• .

Look at the situations below and say what the person should have/should not
have done (been doing).
• a.    The baby picked up the burning candle. Mother wasn’t watching the baby.
• The baby’s hand was burnt. – Mother should have kept the candle beyond the
baby’s reach.
• b.    Paliska closed her eyes and ran down the steps. She fell down and sprained
her leg. – She shouldn’t have closed her eyes and run down the steps.
• c.    Chirikaji drove very fast. He collided with a stationary truck. – He should have
 been driving carefully.
• d.    Tembachhiri lost his glove. His hand was frost bitten. – He should have kept it
in his bag.  
• e.    Ruhi switched on the light with a wet hand. She got a bad shock. – She should
have switched on the light after wiping her wet hands with a towel. 
Explanation & Lots
3. Read and Complete.
Read the debate once again and complete the sentences with appropriate words.
a.    Uttar keeps changing mobile sets.
b.    Ajmera advocates self-acceptance.
c.    Abraham Lincoln possessed both self-acceptance and a flare for progress.
d.    Our activities for progress should be heading towards satisfaction.
e.    Bhim doesn’t know whether self-satisfaction or progress comes first.
4. Read and Answer.
Read the debate once again and answer the questions given below.
a.    Why does Uttar always try to possess new things? Why does he suggest that we should not be self-satisfied?
Ans- Uttar always tries to possess new things to keep up with changing world. He suggests that we should not be self-satisfied because our
self-acceptance can turn us into ambitionless mammals.
b.    What is a never- ending race according to Ajmera? How is it so?
Ans- Running after progress and prosperity is a never-ending race. It is so because the things which we possess now were once part of our
progress and now we don’t value them, and urge for something else. This cycle continues in a never- ending race. 
c.    What does Bhim mean by saying “It seems to be a chicken and egg situation.”?
Ans- According to Bhim, a confusion in which it is impossible to say which of two things existed first and which caused the other one is
chicken and egg situation.
d.    How is Chandra’s point of view different from that of Uttar or Ajmera?
Ans- Chandra’s point of view is different from that of Uttar or Ajmera as he opines every progress is made to achieve satisfaction.
e.    If you were one of the speakers, how would you express your thoughts?
Ans- I believe progress is important. The development of the world to this stage from the stone age has been possible only due to our desire
for progress.
Reading- II
5. Enrich Your Vocabulary
Read the texts above, and choose the best alternative.
a. The word ‘spoil’ as used in the sentence means ____.
    

ii. form bad effect on character/behaviour

b. To generate jobs also means to ____ jobs.
    

ii. create
c. Something that causes troubles is described as a ____.
    

iii. nuisance
d. d. A proposal is ____ plan.
    

ii. proposed
e. Wiliness is the cleverness at____.
    

ii. getting what one wants

6. Find and List Out
The people’s views above mainly convey the following four degrees of
probability. Find the sentences, and put them under the correct headings.
Degrees of probability Sentences expressing probability
a. Something will certainly happen. - Children are bound to take money and go to cinema instead of school.
    

b. Something may/might happen. - The proposed cinema may be a big nuisance for parents with low income.
    

c. Something may/might not happen. - Our children may not give much time to their studies.
    

d. Something certainly won’t happen. - You can’t prevent something that is taken as the sign of development.
    
• The Rivals by James Stephens
• About the Poet:
• James Stephens (1880- 1950), an Irish novelist and poet was born in Dublin and died in
London. He is popular for his style of retelling Irish myths and fairy tales. His style of
retelling is often comical and lyrical. His novel ‘the Crock of Gold’ has gained much
popularity and has been translated in many languages. His last book ‘Kings and the
Moon’ was also a volume of verse that published in 1983. He was interested in socialism
and wrote poems on different human emotions.

• About the Poem:

• The poem 'The Rivals’ is about the description of one of the ugliest states of human mind
i.e. rivalry. People are the victim of this wrong emotion when they feel the circumstances
are not in their favor. They feel for or against hundreds of things, based on: do they make
much of me, make me important? People see someone else as good or not good
depending on whether that person favors and praises them. The bird in the poem is
charming; it is welcoming the world—the dew, the wind. But the speaker senses the bird
is worthless to listen to, because it didn’t admire him: “For he didn’t sing to me.”
• Summary of the Poem:
• The poem beautifully depicts the morning scene. The speaker listens to the
melodious sound of the bird. The bird is singing sweetly upon the tree in the
morning. At that time the dewdrops are seen on the lawn and the wind is blowing
upon the lea. But the speaker doesn’t listen to the bird as it doesn’t sing for him.
The speaker feels jealousy since he can sing as beautifully as the bird. Both the
speaker and the bird are singing sweetly as if they are competing to praise the
beauty of nature. So, they are competitors or rivals.
Assess yourself 1
Reading Test
Read the poem carefully and attempt the questions given.
The Rivals
I heard a bird at dawn
Singing sweetly on a tree,
That the dew was on the lawn,
And the wind was on the lea;
But I didn’t listen to him,
For he didn’t sing for me!
I didn’t listen to him,
For he didn’t sing for to me
That the dew was on the lawn
And the wind was on the lea!
I was singing at the time,
Just as prettily as he!
I was singing at the time,
Just as prettily as he!
I was singing at the time,
As prettily as he,
About the dew upon the lawn,
And the wind upon the lea!
So I didn’t listen to him,
As he sang upon the tree! - James Stephens
• Exercise (Questions and Answers):
• A.     Find the words that are similar in meaning to the following words.
• a.    daybreak- dawn
• b.    pleasantly- sweetly
• c.    grassland- lea
• d.    breeze- wind
• e.    on- upon
• B.   Write ‘True’ for the true statements and ‘False’ for the false ones.
• a.    The competition took place in the morning time. True
• b.    The speaker was singing much more beautifully than the bird. False
• c.    Both of them were singing the same song. True
• d.    The birds sing for us but the bird in the poem was not singing for the speaker. 
False
• e.    The speaker didn’t listen to the bird but the bird listened to him. False
• C.   Respond the following questions.
• a.    What did the speaker hear in the morning?
• Ans- The speaker heard a bird singing in the morning.
• b.    What were the bird and the speaker singing about?
• Ans- They were singing about the dew and the wind.
• c.    Give two reasons why the speaker didn’t listen to the bird?
• Ans- i. The bird didn’t sing for him.   ii. The speaker thought the bird was his rival.
• d.    When did the competition take place?
• Ans- The competition took place at dawn.
• e.    Where was the bird singing from?
• Ans- The bird was singing from a tree.
• f.     According to the poem, where was the wind?
• Ans- The wind was on the lea.
• g.    Who was singing more sweetly, the poet or the bird?
• Ans- Both of them were singing sweetly.
• D.   Find the words for the given definitions.
• a.    A person competing with another- rival
• b.    Drops of water that form on the ground- dew
• c.    A natural current of air that moves fast enough- wind
• d.    In a charming way- sweetly
• e.    A piece of land covered with grass- lea
• E.   Match the phrases with the correct continuations.
• a.    The speaker and the bird were      i. didn’t listen to the bird.
• b.    The song was                              ii. on the lea.
• c.    The speaker was                         iii. on the lawn.
• d.    There was wind                           iv. both singing at the same time.
• e.    The dew was                               v. about the dew and the wind.
• f.     The speaker                                vi. competing with the bird.
• Ans- a- iv, b- v, c-vi, d- ii, e- iii, f- i