1.

A TRIUMPH OF SURGERY
1. A Letter to God
G.L Fuentes
The story is about Lencho who writes a letter to God when his harvest is
devastated by the hail storm. He strongly believes in God enough to demand an
amount of one hundred pesos as help for the destruction he faced. When he
posted the letter, the postman could not deliver it to an address and rather reads
it. He makes fun of Lencho’s unawareness and shares it with the postmaster,
who too takes a laugh at the matter but is startled by humanity to give in efforts
to make Lencho’s wish come true. The entire staff at the post office makes
donations of up to seventy pesos with the postmaster pitching in a very
prominent part of his salary. They decide to hand over the collected money to
Lencho.
As Lencho arrives, the postmaster hands him the envelope full of money posing
it as being sent by God. However, Lencho is not happy when he receives the
letter. He rather complains about the missing amount. He writes a second letter
to God. The postmaster reads the letter once Lencho posts it in which he
expresses his anger further devising that the staff at the post office must have
stolen the remaining amount. He further calls them “a bunch of crooks”.
•Lencho: A poor farmer who is the main character of the
story. Lencho is a man of faith and hope, and he is innocent and
naive. He is also God-fearing, ignorant of worldly events, and
condemns dishonesty and corruption.
•Postmaster: A kind, generous, helpful, amiable, and God-fearing
man. The postmaster is compassionate and kind, and he understands
and is amazed by Lencho's faith in God. He is also a friendly fellow
who helps Lencho retain his faith in God.
2. Nelson Mandela
The ‘Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom’ is an autobiography from the life of
Nelson Mandela where he talks about the most important incident of his life, the
inauguration day, the day when he took oath as the first black President of South
Africa. The oppression faced by the black-skinned people in South Africa, the centuries-
long rule of white-skinned people, and more are talked about in this chapter.

•Nelson Mandela- He was a leader, fighter, believer, and someone who knew
how to help people get their freedom back. He was very brave and courageous.
He is also equally forgiving since he did not have a vision of showing the
oppressors how it feels like to be oppressed, instead, he has always wanted to
build a nation where every person lives freely. He is thankful to his comrades
who have sacrificed their lives. He is a visionary leader who has great thoughts
about the country and lifestyle of his people. In the chapter, he also talks about
his journey of turning into a man from a boy.
Nelson Mandela: A long walk to freedom
• It was the 10th of May, 1994.
• The inauguration ceremony of the first non-racial government was held at
the lovely amphitheatre in the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
• Mandela spoke how for decades South Africa was the seat of white
supremacy.
• Apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in the people.
• The decades of exploitation and oppression of the black produced heroes
like Tambo’s, Sislus and others.
• The greatest wealth of South Africa was not in its minerals and diamonds but
in men of such great character.
Nelson Mandela: A long walk to freedom
• Nelson Mandela learnt the meaning of courage from such brave comrades.
• Courage is the victory over fear.
• Nelson Mandela thought that every man has twin obligations.
• He has a duty towards his wife and children and an obligation to his people
and country.
• In South Africa, it was impossible for blacks like him to fulfil both those
obligations. If any black tried to live like a free human being, he was punished
and isolated. He was forced to live an isolated life — away from his family. He
was forced to live a life of rebellion and secrecy.
Nelson Mandela: A long walk to freedom

Mandela realised that not only was he deprived of freedom but his brothers
and sisters were also deprived of freedom. That was why he joined the
African National Congress. It was his desire for the freedom of his people
and their self-respect that totally transformed him from a weak young man
to a bold one. A law-abiding lawyer was forced to become an outlaw. He
realised that freedom is indivisible. He knew the oppressed must be
liberated. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their
humanity. Both of them must be liberated.
3. Two Stories About Flying
Liam O’Flaherty
Fredrik Forsyth
"His First Flight" is about a young seagull who is afraid to fly because he doesn't
trust his wings. The story is about the need for courage and self-confidence to
overcome fears.

"Black Aeroplane" is about a young pilot who almost dies while flying a plane
but is saved by a mysterious black plane. The moral of the story is that we
should not lose hope in life.

•In the chapter “Two Stories About Flying,” there are two tales that show us
how important it is to have inner strength and determination to conquer fear.
Being brave in challenging situations enables us to overcome difficulties in our
lives.
• The pilot in "The Black Aeroplane" is a brave and resourceful man.
• He is also a devoted family man who is eager to get home to his loved ones.
• When he gets caught in the storm, he remains calm and collected.
• He uses his skills and experience to navigate the plane through the dangerous
weather conditions.
• He is also grateful for the help that he receives from the mysterious "Black
Aeroplane."

• The young seagull is a scared and insecure bird.

• He is afraid to fly because he does not believe in himself or his
abilities.
• However, the young seagull is also curious and adventurous. He
wants to explore the world and see what it has to offer.
The story “His First Flight” is by Liam O’Flaherty and is about a young seagull who was
scared to fly for the first time. He worried that his wings wouldn’t hold him up in the
air. His siblings, despite having smaller wings, bravely flew in the open sky. But the
young bird couldn’t gather the courage to fly. Every time he tried to go to the edge to
fly, he got scared and went back. His parents scolded and warned him, saying he’d go
hungry if he didn’t fly, but he didn’t listen. He just watched his parents teach his
siblings how to glide over the waves and catch fish.
One nice day, the whole family went to a big flat area and teased the young seagull for
being scared. The young bird asked his mom for some food. He happily cried out when
she quickly grabbed a piece of fish and flew over to him. He leaned out eagerly,
grabbed the fish, and, because he was so hungry, he accidentally fell into the open
space. A huge fear came over him as he felt himself falling. But then, his wings spread
out, and he could fly without fear. Finally, the young seagull took his first flight, soaring
higher, skimming through the waves, and diving with his siblings.
“Black Aeroplane” is a mysterious tale by Fredrik Forsyth about a pilot. The storyteller
is a pilot who wants to be with his family and have a nice breakfast with them in
England. He had to fly from France to England to be with his family. After passing Paris,
he saw storm clouds that looked like big black mountains. But as he flew through them,
everything around him turned completely black. He couldn’t see anything outside the
airplane, and he lost control of it.
All of a sudden, he saw another airplane without lights on its wings. The pilot of that
airplane waved and signaled him to follow. Because his plane’s radio signals weren’t
working, and the fuel was running low, he followed the other pilot blindly. After going
through the dark clouds, he landed safely on the runway with the help of the other
pilot. When he asked at the reception about the pilot who helped him in that tough
situation so he could thank him, the woman there said there was no other airplane in
the night sky except his own.
4. From the Diary of Anne Frank
➢ Anne Frank thinks that writing a diary is a strange experience for her. She has never
written anything like this before.
➢ She wants to get all kinds of things off her chest.
➢ Anne feels that paper has more patience than people.
➢ Anne writes that outwardly there are about 30 people whom she can call friends.
➢ But still, she feels all alone. They can’t confide in each other.
➢ She wants her diary to be her friend. She calls her diary, her friend ‘Kitty’.
➢ The entire class is shaking with fear. The teachers will decide in the next meeting
who will move up and who will be kept back. It is difficult to predict the decision of
the teachers.
➢ Mr Keesing, the Maths teacher is an old-fashioned teacher. He doesn’t like her
because she talks too much.
➢ The Maths teacher gives her some extra work to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’.
She writes three pages.
➢ She argues in the essay that talking is a student’s trait. It is an inherited trait. Mr
Keesing has a good laugh at her arguments in the essay.
➢ He assigns her a second essay on ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’ Finally, as punishment
for talking in the class, he gives her another essay on “Quack, Quack, Quack, said
Mistress Chatterbox”.
➢ She finishes the poem about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby
ducklings. They are bitten to death by the father because they quack too much. Mr
Keesing understands the poem and its message in the right way. Since then she has
been allowed to talk. She has not been assigned with any extra homework.
➢ highly intelligent,
➢ compassionate,
➢ mature young girl
➢ Funny
➢ could create a humorous defense for every issue.
➢ intelligent and innovative in her arguments.
5. Glimpses of India
The chapter is about the cultural differences between the different states of India. It describes the language,
costumes, specialties, food, and culture of different states and their native people.
Talks how the importance of bakers is still maintained in Goa villages even after the Portuguese have left.
They are known as ‘Paders’ in Goa. It was the maid-servant of the house who collected the loaves while
children sorted out the bread bangles for themselves. Bakery products have importance in the culture and
traditions of Goa. Bol or sweet bread is a part of marriage gifts, cakes and Bolinhas or coconut cookies are
eaten at every festival and the lady of the house prepares sandwiches at her daughter’s engagement.
Earlier bakers wore a unique frock of knee-length known as ‘kabai’ but during the narrator’s childhood days,
they wore a shirt and trousers of length slightly shorter than the usual ones. They generally collected their
bills at the end of every month. Bakery has continued to be a profitable profession, managing to keep their
families joyous and prosperous.

20
 II
Glimpses of India
COORG

❑ The lesson gives us a beautiful insight of the smallest district of Karnataka and its people. The
place has amazing weather throughout the year with enough rain during the monsoon season.
The people of Coorg are known to be one of the bravest. Coffee is the main crop grown in this
region. A variety of animals can be found here while the place is surrounded by beautiful
Brahmagiri hills, islands and Tibetan settlements. The Coorgi men are brave warriors who are
permitted to keep firearms without a license due to their trustworthiness.
❑ The women of Coorg are pretty. Coorg is also known as Kodavu and the Kodavus, though they
are Hindus by religion but their customs differ from those of mainstream Hindus.
❑ They marry within their community. Kodavus are said to be of Greek or Arabic descent.
❑ Some soldiers of Alexander’s army settled there. Also, as the ethnic dress of the Kodavus, Kuppia
is similar to the Arab garment Kuffia, it is said that maybe their ancestors were Arabs or Kurds.
❑ The river Kaveri originates from Coorg. The fish named Mahaseer is found in the river. Many
animals and birds like kingfisher, langur, squirrels and elephants can be spotted along the river.
21
Glimpses of India
III
TEA FROM ASSAM

The lesson is about two friends- Pranjol and Rajvir who are traveling to
Pranjol’s hometown Assam for the summer vacation. Assam is known as
the ‘tea country’. It has the largest concentration of plantations in the
world. During their journey, they discuss about the various ‘legends’ that
are known to have discovered tea. The story tells us about the popularity
of tea as a beverage.

22
Glimpses of India

❑ Visiting there for the first time, Rajvir did a lot of study about how tea was
discovered and that it dates back to 2700 B.C. According to what he read, it
was first consumed in China and reached Europe in the 16th century, where
it was mostly popular for it’s medicinal properties.
❑ There are numerous stories as to how it was discovered, one about a
Chinese Emperor and the other about a Buddhist monk.
❑ The former liked the taste of it while the latter, used it to get rid of sleep.

23
6. Mijbil the Otter
Gavin Maxwell
✓ Appearance
Mijbil looks like a small dragon, covered in mud armor scales and chocolate brown fur.

✓ Personality
Mijbil is known for his love of water and high energy levels. He becomes upset when water is
left undisturbed and can open faucets by himself.

✓ Play
Mijbil enjoys playing with marbles, rubber balls, ping-pong balls, rubber fruit, and toys. He also
likes to play with a terrapin shell from his native marshes.

✓ Species
Mijbil is a Maxwell's otter, whose species was previously unknown to science.

✓ Pet
Mijbil is the author's pet otter. The author describes how his life changed after getting an otter as
a pet.
1.When Maxwell’s dog died, he became alone without a pet.
2.In 1956, he travelled to Southern Iraq and there he thought of keeping an otter instead of a dog.
3.His friend advised him to get an otter in Tigris marshes. They were found in plenty there.
4.Two Arabs were squatting on the floor and a sack was lying beside them.
5.They handed him a note from his friend. It read: “Here is your otter …”
6.The narrator named the otter `Mijbil’.
7.In the beginning, Mijbil was indifferent but started taking a keen interest in his surroundings.
8.He came to his bed and remained sleep on Maxwell’s knees.
9.Like every otter, Mijbil enjoyed splashing water like a hippo.
10.Mijbil was successful in screwing up the tap to its full flow.
11.The otter spent most of his time playing.
12.It was really a difficult job to transport Mijbil from Basra to England.
13.Mij was packed up in a small box.
14.The air hostess was quite friendly and cooperative and suggested keeping the pet on his knee.
15.As the box was opened, Mij was out of the box in a flash.
16.Mijbil disappeared and later on, it was found beneath the legs of a turbaned Indian.
17.Maxwell remained in London with Mijbil for nearly a month.
18.Mij invented his own game with the ping-pong ball.
19.Like school children, he would touch every block with his feet and touch every second lamp-post.
20.The average Londoner could not recognise an otter and people started giving wild guesses about him.
21.Mijbil was called ‘a baby seal’, ‘a squirrel’. ‘a walrus’, ‘a beaver’, etc.
Playful
Mijbil is a mischievous and playful animal who enjoys rolling a rubber ball around the room.

Water-loving
Mijbil is known for his affinity for water and becomes agitated if any water remains
undisturbed. He also goes wild with joy in water, plunging and rolling in it and splashing water.

Intelligent
Mijbil is quite intelligent and demonstrates intelligence by successfully attempting to open a tap
by himself.

Observant
Mijbil exhibits observant behavior and has an excellent sense of smell.

Friendly
Mijbil is an intelligent, friendly, and fun-loving animal. He used to follow the narrator when his
name was called.

Hesitant
Initially, Mij is hesitant and wary of people, but gradually, gains confidence and develops a bond
with the author.
7. Madam rides the bus
•The story is about an eight-year-old girl named Valli who lives near a bus stop in a village.
•The story's theme is that children are curious and easily fascinated by new things.
•The story also expresses that age is just a number for getting along with new adventures and having the
guts to fulfill them.
•The story tries to present the world as seen from a child's perspective.
• The lesson is about an eight-year old girl named Valli.
• Her favourite part was to look at the bus that passed by her village every hour. Gradually, even she
wished to travel by bus. Soon, the wish turned into a desire and therefore, she made it her mission to
fulfill it.
• She started listening to the conversations between her neighbours who frequently travelled by bus
and in the process, would ask a few careful questions here and there to collect more information.
Just like this, she knew that the town is six miles away from her village and it took the bus forty five
minutes to travel one side. One-sided fare was thirty paise making it sixty for a back and forth ride.
• Finally, she saved enough money and one fine day, the brave eight year old took the bus during
it’s not very busy hours. She refused to take any help from the conductor or fellow passengers.
It was an amusing sight for everyone to see such a small girl all alone acting like an adult.
• The conductor was of the joking sort and thus, referred to Valli as a grown up ‘madam’.
• She enjoyed seeing what was going on outside and the sight of a running cow in the middle of a
road was abruptly a funny scenario for her. While returning, she carried extreme enthusiasm
until she saw a cow lying lifeless on the road. It was the same cow that was so joyous
previously.
• Valli got terrified at the fact that how a creature so full of life can instantly turn into something
horrible. She sat down silently for rest of the journey
•young, bright, and street-smart girl
•lively, spunky, curious, and blessed
•with a sharp wit and a strong sense of observation.
•strong, independent young girl who was not afraid to take chances
• speak out for herself, despite her innocent age.

• The bus conductor -

• cheerful, fun-loving man
• fantastic sense of humour.
• peacemaker and mediator,
• helpful and courteous
• responsible towards her.
8. The Sermon at Benares
Betty Renshaw
In The Sermon at Benares, Lord Buddha delivers his first sermon on the Ganges bank. The sermon's
theme is the mortality of humans and how to accept it after birth.
The sermon's main teachings include:
•Death is unavoidable
•Death is the ultimate truth of life
•People should not be selfish about losing loved ones
•The wise do not mourn
•Weeping and mourning will not bring peace of mind
The sermon ends the suffering of a woman who has lost her son. She accepts the truth and is freed
from pain.
•The lesson "The Sermon at Benares" depicts Lord Buddha's early years. He was born a prince,
but he gave up his luxurious life when he began looking for a solution to all of the problems in the
world. He wandered for nearly seven years after leaving the noble life in search of answers for all
human suffering. He finally found wisdom under a peepal tree. He gave his first lecture at Benares
after attaining enlightenment. He helped a woman named Kisa Gotami comprehend the reality of
human life. After losing her only son, Kisa Gotami went to Lord Buddha and begged him to give her
son's life back. Buddha instructed her to gather mustard seeds from a house where no deaths had
occurred. Kisa Gotami realised that death and life are a part of nature and that there is no way to
avoid them. Additionally, Buddha counsels against spending time in lamentation, complaint, and
mourning because doing so would only worsen the problem. According to Buddha, those who shun
these three arrows will experience ultimate happiness.
•Kisa Gotami
•simple woman who was devastated when her only son died.
•had been selfish in her grief
•accepted that death is universal and common to all.

• Gautama Buddha
• Noble
• Awakened one
• wise
9. The Proposal
Anton Chekhov
The play "The Proposal," by Anton Chekhov, is a Russian one-act comedy that revolves around three
central figures: Chubukov, Natalya, and Lomov. The play opens with Lomov visiting Chubukov to ask
his permission to marry his daughter Natalya. Chubukov, overjoyed and excited, agrees to offer his
daughter's hands to Lomov. The scenario was initially pleasant until Natalya entered, and both she and
Lomov began bickering about the rightful owner of the Oxen Meadows land.

After a lengthy argument between Natalya, Chubukov, and Lomov, who has been
experiencing palpitations, Lomov departs Chubukov's home. And not long after Lomov left, Chubukov
unintentionally disclosed the purpose of Lomov's arrival. As a result, Natalya is astonished and surprised
to learn about Lomov's proposal and requests that her father give him a call.

Natalya approaches Lomov while he is still away in the hopes that he will propose, but their conversation
quickly devolves into a debate over which of their dogs is superior. As Chubukov becomes involved,
Lomov becomes unconscious and becomes unwell. Lomov and Natalya kiss each other with Natalya's
hands in his, and the play concludes .
Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov
A heavy-set, 35-year-old bachelor. He is a wealthy landowner who is pretentious,
proud, argumentative, impetuous, and hysterical. He is also prone to anxiety,
stubbornness, and hypochondria.

Stepan Stephanovitch Chubukov

Owns land next to Ivan. He seems happy about the potential marriage between Lomov
and Natalya.

Natalya
A 25-year-old, strong-willed woman who is more effective than Lomov in speaking
clearly and getting to the point.
All the characters in the play are argumentative, full of pride and possessiveness. They
are always ready to argue for petty things.
The play is about the tendency of rich families to hunt ties with other wealthy families,
to extend their estates by encouraging marriages that observe economic sense.