Tamilnadu Board

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 3 Earthquake

A. Fill in the blanks with words from the text.

1. The name of the narrator is _________________ .
2. There were _________________ villages in the valley.
3. Brij went to Pauri to buy his _________________ .
4. The soldiers had set up a _________________
5. Bhuli had been buried under the debris for _________________  hours.

Answers:

1. Brij
2. six hundred and seventy
3. school books
4. makeshift hospital
5. hundred and sixteen

B. Based on your understanding of the story, choose the right answers from the options.

Question 1.
Brij started a tea shop because he wanted to _________________ .
(a) start a company.
(b) serve the people.
(c) go on a pilgrimage.
(d) become a tour guide.
Answer:
(b) serve the people

Question 2.
Molthi was completely devastated because of _________________ .
(a) a high intensity earthquake.
(b) thunder and hail storm!
(c) drought and famine.
(d) flash floods
Answer:
a high intensity earthquake.

Question 3.
The brother searched everywhere and looked dejected because _________________ .
(a) he couldn’t find his house.
(b) he couldn’t locate his sister.
(c) he was hungry and didn’t eat for a few days.
(d) he lost his school books.
Answer:
he couldn’t locate his sister.

Question 4.
The boy had great reverence and respect for Army officers as they _________________ .
(a) were brave and courageous,
(b) worked day and night
(c) saved his sister from death.
(d) all the above.
Answer:
saved his sister from death

Question 5.
Brij finally offered the traveller a _________________ .
(a) cup of milk
(b) cup of tea
(c) glass of water
(d) cup of coffee
Answer:
cup of tea

MCQs – Additional

Question 1.
Welcome to my humble roadside __________ .
(a) coffee shop
(b) snack shop
(c) tea shop
(d) fruit shop
Answer:
(c) tea shop

Question 2.
It looks rickety, but it will hold your __________ .
(a) height
(b) weight
(c) strength
(d) body
Answer:
(b) weight

Question 3.
The heat, the crowd, the __________ it was all too much.
(a) sun
(b) smoke
(c) water
(d) pollution
Answer:
(d) pollution

Question 4.
The earth quake lasted less than __________ minutes.
(a) three
(b) four
(c) five
(d) two
Answer:
(c) five

Question 5.
I had saved most of my __________ .
(a) vessels
(b) books
(c) instrument
(d) earnings
Answer:
(d) earnings

Question 6.
Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and __________ .
(a) Agra
(b) Lucknow
(c) Kashmir
(d) Calcutta
Answer:
(b) Lucknow

Question 7.
It was a sheer chance that I was away that _________________ .
(a) evening
(b) morning
(c) night
(d) after noon
Answer:
(c) night

Question 8.
The __________ had set up a make shift camp.
(a) doctors
(b) soldiers
(c) people
(d) officers
Answer:
(b) soldiers

Question 9.
We spent the outside __________
(a) entire day
(b) entire night
(c) entire morning
(e) entire evening
Answer:
(b) entire night

Question 10.
I had gone to __________ to buy my school books
(a) Molthi
(b) Delhi
(c) pauri
(d) garhwal
Answer:
(c) pauri

Question 11.
He stood in the middle of a small __________.
(a) place
(b) door
(c) way
(d) hollow
Answer:
(d) hollow

Question 12.
__________ hours later, a soldier called out, ‘Sir!’
(a) Three
(b) Five
(c) Two
(d) Four
Answer:
(c) Two

C. Identify the character or speaker of the following lines.

1. Greetings, traveller. You looked tired and cold.
2. Tomorrow, we will go back to Pauri.
3. Whom are you looking for?
4. My men have been on their feet for days.
5. May God be with you!

Answers:

1. Brij
2. Uncle
3. Army officer
4. Army officer
5. Brij

Identify The Character / Speaker – Additional

1. ‘Are you a stranger to these parts?’
2. ‘I started this tea shop two years ago’.
3. ‘They have taken the bodies to the river bank’.
4. ‘But we must find her ’.
5. ‘Come, you must perform the last rites before sunset.’
6. ‘Brij, get a grip on yourself’.
7. ‘Boy, it is no use’.
8. ‘My sister, Sir”.
9. ‘They have done all they could here.’
10. They laboured doggedly.

Answers:

1. Brij
2. Brij
3. Uncle
4. Brij
5. Uncle
6. Uncle
7. The Army Officer
8. Brij
9. The Army Officer
10. The three soldiers

D. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 80 to 100 words.

Question 1.
Explain the efforts taken by the Army Officer to save the baby.
Answer:
The officer came with three soldiers armed with spades and crowbars. Without a word, the men began to remove the debris. They laboured doggedly. When it was completely dark, some one brought a few lit petromax lamps. Two hours r later, a soldier called out, “ Sir”. He stood in the middle of a small hollow. The wall had caved in at that spot. Brij recognised a part of the door. Beneath it, was a little foot. Feverishly, the soldiers began to clear the hollow. Then they lifted the door. It was a miracle. They rescued the baby alive after a hundred and sixteen hours. A ragged cheer went up and she was carried to a make-shift hospital.

Question 2.
Brij has become a symbol of love and humanity. Explain.
Answer:
Brij was happy to have Bhuli after a tough rescue operation. The officer who helped him was never seen again. He wanted to thank that Army officer. He hoped that one day he would run into him again. So Bhuj offered special tea with love and care to all tired travellers, army officers and soon every person who went that way. He felt a surge of sheer joy. He considered it as a humble service. Brij has become an epitome of love and a symbol of humanity.

Paragraph Questions And Answers : Additional

Question 1.
What happened to Brij’s village ‘Molthi’?
Answer:
A terrible earthquake occurred, four years ago in the month of October in a Valley near the Himalayas. Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and Lucknow. They were six hundred and seventy villages in the valley. Out of these, six hundred and two villages were destroyed. The earthquake lasted less than five minutes. But it was enough time to set the centuries old mountains, to crash, to reduce the villages to rubble and to snuff out hundreds of lives. Brij’s village, “Molthi” was also destroyed during this terrible earthquake. He lost all his family members, except his little sister Bhuli. Every single house had been flattened. Only stones, rubbles and dust remained.

Question 2.
What did Brij tell to the traveller about his family?
Answer:
Brij’s house was a two-storeyed stone building with a slate roof/His great grandfather had built that house. They were a small family. His father had died after an illness, just fourteen months ago. His mother took care of all her children. Brij was the oldest of all. His brother Nilu was ten years old. Bhuli, his two-year old sister was the baby of the family. His grandmother also lived with them. He had lost his family, when he went to Pauri to buy his school books. While he was leaving for Pauri, his family members stood at the doorway and waved out to him.

E. Answer the following questions based on the reading ofthestory. Do notforget to go back to the passage whenever necessary to find and confirm the answers.

Additional Questions

I. Rearrange The Following Jumbled Sentences In The Correct Order.

Question A.
1. While you warm yourself, I will prepare for you the best cup of tea in all Garhwal.
2. Anyway, whoever you are, come with me. Wait at my tea shop.
3. It will chase away the pinched, blue look from your face.
4. As you can see, I am carrying this can of milk to the shop.
5. In ten minutes, I will have a fire going.
Answer:
2,4, 5,1, 3
2. Anyway, whoever you are, come with me. Wait at my tea shop.
4. As you can see, I am carrying this can of milk to the shop.
5. In ten minutes, I will have a fire going.
1. While you warm yourself, I will prepare for you the best cup of tea in all Garhwal.
3. It will chase away the pinched, blue look from your face.

Question B.
1. By the grace of God, it provides me a decent enough livelihood.
2. I came back and with a little help, I started this shop.
3. Before that, I worked in a roadside shop outside Panipat.
4. I had saved most of my earnings.
5. The heat, the crowd, the pollution – it was all too much.
Answer:
3, 5,4, 2,1

3. Before that I worked in a roadside shop outside Panipat.
5. The heat, the crowd, the pollution – it was all too much.
4. I had saved most of my earnings.
2. I came back and with a little help, I started this shop.
1. By the grace of God, it provides me a decent enough livelihood.

Question C.
1. One night, the earth quaked.
2. We, who live here, are accustomed to tremors.
3. It was four years ago, in the month of October.
4. Yes, tremors are common in these parts.
5. These snows may seem eternal, the Himalayas may look solid, but the truth is, deep down they are unstable.
Answer:
3,1,4, 5,2

3. It was four years ago, in the month of October.
1. One night, the earth quaked.
4. Yes, tremors are common in these parts.
5. These snows may seem eternal, the Himalayas may look solid, but the truth is, deep down they are unstable.
2. We, who live here, are accustomed to tremors,

Question D.
1. I had gone to Pauri to buy my school books.
2. We felt tremors. We ran out into the open.
3. Again and again the tremors came. We spent the entire night outside.
4. It was sheer chance that I was away that night.
5. I stayed the night at my uncle’s house.
Answer:
4,1, 5,2, 3

4. It was sheer chance that I was away that night.
1. I had gone to Pauri to buy my school books.
5. I stayed the night at my uncle’s house.
2. We felt tremors. We ran out into the open.
3. Again and again the tremors came. We spent the entire night outside.

II. Read The Passage And Answer The Questions.

1. Here we are. Welcome to my humble roadside teashop. Make yourself comfortable on this wooden bench. It looks rickety but it will hold your weight. My name, Sir? I am called Brij. I am seventeen years old. I started this tea shop two years ago.

Question (a).
Where was Brij’s teashop?
Answer:
His teashop was by the roadside.

Question (b).
How was the wooden bench in his tea shop.
Answer:
It was poorly made and likely to collapse.

Question (c).
How old was Brij?
Answer:
He was seventeen years old.

Question(d).
When did he start the tea-shop?
Answer:
He started the tea shop two years ago.

Question (e).
Who did Brij invite to his tea shop?
Answer:
Brij invited a traveller to his tea shop.

2. Here, your tea is ready – strong, sweet, flavoured with cardamom. Enjoy it, Sir, while I get on with my chores. This is my daily routine. At sunset, I will shut my shop and walk back the three miles to my dwelling on the hillside.

The name of my village?
It was my village. The village of my ancestors.
It is no more. Molthi is gone.

Question (a).
How did Brij prepare tea for the traveller?
Answer:
He prepared strong, flavoured tea with cardamon.

Question (b).
What time does he shut his shop?
Answer:
He shuts his tea shop at sunset.

Question (c).
How many miles he has to walk to his dwelling?
Answer:
He has to walk three miles to his dwelling on the hillside.

Question (d).
What was the name of his village?
Answer:
Molthi was the name of his village.

Question (e).
Why does Brij say that his village ‘Molthi’ is gone?
Answer:
He says that Molthi is gone because it was destroyed by an earthquake.

3. It was four years ago, in the month of October. One night the earth quaked. Yes, tremors are common in these parts. These snows may seem eternal, the Himalayas may look solid, but the truth is, deep down they are unstable. We, who live here, are accustomed to tremors. But what happened that night was more than that. It was a terrible earthquake. Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and Lucknow.

Question (a).
When did the earthquake occur?
Answer:
It occurred four years ago in the month of October.

Question (b).
Are tremors common in those parts of the valley?
Answer :
Yes, Tremors are common in those parts of the valley.

Question (c).
What did Brij say about the Himalayas?
Answer:
Himalayas may look solid and eternal, but deep down, they are unstable.

Question (d).
Are the villagers who lived there accustomed to Tremors?
Answer:
Yes, they are accustomed to Tremors.

Question (e).
How were the effects of the Tremor?
Answer:
Its effects were felt as far away as Delhi and Lucknow.

4. When the soldiers began to clear the debris, my uncle led me away. I was in a complete daze, too numb to feel anything. The soldiers had set up a makeshift camp. Someone gave me tea and biscuits. I don’t know how long I was there. Suddenly it was evening and uncle was standing beside me. “They have taken the bodies to the river bank,” he said gently. “Come, you must perform the last rites before sunset. Tomorrow, we will go back to Pauri.”

Question (a).
What was the state of Brij, after the devastation?
Answer:
He was in a complete daze, too numb to feel anything.

Question (b).
What did the soldiers set up?
Answer:
The soldiers set up a makeshift camp.

Question (c).
What did his uncle say to him?
Answer:
He said that they have taken the bodies to the river bank. So he must perform the last rites before sunset.

Question (d).
When the soldiers began to clear the debris, what did his uncle do?
Answer:
He led Brij away from that place.

Question (e).
What was given to Brij by someone?
Answer:
He was given tea and biscuits.

5. He stood in the middle of a small hollow. The wall had caved in at that spot. I recognized a part of a door. Beneath it, a small foot.
Feverishly the soldiers began to clear the hollow. Then, they lifted the door.
“She is alive!” someone said.

It was a miracle. She had been buried under the debris for a hundred and sixteen hours. She had survived the earthquake, the cold nights and the wild animals. A ragged cheer went up and the soldier wrapped her in a warm blanket and carried her to the tent, where a makeshift hospital had been set up. Bhuli lived. The next day, I went to thank the Army Officer. But he was gone. I did not even know his name.

Question (a).
Where did one of the soldiers stand?
Answer:
He stood in the middle of a small hollow.

Question (b).
When the soldiers saw a small foot beneath a part of a door, what did they do?
Answer:
Feverishly, the soldiers began to clear the hollow. Then, they lifted the door and found the little girl there.

Question (c).
How many hours was the little girl buried under the debris?
Answer:
She had been buried there for a hundred and sixteen hours.

Question (d).
What steps were taken by the soldiers to save Bhuli?
Answer:
The soldiers wrapped her in a warm blanket and carried her to the tent, where a makeshift hospital had been set up.

Question (e).
What made Brij to go to the area, where the soldiers were labouring?
Answer:
The next day, he went to the area, to thank the army officer for saving his sister.

III. Short Question And Answers.

Question 1.
What was Brij carrying to his shop?
Answer:
He was carrying a can of milk to his shop.

Question 2.
Where did Brij work earlier?
Answer:
He worked in a roadside shop outside Panipat.

Question 3.
How did he prepare the tea for the traveller?
Answer :
He prepared a strong, sweet flavoured tea with cardamom for the traveller.

Question 4.
How many miles did Brij walk everyday to his dwelling?
Answer:
He walked three miles to his dwelling on the hillside.

Question 5.
When did the terrible earth quake occur?
Answer:
It occurred four years ago in the month of October.

Question 6.
How many villages were destroyed?
Answer:
Six hundred and two villages out of six hundred and seventy villages in the valley, were destroyed.

Question 7.
With whom did Brij live?
Answer:
He was living with his mother, a brother, who was ten years old, a two year old sister Bhuli and his grandmother.

Question 8.
What did the Army officer do, after Brij requested him to search for his sister?
Answer:
Ten minutes later, the army officer was back with three soldiers armed with spades and crowbars.

Question 9.
Was Briji’s sister alive?
Answer:
Yes, she was alive. She had been buried under the debris for a hundred and sixteen hours.

Question 10.
Did Brij thanked the army officer? Why?
Answer:
No, he could not thank him, as he was gone, the next day.

Earthquake Textual Acitivies

Warm Up

Question.
When was the last time you helped someone? Write a few instances of your act of kindness.
Answer:
I helped an old lady recently when she was very hungry and I had just ten rupees for my favourite chocolate. But, I was happy to get her a bun, butter and jam and feed her. I felt relieved and happy when she wished me goodluck.

• I have offered to carry weight for an aunt with a child,
• I have offered my seat in the bus for elders,

Earthquake On Killing a Tree by Mahadevan

M. S. Mahac van, is a prolific South Indian English writer. His short stories are known for the lucid style and typical Indian conditions. The Mole, Daughter Daughter, 200 Metres, The Enemy are some of his famous short stories.

Earthquake On Killing a Tree Summary

Brij, a little boy of 17 years old, offers tea at free of cost to any of the army officers or tired travellers. On his way to his tea-shop, he looks happy and excited. He offers a tired traveller tea and tells the incident of an earthquake that killed almost all of his family four years ago. On that day Brij went to a nearby Village, Pauri, to buy his school books and stayed at his uncle’s house.

That day night, his hometown, Molthi, was shattered by a powerful earthquake. He could just see the corpse of all his family members except his little sister, Bhuli. Everyone believed that she would have been eaten by some wild animals. But Brij felt that she would be alive. He requested an Army officer to search. The officer brought a team of three soldiers and started removing debris, to search for the little child.

Fortunately they found Bhuli who survived 116 hours without food in between the ruckus. Brij was very happy to have his sister. He didn’t even thank the officer as he never met him again. From that day, he started to offer free tea and service to all tired travellers who went that side.

The main characters are : 1. brij, 2. army officer, 3.bhuli 4.A tirerd traveller

Earthquake On Killing a Tree Mind Map

Earthquake On Killing a Tree Glossary

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 2 The Fun They Had

 

Mcqs – Additional

Complete the following by choosing the correct answer from the options given.

Question 1.
Margie even wrote about it that night in her.
(a) book
(b) record
(c) diary
(d) text
Answer:
(c) diary

Question 2.
They turned the pages which were yellow and.
(a) crinkly
(b) neatly
(c) awkwardly
(d) dirty
Answer:
(a) crinkly

Question 3.
Our television screen must have had a million on it.
(a) texts
(b) words
(c) sentences
(d) books
Answer:
(d) books

Question 4.
What’s there to write about
(a) hospital
(b) school
(c) hotel
(d) home
Answer:
(b) school

Question 5.
Her mother sent for the county
(a) doctor
(b) police
(c) inspector
(d) dentist
Answer:
(c) inspector

Question 6.
He smiled at Margie and gave her an
(a) apple
(b) egg
(c) orange
(d) ice-ream
Answer:
(a) apple

Question 7.
The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had put homework and.
(a) question papers
(b) answer papers
(c) maths paper
(d) test papers
Answer:
(d) test papers

Question 8.
The mechanical teacher calculated the in no time.
(a) numbers
(b) sum
(c) marks
(d) words
Answer:
(c) marks

Question 9.
The geography sector was geared a little too.
(a) slowly
(b) quickly
(c) fast
(d) slow
Answer:
(b) quickly

Question 10.
Tommy looked at her with very eyes.
(a) inferior
(b) lofty
(c) heavy
(d) superior
Answer:
(d) superior

Understanding The Story

A. Identify the character or speaker of the following lines.

1. She was given test after test in geography.
2. He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires.
3. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether.
4. They learned the same things, so they could help one another with the home work and talk about it.
5. They had a special building and all the kids went there.

Answers:

1. Margie
2. County Inspector
3. Margie
4. Students of the old school
5. Tommy

Identify The Character / Speaker – Additional

Question 1.
“It’s not the little girl’s fault.”
Answer:
The Country Inspector

B. Fill in the blanks with the clue given below to complete the paragraph

Tommy and Margie found something about the (i) ____________ of the past. Tommy found a (ii) ____________ which has been printed on paper. The book was old and the pages were (iii) ____________ At present, the (iv) ____________ were moving on a television screen. The television had over 5. ____________ He had found the old book in the (vi) ____________ of his house. While reading Tommy found that it was about the old schools. Margie hated school because she was having problems with learning (vii) ____________ The mechanical teacher was black and large with a screen. Margie hated the slot where she had to insert her homework or (viii) ____________ Margie did not understand how a (ix)____________ could be a teacher and how the students were taught the (x) ____________ Then it was (Xi) ____________ for Margie and Tommy. Margie went to the schoolroom in her (xii) ____________ where the mechanical teacher stood. She was thinking about the old school and how much fun the children had, (xiii) ____________ time together
Answers:
(i) schools
(ii) real book
(iii) yellow and crinkly
(iv) words
(v) million of books
(vi) attic
(vii) geography
(viii) test papers
(ix) person
(x) same thing
(xi) time
(xii) house
(xiii) learning and spending

C. Bring out the difference between your school and Margie’s school in the given tabular column. An example is done for you.

Margie’s School	Your School
Teacher is a machine.	Teacher is a human being.
Book are on the television screen.	Books are in printed form.
School is at home.	School is at a special building.
There is no playground.	There is a playground.

D. Complete the following statements based on your reading.

1. The old book was found by ____________ .
2. Margie was surprised to see the old book because ____________ .
3. The mechanical teacher was giving Margie ____________ .
4. Margie had to study always at the same time every day, because her mother said little girls ____________ .
5. The geography sector in mechanical teacher was ____________ .

Answers:

1. Tommy
2. The words stood still, instead of moving
3. test after test in geography
4. learned letter, if they learned at regular hours
5. geared a little too quickly

Think And Write

E. On the basis of your reading and using your own ideas, answer the following in about 125 -150 words each.

Question 1.
Describe Margie’s mechanical teacher and her classroom in your own words.
Answer:
Tommy found the book on 17 May 2157. It was a very old book. The pages, were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read the words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to, on a screen. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the county inspector.

Question 2.
Why did Margie hate her school? What was she thinking about at the end of the story?
Answer:
The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. The geography sector was geared a little too quickly. She had been hoping that they would take the teacher away altogether. She was thinking about the old schools where the teacher told boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions. The students had a special building and all the kids went there. All the kids learned the same thing.

Question 3.
What was strange about the ‘book’? Why did Margie find it strange?
Answer:
The pages of the ‘book’ were yellow and crinkly. It was awfully funny to read words that stood still, unlike moving on a screen. When Margie turned back to the previous page, the page had the same words on it, when she read it the first time. All these things were strange for Margie, as she used to read only telebooks through computer screen, without any knowledge of a real book.

Short Questions And Answers : Additional

Question 1.
When did Tommy find a real book?
Answer:
Tommy found the book on 17 May 2157.

Question 2.
Describe the book.
Answer:
The pages, were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read the words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to on a screen.

Question 3.
Did the words on the book move? Why?
Answer:
No. The book was not like a telebook that could be read on a computer. So the words didn’t move.

Question 4.
Where had Tommy found the book?
Answer:
Tommy found the book at the attic of his house.

Question 5.
Why did Margie hate school?
Answer:
The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the county inspector.

Question 6.
Describe the county inspector.
Answer:
County Inspector was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires.

Question 7.
What was it that Margie hated most?
Answer:
The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers.

Question 8.
What was the defect with the mechanical teacher?
Answer:
The geography sector was geared a little too quickly.

Question 9.
Why was Margie disappointed?
Answer:
Margie had been hoping that they would take the teacher away altogether.

Question 10.
Describe the teacher of olden days.
Answer:
The teacher was a human. The teacher told boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.

Question 11.
Describe the school of olden days.
Answer:
They students had a special building and all the kids went there. All the kids learned the same thing.

Paragraph Questions And Answers : Additional

Question 1.
Describe Tommy’s find and its special features.
Answer:
Tommy found a real book. It was very old and had belonged to his grandfather. The
pages were yellow and crinkly. The words stood still without moving, as they would on a computer screen. And then when turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had earlier.

Question 2.
Why did Margie want her mechanical teacher to be taken away?
Answer:
Margie hated the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. The mechanical
teacher calculated the marks very quickly. Tommy’s teacher had been taken away once, for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. She thought her teacher too would be taken away in the same way.

Question 3.
Describe the fun that the children of the old school had.
Answer:
The children of the old kind of school had human teachers. They would give the children
homework and ask them questions. There was a special building and the children went there to learn. All children of the same age learned the same thing. They left the school at the same time. They shouted, sat together, helped one another. They had real him

The Fun They Had by Issac Asimov

Issac Asimov (1920 – 1992) was an American writer and professor of bio-chemistry at Boston University. He was known for his works of science fiction and popular science. He was born on 2nd January 1920, in Petrovichi, Russia. He was a prolific writer and edited more than 500 books, an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He wasTconsidered one of the best science fiction writers during his lifetime.

The Fun They Had Summary

The short story ‘The fun they had’ written by Isaac Asimov deals with a boy and a girl, Tom-my and Margie, who find out something about school in the past time. On 17th May 2157, Tommy, a thirteen year old boy finds a ‘real book’, which has been printed on paper. He is at the house of Margie, an eleven year old girl. They both take a look at it together. The book is really old and the pages are yellow and cranky.

In the year 2157, this kind of book doesn’t exist anymore. Tommy has found the old book in the attic of his house. While reading the book, Tommy says that it is about school. Margie hates school and cannot understand why someone would write about it. Now a days, in the year 2157, they read every thing on the computer. She was having problems with learning geography from her mechanical teacher, which was black, large and had a screen on it.

It teaches the students, gives them exercises and asks them questions, all in a special room in their own house. It can calculate the marks in no time. Marge hates the slot, where she has to insert her home-work or test papers. Once, the geography sector of her mechanical teacher was geared too quickly, and her marks got worse and worse. The county inspector rebuilt it after one hour.

Tommy informed Margie that the book, he found, was not about their type of school. It is about a school centuries ago. They had a human being as a teacher, who told different things, taught them to learn, gave them home-work and asked them questions. The children then had a special biding for this and all the kinds of the same age learned the same thing.

Margie thought that was a funny school and she wanted to read more about it, as she was told by tier mother that each kid has to be taught differently. Then it was time for Margie and Tommy to go to their school, which was right next to her bedroom. There the mechanical teacher was already on because the lessons were always at regular hours. She was thinking about the old school system and how much fun, the children must have had, learning and spending time together.

The Main characters are :
Margie, Tommy, Mrs jones, Mechanical Teacher and the County inspector.

The Fun They Had Mind Map

The Fun They Had Glossary

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions

Tamilnadu State Board Class 9 English Solutions Prose Chapter 2 I Cant Climb Trees Anymore

Chapter 2 I Cant Climb Trees Anymore In – Text Questions

Question 1.
What was the old house built with?
Answer:
The old house was built with solid blocks of granite, which wasn’t altered at all.

Question 2.
Does the visitor still live in the house?
Answer:
No, the visitor had sold his house, after his grandmother’s death and went away.

Question 1.
What did the visitor hide in the jackfruit tree?
Answer:
The visitor hid his grandfather’s Iron Cross in the jackfruit tree.

Question 2.
When did the visitor actually hide the iron cross?
Answer:
The visitor actually hid the Iron Cross twenty-five years ago.

A. Based on your understanding of the story, indicate either T (True) or ‘F’( False) against the columns.

B. Based on your understanding of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct answer.

Question 1.
The story I Can’t Climb Trees Anymore highlights the importance of __________________.
(a) old age
(b) youth
(c) adulthood
(d) middle age
Answer:
(b) youlh

Question 2.
The house which was visited by the man __________________.
(a) remained unchanged
(b) was totally changed
(c) was slightly repaired
(d) was given a facelift
Answer:
(c) was slightly repaired

Question 3.
Who said, “A blessing rests on the house where the shadow of a tree falls”?
(a) Grand mother
(b) Uncle
(c) Grand father
(d) The visitor
Answer:
(a) Grand mother

Question 4.
The visitor came back to the house because he __________________.
(a) wanted to see the jackfruit tree
(b) was looking for his lost youth
(c) wanted to look again at his old house
(d) wanted to buy the house.
Answer:
(b) was looking for his lost youth

Question 5.
The visitor gifted the __________________ to the little girl.
(a) iron cross
(b) marbles
(c) bronze medal
(d) old coins
Answer:
(a) iron cross

MCQs – Additional

Question 1.
The flying trapeze is a __________________ in which people swing from and end to another end.
(a) circus act
(b) circus ring
(c) circus show
Answer:
(a) circus act

Question 2.
Who said, “I can’t climb trees anymore,”
(a) Narrator
(b) Little girl
(c) Grand father
Answer:
(a) Narrator

C. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

Question 1.
Explain : “Blessings rest on the house where the shadow of a tree falls”.
Answer:
It shows the importance of trees to a house. The tree keeps on yielding fruits and gives shade.

Question 2.
What did the writer observe about the house?
Answer:
The house was not altered but there was a new outhouse and fewer trees. The turnstile was gone and the opening walled up.

Question 3.
What was the local superstition about trees?
Answer:
If the shadow of a tree falls on the house, then the house will be a blessed one.

Question 4.
What did the visitor do with the turnstile when he was a boy?
Answer:
As a boy, the visitor would swing on it, going round and round until he was quite dizzy.

Question 5.
Who is the owner of the house now?
Answer:
A colonel, the father of the little girl, is the owner of the house.

Question 6.
Why did the visitor return to his old house?
Answer:
The visitor returned to his old house just to relive his childhood memories.

Question 7.
How did he get back the Iron Cross?
Answer:
The little girl climbed up the tree and brought him his Iron Cross.

Question 8.
How did the grandfather get the iron cross? (^)
Answer:
Grandfather got the Iron Cross from a German soldier. It was awarded for bravery during the first World War.

Question 9.
What did he do with the old Iron Cross?
Answer:
The visitor left it in the hollow of the jackfruit tree and forgot all about it, while vacating the house.

Question 10.
Where had he left his childhood treasures?
Answer:
He had left his childhood treasures in a small hollow of the jackfruit tree.

Short Questions and Answers; Additional

Question 1.
What was the visitor looking at?
Answer:
The visitor stood on the grass verge by the side of the road and looked over the garden wall at the old house.

Question 2.
What were the slight changes observed by the visitor?
Answer:
There was a new outhouse, and there were fewer trees. At the spot where he stood there had once been a turnstile, now the turnstile was gone, the opening walled up.

Question 3.
Name the two things about the house that had not changed.
Answer:
The old house built with solid blocks of granite wasn’t altered at all. The Jackfruit tree still stood at the side of the building casting its shade on the wall.

Question 4.
Describe the little girl.
Answer:
The little girl was only twelve or thirteen with lively eyes and long black hair.

Question 5.
When had the visitor lived in the house? Why had he left the house? .
Answer:
The visitor had lived in the house twenty-five years ago, as a boy and as a young man.
His grandmother died, and his house had been sold. He then went away.

Question 6.
What according to the girl, made the visitor come back?
Answer:
She thought the visitor had come back to buy the house, but he did not have enough money to do so.

Question 7.
What liberty had the girl’s parents granted her?
Answer:
She was allowed to bring her friends home. Her parents would not mind if she did so.

Question 8.
How did the visitor prove his youthful energy?
Answer:
The visitor decided to climb over the wall instead of going round to the gate. In the process of climbing up, he rested on the wall, breathing heavily.

Question 9.
What was the significant of the stone bench?
Answer:
The stone bench under the mango tree was the one on which his grandmother used to rest, when she was tired of pruning rose bushes and bougainvillaea.

Question 10.
What memories flooded into the visitor’s mind in the garden? „
Answer:
The visitor closed his eyes and remembered other times – the music of a piano, the chiming of a grandfather clock, the constant twitter of budgerigars on the veranda, his grandfather cranking up the old car.

Question 11.
Mention the treasures the visitor had kept in the hollow of the tree.
Answer:
Marbles he had won, a book he was not supposed to read, a few old coins he had collected and his grandfather’s iron cross were kept in the hollow of the tree.

Question 12.
Why wasn’t the Iron Cross actually his grandfather’s?
Answer:
The Iron Cross was a German decoration awarded for bravery during the First World. War, when his grandfather fought in France. It was not given to him because he was a British soldier. He got it from a German soldier.

Question 13.
Why had the visitor left the Iron Cross in the tree?
Answer:
The visitor was so excited at the time of leaving, packing and saying goodbye to people and thinking about the ship he was going to sail on that he had simply forgotten all about the iron cross.

Question 14.
What was the purpose of the narrator’s visit?
Answer:
He had not come to get the iron cross. He had come there to relive his youth.

Question 15.
What might have been the reason for the visitor’s sprightliness?
Answer:
The visitor recalled his childhood days, spent at the house and enjoyed every moment of it. He felt he had regained his youth, though he was not able to climb trees any longer as he had surpassed youthful days of courage and strength.

Paragraph Questions and Answers : Additional

Question 1.
What were the visitor’s reminiscences of his youthful days at the old house?
Answer:
As a boy, the visitor would swing on the turnstile, going round and round until he was quite dizzy. The visitor, as a boy, would sit on a stone bench under a mango tree, where his grandmother rested after pruning rose bushes and bougainvillea. He would listen to the music of a piano, the chiming of a grandfather clock, the constant twitter of birds on the veranda and his grandfather cranking up his old car.

Question 2.
Trace the purpose of the narrator’s visit to the house and the treasure he retrieved in the end.
Answer:
The visitor had come to the house, thinking of old times. He would hide his treasures like marbles, a book and a few old coins in the hollow of the jackfruit tree. He had hidden his grandfather’s Iron Cross, while vacating the house. The girl urged him to keep it, but he gave it back to her. After having spent some time with the innocent girl, sharing his childhood memories, he felt he had got back his youth. His heart was filled with joy and he left the place happily.

Question 3.
Describe the bond of friendship that spruced up between the visitor and tha little girl.
Answer:
The visitor did not come to frighten the girl or take away her belongings. The girl was carried away to know why the visitor had paid her a visit. She learnt of the joyful days of the visitor’s childhood. She even got the medal – Iron Cross that belonged to his grandfather and had been left in a small hollow in the branch of the jackfruit tree for twenty five years. The visitor, as a token of love, had given it to her. Thus both the visitor and the girl became thick friends, in their short span of their brief acquaintance.

D. Match the words in column A with the meanings in column B by drawing a line as shown.

Answer:

1. (f)
2. (e)
3. (a)
4. (b)
5. (c)
6. (d)
7. (j)
8. (h)

E. Read these shortened forms of words and write the flillform for the remaining words and complete the table given below.
Eg : won’t: will not
I’d: I had /1 would
I’ll: I will

Speaking

F. You are visiting a primary school where on studied classes I to IV, after six years. You get a chance to go to your standard two classrooms and you are permitted to sit at the same place where you used to sit.

Question 1.
What would you remember?
Answer:
Teachers, friends, stories, playtime would be the things remembered.

Question 2.
Describe your feelings at that time.
Answer:
I used to enjoy coming to school when I was in second standard, I used to play and colour and draw and listen to stories.

Question 3.
Who do you miss very badly, your friends or teachers?
Answer:
I miss my friends.

Question 4.
Share your thoughts with the class.
Answer:
I also think of my teachers with gratitude and love. They shaped me and moulded me with virtues and good principles. I would very much like to talk to them and thank them. I also wish to meet my friends, whom I played with and relive those happy moments of innocent childhood, filled with happiness and petty fights.

Writing

G. On. Seeing these iictures, you would have gone down your memory lane. Write a paragraph in about 50 words describing your favourite sport when you were young.

Answer:
When I was young, I used to run about swinging my catapult and aiming at monkeys, crows and fruits on trees. I also played cricket with my friends on the road. Whenever a vehicle passed by, we had to stop the game. When people passed that way, we would stop and then resume the game after they had left. It was a wonderful period full of happiness and no responsibilities at all.

Think and Write

H. Based on the story and your own ideas write your answers in about 80 to 100 words each:

Question 1.
Imagine yourself as the writer. Narrate the story of your visit to your ancestral house.
Answer:
I visited my ancestral home after 25 years. I used to live there before 25 years and enjoyed playing in the garden swing, climbing trees and discussing with my friends and relatives on various topics. My ancestral home belongs to my grandfather and he inherited it from my great grandfather. When I went there after twenty five years, I was almost fifty years old. Certain parts of the house, were changed but the Jack-fruit tree continued to be there, giving shade. This was considered as a blessing to the house. I had hidden same treasures in the hollow of the tree and found the Iron Cross when a small girl of 13 years climbed and searched for it in the tree. My visit brought many memories of the past. I couldn’t stay there because my grandfather sold it to someone else.

Question 2.
The man who came to the house gave the cross as a gift to the girl. Why did he do this? What do you think would have happened if he had taken back the cross with him?
Answer:
He gave the cross as a gift to the girl because he might have felt she found the treasure so she could have it. If he had carried it with himself he would have saved it as a treasure because it would remind him of his days in youth when he could, climb the Jackfruit tree in his ancestral home. Now the house does not belong to him nor was he able to climb the tree as he was no more a youth.

Creative Writing

I. Write a letter to your friend describing your ancestral house.
Answer:

25, Rajaji Street,
Kumbakonam.
12th May, 2019

Dear Naresh,

You would be surprised to know that I am now writing this letter from Kumbakonam, as I have come here to visit my grandmother. Oh, what a palatial house she’s got, here in the heart of the town. It has two storeys, and imagine, the steps are made of wood. There is a big granary at the comer of the house and she grazes three cows, all succulent one, in the backyard. The backyard is a big to walk about. The lovely garden in the backyard is lull of pageant flowers and true music of various sweet chirping birds. It is such a wonderful house. Nearly fifty people can live there. I enjoy being here. I welcome you here too.

Convey my regards to all at home.

Your loving friend,
Md. Yusuf.

Grammar

Degrees of Comparison

A. Work with a partner and fill in the table with information about your locality. You may add more information, if necessary. When you finish filling the table, write a short paragraph comparing the two places.

My partner’s place is farther than my place to the railway station. But she is closer to the airport than me. I have shopping centres and temples more closer than my partner. The important heritage centres are fewer in my area than my partner’s area. There is a pond in my partner’s location and the traffic is not heavier than my area. There are four hotels and a park closer to my/esidence than my partner’s place.

B. Give your opinion and compare the items in each picture using -er, more, less, or an irregular form. Use the words. You may form your sentences in more than one way.

[healthy, wholesome, calorific]
1. (a) Fresh vegetables are healthier than pizza.
(b) They are wholesome than fast foods.
(c) Pizza is not calorific than fresh vegetables.

[eco-friendly, economical, safer]
2. (a) Using a bicycle is eco-friendly than using a motorbike
(b) Bicycle is economical than motorbike.
(c) It is also safer than the motorbike.

[educational, interesting, trendy]
3. (a) The Radio does not give more educational benefits than a mobile phone.
(b) Mobile phone is more interesting than a radio.
(c) It is also more trendy than a radio.

[safe, comfortable, quick]
(a) It is safer to travel in a train than a bus.
(b) Train is more comfortable than a bus.
(c) A train travels quicker than a bus.

[cozy, costly, sturdy]
5. (a) The sofa is costlier than a chair.
(b) It is cozier than a chair.
(c) The sofa looks sturdier than a chair.

C. Look at the bar-graph. Write five sentences using the appropriate degrees of comparison.

Answer:

1. Paragliding’s popularity in 2001 was more than in 2017.
2. Rafting is more popular in 2017 than in 2001.
3. Rock-climbing attracted more climbers in 2017 than in 2001.
4. Bungee jumping is more popular in 2017 than in 2001.
5. The sport surfing attracted less people in 2017 than in 2001.

D. Listen to the conversation between Leena and her mother and list down a few new words. Using a dictionary find out the meaning for those words.

Warm up

Question a.
Have you ever tried swinging from a tree?
Answer:
Yes, as a child I had attached ropes to the branches and had been swinging frequently.

Question b.
Have you ever climbed up a tree to pluck fruits?
Answer:
Yes. I have competed with my friends in climbing up and plucking fruits.

Question c.
Think of other occasions when you have climbed up trees, either near your homes or outside. Share your reasons with the class.
Answer:
I had climbed up a tree

• to look at a lovely bird and its nest;
• to pluck tasty fruits and eat them;
• to observe the young ones of trees etc.

Synonyms & Antonyms: Additional Questions

Choose the appropriate Synonym of the underlined words.

Question 1.
He was glad to see that the Jack fruit tree still stood at the side of the building casting its shade on the wall.
(a) throwing
(b) dancing
(c) lighting
(d) showering
Answer:
(a) throwing

Question 2.
At the spot where he stood, there had once been a turnstile.
(a) plant
(b) revolving gate
(c) shrub
(d) tree
Answer:
(b) revolving gate

Question 3.
He stood on the grass verge by the side of the road and looked over the garden wall at the old house.
(a) comer
(b) at the top
(c) at the edge
(d) middle
Answer:
(c) at the edge

Question 4.
when she was tired of pruning rose bushes and bougainvillea.
(a) augmenting
(b) growing
(c) trimming
(d) spreading
Answer:
(c) trimming

Question 5.
It was on the tip of his tongue to make a witty remark.
(a) funny
(b) intelligent
(c) awkward
(d) foolish
Answer:
(b) intelligent

Question 6.
He did not look very prosperous.
(a) poor
(b) flourishing
(c) well
(d) popular
Answer:
(b) flourishing

Question 7.
‘Middle-aged man on the flying trapeze’ he muttered to himself.
(a) utter in a low voice
(b) speak loudly
(c) shouted
(d) screamed
Answer:
(a) utter in a low voice

Question 8.
He slithered down into a flowerbed.
(a) stood
(b) slipped
(c) looked
(d) sat
Answer:
(b) slipped

Question 9.
He shattered the stem of a hollyhock.
(a) pasted
(b) broke
(c) joined
(d) attached
Answer:
(b) broke

Question 10.
They stood on either side of the wall appraising each other.
(a) talking
(b) shouting
(c) assessing
(d) commenting
Answer:
(c) assessing

Another type of exercise

Choose the appropriate Synonym of the underlined words.

1. He stood on the grass verge (i) by the side of the road and looked over the garden wall at the old house. It hadn’t changed much. The old (ii) house built with solid blocks (iii) of granite wasn’t altered (iv) at all. But there was a new outhouse, and there were fewer (v) trees.

i) (a) middle
(b)edge
(c) sphere
(d) outfield
Answer:
(b) edge

ii) (a) fresh
(b) current
(c) new
(d) ancient
Answer:
(d) ancient

iii) (a) balls
(b) openings
(c) edges
(d) bars
Answer:
(d) bars

iv) (a) retained
(b) worsened
(c) changed
(d) not updated
Answer:
(c) changed

v) (a) other
(b) less
(c) more
(d) outsize
Answer:
(b) less

2. As they walked across the grass he spotted (i) a stone bench under a mango tree. It was the bench on which his grandmother used to rest (ii) when she was tired (iii) of pruning (iv) rose bushes and bougainvillea. ‘Let’s just sit here,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to go inside.’ She sat beside (v) him on the bench

i) (a) cleaned
(b) unstained
(c) bleached
(d) noticed
Answer:
(d) noticed

ii) (a) hurry
(b) relax
(c) struggle
(d) move
Answer:
(b) relax

iii) (a) fresh
(b) energetic
(c) weary
(d) active
Answer:
(c) weary

iv) (a) trimming
(b) watering
(c) lengthening
(d) augmenting
Answer:
(a) trimming

v) (a) further
(b) farther
(c) near
(d) apart from
Answer:
(c) near

3. She didn’t understand that, but she walked with him to the gate and waited. Where the road turned (i), he looked back and waved to her. Then he quickened (ii) his steps and moved briskly (iii) towards the bus stop. There was sprightliness (iv) in his step, and something cried aloud (v) in his heart.

i) (a) straightened
(b) revolved
(c) departed
(d) flourished
Answer:
(b) revolved

ii) (a) hastened
(b) lagging
(c) slowed
(d) weakened
Answer:
(a) hastened

iii) (a) listlessly
(b) energetically
(c) sluggishly
(d) slowly
Answer:
(b) energetically

iv) (a) laziness
(b) inactivity
(c) indolence
(d) liveliness
Answer:
(d) liveliness

v) (a) inaudibly
(b) placidly
(c) in a loud noise
(d) vaguely
Answer:
(c) in a loud noise

(ii) Choose the correct Antonyms of the word underlined below.

Question 1.
The old house built with solid blocks of granite wasn’t altered at all.
(a) changed
(b) fixed
(c) turned
(d) transferred
Answer:
(b) fixed

Question 2.
He was glad to see that the Jackfruit still stood at the side of the building.
(a) happy
(b) merry
(c) sad
(d) joyful
Answer:
(c) sad

Question 3.
A blessing rests on the house, where the shadow of a tree falls.
(a) curse
(b) gratitude
(c) luck
(d) chance
Answer:
(a) curse

Question 4.
She was only twelve or thirteen with lively eyes and long black hair.
(a) dull
(b) active
(c) enthusiastic
(d) hopeful
Answer:
(a) dull

Question 5.
The man burst out laughing.
(a) wailing
(b) grinning
(c) mocking
(d) kidding
Answer:
(a) wailing

Question 6.
He got up on the wall all right, but had to rest there, breathing heavily.
(a) strongly
(b) lightly
(c) calmly
(d) amply
Answer:
(b) lightly

Question 7.
You found it after all’
(a) got
(b) regained
(c) lost
(d) captured
Answer:
(c) lost

Question 8.
‘Yes, I was so excited at the time.
(a) joyful
(b) happy
(c) merry
(d) calm
Answer:
(d) calm

Question 9.
I was a bit of crow, you know, collecting bright things and putting them away.
(a) scattering
(b) throwing
(c) gathering
(d) putting
Answer:
(a) scattering

Question 10.
Something cried aloud in his heart.
(a) big
(b) small
(c) large
(d) silent
Answer:
(d) silent

Question 11.
He did not look prosperous.
(a) success
(b) failure
(c) victorious
Answer:
(b) failure

Another type of exercise

Choose the appropriate Antonyms of the underlined words.

1. They were silent (i) for some time. The man closed his eyes and remembered other times – the music of a piano, the chiming of a grandfather clock, the constant (ii) twitter of budgerigars on the veranda, his grandfather cranking up the old (iii) car…. ‘I used to climb (iv) the jackfruit tree,’ he said, opening (v) his eyes.

i) (a) quiet
(b) mute
(c) clamorous
(d) dumb
Answer:
(c) clamorous

ii) (a) inconsistent
(b) continual
(c) uninterrupted
(d) regular
Answer:
(a)inconsistent

iii) (a) archaic
(b) modem
(c) antique
(d) vintage
Answer:
(b) modern

iv) (a) rise
(b) ascent
(c) descend
(d) mount
Answer:
(c) descend

v) (a) fling
(b) chinking
(c) clefting
(d) closing
Answer:
(d) closing

2. ‘No, no. Not after (i) climbing the garden wall. Let’s just sit here for a few (ii) minutes and talk. I mention the jackfruit tree because it was my favourite (iii) place. Do you see that thick (iv) branch stretching out over the roof? Half way along it there’s a small (v) hollow in which I used to keep some of my treasures.’

i) (a) later
(b) back
(c) next
(d) before
Answer:
(d) before

ii) (a) petty
(b) many
(c) scanty
(d) slight
Answer:
(b) many

iji) (a) choice
(b) ideal
(c) disliked
(d) main
Ans:
(c) disliked

iv) (a) obtuse
(b) thin
(c) dull
(d) dense
Answer:
(b) thin

v) (a) little
(b) tiny
(c) minor
(d) big
Answer:
(d) big

3. “I left it in the jackfruit tree.” “You left it in the tree?”. “Yes, I was so excited (i) at the time, packing and saying goodbye to people and thinking about the ship I was going to sail on that I simply (ii) forgot all about it”. She quietly (iii) said, “It may still (iv) be there. In the hallow (v) part of the branch”.

i) (a) thrilled
(b) stimulated
(c) aroused
(d) bored
Answer:
(d) bored

ii) (a) merely
(b) hardly
(c)just
(d) plainly
Answer:
(b) hardly

iii) (a) gently
(b) softly
(c) loudly
(d) calmly
Answer:
(c) loudly

iv) (a) even now
(b) so far
(c) yet
(d) no longer
Answer:
(d) no longer

v) (a) sublimate
(b) consecrate
(c) defile
(d) solemnize
Answer:
(c) defile

I Cant Climb Trees Anymore By Ruskin Bond

May 1934. He is an award winning Indian He is much renowned for his role in creating The Indian Council for Child Education has of childrens literature in India. He received 1 for Xhir trees still grow in Dehra”. Padma Bhushan in 2014.

I Cant Climb Trees Anymore Summary

A visitor watched the old house that had not changed. It was built with granite walls. It had a new outhouse with fewer trees. The Jackfruit tree was still there giving shade. His grandmother felt the shade was a blessing from, the trees. As a boy he used to swing on a turnstile going round and round. Now it was gone. The tall hollyhocks grew on the other side of the wall. A girl stood between the red hollyhocks staring at the man. She was twelve or thirteen years old, slim, with lovely eyes and long black hair.

The girl asked the man whether he wanted to buy the house. The girl said it was her father’s house and that he was a Colonel. She says that her mother said that he should have become a brigadier. They stood on either side of the wall appraising each other. The man said that he looked at the house because he lived there once and they had sold the house after his grandmother’s death. She asked whether he would like to buy the house then. Later she realised he didn’t have the money as he didn’t look prosperous. He said he only wanted to see it and the girl said that they had lived there for three years. She called him in to have a better view of the house and that her parents wouldn’t mind. She finds that he is middle aged. He climbed the wall, got up on the wall and rested breathing heavily.

She said she would help him on the flying trapeze. She gave him her hand. He slipped down into a flower bed, breaking the stem of a hollyhock. Across the grass he spotted a stone bench under a mango tree. It was the bench where his grandmother sat trimming rose bushes and bougainvillea. He wanted to sit outside. She sat with him on the bench. They were silent and the man closed his eyes and remembered the music of a piano, the chiming of a grandfather clock, the noise of the birds on the veranda and his grandfather repairing the old car.

He remembered climbing the jackfruit tree. She said her parents wouldn’t mind him climbing the tree. He only wanted to sit and talk for a few minutes. His favourite place was the Jackfruit tree. He said he used to keep his treasures in the hollow of the tree. Treasures were only marbles he had won, a book he wasn’t supposed to read, old coins, grandfather’s Iron Cross awarded for bravery during the first world war in France. He got it from a German soldier. She asked whether he had the Iron Cross. He didn’t. He had left it in the Jackfruit tree. Being very excited at that time and bidding goodbye before sailing in the ship he forgot all about it.

Thinking it might still be there in the hollow of the tree, he said unless someone else found it, since twenty five years had passed. He said he can’t climb trees anymore to have a look and she said she would. She found it and ran towards him with a rusty old medal in her hand. He made sure that it was the same Iron Cross. She asked him whether he had come to find it. He said he wasn’t sure and asked her to have it as she found it and that it would have even been there for another 25 years.

He placed the medal in her hands and said that he had come for his youth and not for the Iron Cross. As he walked away to the bus stop he remembered his youth and the air filled with the smell of the sweet mango and the summer breeze made his blood rush in his veins forgetting the feel that he was so old that he couldn’t climb trees anymore.

I Cant Climb Trees Anymore Mind map

I Cant Climb Trees Anymore Glossary

Synonyms

Antonyms

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 1 The Envious Neighbour

A. Identify the character or speaker of the following lines.

Question 1.
They gathered the treasure.
Answer:
The honest old couple

Question 2.
The pine tree under which, I am hurried, to be cut down and made into a mortar.
Answer:
The dog to the good old man

Question 3.
They dug, and found nothing but a quantity of dirt and nasty offal.
Answer:
The envious neighbours

Question 4.
He had not to wait long before he was called into the prince’s palace, and ordered to exhibit his power.
Answer:
The envious old man

Question 5.
BOW, WOW, WOW!
Answer:
The dog

Identify The Character / Speaker – Additional

Question 1.
They seized the dog and killed him.
Answer:
The Wicked old couple

B. Based on your understanding of the story choose the right answers from the given options.

Question 1.
The old farmer and his wife loved the dog
(a) because it helped them in their day-to-day work.
(b) as if it was their own baby.
(c) as they were kind to all living beings.
Answer:
(b) as if it was their own baby

Question 2.
When the old couple became rich, they
(a) gave the dog better food.
(b) invited their greedy neighbours to a feast.
(c) lived a comfortable life and were generous towards their poor neighbours.
Answer:
(c) lived a comfortable life and were generous towards their poor neighbours

Question 3.
The greedy couple borrowed the mortar to make
(a) rich pastry and bean sauce.
(b) magic ash to win rewards.
(c) a pile of gold.
Answer:
(c) a pile of gold

MCQs – Additional

Complete the following by choosing the correct answer from the options given:

Question 1.
In the old, old days, there lived a / an ______________ man with his wife.
(a) clever
(b) cunning
(c) honest
(d) rich
Answer:
(c) honest

Question 2.
The place was full of gold pieces and ______________
(a) copper
(b) silver
(c) bronze
(d) rupees
Answer:
(b) silver

Question 3.
Now in the neighbouring house, there dwelt a covetous and ______________ old couple.
(a) generous
(b) wealthy
(c) ignorant
(d) stingy
Answer:
(d) stingy

Question 4.
At last, the dog stopped at a certain spot and began to ______________
(a) watch
(b) sniff
(c) bark
(d) shout
Answer:
(b) sniff

Question 5.
______________ at being disappointed, the wicked old couple seized the dog.
(a) Furious
(b) Happy
(c) Placid
(d) Sad
Answer:
(a) Furious

Question 6.
The good old man with a ______________ heart went to the spot.
(a) bad
(b) slender
(c) pleasant
(d) heavy
Answer:
(d) heavy

Question 7.
In a fit of ______________ they broke the mortar and burnt it.
(a) happiness
(b) rage
(c) peace
(d) calm
Answer:
(b) rage

Question 8.
The dog appeared to him again in a ______________
(a) house
(b) dream
(c) street
(d) room
Answer:
(b) dream

Question 9.
The prince’s retainers seized the old man and ______________ him.
(a) helped
(b) protected
(c) beat
(d) ceded
Answer:
(c) beat

Question 10.
The wicked old people ______________ their ways and led a good and virtuous life.
(a) damaged
(b) mended
(c) smashed
(d) deformed
Answer:
(b) mended

C. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 80 to 100 words.

Question 1.
The old farmer was a kind person. Justify the statement with suitable examples from the story.
Answer:
The old farmer was a kind man. He helped the poor and the needy with what he had. He had a pet dog, which they used to feed with fish and tit-bit from their kitchen. One day, when their dog helped them in getting wealth, they did not take all for themselves. But gave alms to the poor and then bought for themselves rice fields and corn-fields. When his neighbour killed his dog, he did not scold him. He just wept for his pet, kept some food, burnt incense and adorned its grave with flowers. He also showed his kindness to his envious neighbours, as they were distressed, by giving them a share of his own riches.

Question 2.
How did the dog help the farmer even after its death?
Answer:
The dog appeared in his dream, and told him to cut the pine tree, make it into a mortar and use it, thinking of it, as if it were the dog itself. Old man did as was told. When he ground his rice in it, each grain turned into some rich treasure.

Question 3.
Why did the Prince reward the farmer but punish the neighbour for the same act?
Answer:
The prince rewarded the farmer because he made all the withered plum and cherry trees in the palace to shoot out and put forth flowers. So the prince was happy with his magical powers and sent him home rejoicing with plenty of presents. Where as the neighbour of the good old man was punished because he couldn’t perform the act of reviving the trees, after scattering the ashes on them. The ashes flew into the prince’s eyes and mouth, blinding and choking him. So the guards caught him and beat him almost to death.

Question 4.
Bring out the difference between two neighbours with suitable examples to support your view.
Answer:
The old farmer was an honest and a kind person. He showed kindness to everyone and helped the needy at all times. But his neighbour was an envious person. He was covetous and a stingy old man. These qualities of the two neighbours were clearly shown in the story, when they nursed the dog. The good old man fed it with fish and tit-bit from his own kitchen. But when the dog was borrowed for a few days by his neighbour, he prepared a great feast for it not out of concern but to flatter it to show them the place of wealth.

Earlier, the dog had received nothing but cuffs and kicks from this wicked man. When the dog did not help the wicked man, he killed it. The wicked did a lot of misdeeds to the good old farmer. Yet they forgave him and his wife and gave them a share of their own riches.

Paragraph Questions And Answers : Additional

Question 1.
How did the old man’s pet dog show them the treasure?
Answer:
The honest old man and his wife has a pet dog which they used to feed with fish and tit-bit from their own kitchen. One day, as the old folks went out to work in their garden, their dog went with them and began playing about. All of a sudden, the dog stopped short and began to bark, “Bow – wow!” wagging its tail violently. The old people thought that there must be something nice to eat under the ground. So they brought a spade and began digging. The place was full of gold and silver pieces and all sort of precious things.

Question 2.
What did the wicked old man do with the ashes of the mortar?
Answer:
As soon as the wicked old man heard about the presents given by the prince to the good old man, he collected all the ashes that remained and went out into the castle town. He told the guards there that he was the old man, who had the power of reviving dead trees and causing them to flower. He was called into the prince’s palace and was ordered to exhibit his power. When he climbed up into a withered tree and began to scatter the ashes, not a bud or a flower appeared. But the ashes all flew into the prince’s eyes and mouth, blinding and choking him. So the guards caught hold of him and they beat him almost to death, so that he crawled off home sorrowfully.

D. Refer to what happens in the folktale and complete the story with the help of the hints given in the mind map.

Answers:

1. dog and with its help they
2. in the neighbourhood.
3. killed it.
4. and burnt it.
5. and put them in a basket.

True or False – Additional

State whether the following are True or False:

1. The old couple spent the entire treasure on buying rice-fields.
2. The envious couple borrowed the dog to know of the place filled with treasure.
3. The wicked couple chased the dog away, when it did not show them the place of wealth.
4. The good old man made a mortar out of the wood of the pine tree.
5. The wicked couple broke and burnt the mortar, when it did not turn rice into treasure.
6. The prince rewarded the good old man with silk and cloth and other presents.
7. The prince also sent for the wicked old man, on knowing that he was the neighbour of thegood old man.
8. The guards of the prince beat up the wicked old man, as he had argued with the prince.

Answers:

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. False

Short Questions And Answers : Additional

Question 1.
What did the honest couple feed their dog with?
Answer:
The honest couple fed the dog with fish and tit-bit from their own kitchen.

Question 2.
What prompted the old couple to dug the earth?
Answer:
When the dog playing about, suddenly stopped short and began to bark, the old people thought that there was something nice to eat under the ground. So they brought a spade and began digging.

Question 3.
What did the couple find, when they dug the earth?
Answer:
The couple found lots of gold pieces and silver and all sorts of precious things, which had been buried there.

Question 4.
What did the couple do with the treasure?
Answer:
The couple gathered the treasure and after giving alms to the poor, bought themselves rice – fields and corn-fields, and became wealthy people.

Question 5.
How did their neighbouring couple behave, on hearing of the old couple’s good fortune?
Answer:
The greedy old couple on hearing the neighbour’s good fortune borrowed the dog and prepared a great feast for him. They then requested the dog to show them a place with plenty of money in it.

Question 6.
How did the envious couple treat the dog?
Answer:
The envious couple gave the dog cuffs and kicks. They put a rope around the dog’s neck and led him out into the garden. But it was all in vain.

Question 7.
What led to the dog’s death?
Answer:
The dog stopped at a certain spot, and began to sniff. So, thinking that this must surely be the lucky place, the envious couple dug, and found nothing but a quantity of dirt and nasty offal, over which they had to hold their noses. Furious at being disappointed, they seized the dog, and killed him.

Question 8.
What did the good old man do, on hearing of his dog’s death?
Answer:
The good old fellow, with a heavy heart, went to the spot, set a tray with delicate food, burnt incense, and adorned the grave with flowers, as he shed tears over his lost pet.

Question 9.
What happened in the good old man’s sleep?
Answer:
When the good old man was fast asleep in bed, the dog appeared to him, and after thanking him for all his kindness, he asked him to cut down the pine tree, make it into a mortar, and use it, thinking of it as if it were the dog.

Question 10.
What happened when the rice was ground in the mortar?
Answer:
When the good old man ground his rice in the mortar, each grain of rice turned into some rich treasure.

Question 11.
How did the wicked old couple behave on seeing the rice turning into treasure?
Answer:
The wicked old couple borrowed the mortar; but when they used it, all their rice turned into filth; so in a fit of rage, they broke up the mortar and burnt it.

Question 12.
What remedy did the dog suggest to the good old man in his dream, the second time?
Answer:
The dog appeared to him again in a dream, and told him that if he would take the ashes of the burnt mortar and sprinkled them on withered trees, the trees would revive, and suddenly put out flowers.

Question 13.
How did the good old man make withered trees sprout and blossom?
Answer:
The good old man sprinkled the ashes upon a withered cherry-tree, which immediately began to sprout and blossom.

Question 14.
How did the good old man utilise the power of the magic ashes?
Answer:
The good old man put the ashes into a basket, and went about the country, announcing himself as an old man who had the power of bringing dead trees to life again.

Question 15.
Why did the prince reward the good old man?
Answer:
The good old man made all the withered plum and cherry-trees to shoot out and put forth flowers. So, the prince gave him a rich reward of pieces of silk and cloth and other presents, and sent him home rejoicing.

Question 16.
What did the wicked old man do on hearing the prince’s reward to the good-old man?
Answer:
The wicked old man and his wife collected all the ashes that remained and put them in a basket. The wicked old man went out into the castle town and said that he could revive dead trees causing them to flower.

Question 17.
What happened at the prince’s palace?
Answer:
When the wicked old man climbed up into a withered tree, and began to scatter the ashes, not a bud or a flower appeared; but the ashes all flew into the prince’s eyes and mouth, blinding and choking him. When the prince’s retainers saw this, they seized the old man, and beat him almost to death.

Question 18.
What did the good couple do on hearing their neighbour’s distress?
Answer:
When the good old man and woman heard of their neighbours’ distress, they sent for them, and after reproving them for their greed and cruelty, gave them a share of their own riches. So, the wicked old people mended their ways, and led good and virtuous . lives ever after.

The Envious Neighbour Textual Activities

Warm Up

1. Discuss the following:

Question 1.
Ratna Tata, Azim Premji are a few rich people of India who spend a part of their wealth on charity. What influences them to share and care for others?
Answer:
Philanthropic attitude leads to service and caring for others, sharing one’s joys with others, makes one’s life really worth living.

Question 2.
Think of any undesirable quality that you would like to get rid of and discuss it with your friends.
Answer:
My anger is my greatest enemy. All my friends praise me that I have a helping tendency and a sharing heart. But they don’t like me getting angry at times. When I get angry, I lose my self-control and create an unpleasant situation. I would like to get rid of this undesirable quality by keeping myself calm. When I get frustrated, I can count numbers from 1 to 20 slowly, so that my anger can subside during that time.

Question 3.
‘Do you like pets? Why?
Answer:
Yes, I like pets, especially dogs. I have a pet dog at home. I have named it as ‘Caesar’. It is a German Shepherd dog. Pet dogs are man’s best friends. They are loyal, intelligent, devoted and affectionate towards us. They are known to improve our own physical and mental health.

The Envious Neighbour Summary

An honest man lived with his wife. They had a pet dog, which they used to feed with fish and tit-bit from their own kitchen. One day, when the couple went to work in their garden, their dog stopped at a place and started to bark. When the couple dug that place, they found gold and silver pieces being buried there. They gathered the treasure and after giving alms to the poor, bought themselves rice-fields and com fields and became wealthy people.

Their neighbours, who were stingy old couple, envied them and borrowed their dog to see if they could find any treasure with the help of the dog. They led the dog out into the garden. It walked along the garden without any barking for a long time. At last, the dog stopped at a certain spot and began to sniff. They hastily dug the spot, but found only dirt and nasty things. Furious at being disappointed, the old couple killed the dog.

When the good old man came to know that his dog was buried at the root of a pine tree, with a heavy heart, he burnt incense and adorned the grave with flowers. That night, the dog appeared to him in his sleep and instructed him to cut down the pine tree where it was buried, make it into a mortar and to use it, thinking of it, as if it were the dog itself. The old man did, as he was told to do, but when he ground his rice in it, each grain of rice turned into some rich treasure.

Seeing this, the wicked couple borrowed the mortar. But as soon as they used it, all their rice turned into filth. So, in anger, they broke it and burnt it.

One night, the dog appeared again to the old man in his dream. It told him to sprinkle the ashes of the burnt mortar on withered trees. The trees would revive and bloom with flowers. He obeyed the dog, as instructed, bringing the dead trees to life. A certain prince utilised his power and gave him a rich reward. But the envious neighbours got thrashing from the guards of the prince, when they tried to do the same act. Finally, when the good old couple heard of this, they sent for the neighbours and gave them a share of their own riches. After this, the wicked people mended their ways and led a good and virtuous lives ever after.

The Main Characters Are : The good old couple and the wicked couple

The Envious Neighbour Mind Map

The Envious Neighbour Glossary

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions

Tamilnadu State Board Class 9 English Solutions Prose Chapter 1 Learning the Game

Learning the Game In-Text Questions

Question.
Who were Sachin’s favourite players?
Answer:
Sachin’s favourite players were Sunil Gavaskar and West Indian legend Viv Richards.

Question.
What was special about Shardashram Vidyamandir in Mumbai?
Answer:
Shardashram Vidyamandir gave due importance to the game of cricket.

Question.
What was the opportunity that transformed the life of Sachin?
Answer:
When the coach Achrekar agreed to let Sachin join the camp, he was delighted. It was an opportunity that transformed his life.

Question.
What sort of conversations did Ajit and Sachin have while travelling?
Answer:
Ajit and Sachin would talk a lot about the precise changes of in batting.

Question.
What routine did Sachin follow in washing his clothes?
Answer:
Sachin’s routine was to wash his only one set of cricket clothes, as soon as he returned from his morning session. He would dry them and would wear them again in the afternoon. The pattern was repeated in the evening so that he could use the same set of clothes the following morning.

Question.
What did Achrekar inform Ajit?
Answer:
Achrekar informed Ajit that Sachin had the potential to be a good cricketer, if he practised all the year around.

Question.
What was the suggestion given by Achrekar to Sachin’s father?
Answer:
Achrekar suggested Sachin’s father to change his son’s school. He wanted him to come to Shardashram Vidhyamandir, where Achrekar was the cricket coach.

Question.
What acted as a safety valve?
Answer:
All of Sachin’s excess energies were getting channelled into cricket. This acted as a kind of safety valve to him.

Question.
What did Sachin do during the thirty minute break?
Answer:
During the thirty-minute break, Achrekar would often give Sachin some money to go and have a Vadapav, a popular Mumbai fast food.

Question.
What is the intense ‘fifteen minutes’ mentioned?
Answer:
Towards the last fifteen minutes, Achrekar would place a one rupee coin on top of the stumps and if Sachin managed to avoid getting out, the coin was his. In this session every bowler in the camp, would come and bowl to him with some sixty to seventy boys fielding. It meant that he had to hit every ball along the ground to survive those intense fifteen minutes.

Question.
What did Sachin’s father do just to make Sachin happy?
Answer:
Sachin’s father would always end up giving Sachin what he wanted just to see him happy.

Question.
What did embarrass Sachin in the bus?
Answer:
It was a challenge for Sachin to stand with his kitbag in the bus. The conductors would complain about Sachin taking up the space of another passenger. They were often rude to him and would sometimes ask him to buy two tickets. This situation was so embarrassing to Sachin.

Question.
What made Sachin forget, to go to the nets?
Answer:
Sachin felt that playing with his friends at home was such a fun that he would conveniently forget to go to the nets.

Question.
What did Achrekar advise Sachin?
Answer:
Achrekar would advise Sachin not to waste his time playing disordered games with the kids. Cricket is waiting for him at the nets. Practice hard and see what magic it can show.

A. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

Question 1.
What was coach Achrekar’s first impression on Sachin?
Answer:
Achrekar’s first impression on Sachin was that he felt he was too young to make the camp.

Question 2.
Why did Sachin feel that the schedule of the camp was ‘rigorous’?
Answer:
The camp involved a session every morning and evening at Shivaji Park. Sachin would practice between 7.30 am and 10.30 am. He would again go in the afternoon and practice till late evening. He would be exhausted at the end of the day. Thus the schedule was rigorous.

Question 3.
What did serve as a very personal coaching manual to Sachin?
Answer:
A note, which was given by his brother Ajit, served as a very personal coaching manual. It contained some thoughts about batting.

Question 4.
Why was Sachin asked to change the school?
Answer:
Sachin was asked to change the school, as the New English School did not have any cricket facilities.

Question 5.
What was the condition laid down by Sachin’s father for changing the school?
Answer:
The condition laid down by Sachin’s father for changing the school was that if Sachin is really serious about playing cricket, he would change his school.

Question 6.
How did the act with the one rupee coin help Sachin become a good cricketer?
Answer:
Winning the one-rupee coin used to give Sachin immense satisfaction and taught him to concentrate even after he was physically drained.

Question 7.
What did help Sachin to build his physical and mental stamina?
Answer:
As the last part of Sachin’s training, Achrekar would ask Sachin to run two full circuits of Shivaji Park with his pads and gloves on. Sachin would be completely exhausted by the end of it. It was a routine he would repeat right through his summer holidays. This helped him to build up his physical and mental stamina.

Question 8.
Which incident triggered the coach to be angry on Sachin?
Answer:
Once, Sachin avoided his daily evening practice to watch an inter-school cricket match. Least did he expect that his coach would be there. The coach became angry on Sachin and told him that people all over the world should watch him play.

Question 9.
Why do you think Achrekar punished Sachin?
Answer:
When the coach Achrekar was trying to teach a very important lesson, Sachin was inattentive and did not carry out his orders. So he was punished.

Question 10.
7 owe my self to him’ – What does Sachin mean by this?
Answer:
Had it not been for the coach Ramakant Achrekar, Sachin would not be the cricketer he turned out to be. Achrekar was a strict disciplinarian and did everything, he could for Sachin. So Sachin says that he owes himself to Achrekar.

Short Questions and Answers : Additional

Question 1.
What did Sachin play from a very early age?
Answer:
Sachin played tennis ball cricket with his colony friends.

Question 2.
What did Sachin often tried to emulate?
Answer:
Sachin often tried to imitate (emulate) the mannerisms of his favourite players Sunil Gavaskar and Vivian Richards.

Question 3.
Where was he studying at first?
Answer:
At first, he was studying in the New English School in Mumbai.

Question 4.
When did the coach Achrekar started playing cricket?
Answer:
Ramakant Achrekar started playing cricket at the age of eleven in 1943.

Question 5.
What was the timing given to Sachin for his practice at Shivaji Park?
Answer:
The timings were between 7.30 am and 10.30 am in the morning.

Question 6.
Why did Sachin keep a note, given by his brother all throughout his career?
Answer:
Sachin kept a note given by his brother carefully, since it contained some thoughts about batting and served as a very personal coaching manual.

Question 7.
How many matches did Sachin play in his first year at Shardarshram?
Answer:
In the first year at Shardashram, Sachin played fifty-five practice matches during the summer break of sixty days.

Question 8.
What was Sachin’s regular demand, while going home with his father?
Answer:
Sachin would always ask his father to treat him to a special fruit cocktail at a juice centre near the club.

Question 9.
What was a great learning experience for Sachin?
Answer:
Taking the bus or train from Bandra to Church gate with a lot of embarrassing moments was a great learning experience for Sachin.

B. Answer the following in a paragraph of120-150 words:

Question 1.
‘Achrekar was a sincere coach’. Substantiate.
Answer:
Ramakant Achrekar coached young cricketers at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. At the age of twelve, Tendulkar would practice for hours and hours in the nets. If he became exhausted, Achrekar would put a one rupee coin on top of the stumps and the bowler who dismissed Tendulkar would get the coin. If Tendulkar passed the whole session without getting dismissed, the coach would give him the coin. Achrekar used to encourage Sachin at all times and gave him practice thoroughly. Tendulkar lauded his contribution to cricket and said his mentor looked after all players really well. During the training session, Achrekar worked sincerely and gave rigorous training to everyone in the camp. Had it not been for Achrekar, Sachin would not be the cricketer he turned out to be. The coach Achrekar was a strict disciplinarian and did everything he could for Sachin.

Question 2.
Narrate in your own words the hardships underwent by Sachin to become a great cricketer.
Answer:
Sachin started playing cricket at the age of eleven in 1984. He was trained at Shivaji Park by his coach Ramakant Achrekar, who worked in Shardashram Vidhyamandir. He ran summer camps too. Sachin had a vigorous training under him. He would practise between 7.30 am and 10.30 am in the morning. Then he would come back in the afternoon and practise till evening. The schedule was rigorous and he would be exhausted by the end of the day. During the bus journeys, he would have a conversation with his brother Ajit about the various changes in batting. He used to have only one set of cricket clothes.

So he had to wash the set after every session, to wear them for his next session. He had to face a lot of embarrassing moments while travelling in the bus to Shivaji Park. There was also an immense fifteen minutes training with a one rupee coin by the coach. Though his coach punished him on one occasion, the coach contributed a lot in the success of Sachin Tendulkar. Without the coach Achrekar, Sachin would not be the cricketer, he turned out to be. Sachin says he owes himself to Achrekar.

Question 3.
Quote the sentences which you find most inspiring from ‘Learning the Game’. How do they inspire you? Explain.
Answer:
The game would be most inspiring to the youngsters of today such ones are: “All my excess energies were getting channelled into cricket, which acted as a kind of safety valve”.’ My father always said that all he wanted me to do was give it my best effort without worrying about the results’. “Winning the one rupee coin used to give me immense satisfaction and taught me how to concentrate even when physically drained”. “Had it not been for Sir, I would not be the cricketer I turned out to be”. “I owe myself to him”.

All these sentences would inspire each and everyone who reads this extract as it reveals the determination, the will power, hard work and the difficulties undergone by Sachin Tendulkar and his family to achieve his goal as a cricketer. His family members also supported him and encouraged him throughout his career. The youngsters should learn a lot from this all-rounder.

paragraph Questions and Answers : Additional

Question 1.
Narrate the incident of Sachin’s induction into the Mumbai Cricket circuit.
Answer:
Sachin loved watching cricket on television. In his games, he often tried to imitate the mannerisms of his favourite players. Seeing the interest of Sachin in the game of cricket, his brother Ajit took him to Ramakant Achrekar, the cricket coach. When Sachin was asked to bat by the coach, he felt nervous and failed to make an impact. His coach told Ajit that Sachin was too young to make the camp. He suggested that he should bring him when he was a little older. Sachin thought that his induction into the Mumbai cricket circuit could have ended in failure. But his brother requested the coach to give Sachin another opportunity. He also suggested that the coach should pretend to go away and then watch him play from a distance. The coach agreed and asked Sachin to bat again. Sachin felt more at ease without his coach near him. So he batted well and was delighted to join in the camp.

Question 2.
What made Sachin’s father agree to Achrekar’s suggestion?
Answer:
One evening, the coach Achrekar called Sachin’s father and suggested to change Sachin’s school. He told him to move Sachin to Shardarshram Vidhyamandir. His father and brother accepted that it was necessary to change the school, if cricket was to be Sachin’s priority. His father advised his son Sachin that he would change his school, if Sachin was really serious about playing cricket. Sachin assured that he was serious about it. His father always said that all he wanted Sachin to do was to give his best effort without * worrying about the results.

Vocabulary

C. Match the words in column A with their synonym in column B.

Answer:
1. (c)
2. (e)
3. (b)
4. (a)
5. (d)

D. Match the words in column A with their antonym in column B.

Answer:
1. (b)
2. (e)
3. (d)
4. (a)
5. (c)

Homonyms

E. Use the words given below in your own sentences so as to get different meanings.
One is done for you.

Homophones

F. Consult a dictionary, to find the homophones for the given words.

Prefix and Suffix

C. Look at the prefixes and suffixes given and frame two new words for each one of them. One is done for you.

Listening

H. Listen to the passage on Paralympics and choose the correct answer.

Question 1.
The Paralympic games are for __________.
(a) children
(b) disabled people
(c) women
Ans:
(b) disabled people

Question 2.
The Paralympic games usually happen __________.
(a) in Greece
(b) every four years
(c) after the Olympic Games
Answer:
(b) every four years

Question 3.
The first true Paralympic Games happened in Rome in __________.
(a) 1960
(b) 1952
(c) 1848
Answer:
(a) 1960

Question 4’.
In 394 BCE, the __________ stopped the Greek Olympic Games, because they didn’t like them.
(a) Romans
(b) Greeks
(c) British
Answer:
(a) Romans

Question 5.
__________was a doctor at the Stoke Mandeville hospital in England.
(a) Pierre de Coubertin
(b) Sir Ludwig Guttmann
(c) Natalie du Toit
Answer:
(b) Sir Ludwig Guttmann

Speaking

Just a minute

Given below are five main qualities for true sportsmanship.

Get into groups of four. Each group will choose one quality to talk about to the whole class for about one minute. But before you talk, you have two minutes to think about it. You can make notes if you wish.

Sp. A : I feel determination is the essential quality of a champion. It is this determination that fills the player with a killer-instinct to win the match/game. When one is determined to win, nothing can stop that person from achieving the goal. “Where there is a will there is a way”. Hence friends, I feel determination helps a person to achieve his goal.

Sp. B : Dear friends, Optimization, according to me, is the essential keynote to success. We have to put in the maximum efforts and make use of the opportunities to the best. Hardwork and determination lead us to the path of success. It requires intelligence to optimise our resources and put them to full use. Hence there is no doubt that optimization leads to victory.

Sp. C : All determination and optimization cannot win without stamina. The mind should be strong and we should be doing enough to overcome challenges and face situations with confidence. A strong heart with unterminated courage has the ability to overcome any hardship and withstand the test of time. So it is the stamina that is the vital requirement for the sportsman.

Sp. D : Perseverance is very much required in our daily walks of life. It is a continuous effort to achieve our aim. We can learn great lessons on perseverance from the activities of bees, ants, etc. Robert Bruce learnt it from a spider and liberated Scotland. Successful people have the quality of perseverance which makes them assume impossible activities to be possible.

Sp. E : Decisiveness is the ability to decide with speed and clarity. In any situation the ability to decide is crucial. Without clear decisions there can be no action and no results. Being decisive is simply the most rational way to take on any problem. The best decision is the best one we can make with the information available at the time.

J. Prepare a speech in about 80-100 words for the morning assembly, stressing on the importance of games and sports in ensuring a healthy body and mind.:
Answer:

Importance of Games and Sports

‘A sound mind in a sound body’ is the adage. It is true and worthy. The mind when free of pain or physical stress thinks clearly and remains active. It has the ability to march # towards its goal as there are no stress psychologically and physically due to fear and ’ illness. Active exercises, fresh air, activities like cycling, swimming and walking refresh
the mind and keep it cheerful and relaxed. To overcome our stress we should play our favourite game, be it chess, cricket or any other game and remain calm and relaxed. Hence sports are an essential part of life.

Writing

K. Your friend who lives in another town/city has won his / her championship trophy in the recent sports meet. Write a letter congratulating him/her.
Answer:

14, Rajaji Street,
K. City 20th March, 2019.

Dear Rajesh,

My heartiest congratulations to you on winning the Trophy in Athletics at the Sports Meet. You had the traits of a champion always. Your hard work, determination and tireless efforts have enabled your win. I am sure that many more laurels are on your way. You shall soon become an international champion.

Never give up and keep reaping more and more laurels.

Your loving friend,
S. Naresh
Address on the envelope :

L. Collect information from newspapers, magazines, periodicals and books about any two famous sports women. Prepare their profiles. Use the following format.
Answer:

Learning the GameCreative Writing

M. Write a newspaper article in about 100 words, comparing the achievements of the two sportswomen based on the information you have already collected.

Two Women Icons

– An article by M. Adhitya, IX. ‘A’.

Answer:
We need sportswomen of generation to achieve the reigns and encourage the coming
generations. The efforts of such sporting personalities have yielded fruit. The female sensation in badminton today is World Ranking Topper Saina Nehwal and in Squash, it is Dipika Pallikal. While they are almost of the same age and have settled in South India, their growth in the sports arena is highly appreciable. They have received the ‘ prestigious Arjuna award and they have been ranked among the top 10. While Saina has been in World Rank 1 in 2015, Dipika was Rank 10 in 2012. The two young sports icons are embodiments of hardwork, sincerity and dedication.

A Talk Show

Question.
Work in groups of 4-6. Choose one folk art from, that is rarely or no longer performed. Find out the reasons for this and suggest practical solutions/steps that can be taken to prevent this. After discussion and research, conduct a talk show in the class on the topic FOLK ARTS – A REVIVAL. The following inputs will help you.
Each group will consist of the following members.

1. The host
2. A folk artist
3. A representative from an NGO engaged in reviving some of the dying folk arts.
4. A student
5. A citizen from the city

Answer:
Host : Dear friends, I am going to talk to you about ‘ Silambattam’ – or tactics with sticks. It is a long forgotten art wherein the man who holds the stick rotates it so fast, that it flashes like a lightning before your eyes and is a plaything in his hands. Sometimes women too practise it. Let me now introduce you to Ms. Valliammaal, an expert in yielding the ‘Silambu’. She is from a village in Thanjavur and has inherited this skill from her grandfather. Over to you, Madam!

Valli: You folks of the city would be surprised to see a stick being used so rapidly and literally spinning before your eyes. It all depends upon precision and practice. 100% concentration is required in this art, also you stand a chance to get killed by a fatal blow or unable to move you limbs. In my village, even little children practise this art. But now-a-days, with more and more people migrating to the city, the interest in the art too has deteriorated. I convey my thanks to Mr. Saravanan, an NGO, who has offered me financial support to set up a school, for teaching this art to youngsters.

Student: Madam I am Suresh, a student of XYZ college. I am very much interested in this traditional art and interested to learn the technique from you.

Citizen: Yes, Madam, I am Sadasivam and I work in a bank. I admire the graceful movements. I would like my children learn this art. Will Mr. Saravanan arrange for some classes in the city and enable us to benefit learning this ancient folk-art?

A rep: Why not? Very soon I shall do so.

Citizen: Thank you sir, We are immensely grateful to you.

Grammar

A. Choose the most appropriate preposition from the brackets:

Question 1.
We have been living in Chennai _________ eight years. (for/since)
Answer:
for

Question 2.
Abdul has taken _________ his father. (after/at)
Answer:
after

Question 3.
Vimal generally goes to his workplace ________ bus. (by/on)
Answer:
by

Question 4.
The cricket ball was hidden ________ the leaves. (among/between)
Answer:
among

Question 5.
Mani divided his toys _____ his brothers and sisters. (among/between)
Answer:
between

B. Identify the prepositions in the given sentences and underline them.

1. Riya borrowed a dress from me and lent it to her friend, Mary.
2. When I moved back to the city, things had changed considerably.
3. The burglar found the keys under the pot in the balcony.
4. Prabhu was hiding behind the door when his sister came looking for him.
5. My dog sat on my hat and squashed it.

C. Complete the passage by filling in appropriate prepositions from the list- (with, out, to, in, from, during, of, for, by). Some prepositions may be used more than once.

In Tamil Nadu, a very interesting form of recitation named Villupattu developed
(a) _________ the 15th century. Villupattu means bow-song because a bow-shaped musical instrument (b) _________ strong high tension string is used (c) _________ placing it (d) _________ an earthen pitcher. It is believed that this narrative form was an invention (e) _________ Arasa Pulavar. The troupe gives its performance mostly (f) _________ temple festivals. There are seven to eight persons in a troupe who form a kind (g) _________ chorus that supports the main singer-narrator. When the chief narrator sings, the chorus takes (h) _________ the refrain (i) _________ the song and repeats it in unison. The whole party sits (j) _________ the ground and performs (k) _________ a lot (l) _________ gesticulation and facial expression to suit the narrative they have taken. The ballad style songs are composed (m) _________ the rural dialect which appeals (n) _________ the audience
who sometimes join the troupe (o) _________ suitable notes or words.
Answer:
(a) in
(b) with
(c) by
(d) on
(e) of
(0 during
(g) of
(h) out
(i) from
(j) on
(k) with
(l) of
(m) in
(n) to
(o) by

Prepositional verbs

D. Frame sentences using the prepositional verbs given in the box.

1. The benefit from trees is immense.
2. I stood in for my friend at the discussion.
3. The children stayed at their grandmother’s house, during the vacation.
4. She went into a trance.
5. We are preparing for the exams vigorously.
6. Let me pay for the lunch.
7. I can’t rely on you.
8. The boys joked about their friend’s performance.
9. The class consists of 50 students.
10. The doctor attended to the patient day and might.

E. Given below is a picture of a carnival. Complete the factual description by filling in the blanks with appropriate prepositions.

A thiruvizha is a source of excitement and thrill for villagers. The village thoroughfare wears a festival look, as the open spaces are cleaned, spruced up and decorated (a) _________ colourful streamers. People throng the premises (b) _________ catch a glimpse (c) _________ their village deity (d) a magnificently decorated chariot, and pay their respects. There is a big crowd (e) _________ the food stalls that serve free piping hot sakkarai Pongal (sweet Pongal), lemon rice and curd rice.

People (f) _________ nearby villages and towns display their wares attractively, and call out loudly (g) _________ the people (h) _________ buy their wares. Cotton candy, cut raw mangoes smothered (i) _________ salt and chilly powder, boiled groundnuts, murukku, sweets, buttermilk etc are sold. Men, women, grandmas, grandpas and little children, dressed (j) _________ their best clothes, enjoy the Thiruvizha greatly.

You can hear the shrieks (k) _________ happy children enjoying the rides on ferris wheels and carousels, elders looking (l) _________ each other with smiles on their faces.

The entire day is spent (m) _________ fun and gaiety. All the village people irrespective of their age, look forward (n) _________ the thiruvizha every year.

Answers:
(a) with
(b) to
(c) of
(d) on
(e) in
(f) from
(g) to
(h) to
(i) with
(j) in
(k) of
(l) at
(m) in
(n) to

F. Write a letter to your friend, describing the joy of celebrating festivals in a village, with the inputs given above.

12, Netaji Street,
Chennai-23.
28-2-2019

Dear Balu,

I am fine and wish to hear the same from you. Last month I celebrated the Pongal festival in my native village “Chinna Thadakam” in Coimbatore district. My grandparents are living there. I had an unforgettable time with them. Since Pongal is the festival of harvest, the farmers bathed their cows and bulls and painted their horns. There was a village fair and bullock cart race. Jallikattu, the traditional bull taming spectacle, was also held as part of the four-day Pongal festival. I visited the village fair and enjoyed the simple pleasures of life like bathing in the river, strolling in the fields, eating food cooked in earthen utensils over firewood, sleeping on a cot on the terrace under the star-lit sky, visiting temple fairs and watching Karagattam presentation. I really enjoyed the rural life. Next year I wish to take you to our native village to celebrate Pongal.

Convey my love to your parents.

Yours lovingly,
R. Prashanth
Address on the Envelope :

Project

G. Your class has to stage a Puppet Show in the Assembly Open Forum on the topic ‘Child Labour’. Divide yourselves into groups and discuss the requirements for the presentation like storyline, characters, dialogues, choice of puppets and music for the interlude. Now complete the dialogues given below.

Ramesh: Let us present a Puppet Show on CHILD LABOUR for our Assembly Open Forum.
Mohammed: That is a very good idea! Let us start planning right away.
Geetha: But long talks on the topic would be boring and uninteresting.
Leema: I suggest we begin with the storyline first.
Mani: How do we decide the plot? How many characters can we choose?
Ramesh: We can have around five characters.
Mohammed: What would be the theme of the play?
Meena: We can focus on the problems of poverty and illiteracy as major reasons for child labour.
Ramesh: Can we present a puppet – show on the topic? It would really be a novel experience to the viewers.
Leema: I am good at making stick puppets. I will make them myself. But I require some help.
Mani: I shall help you with the dolls. Tell me, when can we start our work?
Leema: Thank you, Mani, Let us stay back after the meeting and discuss.
Ramesh: Have something interesting to attract the audience.
Meena: I think we should have some music for the interlude.
Geetha: That would make it really interesting. I will get my music group to start working on the tunes for our puppet show.

H. Now you are ready to start writing your script for Bommalattam on ’Child Labour’.

(To be done by the student)

Synonyms & Antonyms : Additional Questions

I. Choose the appropriate Synonym of the underlined words.

Question 1.
I often tried to emulate the mannerisms of my favourite players.
(a) disregard
(b) imitate
(c) overlook
(d) observe
Answer:
(b) imitate

Question 2.
I wanted to pursue cricket seriously.
(a) assist
(b) retreat
(c) follow
(d) give up
Answer:
(c) follow

Question 3.
I felt somewhat overawed with so many people around.
(a) undaunted
(b) supported
(c) intimidated
(d) surprised
Answer:
(c) intimidated

Question 4.
My induction into the Mumbai cricket circuit could have ended in failure – but for Ajit’s insistence.
(a) dissolution
(b) rejection
(c) elimination
(d) inclusion
Answer:
(d) inclusion

Question 5.
The schedule was rigorous.
(a) easy
(b) severe
(c) gentle
(d) flexible
Answer:
b) s :re

Question 6.
He would talk to me about the nuances of batting.
(a) subtleties
(b) antiquity
(c) disgrace
(d) history
Answer:
(a) subtleties

Question 7.
I would always ask my father to treat me to a special fruit cocktail near the club.
(a) sauce
(b) cake
(c) mixed drink
(d) pav bhaji
Answer:
(c) mixed drink

Question 8.
Sir would spot me in the melee and virtually drag me out.
(a) peaceful place
(b) theatre
(c) harmony hall
(d) confused crowd
Answer:
(d) confused crowd

Question 9.
Practice hard and see what magic can transpire.
(a) stop
(b) remove
(c) vanish
(d) reveal
Answer:
d) reveal

Question 10.
He was a strict disciplinarian and did everything he could for me.
(a) lenient
(b) stem
(c) easy going
(d) tolerant
Answer:
(b) stem

Another Type of Exercise

Choose the appropriate Synonym of the underlined words.

1. From a very early (i) age, I played tennis-ball cricket with my colony friends. I loved watching cricket on television and in our games, I often (ii) tried to emulate (iii) the mannerisms of my favourite players, Sunil Gavaskar and the West Indian legend (iv) Viv Richards. Ramakant Achrekar Sir ran (v) summer camps too.

i) (a) late
(b) initial
(c) middle
(d) later
Answer:
(b) initial

ii) (a) rarely
(b) seldom
(c) sometimes
(d) frequently
Answer:
(d) frequently

iii) (a) disregard
(b) imitate
(c) overlook
(d) observe
Answer:
(b) imitate

iv) (a) unknown
(b) orthodox
(c) celebrity
(d) obscurity
Answer:
(c) celebrity

v) (a) rush
(b) moving fast
(c) hasten
(d) conduct
Answer:
(d) conduct

2. I had never batted in the nets before and felt somewhat overawed (i) with so many people around. When I was asked to bat, I was not at all comfortable (ii). With Sir watching me so closely, I failed to make an impact (iii). Sir called Ajit aside (iv) and informed him that I was perhaps (v) too young to make the camp.

i) (a) undaunted
(b) intimidated
(c) supported
(d) surprised
Answer:
(b) intimidated

ii) (a) cozy
(b) hard
(c) harsh
(d) unpleasant
Answer:
(a) cozy

iii) (a) agreement
(b) impression
(c) concord
(d) discord
Answer:
(b) impression

iv) (a) besides
(b) beside
(c) upside
(d) preside
Answer:
(b) beside

v) (a) unlikely
(b) impossibly
(c) may be
(d) emphatically
Answer:
(c) may be

3. The schedule was rigorous (i) and I would be exhausted (ii) by the end of the day. For the first few days, Ajit accompanied (iii) me, to get me used to the routine (iv). During the bus journeys, he would talk to me about the nuances (v) of batting, and I always enjoyed these
conversations a lot.

i) (a) easy
(b) flexible
(c) gentle
(d) severe
Answer:
(d) severe

ii) (a) tired
(b) active
(c) refreshed
(d) energetic
Answer:
(a) tired

iii) (a) abandoned
(b) stranded
(c) joined
(d) deserted
Answer:
(c) joined

iv) (a) different
(b) regular
(c) strange
(d) unusual
Answer:
(b) regular

v) (a) subtleties
(b) antiquity
(c) disgrace
(d) history
Answer:
(a) subtleties

4. There wqs never quite enough (i) time for the pockets to dry (ii) out completely, and for the entire (iii) duration of the camp I played with wet pockets. By the middle of the summer camp, Sir had started taking an active (iv) interest in my batting and at the end of the two months, informed Ajit that I had the potential (v) to be a good cricketer if I practised all year round.

i) (a) insufficient
(b) scarce
(c) adequate
(d) deficit
Answer:
(c) adequate

ii) (a) damp
(b) moistureless
(c) humid
(d) wet
Answer:
(b) moistureless

iii) (a) partial
(b) abridged
(c) complete
(d) flawed
Answer:
(c) complete

iv) (a) apathetic
(b) ignorant
(c) lethargic
(d) dynamic
Answer:
(d) dynamic

v) (a) limitation
(b) ineptitude
(c) capacity
(d) weakness
Am :
(a) capacity

II. Choose the appropriate Antonyms of the underlined words.

1. I wanted to pursue cricket seriously.
(a) continue
(b) give up
(c) follow
(d) chase
Answer:
(c) give up

2. It helped me to build up physical and mental stamina.
(a) strength
(b) vigour
(c) force
(d) weakness
Answer:
(d) weakness

3. Dirty clothes often added to the embarrassment.
(a) shame
(b) comfort
(c) awkwardness
(d) humiliation
Answer:
(a) comfort

4. Winning the one rupee coin used to give me immense satisfaction.
(a) extensive
(b) little
(c) enormous
(d) great
Answer:
(b) little

5. Practice hard and see what magic can transpire.
(a) reveal
(b) emerge
(c) result
(d) hide
Answer:
(d) hide

6. He was a strict disciplinarian.
(a) easy going
(b) stem
(c) tough
(d) draconian
Answer:
(a) easy going

7. Sir also punished me on one occasion.
(a) chastened
(b) exonerated
(c) birched
(d) penalized
Answer:
(b) exonerated

8. Don’t waste your time playing insane games with these kids.
(a) bizarre
(b) lunatic
(c) sensible
(d) crazy
Answer:
(c) sensible

9. I’d often take the bus or train from Bandra to Church gate.
(a,) usually
(b) rarely
(c) regularly
(d) frequently
Answer:
(b) rarely

10. When I was asked to bat, I was not at all comfortable.
(a) affluent
(b) uneasy
(c) contented
(d) cozy
Answer:
(b) uneasy

Another type of exercise

1. Choose the appropriate Antonyms of the underlined words.

1. Ajit was in the room with my father at the time and they both accepted (i) that it was necessary if cricket was to be my priority (ii). My father sat me down and explained that while he did not have any objections to my changing schools, I should do so only if I was really serious (iii) about playing cricket. I assured (iv) him I was, and so it was agreed (v) that I should move to Shardashram Vidhyamandir.

i) (a) endorsed
(b) approved
(c) rejected
(d) agreed
Answer:
(c) rejected

ii)
(a) prime concern
(b) unimportance
(c) preference
(d) supremacy
Answer:
(b) unimportance

iii) (a) arduous
(b) grave
(c) ambitious
(d) light minded
Answer:
(d) light minded

iv) (a) convinced
(b) repudiated
(c) ensured
(d) guaranteed
Answer:
(b) repudiated

v) (a) concurred
(b) conceded
(c) disagreed
(d) assented
Answer:
(c) disagreed

2. On days when I wasn’t so lucky (i), it was still a challenge just to stand with the kitbag, because the bus conductors would inevitably (ii) complain about me taking up the space of another passenger. It could be embarrassing (iii) because the conductors were often rude (iv) and would sometimes ask me to buy (v) two tickets.
i)
(a) fortunate
(b) prosperous
(c) happy
(d) unlucky
Answer:
(d) unlucky

ii) (a) unavoidably
(b) surely
(c) avoidably
(d) eventually
Answer:
(c) avoidably

iii) (a) shameful
(b) pleasant
(c) humiliating
(d) awkward
Answer:
(b) pleasant

iv) (a) polite
(b) impolite
(c) indelicate
(d) coarse
Answer:
(a) polite

v) (a) acquire
(b) procure
(c)get
(d) sell
Answer:
(d) sell

3. Even though I loved (i) cricket, there were still occasional days when playing with my friends at home was such fun (ii) that I would conveniently (iii) forget I was supposed (iv) to go to the nets. If I didn’t turn up, Achrekar Sir would jump on to his scooter and come (v) to find me. Sir would spot me in the melee and virtually drag me out.

i) (a) adored
(b) cherished
(c) hated
(d) esteemed
Answer:
(c) hated

ii) (a) amusement
(b) boredom
(c) enjoyment
(d) glee
Answer:
(b) boredom

iii) (a) suitably
(b) favourably
(c) desirably
(d) inconveniently
Answer:
(d) inconveniently

iv) (a) unlikely
(b) presumed
(c) likely
(d) assumed
Answer:
(a) unlikely

v) (a) arrive
(b) appear
(c) go
(d) enter
Answer:
(c) go

MCQs – Additional

Answer the following questions by choosing the correct answer.

Question 1.
From a very early age, I played ___________ cricket with my colony friends.
(a) tape-ball
(b) windball
(c) tennis-ball
Answer:
(c) tennis-ball

Question 2.
Ramakant Achrekar Sir was the cricket coach in ___________ .
(a) New English School
(b) Shardashram Vidhyamandir
(c) Modem School
Answer:
(b) Shardashram Vidhyamandir

Question 3.
Ajit took me to Ramakant Achrekar when I was ___________ years old.
(a) fourteen
(b) twelve
(c) eleven
Answer:
(c) eleven

Question 4.
Achrekar started playing cricket at the age of eleven in the year ___________.
(a) 1943
(b) 1963
(c) 1953
Answer:
(a) 1943

Question 5.
With Sir watching me so closely, I ___________ to make an impact.
(a) emulated
(b) asked
(c) failed
Answer:
(c) failed

Question 6.
Ajit explained the coach that I was and ___________ asked to give one more opportunity.
(a) comfortable
(b) nervous
(c) unexcited
Answer:
(b) nervous

Question 7.
The camp’involved a session every morning and evening at ___________.
(a) Bandra
(b) Church gate
(c) Shivaji Park
Answer:
(c) Shivaji Park

Question 8.
During the bus journeys, Ajit would talk to me about the .
(a) mannerisms of players
(b) nuances of batting
(c) importance of exercises
Answer:
(b) nuances of batting

Question 9.
In my first year at Shardashram, I played practice matches during sixty days.
(a) forty
(b) fifty five
(c) twenty one
Answer:
(b) fifty five

Question 10.
By the middle of the __________ camp, Sir had started taking an active interest in my batting.
(a) summer
(b) winter
(c) autumn
Answer:
(a) summer

Question 11.
Sir would often give me some money to go and have a __________ .
(a) fruit cocktail
(b) vadapav
(c) bread toast
Answer:
(b) vadapav

Question 12.
Sir would place a __________ rupee coin on top of the stumps.
(a) one
(b) two
(c) five
Answer:
(a) one

Question 13.
I would always ask __________ to treat me to a special fruit cocktail at a juice centre.
(a) my brother
(b) my father
(c) Achrekar Sir
Answer:
(b) my father

Question 14.
It could be embarrassing because the conductors were often __________ .
(a) respectable
(b) polite
(c) rude
Answer:
(c) rude

Question 15.
Travelling to Shivaji Park took forty minutes from my house in __________ .
(a) Church gate
(b) Bandra
(c) Dadar
Answer:
(b) Bandra

Question 16.
Achrekar Sir would jump on to his __________ and come to find me.
(a) bike
(b) scooter
(c) bicycle
Answer:
(b) scooter

Question 17.
I’d often take the bus or train from Bandra to ___________.
(a) Shivaji Park
(b) Dadar
(c) Church gate
Answer:
(c) Church gate

Learning the Game About The Author

The retired Indian Cricket Player Sachin Ramesh Tendukar is considered as one of the greatest batsmen of all times. He was born on 24^th April 1973 in Mumbai. He was introduced to cricket at the age of eleven by his brother Ajit Tendulkar. In 2005, he became the first cricketer to score 35 centuries (100 runs in a single inning) in Test play. In 20 IT, Tendulkar achieved his dream of winning the Cricket World Cup at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. He is the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries and the first to score double century in a One Day International cricket.

He played 664 International Cricket matches in total, scoring 34,357 runs. In 2012, Tendulkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He retired from Cricket on 16^th November 2013. He is also the recipient of the Arjuna Award (1994), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (1997), Padma Shri (1999), Padma Vibhushan (2008) and Bharat Ratna (2013).

Learning the Game Summary

Learning the Game’ is an extract from Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography ‘Playing it My Way’. He played tennis ball cricket with his colony friends from a very early age. He loved watching cricket on television and tried to imitate the mannerisms of his favourite players like Sunil Gavaskar and Viv Richards. It wasn’t just about batsman that Sachin studied, but he also loved to bowl. Throughout his career, he had actually bowled a lot in the nets.

Sachin was studying in the New English School at Mumbai. But his brother Ajith wanted him to study in ‘Shardashram Vidhyamandir’ where Ramakant Achrekar was the cricket coach. This school gave more importance to the game of cricket. Ramakant Achrekar ran summer cricket camps. One day, his brother Ajit took him to Achrekar to get trained well. It was because, only Achrekar could decide who to accept for a trial at the camp. But there, Tendulkar failed to make an impact on Achrekar, the coach. So the coach informed his brother that Sachin was too young to get into the camp.

But Ajit insisted him to give his brother another chance, as he was nervous. So he was given another chance and the coach watched his batting from a distance. Seeing him batting well, the coach agreed to train him. It was an opportunity that transformed Sachin’s life. His coach Achrekar advised Sachin to change his school if he really wanted to pursue cricket seriously. In his first year, at Shradasram, Sachin played 55 practice matches during the summer break of 60 days.

Achrekar used to place a one rupee coin on top of the stumps and asked Sachin to bat. If Sachin remained not out, Achrekar Sir would gift the coin to him. Whenever Sachin tried to bunk practice session, Achrekar Sir came to take him to the ground. Had it not been for Achrekar Sir, Sachin would not be the cricketer he turned out to be. The coach was a strict disciplinarian and did everything he could for Sachin. Finally, Sachin says that he owes himself to Achrekar Sir.

Learning the Game Mind Map

Learning the Game Glossary 

Tamilnadu Board Class 9 English Solutions

Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English Solutions Prose Chapter 6 The Last Lesson

The Last Lesson In text Questions

Question a.
What kind of news was usually put up on the bulletin board?
Answer:
All bad news like lost battles, the draft, the orders of the commanding officer, came from the Bulletin board.

Question b.
What was the usual scene when school began every day?
Answer:
When school began every day, there was a great bustle of opening and closing of the desks, lessons were repeated in unison loudly and the teachers ruler rapped on the table.

Question c.
Other than the students, who were present in the class?
Answer:
The village people, old Hauser, the former mayor, the former postmaster and several others were present in the class, besides the students.

Question d.
Why did Mr. Hamel say it was the last French lesson?
Answer:
The order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. So Mr. Hamel said that was the last French lesson.

Question e.
What was Franz asked to tell? Was he able to answer?
Answer:
Franz was asked to recite the rule for participle all through. But he got mixed up on the first words and stood there nervous.

Question f.
Why did Mr.Hamel blame himself?
Answer:
Mr. Hamel blamed himself because he had often sent Franz to water his flowers instead of learning his lessons and when he went for fishing he gave him a holiday.

Question g.
What did M. Hamel say about the French language?
Answer:
M. Hamel said that French was the most beautiful language in the world – the clearest, the most logical and that they must guard it and never forget it.

Question h.
How many years had M. Hamel been in the village?
Answer:
M. Hamel had been in the village for forty years.

The Last Lesson Textual Questions

A. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

Question 1.
Why did Franz dread to go to school that day?
Answer:
Franz dreaded to go to school that day because M.Hamel had said he would question them on participles and he did not know the first word about them.

Question 2.
What were the various things that tempted Franz to spend his day outdoors?
Answer:
The day was warm and bright. The birds were chirping and in the open field back of the saw mill the Prussian soldiers were drilling.

Question 3.
Why was the narrator not able to get to his desk without being seen?
Answer:
The narrator was not able to get to his desk without being seen because that day everything was quiet about the school. He had to open the door and go in before everybody, who were in their places already.

Question 4.
What was Franz sorry for?
Answer:
Franz was sorry for not learning his lessons, for having found his books heavy and his history of the saints, were old friends, now that he couldn’t give up. He also felt sorry for Hamel who was going away.

Question 5.
Why were the old villagers sitting in the last desk?
Answer:
The old villagers sat in the last desks feeling sad that, that was the last French lesson that would be taught at school. They were sorry that they hadn’t gone to school, it was their way of thanking the master for his forty years of faithful service.

Question 6.
What were the thoughts of the narrator’s parents?
Answer:
The narrator’s parents preferred to send him to work on a farm or at the mills so as to have a little more money.

Question 7.
Why does M. Hamel say that we must guard our language?
Answer:
M. Hamel said that we must guard our language among us and never forget it because when a people are enslaved, as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.

Question 8.
M. Hamel was gazing at many things. What were they?
Answer:
M.Hamel was gazing at his garden outside the window, his class in front of him, the walnut- trees in the garden and the hopvine that he had planted twined about the windows to the roof, with a broken heart that he is leaving all.

Question 9.
When and how did M. Hamel bid farewell to the class?
Answer:
When the trumpets of the Prussians sounded under their windows, M.Hamel stood up, very pale, with words choking his throat, he turned to the blackboard, and wrote “LONG LIVE FRANCE!” in French with a great deal of effort and a heavy heart.

Short Questions & Answers – Additional

Question 1.
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in the school?
Answer:
The order from Berlin directed schools in the districts of Alsace and Lorraine in France to teach German instead of French.

Question 2.
How did franz react to the declaration that it was their last french lesson?
Answer:
Franz was shocked and sad when he heard this news.Suddenly he developed a liking for his language and was keen to learn french. He was remorseful for not learning well in the past and was sad that his teacher, Mr.Hamel would go away.

Question 3.
What was franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?
Answer:
Franz was expected to be prepared with particples that day as Mr.Hamel had told the class that he would be taking a test on the that day.

Question 4.
What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
Answer:
Usually when the school began there would be a lot of commotion. But that day everything was quiet and it appeared to be like a Sunday, but the students were at their places and Mr. Hamel was walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm.

Question 5.
What had been put up on the bulletin-board?
Answer:
The bulletin-board notified the general public about an order from Berlin. It stated that only German was to be taught to students in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

Question 6.
Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What could this mean?
Answer:
The Frenchmen were highly patriotic and took a pride in their language. A strong feeling of revolt was in the air against the Germans. Franz did not accept their rule and thought that whether the Germans would make the pigeons sing in the German language.

Question 7.
How did Franz find teaching and learning that day?
Answer:
Franz found teaching and learning very interesting that day. He was very attentive and careful. Franz also realized that M Hamel had never explained everything with so much patience

B. Answer the following questions in about 100-150 words:

Question 1.
We appreciate the value of something only when we are about to lose it. Explain this with reference to the French language and M. Hamel.
Answer:
The order from Berlin read that only German should be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine, after the Prussians defeated the French and the districts of Alsace and Lorraine came under Prussians. They not only wanted the territory but also wanted their language and culture of Germans to dominate it. M.Hamel who had taught French for forty years, felt the pain when the French language was being taught for the last time in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

He told that French was the most beautiful language, the most logical and that it was language that should be guarded, to have that as the key to the prison of the enslaved people.

Question 2.
Give an account of the last day of M. Hamel in school.
Answer:
In honour of his last French lesson, M. Hamel put on his fine Sunday clothes and the old villagers were present to respect his forty years of faithful service. In the class room Hamel told Franz that the Prussians would find fault with the Frenchmen that they did not know to read or write French. As he spoke about many things, he said that French was the language to be .held and guarded to be used as a key to the prison of the enslaved.

He took a grammar lesson a lesson in writing and kept gazing at the garden and the classroom where he had spent 40 years of his life. When the trumpets of the Prussians were finally blown, M. Hamel stood up, but could not speak out of grief and wrote “Long Live France” in French on the blackboard and dismissed the school.

Paragraph Questions & Answers Additional

Question 1.
Our language is part of our culture and we are proud of it. Describe how regretful M. Hamel and the village elders are for having neglected their native language, French.
Answer:
When Berlin ordered that the French language would no longer be taught in schools in the French districts of Alsace and Lorraine, it stirred the otherwise lazy Frenchmen. Suddenly, they all had a strong desire to learn how to read and write their mother tongue. It was not only the children who went to school but also the elders of the village who had not studied seriously in their childhood, putting off ‘unimportant’ works to the next day. The day finally arrived as the last day of the French language in the schools.

They become serious and keen to learn as they feel the German would laugh at them for not knowing their own language. They are ashamed of themselves when the teacher says that this lack of knowledge is the reason for their defeat to the Germans and asks them to guard their mother tongue as being.close to ones language is the key to escape from the prison of slavery.

Question 2
What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?
Answer:
The order from Berlin brought all the routine hustle-bustle of the school life to a stand-still. The teacher, M. Hamel, became more sympathetic to his students and taught his lessons with more patience. The students became more attentive in their classes. The villagers, who were sitting at the usually empty back benches and had come to show their respect and gratitude to M. Hamel, regretted not going to school more than they did.

The order also brought about a great change in the feelings of the people towards their country and their native language. There was a general sadness about not being able to utilise the opportunities of learning French when it was easily accessible.

Question 3.
How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?
Answer:
Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and that it was their last French lesson. He forgot about his teacher’s ruler and crankiness. He developed a fondness for M. Hamel at the troubling idea of being separated from him forever. He understood the pain and agony his teacher was undergoing. And, he became more sympathetic towards his teacher.

His school too, now, carried a different meaning. His books and lessons seemed old friends whom he couldn’t give up. He realised with pain how much French meant to him and regretted not being attentive in his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the ‘difficult concepts’ had never actually been difficult.

vocabulary

C. In column A are some of the idiomatic phrases from the essay. Match them with equivalent single words in column B:
Answer:

A	B
go far	succeed
blow up	explode
Show up	reveal
Call on	Require
Break off	finish
Knuckle under	submit

D. Frame sentences of your own using the above idiomatic phrases.

1. she decided to ………………….. a head of competitors.
2. The terrorists …………………… the hotel.
3. The thieves ……………….. at the court.
4. The prime minister ………………… the flood victims.
5. He voice …………………… as she was singing.
6. The soldiers refused to …………………. the pressure of their enemies

Answers:

1. go far
2. blew up
3. showed themselves up
4. called on
5. broke off
6. knuckle under

E. Given below are some idiomatic phrases. Find the meaning of it using the dictionary:

A	B
Put on	Walk away
Come in	Time out
Try again	Try again

Answer:

A	Meaning
put on	wear
come in	enter
try again	repeat
walk away	avoid
time out	time is over

Listening

F. Listen to the article titled “Remembering Nel Jayaraman

In pairs, present an interview. One student will be the interviewer and the other would be Nel Jayaraman himself. Two sets of conversations has been given as examples for your help.

Student A : (interviewer) – Vanakkam sir. For what cause do you organise festivals?
Student B : (NJ) -1 organise these festivals with a difference. I present seeds to all the participating farmers.

Student A : (interviewer) – Oh ! That’s really good, Sir. What do you expect in return?
Student B : (NJ) – In return I expect them to have double the harvest next year.

Student A : (interviewer) – Where did you organise the NEL festival?
Student B : (NJ) –I organised the NEL festival at Thiruvarur.

Student A : (interviewer) – Can you mention how many people congregated for the meeting?
Student B : (NJ) – 5,000 people congregated for the meeting.

Student A : (interviewer) – What did you distribute to the farmers?
Student B : (NJ) -I distributed the traditional paddy seeds.

Student A : (interviewer) – How did you commute to each these villages?
Student B : (NJ) –I commuted to each village by my cycle or by bus.

Student A : (interviewer) – Ayya, Do you plan your schedules?
Student B : (NJ) – No. I do not plan my schedules.

Student A : (interviewer) – How could you remain so cool and clam sir?
Student B : ( NJ) -1 have an alternative .

Student A : (interviewer) – Where was your heart and soul?
Student B : (NJ) – My heart and soul was in the paddy fields.

Student A : (interviewer) – People say when your popularity grew, you spent less time in the field?
Student B : (NJ) – It is wrong. I spent more time in the field.

Student A : (interviewer) – What is your message to the world?
Student B : ( NJ) – If you work selflessly for the society, it will give back.

Student A : (interviewer) – Thank you, Sir. Nandri
Student B : (NJ) – Nandri.

Speaking

G. A road map is given below. Answer the questions that follow with the help of the road map. Work in pairs and discuss to give directions to get to one place from another.

Question 1.
You are at the market. You need directions to go the pharmacy.
Answer:
From the market, go straight on Park Street. Take your left at Museum on Central Avenue. At the end of the road, on your right, you will find the pharmacy.

Question 2.
You are in a book shop. Ask your partner to direct you to the Art Gallery.
Answer:
Go straight on Central Avenue. Cross the Post Office and take your left on South Road. Take your right on George Street. You will find the Art Gallery on your left.

Question 3.
Give your partner the directions to go from the Bank to the hotel
Answer:
Oil Take your right and immediate left from the bank on to Central Avenue.. Cross the Post Office and turn left on South Road. At the end of South Road, turn left on George Street. The hotel is on your left.

Question 4.
Direct your partner from the post office to the market.
Answer:
Walk towards South Road from the Post Office. Turn left go straight on the South Road. Then turn left on George Street. Go straight. At the end of George street you will find the Market on your right.

Question 5.
Your partner wants to go the library from school. Give suitable directions.
Answer:
From the school on Central Avenue walk straight and turn left on North Road. Walk straight down the lane and turn left on George Street. You will find the Library on the right.

Reading

H. Read the poem carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks.
(a) ………………….. is the festival which fills our hearts with delight.
(b) …………………….. is referred to as a festival of sacrifice.
Answer:
(a) Festival of light
(b) Joy of giving

Question 2.
What kind of joy is unfurled during the festival of sacrifice?
Answer:
Joy of giving is unfurled during the festival of sacrifice.

Question 3.
How can we make our life worth living?
Answer:
Giving things joyfully and celebrating them well makes our life worth living.

Question 4.
What does the poet mean by ‘Festival of flowers’?
Answer:
CGBI ‘Festival of flowers’ brings out the brightness of colours.

Question 5.
When are we in a state of trance?
Answer:
We are in a trance during the festival of dance.

Question 6.
What do the people do when the festival of Music is celebrated?
Answer:
During the festival of music people sing the joyous lyric.

Question 7.
What makes us happy and free, according to the poet?
Answer:
Sharing the word of love from above makes us happy and free.

Question 8.
Find out the rhyme scheme employed in the fourth stanza.
Answer:
ab, ab, is the rhyme scheme in the fourth stanza.

Question 9.
Pick out the rhyming words from the first stanza of the poem.
Answer:
harvest – best; light – delight, are the rhyming words in the first stanza.

Question 10.
Write down the words that alliterate in the poetic lines below.
(a) Festival of Flowers
(b) That spreads treasures on a tree
Answer:
(a) Festivals, Flowers
(b) That, treasures, tree

Writing

I. Create posters for following

Question 1.
You are Raja/ Ranjani. Draft a poster to create awareness about the harmful effects of using plastics, in not more than 50 words.
Answer:

Question 2.
Say ‘No to Drugs’ – Design a poster for it in not more than 50 words. You may use slogans/ phrases.
Answer:

Question 3.
“Save our Earth” is the need of the hour. Draft a poster with attractive slogans/ phrases for same in not more than 50 words. Use attractive drawings.
Answer:

Question 4.
You are Sita/ Sudhan. Design a poster in not more than 50 words to focus on not wasting water. Be creative.
Answer:

Question 5.
Good handwriting is the index of an individual. Design a poster on the importance of good handwriting. Use catchy slogans or phrases. Your poster should not exceed 50 words.
Answer:

Writing

j. Draft letters for the following

Question 1.
You are Ajeet, living in a remote village in Tirunelveli. You participated in a health camp organised by your school. You were surprised to observe that most of the residents were unaware of health and hygiene. As a concerned citizen, write a letter to the editor stating the need to organise such camps focusing on the importance of health and hygiene.
Answer:

Question 2.
You are Sanjay. Your colony utilises solar energy to light the common areas. You find many friends of your colony forgetting to switch off the lights in the common area. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to a newspaper, echoing the importance to conserve and preserve solar energy.
Answer:

Question 3.
You are Sadasivam. You recently visited your native town in Vellore. You happened to accompany your grandmother to your family temple. You were shocked to notice the poor condition and maintenance of the temple. Write a letter to the Editor of local newspaper highlighting the poor condition of the temple. Also give some suggestions and request the HRC to take steps to improve the situation.
Answer:

Question 4.
You are Sudha. Your neighbour has a pet dog that barks continuously. Write a letter to the Editor of a weekly newspaper of your locality, highlighting the nuisance and noise pollution created thus. Also suggest ways to solve the problem.
Answer:

Question 5.
You are Raja. The street lights of your area do not work properly. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to the newspaper enlightening them about the problem and also suggest ways to brighten the area.
Answer:

Grammar

A. Fill in the blanks appropriately.

1. Mahatma Gandhi ………………. the father of our nation.
2. There …………………. ten dogs in my street
3. They …………………… to write the exercises neatly.
4. Buttermilk ………………….. good for health.
5. Fruits ……………………… good for health.

Answers:

1. is
2. are
3. have
4. is
5. are

B. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate verb:

1. The quality of dal ………………….. not good.
2. The horse carriage ………………. at the door.
3. My friend and teacher ……………….come.
4. ……………… your father and mother at home?
5. Honour and glory ……………… his reward.
6. The ship with its crew ……………… sailing good.
7. Gullivers Travels ……………… an excellent story.
8. Neither food nor water ……………. found here.
9. Mathematics ………………… a branch of study.
10. Fifteen minutes ………………….. allowed to read the question paper.

Answers:

1. is
2. is
3. have
4. Are
5. is
6. is
7. is
8. is
9. is
10. is

C. Change the singular nouns to plurals by either adding s’, ies’, es’, Ves

	Singular	Plural
1.	leaf	leaves
2.	lorry	lorries
3.	bat	bats
4.	clock	clocks
5.	table	tables
6.	lamp	lamps
7.	doll	dolls
8.	biscuit	biscuits
9.	knife	knives
10.	loaf	loaves

Additional exercises:

	Singular	Plural
1.	life	lives
2.	story	stories
3.	belief	beliefs
4.	mango	mangoes
5.	orange	oranges
6.	baby	babies
7.	duty	duties
8.	feather	feathers
9.	institute	institutes
10.	calf	calves

D. Identify the non-finites in the following sentences and underline them

1. Roshan dreams of becoming an architect.
2. We must aim at fulfilling Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s dream to make India the most developed country by 2020.
3. Taking the children to the museum is Seema’s responsibility.
4. Having finished the work, the manager decided to return home.
5. Travelling with her family, Tara enjoyed every minute of it.

E. Replace the underlined words by a participle in the following sentences:

Question 1.
While Sudha was climbing the stairs, she tripped and fell down.
Answer:
On climbing the stairs Sudha tripped and fell down.

Question 2.
After her evening prayers, my grandmother went to the temple.
Answer:
After completing her evening prayers my grandmother went to the temple.

Question 3.
Since he is a king, he can order everybody.
Answer:
Being a king he can order everybody.

Question 4.
They took the last wicket and walked back to the pavilion.
Answer:
Haring taken the last cricket, they walked back to the pavilion.

Question 5.
When he saw the train in the platform he rushed.
Answer:
On seeing the train in the platform he rushed.

F. Fill in the blank with the correct alternative:

1. ………………….. on the flute, Krishna returned it. {Played / Having played}
2. We wish she continues ……………. healthy, {being /be}
3. The doctor advised him against ………………. in the sun. {wander / wandering}
4. I like ……………….. rasam. {drinking / drink}
5. ………………… the scissors I returned it to her. {Using / Having used} [

Answers:

1. Having played
2. being
3. wandering
4. drinking
5. Having used

G. Tick the correct sentences:

1	I had desired to eat a cake.	✓	I had desired to have eaten cake.
2	My son is fond of music.	✓	My son is fond to music.
3	Sreena avoids eating fruits.	✓	Sreena avoids to eat fruits.
4	Bravery is not to pick a quarrel.		Bravery is not picking a quarrel.	✓
5	5. It is easier to say than do.		It is easier said than done.	✓

The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet

Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) is a French novelist and short-story writer. He began his career as a school teacher in the South of France. He quit it to make a living as a journalist in Paris. Then he took to writing and his poems were collected into a small volume, “Les Amoureuses” (1858). The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) in which France was defeated by Prussia led by Bismarck.

The Last Lesson Key Points

• The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870- 1871)
• Prussian forces under Bismarck attacked and captured France.
• The French districts of Alsace and Lorraine went into Prussian hands. (Germany was a part of Prussia).
• The new Prussian rulers discontinued the teaching of French in the schools of these two districts.
• The French teachers were asked to leave.
• Franz was a student and he was afraid of going to school as he had not learnt participles.
• He wanted to enjoy the beauty of nature, such as the bright sunshine, the birds, chirruping in the woods.
• The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open field.
• Franz hurried off to school.
• There was a crowd in front of the Bulletin board at the town hall.
• It had all their bad news for the last two years such as the lost battles, the draft and the orders of the commanding officer.
• The Blacksmith, Wachter was reading the bulletin. He told Franz not to go so fast to school.
• Franz noticed the changes in the school.
• Instead of noisy classrooms, everything was as quiet as Sunday morning.
• The teacher, M. Hamel, did not scold him and told him very kindly to go to his seat.
• The teacher was dressed as if it was an inspection day or prize day. •
• The villagers including old Hauser, former Mayor, former Postmaster were occupying the last benches.
• Everybody looked sad. The teacher told them that, that was the last lesson he would give them.
• The Order had come from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.
• The new master would come the next day.
• The teacher informed them that, that would be their last French lesson.
• Franz assumed that, that was the notice put up on the bulletin board.
• He realized that he did not know his own mother tongue.
• He realized that he did not know his own mother tongue.
• He regretted why he had not taken his lessons seriously.
• He also realized the reason why the teacher put on his Sunday clothes and the villagers sitting at the back.
• It was their way of thanking the teacher for his 40 years of faithful service and also of showing their respect for the country (France).
• The teacher understood that all three, the children, the parents and he himself were to be blamed for losing respect and regard for their mother tongue, French.
• He advised them to keep their mother tongue always close to their heart as it was the key to their prison of slavery.
• The teacher started teaching the grammar lesson and the students understood it so easily.
• After grammar, they had a lesson in writing.
• The teacher gave them copies written in a beautiful round hand – France, Alsace, France, Alsace.
• Franz wondered if Prussians could force the pigeons to sing in German.
• The students very well remembered the last lesson.
• When the church-clock struck twelve, the teacher stood up with emotions and he was unable to talk.
• Then, with all his might, he wrote on the blackboard “Long Live France”.
• The story describes the sadness of the whole situation about how people feel when they don’t learn their own language.
• It tells us about the significance of one’s language in one’s life for the very existence of a race and how important it is to safeguard it.

The Last Lesson Summary

The story is narrated by a French student Franz. He dislikes studying French and hates his teacher M. Hamel. After overpowering their districts of Alsace and Lorraine in France, Berlin has ordered that the German language is to be taught in the schools, instead of French. It is the last day of their French teacher M. Hamel, who has been there for forty years. He is full of grief, regret and patriotism. As a mark of respect for his hard work, the village men also attend his ‘last lesson. They are sad as they have not learnt their mother tongue, French in their childhood. Franz is shocked to know that it is his last lesson, as he does not know French.

Now, suddenly, he gets interested in learning it and understands everything taught on that day. He develops an instant liking for the teacher, M. Hamel and respects him for his sincerity and hard work. He feels sad at departing from him and is ashamed for not being able to recite the lesson of participles. M. Hamel tells them that they all are at fault for not being eager enough to learn, putting it off to the next day. He blames himself for not teaching them sincerely. His patriotism is reflected in his praise for the French language as being the most beautiful and most logical language in the world. He tells the class to guard their language as being close to one’s language is the key to escape from the prison of slavery. It will help them in getting free from the Germans. They realize the importance of learning their mother tongue.

The Last Lesson Glossary

chirping (v) – making a short, sharp high pitched sound (usually by small birds or insects)
bustle (v) – move in an energetic manner
unison (n) – simultaneous utterance of words
rapping (v) – striking with a series of rapid audible blows
thumbed (v) – a book which has been read often and bearing the marks of frequent handling
cranky (adj.) – strange
Saar – a river in northeastern France and western Germany
Angelus (n) – a Roman Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Jesus and including the Hail Mary, said at morning, noon, and sunset.

Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions

Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English Solutions Prose Chapter 7 The Dying Detective

The Dying Detective In Text Questions

Question a.
How did Watson feel when he heard of Holmes illness?
Answer:
Watson felt horrified when he heard of Holmes illness because he had hot heard about it before.

Question b.
Why didn’t the landlady call the doctor?
Answer:
The landlady didn’t call the doctor because Holmes would not allow her to bring one.

Question c.
What was the condition of Holmes when Watson saw him?
Answer:
Holmes had a gaunt face. His eyes had a brightness of fever, his cheeks were flushed and his hand twitched all the time. He lay listless.

Question d.
According to Holmes what was the disease he was suffering from?
Answer:
Holmes was suffering from Tarpaunli fever or black Formosa plague.

Question e.
Who did Watson see when he entered the room?
Answer:
Watson saw Culverton Smiths butler at the doorway. On entering the room, he saw a thin man with bald head, Mr. Culverton Smith.

Question f.
What were the instructions given by Holmes to Watson?
Answer:
Holmes did not want Watson to go before six. He asked Watson to persuade Smith to come, to tell Smith that Holmes was dying and force Smith to come. Watson should return to Holmes’ house, before Smith’s arrival. He asked Watson to light the gas and keep it half-on.

Question g.
Why did Holmes plead with Smith?
Answer:
Holmes pleaded with Smith to cure him of his disease.

Question h.
Who was responsible for Victor Savage’s death? What was the evidence for it?
Answer:
Culverton Smith was responsible for Victor Savage’s death. The ivory box was the last piece of evidence of it.

Question i.
What explanation did Holmes give for speaking rudely to Watson?
Answer:
Holmes explained that he spoke rudely to Watson because he wanted to bring Smith there and he didn’t want Watson to know that he wasn’t ill.

Question j.
How was Holmes able to look sick?
Answer:
Holmes starved for three days without food and water to look really sick.

The Dying Detective Textual Questions

A. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

Question 1.
Who was Mrs. Hudson? Why was she worried?
Answer:
Mrs. Hudson was the landlady of Sherlock Holmes. She was worried because Holmes was very sick.

Question 2.
Why didn’t Holmes let Watson examine him?
Answer:
Holmes didn’t let Watson examine him by telling that he was suffering from a deadly and contagious disease. In fact Holmes was acting as if he was a sick person. If Watson examined him, he would know that Holmes was not ill.

Question 3.
Why did Holmes warn Watson against touching his things? What was Watson’s reaction?
Answer:
Holmes warned Watson against touching his things because he disliked others touching his things and the box was an important evidence. Watson sat down silently.

Question 4.
What did Watson find on the table near the mantelpiece?
Answer:
Watson found a small black and white ivory box with sliding lid, on the mantelpiece.

Question 5.
Who is Mr. Culverton Smith?
Answer:
Mr. Culverton Smith is the man who has the knowledge of the disease, Holmes was suffering from. He is a planter. He lives in Sumatra, now visiting London.

Question 6.
What did Holmes ask Watson to do before leaving his room?
Answer:
Holmes asked Watson to put the money in his pockets, light the gas lamp half on, and place some letters and paper on the table. He also asked him to place the ivory box within his reach.

Question 7.
What instructions did Holmes give Watson to get Mr. Smith?
Answer:
Holmes asked Watson to persuade Mr. Culverton Smith of 13, Lower Burke Street to come and to tell him that Holmes was dying. He asked him to plead with Smith to save him.

Question 8.
Why did Holmes want Smith to treat him?
Answer:
Holmes wanted Smith, to treat him because he was the only man with the knowledge of the disease Holmes was suffering from.

Question 9.
According to Smith how did Holmes get the disease?
Answer:
According to Smith, Holmes got the disease from the spring in the ivory box, that drew blood.

Question 10.
Who arrested Smith? What were the charges against him?
Answer:
Inspector Morton arrested Smith on charges of murder of Victor Savage.

Short Questions & Answers – Additional

Question 1.
How did Watson know Holmes was sick?
Answer:
Mrs. Hudson, the landlady of Sherlock Holmes told Watson that Holmes had been sinking for three days and he would not allow any doctor to come in. After she had insisted Holmes accepted that Watson could see him.

Question 2.
How did Holmes react when Watson came to see him?
Answer:
Holmes stopped Watson from entering his room, stating that he was suffering from a deadly disease that he got from Sumatra. When Watson tried to force himself to go near Holmes, Holmes told him that he would only allow a doctor in, when he had confidence and Watson wasn’t a specialist in that field. Holmes wanted Culverton Smith, who was knowledgeable about the Eastern Diseases to deal with him.

Question 3.
What happened when Watson waited behind the locked door?
Answer:
Watson was asked to wait till 6 O’ clock to bring a doctor of Holmes’ choice. Holmes suggested that Watson could read some books. Unable to read, Watson walked around the room and happened to see a black and white ivory box on the mantelpiece. When he held it to see it, Holmes gave a dreadful cry. He asked Watson not to touch any of his things. So Watson sat in dejection until 6’0 clock.

Question 4.
Describe the character of Mr. Culverton Smith.
Answer:
Culverton Smith was the only man who had the knowledge of the disease, Formosa plague. He was not a medical man. He was a planter. He lived in Sumatra. He lived at 13, Lower Burke Street. He was frail with a bald head. He killed his nephew, Victor Savage. Holmes as the dying detective pretended to be sick to bring the truth out of Culverton Smith.

B. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 100-150 words.

Question 1.
How did Holmes trap Mr. Culverton Smith to confess the murder?
Answer:
Holmes sent Watson to bring Culverton Smith who was the only man who knew how to cure Eastern diseases. Holmes pretended to be seriously ill with black Formosa Plague. He had starved for 3 days, very sick and dying. When Watson pleaded with Smith to save Holmes, the shocked Smith rushed to Holmes. There Holmes spoke about the ivory box that confirmed the disease to Smith.

Holmes also said that he very well knew that Smith was behind the murder of Victor Savage, who was a victim of the same disease. Smith confessed and said none could prove it. Smith also told that Holmes’ end is nearing. Holmes asked Smith to brighten the lamp so that he could see him better. Holmes was only acting as if he was sick. Thus he made Smith confess the truth about the murder of Victor Savage.

Question 2.
How did Watson help his friend to arrest the criminal?
Answer:
Holmes sent Watson was sent by Holmes to 13 Lower Burke Street, where Culverton Smith lived. Watson pleaded with Smith to save Holmes, who was suffering from plague. On hearing Holmes’ name, Smith was shocked. Before Smith could come along, Watson left, to meet Holmes to inform about Smith’s arrival. He disappeared to the next room before Smith came. As Holmes and Smith were speaking about the dangerous ivory box and the spring that drew blood, Smith said that Holmes would die of it, as Victor had died.

But Holmes stated he was sure Smith was behind the murder of Victor. But Smith told that none could prove it. When Smith tried to get away with the ivory box, which was the last piece of evidence, Inspector Morton came in to arrest him on charges of murder. Thus Watson brought Smith to Holmes and made way for the arrest.

Paragraph Question & Answer Additional

Question 1.
Describe Sherlock Holmes as the dying detective.
Answer:
Mrs.Hudson the landlady of Holmes told Watson that Holmes of was dying of a dreadful disease, he had contracted from Rotherhithe while working on a case. He had been sinking for three days without eating or drinking. He could not allow any doctor to take care of him. His face was gaunt, his eyes had the brightness of fever and his cheeks were flushed. His hands twitched all the time and he was listless. The disease being contagious, he did not even allow Watson, his close friend and a doctor to come close to him.

He only wanted Culverton Smith who had the knowledge of Eastern disease to treat him. He pretended to be sick in order to bring out the truth behind the murder of Victor Savage. While Culverton Smith was in conservation with Holmes regarding the death of Victor Savage, Holmes pleaded with Culverton Smith to cure him. Smith heard about the box and tried to take it away as it was the last evidence to prove the murder. Meanwhile the police arrest Smith on charges of murder. Thus the dying detective successfully pretends to bring out the truth behind the murder.

Vocabulary

C. Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct options given.

1. Niteesh bought a ………………. (knew / new) cricket bat.
Answer:
new

2. The shepherd ……………… (herd / heard) the cry of his sheep.
Answer:
heard

3. Lakshmi completed her baking ……………… (course / coarse) successfully.
Answer:
course

4. Priya has broken her …………………. (four / fore) limbs.
Answer:
fore

5. Leaders of the world must work towards the (peace/piece) of human race.
Answer:
peace

Use the given examples and make sentences of your own. Commonly confused words.

1. My friend had brought many things from his native place.
2. My grandfather had bought a pair of spectacles from the shop.
3. Bad weather affected the health of the people.
4. Some bacteria have good effects on the human system.

D. Complete the tabular column by finding the meaning of both the words given in the boxes. Use them in sentences of your own.

Listening

E. Listen to the story and answer the questions given below.

Question 1.
Where does this story take place?
(a) in a bakery
(b) at the police station
(c) in Ms. Gervis’ house
(d) in Ms. Gervis’ apartment
Answer:
(d) in Ms. Gervis’ apartment

Question 2.
Near the beginning of the story, “Ms. Gervis’ eyes are full of tears. Her hands are shaking.” How does Ms. Gervis probably feel?
(a) She is upset
(b) She is tired
(c) She is hungry
(d) She is confused
Answer:
(a) She is upset

Question 3.
What makes the detective sure that the robber did not come through the windows?
(a) The windows are locked
(b) The windows face the police station.
(c) The windows have not been used in months.
(d) The windows are too small for a person to fit through.
Answer:
(c) The windows have not been used in months

Question 4.
What else was stolen from the apartment?
(a) crystal
(b) jewelry
(c) money
(d) nothing
Answer:
(d) nothing

Question 5.
“And the robber definitely did not use the front door.” Which is the best way to rewrite this sentence?
(a) “And the robber may not have used the front door.”
(b) “And the robber probably did not use the front door.”
(c) “And the robber was not able to use the front door.”
(d) “And the robber certainly did not use the front door.”
Answer:
(b) “And the robber probably did not use the front door”

Question 6.
What does Ms. Gervis do with her cakes?
(a) She eats them
(b) She sells them
(c) She hides them
(d) She gives them away
Answer:
(d) She gives them away

Question 7.
What does the detective seem to think will happen if he solves the mystery?
(a) Ms. Gervis will start baking cakes again
(b) Ms. Gervis will bake him extra cakes
(c) Ms. Gervis will give him her secret recipe
(d) Ms. Gervis will give him money and jewels
Answer:
(a) Ms. Gervis will start baking cakes again

Question 8.
Do you like mysteries? What is your favorite kind of story? Explain.
Answer:
I like mysteries which are not dangerous and frightening. The stores like what we have read just now is good to listen with no negative or criminal mind at work. Stories, where boys try to hunt he treasure and land themselves in mysterious surrounding, search for the treasure with a lot of difficulty for a long time and finally succeed are interesting to read.

Speaking

F. Exercise

Question 1.
Present the review of a movie that you have watched recently.
Answer:
Good Morning Friends. Recently I watched the movie TITANIC. I was thrilled to see the size of the ship that was built in such a way that it would not sink. The interiors and all the advanced and aristocratic machinery used, attracted my attention. Unfortunately, it strikes an iceberg and sinks. Many get killed and the only survivor is an old lady, who narrates the entire story of the ship and she was a passenger when she was around twenty years. They have taken great efforts to make the movie which was a real incident.

Question 2.
Give the review of a book that has interested you a lot.
Answer:
I enjoyed reading, Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”. The way the playwright uses disguise to make the story interesting. The value of friendship is also a highlight here. How each friend helps the other at the time of need and how Portia disguised as a lawyer to save Antonio who had helped them by borrowing money, from Shylock. Shakespeare employs clever argument through Portia who saves Antonio by telling that he could take a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body without shedding a drop of Christian blood. And then Shylock realises his mistake. That is a good story, which teaches one not to be greedy.

Question 3.
Review an event which your school has hosted recently.
Answer:
Recently our school hosted an inter-school cultural event. About 20 schools from the city participated in many competitions conducted on stage and off stage. It proved to be a platform to show case the talents of students from various schools. We enjoyed watching various performances.

Reading

G. Match the following.

Answers:

1. c
2. e
3. d
4. a
5. b

H. State whether the given statements are true or false. If false correct the statements.

1. Mathew is a very busy man.
2. He woke up very late in the morning.
3. He always had lunch with his family.
Correct Statement: He always had lunch with Lalli and Lolly.
4. He exercised with Louise every day.
Correct Statement: He exercised with Basky every day.
5. He preferred handling mail by himself.
Correct Statement: He preferred handling mail with Louise.
Answers:
1. True
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. False

I. Create a pamphlet for the following

Question 1.
Make a pamphlet on ‘Dengue Awareness’ (Focus on its causes, preventions, symptoms and precautions).
Answer:

Question 2.
Make an attractive pamphlet for your school’s Fair organised for raising funds for (any) relief (Specify the date, time, types of stalls and the reasons for the fair).
Answer:

Question 3.
Make a pamplet on the latest gadgets (Mention the variety of models, uses, need and avability).
Answer:

J. Write a letter of enquiry for the following

Question 1.
You are a librarian in a newly established school. Write a letter to the book dealer inquiring about the list of newly arrived English children’s story books and various subject books relevant to 10-14 age groups.
Answer:

Question 2.
Venkat hails from a remote village of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu who inspires to become an IAS officer. currently, he is in x. He notices an advertisement on free classes for the IAS aspirants by a trust in a newspaper. He writes a letter to the coordinator of the trust inquiring for further details.
Answer:

Question 3.
Write a letter to the head of the BSNL office enquiring regarding the internet broadband scheme launched recently.
Answer:

A. Transform of the following sentences

Question 1.
On seeing the teacher, the children stood up. (into Complex)
Answer:
When the children saw the teacher, they stood up.

Question 2.
At the age of six, Varsha started learning music, (into Complex)
Answer:
Varsha started learning music when she was six years old.

Question 3.
As Varun is a voracious reader, he buys a lot of books, (into Simple)
Answer:
Varun, being a voracious reader, buys a lot of books.

Question 4.
4. Walk carefully lest you will fall down, (into Complex)
Answer:
Unless you walk carefully, you will fall down.

Question 5.
Besides being a dancer, she is a singer, (into Compound)
Answer:
RASI She is both a dancer and a singer.

Question 6.
He is sick but he attends the rehearsal, (into Simple)
Answer:
In spite of being sick he attends the rehearsal.

Question 7.
If Meena reads more, she will become proficient in the language, (into Compound)
Answer:
ESI Meena must read more otherwise she will not become proficient. (or)
Meena should read more and then only she will become proficient.

Question 8.
He confessed that he was guilty, (into Simple)
Answer:
He confessed his guilt.

Question 9.
The boy could not attend the special classes due to his mothers illness, (into Compound)
Answer:
The boy’s mother was sick and so he could not attend the special classes.

Question 10.
He followed my suggestion, (into Complex)
Answer:
He followed what I suggested.

B. Combine the pairs of sentences below into simple, complex and compound.

Question 1.
Radha was ill. She was not hospitalised.
Answer:
Simple: Being ill Radha was hospitalised.
Complex: As Radha was ill she was hospitalised.
Compound: Radha was ill and so she was hospitalised.

Question 2.
The students were intelligent. They could answer the questions correctly.
Answer:
Simple: The intelligent students could answer the questions correctly.
Complex: The students, who were intelligent, could answer the questions correctly.
Compound: The students were intelligent and so they could answer the questions correctly

Question 3.
I must get a visa. I can travel abroad
Answer:
Simple: I must get a visa to travel abroad.
Complex: If I get a visa, I can travel abroad.
Compound: I must get a visa then only I can travel abroad

Question 4.
I saw a tiger it was wounded.
Answer:
Simple: I saw a wounded tiger.
Complex: I saw a tiger which was wounded.
Compound: I saw a tiger it was wounded.

Question 5.
There was a bandh. The shops remained closed.
Answer:
Simple: The shops remained closed due to bandh.
Complex: since there was a bandh the shops remained closed.
Compound: There was a bandh and so the shops remained closed

The Dying Detective BY Arthur Conan Doyle

sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930) was a British detective fiction writer featuring the character of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle has written over forty-six such short stories, the notable works include “Stories of Sherlock Holmes” and “The Lost World”.

The Dying Detective Key Points

• Dr. Watson, the narrator is informed of Mr. Holmes’ serious illness by Mrs. Hudson, Holmes’ Landlady.
• Holmes contracts the deadly and contagious disease Formosa plague from the Chinese sailors while at work at Rotherhithe.
• Holmes doesn’t allow even a doctor in to cure him. Starves for three days and looks deathly ill.
• Watson offers to bring Dr. Ainstree but Holmes only locks the door and keeps Watson in for two hours – till 6 O’clock to get the only person – Culverton Smith, of 13 Lower Burke Street – who knows all about the deadly disease.
• Watson meets Inspector Morton who enquires about Holmes sickness.
• Watson goes to Smith’s house,
• Watson pleads with Smith to save Holmes.
• On hearing about Holmes, Smith readily goes to meet him.
• Watson leaves on a pretext of an appointment.
• Smith meets Holmes who knew that he alone had a high knowledge of Eastern Diseases.
• Smith, informs Holmes of Victor’s death due to the same disease on the fourth day.
• Holmes is sure that Smith was behind victor’s death. But Smith is sure none could prove it.
• Holmes, unable to recall incidents pleads with Smith to cure him.
• Smith questions whether he received any box by post. Holmes accepts he got a box with a spring that drew blood.
• Smith tries his level best to take away the last piece of evidence the box, and tells it isn’t a joke but it is deathly and Holmes would die of it.
• But Holmes asks Smith to save him.
• Holmes asks him to light the gas to see him better.
• Smith comes to know that Holmes has acted very well by starving for 3 days and seeming sick.
• In the meantime, Inspector Mortan arrives to arrest Smith on the charges of murder of Victor.
• Thus Holmes plays the role of a dying detective, in identifying Smith as the murderer of Victor Savage

The Dying Detective Summary

The narrator Mr. Watson is informed by Mr. Holmes’ landlady that Holmes is seriously ill. He has contracted a deadly contagious disease, Formosa plague from the Chinese sailors while at work at Rotherhithe. Everyone expresses shock over his illness including Inspector Morton who meets Watson and enquires about Holmes.

Holmes starves for three days without food and water and looks deathly pale. He does not permit even a doctor to come close to him. Watson offers to help Holmes but he refuses and doesn’t even want Dr. Ainstree to be brought.

Holmes locks the door and asks Watson to wait for two hours. In the mean time he asks him to read. Unable to read, Watson walks around to find a small black and white ivory box with sliding lid. But Holmes does not permit him even to touch it.

After some time, Holmes asks him to put his money in the watch pocket and light the gas only half on. He asks Watson to place some papers within Holmes’ reach, before Watson leaves to bring Mr. Culverton Smith of 13 Lower Burke Street, who according to Holmes, is the only highly knowledgeable person about Eastern Diseases.

Overhearing Mr. Culverton Smith telling his butler that he was not here, Watson rushes to plead with Smith to save Holmes. As soon as Smith heard the name of Holmes he rushes to visit him Waston goes away on a pretext of an appointment. Holmes meets Mr. Smith and informs him that he knows everything about the symptoms of the disease. Mr. Smith also speaks of Victor Savage who died of the same disease on the fourth day.

But Holmes insists that it was only Smith who killed him. But Smith is sure it can’t be proved. As Holmes pleads with Smith to cure him, Smith asks Holmes whether he received a box by post. Holmes said he received a box with a spring that sucked blood and it was a joke. Smith clearly states that it wasn’t a joke and that in spite of knowing so much about Victor’s death he shouldn’t have crossed Smith’s path and added Holmes death was near.

Holmes asks Smith to turn up the gas to have a better look at him, and Smith is shocked to see Holmes who admits that he was only acting all the while. Footsteps are heard by the narrator and inspector Morton arrests Smith on charges of murder.

Holmes apologises to Watson for having undermined his capabilities as a doctor. He did it only to bring in Smith who had killed his nephew. He wanted to kill Holmes, too to avoid imprisonment. Holmes gets ready to have nutritious food at Simpsons’ and thanks Watson.

The Dying Detective Glossary

advancing – moving forward
aroused – awaken
bald – without hair
bolted – closed the door with a latch
bulter – waiter
coincidence – instance of things happening at the same time
Confidence – self-trust
contagious – spreading of a disease from one person to another
crowns – former British coins
dejection – sadness
delirious – disturbed state of mind
dreadful – fearful appearance
evidence – proof
flushed – become red in the face
frail – weak and delicate
gaunt – lean, because of suffering or age
groaned – made a painful noise
hesitant – slow to act or speak
horrified – filled with shock or fear
ignorant – not knowing facts
listless – lacking energy
mental piece – a structure of wood above a fireplace
persuade – force
plague – a contagions bacterial disease
plead – beg
pretending – acting
startled – felt sudden shock or alarm
stipulated – within limit
scuffle – to have a sudden short fight
symptoms – signs
tongs – a device with two long pieces free at one
twitched – give sudden jerking movement

Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions

Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English Solutions Prose Chapter 5 Tech Bloomers

Tech Bloomers In Text Questions

Question a.
What is the future of technology?
Answer:
The future of technology is beyond our imagination but certainly possible with modern gadgets.

Question b.
How many people in India suffer with disability?
Answer:
2.7 Crore people in India suffer with disability.

Question c.
Who is Kim?
Answer:
Kim is the Assistive Technologist at Alisha’s School.

Question d.
How does Kim help Alisha?
Answer:
Kim introduced Alisha to Dragon Dictate, which had opened up the world to Alisha. It has made her more independent and she is able to study on her own.

Question e.
Why is technology important according to David?
Answer:
Technology is important to David because it enables him to communicate and be independent.

Question f.
Which instrument does David control with his eye movements?
Answer:
David uses a Liberator Communication Device, which he controls with his eye movements for his verbal communication.

Question g.
What devices help David to move from one place to other?
Answer:
AAC device and EC02 with ECO point are the devices that help David to move from one place to the other.

Words	Synonyms	Antonyms
latest	recent	old / outdated
mounted	fixed	dismantled
opening	beginning	closing
reality	true	false
receive	get	give
rely	depend	independent
replacement	substitute	–
required	needed	needless
selected	chosen	rejected
spare	extra	scanty
swapping	moving	unmoving

Tech Bloomers Textual Questions

A. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences.

Question 1.
What are the benefits of the internet to the common man?
Answer:
Technology impacts the environment, people and society as a whole. The Internet benefits a common man to travel, to communicate, to learn, to do business and to live in comfort.

Question 2.
Do you think technology has improved communication? How?
Answer:
Yes, technology has improved communication. Through a piece of technology called Dragon Dictate, Alisha who suffers from Cerebral palsy can speak now and the words appear on her screen. Then she can print them out. It made her achieve things which she had dreamt.

Question 3.
How does David operate computers with the Liberator Communication Device?
Answer:
David operates computers with the Liberator Communication Device by controlling it with his eye movements. It has a Bluetooth adaptor. So it lets him use any PC or Mac by sending commands.

Question 4.
Which devices are controlled using ACTIV controller?
Answer:
TV, Blu-ray and music players are controlled using ACTIV controller.

Question 5.
Who says these words: “I want everyone to know the difference technology has made in my life”?
Answer:
Alisha says these words to make the world know the difference that technology has made in her life.

Question 6.
Which software helps Alisha to overcome her difficulty in typing?
Answer:
Dragon Dictate is a software which helped Alisha to overcome her difficulty in typing.

Question 7.
Name a few Indian innovations which are helpful to the disabled and make their day to day life
easier.
Answer:
Lechal Shoes by Krispian Lawrence, Blee watch by Industrial designers Nupura Kirloskar and Janhavi Joshi of Mumbai and IGEST by Anil Prabhakar.

Question 8.
Is it possible to control the computer screen with eye gaze?
Answer:
Yes, it is possible to control the computer screen with Eye Gaze. That means, when we are reading, we can move from page to page using the pupils of our eyes.

Question 9.
Suggest ways of making our society inclusive.
Answer:
Keeping in touch with our family, talking to them, seeing relatives, who live far away, making , friends, communicating and controlling our environment, finding opportunities, getting qualified and being independent are the ways of making our society inclusive.

Question 10.
How would you help the people with disabilities in your neighborhood?
Answer:
I would introduce them to the Latest and modern Technology, so that it can make them more confident and independent. This technology allows the differently abled learners to learn with their peers as well as contribute fruitfully.

Short Questions & Answers – Additional

Question 1.
What is a reality now?
Answer:
Managing entertainment and home appliances by voice commands or by swapping the finger is a reality now. Work is made easier than before.

Question 2.
How are India’s disabled deprived of?
Answer:
Unlike the developed world, India’s disabled are deprived by attitudinal barriers, as they continue to fight with the challenges of access, acceptance and inclusion.

Question 3.
What was the problem faced by Alisha?
She has cerebral palsy and she cannot physically type as fast as she thinks. But now she is able to do it by a piece of technology called Dragon Dictate.

Question 4.
How can you control a computer screen with an Eye Gaze?
Answer:
If someone has very limited movement, they can control a computer screen with an eye gaze that is by moving the screen from page to page using the pupils of our eyes.

Question 5.
What did David use when he started out with AAC?
Answer:
When David first started out with AAC, he used a head switch to access his AAC device, running a page-based system, which took lots of navigation and effort.

Question 6.
How does David control his play station?
Answer:
David controls his play station with a bespoke switch system, drives his electric wheelchair with head switches and uses the ECO point Eye Gaze system to communicate and access the computer.

Question 7.
With how many students does Kim work? How?
Answer:
Kim works with all 42 students at school. She helps them to use technology in different ways. She is amazing. Without her, the students would lose out so many opportunities.

Question 8.
What did David say about the Liberator Communication Device?
Answer:
He said that it was a great feeling when he learnt to use it. It took him only a couple of weeks to learn. Communicating with people was very difficult before using it.

B. Answer in a paragraph of about 100-150 words.

Question 1.
How do we use technology in our day to day lives?
Answer:
Technology impacts the environment, people and the society as a whole. The way we use technology determines if its impacts are positive to the society or negative. We use mobile phones, tablet, Digital Dictionary, e-Book reader and video games as the latest technology. All these are useful to make our work easier. It makes us to keep in touch with our family members by talking to them, whenever we want to. We can see our relatives, who live far away from us. It also helps us to make friends, communicate with them and control our environment. It can help us to study, get qualifications and find opportunities for work. It can make us confident and independent. Learning has now become a more inclusive way for us by this technology.

Question 2.
“Technology is a boon to the disabled”. Justify.
Answer:
‘Technology is a boon to the disabled because it made to a lot of difference in their life. Now the differently-abled people can do their day to day tasks of life like travelling, communicating, learning, doing business and living a comfortable life. They are able to fight with the challenges of access, acceptance and inclusion. In this lesson, Alisha and David’s life has changed with the use of technology. Alisha couldn’t physically type as just as she thinks. After she was introduced to a piece of technology called Dragon Dictate, she can speak now the words appear on her screen. Then she can print them out. Kim who is an Assistive Technologist helps students to use technology in different ways. The use of technology enabled David and others to communicate and be independent.

Paragraph Questions & Answers – Additional

Question 1.
How did David’s life change with the use of technology?
Answer:
David was born with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy and attended a specialist school and college. I He had been using a high tech communication aid, since he was eight-years old and has been I interested in AAC and technology ever since. With lots of effort and navigation, he learnt I to use the device. He then used an EC02 with ECO point, making his selections with a foot ® switch. David is also a keen sportsman, regularly playing football, boccia, hockey and baseball. He is a sports leader and uses his EC02 linked to an interactive white board to teach PE lessons. He also uses it to speak in complete sentences with correct syntax. He controls his play station and also plays MP3 on his EC02 from morning till night. Thus Technology has changed his life.

Question 2.
Alisha wanted everyone to know the difference that technology has made in her life. Justify.
Answer:
Alisha has cerebral palsy and she cannot physically type as fast as she thinks. But after using a ’ piece of technology called ‘Dragon Dictate’, she can speak and the words appear on her screen.
Then she can print them out. It made a huge difference to her. It made her achieve things she only dreamt of. Her teacher told her to do her Maths GCSE. At first, Alisha thought she could never do that certification. Kim, an Assistive Technologist, introduced Alisha to ‘Dragon Dictate’. It has made her more independent. She is doing now her Maths GCSE. So technology has opened up a new world to Alisha and other young disabled.

Vocabulary

C. Pick out the contractions from the lesson and expand them.
Answer:

Contractions	Expansions
can’t	recent
i’m	I am
you’re	you are
It’s	It has
Don’t	Do not
didn’t	did not
I’d	I would

D. Expand the following abbreviations or acronyms.
Answer:
SIM – Subscriber Identity Module
ISRO – Indian Space Research Organisation
WHO – World Health Organisation
CCTV – Closed Circuit Television
HDMI – High Definition Multimedia Interface
LASER – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging
CRY – Child Rights and You
RAM – Random Access Memory
ROM – Read Only Memory
CPU – Central Processing Unit
ALU – Arithmetic Logic Unit

E. Complete the sentences with the correct abbreviations or acronyms from the given list.
etc. BCE e.g HD m IQ GPS p.m. vs

1. My dad wakes up very early in the morning because he has to be at work at 6.00____________.
2. Socrates, the famous Classical Greek Athenian philosopher, died in 399 ____________.
3. Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous Italian polymath, a painter, a sculptor, an architect, a musician, a scientist _________.
4. I usually return home from work at 10.30 ____________.
5. John downloaded a clip from YouTube in __________ quality.
6. There are many irregular verbs in the English language ___________ break, do, make.
7. I’m watching a great football match, Barcelona _________Real Madrid.
8. Humans who dive without protection can survive 300 __________ underwater.
9. A 11-year-old girl just beat Einstein on an __________ test.
10. We used the __________ facility to track the location.

Answer:

1. a.m.
2. BCE
3. etc.
4. p.m.
5. HD
6. e.g.
7. vs
8. m
9. IQ
10. GPS

Listening

F. Listen to the passage and state whether the statements information (N)? are true (T), false (F) or no

1. Santhiya can’t live without her mobile phone.
2. She got her mobile in January.
3. Her parents bought her the mobile phone one year ago.
4. There’s a calculator in her mobile.
5. She can connect to the Internet on her mobile.
6. She usually listens to music on her mobile.
7. She can’t read emails on her mobile.
8. There are often a lot of problems with mobile phones.
9. Santhiya always talks on her mobile to her friends.
10. She doesn’t like mobile phones.

Answer:

1. False
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. False
8. True
9. True
10. False

G. Listen to the passage again and answer the questions.

Question 1.
Where does Santhiya keep her mobile?
Answer:
in her Bag or in her pocket

Question 2.
What can she use it for?
Answer:
to communicate, to calculate, to browse internet

Question 3.
When was she cycling?
Answer:
She was cycling last year on a holiday

Question 4.
What happened there?
Answer:
Her friend fell off her bike and broke her leg

Question 5.
How did Santhiya solve the problem?.
Answer:
She telephoned a doctor for help

H. Complete the sentences after reading the passage.

1. Santhiya’s parents and friends can always _______ her.
2. Her mobile phone is also a kind of _______.
3. On the cycling holiday after the accident, Santhiya phoned for ______ _.
4. Mobile phones often ________at the wrong moment.
5. Children can feel ________ when they have their mobile phones with them.
Answer:

1. talk to
2. information
3. a doctor
4. ring
5. safe

Speaking

I. Prepare on any one of the topics given below and present before your English teacher.

Question 1.
Prepare a welcome address on the occasion of Republic day celebration.

Welcome Address

Good Morning to one and all.

It is our pleasure to introduce our chief guest Mr. Rajasekaran who is very well known to all of us, because of his service to Mankind in the field of Education. He was a District Education Officer at Ponneri for five years. Now he is working as a Secretary in a government aided school in Ambattur. He values the knowledge imparted to the students. During his tenure, he has brought a lot of changes in the field of Education. We are honoured to have him as our chief guest amidst Republic Day Celebration. I take this opportunity to welcome you, sir for this celebration. I would also like to welcome the other dignitaries on the stage on this happy occasion. Thank you.

Question 2.
Prepare a Vote of thanks on the occasion of Independence day celebration.
Answer:

Vote of Thanks

Respected Chief Guest, Principal, Teachers, Parents and Students. It is my privilege to propose the vote of thanks to this gathering. Today my words are not enough to express my gratitude. On behalf of the organizing committee and our school, I would like to thank our Chief Guest Mrs. Ambika Thomas who graced the occasion with her presence and guidance. She has given her valuable thoughts and ideas to our students. We are also grateful to all the parents present here. Your encouragement has helped us to organise such important events. I would like to thank our Principal for giving me this opportunity and making this day a great day. Thank you.

Question 3.
Mock anchoring for annual day celebration
Answer:

Mock Anchoring for Annual Day Celebration:

• Good evening everyone. It is my honour to welcome you all on this day, where we will be celebrating our school’s achievements. We are truly blessed with your presence.
• Please give a big round of applause for our Chief Guest Mr. Srujit Sharma. He is the State Education Minister.
• He has done tremendous work in the field of Education. I also welcome our Principal Madam Mrs. Sharmila Shastri.
• Now I request you all to stand for the prayer song. Let us invoke the blessings of God Almighty.
• I request the Chief Guest to light the lamp. -Thank you, Sir.
• I invite our Principal to welcome the gathering – Thank you, Madam.
• I request on the chief guest to address the gathering.
• Thank you for your inspiring speech, Sir.
• Now, it’s time to begin our cultural – the entertainment show of this evening. Let us witness and enjoy.
• I thank the chief guest for gracing this occasion with his presence. I thank our Principal for making this occasion a great one. I also thank each and every one of you who is present here for your cooperation to make this event a successful one.

Reading

J. Read the comic strip and answer the following questions.

Question 1.
What do you mean by cyber safety?
Answer:
Cyber safety is about keeping information safe.

Question 2.
How do you behave in a virtual platform?
Answer:
We need to respect the values and sentiments of others as part of global network we have to follow internet ethics.

Question 3.
Can we read and access the information free of cost?
Answer:
Yes, we can read and access the information, free of cost.

Question 4.
Do you think that all the information online can be used without any permission?
Answer:
No, we have to get the permission of the author for some information.

Question 5.
Which website do you often access? Why?
Answer:
I often access Google Website because it is secure.

Writing

K. Fill in the missing words in this email.
Answer:
Dear sir,
In response to your mail, I have prepared a model for the Science Fest. Please find attached the document for your kind perusal. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely
Raghav.

L. Write an email to your teacher about the interesting English model that you have prepared for the literary fest.
Answer:

M. Practice Exercise

You are the receptionist of your school. Your Head master instructs you to send a message to all the parents of class ten to attend a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meet which is to be held on 22.12.2019.
Answer:

Writing

N. Write about Your Favourite Sports person/ Famous personality/Hobby/ Recipe by starting your own blog.
Answer:

My Hobby

My hobby is singing all types of songs. I like to sing classical songs wherever they request me to perform. I have learned classical music right from my young age. I am good in Carnatic music. During my school days, in Std V, I used to go to learn Carnatic music in the evenings. I used to concentrate more on singing and learning music than in my academics. If I hear there is a musical show, I will not miss it. I will force on my parents to take me to the show. My brother gets irritated of my singing because he loves pop music. He hates to listen to Carnatic music. But I am bothered about him. I continue singing whoever gives a chance to sing. It has become my inborn delight.

Grammar

Write the words that can replace Ravi, Rani, woman, luggage and the dog when we use them for the second and subsequent times in the passage he, she, it.

These words are called pronouns.

B. Fill in the gaps with personal pronouns.

Kumaravel lives in Thiruvannamalai. (1) ___________ is a doctor. All the people like (2) ___________ because of (3) ___________ helping nature. (4)___________ hospital is located at Car street and most of (5)___________ patients are poor so (6) ___________ does not charge much money. (7) ___________ daughter goes to school. (8) ___________
studies in 5th Standard. (9) ___________ teachers love (10) ___________ very much. (11) ___________ friends are also very good. (12) ___________ always encourage (13) ___________ . (14) ___________ have given (15) ___________ good advice. (16) ___________ mother is also a teacher. (17) ___________ always encourages (18) ___________ to keep studying. I also like her as (19) ___________ often comes to (20) ___________ house. One day (21) ___________ told my mother that (22) ___________ wants to learn cooking. (23) ___________ mother taught (24) ___________ cooking. Now, (25) ___________ cooks well.
Answer:

1. He
2. him
3. his
4. His
5. his
6. he
7. His
8. She
9. Her
10. her
11. Her
12. They
13. her
14. They
15. her
16. Her
17. She
18. her
19. she
20. my
21. she
22. she
23. My
24. her
25. she

B. Fill in the gaps with personal pronouns.

1. __________ is an excellent opportunity.
2. __________ of these two students can solve this question.
3. __________ books have been written by a great Indian writer.
4. __________ have come to know the truth.
5. __________ of the students have passed the exam.
6. __________ of your friends can guide you.
7. __________ is your storv based on your real life.
8. __________ All your friends will guide .
9. __________ of his family members would come to visit you.
10. __________ of those books will be helpful to you.
11. ___________is your bag, you can take it anytime.
12. ___________He is responsible for the downfall of his life.

Answer:

1. This
2. One
3. These
4. They
5. Many
6. Some
7. This
8. you
9. All
10. Some
11. This
12. himself

D. Join the sentences using ‘Relative Pronouns’.

Question 1.
I have a book. It is written by Rabindranath Tagore.
Answer:
I have a book, which is written by Rabindranath Tagore.

Question 2.
Kavita is my teacher. She teaches us English.
Answer:
Kavita is my teacher, who teaches us English.

Question 3.
This is Varun. His father is an architect.
Answer:
This is Varun, whose father is an architect.

Question 4.
She invited most of her friends. They attended the party.
Answer:
Most of her friends whom she invited attended the party.

Question 5.
Give me a pen to write a letter. It was gifted to you on your birthday.
Answer:
Give me a pen which was gifted to you on your birthday to write a letter.

Question 6.
I have sold the house. It was located at the bank of a river.
Answer:
I have sold the house, that was located at the bank of a river.

Question 7.
Here is your watch. It has been found in the garden.
Answer:
Here is your watch, which has been found in the garden.

E. Read the different verb forms where they remain the same in the direct and indirect speech in the following cases. Fill in the blanks with missing indirect speech.

1. If the reporting verb is in the present tense.

Kirsh: “I am enjoying my holiday.:
Kirsh says that he is enjoying his holiday.
Kavi: “I will never go to work.”
Kavi says that she will never go to work.

2. When we report a universal truth (something that is always true).

Balu: “Asia is the largest continent.”
Balu said that Asia is the largest continent.
Alisha: “People in Africa are starving.”
Alisha said that people in Africa are starving.

3. With modal verbs would, might, could, should, ought to, used to.

Shalini: “I might come.”
Shalini said that she might come.
Vinoth: “I would try it.”
Vinoth said that he would try it.

4. With would rather, had better.

Chitti: “I would rather fly.”
Chitti said that he would rather fly.
Sophia: “They had better go.”
Sophia said that they had better go.

5. In if-causes and time-clauses.

Sriram: “If I tidied my room, my dad would be happy.”
Sriram said that if he tidied his room, his dad would be happy.
Jaheer: “When I was staying in Madurai I met my best friend.”
Jaheer said that when he was staying in Madurai, he met his best friend.

6. ‘ We do not usually change the modal verbs must and needn’t. But must can become had to or
would have to and needn’t can become didn’t have to or wouldn’t have to if we want to express an obligation. Would/wouldn’t have to are used to talk about future obligations.

She: “I must wash up.”
She said that she must wash up / she had to wash up.
He: “We must do it in June.”
He said that they must do it in June / they had to do in June.

F. Read the following dialogue and report it.

Johnson asked Suganthi (1) ___________ And he said (2) ___________ since June. Suganthi explained that
(3) ___________ . back from her holiday in Ooty. Johnson wondered if (4) ___________ it. Suganthi told him that she
(5) ___________ Ooty and that the people (6) ___________ so friendly. Johnson wanted to know (7) ___________ to the
Coakers Walk. Suganthi said that it (8) ___________ first trip and that she (9) ___________ some pictures. And then
she asked him if he (10) ___________ Johnson explained that he (11) ___________ a couple of things. But he added
that he (12) ___________ free at night. Suganthi suggested that he (13) ___________ place and asked him at what
time (14) ___________ . Johnson said he (15) ___________ there at eight. And finally he asked (16) ___________ all right.
Answer:

1. what she was doing there
2. that he hadn’t seen her
3. she had just come
4. she enjoyed
5. loved
6. were
7. if she had gone
8. was her
9. could show him
10. is doing anything the next day
11. had to arrange
12. is
13. might come to her
14. they should meet
15. would be
16. if it was

G. Tick the right choice (Indirect Speech).

Warm-Up

Question 1.
What do you infer the above pictures?
Answer:
The increased use of technology by the younger generation is apparent.

Question 2.
Look at the above electronic gadgets. If you were given a chance to remodel a device, in which device you would bring in changes and what would be those changes?
Answer:
I would like to remodel the gaming device the changed are to insert a hard disc or a memory card in it, so that we install or download more games.

Tech Bloomers

This lesson talks about the use of technology by a normal person and in empowering the disabled to do their day to day chores of life – to travel, to communicate, to learn, to do business and to live in comfort. Technology impacts the environment, people and the society as a whole. The way we use technology determines if its impacts are positive to the society or negative.

Tech Bloomers Key Points

• This lesson is about the use of technology by a normal person and the disabled to do their day to day routine work in life.
• Alisha and David’s life has changed with the use of technology.
• About 2.21 percent of India’s population is disabled.
• They continue to fight with the challenges of access, acceptance and inclusion.
• Alisha has cerebral palsy and she can’t physically type as fast as she thinks.
• After using a piece of technology called Dragon Dictate, she can speak and the words appear on her screen.
• Her teacher motivated her to do her GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
• Kim, the Assistive Technologist, introduced her to Dragon Dictate.
• Only then, she had the confidence to do the GCSE.
• 21 year old David uses a ‘Liberator Communication Device’, which he controls with his eye movements.
• He has an ‘ACITV’ controller also in the headrest of his chair. With this, he can control his TV, Blu-ray and music players.
• David was bom with ‘Athetoid Cerebral Palsy’. He has been using a high tech communication aid since he was eight years old.
• He has been interested in AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). Then he started using ECO2 with ECO point, making his selection with a foot switch.
• He uses his ECO2 to speak in complete sentences with a competent communicator.
• Thus, Technology makes our life easier and allows the differently abled learners to learn with confidence.

Tech Bloomers Summary

This lesson is about the use of technology in empowering the disabled to do their day to day chores of life, like travelling, communicating, learning, doing business and living in comfort. Alisha and Davids life has changed with the use of technology.

Technology has not only made a normal persons life easier but it is also a boon to citizens with special needs. 2.21 percent of India’s population is disabled. They are deprived by attitudinal barriers. They continue to fight with the challenges of access, acceptance and inclusion.

Alisha had cerebral palsy and she could not physically type as fast as she thinks. After using a piece of technology called Dragon Dictate, now she can speak and the words appear on her screen. Then she can print, do her GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

But Alisha thought that she could not do it as studying was difficult for her. Kim, the Assistive Technologist at her school, introduced her to Dragon Dictate. This opened up the world to Alisha. She had confidence after using this software. She is now able to do the GCSE. There are many different types of technology that can help a young disabled person become independent. If someone has very limited movement, they can control a computer screen with ‘Eye Gaze’. A 21 year old David uses a ‘Liberator Communication Device’ which he controls with his eye movements. He has an ‘ACTIV’,controller also in the headrest of his chair. With this, he can control his TV, Blu-ray and music players.

David was born with ‘Athetoid Cerebral Palsy’. He has been using a high tech communication aid since he was eight years old. He has been interested in ‘AAC’ (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). Then he started using an ECO2 with ECO point, making his selections with a foot switch. He is also a keen sportsman, regularly playing football, boccia, hockey and baseball. He uses his EC02 to speak in complete sentences with correct syntax. He has become a confident and competent communicator. He had recently been selected to travel to Brazil to work with the Olympic opening ceremony team as part of the Remix Drama Group. Thus Technology makes our life easier. It impacts the environment, people and the society as a whole. Newer Technology allows differently abled learners to learn with their peers as well as contribute fruitfully to the collaborative process of learning.

Tech Bloomers Glossary

assistive technologist (n) – a person who assists with technological gadgets to overcome disability
cerebral palsy (n) – permanent tightening of the muscles caused by damage to the brain
cloister (adj) – enclosed by
collaborative process (adj) – produced by or involving two or more parties working together
Dragon Dictate (n) – a software which recognizes speech and converts it to text
gaze (v) – stare at something for a long time
grapple (v) – to fight, especially in order to win something
icon – image / idol
impairment – the act of spoiling something
inclusion (n) interactive – the act of including someone or something
Liberator Communication – involving communication between people
Device (n) – a special device used to communicate with eye movements
navigation – finding and following something
syntax – grammatical structure of sentences
threshold – (here) approach

Words	Synonyms	Antonyms
access	admission	exclusion
barriers	hazards	relievers
better	well	worse
capable	ability	incapable
cartridges	containers	–
combined	together	separated
command	order	request
pre-defined	pre-set	post-defined
deprived	denied	provided
disabled	differently-abled	able-bodied
easier	simpler	harder
entire	whole	part
era	Period	–
exhausted	empty	full
faster	quicker	slower
freedom	liberty	slavery
frustrating	disappointing	encouraging
grapple	fight	accept
impairment	defective	intact
inclusion	addition	exclusion
increased	augmented	decreased
independent	self-reliant	dependent
interactive	mutual	individual
interested	concerned	uninterested

Words	Synonyms	Antonyms
latest	recent	old / outdated
mounted	fixed	dismantled
opening	beginning	closing
reality	true	false
receive	get	give
rely	depend	independent
replacement	substitute	–
required	needed	needless
selected	chosen	rejected
spare	extra	scanty
swapping	moving	unmoving

Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions

Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 7 A Dilemma

The Tempest Textual Questions

A. Read the given lines carefully and identify the character / speaker:

Question 1.
I suppose you think me queer. I will explain.
Answer:
Uncle Philip

Question 2.
Don’t come back. It won’t hasten things.
Answer:
Uncle Philip

Question 3.
He thought it simply a cruel jest.
Answer:
Tom’s father

Question 4.
He did not desire to do so.
Answer:
Professor Clinch

Question 5.
He would think it over and come back later.
Answer:
The collector

Character or Speaker – Additional

Question 1.
‘Now I repent of my wickedness to you all’.
Answer:
Uncle Philip

Question 2.
‘My jewels are in my safe. There is nothing else left’.
Answer:
Uncle Philip

Question 3.
‘I stood appalled, the key in my hand’.
Answer:
Tom

Question 4.
‘He said that, if my uncle had not lied, there was none that would not ruin the stones’.
Answer:
Tom

Question 5.
‘I spent all my spare hours at one of the great libraries reading about dynamite’.
Answer:
Tom

Question 6.
‘He, too, counselled me to cease thinking about it’.
Answer:
Tom’s father

Question 7.
‘I was delighted to assist them.’
Answer:
Tom

Question 8.
‘I was in constant fear of burglars.’
Answer:
Tom

Question 9.
‘You will have to pay for my funeral.’
Answer:
Uncle Philip

B. Based on your understanding of the story, answer the following briefly.

Question 1.
What did the uncle do as soon as he bought a stone?
Answer:
He carried it in his pocket for a month, looked at it now and then and then added to the collection in his safe.

Question 2.
What did the uncle bequeath to the narrator?
Answer:
The Uncle bequeathed an iron safe that contained precious gems and a dynamite that would explode when opened.

Question 3.
What was the condition laid by the uncle to inherit his property?
Answer:
The uncle asked Tom to open the box with relief and trust to increase his expectation and desire. If he doubted and opened the dynamite would explode.

Question 4.
Why do you think Tom happily looked forward to the expenditure for his uncle’s funeral?
Answer:
Tom thought he would become a very rich man after his uncle died when he inherited the box of gems.

Question 5.
Write a few words about the mechanism used in the iron box.
Answer:
The box contained an interesting mechanism. It will act with certainty as one unlocks it, and explode 9 Vi ounces of his improved, super sensitive dynamite. One must open without » doubting to desire a fortune. If they doubt, the person will be blown to atoms.

Question 6.
What was the counsel offered to the narrator?
Answer:
The counsel offered was to quit thinking about the box and its contents.

Question 7.
Why and when was the narrator shocked?
Answer:
The narrator was shocked when he opened the safe and found nothing but an iron box wondering whether it contained gems or it was a lie.

Question 8.
What was the doctor’s warning to Tom?
Answer:
The doctor warned him that he would lose his mind thinking a lot about the rubies.

Question 9.
Why didn’t Tom dare to assign the task of unlocking the box to someone?
Answer:
Tom felt a stranger had no right to be subjected to the trial that he dared not face. So he did not want a stranger to open the box.

C. Answer the questions given below in a paragraph of 150 words.

Question 1.
Describe briefly the contents of the letter written by Tom’s uncle.
Answer:
Tom’s uncle wrote that the box contained a large number of fine pigeon blood rubies and a lot of diamonds, one blue diamond, hundred of pearls, a famous green pearl and a necklace of blue pearls. Thinking of Susan, he insisted Tom to continue to have expectations and remember his dear uncle. Instead of leaving the stones to a charity he gave it to Tom. The letter instructed Tom about the mechanism of unlocking it. It would explode 9U ounces of improved, super sensitive dynamite. If he opened it doubtfully it would turn him to atoms. With faith if he opened it carefully, he would nourish hopes and expectations. He asks Tom to be very careful.

Question 2.
Explain the efforts taken by Tom to open the iron box. Did he succeed? Why?
Answer:
Tom went on thinking about it, finding people to advise, ransacked libraries, imagined wild plans like throwing it from a far off place to open it, after the explosion he could get the gems, but was sure he wouldn’t succeed. He thinks very hard in vain for weeks and months. His father dismisses it that it is a dirty joke by his deceptive uncle. His doctor advises him to stop thinking about the iron box with precious gems, as it would make him mad, he tries to put it in the bank, but withdraws because he is afraid of the burglary. He consults Professor Clinch about his dilemma who dismissed it as an altogether incredible tale. Thus Tom had to leave the box to the Society for the Preservation of Human Vivisection.

Paragraph Question & Answer Additional

Question 1.
What is the conflict of the story ‘A dilemma’?
Answer:
The conflict of the story is entirely internal and results in a huge dilemma of anxiety and self-doubt, as the protagonist decides and thinks whether to attempt to open the box or not. In addition, he fears that someone else may try to open the box with the key and he blown to shreds. He confronts a doctor about his dilemma and eventually moves away to a new place, changes his name and hides the box. It is incredibly fascinating to see how a small box and curiosity can drive a human being to so much trouble of anxiety and reluctance. The protagonist is a pure representation of human curiosity and how it can drive us to anxiety and mental instability. .

D. Fill in the blanks with the right option and write down the summary of the story ‘A dilemma’.

Question 1.
The narrator was sent for, by his uncle when he was _________ .
(on his deathbed / on his travels/ in his workplace)
Answer:
on his deathbed

Question 2.
The uncle had collected precious __________.
(jewels / stones /articles)
Answer:
stones

Question 3.
His uncle announced Tom as his heir and wanted* him to pay for his ________.
(rented house / marriage / funeral)
Answer:
funeral

Question 4.
Leaving an iron box for Tom, his uncle instructed him not to the box.
(throw / carry / shake)
Answer:
shake

Question 5.
The letter read that the box contained _____________ .
(a sensitive dynamite / jewels / money)
Answer:
a sensitive dynamite

Question 6.
He started thinking of all possible ways to open the box without being ______________ .
(wounded / killed / maimed)
Answer:
killed

Question 7.
He planned to explode the box at ______________ but dropped the plan ______________in fear of losing the
rubies.
(home / a safe distance / a waste land)
Answer:
a safe distance

Question 8.
His consultation with did ______ not yield him any fruitful solution.
(Uncle Philip / Professor Clinch / Susan)
Answer:
Professor Clinch

Question 9.
He failed in his attempts to open the box. His efforts to read about explosives led to________(hopes / confusions / suspicions) and he had to change his ________ .
(name and occupation /lodgings / appearance)
Answer:
confusions ,name and occupation

Question 10.
At last, he bequeathed the box to_______ .
(his offspring / his friends / the Society)
Answer:
the Society

A Dilemma Additional Questions

I. Choose the correct answer.

(i) He was a bachelor, lived alone cooked ________ and collected precious stones.
(a) his favourite food
(b) deliciously
(c) his own meal
(d) many dishes
Answer:
(c) his own meal

(ii) Then it was added to the collection in his safe at ___________ .
(a) trust company
(b) society
(c) bank
(d) chit company
Answer:
(a) trust company]

(iii) When I thanked him, he ___________ all over his lean face.
(a) laughed
(b) smiled
(c) grinned
(d) groaned
Answer:
(c) grinned

(iv) He died that day next week and was _____________ buried.
(a) handsomely
(b) readily
(c) immediately
(d) elegantly
Answer:
(a) handsomely

(v) You will have to pay for my ______________ .
(a) education
(b) studies
(c) funeral
(d) travel
Answer:
(c) funeral

(vi) , In my despair, I ___________ Professor Clinch about my dilemma.
(a) esquired
(b) approach
(c) asked
(d) consulted
Answer:
(d) consulted

(vii) I was afraid to be in the room with that _________________ box.
(a) huge
(b) terrible
(c) mysterious
(d) heavy
Answer:
(b) terrible

(viii) Many of the stones were well-known, and their enormous value _____________ me.
(a) stunned
(b) shocked
(c) irritated
(d) amazed
Answer:
(d) amazed

(ix) This I did to escape the ______________ of the reporters.
(a) anxiety
(b) majority
(c) curiosity
(d) severity
Answer:
(c) curiosity

(x) I was prompthy desired to _______________ it.
(a) take
(b) withdraw
(c) pull
(d) save
Answer:
(b) withdraw

II. Fill in the blanks:

1. I was just (i) ________when my Uncle Philip died. A week before that event (ii) __________ me; and here let me say that I had (iii) ______ on him. He hated my mother, but I do not (iv) ______. She told me long before (v) ______ that I need expect nothing from my father’s brother.
(a) his last illness
(b) thirty-seven
(c) know why
(d) he sent for
(e) never set eyes
Answer:
(i) (b) thirty-seven
(ii) (d) he sent for
(iii) (e) never set eyes
(iv) (c) know why
(v) (a) his last illness

2. At the time he sent for me I was (i) _________ , and poor enough. Remembering my (ii) _______, his message (iii) _____ , his sole relative, (iv) _______ ; but I thought it (v) ________ .
(a) no new hopes
(b) best to go
(c) mother’s words
(d) a clerk
(e) gave me
Answer:
(i) (d) a clerk
(ii) (c) mother’s words
(iii) (e) gave me
(iv) (a) no new hopes
(v) (b) best to go

3. The rubies are (i) ______________ . They are in my safe at the (ii) ___________ . Before you unlock the box, be (iii) _______________ to read a letter which lies (iv) ________ ; and be sure not (v) _______ the box.”
(a) trust company .
(b) on top of it
(c) to shake
(d) valuable
(e) very careful
Answer:
(i) (d) valuable
(ii) (a) trust company
(iii) (e) very careful
(iv) (b) on top of it
(v) (c) to shake

4. The old doctor, when I saw him again, (i) ___________ to give up all thought of (ii) ____________, and, as I felt (iii)______________ I was the slave of (iv) __________ , I tried to take the (v) __________thus given me.
(a) how completely
(b) one despotic idea
(c) good advice
(d) the matter
(e) begged me
Answer:
(i) (e) begged me
(ii) (d) the matter
(iii) (a) how completely
(iv) (b) one despotic idea
(v) (c) good advice

III. Match the following.

(a)

Answer:
1 – (d)
2 – (c)
3 – (a)
4 – (e)
5 – (b)

(b)

Answer:
1 – (e)
2 – (d)
3 – (a)
4 – (b)
5 – (c)

(c)

Answer:
1 – (d)
2 – (e)
3 – (a)
4 – (c)
5 – (b)

IV. Read the passage:

1. I was just thirty-seven when my Unde Philip died. A week before that event he sent for me; and here let me say that I had never set eyes on him. He hated my mother, but I do not know why. She told me long before his last illness that I need expect nothing from my fathers brother. He was an inventor, an able and ingenious mechanical engineer, and had much money by his improvement in turbine-wheels. He was a bachelor; lived alone, cooked his own meals, and collected precious stones, especially rubies and pearls. From the time he made his first money he had this mania. As he grew richer, the desire to possess rare and costly gems became stronger. When he bought a new stone, he carried it in his pocket for a month and now and then took it out and looked at it. Then it was added to the collection in his safe at the trust company.

(a) How old was the author?
Answer:
He was thirty-seven years old.

(b) Who sent for the author?
Answer:
Uncle Philip sent for the author.

(c) What was uncle Philip? ,
Answer:
He was an inventor and a mechanical engineer.

(d) What did uncle Philip use to collect?
Answer:
He used to collect precious stones.

(e) What was his desire?
Answer:
His desire was to possess rare and costly gems.

2. He died that day next week, and was handsomely buried. The day after, his will was found, leaving me his heir. I opened his safe and found in it nothing but an iron box, evidently of his own making, for he was a skilled workman and very ingenious. The box was heavy and strong, about ten inches long, eight inches wide and ten inches high. I stood appalled, the key in my hand. Was it true? Was it a lie? I had spent all my savings on the funeral, and was poorer than ever. Remembering the old mans oddity, his malice, his cleverness in mechanic arts, and the patent explosive which had helped to make him rich, I began to feel how very likely it was that he had told the truth in this cruel letter. I carried the iron box away to my lodgings, set it down with care in a closet, laid the key on it, and locked the closet.
(a) How was uncle Philip buried?
Answer:
He was buried handsomely.

(b) What did the author see in the safe?
Answer:
He saw nothing valuable in the safe, but there was an iron box in it.

(c) Describe the iron box.
Answer:
It was heavy and strong, about ten inches long, eight inches wide and ten inches high.

(d) On what did the author spend all his savings?
Answer:
He spent all his savings on the funeral.

(e) Where did he carry the iron box?
Answer:
He carried the iron box to his lodging and kept it in his closet.

3. At last I hung the key on my watch-guard; but then it occurred to me that it might be lost or stolen. Dreading this, I hid it, fearful that someone might use it to open the box. This state of doubt and fear lasted for weeks, until I became nervous and began to dread that some accident might happen to that box. A burglar might come and boldly carry it away and force it open and find it was a wicked fraud of my uncles. Even the rumble and vibration caused by the heavy vans in the street became at last a terror. Worst of all, my salary was reduced, and I saw that marriage was out of the question.

(a) Where did he hang the key?
Answer:
He hung the key on his watch guard.

(b) Why did he hide the key afterwards?
Answer:
He feared that the key would be lost or stolen. So he hid it.

(c) How long did this state of doubt and fear last?
Answer:
This state of doubt and fear lasted for a week.

(d) What was a terror for the author?
Answer:
Even the rumble and vibration caused by the heavy vans in the street became at last a terror for him.

(e) What is worst of all?
Answer:
Worst of all, the author’s salary was reduced and his marriage was out of the question.

V. Mind Map:

1.

Answer:
(i) next week
(ii) buried
(iii) was found
(iv) nothing
(v) heavy and strong

2.

Answer:
(i) his dilemma
(ii) ruin the stones
(iii) incredible
(iv) biggest
(v) desire to do

3.

(i) changed
(ii) curiosity
(iii) officials
(iv) reasonably
(v) delighted

A Dilemma By Silas Weir Mitchell

Silas Weir Mitchell (1829 – 1914) was an American physician and author who excelled in novels of psychology. As an army surgeon during the American Civil War, he became well known for his “rest cure.” Many honorary degrees were conferred upon him by several universities at home and abroad. In 1887 he was president of the Association of American Physicians and in 1908-09 president of the American Neurological Association. The American Academy of Neurology award for young researchers, the S. Weir Mitchell Award, is named for him. Crotalus mitchellii, the speckled rattlesnake, was named after Mitchell.

A Dilemma Main Characters

Tom – The narrator Poor clerk Uncle Philips sole heir
Philip – Tom’s Uncle, Brother of Tom’s father, Bachelor, Inventor, Ingenious Mechanical Engineer, Precious stones collector
Dr. Schaff – Uncle’s Doctor
Professor Clinch – Not desired to open the box
Susan – broke off an engagement with Tom

A Dilemma Key Points

• The narrator’s name was Tom.
• Uncle Philip was the brother of Tom’s father. He was an inventor and a mechanical engineer.
• When he died, Tom was 37 years old.
• His mother advised Tom not to expect anything from his uncle.
• Uncle Philip was a bachelor and lived a lonely life. He had a mania for precious stones collection.
• His collection was added to his safe at the trust company.
• Tom was sent for by his uncle who told him a strange story.
• He announced Tom as his heir and wanted him to pay for his funeral.
• Leaving an iron box for Tom, his uncle instructed him not to shake the box.
• Tom found a letter which read that the box contained sensitive dynamite.
• He started thinking of all the possible ways to open the box without being killed.
• He also consulted Professor Clinch, but did not yield any solution.
• His efforts to read about explosives led to suspicions and he had to change his name and occupation.
• At last he gave the box to the Society for the Preservation of Human Vivisection.

A Dilemma Summary

Uncle Philip died when Tom, the narrator, was 37 years old. His mother advised Tom not to expect anything from him. Uncle Philip was Tom’s Father’s brother, an inventor and a mechanical engineer. He was a bachelor and lived a lonely life. He collected precious stones. He had a manic for precious stones and became richer and richer. His collection was added to his safe at the trust company. Tom was a clerk. He was sent for by his uncle one day. He went to his uncle, who told him a strange story. He told how money minded he was and confessed his wickedness and hoped to live in the memory of at least one member of the family. Generally thought to be poor living on an annuity, uncle Philip had never parted with his precious stones.

He says Tom will have it as he is his only heir. He would be happy to make at least one man happy before he died. He asks Tom to pay for his funeral and that the safe with the precious gems was only his possession. Before Tom left him, his uncle said the rubies were in the safe and that he should read the letter on top of it carefully. And not to shake the box. He asked Tom not to come back. Uncle Philip died a week later and was handsomely buried. The day after, Tom opened his safe and found nothing but an iron box made by his uncle. It was very heavy. Now he was surprised whether his uncle’s words were true or not.

He spent all he had for his Uncle’s funeral and was poorer than before. Things seemed odd and his uncle’s cunningness seemed true. He took the strange box to his lodgings and carefully kept in a closet. The letter gave details about the contents of gems as well as a dynamite. A warning that he should open it with belief his expectations would grow. If he opened it with doubt he would be blown to atoms. He tried ways and means to open the box, thought about it for months and weeks as it was dubbed with terrible danger and a very great fortune. It confused him a lot. He met too many people for advice.

A doctor Schaff asked him to keep it aside and stop thinking or he would become mad. He went to Libraries for strong advice and knowledge about dynamites. He became a slave of one very strange idea. Between the leaves of the Bible he found the numbered list of stones and their cost. The variety of rubies and their worth were described with the threat of death. Biographies written by the uncle spoke of the evil of stones and the good of stones. One, a black pearl, was mentioned as ‘She’.

He was a clerk who knew only how to keep a ledger. Following the strange words of his uncle was too much and absurd to him. It was like a riddle. He was rich, holding the rubies but too poor unable to use it. He asked his father who told him that it was just a cruel joke of his uncle. He also advised Tom to stop thinking about its fortune. Two years went by and Tom continued to possess the fortune without being rich. Susan breaks off the engagement with Tom considering him mad.

Advertisements about the box in Journals brought out absurd schemes. He is asked to quit his house by the owner. He moves to the suburbs, hides the box, changes his name and occupation. He was happy to assist the government officials to collect tax for his uncle’s estate being his heir. He showed them his uncle’s letter, offered the key of the box and time to move away. The official said he would come later. Now Tom makes a will leaving the precious gems to the Society for the Preservation of Human Vivisection.

A Dilemma Glossary

appalled (adj.) – horrified, shocked
avarice (n) – extreme greed for wealth
closet (n) – cupboard
contrive (v) – cook up, hatch a plan by deliberate use of skills
despotic (adj.) – tyrannical, autocratic
incredible (adj.) – impossible to believe
ingenious (adj.) – clever, original and inventive
jest (n) – a joke
malicious (adj.) – spiteful, intended to harm or upset someone
mania (n) – an extensive, persistent desire, an obsession
oddity (n) – the quality being strange or peculiar
queer (adj.) – strange, odd
vivisection (n) – a surgery conducted on a living organism purposes

Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions

Tamilnadu State Board Class 10 English Solutions Supplementary Chapter 6 The little hero Holland

The little hero Holland Textual Questions

A. Based on the understanding of the story, complete the Graphic Organiser suitably.

B. Based on the understanding of the story answer the following questions in one or two sentences:

Question 1.
What are the little children of Holland, aware of?
Answer:
The little children of Holland are aware the dikes must be watched every moment and that even a small hole can be very dangerous. It would bring the sea into Holland.

Question 2.
What was the work assigned to Peter’s father?
Answer:
The work assigned to Peter’s father was tending the sluice. Opening and closing the gates when ships entered the sea from Holland.

Question 3.
Why did Peter’s mother call him?
Answer:
Peter’s mother called him to go and give cakes to his friend who was blind.

Question 4.
How did Peter spend his time with his blind friend?
Answer:
Peter stayed with the poor blind man a little while to tell him about his walk along the dike and about the sun and the flowers and the ships far out at sea.

Question 5.
Why did the father always say ‘angry waters’?
Answer:
The father always said angry waters because the sea water lashed on the dikes always.

Question 6.
What did Peter see when he stopped near the dikes?
Answer:
When Peter stopped near the dikes he noticed that there was a sound of trickling water and saw a small hole in the dike, through which a tiny stream was flowing.

Question 7.
What were the thoughts of the mother when Peter didn’t return home?
Answer:
Peter’s mother thought that he was spending that night with his friend and that she would scold him next morning for staying away from home without permission.

Question 8.
How did Peter spend his night at the dikes?
Answer:
Holding his finger in the hole on the dike Peter crouched on a stone, bending his head. He closed his eyes but did not sleep. He rubbed his hand and thought he would manage to stay throughout the night, though no one came to his rescue until morning.

Question 9.
Who found Peter in the dikes and what did he do?
Answer:
A man who went for his work heard Peter moaning and found him clinging to the side of the great wall.

Question 10.
How did the villagers mend the hole?
Answer:
The villagers brought shovels and mended the hole after hearing the alarm.

C. Based on your understanding of the story answer the following question in about 100-150 words.

Question 1.
Narrate in your own words the circumstances that led Peter to be a brave little hero.
Answer:
One day Peter’s mother asked him to give cakes to his blind friend. He crossed the dikes that 1 guarded Holland from the great sea. After he spent some time with his friend, he decided to leave early to his house. On his way, he noticed that he heard a noise of a stream through a hole in the dike. He felt the danger behind the hole. He wanted to save Holland. So he used his finger to close the hole and the water stopped leaking.

He stayed outside in the cold night without sleeping. His mother thought he was spending his night with his friend and would scold him, when he returned in the morning. But Peter suffered a lot in the biting cold weather. He shouted for help, no one heard. Next morning a passer-by, who was going to work, heard his groan and found Peter clinging to the side of the dike. He immediately tried to save him and spread the alarm in the village about the hole in the dike. The villagers came running with shovels and mended the dike. Thus Peter became a great hero who saved Holland from the great sea.

Paragraph Question & Answer – Additional

Question 1.
How did Peter spend his time with his blind friend? What did he see on his way home?
Answer:
When his mother asked him to give cakes to his blind friend, Peter was glad. He started off with a light heart. He stayed with the poor blind man for a while to tell him about his walk along the dike, about the sun, flowers and the ships far out at sea. Then he remembered his mother’s wish that he should return before dark. So he bid goodbye to his friend and set out for home. As he walked beside the canal, he noticed how the rains had swollen the waters and how they beat against the side of the dike. He thought of his father’s gates which were so strong. As the sun was setting, he heard a noise of trickling water. He saw a leak in the dike.

D. Identify the character / Speaker:

1. “I want you to go across the dike and take these cakes to your friend,the blind man.”
Answer:
Peter’s mother

2. “I am glad there are so strong.”
Answer:
Peter

3. “Holland shall not be drowned while I am here.”
Answer:
Peter

4. “What’s the matter?” he called. “Are you hurt?”
Answer:
A man going to work /The passer by

5. “Tell them to come quickly.”
Answer:
Peter

Character or Speaker – Additional

1. “Come, peter”
Answer:
Peter’s mother

2. “If you go quickly, and do not stop to play, you will be home again before dark.”
Answer:
Peter’s mother

3. “If they gave way what would become of us?”
Answer:
Peter

4. “Father always calls them the “angry waters.”
Answer:
Peter

5. “Mother will be watching for me.”
Answer:
Peter

6. “The angry waters must stay back now.”
Answer:
Peter

7. “Come here; come here.”
Answer:
Peter

8. “Will no one come? Mother! Mother!”
Answer:
Peter

9. His head was bent, and his eyes were closed.
Answer:
Peter

10. He saw a child clinging to the side of the great wall.
Answer:
A man going to work

The little hero Holland Additional Questions

Choose the correct answer.

1. Only great walls called dikes keep the ………………………. from rushing in and flooding the land.
(a) Dead Sea
(b) North Sea
(c) Salt Sea
(d) Great Sea
Answer:
(b) North Sea

2. Even the little children know the dikes must be watched ………………………………… .
(a) every day
(b) every week
(c) every moment
(d) every month
Answer:
(c) every moment

3. The little boy was …………………….. to go on such an errand.
(a) frustrated
(b) irritated
(c) glad
(d) sad
Answer:
(c) glad

4. He stayed with the poor …………………. a little while to tell him about his walk along the dike.
(a) father
(b) blind man
(c) farmer
(d) child
Answer:
(b) blind man

5. These pretty fields would be ……………………. .
(a) covered with water
(b) flourished by the water
(c) looking elegant
(d) tourist attraction
Answer:
(a) covered with water

6. Peter understood the danger………………………… .
(a) after some time
(b) the next day
(c) slowly
(d) at once
Answer:
(d) at once

7. She would ………………………… him in the morning for staying away from home.
(a) beat
(b) praise
(c) scold
(d) admit
Answer:
(c) sold

8. It grew still colder and his arm ached and began to grow ……………………………. .
(a) stiff and numb
(b) strong
(c) forceful
(d) powerful
Answer:
(a) stiff and numb

9. He stayed there all night …………………………….. .
(a) sleeping by the wall
(b) praying the almighty
(c) keeping the sea out
(d) singing songs
Answr:
(c) keeping the sea out

10. They have never forgotten, the brave little …………………………..
(a) hero of Ireland
(b) hero of Holland
(c) hero of Scotland
(d) hero of Poland
Answer:
(b) hero of Holland

II. Fill in the blanks:

1. Holland is a (i)………………. where much of the land lies below (ii) ……………. Only great walls called (iii) ……………… keep the North Sea from rushing in and (iv) ……………….. the land. For (v) …………………. the people of Holland have worked to keep the walls strong so that their country will be safe and dry.
(a) flooding
(b) centuries
(c) country
(d) dikes
(e)sea level
Answer:
(i) (c) country
(ii) (e) sea level
iii) (d) dikes
(iv) (a) flooding
(v) (b) centuries

2. Many years ago there lived in Holland a boy named (i) ……………… Peter s father was one of the men who (ii) …………… the gates in the dikes, called (iii) …………….. He opened and closed the sluices so that ships (iv) ……………….. out of Hollands (v) ……………….. into the great sea.
(a) could pass
(b) Peter
(c) canals
(d) sluices
(e) tended
Answer:
(i) (b) Peter
(ii) (e) tended
(iii) (d) sluices
(iv) (a) could pass
(v) (c) canals

3. As he (i) ………………. the canal, he (ii) ……………. how the rains (iii) ……………….. the waters, and how they (iv) ……………….. the side of the dike, and he thought of his (v) …………………… .
(a) father’s gates
(b) had swollen
(c) beat against
(d) walked beside
(e) noticed
Answer:
(i) (d) walked beside
(ii) (e) noticed
(iii) (b) had swollen
(iv) (c) beat against
(v) (a) father’s gates

4. Suddenly he noticed that the sun (i) ……………………….. , and that it (ii) ……………………. dark. “Mother (iii) …………………. . for me,” (iv) …………….., and he began (v) …………………… home.
(a) he thought
(b) to run toward
(c) was setting
(d) was growing
(e) will be watching
Answer:
(i) (c) was setting
(ii) (d) was growing
(iii) (e) will be watching
(iv) (a) he thought (v)
(b) to run toward

III. Match the following

(a)

Answer:
1 – (d)
2 – (a)
3 – (e)
4 – (b)
5 – (c)

(b)

Answer:
1 – (e)
2 – (d)
3 – (b)
4 – (a)
5 – (c)

IV. Read the passage:

1. Holland is a country where much of the land lies below sea level. Only great walls called dikes keep the North Sea from rushing in and flooding the land. For centuries the people of Holland have worked to keep the walls strong so that their country will be safe and dry. Even the little children know the dikes must be watched every moment, and that a hole no longer than your finger can be a very dangerous thing. Many years ago there lived in Holland a boy named Peter. Peter s father was one of the men who tended the gates in the dikes, called sluices. He opened and closed the sluices so that ships could pass out of Holland s canals into the great sea.

(a) Where does much of the land of Holland lie?
Answer:
Much of the land of Holland lies below the sea level.

(b) What are the great walls called?
Answer:
The great walls are called dikes.

(c) What prevents the North Sea from rushing in and flooding the land?
Answer:
The dikes prevent the North Sea from rushing in and flooding the land.

(d) What was Peter’s father doing in Holland?
Answer:
Peter’s father was tending the gates in the dike

(e) Where do the ships pass?
Answer:
The ships pass out of Holland’s canals into the great sea.

2. One afternoon in the early fall, when Peter was eight years old, his mother called him from his play. “Come, Peter,” she said. “I want you to go across the dike and take these cakes to your friend, the blind man. If you go quickly, and do not stop to play, you will be home again before dark.”

The little boy was glad to go on such an errand, and started off with a light heart. He stayed with the poor blind man a little while to tell him about his walk along the dike and about the sun and the flowers and the ships far out at sea. Then he remembered his mothers wish that he should return before dark and, bidding his friend goodbye, he set out for home.

(a) How old was Peter?
Answer:
Peter was eight years old.

(b) What did his mother ask him to do?
Answer:
His mother asked him to take some cakes to his blind friend.

(c) What did she advise him?
Answer:
She advised him to return home before dark.

(d) Was Peter glad to go on such errands?
Answer:
Yes, Peter was glad to go on such errands.

(e) How long did he stay with his blind friend?
Answer:
He stayed with him for a little while.

3. It grew still colder, and his arm ached, and began to grow stiff and numb. He shouted again. “Will no one come? Mother! Mother!” But his mother had looked anxiously along the dike road many times since sunset for her little boy, and now she had closed and locked the cottage door, thinking that Peter was spending the night with his blind friend, and that she would scold him in the morning for staying away from home without permission. Peter tried to whistle, but his teeth chattered with the cold. He thought of his brother and sister in their warm beds, and of his dear father and mother. “I must not ’ let them be drowned,” he thought. “I must stay here until someone comes, if I have to stay all night.”

(a) Why did Peter’s arm ache?
Answer:
Peter’s arm ached because he had thrust his finger into the hole of the dike for a long time.

(b) What did his mother do?
Answer:
She waited anxiously for her son’s arrival till sunset.

(c) What did she think finally about her son?
Answer:
She thought that Peter was spending the night with his blind friend. So she closed the cottage door.

(d) What did Peter try to do?
Answer:
Peter tried to whistle, but his teeth chattered with the cold.

(e) What did he think?
Answer:
He thought of his brother and sister in their warm beds. He also thought of his father and

V. Mind Map:

1.

Answer:
(i) a light heart
(ii) poor blind man
(iii) walk along the dike
(iv) mother’s wish
(v) goodbye

2.

Answers:
(i) ran through
(ii) flooded
(iii) he must do
(iv) he climbed down
(v) the tiny hole

3.

Answers:
(i) groan
(ii) over the edge
(iii) you hurt?
(iv) peter yelled
(v) was spread

The little hero Holland by Mary Mapes Dodge

Mary Mapes Dodge (1831 -1905) is an American author and editor, best known for her novel Hans Brinker. She was the recognized leader in juvenile literature for almost a third of the 19th century. In 1873, in the midst of an economic depression, Dodge was asked to become editor of the children’s magazine St. Nicholas. She conducted St. Nicholas for more than 30 years, and it became one of the most successful magazines for children, with a circulation of almost 70,000 copies. She was able to persuade many of the great writers to contribute to her children’s magazine Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Tennyson, Longfellow, Rudyard Kipling, etc.

The little hero Holland  Main Character

Peter – Eight year old boy
Peter’s father – Brave little hero Tended the gates in the Dikes
Peter’s mother – Advised Peter to come before dark waited anxiously for Peter
Peter’s friend – Blind man
Peter’s brother 8r sister – sleeping in warm bed
Man walking on the dike – Rescued Peter
Holland – lies below sea level

The little hero Holland Key Points

• This is a true story of a little boy with a brave heart.
• He saved his fellowmen with a brave act.
• Holland is a country, where much of the land lies below the sea level. It has a great wall, that keeps from being destroyed by the North Sea.
• When Peter was 8 years old, his mother asked him to give cakes to his blind friend.
• It was an early fall season. His mother advised him to return before it was dark.
• When Peter was returning, he noticed that the rains had swollen the water in the canal beating against the dike.
• Just then he heard a noise of trickling water. He saw a leak in the dike. There was a hole in it.
• Realizing the danger, he climbed down the side of the dike and thrust his finger into the tiny hole.
• The flowing of the water stopped. He stayed there all night, shouted for help and screamed. No one came.
• His arm ached and grew stiff. He shouted for his mother.
• Next day morning, a man heard a groan as he walked along the top of the dike. He saw Peter clinging to the side of the great wall.
• When he questioned, Peter told him that he was keeping the water back.
• The alarm was spread. People came running with shovels and the hole was soon mended.
• Peter was carried home to his parents. The whole town soon came to know that how the brave hero had saved their lives.

The little hero Holland Summary

This is a true story of a little boy with a brave heart. He saved his fellowmen with a brave act. Holland is a country, where much of the land lies below the sea level. It has a great wall, that keeps from being destroyed by the North Sea. Even the children of Holland know that the hole in the dike which is no longer than a finger can be very dangerous.

Many years ago in Holland there was a boy named Peter. His father tended the gates in the dikes. He opened and closed the sluices for the ships to pass out of Holland’s canals into the great sea. When Peter was 8 years old, his mother called him and told him to give cakes to his blind friend. It was an early fall season. His mother advised him to return before it was dark. Peter gave cakes to his blind friend and remembered to get back early. On his way back he noticed that the rains had swollen the water in the canal beating against the dike.

Just then he heard a noise of trickling water. He saw a leak in the dike. There was a hole in it. Realizing the danger, he climbed down the side of the dike and thrust his finger into the tiny hole. The flowing of the water stopped. He stayed there very long, shouted for help and screamed. No one came. His arm ached and grew stiff. He shouted for his mother. His mother searched for him and thought he was spending the night with his blind friend. Peter stayed there all night keeping the sea out from entering into the country. Next day morning, a man heard a groan as he walked along the top of the dike.

He saw Peter clinging to the side of the great wall. When he questioned, Peter told him that he was keeping the water back. The alarm was spread. People came running with shovels and the hole was soon mended. Peter was carried home to his parents. The whole town soon came to know that how the brave hero had saved their lives.

The little hero Holland GLOSSARY

chattered (v) – feeling cold and frightened that one can’t stop the upper teeth from against ones lower teeth.
crouching (v) – adopting a position where the knees are bent and the upper body is brought forward and down.
dikes (n) – an embankment for controlling or holding back the waters of the sea or a river.
groan (v) – make a deep inarticulate sound conveying pain.
numb (adj.)- deprived of the power of sensation.
shovels (n) – tool resembling a spade with a broad blade and typically upturned side, used for moving earth, coal, snow etc.
sluices (n) – a sliding gate or other device for controlling the flow of water, especially one in a lock gate.
trickling (v) – flowing in a small stream (a liquid)

Tamilnadu Board Class 10 English Solutions