interdisciplinary integrate Digital support for Primers A & B
section teachers Classes 1–8
• Intercurricular projects • Animation and audio • Teacher’s Resource
• Life skills Books
• Interactivities and slide
• Posters that explore the shows • Audio CD
elements of a story • Video and worksheets • Oxford Educate
• Special grammar revision and Test Generator
• Lesson plans
• Answer keys
• Test Generator
Life Skills are Intercurricular

categorized as Logic projects and the integrate
communication, sections blend language GK Math Science
logic and emotion to learning with other

Emotion subjects such as GK,
encourage learning
beyond math, science and
Social Extracurricular
the book. social science. science activities
Communication
The course content

takes into account
Intrapersonal Interpersonal Visual-spatial Musical
Dr Howard Gardner’s
theory of Multiple
Intelligences that
includes a focus
on eight skills. Linguistic Math-logical Kinaesthetic Naturalistic

Coursebook Structure
Each coursebook has selections from a variety of genres
poems,
The Mira
prose units.
cle and one graphic story, based on the a.b.ICSE
one play
Reference andto contextare organized into ten prose, six
Who begansyllabus.
wanting books? 4
Six of the twelve are new
3. At the age of four, she naturally began wanting books.
What could she do before the age of four?

c. How did she read the only book in the house?
‘I loved it,’ she said to Mrs Phelps. ‘Could4.youI’m wondering what to read next,’ said Matilda.
choose another for me?’ a. Where was Matilda?
b. Why was she wondering what to read next?
With Mrs Phelps help, Matilda read lots and lots
c. Who helped her choose another book?
Spot the not. Which of the following statements are not true? of famous books. Ruskin Bond is one of India’s most loved children’s authors. He lives in Mussoorie.
• Theobroma means food of the gods in Greek.
Cocoa is made from the seeds of the Theobroma Cacao tree.
‘Some writers say a lot ofin things Read, ref lect and write
He has written over 500 short stories and essays. Many of his stories are about his life
I don’t
• The majority of the world’s cocoa beans come from Africa. the hill stations
understand,’ Matilda saidthattoa great
Mrsbook
where he grew up. He says book readers are special people and
Phelps. 5. Whyc. A do
is like a friend. you think the children’ About
a lot. s books were on the lower shelves of the library? the author gives
• Cocoa is used to make white chocolate. person who reads
information about the lives
• The Swiss eat the most chocolate. 6. What
‘A good writer will always make you feel that,’ Mrs did Matilda do whenever she visited the library?
book
• 7. How
Phelps said. ‘Don’t worry about the bits you d. A did
can’t
understand. Sit back and allow the words8.toThwash
bookMrs Phelpspages
of blank help in
Matilda
whichbecome
e story tells us that through the
we draw.a better reader? and works of authors.
stories she read, Matilda travelled all over the world
book
around you, like music.’ while sitting in her little room in a village. How can we travel through a story?
e. A book of lined pages in which we write.
Charlie Bucket Like to + action word
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about an eleven year old boy named
Warm-up gets
who lives in a small house with his parents and four grandparents. Willy Wonka,
‘Did you know,’ said Mrs Phelps, ‘that libraries
a rather Integrate book
do + not = don’t
ndallow
the you to borrow books and take them home?’
We use f.likeAtobook
+ action
used word
for thetostudy
talk or
ofwrite about things we
a subject.
learners ready
strange chocolatier, has hidden fi ve golden tickets in chocolate bars. Th ose who fi Todoing.
print books, we use machines called printing presses. The printing = doesn’t
+ notwas
doespress invented
IN-TEXT QUESTIONS
Four enjoy
tickets win a visit to the chocolate factory and get a lifelong supply of chocolate. ‘I didn’t know that,’ said Matilda. by a man named Johannes Gutenberg. bookLook around you and write down the names of
for learning.
tickets have been found. Now let’s read what happens when Charlie tries for the last ticket Wemachines
useg.don’t like toyou
that
A book of+recipes.
action wordeveryday
use in your for thingslife.
weFind
do not
outenjoy
who doing.
invented these machines. Share
Heidi looked carefully round the room, and asked, ‘Where am I
with a few coins that he has. From then on,
Reference to Matilda
contextwould visit the library only once a week in order to take out new books
the information with your classmates. book Integrate section
and return the old ones.the Her own small bedroom now became her reading-room. Through I the
to sleep, grandfather?’ harlie entered the shop and laid the counter. I
suggests intercurricular
C
ftyofpence
At the fiage
3. damp onnaturally
four, she began wanting books. h. A book of blank pages for sticking cuttings, drawings, or pictures in.
a. Who began wanting books?
You
stories she read, Matilda travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in a village. tells us that
Which wordhow WORDlikeWALL You
don’t
In-text questions ‘One Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight,’ he said, remembering
b. What could she do before the ageHeidi is happy?
of four?
We to exercise book We
activities related to the
Wherever you like,’ hemuch
answered.
he had loved the one he had on his c.birthday.
Extract taken from
ThMatilda
ey every day.
story, find words opposite ineymeaning to the like
Th
to eat junk food.
comprise factual, How did she read the only book in the house?
MAKING
2. From
Be a book CONNECTIONS
the detective
to read books.
words given below.
to tell lies. chapter.
The man behind the counter looked fat4. and I’mwell-fed.
wondering what to read next,’ said Matilda. to sleep late.
Heidi began to exploreHeall inferential
hadthe nooks
big lips
and
and and
and fat cheeks corners fatto
a very a. find
neck.
Air Force. out
Roald
Where Dahl
was (1916—1990) was a British writer and a poet. He was also a pilot in the
Matilda?
He once said, ‘If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face 1. Choosea.the likes
right
a.Awith
to plant
1.HeUse the clues given
answer.
faults b. cold
trees.
below to complete
and Hethe ‘book’
uncomfortable c.
words.
started
doesn’t d. dull e. disliked
piece of furniture with shelves toShe
hold books.
his questions
She
vocabulary
where it would be pleasantest
Th e fat aroundtolikesleep.
b. Whylikewas
neck bulged out all around the 1 she wondering what to read next?
sunbeams and you will always look lovely.’ a. The poet knows that dinosaurs were very large because
c. Who helped her choose another book? i. hebook
of his collarto
toprelated the text.
a rubber ring. He turned and has one in his garage.
ii. b.heA piece
has beenoftold
thick paper
they that
were Grammar time
big.we put between the pages of a
reached behind him for the chocolate bar, andref then
Read,
In the corner, near her grandfather’s bed, she saw a short ladder against the wall. She climbed lect and write GRAMMAR
2. Complete
iii. hebook to help
has seen TIME
the following
the us
sentences using your own ideas.
go toone.
biggest that page again quickly.
he turned back again and handed it to Charlie.
5. MAKING
Why do you think CONNECTIONS
the children’s books were on the lower shelves of the library?
a. I like to
b. The parts bookof the dinosaur described in the poem are introduces grammar topics
up and found herself in the hayloft . There lay a large heap of fresh sweet-smelling hay, while
3
Charlie grabbed it, quickly tore off the wrapper and took
6. What did Matilda do whenever she visited the library?
b.i. Ieyes,
Going don’tlegs,
tolike to
+stomach
action and word neck. that are based on the
an enormous bite. Then he took another Quick … and another c.ii. My friends
eyes, stomachlikeand
to neck.
through a round window in the wall she could see right down the valley. 27. How did of
answers
Mrs Phelps help Matilda become a better reader? Read these sentences. ICSE
45 syllabus.
… and oh, the joy of being able to cram large pieces d.
iii. My friends
eyes, don’t
stomach, like
back to
and neck.
➤ Matilda is going to borrow books from the library.
8.1. ThThe story
e peopletellsin
usathat
storythrough the stories
are called she read,
characters. Name Matilda travelled allwe
four characters over c.ine.
theabout
read world Th eMy
this poet wouldlikes to
story.
teacher
➤ Mrs Phelps is going to give Matilda a new book.
I shall sleep up here, grandfather,’ she called down to him, ‘It’s lovely, up here. Will you bring
MB3 Chapter 3.indd 45 7/21/17 9:32 PM
1 2. while
bulged: stuck out in a round shape cram: push or force
2
Write
into sitting
a smalltruein(T)
space her or
little room
false (F)infor
a village. How can given
the sentences we travel through a story?
below. f. i. My
liketeacher
to see adoesn’t
dinosaur.
like to
me up a sheet?’ Making connections

Integrate
a. Matilda was a noisy child.
ii. like
We
g. My
to haveto a+dinosaur
usegrandmother
going action in his garage.
likesword
to to talk or write about the future. We use going to when we
iii. not
plan likesomething.
to do to see a dinosaur.
comprise
62 s factual, inferential b. Matilda was a spoiled child.
To print books, we use machines called printing presses. The printing press was invented
h. My grandmother doesn’t like to
2. Read these lines and answer the questions that follow. Study skills comprise
All right,’ said theand extrapolative questions
grandfather. He went to the4.
by cupboard,
a c.
Look
man Matilda
around
named and
was
you.
Johannes after
polite.
Draw up a
Gutenberg. rummaging
list of materials
Look around that
you you
and about
4 write
see. Write
down three
the things
names ofthat
Th e dinosaur, an ancient beast, 28/07/17 10:03 PM
punctuation, spelling,
MB6 Chapter 4.indd 62
can
d. beMatilda
machines made
that youwith
use each material.
in your
understood everyday life. Find out
shewho PRONUNCIATION
read.invented these machines. ShareI’m told, was very large.
in diffrough
inside he drew out a long, erent piece
formats.
of cloth,thewhich
informationwas he everything
had forthat
all classmates.
with your a sheet. He His eyes were as big as tennis balls, dictionary and
44 Words that
wasend
biggerinthan
ic and ice
carried it up to the loft, where he found PUNCTUATION
His stomach a garage.
pronunciation practice.
WORD WALL
a. Why is the dinosaur called an ‘ancient beast’?
Words that end inthe ic end with a k sound. Words that end in ice end with an s sound.
Heidi had already made quite a nice bed Comma
MB3 Chapter 3.indd 44 b. How 46 big were
c. Whatsaying
7/21/17 9:31 PMdinosaur’s eyes?
is the dinosaur’ s stomach

Practise these words aloudcompared
with yourto?
teacher.
by herself. She had put an extra heap Be a book detective
Read thisthe
sentence. 3. MB3Th e poet
Chapter says the dinosaur’s neck is ‘as long as Friday’. Do you think that Fridays are long?
3.indd 46 7/21/17 9:32 PM
1. Use clues given below to complete the ‘book’ words. attic Alice arithmetic tonic twice traffic
4. What is the poet glad about? Why do you think this thought makes him glad?
of hay at one end for a pillow. It looked a. Avery
A piece wanted frozenwith
of furniture custard, a cheeseburger
shelves ➤ and a balloon.
to hold books. comic choice magic mice picnic police
Word wall
now as tidy and comfortable a bedbuilds
as As in the
booksentence given above, we usually use a comma to separate things on a list.
Appreciation
b. these
A piece of thick and
paper that we putinbetween theplaces.
pages of a APPRECIATION
48
you could wish vocabulary
for. through a variety Read book
1. Rohit
sentences
to help
Nina Samausand
go to
put commas
that study
Mona page again
the right
in thequickly.
same school. introduces learners
of activities based on the Comparisons
2. book
In the classroom there are desks chairs and cupboards. to poetic devices and
I wish it was night, so that
ICSEIsyllabus.
might get 3. Diwali Pongal Dusshera Navroze and Eid are all festivals. Comparing things can be very interesting. In the poem, the poet says that the dinosaur’s eyes were
4. s big as tennis balls’, its stomach was ‘bigger than a garage’ and its neck was ‘as long as Friday’. literary elements.
Joel went to the market and bought some beans six bananas a book and a pencil. ‘a45
inside it at once,’ said Heidi. 5. I like reading watching films listening to music and playing football.
Here are a few more examples of comparisons.
I think we might have something to eat WRITE WELL

Write well covers
first,’ said the grandfather. 27
the writing topics Paragraph writing

Yes, I think so too,’ replied Heidi. Project 2
MB3 Chapter 1 Poem.indd 27 7/21/17 6:20 PM
recommended by ICSE Think about a time when you went to a fair. Who did you go with? Was it crowded?
What stalls were there? Which stall did you want to be at? What else did you see?
through
Let us go down then,’ saidguided
the oldtasks.
man. What sounds did you hear? What did you eat? Think of all the interesting details SEED STORY
and write a paragraph on the fair. Here are some words that you may use to help you Learning Goals
Intercurricular projects
Downstairs, he filled a bowl with milk
write your paragraph. Create and tell a graphic (picture) story about how seeds grow mapped across
Observe and learn how plants grow from a seed
and brought it to Heidi with a large delicious exciting dizzying enormous wonderful colourful Work together to measure, draw, write and communicate subject areas.
crowded adventure warned strange mysterious Step one: Discuss all the things that a plant needs to grow.
LISTEN AND SPEAK WELL mouth watering amazing
slice of bread and a piece of golden Step two: Find the right space or container to grow a plant. Add the right type
of soil and plant quick growing seeds (beans/spinach/ coriander/ marigold etc).
Make sure your seeds get enough sunshine and water.
cheese and told her to eat. Heidi lifted The princess in the story was very clever. Now listen to the story of Abu Ali who was
not smart at all. Put numbers in the boxes to show the right order of the pictures. Step three: Take care of your seeds and watch them grow. From week to week,
observe and measure how your seeds grow. Write about the way they grow using
the bowl with both hands and drank till Then take turns to narrate the story. Plot
sequencing word such as: first, next,
Inside then, after that, after a few weeks, and finally.
A Story
Listen and speak well

Events that happen in the story
1. 2. Measure and draw the different stages of their growth. You can make a popsicle
measuring stick and use it.
it was empty. has thoughtful oral-aural Posters capture the
Characters
23 First After that

The people, animals or Beginning: How did the story start?
things that take part in a Tucket was shiny and strong
story
Settings
Squirrels
Where and when the story
elements of a story in an
happens Middle: What was the problem?
activities, covering a range

Tucket was thrown aside.

Tucket End: What was the
interactive and fun way.

Girl solution
hayloft: a room directly under theof tasks.

roof for storing hay and straw 4
rummaging: searching hurriedly
Tucket was useful and
Next In a garden over
After a few weeks happy again.
many days © Oxford University Press 2018
3. Grammar at a Glance
4. 87 Then Finally
NAMING WORDS Grammar at a Glance

8:30 PM aids grammar revision
Step three: Create a comic strip that tells the story of a seed. Share the story with your
7.indd 87 7/21/17
Naming words are called nouns. Nouns are names of people, places, animals and class, at home and at open day in school.
through graphic
things. Rohan, New Delhi, cat and table are all nouns.
152
Common nouns name any people,

places, animals or things.
Proper nouns are exact names. They name
a specific person, place, animal or thing. representation.
Project2.indd 152 7/21/17 10:36 PM
girl
5. bird
6. Greenview High
School
Kipgen
bag
school Tommy
5
Countable nouns are nouns Uncountable nouns are nouns you cannot
you can count. count, such as water, sugar, juice and grass.
one girl But we can say: a glass

three blocks of juice, three slices of
bread, two buckets of
water, a spoon of sugar.
Countable nouns may be singular or plural. We add –s or –es to make plural form.
41
book
Course
Workbook Links GRAM
MAR
TIME
d the
le s: A , an an
Artic ntence
s. wel so
und.
At each level, the Coursebook unit is complemented by a

ese se t a gift. ith a vo d.
Read th emperor go ft inside. gins w un nsonan
t
An e gi peror be consonant so l Co
➤ bring th ord em
e the w begins with because
a Vowe a
I can’t ca us an the
➤ r be t ce
empero e the word gif e first senten
e
y an First tim e the
We sa becaus tim
corresponding Workbook unit. In addition to comprehension

t in th e. Second
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We sa pe r us
y an em them fo ce beca
We sa lking about cond senten e that the
we are
ta e se on
th e gift in th g about: the
y in
We sa t we are talk
passages, the Workbooks provide practice for grammar, writing

uns.
gif fore no
which got. t go be
r rds tha
empero ticles
are wo
icles. Ar ing.
Workbook
d the are art
an im al or th
A, an
an
, place, one.
person sounds
. eans
and study skills. The Workbooks also contain Assessment practice

lar m
ed for any onant Singu e
ar e us co ns ns mor
art with l mea
and an that st
Plura e.
ticles a nouns
on
The ar lar than
Grammar before time a tree.

sin gu
go es
A mbed .
and interdisciplinary projects.

We cli rm. sounds
ples: a unifo vowel
Exam I have art with
that st
Articles: a, anreand gularthe nouns
es be fo sin
4. Write An goa or an before me. words.
t bitthese me.
An an an ple. e use so
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Exam I will ea table no
uncoun
a. ................. zebra before b. ................. umbrella
do not go .
an ater
A and some w me sugar.
I want e so
ples: give m
Exam Please
c. ................. hour d. ................. windmill PM

6:54
7/21/17
38
e. ................. owl f. ................. year
TEACHER’S RESOURCES
38
2.indd
Chapter
MB3
g. ................. acorn h. ................. leaf
The Teacher’s Resource Pack provides teachers with pedagogical notes, handy lesson plans, listening scripts and answer keys.
It comprises a Teacher’s Resource Book and an Audio CD containing listening and poem audio. i. ................. uniform j. ................. ambulance
FEATURES OF OXFORD EDUCATE: 5. Fill in the blanks with a, an or some.

a. Once upon ................... time, there was a man named Solomon.
b. May I have ................... butter on my toast?
22
• Animation for poems and prose
• Audio for prose, poetry, graphic stories, plays, pronunciation and listening tasks
• Slide shows to explain concepts • Video to guide learners towards better writing
• Worksheets for practice in the classroom (printable) • Comprehension passages for practice in the classroom
• Interactivities for active learning • Lesson plans (printable)
• Short animation to explain difficult words • Answer keys for each unit (printable)
Oxford Educate is an innovative digital resource that provides teachers with an e-book integrated with learning materials and
interactive tools. The package also includes an easy-to-use Test Generator for generating test papers and worksheets.
Setting up and using the free Oxford Areal app is easy. Simply follow the steps given below.
1 Search and install the 2 Run the app 3 Tap the

free Oxford Areal app and locate your book
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(iOS)/Play Store (Android). SEARCH box. select it.

Oxford
is a magical app MULBERRY ENGLISH COURSE BOOK 6 MULBERRY ENGLISH COURSE BOOK 7
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MULBERRY ENGLISH COURSE BOOK 6 MULBERRY ENGLISH COURSE BOOK 7
Oxford AREAL • Animation for poems, prose and graphic stories • Interactivities for vocabulary and grammar
• Slide shows
contains • Audio and video

Contents
Introduction 3
Detailed Contents 8
Acknowledgements 10
Grammar at a Glance 11
1. The New House by John Boyne 17
Poem: Lines Composed in a Wood on a Windy Day by Anne Bronte 28
2. Michelangelo by Gulzar 32
3. The Enchanted Pool by C. Rajagopalachari 43
Poem: The Hero by Rabindranath Tagore 55
4. March by Khushwant Singh 60
5. Grandfather and the Python by Ruskin Bond 69
Poem: The Village Schoolmaster by Oliver Goldsmith 80
6. The Bishop of Digne by Victor Hugo 84
7. The Prize Poem by P. G. Wodehouse 95
Poem: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth 108
8. The Dying Detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 112
9. The Shoemaker by Charles Dickens 126
Poem: For You O’Democracy by Walt Whitman 138
10. After Twenty Years by O. Henry 141
11. The Luncheon by William Somerset Maugham 151
Poem: Going Down Hill on a Bicycle by H. C. Beeching 165
12. King Lear by William Shakespeare 170
Project 1: Culture in a box 183
Project 2: Welcome to our school 184
Poster: Telling a Tale
CB 8_prelim.indd 7 23/11/17 11:35 AM

8
CB 8_prelim.indd 8
Detailed Contents
Unit Theme Making Connections Word wall/ Grammar Time Study Skills Write Well Listen and Speak Well
Appreciation
1. The New House Peace and Factual, inferential, Antonyms Nouns Pronunciation: Writing a personal Listening to an audio and
harmony evaluative and extrapolative Stress patterns narrative choosing the correct answers
comprehension Word wise Articles
Integrate Circle time: Writing and
reading out acrostic poems
(group)
Lines Composed in The world around Factual, inferential, Lyric poetry
a Wood on a Windy us evaluative and extrapolative
Day comprehension Haiku
2. Michelangelo Art and culture Factual, inferential, Synonyms Tenses Dictionary: Picture composition Listening to an audio and
evaluative and extrapolative Multiple answering questions
comprehension meanings and
Integrate Prefixes usage of words Game: about an artist or
author (group)
3. The Enchanted Self and family Factual, inferential, Anagrams Verbals: Participles, Punctuation: Composition Listening to a story and
Pool evaluative and extrapolative gerunds, infinitives Semicolon choosing the correct answers
comprehension Proverbs
Integrate Role play: Performing a skit
(group)
The Hero Adventure and Factual, inferential, Dramatic
Imagination evaluative and extrapolative monologue
comprehension
4. March The World around Factual, inferential, Fixed expressions Relative pronouns Dictionary: Descriptive Listening to information on
us evaluative and extrapolative Words with composition birds and completing a table
comprehension Greek or Latin
Integrate origins Extempore: on seasons and
weather (individual)
5. Grandfather and Animals and Factual, inferential, Antonyms Comparison of Punctuation: Writing an informal Listening to an audio and
the Python plants evaluative and extrapolative adjectives: Formation Colon letter numbering pictures
comprehension of comparative and
Integrate superlative, interchange Presentation: A report on an
of degrees of endangered animal (pair)
comparison
The Village Our Factual, inferential, Inversion
Schoolmaster neighbourhood evaluative and extrapolative
and community comprehension Paraphrasing
31/08/17 4:12 PM
6. The Bishop of Self and family Factual, inferential, Uses of ‘such’ Relative adverbs Pronunciation: Newspaper article Listening to information and
Digne evaluative and extrapolative Stress in labelling pictures
CB 8_prelim.indd 9
comprehension Transformation of polysyllabic
Integrate sentences with too words Presentation: An everyday
object (individual/group)
Debate: on poverty (group)
7. The Prize Poem Our Factual, inferential, Genres Prepositions Spellings: Persuasive writing Listening to a poem and
neighbourhood evaluative and extrapolative Correct the arranging jumbled sentences
and community comprehension Coordinating and spellings
Integrate Making sentences subordinating Circle time: Penning a poem
conjunctions and reading it to the class
(individual)
I Wandered Lonely as Animals and Factual, inferential, Hyperbole
a Cloud plants evaluative and extrapolative
comprehension
8. The Dying Science and Factual, inferential, Gradable and non- If conditionals Dictionary: Story writing Listening to an interview
Detective technology evaluative and extrapolative gradable adjectives Idioms
comprehension Role play: Enacting a press
Integrate conference (group)
9. The Shoemaker Peace and Factual, inferential, Words of two cities Reported speech Spelling: Making a poster Listening to a story and
harmony evaluative and extrapolative spotting errors choosing the correct answer
comprehension
Integrate Reporting verbs Circle time: Discussion on
advertisements (pair/group)
For You O’ Our country Factual, inferential, Repetition
Democracy evaluative and extrapolative
comprehension
10. After Twenty Home and friends Factual, inferential, Phrases Active and passive voice Punctuation: Writing a formal letter Listening to a story
Years evaluative and extrapolative Quotation
comprehension Root words marks Recitation: Monologue based
Integrate on a story (individual)
11. The Luncheon Home and friends Factual, inferential, Time expressions Phrases and clauses Spelling: Often Notice writing Listening to an audio and
evaluative and extrapolative confused choosing the correct answer
comprehension Simple, compound and spellings
Integrate complex sentences: Circle time: Discussion on a
Making sentences transformation of balanced diet (group)
sentences
Interchange of main and

subordinate clauses
Position of subordinating
clauses
Going Down Hill on a Adventure and Factual, inferential, Persona
Bicycle imagination evaluative and extrapolative
comprehension
12. King Lear Self and family Factual, inferential, Phrases from Transformation of Pronunciation: Character analysis Listening to an audio and
evaluative and extrapolative Shakespeare sentences Stress and completing quotes
comprehension intonation
Integrate Roleplay: enacting a
conversation (Group)
9
Project 1: Culture in a box
Project 2: Welcome to our school
31/08/17 4:13 PM
Acknowledgements
The publishers would like to acknowledge the following for granting us the permission to use
the pieces listed below:
Gulzar Saab for ‘Michelangelo’ from Michelangelo and Other Stories published by Rupa Books India
Pvt. Ltd.; Mala Dayal for ‘March’ by Khushwant Singh; Ruskin Bond for ‘Grandfather and the Python’
excerpted from Adventures of Rusty published by Puffin Books; Walker books for ‘The Bishop of
Digne’ excerpted from Les Misérables; The Estate of P G Wodehouse for ‘The Prize Poem’
The publishers have applied to the following for permission:

The Estate of William Somerset Maugham for ‘The Luncheon’ by Somerset Maugham; Random House
UK for ‘The New House’ excerpted from The Boy in Striped Pyjamas; Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for ‘The
Enchanted Pool’ from The Mahabharata
Entry on ‘time’ (page 120) and on ‘fire’ (page 37) from the Oxford Student Learner’s Dictionary
Photographs
© Colin McPherson/Corbis via Getty Images ( John Boyne, page 20); Alberto Masnovo © 123RF.
com (Peace Bell, page 27); © Dipendrasinh Chauhan / EyeEm/Getty Images (Bell, page 27); © Time
Life Pictures /Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images (Anne Brontë, page 28); © Alin
Brotea / Shutterstock (Windy autumn tree, page 29); © INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images
(Gulzar, page 36); © Lan Lan Tee / Getty Images (Louvre Museum, page 42); © Yurich / Shutterstock
(Yellow Bird, page 51); © PeoGeo / Shutterstock (Nalanda University ruins, page 53); © Raj K Raj /
Hindustan Times via Getty Images (Khushwant Singh, page 63); © E.O. Hoffe/Mansell/The LIFE Picture
Collection/Getty Images (Rabindranath Tagore, page 57); © Klaus Nigge/National Geographic/
Getty Images (Golden Oriole, page 68); © Education Images/UIG via Getty Images (Coppersmith,
page 68); © atdigit / Shutterstock (Bougainvillea, page 64); © Tim Graham/Getty Images (Red-Wattled
Lapwing, page 68); © Auscape/UIG via Getty Images (Koel, page 68); © Priyanka Parashar/Mint via
Getty Images (Ruskin bond, page 72); © Culture Club/Getty Images (Oliver Goldsmith, page 81);
© DeAgostini/Getty Images (Victor Hugo, page 88); © Christopher Elwell / Shutterstock (Candle,
page 93); © maxstockphoto / Shutterstock (Candle, page 93); © Atiketta Sangasaeng / Shutterstock
(Candle, page 93); © MARGRIT HIRSCH / Shutterstock (Candle, page 93); © garberophotography /
Shutterstock (Candle, page 93); © sumikophoto / Shutterstock (Candle, page 93); © Ievgenii Meyer /
Shutterstock (Candle, page 93); © Georgios Kollidas / Shutterstock (Wordsworth, page 109); © John
Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images (P G Wodehouse, page 101); © Hulton Archive/
Getty Image (Arthur Conan Doyle, page 118); © Opka / Shutterstock (Map of Europe, page 126);
© London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images (Charles Dickens, page 130); © Bettmann/Getty
Images (William Syndey Porter, page 144); © Everett Historical / Shutterstock (Walt Whitman,
page 138); © March Of Time/March Of Time/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images (Somerset
Maugham, page 155); © Stock Montage/Getty Images (Shakespeare; page 177)
10
Grammar at a Glance
Nouns
A noun is a naming word. It is used to name persons, places, animals, things and ideas. For example: student,
cat, school, table, happiness.
Nouns
Proper Common Abstract Noun Noun

nouns nouns nouns gender number
Material Masculine Singular
Concrete Feminine Plural
Countable Common Collective
Uncountable Neuter
11
11
Grammar at a Glance_CB 8.indd 11 31/08/17 2:14 PM

Verbs
A verb tells us about an action or a state of being. It can be a word or a group of words that expresses action
(such as run), an occurence (such as happen) or a state (such as survive).
Gerund Infinitive Participle Modals

● A gerund is a verb ● An infinitive is a ● A participle is a word ● Modals are auxiliary
form ending in -ing. verb form, often formed from a verb, verbs that are used
It functions as a preceded by to, that ending in -ing (present to express ability,
noun in a sentence. can function as a participle) or -ed, -en, possibility, permission
● E.g. Drawing is fun. noun, an adjective, -d, -t, -en, or -n, etc. or obligation.
or an adverb. (past participle). ● E.g. Aarthi can solve
● E.g. I like to draw. ● E.g. This is a drawing this problem.
book. ●
Preeti might be late.
Pronouns
A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun.
Personal: stands for Reflexive: when the Emphatic: used for

and replaces persons action turns back upon emphasis
and things the subject Example: yourself,
1st person: I, we Example: yourself, yourselves, herself,
2nd person: you yourselves, herself, ourselves, themselves
3rd person: he, her, ourselves, themselves
it, them
Demonstrative: Indefinite: refers to Distributive: refers to

points out persons and things in a persons or things one
Near: this, these general way at a time–used with
Far: that, those Example: one, none, all, the verb in singular
some, few, somebody, Example: each, either,
nobody, etc. neither, any, no one, etc.
Relative: relates to Interrogative: asks Reciprocal: shows each

nouns before them questions of two or more subjects
Example: who/whom, Example: who, whom, is acting in the same way
whose, which, that whose, which, what towards the other
Example: each other,
one another
12
Adjectives Adjectives of quality show kind or quality.
Adjectives of quantity show how much.
Adjectives of number show how many or in what order.

An adjective is a word
that qualifies a noun. Demonstrative adjectives point out.
Possessive adjectives show belonging.
Interrogative adjectives ask a question.
Some expressions consist of a combination of adjectives and prepositions

that are always used together.
Examples: Designers are good at understanding colours.
Narayan is very fond of playing the sitar.
Adverbs
An adverb is a word that modifies the meaning of a verb, adjective or another adverb.
Adverbs of time Adverbs of

Adverbs of reason
tell us when or for frequency tell us
tell us the reason for
how long an action how often an action
an action.
happens. happens.
Adverbs of place Adverbs of

Adverbs of degree
tell us where an comparison are used
tell us about the
action happens. to compare adverbs.
intensity of an action.
Adverbs of manner Relative adverbs Adverbs of affirmation

tell us how an join two clauses or negation are used to
action happens. and indicate time, affirm or negate
reason or manner. an action.
13
Interrogative adverbs
● Time: When are you going there?
● Place: Where can I buy a pencil?
● Manner: How did you solve the puzzle?
● Degree or Quantity: How tall is this tower?
● Number: How many books are there?
● Reason: Why are you so sad?
Prepositions
A preposition links a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence.
● in: in the bag, in the car

Place ● on: on the table, on the page
● at: at the door, at the gate
● in: in summer, in December, in the future

Time ● on: on Monday, on 15 August, on Republic day
● at: at 5 o’clock, at sunrise
Movement ● into, towards, through etc.
Agent ● with, by etc.
14
Conjunctions
A conjunction is used to join words, expressions or sentences.
Conjunctions
Coordinating: join Subordinating: join a Correlative: work

independent clauses. dependent clause to an in pairs
and, but, for, so etc. independent clause
Either, or; neither, nor; not only,

Dhyan Chand was a hockey but also; both, and Dhyan Chand
player and he wrestled too. was not only a good soldier but he
was also a great sportsman.
Time: as soon as, while, until etc. Reason: because, since, as Contrast: although, even
Dhyan Chand did not play Dhyan Chand succeeded though, however etc.
much hockey until he joined because he gave the game his Although Dhyan Chand was famous,
the army. best effort. he stayed away from the limelight.
Direct-reported speech
Simple present Simple past
‘I always enjoy music,’ she said. She said that she always enjoyed music.
Present continuous Past continuous

‘I am writing a letter,’ he explained. He explained that he was writing a letter.
Simple past Past perfect

‘Reema arrived yesterday,’ he said. He said that Reema had arrived on the previous day.
Present perfect Past perfect

‘I have been to Chennai,’ he told me. He told me that he had been to Chennai.
Past perfect Past perfect

‘Father had just returned when I called,’ he He explained that Father had just returned when he
explained. called.
Present perfect continuous Past perfect continuous

Amir said, ‘I have been searching for hours.’ Amir said that he had been searching for hours.
Past continuous Past perfect continuous

‘We were visiting Mysore at the time of the They told me that they had been visiting Mysore at
robbery,’ they told me. the time of the robbery.
15
Some more things to keep in mind while changing from direct to indirect speech ...
now then / at that time
today yesterday / that day
yesterday the day before / the previous day
last night the night before / the previous night
last week the week before / the previous week
tomorrow today / the next day / the following day
Active–passive
Simple present She keeps the book in the cupboard. The book is kept in the cupboard by her.
Present continuous He is eating the sandwich. The sandwich is being eaten by him.
Simple past Bilquis cleaned the room meticulously. The room was cleaned by Bilquis
meticulously.
Past continuous Peter was keeping a seat for you. A seat was being kept for you by Peter.
Present perfect I have read all your old books. All your old books have been read by me.
Past perfect He had torn up Adil’s papers. Adil’s papers had been torn up by him.
Simple future Grandfather will keep the cat. The cat will be kept by grandfather.
16
The New House 1
If you had to suddenly move house and go to a new one, what are the three things you would
miss most? List them and share your thoughts with the class.
Let’s read a story about a nine-year-old boy called Bruno, who had to leave his house in Berlin
and move to a new house along with his parents, his twelve-year-old sister, Gretel, and their house
help, Maria. Bruno’s father, who was a Commandant in the German army during World War II, had
been given transfer orders and so the family moved to the new house.
W hen he first saw their new house Bruno’s eyes opened wide, his mouth made the shape of an O
and his arms stretched out at his sides. Everything about it seemed to be the exact opposite of
their old home and he couldn’t believe that they were really going to live there. The house in Berlin had
stood on a quiet street and alongside it were a handful of other big houses like
Which phrases does
his own. It was always nice to look at them because they were almost the same the author use to
as his house but not quite. Other boys lived in them who he played with show Bruno’s
(if they were friends) or steered clear of (if they were trouble).
1 surprise?
The new house, however, stood all on its own in an empty, desolate2 place and there were no other
houses anywhere to be seen, which meant there would be no other families around and no other
boys to play with, neither friends nor trouble. The house in Berlin was enormous, and even though
he’d lived there for nine years he was still able to find nooks and crannies that he hadn’t fully
finished exploring yet. There were even whole rooms—such as Father’s office, which was Out Of
Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions—that he had barely been inside.
However, the new house had only three floors: a top floor where all three bedrooms were and only
one bathroom, a ground floor with a kitchen, a dining room and a new office for Father (which, he
presumed, had the same restrictions as the old one), and a basement where the house help slept.
All around the house in Berlin were other streets of large houses, and when you walked towards
the centre of town there were always people strolling along and stopping to chat with each other or
rushing around and saying they had no time to stop, not today, not when they had a hundred and
one things to do. There were shops with bright store fronts, and fruit and vegetable stalls with big
trays piled high with cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers and corn. Sometimes he liked to stand in front of
1
steered clear: kept away from, avoided desolate: uninhabited; seeming as if it is empty
2
17
1 The New House.indd 17 31/08/17 2:19 PM

these stalls and close his eyes and breathe in their aromas, feeling his head grow dizzy3 with the mixed
scents of sweetness and life. But there were no other streets around the new house, no one strolling
along or rushing around, and definitely no shops or fruit and vegetable stalls. When he closed his eyes,
everything around him just felt empty and cold, as if he was in the loneliest place in the world.
There was something about the new house that made Bruno think that no one ever laughed there;
that there was nothing to laugh at and nothing to be happy about.
‘I think this was a bad idea,’ said Bruno a few hours after they arrived, while Maria was unpacking
his suitcases upstairs. (Maria wasn’t the only house help at the new house either: there were three
others who only ever spoke to each other in whispering voices. There was an old man too who, he
was told, was there to prepare the vegetables every day and wait on them at the dinner table, and
who looked not only unhappy but also a little angry.) ‘I think the best thing to do would be to forget
all about this and just go back home. We can chalk it up to experience,’ he added, a phrase he had
learned recently and was determined to use as often as possible.
Mother smiled. ‘I have another phrase for you,’ she said. ‘It’s that we have to make the best of a bad
situation.’
‘Well, I don’t know that we do,’ said Bruno. ‘I think you should just tell Father that you’ve changed
your mind and, well, if we have to stay here for the rest of the day and have dinner here this evening
and sleep here tonight because we’re all tired, then that’s all right, but we should probably get up
early in the morning if we’re to make it back to Berlin by tea-time tomorrow.’
Mother sighed. ‘Bruno, why don’t you just go upstairs and help Maria unpack?’ she asked.
‘But there’s no point unpacking if we’re only going to—’
‘Bruno, just do it, please!’ snapped
Mother, because apparently it was
all right if she interrupted him, but
it didn’t work the other way round.
‘We’re here, we’ve arrived, this is our
home for the foreseeable4 future and
we just have to make the best of things.
Do you understand me?’
He didn’t understand what the
‘foreseeable future’ meant and told
her so.
‘It means that this is where we live
now, Bruno,’ said Mother. ‘And that’s
an end to it.’
Bruno couldn’t understand how this
had all come about. One day he was
3
dizzy: lightheaded, feeling as if one is spinning round foreseeable: able to be predicted
4
18

perfectly content, playing at home, with three best friends for life, sliding down banisters5, trying to
stand on his tiptoes to see right across Berlin, and now he was stuck here in this cold, nasty house,
where no one looked as if they could ever be cheerful again.
‘Bruno, I want you to go upstairs and unpack and I want you to do it now,’ said Mother in an
unfriendly voice, and he knew that she meant business so he turned round and marched away
without another word.
On his floor there were just four doors, two on either side, facing each other. A door into his room,
a door into Gretel’s room, a door into Mother and Father’s room, and a door into the bathroom.
‘This isn’t home and it never will be,’ he muttered under his breath as he went through his own door
to find all his clothes scattered on the bed and the boxes of toys and books not even unpacked yet. It
was obvious that Maria did not have her priorities right.
‘Mother sent me to help,’ he said quietly. Maria nodded and
pointed towards a big bag that contained all his socks and
vests and underpants.
‘If you sort that lot out, you could put them in the chest of
drawers over there,’ she said, pointing towards an ugly chest
that stood across the room beside a mirror that was covered
in dust.
‘What do you think of all this, Maria?’ he asked after a long
silence because he had always liked Maria and felt as if she
was one of the family.
‘All what?’ she asked.
‘This,’ he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the
world. ‘Coming to a place like this. Don’t you think we’ve
made a big mistake?’
‘That’s not for me to say,’ said Maria. ‘Your mother has
explained to you about your father’s job and—’
‘Oh, I’m tired of hearing about Father’s job,’ said Bruno, interrupting her. ‘That’s all we ever hear
about, if you ask me. Father’s job this and Father’s job that. Well, if Father’s job means that we have
to move away from our house and the sliding banister and my three best friends for life, then I think
Father should think twice about his job, don’t you?’
Just at that moment there was a creak outside in the hallway and Bruno looked up to see the door
of Mother and Father’s room opening slightly. He froze, unable to move for a moment. Mother
was still downstairs, which meant that Father was in there and he might have
What kind of
heard everything that Bruno had just said. He watched the door, hardly daring person do you
to breathe, wondering whether Father might come through it and take him imagine Bruno’s
father was?
downstairs for a serious talking-to .
6
5
banister: handrail at the side of a staircase taking-to: scolding
6
19

The door opened wider and Bruno stepped back as
a figure appeared, but it wasn’t Father. It was a much
younger man, and not as tall as Father either, but he
wore the same type of uniform, only without as many
decorations7 on it. He was carrying a box in his hands
and walking towards the staircase. He gave Bruno a
quick nod and continued on his way.
‘Who was that?’ asked Bruno. The young man had
seemed so serious and busy that he assumed he must
be someone very important.
‘One of your father’s soldiers, I suppose,’ said Maria.
‘We’ll get to know them in time.’
‘I don’t think I like him,’ said Bruno. ‘He was too serious. I don’t even think there’s going to be
anyone to play with other than Gretel, and what fun is that after all? She’s a Hopeless Case!’
He felt as if he was about to cry again but stopped himself. He looked around the room without fully
lifting his eyes up from the ground, trying to see whether there was anything
of interest to be found. There wasn’t. Or there didn’t seem to be. But then one What words would
thing caught his eye. Over in the corner of the room opposite the door, there you use to describe
how Bruno felt at
was a window in the ceiling that stretched down into the wall. this point in
He walked slowly towards it, hoping that from here he might be able to see all the story?
the way back to Berlin and his house and the streets around it and the tables
where the people sat and told each other hilarious8 stories.
Adapted from The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
John Boyne (b. 1971) is an Irish novelist. He has written ten novels for adults and five for children, and a
collection of short stories, Beneath the Earth. Boyne has received several awards for his work, including the
Hennessy Literary ‘Hall of Fame’ Award in 2012. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas became a best seller and was
adapted into a film of the same name.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. Choose the answers as directed.
a. Which of the following was true of Bruno?
i. He missed Berlin.
ii. He was always sulky and disobedient.
iii. He never shared his thoughts and feelings with other people.
decorations: medals or awards
7 8
hilarious: extremely funny
20
b. Which of the following events is not described in the selection?
i. Maria unpacked Bruno's clothes.
ii. Mother told Father that she had changed her mind and they
should return to Berlin by tea-time the following day.
iii. A serious, busy soldier carried a box out of Mother and Father’s
room and nodded to Bruno on his way out.
c. Which of the following sentences does not use a comparison?
i. It was a much younger man, and not as tall as Father either, but he
wore the same type of uniform, only without as many decorations on it.
ii. When he closed his eyes, everything around him just felt empty
and cold, as if he was in the loneliest place in the world.
iii. Over in the corner of the room, opposite the door, there was a
window in the ceiling that stretched down into the wall.
d. Which of the following is a major theme in this story?
i. childhood
ii. housing
iii. friendship
e. Which of the following is not true of story?
i. The narrator is not a character in the story.
ii. The narrator is a character in the story.
iii. The narrator describes Bruno’s thoughts and feelings.
Reference to context
2. ‘I think this was a bad idea,’ said Bruno a few hours after they arrived, while Maria was unpacking
his suitcases upstairs.
a. How long had Bruno been at the house before he decided that the move was a bad idea?
b. To whom did Bruno say these lines?
c. What did the listener say in reply?
3. ‘What do you think of all this, Maria?’ he asked after a long silence because he had always liked
Maria and felt as if she was one of the family.
a. Who was Maria?
b. What did Bruno want to know? Why?
c. What was Maria’s answer?
4. But then one thing caught his eye.
a. What was Bruno looking for?
b. Whom had Bruno seen just then?
c. What did he hope for at this point in the story?
21

Read, ref lect and write
5. Is Bruno’s mother happy about the move? How do you know?
6. What made Bruno think that Maria did not have her priorities right?
7. Why do you think Bruno felt he was about to cry even though he was with his family?
8. Describe in detail the things Bruno misses about his old house in Berlin and how he feels about
moving to the new house. If you were Bruno, what is the one thing you would miss most about
your old life? Give a reason for your answer.
9. What are your favourite things about your home and the area in which you live?
10. Extended Writing: Write a paragraph comparing Bruno’s old home with his new one.
Integrate
11. World War II was fought between the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allied
Powers (Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, France). Millions of lives were lost
in this war, making it the deadliest in all human history. Read and research more about World
War II and display the information on a tack board in your classroom.
WORD WALL
Antonyms
1. From the chapter, find and write the antonyms of the following words.
a. numerous (para 1) b. crowded (para 2) c. freedom (para 15) d. gloomy (para 15) e. noisy (para 1)
Word wise
Word Meaning
2. Given are a list of German a. automat take goods by force
words that have come into
b. kindergarten bagpack
the English language. Match
them to their meanings. c. plunder machine
d. rucksack a formal dance
e. waltz outstanding or supreme
f. dachshund the grade before the first grade
g. uber a breed of dog
22
GRAMMAR TIME
Nouns
Read these sentences.
➤ Maria was unpacking the bags.
➤ I’m tired of hearing about his job,’ said Bruno.
➤ He was perfectly content, playing at the house.
In the sentences given above, the words in italics are nouns.
A noun is a word that refers to a person (Maria, Bruno), a place (office), a thing (bags), a quality
(contentment) or an activity ( job).
1. Nouns may be classified in different ways. Using the pictures as cues, write two or three
sentences on each. Identify the different categories of nouns you have used in your
sentences. The first one has been done for you.
Mary picks up The Daily Bulletin from a pile of

newspapers. She turns the pages printed with _________________________________
ink, to gather knowledge, news and information. _________________________________
Proper (specific and particular names of
_________________________________
individuals/places/things): Mary, The Daily
Bulletin Proper:
Common (general names): newspaper Common:
Concrete (names of things that can be felt with
any of your five senses): pages, ink Concrete:
Abstract (idea/activity): knowledge, news, Abstract:
information
Collective (a name given to a group of people/ Collective:
animals/birds/things): pile
Material:
Material (substances that make up things): ink
23
________________________________ _________________________________
________________________________ _________________________________
________________________________ _________________________________
Proper: Proper:
Common: Common:
Concrete: Concrete:
Abstract: Abstract:
Collective: Collective:
Material: Material:
Articles
➤ There was an old man there.
➤ The new house had only three floors.
In the sentences given above, the words in italics are articles.
Articles are words placed before nouns to show whether the nouns are used in a particular or a
general sense. A and an are called indefinite articles, and the is called the definite article.
For example:
➤ cake: a baked sweet food
➤ a cake: a single cake
➤ the cake: a particular cake, such as the cake baked by Anand
A and an are used:
➤ before singular nouns that we can count.
➤ when we do not refer to a specific noun.
The is used before:
➤ nouns that are unique and one of a kind, for titles and family names. (For example: the Sun,
the Chief Justice of India, the Shahs)
➤ geographic terms, directions, congregated country names. (For example: the Andes, the
north, the USA)
➤ cultural references and books, musical instruments. (For example: the Odyssey, the guitar)
24

➤ ranks and degrees, prizes. (For example: the second place, the Padmashree)
➤ a singular noun that encompasses an entire class or species. (For example: the homo sapiens)
2. Fill in the blanks with a, an or the. Leave the space blank if no article is needed.
_______ Marco Polo was _______ Italian traveller. His father and his uncle were both
_______merchants and Marco went with them to _______ China where they met _______
Kublai Khan, _______ Mongol leader. _______ empire of Kublai Khan was among _______
largest in _______ world. _______ Polos had originally planned to travel only for _______
few years but it was twenty-three years before they returned to
_______ Venice.
Marco Polo travelled through _______ Middle East and he
crossed _______ Gobi Desert. ‘_______ desert is so vast that
it takes _______ year to go from end to end,’ Marco wrote.
‘And at the narrowest point it takes _______ month to cross
it. It consists entirely of _______ mountains and _______
sands and _______ valleys.’
Marco Polo had _______ good memory for people and places.
He wrote _______ interesting book called The Travels of
Marco Polo. _______ book was _______ first to inspire many
other travellers like Christopher Columbus. It is through _______ writings of Marco Polo
that we know that _______ Chinese invented _______ice cream, _______ kites, _______
fireworks, _______ paper and _______ printing press.
PRONUNCIATION
Stress patterns
➤ Bruno's family invites guests to their home.
➤ Bruno's family rejects the invite.
In the first sentence given above, the word invite functions as a verb, while in the second sentence,
invite functions as a noun. Although it is the same word, the way it is spoken differs.
In the first sentence, the verb invite is spoken as: invite, that is, with stress on the second syllable.
In the second sentence, the noun invite is spoken as: invite, that is, with stress on the first syllable.
25

1. Read the following words aloud. They function both as nouns and verbs. The parts to be
stressed upon have been highlighted.
Noun Verb
com – ment com – ment
pro – ject pro – ject
con – vict con – vict
dec – rease de – crease
inc – rease in – crease
mis – print mis – print
im – port im – port
con – trast con – trast
in – sult in – sult
in – sert in – sert
Your partner will make sentences with the noun forms of the words given above, using the correct
stress. Then you will make sentences with the verb forms of those words, using the correct stress.
Read the sentences you make, aloud.
WRITE WELL
Writing a personal narrative

1. Shifting homes was challenging for Bruno. Write a personal narrative that describes a
challenge you faced. Use the checklist given below to help you add the necessary details to
your narrative.
Describe the person involved.
Describe the incident.
When did it happen and what caused it?
How did you feel?
LISTEN AND SPEAK WELL
1. Listen to the informative audio on the International Day of Peace and choose the correct option.
a. International Day of Peace is observed annually on
i. 12 October
ii. 21 September
iii. 12 September
iv. 21 December
26

b. The Peace Bell is in
i. New York
ii. France
iii. Israel
iv. Japan
c. Circle the picture which shows the Peace Bell.
i. ii.
d. The words inscribed on the bell are:

i. Long live world peace absolutely
ii. Long live absolute world peace
iii. Long live the absence of peace
iv. Long live the absence of war
2. Working in groups, compose an acrostic poem on PEACE and share it with the other
groups. An acrostic poem is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out the word
or phrase.
P
E
A
C
E
27
Lines Composed in a Wood
on a Windy Day
Why do you think nature inspires people to write poems?

What aspects of nature inspire you?
Let us read a poem written about a windy day in a wood.
My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring

And carried aloft1 on the wings of the breeze;
Around me the wild wind is roaring,
Arousing to2 rapture3 the earth and the seas.
The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing4

The bare trees are tossing their branches on high;
The dead leaves, beneath them, are merrily dancing,
The white clouds are scudding5 across the blue sky.
I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing6

The foam of its billows7 to whirlwinds of spray;
I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing,
And hear the wild roar of their thunder today!
Anne Brontë (1820–1849) was the youngest of the three Brontë sisters who were writers.
Anne was educated at home by her aunt till the age of fifteen, when she joined school. Her elder
sisters were Charlotte, who wrote Jane Eyre, and Emily, who wrote Wuthering Heights. Anne’s
first published book was a collection of poems which contained poems by all three sisters. The
collection, called Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, was published in 1846.
1
aloft: high in the air 2arousing to: creating an emotion 3rapture: feeling of extreme pleasure and happiness glancing: (here) shining
4
or gleaming 5scudding: moving quickly across 6lashing: hitting 7billows: waves
28
Poem 1 Lines Composed.indd 28 31/08/17 2:24 PM

MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. Choose the correct answer.
a. The poem is set
i. in a wood
ii. at the seashore
iii. in a market
b. In this poem Anne Bronte describes the effect
i. the wind has on her, the Earth and
the ocean.
ii. she has on the ocean, the Earth and
the wind.
iii. the ocean has on her, the Earth and
the wind.
c. The pattern of the rhyme scheme is
i. abac
ii. abab
iii. abba
2. Read these lines and answer the questions that follow.
a. My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring
And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;
i. What causes the poet to feel joyful?
ii. What, according to the poet, is carried with the breeze?
iii. What does the poet mean by ‘soul is awakened’?
b. The long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing
The bare trees are tossing their branches on high;
i. Explain ‘the long withered grass in the sunshine is glancing’.
ii. Which season of the year is it? How do you know?
iii. Why are the trees ‘tossing their branches’?
c. I wish I could see how its proud waves are dashing,
And hear the wild roar of their thunder today!
i. What does the poet want to see?
ii. Why are the waves called proud?
iii. Give an example of personification from the lines above.
3. Describe the ‘rapture’ of the earth.
4. What sounds are mentioned in the poem?
5. Which words and phrases evoke the turbulence of the ocean?
6. If you had to give an alternative title for the poem, what would it be? Give reasons for your answer.
7. Give examples to show how the poet's mood is reflected in nature.
29

APPRECIATION
Lyric poetry
Read these lines.
My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring
And carried aloft on the wings of the breeze;
These lines express the poet’s emotion and the lines have a musical quality. So we say that the poem
is a lyric.
Lyric poetry expresses personal thoughts, feelings and moods. Lyric poems are closely related
to songs. The word lyric comes from the word lyre, which is a stringed instrument which was
played as an accompaniment to the sung words, or lyrics.
1. In each row, circle the word that best describes the mood, feeling or tone that the lyrical
lines express.
a. My soul is awakened, my spirit is soaring exhilaration / bitterness

Anne Brontë
b. I wish I could see how the ocean is lashing longing / weariness
Anne Brontë
c. I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, joy / sorrow
And Mourners to and fro
Emily Dickinson
d. My heart leaps up when I behold joy / anger
A rainbow in the sky
William Wordsworth
e. Forlorn! the very word is like a bell solitude / frustration
To toil me back from thee to my sole self!
John Keats
Haiku
Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry that has three lines and seventeen syllables.
30

A haiku is lyrical, usually written about nature, expresses a mood,
thought, or feeling and it rarely rhymes.
A syllable is a part of a
For example: word pronounced as
a unit and it has one
Everything I touch vowel sound.
with tenderness, alas, The word syllable
has three syllables:
pricks like a bramble. syl/la/ble.
2. Divide the haiku given below into 17 syllables.

The summer arrives (5 syllables)
with sunny ripened mangoes (7 syllables)
for family feasts (5 syllables)
3. Complete the haikus started below and then write some on subjects of your choice.
5 syllables: The winter is here

7 syllables: ………………………
5 syllables:……………………….
5 syllables: Trees rooted in earth

7 syllables:…………………………
5 syllables:……………………….…
31

Michelangelo 2
Match the names of the pieces of art given in Column A with the names of the artists in Column B.
Column A Column B
Mona Lisa Van Gogh

The Tragedy Da Vinci
The Starry Night Monet
Woman with a Parasol Picasso
Excellence and integrity to work came together in all the artists whose names are given above, as they did
in one of the most brilliant artists of all time—Michelangelo. But read on to see what amazed even him.
F our years had passed since Michelangelo’s return from Florence, and
Rome was beginning to bore him. ‘You can’t find faces in Rome,’
Michelangelo grumbled to Pope Julius. ‘There’s no character in the faces
What problem did
Michelangelo face in
Rome?
here. They all look alike!’
‘And what do you see in my face?’ the Pope asked, almost in jest1.
1
in jest: as a joke
32
2 Michelangelo.indd 32 31/08/17 2:28 PM

Without even a pause, the artist replied,
‘A burning candle.’
It took a minute for Pope Julius to
understand the barbed2 words. ‘I think I
know what you mean … ,’ he said finally,
with a smile. ‘I’m just one more candle that
burns at the altar3 alongside those thousand
others, right?’
Michelangelo was silent.
‘Angelo,’ the Pope continued, ‘for four whole
years you’ve been looking for Judas4. I can’t
believe that in this vast universe that the
Lord has created, where no two faces look
alike, you cannot find faces, cannot discover
models. Surely …’
Before the Pope could finish, Michelangelo
had walked out.
Pope Julius looked pensively5 at the
retreating back of his moody painter. Four
years ago, Pope Julius had commissioned6
Michelangelo for a special task: to paint frescoes7 of important events from the Bible on the
walls and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Now they were nearly done. Only ‘The Last Judgement’
remained unfinished.
‘I don’t want any unpleasantness at this stage,’ the Pope murmured to himself. He had not forgotten
the time when Michelangelo was carving the Crucifixion—in wood—for the Church of the Holy
Spirit and he had come excitedly to Julius, saying he had found just the right model. The model was
a dead man! The Pope remembered ruefully8 how the funeral had been
held up for twelve hours. ante What did Bram
Bramante, the Pope thought now, yes, Bramante was a great painter too. claim about the faces in
his paintings?
He, unlike Michelangelo, proudly proclaimed that he conjured9 faces
from his imagination.
But even the Pope had to admit this—Bramante’s faces looked as though they had emerged
from a common mould. According to the Medici10, all Bramante’s characters bore a strong family
resemblance. Pope Julius had no choice but to dismiss Bramante and approach Michelangelo.
2
barbed: (here) sharp or stinging 3altar: a special table (in a church or a temple) where special religious ceremonies are performed
4
Judas: disciple of Jesus Christ who betrayed Christ 5pensively: thoughtfully 6commissioned: given a task or job to do
7
frescoes: paintings made on a moist plaster surface 8ruefully: with sadness and regret 9conjured: created 10Medici: noble family
of Florence who funded public works and helped artists
33
2 Michelangelo.indd 33 23/11/17 11:57 AM

Four years ago, Michelangelo had started painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He would lie for
hours beneath the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, staring at it and muttering to himself.
In those lime-coated brick and mud walls, Angelo was searching for faces. The faces of Jesus, the Virgin
Mary and Judas. He swore he could see their flesh and blood forms. ‘But their faces,’ he mumbled, ‘their
faces are buried deep in the verses of the Bible! They elude11 me,’ he groaned, ‘they continue to elude!’
The Pope had begun to doubt Michelangelo’s sanity. Once he had stood very close and overheard
Michelangelo repeating passages from the Bible. ‘What exactly are you doing, Angelo?’ the Pope had
asked, curiously.
‘What?’ Angelo had looked up, startled. ‘Oh, I’m trying to unravel12 these verses. Maybe then, I’ll
find the faces.’ There was a hint of despair in Michelangelo’s voice.
The Pope understood Angelo’s frustration. Julius remembered how, during one of his inspections,
he had seen that Angelo had drawn several sketches of the Angel Gabriel. ‘How did you see
Gabriel?’ he had asked. ‘He doesn’t belong to this world, either.’
Angelo had looked up to meet the Pope’s eyes. ‘I heard his voice in the Old Testament.’
‘Then you must have heard God’s voice, too,’ the Pope had joked. ‘I heard his silence.’ Angelo’s words
were terse13, abrupt. But the Pope had known without the shadow of a doubt that he had chosen
the right man for the task.
What is the meaning
‘Eccentric14,’ he had told the Vatican Committee. ‘But he is the only one of the expression
who can paint the Sistine Chapel.’ without the shadow
of a doubt?
Michelangelo had found Mary with the greatest of ease.
It had happened long ago, the day he saw his mother carrying two pots of water strung from a
bamboo stick on her shoulder. He had thought that the woman who had borne Christ in her womb
would have been like his mother, just as thin and frail. He remembered watching his mother with
unblinking eyes as she warmed the water for his father’s bath. Her face reflected the warmth of the
roaring fire—flushed15, burning like molten gold. Michelangelo had immediately retired to16 his
study to sketch that face, again and again.
Ah, but that was a long, long time ago. Michelangelo remembered that they were living in Bologna17
then. He even remembered vividly18 the eatery at the corner of their street.
It was his special haunt19. His father’s too.
While his father sat eating inside, Michelangelo sat on a bench outside.
How and where did
He would buy hot peanuts from a nearby vendor, noticing how every Michelangelo find
time the man weighed them out, a few would fall to the ground. A naked the inspiration for the
urchin20 would scurry21 across the street, pick the nuts and give them to Virgin Mary?
the vendor, quietly popping one into his mouth—one peanut for every
11
elude: (here) remain hidden from 12unravel: (here) discover the meaning 13terse: to the point, brief 14eccentric: strange and unusual
15
flushed: bright red because of heat or effort 16retired to: go to for a purpose 17Bologna: city in northern Italy 18vividly: clearly
19
haunt: place which is frequently visited 20urchin: small, homeless child, generally dressed in rags 21scurry: move or run quickly
34

time he helped the peanut-seller. Then he would wait for the next customer. The sight fascinated
Angelo. He drew several sketches of the child. Many years later, while carving the Madonna of
Bruges, he had used those sketches to make the little Jesus, small and naked.
Then the Pope had asked him to paint the frescoes for the Sistine Chapel. He had refused at first,
telling the Pope point blank that he was a sculptor and not a painter.
He later agreed to a meeting in Rome, because it was the one creation that could ensure him a place
in history. Not that immortality could be reason enough for Michelangelo. He had certain other
immediate needs in this ephemeral22 life as well. Most of all, he needed
money to buy marble. Michelangelo Why did
The Pope had promised him money, but he had never given it. When agree to paint the
Sistine Chapel?
Michelangelo reminded him, he had asked testily23, ‘Why do you love
stone so much? Why not canvas and colours?’
‘Colours merge,’ Michelangelo had retorted. ‘They lose
their identity and mix with others, unlike marble.’
Four years had sped past. Ever since he had started
work on the frescoes in the chapel, his sculpting had
come to a standstill. And Angelo was as bored with
colours as he was with Rome. He wanted to finish
the painting ‘The Last Supper,’ but his imagination
failed him each time it came to the face of Judas.
His was an impossible face to conceive24.
Then, one day Michelangelo found him—his Judas!
There he was in that small, dingy25 eatery in Rome.
A man with unusually bright, beady eyes. The man
was brimming with26 restless energy, spitting here
and there. He was prematurely bald and when he
talked, the words tumbled out fast like coins from a
torn pocket. The man sidled27 up to Angelo asking
for change for a florin28 and ended up sharing his
food. Later, Michelangelo
saw the beady-eyed man Describe the man
Michelangelo
at it again. He was asking
thought had the
someone else for change face of Judas.
for a florin.
ephemeral: lasting a short time 23testily: with impatience and irritation 24conceive: imagine
22
dingy: dark and dirty
25
brimming with: full of 27sidled: moved in a stealthy manner 28florin: old coin of Florence
26
35

As Michelangelo watched the man, he realized that this was how the man tricked people for food:
he would ask someone for change for a florin as an excuse for sharing their food.
It was not difficult for Angelo to persuade the beady-eyed man to accompany him to the chapel.
Michelangelo explained to the man that he wanted to use his face as a model for Judas. ‘It will make
you immortal, I promise,’ Michelangelo said solemnly as he lifted the sheets covering the walls and
the ceiling.
The man gaped, awestruck. He recovered enough to ask for a tidy sum29. Michelangelo promptly
agreed.
From that day on, the man came regularly to sit for Michelangelo.
One day, the man stood in
Michelangelo’s studio, browsing
through a pile of old sketches.
Suddenly, he paused at the picture
of the urchin from Bologna. ‘Who
is this child?’ he asked.
‘He used to live in Bologna many
years ago,’ Michelangelo said. ‘I gave
little Jesus the face of this child.’
‘Do you remember the child’s
name?’
‘Yes. Marsolini,’ said Michelangelo.
The man smiled. He rolled up his
sleeve. There was a name tattooed
on his arm— Marsolini. ‘I am that
child,’ the man said. ‘He whose face
you are giving to Judas today.’
From Michelangelo and Other Stories
(* The events described in the story do not necessarily reflect the facts of the lives of the artists mentioned here.)
Sampooran Singh Kalra (b. 1936) is better known by his pen name Gulzar. He is known for his
poetry in Hindi-Urdu, Punjabi and other languages. He is an acclaimed lyricist for Hindi cinema,
along with being an accomplished director. He has won recognition for his contribution to Indian
literature as well as to Hindi cinema. Interestingly, before he became a reputed writer, Gulzar
worked as a car mechanic.
29
tidy sum: a large amount of money
36

MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. Complete the following sentences.
a. Rome had begun to bore Michelangelo because _________________________ .
b. Michelangelo had found Mary with ease when he saw _________________________ .
c. Michelangelo had refused to paint the frescoes for the Sistine Chapel because
_________________________ .
d. Michelangelo found ‘his Judas’ in a _________________________ where he was
_________________________ .
e. Michelangelo was taken aback when ‘his Judas’ _________________________ .
2. ‘I don’t want any unpleasantness at this stage.’
a. Whose opinion was this?
b. What problem was he thinking of?
c. What was the work that is being referred to here?
3. The sight fascinated Angelo.
a. Where was Michelangelo sitting?
b. What was the sight that fascinated Michelangelo?
c. What influence did the sight have on Michelangelo?
4. ‘Why do you love stone so much? Why not canvas and colours?’
a. Who spoke these lines?
b. What was Michelangelo’s response to the questions given above?
c. Where exactly did Michelangelo’s genius fail him?

5. What work had Michelangelo been assigned by the Pope?
6. Why did Pope Julius prefer Michelangelo to Bramante?
7. Why do you think Pope Julius gave Michelangelo so much time to find ‘his Judas’? Do you
think Michelangelo deserved the duration of time he was given by the Pope?
8. What, according to you, is the central idea of the story?
9. Marsolini had gone from being the radiant child whose face Michelangelo had given to Baby
Jesus, to the beady-eyed man fit to be painted as Judas. What do you think could have been
the circumstances that had caused this change in him?
10. Extended Writing: Do you think Michelangelo was a genius? Use examples from the text to
support your answer.
37

Integrate
11. Michelangelo was also a sculptor. He sculpted a number of statues from marble. Marble is
a metamorphic rock, which means it has gone through a metamorphosis, or a change. When
heat and pressure are applied to limestone, marble is formed. List the different uses of stone
that you see in your vicinity. Collect different samples of rocks and with the help of your
teacher, sort and categorize them.
WORD WALL
Synonyms
1. Replace the underlined expressions with synonyms from the story. Make other changes to
the sentences if necessary, without changing the meaning.
a. The emperor announced that he would be building a new summer palace.
b. ‘Nafisa has a certain distinctive quality in her appearance,’ said Devika.
c. Do you think I can go up to her and ask her if she will chair the seminar?
d. Julian was annoyed because he had been going to Sofiya’s house for about a week to meet
her, but each time he found a large padlock on the door.
e. His sudden appearance added to the joy at Arun’s birthday party.
f. The artist was making beautiful paintings on the wet plaster at the church.
g. The hawker continued to follow us with his wares although we did not want to buy
anything from him.
Prefixes
2. Match the prefixes to the words to get antonyms of the words. Then use them in sentences
of your own.
dis accurate
im sense
il belief
in available
mis septic
non legal
anti responsible
ir spell
un polite
38

GRAMMAR TIME A verb is a word or a
group of words that
expresses an action
Tenses and time (such as walk), or a
state (such as is, am,
Read these sentences. are, was, were).
➤ Michelangelo was painting frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
➤ Michelangelo had been painting frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for four years.
➤ Michelangelo had still not painted ‘The Last Supper’.
In each of these sentences, the form of the verb paint changes.
A verb shows the time of an action by changing its form.
Tenses are the forms that verbs take to show the time of actions.
1. Complete the table given below with the correct tense form.
Tenses and time + – ?

Simple present James goes to school James does not go to Does James go to
every day. school every day. school every day?
Present _______________ James and his friends _______________
continuous are not playing in the
_______________ _______________
park this evening.
Present perfect They have won the _______________ Have they won the
match. match?
_______________
Simple past _______________ _______________ Did he finish his
homework in time?
_______________ _______________
Past continuous James was studying _______________ _______________
all evening.
_______________ _______________
Past perfect James had finished _______________ Had James finished
his project by the his project by
_______________
time Mother reached the time Mother
home. reached home?
Simple future James will miss the _______________ Will James miss the
train tomorrow if he train tomorrow if he
_______________
doesn’t go to sleep doesn’t go to sleep
soon. soon?
39

Future Tomorrow, James will Tomorrow, James _______________
continuous be writing his last will not be writing
_______________
test. his last test.
Present perfect James has been James has not been _______________
continuous waiting for you for waiting for you for
_______________
hours. hours.
Past perfect James had been _______________ Had James been
continuous waiting for you when waiting for you
_______________
Sushil came and took when Sushil came
him for lunch. _______________ and took him for
lunch?
Future perfect James will have learnt _______________ Will James have
Tamil by the time learnt Tamil by the
_______________
you come back from time you come back
Europe. _______________ from Europe?
2. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb given in brackets.
I ______________ not ______________ (meet) my friend, Samantha, had it not been for
an odd incident. I ____________________________ (study) at a Women’s College in Ooty.
I ____________________________ (travel) a distance of more than fifty-five kilometres by
a motorcycle every day. One day, I ____________________________ (reach) home very
late at night. Just as I ____________________________ (go) to sleep, there was a knock
on the door. Had it not been for the lights which I ____________________________
(leave) on, I ____________________________ (not leave) my bed on that wintry night. I
____________________________ (open) the door to find a young lady with a kitten in her
arms.The kitten ____________________________ (bleed) and it _________________
_______________ (look) as if its mistress ____________________________ (wait) for
a very long time before setting out to look for help. I ______________________________
40

(usher) them in and _______________________________ (call) in a veterinary doctor.
Since that night, Samantha and I ____________________________ (be) fast friends and
the kitten _______________________________ (stay) with us in our happiness and in
our sorrow.
DICTIONARY
Multiple meanings and usage of words

Given below is an extract from the Oxford Student Learner’s Dictionary providing the various
meanings of the word ‘fire’.
1. Given below are words that have multiple meanings. Look up any four of them in the
dictionary and use them in sentences of your own. Make sure that the sentences clarify
each of the meanings of the words.
present train conduct record address drive matter plant
41

WRITE WELL
Picture composition
1. Study the picture given below. Write a short story or a description of what the picture
suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take
hints from it; however, your composition must have a clear connection with the picture.
1. Listen to the passage carefully and then read the words given below. Do you think they
can be used to describe Michelangelo? Choose either Yes or No and justify your choice in a
sentence or two.
a. simple Yes No d. hard-working Yes No
b. generous Yes No e. selfish Yes No
c. considerate Yes No
2. Form groups. Each group will decide on a famous artist or author. Then play a game as
suggested below.
a. Give five clues to the other groups to guess the person chosen by you.
• Give one clue at a time. If by the fifth clue, the other groups cannot guess, then your
group scores a point.
• Your clues must include the period and nationality of the artist or the author and two
famous works.
• You get five points if you can answer without being given a clue, four points if you ask
for one clue and so on and so forth.
b. Each group should talk about the artist/author they have chosen, before the class.
42

The Enchanted Pool 3
Are you wise enough to answer this ancient riddle?
‘I never was, am always to be,

No one ever saw me, nor ever will
And yet I am the hope of all
To live and breathe on this earthly ball.’
Hint: It never comes
Let’s read a story from The Mahabharata that reflects the wisdom of Yudhishthira.
T he stipulated1 period of twelve years2

was drawing to a close. One day, a
deer was rubbing itself against a sage’s3
fire-kindling mortar4 and as it turned to go,
the mortar got entangled in its horns and
the frightened animal fled wildly with it
into the forest. In those days, matches were
unknown and fire was kindled with pieces
of wood by mechanical friction.
‘Alas! The deer is running away with my
fire-kindler,' shouted the sage and rushed
towards the Pandavas for help in his
distress5.
The Pandavas pursued the animal, but it
was a magic deer which sped in great leaps
and bounds, decoying6 the Pandavas far
into the forest and then disappeared. Worn
out by the futile7 chase, the Pandavas sat in
1
stipulated: set down in an agreement 2period of twelve years: the Pandavas had been exiled for twelve years (followed by a year of exile
in disguise) 3sage: wise and learned man 4fire-kindling mortar: fuelwood 5distress: extreme worry 6decoying: (here) misleading
7
futile: pointless
43
great dejection8 under a banyan tree. Nakula sighed. ‘We cannot render even this trifling service to
the sage. How we have degenerated9!’ he said, sadly.
Yudhishthira noticed with sorrow that his brothers had lost their cheerfulness and courage.
He thought they would be more cheerful with something to do. He was tormented with thirst and
so he said to Nakula, ‘Brother, climb that tree and see whether there is any pool or river nearby.’
Nakula climbed the tree, looked around and said, ‘At a little distance I see water plants and cranes.
There must certainly be water there.’
Yudhishthira sent him to fetch some water to drink.
Why did Yudhishthira
Nakula was glad when he got to the place and saw there was a pool. not go himself to fetch
He was very thirsty himself and so thought of quenching his thirst first water to quench his
thirst?
before taking water in his quiver10 for his brother; but no sooner did he dip
his hand in the transparent water than he heard a voice which said, ‘Do not
be rash. This pool belongs to me. O son of Madri! Answer my questions and then drink the water.’
Nakula was surprised, but carried away by his intense thirst and heedless of the warning, he drank
the water. At once, overcome by a great drowsiness, he fell down, to all appearance dead.
Surprised that Nakula had not returned, Yudhishthira sent Sahadeva to see what the matter was.
When Sahadeva reached the pool and saw his brother lying on the ground, he wondered whether
any harm had come to him, but before looking into the matter further, rushed irresistibly11 to the
water to quench his burning thirst.
The voice was heard again, ‘O Sahadeva, this is my pool. Answer my questions and only then may
you quench your thirst.’
Like Nakula, Sahadeva also did not heed the warning. He drank the water and at once dropped down.
Puzzled and worried that Sahadeva also did not return, Yudhishthira sent Arjuna to see whether
the brothers had met with any danger. ‘And bring water,’ he added, for he was very thirsty.
Arjuna went swiftly. He saw both his brothers lying dead near the pool. He was shocked at the
sight and felt that they must have been killed by some lurking foe. Though heartbroken with grief
and burning with the desire for revenge, all feelings else submerged12 in a monstrous thirst, which
irresistibly impelled13 him to the fatal pool.
Again, a voice was heard, ‘Answer my question before you drink the water. This pool is mine. If you
disobey me, you follow your brothers.’
Arjuna’s anger knew no bounds. He cried, ‘Who are you? Come and stand up to me, and I will
destroy you,’ and he shot keen-edged arrows in the direction of the voice.
The invisible being laughed in scorn, ‘Your arrows do but wound the air. Answer my questions and
then you can satisfy your thirst. If you drink the water without doing so, you will die.’
8
dejection: sadness 9degenerated: deteriorated or grown worse 10quiver: a case for holding arrows irresistibly: in a way that is very
11
tempting 12submerged: taken over by 13impelled: forced to do something
44
Greatly vexed14, Arjuna made up his mind to seek out and grapple with this elusive15 foe once he
had quenched his terrible thirst. So he drank the water and also fell down dead.
After anxious waiting, Yudhishthira turned to Bhima, ‘Dear brother, Arjuna, the
great hero, has also not yet returned. Something terrible must have happened to Wh y is the foe
des crib ed as
our brothers. Please seek them out and be quick about it. Also bring water, for I bein g ‘elu sive ’?
die of thirst.’ Bhima, racked16 with anxiety, hurried away without a word.
His grief and rage can be imagined when he saw his three brothers lying there dead. He thought,
‘This is certainly the work of the yakshas17. I will hunt them down, but I
Wh ich word am so thirsty, I shall first drink water so that I can fight them better.’ And
des crib es Bhim a’s then he descended into the pool.
attit ude towards
the yakshas? The voice shouted, ‘Bhimasena, beware. You may drink only after
answering my questions. You will die if you disregard my words.’
‘Who are you to dictate to me?’ cried Bhima, and he drank the water thirstily, glaring18 around in
defiance19. And as he did so, his great strength seemed to slip from him like a garment, and he also fell
dead among his brothers.
Lone Yudhishthira was racked with anxiety
and thirst. ‘Have they been subjected to a
curse or are they wandering about in the
forest in a vain search for water or have they
fainted or died of thirst?’ Unable to bear
these thoughts, and driven desperate by an
overpowering thirst, he started out to look for
his brothers and the pool.
Yudhishthira proceeded in the direction his
brothers had taken through tracts infested20
with wild boar and abounding in spotted deer
and huge forest birds, and presently came
upon a beautiful green meadow, girdling21 a
pool of crystal clear water—nectar to his eyes.
But when he saw his brothers lying there like
sacred flagpoles thrown pell-mell22 after a
festival, unable to restrain his grief, he wept.
Then a sense of mystery overcame him, for
this could be no ordinary occurrence. The world held no warriors who could overcome his brothers;
besides, there were no wounds on their bodies which could have let out life and their faces were
faces of men who slept in peace and not of those who died in wrath23. There was also no trace of
the footprints of an enemy. There was surely some magic about it. Or, could it be a trick played by
14
vexed: irritated 15elusive: difficult to find 16racked: tortured by 17yakshas: mythological nature spirits 18glaring: staring angrily
19
defiance: a look of opposition, as if challenging someone 20infested: present in large numbers 21girdling: surrounding, encircling
22
pell-mell: here and there, in a chaotic way 23wrath: anger
45
3 The Enchanted Pool.indd 45 31/08/17 2:49 PM

Duryodhana? Might he not have poisoned the water? Then Yudhishthira also descended into the
pool, in his turn drawn to the water by a consuming24 thirst.
At once the voice without form warned as before, ‘Your brothers died because they did not heed my
words. Do not follow them. Answer my questions first and then quench your thirst. This pool is mine.’
Yudhishthira knew that these could be none other than the words of a yaksha and guessed what
had happened to his brothers. He saw a possible way of redeeming25 the situation. He said to the
bodiless voice, ‘Please ask your questions.’
The voice put questions rapidly one after another.
It asked, ‘What makes the sun shine every day?’
Yudhishthira replied, ‘The power of the Supreme.’
‘What rescues man in danger?’
‘Courage is man’s salvation in danger.’
‘By the study of which science does man
become wise?’
‘Not by studying any sastra does man become
wise. It is by association with the great in wisdom
that he gets wisdom.’
The yaksha asked, ‘What is more nobly sustaining
than the earth?’
Yudhishthira replied, ‘The mother who brings up the children she has borne, is nobler and more
sustaining than the earth.’
‘What is higher than the sky?’
‘The father.’
‘What is fleeter than wind?’
‘The mind.’
‘What is more blighted26 than withered straw?’
‘A sorrow-stricken heart.’
‘What befriends a traveller?’ How, according
to you, would
‘Learning.’ learning befriend
a traveller?
‘Who accompanies a man in death?’
‘Dharma. That alone accompanies the soul in its solitary journey after death.’
‘Which is the biggest vessel?’
‘The Earth, which contains all within itself, is the greatest vessel.’
24
consuming: (here) very strong redeeming: making up for
25
blighted: destroyed
26
46

‘What is happiness?’
‘Happiness is the result of good conduct.’
‘What is that, abandoning which, man becomes loved by all?’
‘Pride—for abandoning that man will be loved by all.’ Which of Yudhishthira’s
answers appeals to
‘What is the loss which yields joy and not sorrow?’ you the most? Is there
any question to which
‘Anger—giving it up, we will no longer be subject to sorrow.’ you would give an
answer different from
‘What is that, by giving up which, man becomes rich?’ the one Yudhishthira
gave? What would your
‘Desire—getting rid of it, man becomes wealthy.’ answer be?
‘What is the greatest wonder in the world?’
‘Every day, men see creatures depart to Yama’s abode27 and yet, those who remain, seek to live
forever. This verily28 is the greatest wonder.’
Thus, the yaksha posed many questions and Yudhishthira answered them all.
Then the yaksha said, ‘I am pleased with your wisdom, Yudhishthira. I will bring all your brothers
to life.’ It was Yama, the Lord of Death, who had taken the form of the deer and the yaksha so that
he could test Yudhishthira. He embraced Yudhishthira and blessed him.
Yama said, ‘Only a few days remain to complete the stipulated period of your exile in the forest.
The thirteenth year will also pass by. None of your enemies will be able to discover you. You will
successfully fulfil your undertaking,’ and saying this he disappeared.
The Pandavas had, no doubt, to pass through all sorts of troubles during their exile, but the gains
too were not inconsiderable. It was a period of hard discipline and searching29 probation30 through
which they emerged stronger and nobler men.
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878–1972) was part of the independence struggle, a politician and a writer.
He was the last Governor General of India. Educated from Presidency College, Madras, he wrote in both Tamil
and English, and received a Sahitya Akademi award for his writing in Tamil. Popular works by the author include a
retelling of The Mahabharata and The Ramayana in English.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. Complete the following sentences with reference to the story.
a. In ancient times, fire was kindled by mechanical friction because ____________________
b. Nakula drank the water from the pool in spite of the yaksha’s warning because
_____________________
abode: home
27
verily: certainly
28
searching: (here) thorough
29 30
probation: period of test
47
c. Yudhishthira was left alone and thirsty because
______________________
d. Yudhishthira believed one must give up anger because
______________________
e. The yaksha brought Yudhishthira’s brothers back to
life because ______________________
f. Yama had taken the form of the deer and the yaksha
because ______________________
2. The Pandavas pursued the animal but it was a magic deer
which sped in great leaps and bounds, decoying the Pandavas
far into the forest and then disappeared.
a. When and where did this incident happen?
b. Why did the Pandavas pursue the animal?
c. How did the Pandavas feel when the animal
disappeared?
3. There was surely some magic about it.
a. Describe the scene before Yudhishthira’s eyes. What comparison does the narrator use to
describe it?
b. What was his first reaction on witnessing the scene?
c. Why did Yudhishthira come to the conclusion that there was something magical or
supernatural about the event?
4. ‘What is the loss which yields joy and not sorrow?’
a. Who asks this question and to whom?
b. What is the reply given to this question?
c. To what extent do you agree with the reply? Support your answer with a reason.
Read, reflect and write

5. How did Yudhishthira’s response to the voice differ from that of his brothers?
6. Illustrate how happiness is a result of good conduct.
7. What blessing did Yama bestow upon Yudhishthira?
8. What did the Pandavas gain from their exile?
9. What is an alternate title you could give this story? Justify your choice with a reason.
10. Extended writing: With detailed reference to the story, show what Yudhishthira’s answers
reveal about his character.
48

Integrate
11. Often while travelling through deserts people see pools of water that don’t exist. This
occurrence is an optical illusion called a mirage. Do you know what causes mirages? Find out
more about mirages and draw up a brief fact file.
WORD WALL
Anagrams
1. An anagram is a word formed by rearranging the letters of another, such as act, formed
from cat. Follow the example and use the clues given below to get anagram pairs.
a. i. Past tense of ‘be’ was e. i. Remain alive ________

ii. A tool for cutting wood saw ii. The opposite of good ________
b. i. Great jumps ________ f. i. A small body of water ________
ii. Loud rings of a bell ________ ii. A shape made when
c. i. The blue planet ________ something bends and crosses ________
ii. The organ that pumps g. i. A hoofed grazing animal ________
blood through the body ________ ii. A tall variety of grass ________
d. i. The past tense of send ________ h. i. The period between birth
ii. What comes between units and death ________
and hundreds ________ ii. A folder to hold loose papers ________
Proverbs
2. Yudhishthira is known for his wisdom. Proverbs are short, popular pieces of wisdom,
offering advice on how to live your life. Match the columns to complete the proverbs.
a. Two wrongs i. like the present.

b. When the going gets tough ii. by the company he keeps.
c. Two heads iii. built in a day
d. There’s no time iv. seldom bite.
e. Rome was not v. don’t make a right.
f. Barking dogs vi. are better than one.
g. A man is known vii. the tough get going.
49

GRAMMAR TIME
Verbals
➤ ‘We cannot render even this trifling service to the sage.’
➤ Heedless of the warning, he drank the water.
In the sentences given above, trifling and warning are verbals.
Verbals are words formed from verbs but functioning as a different part of speech. Participles,
gerunds and infinitives are verbals.
Participles
A participle is a word formed from a verb, ending in -ing (= the present participle) or -ed, -en,
-ed, -d, -t, -en, or –n etc. (= the past participle). A participle can be used as an adjective.
Here are some participles being used as adjectives:
Verb Past participle Present participle

burn the burnt toast the burning wood
cook the cooked rice the cooking competition
tear a torn shirt a tearing hurry
Participles are often used in phrases that act like adjectives.

➤ The cricketer wearing the orange cap scored the highest number
of runs.
(The phrase wearing the orange cap describes the cricketer.) Take care to attach the
➤ The days spent with my grandparents were the happiest of my life. participle to the noun
or pronoun which it
(The phrase spent with my grandparents describes the days.) describes.
➤ I watched the ducks swimming in the pond. Can you spot the
(The phrase swimming in the pond describes the ducks.) errors in these
➤ The beekeeper gave me a jar filled with honey. sentences?
(The phrase filled with honey describes the jar.) A table was made by
the carpenter with
➤ Cheering loudly, the spectators stood up. carved legs.
(The phrase cheering loudly describes the spectators.) Having eaten my
➤ Packed with books, the bag was too heavy for me to lift. breakfast, Grandfather
(The phrase packed with books describes the bag.) dropped me to school.
50

1. Choose participles from the box to complete the proverbs given below.
united sinking rising rolling rotten divided
a. ______________ we stand, ______________ we fall.

b. A ___________ tide lifts all boats.
c. A ______________ stone gathers no moss.
d. A ______________ apple harms its neighbours.
e. Rats desert a ______________ ship.
2. Use participles to combine the following pairs of sentences. One has been done for you.
a. The elderly man walked up the stairs. He tripped and fell.
Walking up the stairs, the elderly man tripped and fell.
b. I opened a drawer. It was crammed with books.
c. I heard a noise. I turned around.
d. The match was delayed by the rain. It started an hour late.
e. The performer was delighted by the cheering. He sang one
more song.
f. My friend saw me across the room. She waved.
g. We saw the golden oriole. It was sitting on the fir tree.
Gerunds
A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions in a sentence as a noun.
Verb Gerund
cycle I like cycling.
cook He enjoys cooking.
paint Painting is my hobby.
Note that the participle does the job of an adjective while the gerund does the job of a noun.
Compare the verbals in these two sentences:
➤ I bought a pair of swimming trunks.
(swimming ➔ adjective ➔ participle)
➤ I enjoy swimming.
(swimming ➔ noun ➔ gerund)
51

3. Complete the sentences using gerunds.
a. In summer I enjoy __________________ but in winter I prefer __________________.
b. __________________ is unhealthy.
c. __________________ is being environmentally responsible.
d. __________________ is my favourite pastime.
Infinitives
An infinitive is a verb form—often preceded by to—that can function as a noun, an adjective

or an adverb.
Example Function
My grandfather likes to Noun
read.
Bring a book to read. Adjective—qualifies the noun
Because an infinitive is
book not a verb, you cannot
Every evening we go to Adverb—explains why we go add -s, -es, -ed or -ing
the library to read. to the library to it.
An infinitive generally begins with to, but with certain verbs such as feel, hear, help, let, make,
see and watch we can use the infinitive without to.
Examples:
➤ I heard her sing.
Sometimes we can
➤ He made us wait for half an hour.
use either a gerund or
4. Put a tick () against the sentences that are correct and a an infinitive without
changing the meaning
cross () against those that are not. of a sentence:
a. The cat will not let the rat to escape. • I like to visit my
grandma.
b. You need not to do it.
• I like visiting my
c. We are happy to help you. grandma.
d. The visitors are about to leave. But sometimes the
meaning changes:
e. The coach made the players to warm-up. • I stopped drinking
Infinitives are useful for combining or synthesizing sentences. chocolate milk.
Examples: • I stopped to drink
chocolate milk.
➤ My grandfather goes to the park. He meets his friends there.
My grandfather goes to the park to meet his friends.
➤ We stand up to bullies. We are not afraid.
We are not afraid to stand up to bullies.
52

5. Combine each pair of sentences given below into a single sentence using the infinitive
(to + verb).
a. My grandmother goes to the park. She exercises there.
b. We go to the stadium. We watch matches there.
c. The candy is too hard. It cannot be bitten.
d. A janitor has been hired. He will clean the building.
PUNCTUATION
Semicolon
➤ The world held no warriors who could overcome his brothers; besides, there were no
wounds on their bodies which could have let out life.
➤ He was very thirsty himself and so thought of quenching his thirst first before taking water
in his quiver for his brother; but no sooner did he dip his hand in the transparent water
than he heard a voice which said, ‘Do not be rash. This pool belongs to me. O son of Madri!
Answer my questions and then drink the water.’
In the sentences given above, two sentences are linked with a semicolon.
A semicolon marks a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop.
1. Read the following sentences. How many of these can you combine using semicolons?
Check your responses with those of your partner.
a. Come home this evening, Ria. We can try playing my
new guitar.
b. We must go to the ruins outside the old city. They
are known to be beautiful.
c. I am going out. Are you coming?
d. I thought you had left. I was wrapping up here.
e. We have done everything we could. I think you could
trust us in this matter.
f. She did not respond. But, I think she will want to come along with us.
WRITING
Composition
1. Write a composition about the sudden visit of a distinguished person to your school.
The person gave a short speech that was liked by students and teachers alike. Discuss the
visit as well as the person’s talk. You can use the points on the next page:
53

the feeling the flurry of
at the end of preparations
the visit
a visit
things that went
description of
right and a few that
the visit
perhaps, did not
the speech and the

meaningful things that
were said by the person

1. Listen to the audio and choose the correct answer.
a. Which of the following words does not describe the young people at the beginning of the story?
i. impatient iii. disrespectful
ii. tolerant iv. arrogant
b. Which of the following is not a reason why the elders were banished?
i. They were tired of the stories that their grandparents told them and
the advice given by their parents.
ii. The young people thought the advice of elders was not relevant in modern times.
iii. The elders did not allow young people to govern the village.
c. What advice could the council of young people not give?
i. How to grow crops again.
ii. How to combat the cold and the heat.
iii. How to bring the elders back from the forest.
d. Which of these words does not describe the attitude of the young people at the end of the story?
i. reverent iii. insolent
ii. repentant iv. humble
e. Which of the following options best describes the lesson embedded in the story?
i. Younger people must listen to the stories, sagas and advice given
by elders even though it is tiresome to do so.
ii. Although the advice of elders is not needed in the modern world,
one must not exclude elders from a community.
iii. There is much that younger people can learn from the stories,
advice and experience of their elders.
2. In groups, write and perform a skit on respecting the elders in our communities.
Answer for warm-up: time
54

The Hero
When you were younger, what heroic deeds did you imagine yourself doing? Why do young children
imagine performing heroic deeds?
Mother, let us imagine we are travelling,

and passing through a strange and dangerous country.
You are riding in a palanquin1 and
I am trotting by you on a red horse.
It is evening and the sun goes down.
The waste2 of Joradighi3 lies wan4 and grey before us.
The land is desolate5 and barren.
You are frightened and thinking,
‘I know not where we have come to.’
I say to you, ‘Mother, do not be afraid.’
The meadow is prickly with spiky grass,

and through it runs a narrow broken path.
There are no cattle to be seen in the wide field;
they have gone to their village stalls.
It grows dark and dim on the land and sky,
and we cannot tell where we are going.
Suddenly you call me and ask me in a whisper,
‘What light is that near the bank?’
Just then there bursts out a fearful yell,

and figures come running towards us.
1
palanquin: covered or box-like carriage carried on poles on the shoulders of bearers waste: barren, bare
2
3
Joradighi: name of a place 4wan: dark and gloomy 5desolate: lonely
55
Poem 3 The Hero.indd 55 31/08/17 4:15 PM

You sit crouched in your palanquin
and repeat the names of the gods in prayer.
The bearers, shaking in terror,
hide themselves in the thorny bush.
I shout to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, mother. I am here.’
With long sticks in their hands

and hair all wild about their heads,
they come nearer and nearer.
I shout, ‘Have a care6, you villains!
One step more and you are dead men.’
They give another terrible yell and rush forward.

You clutch my hand and say,
‘Dear boy, for heaven’s sake, keep away from them.’
I say, ‘Mother, just you watch me.’
Then I spur my horse for a wild gallop,
and my sword and buckler7 clash against each other.
The fight becomes so fearful, mother,
that it would give you a cold shudder
could you see it from your palanquin.
Many of them fly8, and a great number are cut to pieces.

I know you are thinking, sitting all by yourself,
that your boy must be dead by this time.
But I come to you all stained with blood,
and say, ‘Mother, the fight is over now.’
You come out and kiss me, pressing me to

your heart, and you say to yourself,
‘I don’t know what I should do if I hadn’t my boy to escort9 me.’
6
Have a care: be careful buckler: a round shield
7
fly: (here) run away
8
escort: (here) guard on a journey
9
56

A thousand useless things happen day after day,
and why couldn’t such a thing come true by chance?
It would be like a story in a book.
My brother would say, ‘Is it possible?
I always thought he was so delicate10!’
Our village people would all say in amazement,
‘Was it not lucky that the boy was with his mother?’
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) was born in Kolkata into a prominent family which took
keen interest in literature and culture. He started writing poetry at the age of eight. He eventually
became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1913. Tagore founded a school
called Patha-Bhavana in 1901, which eventually expanded into the Visva-Bharati University
at Shantiniketan.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. Give details of the strange and dangerous country through which the narrator imagines himself
to be travelling with his mother. Fill in the boxes with the details.
a. b. c. d.
land meadow field sky
2. Read these lines and answer the questions that follow.

a. It is evening and the sun goes down.
The waste of Joradighi lies wan and grey before us.
The land is desolate and barren.
i. Who are ‘us’ in these lines?
ii. By what means are they travelling?
iii. What do the travellers think and say about the place?
10
delicate: (here) weak
57

b. With long sticks in their hands
and hair all wild about their heads, they come nearer and nearer.
i. Who are the persons described here?
ii. What are they coming nearer and nearer to?
iii. What are the means of travel they are using?
c. A thousand useless things happen day after day,
and why couldn’t such a thing come true by chance?
It would be like a story in a book.
i. What does the boy mean by ‘such a thing’?
ii. What reaction does the boy imagine from his brother?
iii. What would be the reaction of the villagers?
3. How do you know that the incidents described only happen in the boy’s imagination? Why do
you think the boy imagines such a dangerous situation?
4. What response do you think the mother would give her son?
5. The little boy wants to save his mother, if a situation such as he imagines were to arise. But he
also wants acclaim from certain others. Who are these people and why do you think the boy
wants their appreciation?
APPRECIATION
Dramatic monologue
Read these lines.
Mother, let us imagine we are travelling,
and passing through a strange and dangerous country.
You are riding in a palanquin and
I am trotting by you on a red horse.
These lines tell us that the poem is spoken by a young child to his mother. The child is the persona
or speaker and the mother is the audience or listener.
A poem which has a persona and an implied audience is known as dramatic monologue. Dramatic
monologue in poetry is like a monologue in a play. The poet speaks through a character, a fictional
identity, or a person—to a listener, also known as the auditor.
1. Given below is an extract from ‘The Rainy Day’, another dramatic monologue composed by
Tagore. Read the text aloud.
The Rainy Day
Sullen clouds are gathering fast over the black fringe of the forest.
O child, do not go out!
The palm trees in a row by the lake are smiting their heads
against the dismal sky; the crows with their dragged wings are
58

silent on the tamarind branches, and the eastern bank of the river
is haunted by a deepening gloom …
The sky seems to ride fast upon the madly rushing rain; the
water in the river is loud and impatient; women have hastened home
early from the Ganges with their filled pitchers.
The evening lamps must be made ready.
O child, do not go out!
a. Identify the persona and the listener.
b. What do these lines tell us about the persona?
c. The mood of a poem refers to its atmosphere. What is the mood of these lines?
2. Read the fable given below.

The Boasting Traveller
A man who had travelled in foreign lands boasted very much, on returning to his own country,
of the many wonderful and heroic feats he had performed in the different places he had visited.
Among other things, he said that when he was at Rhodes he had leaped to such a distance that
no man of his day could leap anywhere near him, there were in Rhodes many persons who saw
him do it and whom he could call as witnesses. One of the bystanders interrupted him, saying,
‘Now, my good man, if this be all true, there is no need of witnesses. Suppose this to be Rhodes,
and leap for us.’
Imagine that you are the boastful traveller. Compose a short dramatic monologue describing
your ‘feats’. You may compose the monologue in prose or poetic form.
59

March 4
The names of the months come to us from the early Roman calendar. At first there were ten months which
had been named and two that had not been named, in the calendar. March, then, was the first month of
the year. After this the order of the calendar was changed and all twelve months were given names.
1. Match the names of the months with the description of their origins.
A B
a. January i. named after the Roman emperor, Julius Caesar
b. February ii. named after Juno, queen of the Roman gods
c. March iii. named after Janus, the two-headed Roman god of doorways
and new beginnings, depicted with two faces looking in
opposite directions.
d. April iv. stands for ten—the tenth month of the older calendar
e. May v. named after the Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar
f. June vi. named for Februa, the feast of purification
g. July vii. month of Mars, the Roman god of war
h. August viii. stands for seven, the seventh month of the older calendar
i. September ix. stands for nine, the ninth month of the older calendar
j. October x. comes from the Latin Aprillis
k. November xi. month of Maia, a Roman Earth goddess
l. December xii. stands for eight, the eighth month of the older calendar
Let’s read this description of the month of March by a keen observer of nature.
M arch is an unpredictable month: one day can be as cold as any in winter, the next as warm
as any in spring. It may be as dry as a desert one morning and, by sundown, as wet as a
monsoon night. Fresh falls of snow in the mountains of Kashmir or Himachal bring chilly winds to
the capital. Strong winds push clouds up to freezing heights, convert raindrops into ice, toss icelets
up over and over again till they are too heavy to bear and let them descend on the Earth as hail.
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4 March.indd 60 30/08/17 6:20 PM

Take a close look at a hailstone and you will notice that it is of a milky-white colour and consists
of layers of ice like skins on an onion. I used to wonder why hailstorms did not occur in winter
months when it is cold, but in spring or early summers when it is warm. Now I know it takes strong
winds to make hail.
I have often put away my woollens by the middle of the month and taken out my summer clothes,
only to put back the cottons and once again get out cardigans and warm socks. What they say about
May in England, can be said of March in India: ‘Never cast1 a clout2 till March be out.’
The sun also continues to behave erratically3. It comes up earlier by more minutes than it goes down
in the evenings.
Humans are not the only ones to be fooled by the weather. Insects, said to be endowed with4 an
extra sense of forecasting the weather, suffer heavy losses.
Mosquitoes, flies and moths, which come out of hiding to pester humans, suddenly find the weather
turn inclement5 and are frozen to death. In my diary I record the first time I hear crickets chirp.
This is usually in the second week of March; probably somewhat earlier in my apartment than
in other homes as I have a log fire burning every winter night. A cricket’s chirp can be a reliable
substitute for a thermometer; the hotter it is, the faster the cricket chirps. If you do not believe me,
try the following experiment: count the number of chirps per minute, divide the total by four and
add forty. The total will give you the temperature of the room in Fahrenheit.
1
cast: throw away 2clout: (old use) article of clothing 3erratically: not following any regular plan endowed with: having or
4
possessing 5inclement: (of the weather) not pleasant; cold, wet, etc.
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The vagaries6 of the weather make Holi, the festival of colours, a chancy7
affair. It usually falls some time between the latter part of February and the What experiment
does the author
end of March. Some years, only the young are out with their long tube- suggest for guessing
syringes, buckets of coloured water and red powder to fight mock battles, the temperature?
yelling ‘Holi Hai! Holi Hai!’ Other years, it is warm enough for the middle-
aged and the old to risk being doused8.
By mid-March the mulberry tree (shahtoot in Hindi; Morus alba in Latin for the white-fruited
variety) has both flowers and leaves. For a few days its caterpillar-like fruits are free to all for picking.
Bauhinias are still in flower, though now with leaves around them. Mango trees are covered with a
powdery cluster of blossoms.
In March both birth and death are much in evidence. On the one hand you can see the grapevine
and madhumalati—Quisqualis (meaning Who? What?) indica, a name given to it by a Dutch
botanist because of its eccentric9 manner of growth—add new leaves every day. On the other, neems,
mahuas, jamuns, peepals and banyans are shedding their foliage.
Of the dying and the reborn, peepals and banyans have the most delicate The leaves of which
of new leaves; pale pink, silky-soft and beautifully shaped. If you want an trees does the
author recommend
offering from nature as your bookmark, you cannot do better than press
as bookmarks?
their leaves in your album. Why?
Most birds start making their nests in March. Vultures and kites, which
started off earlier, are busy making nests. For some years I have watched a
couple of white-backed vultures (I presume they are the same every year) choose the same
cleft10 in the branches of the Ailanthus overlooking the Golf Club swimming pool.
This tree is common in Delhi. Its Latin name Ailanthus (tree
of heaven) excelsa (very tall) is summed up by its Hindi name
Mahavriksh (the great tree). There are quite a few specimens in the
Golf Club and along many roads. Its flowers, which come out late
in February, are hardly visible, and its fruit, which drops by June,
cannot be eaten. However, its soft wood is used for making packing
cases and matchsticks.
Some vultures seem to have a sense of
history and like to rear their young in What do you think
ancient buildings. A pair of neophrons11 has for years occupied the same niche the narrator means
in the western wall of the Bara Gumbad in Lodi Garden. As Englishmen by the phrase ‘their
make a fetish12 about hearing the first cuckoo in spring, I record the first time throats open up’?
I hear the koel’s full-throated cry rather than the half-hearted gurgles13 that
one hears during winter months. In Delhi, their throats open up in the first
6
vagaries: changes that are difficult to predict or control 7chancy: uncertain 8dowsed: splashed or drenched with water
9
eccentric: strange or unusual 10cleft: (here) place where a branch divides into two 11neophrons: vultures with yellow beaks
and white feathers 12fetish: (here) idea which is given a lot of importance 13gurgles: irregular bubbling sounds
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week of March, and get clearer as the days get warmer and as nesting season draws nearer. About the
same time the papeehas (hawk cuckoos) begin to announce their presence.
Bird song can be heard round the clock: crow pheasants’ deep throated hook hook hook, tree pies’ harsh
overture14 followed by a tinkling of bells, and golden orioles’ fruity mellifluous15 calls, can be heard every
morning. On a warm afternoon, the tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk of coppersmiths (basanta or the crimson-throated
barbet) sounds very much like the short blasts made by the diesel-operated flour mills in villages.
No songbird in India can match the magpie robin (shama or dayal). It usually
sings only in the early hours of the morning or at twilight and evening. When does the
magpie robin
In March, the Lodi Gardens and the Buddha Jayanti Park are much sing?
frequented by picnickers. The Buddha Jayanti Park specializes in planting
masses of the same flower for each bed; the Lodi Gardens has quite a few flowering trees and beds
of pansies, phlox, salvias, violets and other delicate varieties of flowers.
A good time for visiting parks is the afternoon of Holi after the coloured-water sports are over and
most people are tired or engaged in post-Holi feasting.
In the Lodi Gardens, purple bougainvilleas, the most luxuriant and pristine16 variety of the species,
make a splendid show. To be seen among the birds are owlets, sitting in holes of old walls taking the
sun in with their eyes shut, and shrikes.
You can generally spot the bay-backed and rufous shrikes on the lower branches of trees. The shrike
is also known as the butcherbird because of its nasty habit of impaling17 live insects on thorns.
In the last week of the month, spring vegetables and fruits flood
the market. Cucumbers and kakrees (tar) are on lunch menus.
Watermelons, both cantaloupes and muskmelons (tarbooz and
kharbooza), are available in the market. In recent years their
quality has improved. In my younger days you had to be an expert
to tell the sweet melons from the tasteless. One only bought
kharboozas said to have come from Tonk or Saharanpur. Today
you have to be unlucky to bring home a flat-tasting melon; most
of them are sweet and succulent18. Closely following on the heels
of these ‘earthy’ fruits come mulberries, both the white and the
purple variety. Mangoes from the south and the much-fancied
Alfonso from the Konkan coast can be had for a price in fruit
shops catering to the rich. But for locally grown varieties of this
king of fruits you have to wait for a few more weeks.
Khushwant Singh (1915–2014) was a novelist, journalist and historian. He was a widely read
Indian columnist. He wrote three weekly columns that were reproduced by over fifty journals
across the globe. He was most famous for his novel Train to Pakistan. He is also known for his
translations of Urdu poetry as well as Sikh texts.
14
overture: introductory piece of music 15mellifluous: sounding sweet and smooth; very pleasant to listen to pristine: fresh and
16
clean, as if new 17impaling: pushing a sharp, pointed object through something 18succulent: full of juice
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MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. Complete the following sentences.
a. March is an unpredictable month because .
b. A cricket’s chirp can be a close substitute for a thermometer because .
c. The soft wood of the Ailanthus is used for .
d. There are more bird calls in March than in other months because .
e. The shrike is also known as because .
2. Humans are not the only ones to be fooled by the weather. Insects, said to be endowed with an extra
sense of forecasting the weather, suffer heavy losses.
a. How are humans fooled by the weather?
b. How does the sun behave in this month?
c. Which insects does this weather affect and how?
3. In March, the Lodi Gardens and the Budhha Jayanti Park are
much frequented by picnickers.
a. What is special about the Budhha Jayanti Park in March?
b. Which is the best day to visit these parks ?
c. Which birds can be seen in the Lodi Gardens at this time
of the year?
4. In the last week of the month, spring vegetables and fruits flood the market.
a. Which vegetables and fruits are found in the market?
b. Which cities are famous for their muskmelons (kharbooza)?
c. What has happened in recent years to the quality of melons?

5. Make a table of the names of the birds, flowers and vegetables to be found in Delhi in March, as
listed by the author.
6. Why do you think the narrator chose to describe the month of March and not any other
month? Give reasons.
7. The author seems to have an eye for human behaviour, and also for flowers, birds, insects, and
even for fruits and vegetables. What does this say about the author?
8. Extended writing: Now write about the technique of the author’s descriptions with respect to
the following:
a. imagery b. comparisons c. colours
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4 March.indd 64 23/11/17 12:34 PM

Integrate
9. Many festivals are celebrated according to the change of seasons and the harvest that takes place
in those seasons. Find out which crops are harvested in March and which festivals are celebrated
in that month.
WORD WALL
Fixed expressions
Read this sentence.
➤ Take a close look at a hailstone and you will notice that it is milky-white in colour.
Fixed expressions in a language are certain combinations of words which have a meaning different
from the individual meanings of the component words. If one of the component words is replaced
by a synonym, the same meaning will not be achieved. English uses a number of fixed expressions in
everyday conversation and writing.
1. Circle the right expression in the following sentences.

a. On behalf of/For behalf of the school, I would like to thank all the parents.
b. You may leave now, or stay longer; it’s on to you/up to you.
c. All in a sudden/All of a sudden, I heard her footsteps on the staircase.
d. Try and stay out of/above trouble.
e. I ran till I was out of/under breath.
f. It has come to/showed to our attention that your son is not attending classes.
g. I can assure you that it is a happiness/a pleasure to deal with you.
h. Could you holdup/hold on for a moment please?
GRAMMAR TIME
Relative Pronouns
➤ I miss my grandmother. My grandmother lives in Australia. A pronoun is a
I miss my grandmother who lives in Australia. word that is used
The word who is used in place of My grandmother and it joins the two instead of a noun.
sentences. In this sentence, who is a relative pronoun.
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4 March.indd 65 30/08/17 6:20 PM

A relative pronoun does the work of a conjunction and a pronoun. Relative pronouns include:
who, whom, whose, what, which and that.
In the sentences below, the italicized words are relative pronouns.

➤ I miss my grandmother. My grandmother’s stories
are interesting. That or which?
I miss my grandmother whose stories are interesting. • The cakes, which have
➤ I have lost my train ticket. I purchased the ticket yesterday. pink icing, are delicious.
(All the cakes have
I have lost my train ticket which I had purchased yesterday. pink icing and they are
The relative pronouns who/whose/whom are used for delicious.)
persons only. • The cakes which have
The relative pronouns which/what are used for animals pink icing are delicious.
and non-living things. (There are cakes with a
variety of coloured icing
The relative pronoun that can be used for persons as well – only the ones with pink
as things. icing are delicious.)
In the second sentence,
1. Fill in the blanks with suitable relative pronouns. we can use that instead of
a. Ravi found he was looking for. which, as well.
b. He reported the theft of his car had been
stolen from his garage.
c. Mr Shivkumar is the gentleman shop was inaugurated by the
Chief Minister.
d. Nobody can figure out is troubling the anxious lady.
e. We pity the beggars we see begging on the streets.
f. Sharmila, is my best friend, has invited me to her house.
g. I was disappointed because Sudhir and Harsh, I had invited to my
party, didn’t reach on time.
2. Complete the following sentences using relative pronouns.

a. Doesn’t he look like the man ...
?
b. We were about to leave when Hira ...
.
c. The crows chased the eagle ...
.
d. I really liked that book ...
.
e. What were the clues ...
?
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4 March.indd 66 23/11/17 12:39 PM

f. Please make a list of the things ...
.
g. That is the packet ...
.
h. Those are the fruits ...
.
DICTIONARY
Words with Greek or Latin origins

In this chapter you have read about the English meanings of the scientific names of some plants like
Ailanthus excelsa and Quisqualis indica. Many common words in English have their origin in Greek
or Latin words.
1. Use a dictionary to find out the origin of the words given below.
a. architect b. civilian c. history d. manuscript e. astronomy

f. geology g. infinite h. mechanic i. octopus j. pirate
WRITE WELL
Descriptive composition
1. Choose a subject and write a descriptive composition to show seasonal changes. You
could choose from the following subjects: a tree, the sky, food, clothes, family activities,
leisure time, my garden, the place I live in, etc. Bring out the changes that take place with
every changing season. Use this graphic organizer to jot down points before you write the
composition. Use vivid descriptions, engaging all the senses.
Spring Summer Monsoon Winter

a. ___________ a. ___________ a. ___________ a. ___________
b. ___________ b. ___________ b. ___________ b. ___________
c. ___________ c. ___________ c. ___________ c. ___________
d. ___________ d. ___________ d. ___________ d. ___________
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4 March.indd 67 30/08/17 6:20 PM

1. Your teacher will read out some information about four different birds. Listen carefully
and complete the table below. Also, identify their pictures given below, correctly.
Name of bird Colour of bird Food Nest Voice or call

Coppersmith
Golden Oriole
Koel
Red-Wattled Lapwing
2. Write the names of the following topics on different slips of paper. Put them in a bowl.
Take turns to pick up one slip and deliver a short, extempore piece on the topic given on
the slip you pick. Use vivid descriptions.
Traditions associated with seasons
Seasons represented in rhymes and stories
Do you think that in recent years we are losing our four distinct seasons?
We’ll weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.
Seasons change and so do we.
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose.
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4 March.indd 68 30/08/17 6:22 PM

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ICSE EDITION

CB 8_prelim.indd 1 31/08/17 4:08 PM

© Oxford University Press 2011, 2015, 2018

The moral rights of the author/s have been asserted.

First Edition published in 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

You must not circulate this work in any other form

Typeset in Adobe Jenson Pro Light

Illustrations by Vikas Upadhya and Sapna Advertising Company

CB 8_prelim.indd 2 31/08/17 4:08 PM

Features of the ICSE Curriculum

• Learning is linked across various subject

• Caters to diﬀerent learning styles

CB 8_prelim.indd 3 31/08/17 4:08 PM

Life Skills are Intercurricular

logic and emotion to learning with other

The course content

CB 8_prelim.indd 4 31/08/17 4:09 PM

What could she do before the age of four?

me up a sheet?’ Making connections

is the dinosaur’ s stomach

I think we might have something to eat WRITE WELL

the writing topics Paragraph writing

Listen and speak well

23 First After that

activities, covering a range

MB3 Chapter 1.indd 23 7/21/17 9:48 PM

interactive and fun way.

hayloft: a room directly under theof tasks.

many days © Oxford University Press 2018

NAMING WORDS Grammar at a Glance

Common nouns name any people,

one girl But we can say: a glass

At each level, the Coursebook unit is complemented by a

corresponding Workbook unit. In addition to comprehension

passages, the Workbooks provide practice for grammar, writing

and study skills. The Workbooks also contain Assessment practice

Grammar before time a tree.

and interdisciplinary projects.

c. ................. hour d. ................. windmill PM

g. ................. acorn h. ................. leaf

FEATURES OF OXFORD EDUCATE: 5. Fill in the blanks with a, an or some.

1 Search and install the 2 Run the app 3 Tap the

(iOS)/Play Store (Android). SEARCH box. select it.

that makes your

relevant pages. page, tap SCAN.

CB 8_prelim.indd 6 31/08/17 4:11 PM

CB 8_prelim.indd 7 23/11/17 11:35 AM

Interchange of main and

Project 2: Welcome to our school

The publishers have applied to the following for permission:

Proper Common Abstract Noun Noun

Material Masculine Singular

Concrete Feminine Plural

Countable Common Collective

Grammar at a Glance_CB 8.indd 11 31/08/17 2:14 PM

Gerund Infinitive Participle Modals

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun.

Personal: stands for Reflexive: when the Emphatic: used for

Demonstrative: Indefinite: refers to Distributive: refers to

Relative: relates to Interrogative: asks Reciprocal: shows each

Adjectives of quantity show how much.

Adjectives of number show how many or in what order.

Possessive adjectives show belonging.