Class 10

You can Download Seasons and Time Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard Social Science Solutions Part 2 Chapter 1 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard Social Science Part 2 Chapter 1 Seasons and Time Questions and Answers

SSLC Geography Chapter 1 Notes

Sslc Geography Chapter 1 Question Answer Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
You have learnt that there is periodic variation in the amount of sunshine over different places in both the hemispheres of the earth. Why?
Answer:
Variations in the amount of sunshine received are the basis for the occurrence of different seasons. The earth’s revolution and the tilt of the axis are the reasons for this variation.

Season And Time Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 2.
How much time does the earth take to complete one revolution ?
Answer:
365 1/4 days

Seasons And Time Sslc Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 3.
What is a leap year ?
Answer:
To complete one revolution, the earth takes 365 1/4 days. But a year normally has 365 days. The remaining 1/4 part of a day will be considered as a full day one in every fair year. Thus every fourth year has 366 days and is called a leap year. Thus in every fourth year February has 29 days.

Seasons And Time Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
Seasons are not distinctly felt in Kerala. Why?
Answer:
Kerala is a place located near the equator since Kerala receives high amount of sunlight in every year. In such regions seasons are not distinctly felt.

Seasons And Time Class 10 In English Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
What is the peculiarity of the day and the night in the Southern Hemisphere on 21 June?
Answer:
On June 21 the Southern hemisphere experiences its longest night and shortest day.

Seasons And Time Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 6.
What are the changes observed in nature during the summer season?
Answer:

• The atmospheric temperature increases.
• Rivers, ponds, springs and other water sources get dried up.
• Availability of rain becomes reduced. As a result, land gets parched.
• Shortage of food materials.
• The grasslands dry up.

Sslc Geography Time Calculation Questions Kerala Syllabus Question 7.
What is the peculiarity of the day and the night in the Southern Hemisphere on 22 December?
Answer:
Longest day and shortest night.

Season And Time Class 10 Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 8.
What is the season in the Southern Hemi-sphere, when it is autumn in the Northern Hemisphere?
Answer:
Spring

Time Calculation Questions In Geography Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 9.
What are the peculiarities of winter season ?
Answer:
We feel many variations in the winter season than other seasons such as long nights, short days, cold weather, cold wind, snow fall, winter storms, cold rains, thick fog, frost, very low temperature, etc.

Season And Time Class 10 Textbook Pdf Kerala Syllabus Question 10.
What is the change that occurs in the duration of day in the Southern Hemisphere during ‘Dakshinayanam’?
Answer:
The duration of day in the southern hemi-sphere gradually increases during this period.

Sslc Geography Chapter 1 Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 11.
What is the duration of day and night in the south polar regions, when the Sun is respectively over the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere?
Answer:
During the period from March to September, as the Sun is in the Northern Hemisphere, the south polar regions experience continuous night for six months.

During the remaining period, that is from September to March, as the Sun is in the Southern Hemisphere south polar regions experience continuous day light for six months.

Seasons And Time Class 10 In English Medium Kerala Syllabus Question 12.
Is the local time in all the Indian states the same ?
Answer:
No, The time estimated at each place based on the apex position of the sun is termed as the local time.

Seasons And Time Class 10 Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 13.
What will be the hardships if there are several local times in a country?
Answer:
Cannot prepare a railway time table applicable throughout the country.

• Cannot give announcements about radio programs.
• Peoples have to adjust their watches suitably.
• Cannot organize a All India Exams.

10th Geography Chapter 1 Seasons And Time Kerala Syllabus Question 14.
The people of which Indian states sees the sun first ?
Answer:
Arunachal Pradesh.

Sslc Geography Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 15.
What would be the longitudinal extent of each time zone ?
Answer:
15°

Hsslive 10th Social Science Kerala Syllabus Question 16.
Find the difference between the Indian Standard Time and the Greenwich Mean Time.
Answer:
The 82 1/2 °E longitude which passes almost through the middle of these longitudes has been fixed as the standard meridian of India. The time difference between Indian Standard Time and Greenich Mean Time is 5 1/2 hours ahead.

Hss Live Guru 10th Geography Kerala Syllabus Question 17.
Calculate the time at each 15° longitude east and west of the Greenwich Line up to 180° longitude and complete the table.

Sslc History Chapter 1 Notes Pdf Kerala Syllabus Question 18.
Which day would it be for those residing at place ‘A’ in given Fig.

Answer:
If 180° longitude passes through the country A, the places situated East and West of this line will be having two different days. Think about the practical difficulties caused by this. To avoid this, certain necessary adjustments have been effected in this line with the result that it doesn’t pass through the corresponding land areas. Note the longitude marked with broken lines.

The line is in such a way that it passes through Bering – strait in Pacific Ocean and avoid some of the inhabited islands. The travelers who cross this line from the West calculate the time by advancing it by one day and those who cross the line from the west deduct one day. This imaginary line is known as the International Date Line. A can cross this line from the West calculate the time by advancing it by one day, take it as Friday.

Sslc Geography Chapter 1 Kerala Syllabus Question 19.
Note the International Date Line marked on the globe. Identify the continents situated to the east and the west of this line. The travelers to which of these continents will gain one day on crossing the International Date Line?
Answer:
The continents situated to the west of the international Date Line are Asia and Australia. North America and South America lie to, the east of the International Date Line. The travelers who cross International Date Line and go to North America and South America will gain one day.

Seasons and Time Let Us Assess

Question 1.
Identify the factor responsible for the occurrence of seasons from among the following.
a. Rotation of the Earth
b. Tilt of the Earth’s axis
c. Parallelism of the Earth’s axis
d. All the above.
Answer:
Tilt of the Earth’s axis.

Question 2.
The sun’s rays fall vertically between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. Why?
Answer:
Earth maintains its parallelism throughout the revolution, the position of the sun in relation to the earth varies. The sun shifts apparently between Tropic of Cancer (23 1/2 °N) and Tropic of Capricorn (23 1/2 °S).

Question 3.
Highlight the importance of March 21, June 21, September 23 and December 22.
Answer:
On 21^st March, the sun rays are overhead the equator, 0°. So the days and nights are of equal duration, namely 12 hours at all places on the earth. This is called equinoxes. On June 21st, sun appears overhead at the tropic of cancer. This is called summer solstice, and it makes the summer season in the Northern Hemi-sphere.

On September 23^rd, the sun is overhead at the equator and experiences equinoxes that means equal days and nights. On 22^nd December, the sun continues its apparent movement from the equator to the Southern Hemisphere and reaches vertically above the tropic of capricon. This is called winter solstice.

Question 4.
Why there is an eastward increase and west-ward decrease in time?
Answer:
The earth rotates from west to east. So, the sun rise first in the Eastern longitude. We calculate time by considering the time when sun reaches the highest point in the sky as 12’0 clock. So when we consider Greenwich line as the base line for time, it becomes noon early in the Eastern longitudes.That is why eastern longitudes feel the time is getting increased. But in western longitudes noon will be after the noon in Greenwich.

Seasons and Time Orukkam Questions and Answers

Question 1.

Observe the picture and complete the following table.

Answer:

Question 2.
Complete the following table.

Answer:

Question 3.
Answer the following Questions. World Time Calculation

1. The time required for the earth to complete one rotation
a. In Hours
b. In Minutes
Answer:
24 hours, 1440 minutes

2. What is angular distance of the earth when it complete one rotation ?
Answer:
360°

3. The time required for the earth to turn one degree is
Answer:
4 minutes

4. What is the change in time when we move towards west or east from a degree of longitude?
Answer:
More time is taken towards east and less time towards west.

5. a. Is there any particular longitude based on which the time is calculated world wide?
b. If yes, Name the longitude
c. By what name this longitude is known when it is used to calculate the time worldwide?
Answer:
a. Yes,
b. Greenwich longitude
c. Prime Meridian

6. What is meant by the standard meridian?
Answer:
Each country in the world considers the longitude that passes almost through its middle as the standard meridian.

7. Which is the standard meridian of India.
Answer:
83°30 E

8. What is the time difference between Indian Standard Time and Greenwich Mean Time?
Answer:
5 hours 30 minutes

9. The International Date Line is not a straight line Why.
Answer:
Other lines of longitudes are straight lines. But International Date line is not a straight line. The international dateline passes through the Pacific ocean. It deviates from the 180° longitudes where it crosses land in order to keep all the lands under one administration on one side of the dateline. The Dateline deviates. Eastwards in the Bering straits between Australia and Siberia. The line deviates west-wards of 180° longitude. Further south, the date line deviates eastwards of 180° around Fiji, Toga islands.

Question 4.
Complete the following Table.

Answer:

Seasons and Time Evaluation Questions

Question 1.
Explain the reason for the occurrence of seasons.
Answer:
Variations in the amount of sunshine received are the basis for the occurrence of different seasons. The earths revolution and the tilt of the axis are the
reasons for this variation.

Question 2.
What is meant by the parallelism of axis?
Answer:
The axis of the earth is tilted at an angle of 66 1/2 from the orbital plane. If measured from the vertical plane this would be 23 1/2.The earth maintains this tilt throughout its revolution. This is known as parallelism of earth’s axis.

Question 3.
Define the term equinoxes.
Answer:
The apparent position of the sun during the earth’s revolution will be over the equator on March 21 and September 23. Hence the length of the day and night will be equal during these days on both the hemispheres.These days are called equinoxes.

Question 4.
What is leap year?
Answer:
To complete one revolution, the earth takes 365 1/4 days. But a year normally has 365 days. The remaining 1/4 part of a day will be considered as a full day one in every fair year. Thus every fourth year has 366 days and is called a leap year. Thus in every fourth year February has 29 days.

Question 5.
How is the duration of days and nights experienced at the places with in the Antarctic circle when the sun is in the southern hemisphere?
Answer:
lt will be six months of days throughout in the places within the Antarctic circle.

Question 6.
The local time is not same everywhere in India. Substantiate.
Answer:
In the ancient period, time was calculated based on the apex position of the sun and the length of the shadow cast by it. When the sun is vertically overhead, it is noon. The time estimated at each place, based on the position of the sun, is termed as the local time. In a vast country like India there are many longitudinal. Hence the standard time will be different. There is a difference of 2 hours in time between the states Arunachal Pradesh which is in the eastern part of India and Gujarat which is in the western part of India.

Question 7.
India has only one standard meridian but many other countries have more than one standard meridian. How do you interest this statement?
Answer:
It is not practical to follow only one standard time for the countries with wide longitudinal extent. So more than one longitudes are considered as standard meridians.
Eg: Russia, China, USA

Question 8.
What will be the time a New Delhi when it is noon at Greenwich?
Answer:
When it is 12 noon in Greenwich, it will be morning 6.30 in Delhi.

Question 9.
Distinguish between winter solstice and summer solstice.
Answer:
The apparent position of the sun shifts from the equator to the northern hemisphere from March 21 to June 21 .The sun will be vertically above the Tropic of Cancer on June 21. This day is known as summer solstice. The sun continues its apparent movement from the equator to the southern hemisphere and reaches vertically above the Tropic of Capricon on December 22. This day is known as Winter solstice.

Question 10.
Variation in the amount sunshine received is the basis of the occurrence of different sea¬son. Elucidate
Answer:
Variations in the amount of sunshine received are the basis for the occurrence of different seasons. The apparent position of the sun during the earth’s revolution will be over the equator on March 21 and September 23. Hence the length of day and night will be equal during these days on both the hemispheres. These days are called Equinoxes.

The apparent position of the sun shifts from the equator to the northern hemisphere from March 21 to June 21. The sun will be vertically above the tropic of cancer on June 21. This day is known as Summer solstice. lt has the longest day in northern hemisphere and the longest night in southern hemisphere. From June 21 onward, the sun shifts from the tropic of cancer towards the equator and reaches vertically over the equator on September 23.As the sun is in the northern hemisphere from March to September,it will be summer in the northern hemisphere.

The sun continues its apparent movement from the equator to the southern atmosphere and reaches vertically above the Tropic of Capricorn on December 22. This day is known as Winter solstice. During the period from September to March, it will be winter in the northern atmosphere and summer in the southern atmosphere.

Seasons and Time SCERT Questions and Answer

Question 1.
The earth travels around the sun along an elliptical orbit.
a. By what name is this movement known?
b. Mention the time taken by the earth to complete one turn round the sun?
c. The amount of solar energy received is not uniform at any place on the earth during this journey. Why?
Answer:
a. Revolution
b. 365 days and 6 hours
c. Change in the apparent position of the sun due to the inclination and parallelism of the earth’s axis.

Question 2.
A year generally comprises 365 days. But in certain occasions it consists of 366 days. Mention the name by which such years are known? Explain how 366 days are included in such years.
Answer:
Leap year:
The earth takes 365 days and 6 hours to complete one revolution. 365 days are included in a normal year and by adding the rest 6 hours together one additional day is included in the fourth year which is in February (29 days).

Question 3.
Observe the answers given by 2 students based on the inclination of eart’s axis and evaluate.

Answer:
The axis of the earth is inclined to 661/2° from the plane of the orbit and it is 23 1/2 ° from the vertical to the plane of orbit

Question 4.

the parallelism of earth’s axis. Identify the correct ones?
a. A and B
b. B only
c. C and D
d.A and D

Answer:
b. B only

Question 5.
One among the following statements is wrong. Identify the wrong answer and make necessary correction.
a. The duration of day in the northern hemisphere increases from 21 March to 21 June.
b. The duration of night in the northern hemisphere increases from 21 March to 21 June.
c. The duration of day decreases in the northern hemisphere from 21 June to 23 September.
d. The duration of night in the southern hemisphere increases from 21 June to 23 September.
Answer:

• b is the wrong answer
• The duration of night in the northern hemisphere decreases from 21 March to 21 June.

Question 6.
What is the peculiarity of the duration of day and night in both the hemispheres on 21 March, 21 June, 23 September and 22 December?
Hints:
‘Apparent position of the sun
(i) The duration of day and night in both the hemispheres
(ii) The names by which this days are known.

Answer:
21 March – The sun comes vertically over head at the Equator – The duration of day and night are equal on both the hemisph-eres- Equinox

21 June – The sun is vertically overhead at the Tropic of cancer – The longest day in the northern hemisphere and longest ni ght in the southern hemisphere – Summer solstice

23 September – The sun comes vertically overhead at the equator – The duration of day and night are equal on both the hem-ispheres- Equinox
22 December -The sun is vertically over head at the tropic of Capricorn – The long-est day in the southern hemisphere and longest night in the northern hemisphere – Winter solstice

Question 7.
Analyse the diagrams and complete the table below.

Answer:

a. Tropic of Capricorn
b. Tropic of cancer
c. Shortest night
d. Longest night
e. Longest night
f. Shortest night
g. Winter solstice
h. Summer solstice

Question 8.
The time of sunset varies over different months. Why?
Answer:
When the sun is over the northern hemisphere northern hemisphere, experiences longer days and shorter nights. When the sun is over, the southern hemisphere, the northern hemisphere experience shorter days and longer nights. This causes variations in the time of sunrise and sunset.

Question 9.
The seasons experiencing in the northern hemisphere are given in the table. Write do¬wn the corresponding seasons in the southern hemisphere.

Answer:

• Summer
• Autumn
• Winter
• Spring

Question 10.
The following are the hints related to certain seasons. Identify each season.
a. Transition season between winter and summer
b. Transition season between summer and winter
Answer:
a. Spring
b. Autumn

Question 11.
Following are a few natural phenomena occurring in different seasons in India. Identify the season represented by each.
a. Sprouting and blooming of plants and trees
b. Trees shed their leaves.
c. Drying of reservoirs.
d Dry atmosphere and low temperature.

Answer:
a. Spring
b. Autumn
c. Summer
d. Winter

Question 12.
Each degree of longitude corresponds to four minutes of time. How can we arrive at this fact?
Answer:

• Earth takes 24 hours to complete one rotation, i.e., 360° or 1440 minutes
• In other words it takes 1440 minutes to complete one rotation.
• Hence 1 ° of longitude corresponds to 4 minutes (1440 ÷ 360 = 4 min)

Question 13.
The world is divided in to 24 time zones.
a. What is the longitudinal extent of each of these time zone?
b. What is the time difference within a time zone?

Answer:
a. 15°
b. 1 hour

Question 14.
There is an increase in time towards the east and decrease in time towards the west of ail the longitudes other than 180° longitude. Why?
Answer:

• The earth rotates from west to east
• So the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
• He nee these are increase in time towards the east and decrease in time towards the west

Question 15.
Explain the significance of Greenwich meridian and International date line in determining time.
Answer:

• Greenwich meridian – 0° longitude. It is based on this longitude that the time is calculated worldwide.
• International date line – 180°longitude. There is a difference of 24 hours on either side of this line of longitude. So it is drawn deviated to avoid the land areas and to pass entirely through the ocean.

Question 16.
Every country considers a particular longitude as their standard meridian for determining time. Why?
Answer:
The local time is different at different longitudes. If the same country follows different time, this may create a lot of confusions and problems. So the longitude passing almost through the middle of the country is considered as the standard meridian. The local time at this longitude is considered as the standard Time.

Question 17.
Why do certain countries consider more than one longitude as their standard meridians? Give an example for such a country.
Answer:
It is not practical to follow only one standard time for the countries with wide longitudinal extent. So more than one longitudes are considered as standard meridians.
Eg: Russia, China, USA

Question 18.
What is the standard meridian of India?
Answer:
8214° East longitude

Question 19.
The standard meridian of India is 82‘/2° East longitude. Why do India consider this longitude as the standard meridian?
Answer:
82 1/2 ° East longitude passes almost through the middle of the country.

Question 20.
Which among the following longitudes is drawn deviated to avoid the land areas?
a. Equator
b. Greenwich meridian
c. International date line d 82/2° East longitude
Answer:

c. International date line

Question 21.
Why is International date line drawn deviated from the land areas?
Answer:

• There is a difference of 24 hours on either side of this longitude.
• If this line passes through land areas, the same inhabited areas may have different days.

Question 22.
What is the Greenwich Mean Time when the Indian Standard time is 2 pm on Mon¬day?
Answer:
8.30 am on Monday (2 pm – 5 hrs. 30 min = 8.30 am)

Question 23.
Determine the local time at 45° East and at 45° West longitude when the Greenwich Mean Time is 10 am Wednesday.
Answer:
45° East- 1 pm Wednesday
\(\left(\frac{45}{15}=3 \text { hrs, } 10 \mathrm{am}+3 \mathrm{hr}=1 \mathrm{pm}\right)\)
45° West- 7 am Wednesday
\(\left(\frac{45}{15}=3 \text { hrs, } 10 a m-3 h r=7 a m\right)\)

Seasons and Time Exam Oriented Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is revolution?
Answer:
The earth revolves around the sun in elliptical orbit. This motion is known as revolution.

Question 2.
What is rotation ?
Answer:
The earth rotates its own axis is known as rotation.

Question 3.
What is the tilt of the earth?
Answer:
23 1/2°

Question 4.
How much time does the earth take to complete one rotation ?
Answer:
24 hrs.

Question 5.
Why the amount of solar energy received on earth is different ?
Answer:
Due to the apparent movement of the sun.

Question 6.
What is the amount of sunlight received in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere when the sun is vertically over the equator ?
Answer:
Equal amount of sunlight.

Question 7.
What is parallelism of the earth’s axis ?
Answer:
The axis of the earth is tilled at an angle of 66 1/2 from the orbital plane. If measured from the vertical plane this would be 23 1/2°The earth maintains this tilt throughout its revolution. This is known as the parallelism of the earth’s axis.

Question 8.
What do you mean by apparent movement of the sun ?
Answer:
Since the earth maintains its parallelism throughout the revolution, the position of the sun is in relation to the earth varies. The sum shifts apparently between Tropic of Cancer (23 1/2 °North) and Tropic of Capricorn (23 1/2 °South). This is known as the apparent movement of the sun.

Question 9.
What is the main reason for the occurrence of seasons ?
Answer:
The apparent movement of the sun due to the inclination of axis is the main reason for the occurrence of seasons.

Question 10.
How did the term equinoxes and solstices derived ?
Answer:
The word equinox is derived from the Greek words equi and noxe. ‘Equi’ means equal and ‘noxe’ means night. The word solstices derived from the Greek words sol and stic. Sol means sun and stic means stationary state.

Question 11.
What is equinoxes?
Answer:
When sum is over head over the equator on March 21 and September 23, the length of the day and night will be equal on both the hemisphere. These days are called equinoxes.

Question 12.
What do you mean by Summer solstice? How does it affect Northern and Southern Hemisphere?
Answer:
The apparent position of the sun shifts from the equator to the Northern Hemisphere from March 21 to June 21. The sun will be vertically above the Tropic of Cancer on June 21. This day, known as summer solstice. As a result of summer solstice, Northern hemisphere will have longest day and longest night in the Southern hemisphere.

Question 13.
Name the parallels marked in the following diagram.

0° — Equator
23 1/2 °N — Tropic of Cancer
23 1/2 °S — Tropic of Capricorn
66 1/2°N — Arctic circle
66 1/2 °S — Antarctic circle
90°N — North pole
90° S — South pole

Question 14.
What will be season in Northern and Southern hemisphere from September to March ?
Answer:

• In Northern hemisphere — Winter
• In Southern hemisphere — Summer

Question 15.
The seasons are not same in the two hemisphere. What are the reasons for this ?
Answer:
Revolution of the earth, rotation of the earth, tilt of the axis and inclination of the axis in the same direction.

Question 16.
Compare Rotation and Revolution, equinoxes and solstice ?

Question 17.
What will happen if the earth stops rotation?
Answer:
The regular occurrence of day and night will | not be possible. The side of the earth which j for as the sun always feel day and the other | side always will have night. If the earth stops j rotation, it will become an unsuitable planet j to sustain life.

Question 18.
What will happen if the axis of the earth be-comes vertically ?
Answer:
The length of the days and night all over the earth would be equal.

Question 19.
What will be the complications if there are several local times in a country ?
Answer:

• Cannot prepare a railway time table applicable throughout the country.
• Cannot give information on radio programmes
• People have to adjust their watches suitably.

You can Download The Never Never Nest Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 4 Chapter 3 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 4 Chapter 3 The Never Never Nest (One-Act Play)

Std 10 English Textbook The Never Never Nest Questions and Answers

The Never Never Nest Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
Why did Aunt Jane exclaim ‘charming’?
Answer:
Aunt Jane exclaimed ‘charming’ because the lounge of the home where Jack and Jill lived looked very cosy and pretty.

Never Never Nest Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 2.
What was really wonderful according to Aunt Jane?
Answer:
The fact that Jack and Jill had fine furniture, a car, a piano, a refrigerator and a radio was really wonderful according to Aunt Jane.

The Never Never Nest 10th Class Kerala Syllabus Question 3.
What made Aunt Jane worry about her gift cheque?
Answer:
Aunt Jane had wanted to give a cheque for 200 Pounds as a wedding gift to Jack and Jill. But when she came to their house she saw that they had a pretty lounge with fine furniture, a radiogram and a piano. They also had a refrigerator and a car. This makes Aunt Jane think that she must have mistakenly written 2000 Pounds instead of 200 in the cheque and that is why they could buy all these luxury items. This thought made her worried.

The Never Never Nest 10th Class Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
What arguments did Jack give in support of purchasing a house on installment basis?
Answer:
If they didn’t purchase a house, they would go on paying rent year after year. But they could buy a home just for 10 Pounds. Then of course they have to pay quarterly installment payments. By buying the house they have become Owners of the house and not mere Tenants.

The Never Never Nest Summary Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
According to Jack, which parts of the car does he really own now?
Answer:
He owns the steering wheel, one tire and about two of the cylinders.

The Never Never Nest Question Answers Kerala Syllabus  Question 6.
Why did Aunt Jane refuse to sit on the furniture?
Answer:
Aunt Jane refused to sit on the furniture because it belongs to Mr. Sage, from whom they bought it on installment. So only a part of the sofa belongs to Jack arid Jill and the rest belongs to Mr. Sage.

The Never Never Nest 10th Class Pdf Kerala Syllabus  Question 7.
How did they plan to pay their installments?
Answer:
They would borrow money from the Thrift and Providence Trust Corporation.

10th Class English The Never Never Nest Kerala Syllabus Question 8.
Why did Aunt Jane hesitate to travel in Jack’s car?
Answer:
Aunt Jane hesitated to travel in Jack’s car because he owns only some parts or the car. The other parts belong to the man who sold it to him on installments.

The Never Never Nest Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus Question 9.
What did aunt Jane want them to do with the cheque?
Answer:
Aunt Jane wanted them to make at least one thing in their house their own by paying for it fully, using the cheque.

Summary Of The Never Never Nest Kerala Syllabus Question 10.
What did Jill do with the cheque?
Answer:
She endorsed the cheque to Dr. Martin, to whom they owed money because of their baby’s birth, and sent it to him by post.

The Never Never Nest 10th Class Summary Kerala Syllabus  Question 11.
Why did Jill send the cheque to Dr. Martin?
Answer:
Jill sent the cheque to Dr. Martin because she wanted to make the final payment and make the baby their own. This way she will fulfill the desire of Aunt Jane who wanted them to use the cheque to make ‘something’ in their house their own.

Let’s Revisit

Activity 1

A. Complete the table:
Answer:

B. Prepare a review of the drama based on the table.
Answer:
“The Never-Never Nest” is a one-act Play by Cedric Mount. It exposes the shams of contemporary society which tries to live beyond its means. It warns the people against the modem “Buy Now Pay Later” scheme which tempts people to buy things which are not essential for them. Since they don’t have to pay immediately, they are tempted to buy things that are available on installments. In the play we see Jack and Jill, a young couple with a baby. Jack earns only 6 Pounds a week.

Jill is a housewife. But they go on getting all kinds of luxury items on installments. The monthly installments come to more than 7 Pounds. To make up the deficit they will take a loan which will further increase their financial burden. In their lounge in the villa, they have fine furniture, a radiogram and a piano. They also have a refrigerator and a car. But all these and the villa itself are bought on installments. So nothing is their own, even their baby, as they owed money to the doctor. They have to finish the installments to make the baby fully their own. Their Aunt comes and pays them 10 Pounds and Jill pays it to the doctor hoping that at the least the baby in the house will be their own. The play 1 is a warning to those who live beyond their means and go on buying things on installments.

Activity 2

Based on your understanding of the play ‘The Never – Never Nest’, organise a classroom debate on the topic: ‘Is Equated Monthly Instalment Scheme – a boon or bane to middle- class families?
Answer:
Based on your understanding of the play “The Never- Never Nest”, organize a classroom debate on the topic: “Is Equated Monthly Instalments Scheme a boon or bane to middle-class families?”
Here are the points to argue:
It is a Boon (Blessing):

1. People can get things when they want.
2. They can pay for things in easy monthly instalments instead of paying the whole amount at once.
3. It will force people to save money to make the payments.
4. You can have the comfort of many things at the same time.
5. You will be forced to work harder to get enough money for making the payments.
6. You will cut down your avoidable expenses to make timely payments.

It is a Bane (Curse):

1. People will be tempted to buy things they do not really need.
2. It makes people live beyond their means.
3. It encourages luxury.
4. It brings trouble when people find it difficult to make the payments.
5. Living with things which are not your own is not gentlemanly.
6. If you fail to make payments in time, the company will threaten you and take you to court.
7. There are cases where people have committed suicide as they could not make payments in time.

Activity 3

Question 1.
Discuss the features of a script of a play.
Answer:

• A play script will include a list of characters at the very beginning.
• It may be divided into acts which are then divided into scenes.
• Each scene will have a description of the setting at the start and then the characters’ dialogue.
• Dialogue is set out with the character’s name on the left, then a colon and then the dialogue.
• Stage directions for the actors are written every now and again in brackets.

Prepare a script based on the story “The Scholarship Jacket”, highlighting the following scenes.

Question 1.
The argument between Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Boone
Answer:
(A Classroom. Mr. Schmidt, the history teacher and Mr. Boone, the Maths teacher, are engaged in an argument. The students are out fortheir PE Classes.)
Mr. Boone: (In a pleading voice) Mr. Schmidt, this year we should give the Scholarship Jacket to Joann and not to Martha.
Mr. Schmidt: (Angrily) I refuse to support you. Joann’s grades are nowhere near Martha’s. How can you even think of doing such a thing?
Mr. Boone: Joann’s father is on the School Board. He owns the only store in town.
Mr. Schmidt: I don’t care who Joann’s father is. I won’t lie or falsify Martha’s records. She is a straight A+ and you know it.
Mr. Boone: But Martha is a Mexican.
Mr. Schmidt: So what? She is our student and here we have to treat all students alike. I insist that the Scholarship Jacket should be given to Martha. If it is given to Joann, I will resign.

Question 2.
The first meeting of Martha with the Principal.
Answer:
(Principal’s room. The Principal looks unhappy and uncomfortable. He is pretending to look at some papers.)
Martha: May I come in, Sir?
Principal: Yes, come in!
Martha: Sir, The peon told me you wanted to see me.
Principal: Yes, I wanted to see you because I wanted to tell you something. There is a change in the policy about the Scholarship Jacket. It used to be free. But from this year the Board has decided to charge 15 dollars from the recipient of the jacket.
Martha: 15 dollars, Sir! I don’t think my parents can afford to pay that much money.
Principal: Then the Jacket will be given to the one next in line.
Martha: Sir, I will speak to my grandfather about the change in the policy and request him to give me 15 dollars. I will tell you the result tomorrow.
Principal: It’s Okay, You can go now!
Martha: Thank you, Sir!

Question 3.
Conversation between Martha and Grandfather.
Answer:
(Grandpa is working in the bean field at the back of his house. Martha meets him there.)
Martha: Good Afternoon, Grandpa.
Grandpa: Good Afternoon, Martha! What news?
Martha: Iwantabigfavourfromyou.
Grandpa: Favourfrom me! What favour?
Martha: Grandpa, I am eligible to get the Scholarship Jacket. But this year it is not free. I have to pay 15 dollars for it. If I don’t pay 15 dollars, it will be given to somebody else.
Grandpa: What does a scholarship jacket mean?
Martha: It means you have earned it by having the highest grades for 8 years and that is why they are giving it to you.
Grandpa: (After a long pause causing Martha to cry) Martha, if you pay for it, it is not a scholarship jacket anymore. Tell the Principal that I will not pay 15 dollars for the scholarship jacket.

Question 4.
Second Meeting of Martha with the Principal.
Answer:
(Principal’s room. Martha enters the room with a sad face.)
Martha: Sir, I asked my Grandpa to give me 15 dollars to pay for the scholarship jacket.
Principal: (Looking into the eyes of Martha) Did he give you the money?
Martha: No, Sir, he didn’t.
Principal: (walking towards the window and looking outside and then turning his head towards Martha) Why won’t your grandfather pay? He has a 200-acre ranch!
Martha: He told me that if I paid for the scholarship jacket it would no more be a scholarship jacket. It would be a jacket bought with a price. You may give the Jacket to Joann.” (She walks towards the door to go out.)
Principal: Martha, wait! We would make an exception and give you the Jacket.
Martha: (Tears of joy rolling out of her eyes) Thank you, Sir! Thank you very much!

Question 5.
Presentation of the Scholarship Jacket
Answer:
(The Assembly Hall. All the Board Members, teachers and many parents are present in the Hall. The Hall is beautifully decorated. There is joy on all faces except those of Joann, her father and Mr. Boone.)
The Principal speaks: Respected Board Members, my dear teachers, parent and students,
I am very happy to announce that the Scholarship Jacket this year is presented to Martha. She has been an A+ student throughout the 8 years of her stay here. She is an exemplary student. And she deserves it. There was a proposal to charge 15 dollars for the scholarship jacket. But after a lot of thinking, I have decided that no money would be charged and the Scholarship Jacket will be given to Martha free since she earned it through her diligence and hard work. (A big round of applause from the audience.)
Martha, come to the stage to receive your scholarship jacket!
(Martha goes to the stage and accepts the jacket. She thanks everyone, especially Mr. Schmidt, for her success.)

Let’s Find Out How Language Elements Work

Activity 1

The Use of the enough
Enough means as much as we need or want. Enough is placed before a noun, but after adjectives and adverbs. (See the notes and examples given on p. 136 of the Text.)

Question 1.
Complete the following sentences adding ‘enough’ with a suitable word from the box given and identify the parts of speech of the word modified by ‘enough’.
(old, loud, high, courage, thick)
1. He didn’t jump to win the prize.
2. She is to travel by herself.
3. He had to admit his mistake.
4. The ice had to walk on.
5. He spoke to be heard.
Answers:
1. high enough (adverb)
2. old enough (adjective)
3. enough courage (noun)
4. thick enough (adjective)
5. loud enough (adverb)

Activity 2

Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns who, that, which, whose, where and when. These clauses do the work of adjectives, adverbs and nouns.

Read the notes on p. 136-137.

Question 1.
Complete the following sentences using appropriate relative pronouns.
(Who, When, Which, Where, Whom, Whose, That)
1. Do you know the man ………. climbed the mountain yesterday?
2. Can I have the pencil ………. I gave you today morning?
3. A notebook is a computer ………. can be carried around.
4. I won’t eat in a restaurant ………. is not clean.
5. I want to live in a place ………. there are lots of shops.
6. Yesterday was a day ………. everything went wrong!
7. He is a teacher ………. we all respect.
8. He ………. never climbs never falls.
Answers:
1. who
2. that (which)
3. that (which)
4. that (which)
5. where
6. when
7. whom
8. who

Question 2.
Look at the table on p. 137. Here are sentences for completing the table.

Answer:
For Persons:
Subject:
1. The thief who stole my money was caught.
2. The minister who was corrupt was forced to resign.

Object:
1. The girl whom you saw in my house is my cousin.
2. The man who gave me the book is my neighbour.

Possessive:
1. The article is about Nehru whose daughter became the PM later.
2. That lady whose children have abandoned her is very poor.

For Things:
Subject:
1. This is the watch that/which created the big problem.
2. That is the horse that/which came first in the race.

Object:
1. The bike which/that I bought was very expensive.
2. The letter which/that I wrote brought me trouble.

Possessive:
1. This is the Prize of which I am always happy.
2. This is a gain of which the government is proud.

Activity 3

Question Tags (p. 138)
We often change a statement into a question by adding a tag to it. The rule is if the statement is positive, the tag must be negative. If the statement is negative the tag must be positive. We repeat the auxiliary in the statement. If there is no auxiliary, we use do, does or did according to the context.

I. Identify the correct question tag and fill in the blanks.

Question 1.
He sometimes reads the newspaper, …………..?
(don’t he?/doesn’t he?/does he?)
Answer:
doesn’t he?

Question 2.
I think he’s from Maldives,…………..?
(doesn’t he?/ don’t I?/ isn’t he?)
Answer:
isn’t he?

Question 3.
Don’t talk while I am teaching,…………..?
(do you?/ amn’t you?/ will you?)
Answer:
will you?

Question 4.
Let’s go swimming,…………..?
(aren’t we?/ let we?/ shall we?)
Answer:
shall we?

Question 5.
Pass me the salt,…………..?
(do you?/ won’t you?/ are you?)
Answer:
won’t you?

Question 6.
He could have bought a new car,…………..?
(couldn’t he?/ haven’t he?/ could he?)
Answer:
couldn’t he?

Question 7.
The girl won’t sing in the party,…………..?
(does she?/ will she?/ do she?)
Answer:
will she?

Question 8.
He went on a tour,…………..?
(aren’t he? / didn’t he?/ don’t he?)
Answer:
didn’t he?

II. Fill in the blanks

Question 1.
You are an Indian,…………..?
Answer:
aren’t you?

Question 2.
I’m late,…………..?
Answer:
aren’t I?

Question 3.
The boy is from Kottayam,…………..?
Answer:
isn’t he?

Question 4.
He’ll never know,…………..?
Answer:
will he?

Question 5.
Ann has cleaned the plates,…………..?
Answer:
didn’t she?

Question 6.
Anu and Manu will arrive tomorrow,…………..?
Answer:
won’t they?

Question 7.
Vivek played football yesterday,…………..?
Answer:
didn’t he?

III. Read the dialogue between two friends and fill in the blanks appropriately.

Rajeev: Good morning Madhav, I’m not too early, …………..?
Madhav: No, not at all. You have brought all the documents,………?
Rajeev: I’ll get ready soon. You wouldn’t mind waiting for five minutes,……….?
Madhav: Ok. No problem. At what time shall we leave?
Rajeev: By 9 o’ clock. I think we will reach the bank in time,………?
Madhav: Ok then. Please get ready. I’ll have a talk with your father.
Rajeev: Yes, please do.
Answers:
i. am i?
ii. haven’t you?
iii. will you?
iv. won’t we?

Activity 4

Read the following sentences.
(Reported or Indirect Speech)
When we report what someone else has said, we have to make some changes in what he said. For example: “Where is Grandpa?” I asked Grandma. When we report it, it will be: I asked Grandma where Grandpa was. We notice that there are some changes:
a) The word order is changed.
b) The tense is changed, ‘is’ becoming ‘was’.
c) Instead of the question mark we use a full stop in the reported speech.
d) There are no quotation marks.

b.
I asked Grandma where Grandpa was.

• what type of a sentence is reported?
• which reporting word is used here?
• Which word is used as a linker?
• What kind of changes are made in the sentence in direct speech?
• Are there changes in punctuation?

Answer:

• a question
• asked
• No linker is used here
• Changes are mentioned above.
• There are changes in the punctuation.

Report the following sentences and analyse the changes you make while reporting them.
1. ‘What are you doing in America?’ he asked the man.
2. ‘Have you met your friends?’ he asked her.
3. ‘Can you help me?’ she asked the boy.
4. ‘Watch him carefully,’ she said to her mother.
5. ‘Why did you come late?’ the teacher asked her.
6. ‘Please don’t touch it,’ he said to her.
7. ‘What did your grandfather say?’ asked the principal.
8. ‘I am not going to sit here,’ said Aunt Jain.
9. ‘Let us pay the hospital bill with this money. said Jill.
Answers:
1. He asked the man what he was doing in America.
2. He asked her if she had met his friends.
3. She asked the boy if he could help her.
4. She told her mother to watch him carefully.
5. The teacher asked her why she came late.
6. He requested her not to touch it.
7. The principal asked her what her grandfather said.
8. Aunt Jane said that she was not going to sit there.
9. Jill wanted to pay the hospital bill with that money.

Let’s Edit

Read the following summary of the story written by a student of Std X. There are some errors in it which are given in bold letters. Edit the passage and rewrite it.

The Scholarship Jacket’ is a story by Marta Salinas and is about a Mexican girl named Martha. Every year in the Texas school, a scholarship Jacket were (a) presented to the class valedictorian. This scholarship Jacket was the only object in Marthas (b) mind. She was a skinny girl which (c) was not very pretty. However, she was enough smart (d) and had maintained an A plus average in her eight years of school. One day, she overheard two teachers arguing on why the Jacket should be give (e) to Joann. The next day the principal fold her that the scholarship Jacket was going to cost fifteen dollars, and if she couldn’d (f) pay for it, it would be given to the runner-up. Martha left a (g) school in tears, and was even more heartbroken when her grandfather said she couldn’t have the money. The next day, she told the principal dejectedly that she couldn’t have the scholarship Jacket and explained what (h). As she was about to exit the office she mentioned Joann’s name. The principal, feeling guilty told Martha why (i) she would have the scholarship Jacket. Finally, Martha realised that she had earned her Jacket, and hadn’t (j) purchased it.
Answers:
a) was
b) Martha’s
c) who
d) smart enough
e) given
f) couldn’t
g) the
h) why
i) that
j) hadn’t

The Never Never Nest Summary in English

“The Never- Never Nest” is a one-act play about a young couple named Jack and Jill. They have a small baby. They make full use of the “buy-now-pay-later” marketing scheme. One day, their aunt, whose name is Jane, visits them. She is surprised to find that even though Jack’s salary is not very high, they live in a beautiful house with all comforts. There was fine furniture, a radiogram, a piano, a car and a refrigerator. Jane then began to wonder if as a wedding gift she had given them a cheque for 2000 Pounds instead of the 200 she had planned to give. Otherwise how could Jack and Jill buy all these things? She also thought the rent for such a big house must be very high. Then Jack tells her they pay do not pay rent as they owned the house. They had bought it on instalment just like they bought all the other things in the house.

Aunt Jane then realizes that though Jack and Jill have everything in their house, nothing really belongs to them. They bought everything on instalment basis. In their car, only a tyre and one or two other things have been paid for. Only one leg of the sofa has been paid for. The total amount to be paid as instalments per week comes to more than seven Pounds. Jack earns only six pounds a week. Jill is a housewife. When Aunt Jane asks how they could pay seven Pounds a week when he is earning only six Pounds, Jack says that they would take a loan. Aunt Jane was shocked at the way Jack and Jill ran their home. Before she left, she gives them a cheque for ten Pounds asking them to make at least one article completely their own, using that money.

While Jack goes with Aunt Jane to the bus stop, Jill sent the money to Dr. Martin. Jack comes back and says that he wants to pay two months’ instalments on the car using that money. But Jill says that she has already sent that money to Dr. Martin so that at least their baby would become completely theirs!

The Never Never Nest Summary in Malayalam

The Never Never Nest Meanings of Words And Phrases

Students can Download Social Science Part 2 Chapter 1 Seasons and Time Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes Pdf, Activity in Malayalam Medium, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard Social Science Solutions helps you to revise the complete Kerala State Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus Class 10th Standard Social Science Geography Chapter 1 Notes Malayalam Medium സീസണുകളും സമയവും

Seasons and Time Textbook Questions and Answers in Malayalam

You can Download The Snake and the Mirror Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 2 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 2 The Snake and the Mirror (Short Story)

Std 10 English Textbook The Snake and the Mirror Questions and Answers

The Snake And The Mirror Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
What was the topic that came up for discussion between the doctor and his friends?
Answer:
The topic was encounter with snakes.

The Snake And The Mirror Questions And Answers Class 10 Question 2.
What does the expression ‘full-blooded cobra’ suggest?
Answer:
It suggests it was fully grown, strong and energetic.

The Snake And The Mirror Questions And Answers Question 3.
“The sound was a familiar one.” What was the sound?
Answer:
The sound of rats running across the beam.

Snake And The Mirror Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
“In those days I was a great admirer of beauty…” Pick out the phrases and expressions from the story that justify the statement.
Answer:
Taking a close look at my face in the mirror, shave daily, grow a moustache to look more handsome.

The Snake And The Mirror Pdf Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
What are the two ‘important’ and ‘earth-shaking’ decisions that the doctor takes while looking into the mirror?
Answer:
One was to grow a moustache and the other was to keep the attractive smile on his face to look more handsome.

Sslc English Snake And The Mirror Kerala Syllabus Question 6.
‘Again came that noise from above.’ Did the doctor pay much attention to the noise? Why?
Answer:
He didn’t pay much attention to the noise. It was the noise of rats running across the beam. It was a familiar sound.

10th English The Snake And The Mirror Question Answer Kerala Syllabus Question 7.
What kind of a woman does the doctor want to marry? Why?
Answer:
He wants to marry a lady doctor with plenty of money and a good medical practice. She should also be fat. He wanted her to be fat so that in case he makes a mistake and wants to run away, she should not catch up with him.

10th English Chapter The Snake And The Mirror Kerala Syllabus Question 8.
What happened when the doctor was sitting on his chair?
Answer:
A full-blooded cobra fell from the roof. It came over the back of the chair and coiled itself on the doctor’s shoulder.

The Snake And The Mirror Question Answers Pdf Kerala Syllabus Question 9.
How did the doctor react when the snake landed on him?
Answer:
He sat there holding his breath like a stone. He was too afraid to make any move.

The Snake And The Mirror Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 10.
Why did the doctors in the chair ‘like a stone image in the flesh’?
Answer:
He did not know what to do. He had no time to react. He was terrified and was almost turned into a stone.

The Snake And The Mirror Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 11.
In the story the snake is compared to three objects. What are they?
Answer:
A rubber tube, a leaden rod and a human being.

The Snake And The Mirror Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus Question 12.
Why did he feel that he was a stupid doctor?
Answer:
He had rats in his room. He could naturally expect a snake some day. He should have kept with him some antidote for snake poison. But he did not have any.

Snake And The Mirror Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 13.
“I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.” What does the doctor mean by.this statement?
Answer:
When the snake was on him, he was sitting like a stone. But when it moved away, he acted like a man. He got up from his chair and went out through the door into the veranda. From there he jumped tb the yard and fled for his life.’

The Snake And The Mirror Question Answer Kerala Syllabus Question 14.
Why did the doctor run to his friend’s house? Did the snake harm the doctor? Why?
Answer:
He ran to his friend’s house so that he could have a bath and clean himself after being touched by the snake. The snake did not harm him, except that it terrified him. The snake must have thought it had fallen into a stone as the man sat like one. Moreover, the snake got busy admiring itself looking into the mirror.

The Snake And The Mirror Summary Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 15.
“…the thief had left behind one thing ass final insult!” What was the insult?
Answer:
The thief took everything except the dirty vest of the doctor. If people saw the dirty vest, they would have a poor opinion of the doctor. And this was adding insult to injury.

The Snake and the Mirror Textual Activities and Answers

Activity 1

Snake And The Mirror Question Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
Pick out sentences from the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ and complete the table below. These sentences tell you the condition of the narrator. Some hints are given.

Answer:

Activity 2

Snake And Mirror Question Answer Kerala Syllabus  Question 2.
The story is about a frightening incident narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous?
The writer has made use of certain striking contrasts in the sto,y to bring about humour. Pick out such expressions from the story and write them.
Answer:
A. i) The kind of person the doctor was : He is a poor man. His earnings were meagre. He had, only Rs. 60 with him. He lived in a small rented room. There was no electricity in the room. It was infested with rats. He is concerned with his appearance He is also conscious that he is a doctor. He realizes that he is capable of committing blunders.

ii) The kindof person he wanted to be : He wants to appear more handsome. For that he will keep a thin moustache and keep smiling. He wants to be a successful and rich man.

B. i) The person he wanted to marry : He wants to marry a lady doctor with money and also good practice. He wants her to be fat so that she does not catch up with him if he makes a mistake and wants to run away.

ii) The person he actually married : He marries a thin and slender woman. She could run like a spnnter.

C. i) His thoughts when he looked into the mirror : He was proud of his looks. He wanted to appear more handsome, For that he would shave daily and he would grow a thin moustache. He also would keep smiling to add to his glamour.

ii) His thoughts when the snake coiled around him : He was so terrified that he turned into a stone. He thought of God. He felt pain when the snake coiled around his arm. He would be in trouble ¡f the snake bit him. He had no medicine against snake poison. He considers himself as a poor, foolish and stupid doctor.

Snake And The Mirror Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus  Question 3.
Now based, on what you have written, prepare short paragraphs on the use of contrasts in the story to bring out the humour.
Answer:
Basheer has used contrasts to bring humour into a frightening story where a full-blooded cobra coils around a doctor. The doctor is a poor man. His earnings were meager. He had only Rs. 60 with him. He lived in a small rented room. There was no electricity in the room. It was infested with rats. He is concerned with his appearance. He is conscious that he is a doctor. He realizes that he is capable of . committing blunders. But he wants to appear smart and more handsome. For that he will keep a thin mustache and keep smiling. He wants to be a successful and rich man.

He wants to marry a lady doctor with money and also good practice. He wants her to be fat so that she does not catch up with him if he makes a mistake and wants to run away. But he ends up marrying a thin and slender woman. She could run like a sprinter. He was proud of his looks. He is a doctor and he would marry a rich woman. He wanted to appear more handsome. He was feeling happy when suddenly from the beam a cobra fell down and coiled around him. All his thoughts about making himself more handsome and getting married vanished like mist in sunshine. He was so terrified that he turned into a stone. He thought of God. He felt pain when the snake coiled around his arm. He would be in trouble if the snake bit him. He had no medicine against snake poison. He considers himself as a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. When the snake releases its hold on him we see him fleeing for his life.

Activity 3

The Snake And The Mirror Malayalam Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
In the story the snake did not harm the homeopath. The homeopath in turn did not hurt it. Keeping Basheeris vision on nature and its beings, commend on this story.
Answer:
In the story the snake did not harm the homeopath. The homeopath in turn did not hurt it. By saying this, Basheer is emphasizing the principle of “Live and Let Live”. Man and animals are supposed to co-exist in this world. As man has the right to live, the animals also have the right to live.

It is a known fact that animals do not harm people unless they are provoked and feel threatened. No snake will deliberately come and bite you. But we deliberately kill snakes. A snake will attack only if it feels threatened and its escape route is blocked. If they see people, they will either try to hide or run away. They bite only when people step over them unknowingly or chase them and block their escape route. In that sense man is the only ‘animal’ that kills for pleasure. Animals of prey may kill to satisfy their hunger. But we do it for fun.

Basheer is of the view that we should let animals live their life without interfering with them, unless they prove dangerous to us. Peaceful coexistence is what he insists. It is an interesting story in which the homeopath has fine dreams about his future wife.

Extended Activity

Collect similar stories in English or Malayalam, showing the harmony of nature. An example is “Bhoomiyude AvakSsikal” by Basheer.

The Snake And The Mirror About the author:

– Basheer – 1908-1994

Basheer (1908-1994) is called Beypore Sultan. He is a humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer. He is (iked by the critics and the common people. His important works are Balyakalaskhi, Shabdangal, Pathummayude Aadu, Mathilukal, Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu, Janmadinam and Anargha Nimisham. He received Padma Shri in 1982.

The Snake And The Mirror Summary in English

1. We were discussing snakes. Then suddenly a homeopath asked, “Has a full-blooded cobra ever coiled itself round any part of your body?” We all fell silent. The doctor continued with his story.

2. “It was 10 o’clock on a hot summer night. I had my meal at a restaurant and returned to my room. I heard a noise when I opened the door. There were rats in my room. I lighted the kerosene lamp on the table.

3. The house was not electrified. It was a small rented room. I had started my medical practice. The income was very little. I had Rs. 60 in my suitcase. With drier shirts and dhotis I had also a black coat which I was then wearing.

Page – 24
4. I took off my black coat, white shirt and vest and hung them up. I opened the two windows. It was an outer room with one wall facing the open yard. It had a tiled roof with long supporting gables, resting on the beam over the wall. No ceiling. Rats ran along the beam. I made by bed and pulled it close to the wall. I could not sleep. I went to the veranda. There was no breeze.

5. I went back and sat on a chair. I opened my box and took out a book The Materia Medica’. There was a table with a lamp, a large mirror and a comb.

6. One feels tempted to look at the mirror if it is close. I took a look. I admired beauty and I wanted to make myself handsome. I was unmarried. I felt I had to make my presence felt. I combed my hair and adjusted the parting to look straight and neat. Again I heard that sound from above.

7. I looked closely at my face. I made an important decision. I would shave daily and grow a small mustache. I was a bachelor and a doctor.

Page – 25
8. I looked into the mirror and smiled. I made another important decision. I would keep smiling to look more handsome.

9. I lit a beedi and paced up and down the room. Another nice thought came to me. I would marry. I would marry a woman doctor with a lot of money and good practice. She should be fat, for a good reason. If I made some foolish mistake and needed to run away, she should not be able to run after me and catch me.

10. I sat back on the chair. There were no sounds from above. Suddenly there was a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground. I looked back. A fat snake came over the back of the chair and landed on my shoulder. The snake’s landing on my shoulder and my turning my head happened at the same time.

11. I did not jump, tremble or cry out. There was no time to do any such thing. The snake slithered along my shoulder and coiled around my left arm. Its hood was spread out and it was just 3 or 4 inches from my face!

12. I was turned to a stone. But my mind was active. The door opened into darkness. The room was dark.

13. I thought of God, the creator of this universe. God was there. If I said something and he did not like it, there would be trouble. I wrote in my imagination the words “O God” on my heart.

14. There was some pain on my left arm. It was as if a rod of fire was slowly but powerfully crushing my arm. The arm was losing its strength. What could I do?

Page- 29
15. Even if I moved a little, the snake would bite me. Death was just 4 inches away. Suppose the snake bites me, what medicine would I take? There were no medicines in the room. I was a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled at myself.

16. God liked it. The snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror. It saw its reflection. It may not be the first snake to look into a mirror. Was it admiring its beauty? Was it planning to grow a mustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead?

17. Was it a female snake? I will never know. It slowly unwound itself from my arm and slithered into my lap. From there it crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror. Perhaps it wanted to see itself more clearly.

Page – 27
18. I was no more a stone. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. I got up from the chair. I went quietly into the veranda. From there I jumped into the yard and ran for my life.”

19. The story ended. All the listeners were relieved. Somebody asked, “Doctor, is your wife very fat?” The doctor said his wife was thin and a great runner. Somebody wanted to know if the snake came after him.

20. The doctor replied: “I ran till I reached a friend’s house. Then I put oil on my body and took a bath. I changed my clothes. The next morning with my friend I went to the room to take my things. Some thief had removed everything except my dirty vest.”

Somebody wanted to know if the doctor saw the snake the following day. The doctor said he had never seen it again. It was a snake which was proud of its own beauty.

The Snake And The Mirror Summary in Malayalam

The Snake And The Mirror Glossary

You can Download Mother to Son Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 5 Chapter 2 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 5 Chapter 2 Mother to Son (Poem)

Std 10 English Textbook Mother to Son Questions and Answers

Mother To Son Poem Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.
Who is the speaker in the poem? Do you feel the presence of a listener? How?
Answer:
The speaker is the mother of a boy. We do feel the presence of a listener, who is her son. The words are directly spoken to him.

Mother To Son Question Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 2.
What does ‘no crystal stair’ mean?
Answer:
Crystal is a solid substance with proper shapes. It also means strong transparent glass. So the phrase ‘no crystal stair’ means the stairs of life are not smooth, plain and clear. Life is hard.

Mother To Son Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 3.
Was life easy for the narrator? Pick out evidence from the first stanza to support your answer.
Answer:
No, it wasn’t. Life for her was not a crystal stair. It had tacks and splinters. Boards were torn up and not carpeted.

Mother To Son Questions And Answers Pdf Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 4.
The first stanza ends with the word ‘bare ’. What does the speaker mean by the word ‘bare’?
Answer:
‘Bare’ means naked or exposed. She did not have enough clothes or shoes to wear. Her life was bare, just like the stair was bare without any carpet. It hints at her poverty.

Mother To Son Poem Questions And Answers Oxford Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 5.
When life becomes challenging, does the speaker give up? How do you know?
Answer:
No, she doesn’t. Because she says, all the time she had been climbing on and reaching landings.

Poem Mother To Son Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 6.
What do the phrases ‘turnin’ comers’ and ‘set down on the steps ’ mean?
Answer:
These phrases are the Americanisms in the poem. “Tumin’ comers” means to overcome difficulties one by one. ‘Set down’ means ‘sit down’. The mother, who is a Black Woman, is asking her son not to sit down on the step because he is tired of the problems.

Mother To Son Answer Key Pdf Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 7.
The speaker speaks of the ‘dark times’. What does the poet refer to here?
Answer:
‘Dark times’ refers to the hardships in life. As the mother says she was sometimes going in the dark where there has not been any light. Often she had to travel even without a ray of hope.

Mother To Son Poem Questions And Answers Pdf Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 8.
What advice does the speaker give? Pick out the relevant line from the poem.
Answer:
The advice she gives is not to turn back, not to sit down on the steps and not to fall. “Boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps. Don’t, you fall now.”

Mother To Son Poem Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 9.
With what message does the poem end?
Answer:
The poem ends with the message to go forward in spite of the problems. The obstacles should not stop us from going ahead.

Let’s Revisit

Read the poem again and answer the questions choosing the most appropriate answer from the options given.
1. In the first seven lines, a stairway with ‘tacks in it and splinters’ is being compared to
a. the carpet on the stairway
b. the other people who live in the run-down housing
c. the son
d. life
Answer:
d. life

2. In this poem, boards with ‘tacks and splinters’ and ‘boards turn up’ are symbols for
a. run-down housing
b. a life with many difficulties and challenges
c. the ungrateful manner in which the mother’s son treats her
d. the lack of compassion for fellow beings
Answer:
b. a life with many difficulties and challenges

3. what does ‘reachin’ landin’s’ symbolise in the mother’s life?
a. difficult situations in her life
b. phases in her life that seemed magical to her
c. compassionate forces in her life
d. places devoid of light
Answer:
c. compassionate forces in her life.

4. Why do you think the word ‘bare’ is used in the poem?
a. to emphasize the son’s brutality
b. because Hughes couldn’t think of anything else to add to that line
c. to emphasize how difficult and ‘bare’ of luxuries the mother’s life had been
d. because it rhymes with the word ‘stair’
Answer:
c. to emphasize how difficult and ‘bare’ of luxuries the mother’s life had been.

5. Which of the following is the most suitable meaning for ‘turnin’ comners’ in the Poem?
a. phases in her life where she tried to solve problems on her own
b. phases in her life where she felt she had failed
c. moments in her life when she knew her son would be successful
d. her need to find a father figure for her son
Answer:
a. phases in her life where she tried to solve problems on her own.

6. what is the theme of the poem?
a. One shouldn’t be over confident.
b. When you are in trouble, look to your mother for advice.
c. Don’t give up reach out to the goals you have set for yourself.
d. Love for mankind.
Answer:
c. Don’t give up reach out to the goals you have set for yourself.

7. The ‘crystal stair’ is a metaphor used in the Poem. Why do you think Hughes is
referring to the stairway as ‘crystal’?
a. Crystals are beautiful, but they are also fragile and slippery.
b. Crystals sparkle in the sunlight.
c. Crystals have different colors in them depending on how the light hits them.
d. You can almost see through a crystal.
Answer:
d. You can almost see through a crystal.

8. Why is ‘stairway’ used as an appropriate metaphor to describe the wisdom the mother
is trying to impart to her son?
a. Stairways are always dirty and rough.
b. One has to clean and wax a stairway to make it look good.
c. One requires steady persistence to go up and down a stairway.
d. Stairways are often found in expensive houses.
Answer:
c. One requires steady persistence to go up and down a stairway.

9. What is the most likely age of the son?
a. Old age
b. Infancy
c. Middle age
d. Teenage
Answer:
d. teenage

10. The language used in the poem, pertaining to a particular culture or geographic area is known as a:
a. dialogue
b. dialect
c. diction
d. idiom
Answer:
b. dialect

Activity 1

Mother To Son By Langston Hughes Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.
The metaphor “…. life for me ain’t been no crystal stair’ is an extended metaphor, it is seen throughout the poem. Do you think that the poem can convey the right idea without his metaphor? Why?
Answer:
I don’t think the poem can convey the right idea without this metaphor in the poem. The narrator is the poem is a Black American woman. Life for the Blacks was very hard in the America of the past. Things have changed for the better and we even see the first Black President in Barak Obama. But when Langston Hughes was writing this poem, it was impossible to even imagine that a Black man would become the President one day. The Blacks had to struggle even for their existence.

It was with great difficulty they found even decent livelihood. So the mother is telling her son that she had been working hand to reach even where she has reached. Life is a journey, an upward journey and we use stairs. But here the stairs are full of tacks and splinters. There are dark comers and there are no carpets. Every turn there are problems and obstacles. So it needs courage to go on. Such an idea could be conveyed only through the metaphor of the non crystal stairs.

Activity 2

Mother To Son Text Dependent Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.
What literary elements does Langston Hughes use to convey the message in the poem ‘Mother to Son’?
Consider the following:
1. What is the relevance of the metaphor ‘crystal stair’?
2. Why does the poet use the Afro-American dialect in the poem? A dialect is a form of language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language. Does the dialect give you any clue regarding the social status of the speaker in the Poen? Pick out the examples of the dialect from the poem.
3. How does the poem effectively make use of familiar things as word pictures or images such as tacks, splinters, etc.?
Answer:
To convey his message, Langston Hughes has used different literary elements. He has used the extended metaphor of the non-crystal stairs to show how hard it had been for her to go ahead in life with all the tacks and splinters on the stairs. He has used the American dialect, especially used by Black Americans. Examples are a-climbin’, reachin’, goin’ ain’t, cimbin’ etc. He has also used double negatives like “ain’t been no light”, “ain’t been no crystal stair” etc.

Set down to mean sit down, and Tse been’ to mean I have been, ‘it’s kinder’ to mean it is kind of etc. are typical Black American English. The poet has also used familiar words like tacks, splinters, torn up and bare to enhance the quality of the poem and to drive the message home. The speaker is a Black American lady and she is talking to her teenage son to go forward in life with courage and determination in spite of all the hardships he may face. She had done it and he too can do.

Mother To Son Appreciation Pdf Kerala Syllabus 10th Activity 3

The poem is in the form of an advice given by a mother to son. Have you come across similar poems in your mother tongue? Consider the following lines from the eminent Malayalam poet Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan’s poem Kozhi.
Work out the thematic parallel between these two poems and present your ideas before the class.
Answer:
In the poem ‘Kozhi’, Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan also gives a similar message. Here the mother hen is advising her young chicks. They should have their eyes on both sides and also up and down. There should be burning insight in the eyes. Tears should not wet the eyes and blur their vision. All this is needed to forge ahead in life. In Mother to Son, Langston Hughes says almost similar things to her son. She asks her son to overcome the tacks and splinters, the uncarpeted and broken boards with the determination and insight. The message both the poems give is: “Don’t give up, be alert and have confidence.”

Hughes (1902-1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright and columnist. He is one of the innovators of jazz poetry. He is known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Some of his best works are: Montage of a Dream Deferred, The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Let America Be America Again.

Mother to Son Summary in English

p. 157 – 158 In the poem we see how a Black person suffers in a White-dominated society. The poem is a dramatic monologue. Only the mother is speaking and the son is just listening. The mother tells her son that her life had not been very smooth. The steps she had to climb were broken here and there and she had to be careful not to fall down. The floor is not carpeted showing that life had been very rough for her. But in spite of all the problems she faced, she had been steadily climbing and reaching landings. Sometimes she had been walking in darkness without any light at all. She had to negotiate dangerous bends.

She is telling her son never to feel disappointed and turn back. He should not sit down on the steps even though he might find them hard to climb on. He should be careful not to fall down. In the end she tells her son that all her life she had been climbing in spite of all the problems and she is still climbing.

Mother to Son Summary in Malayalam

Mother to Son Glossary

You can Download The Castaway Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 5 Chapter 3 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 5 Chapter 3 The Castaway (Short Story)

Std 10 English Textbook The Castaway Questions and Answers

The Castaway Question Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.
What really is the battle of gods and demons mentioned here?
Answer:
The battle of gods and demons mentioned here is the roaring storm, heavy rain, the powerful thunder and lightning.

The Castaway By Rabindranath Tagore Questions And Answers Question 2.
What made the natives of Chandemagore terribly anxious? What was their solution?
Answer:
The illness of Kiran made the natives of Chandemagore terribly anxious. Their solution was Kiran should be taken to her own home.

Castaway Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 3.
“…a recovered person never needs further recovery. ” What did Kiran mean by that?
Answer:
By that she meant that she has recovered from her illness and she does not need to stay in the riverside house for further recovery.

The Castaway Poem Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 4.
Kiran enjoyed interacting with people and hated being inactive. Pick out the sentences which give this sense.
Answer:
“Kiran had enjoyed being with the villagers steaming with fun. But here in the riverside, she could not tolerate the heavy burden of doing nothing.”

The Castaway Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 5.
Who was the new guest to the riverside house? How did he come there? How did Kiran treat him?
Answer:
The new guest to the riverside house was Nilkanta. He belonged to a theatrical group. Their boat perished in the storm while they were going to stage a play in a nearby villa. Kiran treated him very kindly, giving him dry clothes to change and milk to drink.

The Castaway By Rabindranath Tagore Pdf Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 6.
The boy’s entry was a boon to everyone. How?
Answer:
The boy’s entry was a boon to everyone because Kiran had warm feelings towards him. Sharat and his mother were happy as Kiran would stay longer there. Nilkanta was happy because he escaped from his cruel master and now he could stay with a wealthy family.

The Castaway Character Sketch Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 7.
Why did Sharat and his mother long for the departure of Nilkanta?
Answer:
Sharat and his mother longed for the departure of Nilkanta because he developed a great friendship band of naughty boys who did not allow any fruits to get ripen in the neighborhood. He also brought a mongrel dog home which turned the house upside down.

The Castaway Short Story Summary Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 8.
Though Sharat punished him for his naughtiness, Nilkanta did not change his behaviour. What was the reason behind that?
Answer:
The reason behind that was he strongly believed the world was made up of eatings and beatings in which beatings played the predominant part.

10th English Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 9.
What was the confusion about Nilkanta’s age with his face and deeds?
Answer:
His hairless innocent face showed he was 14, but the smoke and words that came out of his mouth suggested he was beyond 17.

Character Sketch Of Kiran In Castaway Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 10.
Nilkanta turned out to be a failure in his studies. How did his studies go on?
Answer:
He felt the alphabets were dancing in the mist in front of his eyes. But he developed the skill of casting his eyes blank on a page for hours as if reading it. If he felt someone was near him, he would read aloud but no one could understand what he read.

10th Class English Notes Kerala Syllabus  Question 11.
The care and affection of Kiran changed the boy’s miserable life to a happy one. How did he behave when he was away from Kiran’s presence?
Answer:
When he was away from Kiran’s presence, he behaved as a very naughty boy. He would bring dozens of complaints from his neighbors and eventually Sharat had to tie his hands together at times forcing him to stay home. But his naughty friends would come in search of him for new ways of mischief.

The Castaways Poem Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 12.
What was the difference in Nilkanta’s behavior after Satish came to the house? To Nilkanta, why was Kiran angry with him?
Answer:
Nilkanta’s behavior changed after Satish came to the house. Before Satish came, Kiran used to serve him meals and he ate a lot. Now he left the hall without eating much. He would repeatedly say, “I am not hungry” hoping that Kiran would press him to eat more. But that did not happen. So he would go and cry soaking his pillows with tears. According to Nilkanta, Satish played some venomous trick to make Kiran angry with him.

Castaway Meaning In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 13.
How did Nilkanta avenge Satish in his own way?
Answer:
Nilkanta avenged Satish in his own way by taking away the soap when he was bathing or throw his dress in the air which would be flown by the wind. When Kiran asked him to entertain Satish he said he did not remember anything.

10th Standard English Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 14.
What grave problem did Kiran and her family have when they were about to move to their house in the village?
Answer:
When they were about to move to their house in the village, they started packing their things. Kiran wanted to take Nilkanta with them, but the idea was strongly opposed by the other members of the family. Kiran advised Nilkanta to go back to his own home and he burst into tears. Satish was annoyed at this sight and he told Kiran that Nilkanta is putting up a show to get her sympathy.

10th Std English Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 15.
Why did Nilkanta think about burning Satish into ashes?
Answer:
Nilkanta thought about burning Satish into ashes because he said that he was playing a trick to earn the sympathy of Kiran by crying before her. This made Nilkanta very angry.

Question 16.
“Nilkanta wobbled towards the wall with swollen heart and head.” Why?
Answer:
Nilkanta wobbled towards the wall with swollen heart and head because Satish attacked him thinking that he had stolen his grand inkstand. His heart was swollen because he was sad that Kiran was going away without taking him with her. His head was swollen because of the beating he got from Satish.

Question 17.
What was the battle of words for?
Answer:
The battle of words took place because of the missing inkstand. Satish and Sharat thought Nilkanta stole it. But Kiran supported the innocence of Nilkanta. Satish wanted to search Nilkanta’s room but Kiran opposed it and even cried.

Question 18.
What did Kiran do to console Nilkanta? What puzzled her when she unlocked his box?
Answer:
To console Nilkanta, Kiran wanted to give him a surprise gift consisting of two new suits of clothes, a pair of shoes and a bank note. When she unlocked his box she was puzzled to see that the missing inkstand was at the bottom of the box under some linen.

Question 19.
‘His last hope of proving him not a thief hit the dust’. How?
Answer:
He took the inkstand as a revenge to throw it into the river. But before he could do that, Kiran had seen it in his box. There was no way he could convince her that he had no intention of stealing it, but he just wanted to destroy it. So his last hope of proving him not a thief hit the dust.

Question 20.
What might be the mystery behind the missing of Nilkanta?
Answer:
The mystery behind the missing of Nilkanta might be that he no more dared to face Kiran who had loved him so much. He was certain he could not get that love back after she saw the inkstand in his box.

let’s Revisit

Activity 1

The story ‘Castaway’ is full of conflicts. Nilkanta’s behaviour and actions, responses of Satish and Sarat and arguments of Kiran for Nilkanta make the main plot of the story. Make a revisit to the story and complete the following table.

Answer:

Activity 2

a. In the story ‘Castaway’, we came across a young boy, Nilkanta, who escaped from a storm.
How did he manage to save himself?
If you are in his Place what will you do? Discuss.
It is better to have such skills to save ourselves and others in critical situations.
Can you suggest some of those skills?
Answer:
He managed to save himself by swimming ashore.
If I were in his place I would save myself first and then I would do whatever I could to save those who travelled with me in the boat. Then when I become sure that there is nothing more I can do to help them, I would seek help from others so that I can continue to live.

Some of the skills to save ourselves and others are:

• Awareness about first aid
• Trekking
• Rock Climbing
• Swimming
• Starting and tending afire
• Foraging for food

b. Even though Nilkanta escaped from the storm he failed to get the acceptance of the people who were kind to him. Kiran’s family could have utilised his theatrical skills to create a better artist out of him. As a well-wisher of Nilkanta, what can you do to support in grooming the boy into a successful man? Discuss.

Discussion points:

• Identifying his abilities
• Encouraging
• …………………………….
• …………………………….
• …………………………….
• …………………………….
• …………………………….

Answer:
Discussion Points:

• Identifying his abilities
• Encouraging
• Teaching
• Comforting
• Making him feel important
• Citizenship qualities
• Moral instructions

The Role of Society in Moulding a Person:
Answer:
Every person lives in a society. Naturally he can’t behave the way he wants to as he has to make sure that others don’t suffer because of his actions. Society must help a person to develop his personality and his skills. Schools identify a person’s talents and guide him in that direction. Society teaches persons to be loving, kind and generous to others. One should love his parents, brothers and sisters, relatives, neighbours, fellow citizens and humanity itself. Society helps persons to develop citizenship skills. With the help of the society, a person gets educated, gets a proper job, and is well placed in the society. He earns respect from others and they respect him in return. Live and let live should be one’s guiding principle.

c. Have you identified your skills and talents?
How can we nourish them?
Let us conduct a talent search competition in our school under the auspice of the English club.
what are the competitions?

• Recitation
• Mono-act
• Extempore
• …………………………….
• …………………………….
• …………………………….

Prepare a notice for the event which include all the details.
Answer:
Yes, I have.
We nourish them by learning and practicing hard. What are the Competitions?

• Recitation
• Mono-Act
• Extempore
• Role Play
• Elocution
• Debates
• Sports and Athletics
• Literary Competitions – Composing Essays, Stores and Poems

ST. JOSEPH’S H.S.S. KAKKANAD

10 October 2019

NOTICE

The Debating Club of the School is organizing a Debate on 20 October 2019 in the Assembly Hall. The Topic for the Debate is “Should there be Uniforms in Schools?”. The Competition is between XA and XB. Three students from each group will present their views supporting or opposing the motion.
The Debate starts at 3 p.m.
You are welcome to the event.

Sd/-
Ammini S.
Secretary, Debating Club

Let’s Find Out How Language Elements Work

Activity 1
In the story, we can see that Vanka’s earlier life in the village is in sharp contrast with his present life in Moscow. Pick out sentences from the story describing the past and the present life of Vanka and complete the table given.

Answer:

Activity 2 (Read p.169)

In the first sentence the action is performed by Vanka (although his name is not mentioned here.) In the second sentence the action is done by Alyakhin, the shoemaker. But his name is not mentioned in the sentence. The name of the doer is not mentioned because what is important here is the action and the sufferer and not the doer of the action.

a. Read the following sentences.

1. Navin wrote the letter.
   The letter was written by Navin.
2. He washes the clothes.
   The clothes are washed by him.

Discuss:

Question 1.
Are the sentences the same in each set?
Answer:
The sentences are not the same in each set.

Question 2.
What difference do you notice?
Answer:
The difference is that the first one is in the active voice and second one is in the passive voice.

Question 3.
What changes occured to the first sentence when it was changed to Passive voice?
Answer:
The object in the first sentence becomes the subject in the second and the doer is mentioned with a by-phrase. There are also changes in the verb forms.

Question 4.
List out the active verbs and passive verbs from the above examples.

Answer:

Question 5.
Change the following sentences from active to passive voice.

1. vanka is writing a letter.
Answer:
A letter is being written by Vanka.

2. Aliakhin beats Vanka evervday.
Answer:
Vanka is beaten by Alyakhin every day.

3. Grandfather would give the dogs snuff.
Answer:
The dogs would be given snuff by the grandfather
(Or)
Snuff would be given to the dogs by the grandfather.

4. Satish had brought a grand inkstand.
Answer:
A grand inkstand had been brought by Satish.

5. Nilkanta stole the inkstand.
Answer:
The inkstand was stolen by Nilkanta.

6. Grandfather will save Vanki.
Answer:
Vanka will be saved by grandfather.

Activity 3

a.
Question 1.
Pick out sentences with similar adjectives from the story and complete the table given below.

Answer:

Question 2.
What difference do you notice between the adjectives ending in ‘-ed’ and adjectives ending in ‘-ing’?
Answer:
Adjectives ending in ‘-ed’ usually describe people’s feelings. However, adjectives ending in “-ing” describe the characteristics of people and things.

b. Now, sit in pairs and construct sentences using the following adjectives.
i. frightened-frightening
ii. thrilled-thrilling
iii. tired – tiring
iv. bored – boring
v. shocked – shocking
Answer:
i. frightened-frightening
The frightened dog ran away.
He made a frightening speech.

ii. thrilled-thrilling
The thrilled boy clapped his hands.
Climbing the mountain was a thrilling experience

iii. ired – tiring
The tired laborer rested for some time.
Driving for 10 hours at a stretch was a tiring job.

iv. bored – boring
The bored audience began to sleep.
His boring speech made me unhappy.

v. shocked – shocking
The shocked mother gave a loud cry.
Failing in the examination was a shocking experience.

Activity 4

Sentence Patterns. There are 7 basic sentence patterns in English.
Identify the patterns of these sentences (p. 172).
1. John/laughed.
2. John/kissed/Jane.
3. John / is7 tall.
4. John/gave/ Jane la present.
5. John/made/Jane/angry.
6. John /sat /up.
7. John/ put /the bag /down.
Answers:
1. SV
2. SVO
3. SVC
4. SVOO
5. SVOC
6. SVA
7. SVOA

Exercise: (p.173)
Identify the sentence pattern of the following sentences.
1. He bought his girlfriend a ring.
2. She sings and dances.
3. She made the problem complicated.
4. She goes to school.
5. John and Marry are swimming.
6. He brought me a cup of tea.
7. The company has been very successful.
8. They are in class.
9. He is brave.
10. I called my dog Dodo
Answers:
1. SVOO
2. SV
3. SvOC
4. SVC
5. SV
6. SVOO
7. SVA
8. SVC
9. SVA
10. SVOC

Now, construct sentences according to the seven basic sentence patterns.
Answer:
Sentences with the 7 different patterns

1. SV – John came.
2. SVO – I drank tea.
3. SVC – Lilly is sick.
4. SVOO – I showed Mary a picture.
5. SVOC – We elected him leader
6. SVA – Simi is fair.
7. SVOA – They found him sick.

Activity 5

Let’s Analyse the following sentences. Pick out NP, VP, Pre.P, Adv.P, Adj.P etc. from them. Identify the constituents or each phrase.

Question 1.
The poor boy Vanka was cruelly beaten by his master.
Answer:
The poor boy Vanka – NP (Article, adjective, noun, noun)
was cruelly beaten – VP (Auxiliary, adverb, past participle)
by his master – Prepositional Phrase (particle, Adjedive, noun)

Question 2.
His Grandfather Konstantin Makarich was an old man of sixty five.
Answer:
His grandfather Constantin Makarich – NP (Adjective, noun, noun, noun)
was – VP
an old man of sixty-five – Complement (article, adjective, noun particle, noun)

Question 3.
The beautiful Christmas tree in front of the house came to his memory.
Answer:
The beautiful Christmas tree in front of the house – NP (Article, adjective, noun, noun, particle, noun, particle, article, noun)
came – VP
to his memory – Prepositional Phrase (particle, adjective, noun)

Question 4.
Vanka dropped the letter into the slit of the letter box.
Answer:
Vanka – NP (noun)
dropped – VP
the letter – Object (article, noun)
into the slit of the letter box – Prep. Phrase (particle, article, noun, particle, article, noun, noun)

Question 5.
Young boys sold fishing hooks that can hold a fish weighing thirty pounds.
Answer:
Young boys – NP (adjective, noun)
sold – VP
fishing hooks – Object (adjective, noun)
that can hold a fish weighing thirty pounds – Relative
Clause (relative pronoun, auxiliary, verb, article, noun, adjective, noun, noun)

There are some errors in it which are underlined. Edit the passage and rewrite it.

Vanka is an unhappy orphan who have (a) been apprenticed to the shoemaker Alyakhin in Moscow. On Christmas Eve, where (b) his master and the others are at church, Vanka sits down to writinq (c) a letter to his grandfather Konstantin Makarich in his native village where Vanka lived (d) before being sent to the city. After the death of her (e) mother, Vanka was dispatched to the shoemaker. He thoughts (f) about the Grandfather’s dogs Kashtanka and Eel. Kashtanka is too old for mischief, or (g) the wily Eel___is sly and treacherous. Vankas (h) homesickness and misery (i) emerge heart breakingly as he written (j) his letter.
Answers
a) has
b) when
c) write
d) had lived
e) his
f) thinks
g) and
h) Vanka’s
i) misery
j) writes

The Castaway About the Author

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is a Bengali writer who reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became the first non- European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for his celebrated work Gitanjali, famous for its ‘Profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse’. The Golden Boat, Cabuliwalals, The Post Office and The Broken Nest are some of his notable works. This is an extract from his autobiographical work My Boiiluui Days.

– Rabindranath Tagore

The Castaway Summary in English

The story revolves around a Zamindar family consisting mainly of Sharat and his wife Kiran, Sharat’ mother. Later Nilkanta, an orphan boy, joins them. He comes to them after the boat in which he was travelling sank in the storm. He was working with a theatrical group. The group was travelling to a nearby place when the boat sank. The boy did not know what happened to the rest of the members or the theatrical group. We also see Satish, the younger brother of Sharat, coming to spend his vacation with the family of Sharat and Kiran.

The story begins with a small discussion between Kiran and her husband Sharat. They discuss whether they should stay for some more time in this retreat, or return to their village. They are now staying in a riverside house in Chandernagore. They had come here from their village because Kiran was very sick and they wanted to have a change of place. Kiran is interested in going back because she enjoyed the company of her villagers. Here in the riverside house she had nothing to do and she was bored. But Sharat wants her to remain there for some more time so that she can become fully healthy again. The doctor also recommended her stay here for some more time.

Their discussion ends when they hear a call from someone. The caller was a young boy, Nilkanta, who comes to them after escaping from a sinking boat. His arrival brings about a major change in the household. He is a Brahmin youth of 14. Kiran took a great liking for the boy. Sharat and his mother were happy that this would make Kiran stay longer in the riverside house. Nilkanta was happy to escape from: his cruel master and be part of a wealthy family. He was given good food and also gifts by the kind lady, Kiran.

Before long, Sharat and his mother realize that Nilkanta is a mischievous boy who developed close friendship with a group of naughty boys who would not allow any fruit to ripen in the neighborhood. He also developed a friendship with a street dog which turned the house upside down. Both Sharat and his mother wanted the boy to go away. But Kiran wanted him to stay. The boy made her happy with his theatrical performances in the afternoons. Sharat sometimes gave the boy physical punishment for his different acts of mischief. But Nilkanta continues to enjoy his carefree life, feeling happy for the first time in his life. Kiran tried to teach him reading and writing, but he was not interested in academics. Slowly he forgot about the hard life he had with the theatrical group.

Things take a different turn when Sharat’s younger brother, Satish, comes to spend his vacation with them. Kiran was happy with her brother-in-law and they had a lot of fun together. For the first time, Nilkanta feels neglected by Kiran, as she is spending more time with her brother-in-law. Nilkanta now feels he is not at all important in the family. He would often become angry and beat his gang members, kick his pet dog or smash the leaves and branches of trees with his canes.

Kiran now did not find time to serve meals to Nilkanta. Sometimes he would say he is not hungry hoping that Kiran would persuade him to eat. But she said nothing. He would then go to his room and cry. He thought Satish played some trick on her to make her angry with him.

Nilkanta wanted to take revenge on Satish. He removed the soap when Satish was taking bath or he threw his clothes up in the air as if blown by wind. Once Kiran asked Nilkanta to entertain Satish with his theatrical skills. But he said he did not remember anything.

Now they all decide to return home. They pack things. Nobody asks Nilkanta to go with them. Later Kiran proposes to take him with them, but all others strongly oppose the idea. Kiran then tells him to go back to his home. He cries and so Kiran decides to take him with her. Satish is very angry and tells Kiran that Nilkanta is clever enough to find a way to soften her heart with a tear or two. She is so good and trustful that she falls for the trick. Nilkanta now thinks of doing something against Satish.

Satish had brought a grand ornamental inkstand from Calcutta. It was his most favourite item. He cleaned it every day with great care. Suddenly the inkstand was missing. Satish thought it was Nilkanta who has stolen it and beats him up badly. Kiran tells Nilkanta to return the inkstand if he has taken it. But he knelt down weeping bitterly. There was a big argument between Kiran on one side and Sharat and Satish on the other. Satish wanted to search Nilkanta’s room but Kiran cried and said he should not do it.

Kiran felt sorry for the poor Nilkanta. She wanted to give him a surprise present. She got two new suits of clothes, a pair of shoes and a bank note. She wanted to place them in Nilkanta’s box and surprise him.

When she opened Nilkanta’s box, it was fully packed and she started pulling out things to place her gift in the box. To her great surprise she sees the missing inkstand there. Nilkanta was standing behind her and he felt as if he was hit by a hammer on his head. He had taken the inkstand as an act of revenge to Satish. He wanted to throw it into the river. But there was no way he could convince Kiran who thought Nilkanta was a thief. He left the room without Kiran noticing him. Kiran sighed deeply and kept the gift on top and closed the box.

The next day Nilkanta was nowhere to be found. Even the police could not find him. Sharat wanted to search Nilkanta’s box but Kiran strongly opposed the idea and so he had to withdraw. She took the inkstand and threw it in the river. The family returned to their house. But the mongrel dog wandered along the river bank with heart-breaking whines.

The Castaway Summary in Malayalam

The Castaway Meaning of Words and Phases

You can Download My Sister’s Shoes Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 2 Chapter 2 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 2 Chapter 2 My Sister’s Shoes (Screenplay)

Std 10 English Textbook My Sister’s Shoes Questions and Answers

My Sisters Shoes Summary Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.
The scene begins with a close-up shot. What frame would a filmmaker normally use when the characters (Cobbler &Ali) speak?
Answer:
Medium shot

My Sister’s Shoes Summary In English Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 2.
Apart from the cobbler’s shop what other details do you get about the space in which the actions in Scene 1 take place?
Answer:
A street. A door with curtain hanging on it which appears to open into a row house.

My Sisters Shoes Summary In English Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 3.
How many characters are introduced in scene 1? Who are they?
Answer:
Three, Cobbler, Ali and a man with a parcel.

My Sister’s Shoes Summary Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 4.
In scene 1 and 2 close up shots of the hands of the cobbler and Ali are shown. Do they serve any purpose? Explain.
Answer:
They are in close up because they emphasize the work they are doing. It will show what kinds of people are expected in the film. Such shots establish the ground work for the story to take off.

My Sister’s Shoes Notes Pdf Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 5.
Where is the location shifted to?
Answer:
The location is shifted to a footpath outside the bakery.

My Sister’s Shoes Summary In Malayalam 10th Question 6.
What could be the camera movement in this scene? Why is the camera moved in this manner?
Answer:
Boom/Crane shot. To show that the junk collector is * taking away the bundle of shoes.

Summary Of My Sisters Shoes Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 7.
What are the events taking place in scene 3?
Answer:
Ali goes to the vegetable shop. He takes potatoes and asks the shopkeeper to write it in the account. A junk collector comes and collects the junk. He thinks the bundle of shoes is also part of the junk, he throws it into his cart. In his eagerness to locate the bundle, Ali scatters vegetables on the ground. The shop keeper is angry and tells Ali to get lost.

My Sister’s Shoes Narration Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 8.
Which of the events is crucial in bringing about a twist tn the narrative?
Answer:
The taking away of the bundle of shoes by the junk collector.

My Sisters Shoes Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 9.
What impression do you get about the financial status of Ali’s family? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Answer:
Ali’s family is very poor. We see Ali buying things on credit. The shopkeeper tells Ali that the credit limit has reached and he should ask his mother to pay at least part of the payment due to him.

My Sister’s Shoes Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 10.
What interesting strategy does the director make use of in presenting the ‘talks’ between Ali and his sister? Why do you think they communicate in such away?
Answer:
They communicate by writing in the notebook and then passing the notebook to the other. They do that because they don’t want to let the parents know about the loss of the shoes.

My Sisters Shoes Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 11.
Do you think the sound of a hammer is used deliberately in this scene? What effect does it produce?
Answer:
Yes, it is used deliberately. It tells us that that father of Ali is a worker with wood (joiner or carpenter) as he is chopping wooden flints with a hammer on a block.

My Sisters Shoes Notes Character Sketch Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 12.
Apart from showing the characters, does the director make use of any visual image to add on to what he intends to communicate?
Answer:
Yes, he does. As an example we see the passing of the notebook between Ali and Zahra. They don’t want their parents to know about the loss of the shoes. Ali will be scolded or even beaten if his father comes to know that he was careless enough to lose the shoes of Zahra. Ali’s father is not rich enough to buy her another pair immediately.

Write a script for a short video on any one of the following themes. (Or, you may choose a theme other than those listed.) You may shoot it using a digital camera and upload it on YouTube.

My Sister’s Shoes Notes Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 13.
Leadership Quality, Unity of People, Incidents of Bravery, Child Labour, Evils of Smoking or Alcoholism, Wasting Food, Need for Social Change, Safe Driving, Preservation of Nature, Learning Disorders in Children, Values, Safe Earth, Save Tiger, Global Warming.
Answer:
The following points may help you.

1. Watch other people’s films You can teach yourself a lot about filmmaking by watching: short online videos, advertisements, feature films, etc. Look at what you like, and what you don’t like, and try and work out how and why the filmmaker made it that way.

2. Build your skills Learn how to use a camera and find out what it can do when you place it in different angles or use different lens settings. Try shooting different kinds of shots with your camera, recording good sound, and editing them. Watch a short scene from a film you like and see if you can copy it exactly.

3. Get organised Once you’ve got your idea, create a script and storyboards or shot lists. Use a digital still camera if you are not able to prepare the storyboard.

4. Keep it short and simple Have you got a strong idea? Write the idea down for your film in 50 to 75 words. If you can’t do that, it’s not clear enough. Keep the film short. People are more likely to watch an online video if they know it’s only 60  econds long.

5. Shoot separate shots Learn the different shot sizes. Use a variety of shots rather than just panning and zooming. Use plenty of close up shots to show the important things. Place your camera in different angles and not just from the front.

6. Get the sound right A good movie with a bad sound track will lose viewers faster than bad movies with good sound track. Use a microphone to record the sound right. If the sound cannot be recorded right, then fake it using sound effects, or edit our film to a recorded voiceover.

7. Edit it right Editing is an interesting job. It’s not about just getting rid of the bad stuff, it’s where your film will really come together. Get the pace right: make sure your film doesn’t drag, or that shots don’t flash past too quickly. Make sure your film makes sense. You can seek the help of technicians in this field if necessary.

My Sister’s Shoes About the author:

– Majid Majidi

From Children of Heaven (Bacheh-ye Aseman) directed by Majid Majidi Majid Majidi was born in 1959. He is an Iranian film director, producer and screenwriter. He has directed many feature films including The Colour of Paradise (1999), Baran (2001) and The Willow Tree (2005). Majidi directed the film “Children of Heaven” in 1998. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

My Sister’s Shoes Summary in English

Page – 56
→ Scene 1

Cobbler’s shop
Close up of a cobbler stitching a girl’s shoe. Only the pink shoe and the cobbler’s hands are in the frame. The camera moves back to middle distance to show Ali. He is sitting on a low chair next to the cobbler and watching him work. The cobbler finishes the stitching of the shoe, picks up the other one of the pair and gives them to Ali.

Cobbler : That’ll be 30 Toumans.
Ali : Thankyou(giveSmoneytothecobbler)
Cobbler : Here is your change (picks up coins from the money box to give Ali).

Cut to the Street Outside

Page – 57
Seen from across the street. The cobbler’s shop can be seen. To the right of the shop is a door with a curtain. It looks the door opens into a row house. Ali is leaving the shop.

Ali’s voice: Thank you.
Cobbler’s voice : You are welcome. Goodbye.

A man with a parcel under his arm comes to the curtained door. He lifts the curtain and goes in. Ali comes out of the shop. He puts the shoes into a small black bag in his hands. He walks down the street and moves out of the frame on the left.

→ Scene 2

Bakery
Inside the bakery. Shots of bread being baked. Close up of a hand putting into the stove kneaded flour spread on a baking board and taking out the baked nan. The camera pans slightly to the right to show Ali picking up the nan dropped by the cook and stacking them on a cloth spread on a wooden plank. The camera moves back to showAli and three cooks sitting around the stove. They are kneading and putting it inside the stove. Ali finishes stacking the man and ties up the cloth into a bundle.

Page – 58
→ Scene 3

The footpath outside the bakery
A small group of men are waiting in a queue outside the bakery to buy nan. The outline of buildings in the street is seen in the distance. Ali comes from the bakery to the footpath. The parcel of nan is in his right hand and the parcel of shoes is in his left. He crosses the pavement and walks into a vegetable store. He keeps the bundle of nan on a pile of boxes of vegetables stacked in front of the shop. He places the bag of shoes in the small gap between two boxes.

On the sound track a hawker’s voice is heard : “Salt, salt for trade.” The shopkeeper is behind the counter.
Ali (to the shopkeeper) : Assalamu Alaikum, Aqbar Aqa, I need some potatoes.
Akbar, the shopkeeper, gives Ali a small black bag to put potatoes in. Ali starts picking the large, good potatoes in a box at the top of the heap.
Akbar : Not those, kid. Pick some down there.
Ali moves to his right, squats down, and fills the bag with smaller potatoes from a box on the floor. Close up of Ali picking the potatoes.

Cut to view of the shop from the pavement

A man pushing a handcart filled with junk enters the frame from the right and stops in front of the shop.
The junk collector (loudly), to the shop keeper : Assalamu Alaikum. With your permission.
The junk collector picks up the bundles of used polythene bags lying scattered on the floor near the boxes of vegetables and throws them into the cart. He sees Ali’s parcel of shoes. Thinking it is junk, he picks it up and puffin the cart.

The junk collector: Goodbye.
Akbar: Goodbye.
The junk collector leaves.

Cut to view from inside the shop

Page – 59
Akbar is on the left ledge of the frame counting money.
Cut to Ali filling his bag with potatoes.
Ali finishes filling the bag and hands it to Akbar for weighing. Akbar holds the bag in his hand to feel the weight for a moment and hands it back to Ali.
Akbar : Sixty five Toumans.
Ali : Mom said to put it on our tab.
Akbar : Tell her your account has reached its limit. She should pay at least part of it.
Ali : Alright.

Cut to view from outside the shop

Ali goes to the pile of boxes and picks up the bundle of nan. He then looks for the bag of shoes. Unable to find it, he places the bag of nan on top of the vegetable boxes and searches for the shoes underneath. He puts his hand and his head in the gap between the boxes of vegetables. It upsets them. The boxes fall and the vegetables scatter on the ground. Hearing the sound, Akbar comes. He sees the vegetables spread on the ground.

Akbar : (annoyed) What the hell are you doing?
Why did you spill these? Are you crazy?
Ali : (looking at him with guilt) My sister’s shows have disappeared.

Page – 60
Akbar : Get lost. Beat it.
Ali : I left my sister’s shows here.
Akbar : I said get lost! (bangs his fist on the pile of boxes.)
Ali runs away, scared.

Scene 4
Ali’s house
Middle distance shot of Ali and his sister Zahra reading their textbooks kneeling on the mattress. A baby’s cry is heard faintly on the soundtrack. The camera closes in on Zahra. She is writing in a notebook mumbling the words as she writes.

Ali: How am I going to school without shoes?
The camera moves back to middle distance. Now both Zahra and Ali are in the frame. Their parents are talking at the other end of the room and their talk can be heard on the soundtrack. We hear the banging of hammer in between.
Mother (off screed) : Go to your company store, tomorrow. We don’t have any formula left.

Zahra passes her notebook to Ali.
Father (offscreen): Don’t worry. Rahim Aqa’s wife had a slipped disc. Surgery made it worse.
Alternate close ups of Ali and Zahra listening to their parents’ talk and looking at each other.

Page – 61

Cut to

Middle distance shot of Mother lying on a bed, towards the left of the frame, leaning back against two propped up pillows. Father is sitting on a chair near the wall, chopping wooden flints with a hammer on a block. Behind him there are two ledges on which there are some vessels and clothes.

Father: You should learn to live with it.
Close up of Ali reading from the book Zahra has passed on to him.
Mother (off-screen): What do you want me to do? Do nothing all day?
Ali starts writing in the note book.
Father (off-screen): Well, the doctor has forbidden work.
Ali writes ‘you can go to school with slippers’ (mumbling the words as he writes) and passes the notebook to Zahra. Close up of the notebook.

Mother (off-screen) : Kokab Khanom’s sister had surgery, and she is fine.
Cut to close up Zahra taking the notebook and reading what Ali wrote on it.
Father (off-screen): Don’t everthink of surgery.
Alternate dose ups of Zahra and Ali looking at each other.
Cut to close up of Zahra writing in the notebook.

Page – 62
Zahra (mumbling as she writes): Ali, you have some nerve. You lost my shoes. I’ll tell dad.
Quick close up of Ali looking at Zahra. She passes the notebook to Ali. Close up of the notebook.
Two close-ups of Father working on the other end of the room looking at the camera. There are close-ups of Ali and Zahra and a middle-range shot showing them.
Ali writes in the notebook and passes it to Zahra.
Zahra writes ‘Then what shall Ido?’ in the notebook and passes it to Ali. Ali writes ‘you can wear my sneakers’ and passes the notebook back.
Zahra writes ‘I’ll wear them when you are back from school’.
During the passing of the notebook back and forth only the notebook is in close up and hands are visible in the frame.
Close up of Zahra’s writing. The stub of her pencil breaks. Ali puts his pencil on the notebook for her to write. Zahra does not take the pencil. Close up of pencil lying on the notebook.

My Sister’s Shoes Summary in Malayalam

My Sister’s Shoes Glossary

You can Download Project Tiger Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 2 Chapter 1 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 2 Chapter 1 Project Tiger (Memoir)

Std 10 English Textbook Project Tiger Questions and Answers

Project Tiger Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
Do you know that a paragraph normally contains a topic sentence in it? It is general in nature and can be anywhere in the paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph support, prove, give examples and present additional information on the topic sentence. Identify the topic sentence in the first paragraph. How many examples are given to support the topic sentence? What are they?
Answer:
Topic sentence: No one can beat Hollywood when it comes to making films with animals in them.
Two examples are given. One is the Alsatian called Rin-tin-tin. The other is the collie called Lassie.

Project Tiger Summary 10th Standard Kerala Syllabus Question 2.
Does the second paragraph introduce a new topic sentence? If not, what supporting detail about the animal actors of Hollywood do you get from this paragraph?
Answer:
No, there is no new topic sentence. The second paragraph elaborates on the first. Here we see another large dog in Disney Studio in Hollywood.

a. What additional information do you get about standings?
Answer:
We come to know that there are stand-ins even for animals.

b. What is the puzzling incident described in the paragraph 3?
Answer:
When the cameraman shouted to everyone to take their positions, the dog, the main actor, remained where it was.

c. Which incident shows that the animal-actors in Hollywood were treated with reverence?
Answer:
The incident of bringing a stand-in fora dog. Usually stand-ins are used only for celebrity actors who are held in high reference.

Project Tiger Questions And Answers Pdf 10th Standard Question 3.
What were the difficulties Alfred Hitchcock had to face while making the film ‘Birds’?
Answer:
Hitchcock wanted a variety of trained birds, especially many ravens, as actors in his film. It was not easy to get trained birds.

Sslc English Project Tiger Summary Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
How did Hitchcock manage to get a large number of ravens for his film?
Answer:
He placed advertisements all over the USA asking for people who had trained ravens with them. Then a man, with nearly a 100 trained ravens, responded.

Summary Of Project Tiger 10th Standard Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
What is described as ‘pretty impressive’?
Answer:
The sight of fifty ravens perching quietly in a row on a specified spot, obeying the order of their trainer.

Project Tiger Class 10 Notes Pdf Kerala Syllabus Question 6.
Identify the main topic of the article from para 8.
Answer:
Shooting films using tigers.

Project Tiger Summary In Malayalam Pdf 10th Standard Question 7.
What other details are given about the topic in the paragraph?
Answer:
In the film ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’, Goopy and Bagha suddenly come across a tiger that is walking about in the forest without paying them any attention.

Project Tiger Class 10 Summary Kerala Syllabus Question 8.
How did Ray manage to get a tiger?
Answer:
He managed to get one from ‘Bharat Circus’ which was performing in Calcutta at that time.

Project Tiger Class 10 Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 9.
What is the role of a ringmaster in a circus?
Answer:
A ringmaster is a master of ceremonies. He introduces the various acts in a circus show and guides the audience through the experience, directing their attention to the various areas of the circus arena. In some places, the name ringmaster is used to mean the person who arranges the various performances by trained animals.

Project Tiger Summary In English 10th Standard Kerala Syllabus Question 10.
What were the difficulties faced in bringing the tiger before the camera?
Answer:
The main problem was how to keep the people safe from the tiger, once it is let out of the cage. In the shots for the film, the trainer should not be seen. On the first occasion, the tiger pranced about. Later, the scenes that were shot were not good enough. The second time the tiger charged towards the crowd, terrifying them.

Project Tiger Questions And Answers 10th Standard Kerala Syllabus Question 11.
What does the expression ‘to go down the drain’ mean?
Answer:
It means the efforts were wasted. There was no gain from the work one did.

Project Tiger Pdf Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 12.
What was Mr. Thorat’s suggestion to control the tiger?
Answer:
He suggested putting a ring made of thin wire around the neck of the tiger. The ring would be hooked to a length of wire so that the tiger does not go out of control.

Project Tiger Summary In Malayalam 10th Standard Question 13.
What made Ray think of a collar made of tiger skin?
Answer:
The scene to be shot was Goopy and Bagha getting terrified at the sight of a tiger. If the tiger has a ring on its neck, and it seen in the shot, the scene will have no meaning as people don’t get frightened when they see a tiger under the control of a trainer. Ray wanted to hide the wire and that is why he thought of a collar made of tiger skin. The wire will be hidden in the collar.

Project Tiger 10th Class Summary Question 14.
Why did Mr. Thorat bring two tigers instead of one?
Answer:
He brought two so that in case one does not behave properly, the other could be used for shooting the scene.

10th English Project Tiger Kerala Syllabus Question 15.
Why was Mr. Thorat taken aback?
Answer:
Mr. Thorat was taken aback because of the unexpected behaviour of the tiger. Instead of walking quietly in a dignified manner, it started jumping and running about with a lot of energy.

Sslc English Project Tiger Questions And Answers Question 16.
What might be the reason for the tiger’s unexpected behaviour?
Answer:
The reason was ‘the call of the wild’. When it saw itself in the open forest, he must have forgotten for a while that he is a circus animal! Probably he was showing his original instinct to be free.

The Project Tiger Summary 10th Standard Kerala Syllabus Question 17.
How does Ray describe the situation humorously?
Answer:
Ray describes the situation humorously by saying that they were getting to see a strange kind of circus for free.

Project Tiger Class 10 Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus  Question 18.
What did Ray mean when he said, This should have been the end of the story?
Answer:
When the tiger calmed down, they took a few shots as needed. This should have been the end f the story. But when they went back to Calcutta, they found the shots were not clear and they had to reshoot the scenes again at another time.

10th English Project Tiger Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 19.
Why was Mr Thorat asked‘to give it another go?
Answer:
Mr Thorat was asked ‘to give it another go’ because the first shots were not clear and they had to shoot the scenes again.

Summary Of Project Tiger Class 10 Kerala Syllabus Question 20.
What was the ‘magic’ performed by the tiger?
Answer:
There were nearly 150 villagers who had come to see the shooting. They were told to keep a safe distance because of the tiger. But they ignored instructions and came as close to the camera as they could. When the cage was opened, the tiger jumped down with a roar and charged towards the crowd. They melted away as if my magic.

Project Tiger By Satyajit Ray Pdf 10th Standard Question 21.
What was really required of the tiger in that scene?
Answer:
The tiger was required to pace quietly about without paying any attention to the characters Goopy and Bagha who were exiled into the forest by their king.

Question 22.
What did Ray and his team realize two days later?
Answer:
They realized that this time the tiger and the camera had behaved well and they got the type of shots they had wanted.

Project Tiger Textual Activities and Answers

Activity 1

Question 1.
Satyajit Ray and his friends had to shoot scenes involving the tiger twice, M Notun Gram and Boral. Write the events that took place in both the places in a sequential order and then describe the shooting:
Answer:

Description of the shooting:
We found a suitable bamboo grove in Notun Gram. As arranged with Mr. Thorat of Bharat Circus, a lorry arrived with two well-fed tigers. He brought two so that if one did not do things properly the other could be used. Atripod was placed facing the bamboo grove to mount the camera. The audience was instructed to get behind the camera. Goopy and Bagha were placed close to the bamboo grove so that they could be seen along with the tiger. A five-foot iron rod was fixed to the ground, some 30 feet from the area where the tiger was to walk. A tiger-skin collar with a thin wire inside was placed in the neck of the tiger. The door of the cage was opened and the tiger jumped out. But instead of walking calmly it started running and jumping about. When it became calm some shots were taken. But the shots were later found to be dark owing to poor light.

The scenes had to be shot a second time. A bamboo grove near Calcutta in Boral was found. The lorry arrived with Thorat, the tiger, the steel wire, the special collar and the iron rod. The whole village came to watch the shooting. The villagers were told to keep at least 70 feet away from the scene of the shot. Without listening to the instructions, the entire crowd got as close to the camera as they could. Thorat opened the cage. With a roar the tiger charged towards the crowd. The crowd disappeared as if my magic. Soon the tiger calmed down and the shots were taken as required. This time the tiger and the camera behaved well.

Activity 2

Question 2.
Ray and his friends visited the Bharat Circus camp in Calcutta to hire a tiger to be filmed for his movie Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne. He spoke to the manager of the circus company.
What would Ray have spoken? Attempt a conversation between Ray and the Manager.
Answer:
Ray : Good morning, Manager! I am Ray, Satyajit Ray, a film director.
Manager : Good Morning Mr. Ray. I have heard a lot about you. What brings you here?
Ray : I am shooting a film with a tiger in it. The tiger has only a small role. It has to be seen along with two of our actors.
Manager : Well, our ringmaster is Mr. Thorat, a nice gentleman. I will ask him if it is possible to send our tiger out on such missions. If he agrees, I will have no problem. I will definitely help you.
Ray : Thank you, very, much. I should meet Mr. Thorat, or will you speak with him?
Manager :’I will speak with him first, and then you can meet him for making the final arrangement. By the way, for how long do you want the tiger?
Ray : Actually the shooting will be just for two hours. But then there is the travelling time. We intend to take the shots at Notun Gram which is a bit far from here.
Manager : No problem. Thorat will be the one to decide finally as he handles the animals here. But I’m sure he will agree.
Ray : Thank you very much.
Manger : It’s okay.

Activity 3

Question 3.
Read the instructions on below
Draft the likely notice that was published in the newspaper.

Answer:
Notice
Alfred Hitchcock Productions, Trinity Street, Hollywood, is planning to make a movie titled “Birds”. In the story binds from all overthe world are seen attacking humans. We need a variety of trained birds, especially a large number of ravens. If you have trained birds of any kind, especially birds of prey, you have an opportunity here to display them and their skills to the entire world. Handsome payments will be made forthe chosen binds. The shoots may last up to a couple days and so the owners or trainers of the birds must be ready to come with their birds to Hollywood and stay for the duration of the shooting. For more information, contact:

Manager, Hitchcock Productions, Trinity Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles 90028
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 2635-555-2332

Activity 4

Question 4.
Read the instructions on below:

Answer:
From:
Satyajit Ray
Ray Film Productions
Karol Bagh
Calcutta – 52
Phone: 1256778240
E-mail: [email protected]
20 June 2016

To:
The Chairman
Animal Welfare Board of India
Connaught Plage
New Delhi -11

Dear Sir,
Permission To Use A Tiger In Film
We are planning shoot a new film titled ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’. In the film, there is a scene where Goopy and Bagha come across s tiger calmly walking about in the forest. We have discussed with Bharat Circus and they have agreed to give us a tiger for the shot. They told us we have to get permission from the Broad for using their animal in the film. This is to request you to give us the necessary permission. The actual shot will be only for about 2 hours. The location is Notun Gram. The tiger will be transported there in a cage in a lorry. All precautions are taken as suggested by the Animal Welfare Department and their conditions for the prevention of cruelty to animals are strictly followed.

Looking forward to getting your permission, and thanking you,

Yours faithfully,
Satyajit Ray
Film Director

Activity 5

Question 5.
Ray begins his article with the topic sentences, “No one can beat Hollywood when it comes to making films with animals in them. How does Ray substantiate his argument?
Answer:
Ray substantiates his argument by giving the examples of two dogs. He talks the films in which there was an Alsatian named Rin-tin-tin. It acted even better than humans. Later there were some films with a collie called Lassie. It looked as if the director could make Lassie act the way he wanted it to act. These dogs were like stars and they were paid like any other big actor. Their owners could easily get one lakh rupees from just one film. Later we also see how stand-ins are provided even for dogs which are as famous as the celebrity actors.

Activity 6

Question 6.
Are the new generation film-makers serious about film-making?
Conduct a debate on this topic in the class. You may first think about the points for and against the topic and then develop a speech to be made in favor of or against new-generation films and film-makers.

Answer:

Project Tiger Let’s Learn More About Words

Activity 1

Question 1.
Go through the film terminology given on page 53 & 54 and answer the questions.
Answer:
1. close-up
2. dolly/tracking
3. high angle
4. tilt
5. medium shot

Activity 2

Question 2.
Note: Base forms of words take prefixes and suffixes to make new word forms. Sometimes two base forms are added to make new words. Word-formation by using these methods are called prefixation, suffixation and compounding.
impossible, making, films, invisible, childhood, unfastened, cameraman, customary, film-maker

Answer:

Activity 3

Question 3.
Fill in the blanks with suitable words given in below:
1. In Chaplin’s film The Circus, the lion in the cage does not seem to be ………………………… .
2. It is …………………………. to take a screen test before casting an actor for a role.
3. In the fight scene, the boys were …………………………. at the thought of having to dive from the ledge.
4. They were looking for a …………………………. youth to do the role of an army personnel.
5. Prem Nazir is one of the most …………………………. remembered actors in Malayalam cinema.
Answer:
1. ferocious
2. customary
3. petrified
4. robust
5. reverentially

Project Tiger About the author:

– Satyajit Ray – 1921–1992

Ray (1921-1992) decided to make his own films after meeting the French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica’s Italian neorealist 1948 film Bicycle Thieves. Ray directed 36 films. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, music composer and film critic. He has written many short stories and novels.

Project Tiger Summary in English

Page – 43
1. No one can beat Hollywood when it comes to making films with animals in them. I remember many such films in which there was an Alsatian named Rin-tin- tin. It acted even better than humans. Later there were some films with a collie called Lassie. It looked as if the director could make Lassie act the way he wanted it to act. These dogs were like stars and they were paid like any other big actor. Their owners could easily get one lakh rupees from just one film.

2. I saw how these animal actors were reverently treated when I went to the Disney Studio in Hollywood. The main character in this particular film was a large dog. When I went to the studio, the shooting had not started.

Page – 44
The cameraman was getting the lights ready. It is usual for the actors to be present when the lights are arranged. This is to show the cameraman how they will walk, or where they will stand in a particular shot. In the case of big stars, this job is done by their stand-ins. A stand-in is usually physically similar to the star. The stars come when the lights are ready to take the shots.

3. I saw some actors moving about in the set. On one side there was a large dog. The cameraman shouted to everyone to take their positions. The dog stayed where it was. This puzzled me. Was it not required in the next shot?

4. Before I could ask someone, something strange happened. From nowhere, there appeared a little dwarf, followed by another man carrying a hairy dog skin. Then, to my surprise, the dwarf went down on all the fours on a chalk mark on the floor. The dog skin was draped over him. Then he crawled from one mark to another. The cameraman got busy with the lights. The dwarf was the dog’s stand-in!

Page – 45
Every animal in a Hollywood film is well trained. It is easy to train horses and dogs. But in Hollywood there were even nearly a hundred trained ravens! Alfred Hitchcock, the creator of some qf the best suspense films, used them in his film ‘Birds’. Hitchcock wanted different kinds of birds. He needed many ravens. Advertisements were placed all over the USA, asking people to contact Hitchcock if they knew how to get trained ravens.

He got a response from a man soon. The man was asked to come with his birds. He came with nearly a hundred trained ravens. The ravens would not do many wonderful things. But if 50 ravens were asked to perch quietly in a row on a specified spot, they would do it immediately.

In India it is not easy to find trained animals. It is true that some films were made in Bombay and Madras using trained elephants, horses and tigers. Their performance showed that they just obeyed commands. In Bengal, it is possible to find clever dogs, particularly police dogs, that are very intelligent. If one is patient, we can use them nicely as I did with Bhulo in ‘Pather Panchali’.

A dog might be difficult, not impossible, to handle. What is to be done if there is a need for a tiger in a film? When shooting the film ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’ (The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha), we had this problem. Goopy is banished by the king. Goopy wanders in the forest and meets Bagha who is also banished. They see a tiger and are terrified. But the tiger simply walks about in the forest without paying them any attention.

Page – 46
I decided to make this film. But the problem was how to find a tiger. The solution was to contact a circus as they have trained tigers. At that time Bharat Circus was giving shows in the Marcus Square in Calcutta. Its manager was a Tamilian. We went to meet him. He greeted us warmly and gave us South Indian coffee. When he came to know the reason for our visit, he called MrThorat, vi/ho was the ringmaster. He was also a South Indian, very strong, with features like a Nepali. He was about 40. He showed us a scar on his forearm. It was caused by a tiger.

We told him why we came. The shooting was at Shiuri in Birbhoom. We wanted to show a tiger in a thick bamboo grove. The tiger had to do only one simple thing. It had to come out of the bamboo grove into the open space, walk gently for a while, look at the camera if possible, and then go back. Could the tigerfrom Bharat Circus do it? Thorat said yes. The manager asked us how long we would need the tiger.

I said only two hours forthe shooting and the additional time needed for travel. The travel would take about 2 days. The manager agreed to put the tiger in a cage and send it in a lorry. He then asked us to go and have a look at the tiger. I asked him if it would be okay to let the tiger out of the cage in the bamboo grove.

11. Thorat was not sure. He said that he had never let the tiger out of the cage on his own. I was worried. We could not let the tiger be seen with the trainer in the film. How could Goopy and Bagha get frightened if the tiger is accompanied by a man? We could not allow that.

Page – 47
12. Thorat found a solution. He would tie a thin but strong wire round the tiger’s neck. If the wire was very thin, it would not be seen in the shot. But if the hair on the tiger’s neck was flattened by the wire, the wire would be seen. I suggested to get a collar made of tiger skin, fix the wire to this collar, and then tie it around the neck of the tiger.

13. In a village named Notun Gram we found a suitable bamboo grove to shoot the first meeting between Goopy and Bagha and the tiger. Thorat came to the location with the tiger. There were some 25 people there. A few villagers took our permission to come and watch the shooting.

14. The cage on the lorry was covered. When the cover was removed we saw two well-fed and strong tigers. Thorat said that he brought two because if one failed, the other could be used for the shot.

15. The camera was placed on the tripod and it faced the bamboo grove. The audience was asked to be behind the camera so that they are far away from the tiger. We had to stay close to the bamboo grove. Goopy and Bagha had to be within yards of the camera. At least in one shot they should be seen with the tiger.

Page – 48
16. Thorat’s men had fixed a five foot iron rod to the ground. It was about 30 feet from the area where the tiger was to take a walk. They took a thin long wire and fixed one end to the tiger skin collar. The other end was tied to the rod. The door of one cage was opened and Thorat called out to the tiger. It responded quickly and jumped out of its cage to land on the open space. What followed was totally unexpected. We were all shocked and so was Thorat. Instead of walking calmly, the tiger started running around with great energy. It ran fast, jumped and rolled about, dragging the poor trainer with it. He was trying to control the tiger with the wire he held. But he was not succeeding. We all stood around foolishly, watching the free show! The camera was still on the tripod, facing the grove. The tiger was showing no sign of making its way there.

Page – 49
17. When the tiger calmed down, we took a few shots. But when we returned to Calcutta, we found that the camera had failed to record the scenes with the tiger. The shots were so dark that the tiger could not be seen distinctly from the trees and leaves. We had to reshoot the scenes again. We spoke to Thorat and he agreed to give us another chance. This time we found a bamboo grove in a village called Boral, near Calcutta. The lorry once again came with Thorat, the tiger, the steel wire, the special collar and the rod. The whole village came to see the shooting. We told the villagers to keep themselves at least 70 feet away from the scene of shooting. But nobody paid attention. The people came as close to the camera as they could. We had no time to explain and argue. We got the camera ready and signaled to Thorat.

18. He opened the door of the cage. The tiger came out with a loud roar, and charged straight at the villagers. The crowd, some 150 people, melted away as if by magic. After that the tiger calmed down. Like an obedient child, it walked over to the spot we had chosen, paced about as it was required to do, and then went back to its trainer. The camera also behaved well and the scenes were properly shot.

Project Tiger Summary in Malayalam

Project Tiger Glossary

You can Download Lines Written in Early Spring Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 3 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 3 Lines Written in Early Spring (Poem)

Std 10 English Textbook Lines Written in Early Spring Questions and Answers

Lines Written In Early Spring Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
What does the expression “I sate reclined” indicate about the poet’s state of mind.
Answer:
It indicates that the poet was quite relaxed.

Lines Written In Early Spring Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 2.
Why does the poet feel sad while reclining in the grove?
Answer:
He feels sad because sad thoughts come to his mind. He thinks how man mistreats man and brings unhappiness around.

Lines Written In Early Spring – Appreciation Sslc Kerala Syllabus Question 3.
How does the poet associate himself with nature?
Answer:
He associates himself with nature by thinking that his soul is linked with Nature. Nature and man share the same soul and they are connected.

Lines Written In Early Spring Appreciation Sslc Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
‘And much it grieved my heart to think/What man has made of man.” What do these lines convey?
Answer:
These lines convey the sadness of the poet who sees . how man mistreats his fellow beings. The wars and bloodshed that man makes is against the principle of nature. Nature asks us to enjoy the peace and beauty that God has given us. But we quarrel and fight making us unhappy all the time.

10th English Lines Written In Early Spring – Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
What makes the poet think that every flower enjoys its existence?
Answer:
When the flower blooms it is like smiling. Naturally, the flower is enjoying its time on earth. It will not last long, but when it is alive it enjoys its time and that is why it opens its petals and gives a broad smile to all.

Appreciation Of The Poem Lines Written In Early Spring Kerala Syllabus Question 6.
What is the nature’s holy plan? How does man work against it?
Answer:
Nature’s holy plan is to make everything and everybody happy, enjoying the good things that Gpd has created. But man works against this and spends his time quarreling and fighting. He is greedy and often spends his life getting and spending money without enjoying the beauty of nature.

Lines Written In Early Spring Questions And Answers Pdf Kerala Syllabus Question 7.
Suggest an alternative title for the poem.
Answer:
The Beauty Of Nature

Lines Written in Early Spring Textual Activities and Answers

Activity -1

10th Class English Lines Written In Early Spring Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
What man has made of man’ is one of the most sinking expressions in the peom ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’. It describes the feelings of Wordsworth, the poet and his thoughts about human actiyities against nature. What made the poet think so?
Answer:
Wordsworth’s thoughts about the human werid.

• The human world is full of quarrels and fights.
• It is full of pain and misery, disease and death.
• The misery is caused by man himself as he does not love his fellow beings and help others.

Activity – 2

Appreciation Of Lines Written In Early Spring Kerala Syllabus Question 2.
William Wordsworth’s poem ‘Lines Written in Early Spring’ is appealing to the readers because of its poetic devices. Fill in the boxes with suitable examples from the poem.
Answer:
Personification
Examples:

• To her fair works (Nature is personified as a woman).
• The periwinkle trailed (periwinkle is personified as a follower)
• The flower enjoys the air (The flower is treated as a person.)

Imagery:

• The birds around me hopped and played (visual).
• I heard a thousand blended notes (auditory).
• Through primrose tufts, in ttjat green bower, the periwinkle trailed its wreaths, (visual)
• The budding twigs spread out their fan to catch the breezy air (visual) Rhyme scheme: abab

Activity – 3

Lines Written In Early Spring Notes Kerala Syllabus Question 3.
To her fair works did nature link The human soul that through me ran’
These lines speak about man’s vital relationship with nature. Discuss and write an appreciation of the poem.
Answer:

An appreciation of the poem:

The poet says that while sitting reclined on a woodland grove, his mind was filled with several thoughts. While he finds solace in the nature’s beauty, the same beauty also reminds him of sad thoughts, The speaker appreciates the nature for her god like abilities of linking a human soul to herself but he also feels grief while thinking about how cruelly man has separated himself from mother nature. The poet is highly appreciative of nature’s beauty. He finds delight in the green bowers and has faith that the beautiful flowers enjoy every ounce of the air they breathe and they are thankful for living beside the nature. The speaker observes the birds which sing and hop around him. He is in awe of these creatures.

Though the speaker does not understand their language and ways, he does recognize that the birds are creating all these movements out of sheer pleasure and joy. The breeze blowing is sweet and light, the twigs are spreading out as if to catch the sweet air and ail the poet can do is gather pleasure in their existence. The speaker questions that if this is heaven and this is the holy plan of nature then what man has done to himself is really bad. Man has separated himself from such joy and is spending his time hating one another and fighting wars.

The poem has 6 quatrains and the rhyming scheme is abab. There are examples of personification. There is fine visual and auditory imagery. We too feel like the poet reclining in the grove watching the flowers and listening to the music of,the birds. Nature is really beautiful.

Activity – 4

→ To be done individually by the students. Listen and enjoy as suggested in the Text.

Lines Written in Early Spring Language Activities

Activity -1

Lines Written In Early Spring Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
Read the following sentences and punctuate them.
Answer:

• The tree was older than the house.
• I saw a cobra and a mongoose fighting.
• What a spectacular sight!
• Will the mongoose kill the snake?
• Son, get down from the tree.
• Please answer me.
• Oh! What happy times those had been!
• What did man do to nature?

Sslc English Lines Written In Early Spring Kerala Syllabus Question 2.
Discuss:

a. Based on the punctuations marks how many sentence types can you identify?
Answer:
I can identify 4 sentence types.

b. Are there two types of sentences in the above set that end in a full stop?
Answer:
Yes, there are.

c. What difference do you notice between these sentences?
Answer:
The difference is they are statements and imperatives.

d. Based on yourdiscussion, how many sentence types you can identify.
Answer:
Four types.

e. Which are the types of sentences you have identified?
Answer:
Statements, questions, imperatives and exclamations.
Statements: 1 and 2.
Command/Request: 5 and 6 Questions: 4 and 8 Exclamations: 3 and 7

• Statement sentences are called Assertive.
• Sentences that express command, order, request are called imperatives.
• Sentences that ask questions are called Interrogatives.
• Sentences that express emotions and feelings are called Exclamations.

Now, wnte two examples each for the sentence types you have identified.

1. Assertive:
a) MyfatherworksinDubai.
b) Our teacher teaches well.

2. Imperatives:
a) Open the window.
b) Please give me that book.

3. Interrogatives:
a) Where are you going?
b) Why do you sleep in the class?

4. Exclamatory:
a) What a beautiful girl!
b) How nicely he sings!

Activity – 2

Sslc English Lines Written In Early Spring Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 3.
Read the following sentences.
1) I had built a small platform on the tree.
2) I was not afraid.
3) Grandfather had a very beautiful garden.
4) The combatants were not aware of my presence in the banyan tree.
5) I don’t get any sleep at all.
6) My first friend was a small grey squirrel.
7) The house was not electrified.
8) The snake slithered along my shoulder.
9) I was no mere image cut in granite.
10) The snake looked into the mirror and saw its reflection.

Categorise the above sentences into affirmative and negative and complete the following table.
Answer:

10th English Lines Written In Early Spring Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
Sentences Which State Positve Facts Are Called Affirmative Or Positive Sentences.
Sentences That Express Negative Ideas Are Called Negative Sentences.
Now look at the following sentences:
1. Grandfather rarely smoked a pipe.
2. The maid would hardly clean the garden
3. He could scarcely control his joy.
4. I will seldom pray for you.
5. There are few snakes in the garden.
6. There is little water in the pond.
Identify the words that make the sentences negative.
Answer:
1. rarely
2. hardly
3. scarcely
4. seldom
5. few
6. little

Lines Written In Early Spring Poem Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
Rewrite the given sentences into negative sentences using the words you have identified.
1. Most of the students read their textbooks at home.
2. The boys do daring tasks.
3. It rains heavily.
4. The students have completed their work.
5. The boys play on the ground.
6. I write letters to my friends.
Answer:
1. Most of the students hardly read textbooks at home.
2. The boys rarely do daring tasks.
3. It seldom rains heavily.
4. Few students have completed their work.
5. The boys seldom play on the ground.
6. I scarcely write letters to my friends.

Lines Written In Early Spring Question Answers Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
Rewrite the following affirmative sentences as negative sentences without changing their meaning. (Note that this might involve replacing a word with its antonym.)
(Note: Sentences containing ‘never’ are treated as negative sentences.)
1. Jack always agrees to help his friends.
2. He drivers his car very carefully.
3. Stella is prettier than Mary.
4. They have accepted the invitation.
5. A fox is cleverer than a jackal.
6. This shop sells expensive articles.
7. She always keeps her room tidy.
8. He is polite to everyone.
9. He is very industrious.
10. He is always late for his class.
Answer:
1. Jack seldom agrees to help his friends.
2. He hardly drives his car very carefully.
3. Stella is not prettier than Mary.
4. They have not accepted the invitation.
5. Afoxisnotclevererthanajackal.
6. This shop never sells expensive articles.
7. She never keeps her room tidy.
8. He is never polite to everyone.
9. He is rarely very industrious.
10. He is never late for his class.

Activity – 3

Appreciation Of Poem Lines Written In Early Spring Kerala Syllabus Question 6.
Let’s consider the following sentences:

1. The boys are playing in the ground.

2. The old grandfather was helpless.

10th Class English Chapter Lines Written In Early Spring Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 7.
A noun phrase can either be a single word (head noun) or more than one word (head noun + modifier).
Identify the Noun Phrase and its modifiers from the following sentences:
1. The magnificent old banyan tree was mine.
2. An old tree was the centre of attraction.
3. The cobra was a skilful and experienced fighter.
4. The small rented room was not electrified.
5. A long supporting gable rested on the beam over the wall.
Answer:
1. The magnificent old banyan tree. The (article) magnificent, old (adjective) banyan tree (Noun)
2. An old tree: (An – article), old (adjective), tree (noun). Centre of attraction (centre – noun, of-particle, attraction – noun).
3. The cobra (The – article), cobra (noun) a skilful and experienced fighter (a – article, skilful – adjective, and – conjunction, experienced – participle, fighter – noun)
4. The small rented room: The -article, small – adjective, rented – participle, room-noun).
5. A long supporting gable: (A – article, long, . adjective, supporting – participle, gable – noun). on the beam over the wall (on – preposition, the – article, beam – noun, over – preposition, the – article, wall – noun).

Lines Written In Early Spring Appreciation Hsslive Kerala Syllabus Question 8.
Words that can modify a noun are as follows:
Answer:
1. Articles (a, an, the)
2. Possessives (Grandfather’s, teachers’s, my, his, her, your, their, etc.)
3. Demonstratives (this, that, these, those)
4. Adjectives (old, long, smart, beautiful, etc.)
5. Numerals (three, five, twelve, etc.)
6. Ordinals (first, second, last, etc.)
7. Quantifiers (all, some, few, many, etc.)

Articles, Possessives and Demonstratives are called Determiners.
Sometimes a quantifier can appear before a determiner. In that case, we call it a pre-determiner.
E.g.

• All the students…
• Some of the books…

Lines Written In Early Spring About the author:

– William Wordsworth – 1770-1850

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) is a major English Romantic poet. The collection of poems called “Lyrical Ballads” written by him and Samuel Taylor Coleridge made him a great figure in the literary circle. He was made the poet Laureate in 1843. Some of his famous poems are “Daffodils”, “Lucy Gray” and the “The Prelude”.

To him Nature was a guru, a philosopher and a nurse. He is known as the High Priest of nature. In simple language, he extolled the beauty of Nature and asked his readers to enjoy that beauty. His poems are about simple people and simple things.

Lines Written in Early Spring Summary in English

Stanza 1: The poet is sitting in a small woodland grove. He hears the birdsong around him. Although happy thoughts are prompted by the birdsong, sad thoughts also come to his mind.

Stanza 2: Nature has forged a strong connection between itself and the soul of mankind, but man has repaid the favour by making a mess of his relations with his fellow man.

Stanza 3: The poet admires the flowers-the primrose, the blue of the periwinkle, the greenness of the woodland area in which he sits. He is very sure that every flower enjoys the air it breathes. Man must do the same.

Stanza 4: Birds hopped and played around him. The poet is not able to guess what they are thinking. But their movements showed they were very happy and enjoying their time.

Stanza 5: The twigs of the trees spread out as if to catch the breezy air. The poet thinks they too were happy and contented with the enjoyment they had.

Stanza 6: This belief is sent from heaven. This is the way nature is and nature is the work of God. Nature wants us to be happy. The poet laments at the sad state of man who spends his time in quarrelling and fighting instead of enjoying the blissful things God has given him.

Lines Written in Early Spring Summary in Malayalam

Lines Written in Early Spring Glossary

You can Download Poetry Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 4 Chapter 2 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 4 Chapter 2 Poetry (Poem)

Std 10 English Textbook Poetry Questions and Answers

Poetry 10th Class Kerala Syllabus Question 1.
Do you think the speaker in the poem earnestly wishes to be a poet? Which lines says so?
Answer:
No, he does not. “Poetry arrived in search of me.”

Hss Live Guru 10th English Kerala Syllabus Question 2.
What is the figure of speech used in the expression ‘poetry arrived’?
Answer:
The figure of speech used in the expression ‘poetry arrived’ is personification. Poetry, likes a person, comes looking for him.

Appreciation Of Poem Poetry 10th Standard Pdf Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 3.
Winter is a season when everything seems frozen and lifeless whereas the river represents die how of life. Find out a similar expression of contrast from the poem.
Answer:
They were not words, nor silence.

Poetry By Pablo Neruda Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 4.
What was the poet’s condition before poetry arrived?
Answer:
He was without a face. He did not know what to say. His mouth had no way with names. His eyes were blind.

Poetry Question And Answer Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 5.
What happened to the poet when poetry arrived?
Answer:
Some fire started in his soul. He remembered his forgotten wings. He made his own way understanding that fire that started in his soul.

Encroachment Poem Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 6.
How did the poet show that after the arrival of poetry his imagination knew no bounds?
Answer:
The poet showed that after the arrival of poetry his imagination knew no bounds by saying he has remembered his forgotten wings. The wings of imagination can take him anywhere as imagination has no bounds.

10th Standard Poem Kerala Syllabus Question 7.
Poetic intuition is like seeing without eyes. Which line says so?
Answer:
“My eyes were blind, and something started in my soul.”

Class 10 English Poems Summary Kerala Syllabus Question 8.
What does “fever or forgotten wings” indicate?
Answer:
They indicate the floods of ideas that surge through his mind. The wings of imagination are taking him to places.

10th Class English Poem Kerala Syllabus Question 9.
How does the vast, infinite and complex universe unfold itself before the poet in the poem?
Answer:
Suddenly he saw the heavens opening up. He saw the planets and palpitating plantations. He saw perforated shadows riddled with arrows, fire and flowers and the winding night – in fact the universe itself.

English Poem 10th Class Kerala Syllabus Question 10.
What do you think is referred to as ‘fire’ and ‘flowers’?
Answer:
Fire stands for the sun and flowers stand for the stars. Figuratively fire can mean the imaginative power of his sou I and flowers can mean the thoughts and ideas that bloom there.

10th Class English Poems Kerala Syllabus Question 11.
‘I wheeled with the stars.’ What does the poet mean this?
Answer:
It means his fancy travelled everywhere. He could go to any place he wanted. There were no limits to his fancy.

Sslc English Poems Summary Kerala Syllabus Question 12.
How does the poet express his delight of writing the first line of poetry?
Answer:
He says the line was faint, it was pure nonsense and at the same time pure wisdom. It was the wisdom of someone who knows nothing and therefore it can be original and challenging. Now he was riding with stars with his heart loose on the wind.

Question 13.
What is the theme of the poem?
Answer:
The theme of the poem is how the writer became a poet.

Question 14.
What are the expressions used by the poet to show the inspired moments?
Answer:
The expressions used by the poet to show the inspired moments are:

• Poetry arrived in search of me.
• Something started in my soul.
• Suddenly I saw the heavens unfastened and open.
• I wheeled with the stars.
• My heart broke loose on the wind.

Question 15.
What is the tone of the poem? (Choose from the options)
i) cheerful
ii) sarcastic
iii) ecstatic
iv) melancholic
Answer:
iii) ecstatic

Let’s Revisit

Activity 1

The poem is an example of free verse and does not have end rhymes. The poet has made use of instances of alliteration to give rhythm to the poem. Underline the initial sounds repeated in the given lines.
… something started in my soul,
Identify similar lines having alliteration.
Answer:
something started; first faint line; plant, palpitating plantations; wheeled with; heart broke

Activity 2

Complete the following word web by selecting appropriate images from the poem?

Answer:

Activity 3

Following is the review of the poem written by one of the students in Std X. Some parts of it are missing. Supply suitable words from those given in the brackets below.

Pablo Neruda’s poem titled Poetry is taken from the poet’s collection of _______a_______ poems which appeared under the title Isla Negra: the name of his place of residence in Chile.

Poetry is the inner evolution of a poet in the making. It is as abrupt and unexpected as if summoned by a mysterious Poet whose origins are unknown Where does it come from?’ The poet doesn’t know whether it is from _____b_______ or _______c_______ Perhaps it came from the _______d_______ which symbolises obscurity and mystery. The poet is trying to express the inexpressible. It is like _____e_______. The fire is an inner fire – the fire of poetic inspiration. Similar images occur at many places in the Poem. It is something that started in his soul like _____f_______. wings also stand for the same inspired state of mind when the poet will be able to take a flight of imagination. when he started to write, the first line seemed to be pure nonsense. Then the poet saw the ______g_____ plantations and ______h______ shadows. In Kear’s poem Ode to a Nightingale, we come across a similar expression, ‘viewless wings of Poesy’. Through creativity the poet experiences a kind of inner expansion which discloses the vast expanse of the universe before his inner eyes. It is like being drunk with the _______i_________ or ______j_________ with the stars.
Answers:
a) autobiographical
b) winter
c) a river
d) starry void
e) deciphering the fire
f) forgotten wings
g) palpitating
h) perforated
i) branches of night
j) wheeling

Poetry About The Poet

Basoalto (1904-1973) is better known as Pablo Neruda. He is a Chilean. He adopted his pen name from the Czech poet Jan Neruda. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He often wrote in green ink which was his personal symbol for desire and hope.

– Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto

Poetry Summary in English

Lines 1-13: At that age Poetry came looking for me. I don’t know where it came from. It may have come from winter or a river. I don’t know how or when it came. They were not voices, words, or silence. I was called separately from the street at night unexpectedly. I was among violent fires or returning home alone. I was without a face and then it touched me.

Lines 14-22: I did not know what to say. My mouth. had no way with names. My eyes were blind. But something started in my soul. There was a fever of activities there. I was getting wings. I made my own way understanding the fire that was kindled in me.

Lines 23-36: I wrote the first faint line. It did not have much meaning. It was pure nonsense and it was also pure wisdom of someone who knows nothing. Suddenly I saw the heavens getting untied and open. I could see planets, palpitating plantations and perforated shadows. I was riddled with arrows, fires, flowers and the winding night making up the universe. Nothing was invisible to me now.

Lines 37-45: I am an extremely small thing, a nothing and nobody. But suddenly I become an elite member of the supernatural. Now I hold the keys to the abyss. 1. am free to wheel the stars. My heart is breaking loose on the wind and it is free to travel anywhere and feel any kind of experience.

Poetry Summary in Malayalam

Poetry Meanings of Words And Phases

You can Download Blowin’ in the Wind Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 2 Chapter 3 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 2 Chapter 3 Blowin’ in the Wind (Song)

Std 10 English Textbook Blowin In The Wind Questions and Answers

Blowing In The Wind Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.
What does the word ‘roads’ refer to here?
Answer:
The word ‘roads’ here refers to the age, and experiences and sufferings of the person.

Blowin In The Wind Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 2.
Do these questions demand a specific answer? What do you call such questions?
Answer:
No, they don’t need. They are called rhetorical questions.

Blowin’ In The Wind Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 3.
Why does the writer say that the answer is blowing in the wind?
Answer:
The writer says that the answer is blowing in the wind because nobody knows the answer. Everybody tries to get it, but it slips away from our hold.

10th English Blowin’ In The Wind Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 4.
How is the question about the mountain related to the other two questions in stanza 2?
Answer:
They all are unanswerable and thus they are related.

Blowin’ In The Wind Appreciation Simple Words Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 5.
Who may be the ‘people’ and ‘man’ referred to in Stanza 2? What is the attitude of the writer towards them?
Answer:
The people are those who are denied their civil rights, like the Blacks in America or the people in colonies. ‘Man’ is the ruler or the Authority who does not want to see the suffering of those without freedom. He sympathizes with the people, but is angry at the man.

Blowin In The Wind Appreciation Sslc Kerala Syllabus Question 6.
Pick out lines from the song that refer to the denial of civil rights.
Answer:
“How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky? How many ears must one man have before he can hear? How many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?”

Sslc English Blowin In The Wind Appreciation Kerala Syllabus Question 7.
What attitude of the people is reflected in the refrain, ‘The answer is blowin’ in the wind’?
Answer:
It is the indifference of the people that is reflected in the refrain.

Blowin In The Wind Textual Activities and Answers

Blowin In The Wind Let’s find out how language elements work

Activity 1

Blowing In The Wind Summary In English Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.

a. Read the following sentences and place them along appropriate headings in the box.

• Had they finished shooting?
• Theirtraining had not gone very bad.
• The shots were too dark.
• Do you think it is easy to set the animal free in the bamboo grove?
• Goopy is banished by the king.
• Could a tiger from Bharat circus do this job?
• Bharat circus has two tigers with them.
• MrThorat was the ring master of the circus.
• Bagha has also been banished.
• Were all ourplans going to go down the drain?.

Answer:
Statements

• Their training had not gone very bad.
• The shots were too dark.
• Goopy is banished by the king.
• Bharat circus has two tigers with them.
• Mr Thorat was the ring master of the circus.
• Bagha has also been banished.

Blowin’ In The Wind Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th  Questions

• Had they finished shooting?
• Do you think it is easy to set the animal free in the bamboo grove?
• Could a tiger from Bharat circus do this job?
• Were all our plans going to go down the drain?

b. Analyse the statements that you have listed in the activity. Identify the verbs in them and out them in the appropriate column, according to their function as main verb or helping verb.

Answer:

Fill in the blanks with suitable verbs:
Answer:
1. They are planning something different.
2. He was reading a book when I visited him.
3. MrThorat had (has) two tigers with him.
4. A tiger will be impossible to handle.
5. The shooting will need two more days’ time.

c. Fill in the blank columns in the table below. One is done for you.

Answer:

d. Now consider the questions you have listed in section ‘a’.
“Had they finished the shooting?” How will you answer this question?
Yes, they had finished shooting.
Or
No. they hadn’t finished shooting.

These types of questions are called : Yes/No Questions or Affirmative Questions or Closed Questions.
Read the following sentences:
They are going to Madras.
Are they going to Madras?
Nandu was working all night.
Was Nandu working all night?
How do these questions begin?
What change is made in the word order of the statements to frame questions?
Answer:
They begin with the auxiliaries. The subject comes after the auxiliary. Then there is a question mark in the end instead of a full stop. Now try to frame questions for the following statements.

a. Are they planning the same thing again?
Answer:
No, they are planning something different this time.

b. Have you ever travelled through a jungle?
Answer:
No, I have never travelled through a jungle.

c. Was he scolding the public when you reached there?
Answer:
Yes, he was scolding the public when I reached there.

d. Is it snowing?
Answer:
Yes, it is snowing.

e. Can he speak German?
Answer:
Yes, he can speak German.

Consider the following sentences:
He likes oranges. Does he like oranges?
They went to the nearby school. Did they go to the nearby school?
I drink tea. Do you drink tea?
(Note: In these sentences the auxiliary verb is hidden. So we use dummy auxiliaries according to the tense of the verb.)
Like – do + like (present)
Likes – does + like (present singular)
Liked – did – like (past)

Now, construct questions for the following sentences.
1. Yes, they come here frequently. Do they come here frequently?
2. Yes, I met him yesterday. Did you meet him yesterday?
3. Yes, they lived here for a long time. Did they live here for a long time?
4. Yes, we play cricket every day. Do you play cricket every day?
5. Yes, she speaks fluent French. Does she speak fluent French?

Note : Questions beginning with an auxiliary verb are called ‘Yes/No’ Questions or Affirmative questions. They are also called closed questions because they have two possible answers only: Yes or No. It is impossible to ask a Yes/No question without an auxiliary verb. Such questions do not ask for more information. They only seek confirmation or negation.

Activity 2

Summary Of The Poem Blowin In The Wind Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 2.
Read the following sentences from the memoir: Where is the shooting location?
How did the tiger react when the cage was opened? The words in bold are question words. Who, When, Why, Where, What. Which and How are question words normally used to ask questions. They are called ‘Wh-‘ questions.
Imagine you have an interview with Mr. Satyajit Ray. What questions will you ask? Complete the following conversations.
Answer:
You : Sir, where did you learn film technology? Ray : I learned it from Hollywood.
You : Who helped you there?
Ray : My friend Alfred Hitchcock helped me there. You : Which film’attracted you most?
Ray : Adventures of Rin Tin Tin attracted me the most.
You : What was your wish?
Ray : My wish was to make a film that beat Hollywood.
You : Why did you take such a risk with tigers?
Ray : I took such risk with tigers to make a wonderful film.
You : How long did it take to shoot the scene? Ray : It took two days to shoot the scene.
You : How far away was Notun Gram from here?
Ray : Notun Gram was twenty kilometres away from here.
You : How often do you visit Hollywood?
Ray : I visit Hollywood once in three months.
You : What kind of animals are used in Hollywood films?
Ray : Well trained animals are used in Hollywood films. ,
You : Thank you very much, Sir!
Ray : It’s okay!

Activity 3

The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 3.
Read the sentences given below and identify the noun phrase jmd verb phrase in them. One is done for you/
1. MrThorat nodded.
2. This puzzled me.
3. He was a South Indian.
4. MrThorat reached the shooting location.
Answer:
1. Mr. Thorat (Noun Phrase) + nodded (Verb Phrase).
2. This (NP) +puzzled me (VP).
3. He (NP) + was a South Indian (VP).
4. Mr Thorat (NP) + reached the shooting location (VP).

b. Consider the following sentence.

Now analyse the verb phrases in the following sentences.
1. went (verb) + to meet (Infinitive) + the manager (NP).
2. reached (V) + the shooting location (NP) + with the tiger (Prep. Phrase).
3. gives (V) + Ali (NP) + a small black bag (NP) + to put potatoes (Inf.).
4. was (aux.) + covered (past participle).
5. Question 2 is repeated.
6. were (Aux) + placed (Past Part.) + in the press (Prep. Phrase) + all overthe US (adverbial phase).
7. were (aux) + watching (ing-form) + a new and strange kind of circus (NP).

Thus the following forms, may appear along with a verb to form a verb phrase.
1. Auxiliary verbs
2. Prepositional Phrases
3. Adverbial phrases
4. Noun Phrases

It is to be noted that a verb phrase can even have a noun phrase accompanied by a determiner and an adjective.

c. Now let’s us analyse the function of a noun phrase and a verb phrase and its elements in the following sentences.
In sentence 1, ‘Mr. Thorat nodded.’
The noun phrase ‘Mr. Thorat’ functions as the subject of the sentence. The verb phrase acts as the verb.

In sentence 2, This puzzled me.
‘This’ is the noun phrase and it is the subject of the sentence. In the verb phrase, ‘puzzled me’ ‘puzzled’ is the verb and ‘me’ does the function of the object of the sentence.

In sentence 3, He was a South Indian.
‘He’ is the subject. The verb phrase here is ‘was a South Indian’. In it ‘was’ is the verb and ‘a South Indian’ is the complement.

In sentence 4, Mr. Thorat reached the shooting location.
The pattern is Mr. Thorat (Subject) + reached (verb) + the shooting location (adverbial).

The sentence pattern of the four sentences given above can be written as:
1. S + V
2. S + V + O
3. S + V + C
4. S + V + A

Write four sentences in the same pattern.
1. Mr. Bachan laughed. (S+V)
2. My uncle taught English. (S+V+O)
3. Shah Rukh Khan is a North Indian. (S+V+C)
4. The train came in time. (S+V+Adverbial)

Apart from these 4 sentence patterns there are 3 more basic sentence patterns in English.
They are:
1. S + V + O + O (e.g. Mr. Thorat gave Ray two tigers)
2. S + V + O + C (e.g. They painted the cage yellow)
3. S + V + O + A (e.g. Ray placed the camera on the tripod)

Write three sentences keeping the same pattern:
Answer:
1. My father gave me a pen. (S + V + O + O)
2. They coloured the house green. (S + V + O + C)
3. The teacher placed the book on the table. (S + V + O + A)

Activity 4
Look at the following sentences from the memoir.
1. This job is done By their stand-ins.
2. Notices were placed in the press all over the United States.
3. Some films have been made in Bombay and Madras.
4. Goopy and Bagha could be petrified by the tiger.

Discuss:
Do the sentences have the similar pattern to those mentioned in Activity 4?
No.
What difference do you notice?
They all are in passive voice.

→ Write the above sentences in the S + V + Q Pattern.
Answer:
1. Their stand-ins do the job.
2. They placed notices in the press all over the United States.
3. They have made films in Bombay and Madras.
4. The tiger could petrify Goopy and Bagha.

Blowin In The Wind About the author:

– Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan (b. 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, artist and writer. His early songs like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and The Times They are a-Changing’ became anthems for the American Civil Rights and Anti-War Movements. His mid-1960 songs, backed by rock musicians, were some of the very best.

Blowin In The Wind Summary in English

Page 64 & 65
Line 1-8: How many roads should a man walk down before you can call him a man? How many seas should a white dove sail Before she sleeps on the sand? How many times should the cannon balls fly before they are banned forever? The answer to these questions, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Lines 9-16: How many years can a mountain exist before it is washed to the sea? How many years can some people live before they are allowed to be free? How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just does not see?

Lines 17-24: How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky? How many years must one man have before he can hear people cry? How many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

Blowin In The Wind Summary in Malayalam

Blowin In The Wind Glossary

You can Download Adventures in a Banyan Tree Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 1 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 1 Chapter 1 Adventures in a Banyan Tree (Short Story)

Std 10 English Textbook Adventures In A Banyan Tree Questions and Answers

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Question Answers 10th Standard Question 1.
“house and grounds were of Grandfather’s domain. But the magnificent old banyan tree was mine.” Why did the boy say so?
Answer:
IP The boy said so because he was free to do whatever he liked on the banyan tree. But in the house and the grounds, he was not so free as they were strictly controlled by the Grandfather.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Question Answers 10th Standard Question 2.
How did the squirrel become a friend of the bõy?
Answer:
The squirrel found that the boy had no catapult or airgun. Then the boy started giving him pieces of cake and biscuits. He grew bolder and took food from his hands. He even searched for the boy’s pockets.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Notes 10th Standard Question 3.
What did the friends of the squirrel think about his ‘ friendship with a human? What might have made them think so?
Answer:
They thought he was headstrong and foolish for trusting a human being. They thought so because human beings kill the squirrels for their meat, skin and even for fun. (Many people eat the meat of squirrels.)

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Summary 10th Standard Question 4.
How was the banyan tree the noisiest place during the fig season?
Answer:
It was the noisiest place during the fig season because different birds and animals came to eat the figs. The birds were mainly bulbul, rosy-pastors, parrots and crows. These birds and animals made different noises.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Question Answers Pdf 10th Standard Question 5.
How did the boy make the spring season exciting for himself?
Answer:
He built a platform on the banyan tree and he spent the cool afternoons there. He brought cushions to sit on and he propped himself on a branch. Sitting there he read books or observed the things going on around.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Question Answer 10th Standard  Question 6.
What was the incident that triggered a long-lasting excitement for the boy in summer?
Answer:
It was a fight between a black cobra and a mongoose. A myna and a crow were also involved in the fight. At the end of the fight, the cobra and the crow die. Cobra dies because of the bites by the mongoose and the crow dies as it is struck by the cobra.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Narration 10th Standard Question 7.
How did the cobra regard his opponent? Were they true warriors?
Answer:
The cobra regarded his opponent as a superb fighter, clever and aggressive. They were true warriors as they fought valiantly.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Activities 10th Standard Question 8.
How did the mongoose manage to escape from the snake’s bite?
Answer:
The mongoose bushed his tail. The long hair on his spine stood up. The very thickness of his hair saved him from the bites of the snake.

Adventure In The Banyan Tree 10th Standard Question 9.
The cobra was a good fighter. Pick out one of his fighting techniques.
Answer:
The cobra stood on the defensive, swaying slowly from side to side, trying to mesmerize the mongoose into making a false move. His great hood came down so swiftly that the writerthought the mongoose would be killed.

Adventures Of Banyan Tree 10th Standard Question 10.
The mongoose proved that he was clever. Can you cite any instance of his cleverness?
Answer:
When the cobra struck, the mongoose jumped neatly to one side and darted in swiftly biting the snake on the back. Then he darted away from the snake, out of his reach.

Sslc English Adventures In A Banyan Tree Notes Question 11.
What were the reactions of the spectators when the cobra struck?
Answer:
When the cobra struck, the spectators, the crow and the myna, hurled themselves at him. But they collided in mid air and returned to the cactus making angry noises at each other.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Notes Pdf 10th Standard Question 12.
How did the crow push itself into trouble?
Answer:
The myna and the crow dived at the cobra, but they missed him. The myna flew back to safety. But the crow tried to pull up in midair and turn back. In the second that it took him to do this, the cobra struck him with great force and it proved fatal forthe crow.

Adventures In Banyan Tree 10th Standard Question 13.
Why is the myna said to be wise? ‘
Answer:
When the myna saw it missed the cobra when it dived at it, it flew ^way into safety and perched on the cactus. That is why it is said to be wise. But the foolish crow got killed.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Summary In Malayalam Pdf 10th Standard Question 14.
Who won the battle? What made the myna peer into the bushes?
Answer:
The battle was won by the mongoose. The myna peered into the bushes to see if the cobra was really dead so that it could congratulate the mongoose.

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Pdf 10th Standard Question 15.
What prevented the Grandfather from taming the mongoose?
Answer:
Grandfather knew that a wild mongoose was more useful than a tamed one. This knowledge prevented him from taming it.

10th Class English Adventures In A Banyan Tree Question 16.
Why would Grandmother forgive the mongoose for stealing the eggs?
Answer:
Grandmotherforgave the mongoose for stealing the eggs because it kept the garden clear of snakes and it did not do any harm to the chicken.

10th English Adventures In A Banyan Tree Question Answer Question 17.
Who was the new friend of the squirrel?
Answer:
The new friend of the squirrel was a white rat that Grandfather had bought from the bazaar. They enjoyed their friendship by going off together on excursions among the branches. Finally the squirrel and the white rat mated and had babies.

The Adventures In A Banyan Tree 10th Standard Question 18.
How did the boy come to know that the squirrel was building a nest?
Answer:
m The boy came to know that the squirrel was building a nest when he discovered straw and grass falling out of his pockets. Later he saw the knitting of his grandmother in the nest on the tree. There were three baby squirrels in the wool.

Class 10 English Chapter 1 Adventures In A Banyan Tree Question 19.
What was the wonder that nature had kept for them in the nest?
Answer:
The wonder nature had kept for them was the three white baby squirrels in the nest. Grandfather said that rats and squirrels were related and it was possible for them to have offspring if they mated.

Adventures in a Banyan Tree Textual Activities and Answers

Activity 1

Adventures In A Banyan Tree Activities Class 10 Question 1.
Revisit the story and complete the story tree:

Answer:

Activity 2

Question 2.
The boy was very much thrilled by his acquaintance with the squirrel. He writes a letter to his friend telling him about his new friend. Help him complete the letter.

Answer:

Activity 3

Answer:

Activity 4

Question 3.
The boy was thrilled at seeing the fight between the cobra and the mongoose. You may also have the same feeling. Narrate the fight scene in your own words.
……………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Answer:
The boy was sitting on the platform half way up the tree. It was an April afternoon. Warm breezes had sent everyone indoors. The boy was thinking of going for a swim, when he saw a black cobra coming out of a group of cactus. It was looking for a cooler place in the garden. A mongoose also came out and went towards the cobra. They came face to face.

The Cobra knew that the 3 feet long mongoose is a fine fighter, clever and aggressive. But the cobra was also an experienced fighter. He could move with great speed and strike the mongoose. His sharp teeth were full of poison. It was a battle of champions.

The cobra hissed. His tongue darted in and out. It was6feet long. It raised its three feet high and raised its broad, spectacled hood. The mongoose was also ready to fight, its hair on the spine stood up like bristles. They would help him to prevent his body from getting bitten. A myna and a jungle crow were watching the fight. At one stage they dived towards the cobra, but they missed it. The myna went back. The crow was trying to turn around when it was struck by the cobra. It died soon. The mongoose proved too clever for the cobra and finally it was killed by the mongoose which dragged it into the bush.

Activity 5

Question 4.
‘And amongst the wool were the three baby squirrels – all of them white!’ The boy couldn’t stop wondering about the white squirrels. If he scribbled down this unforgettable sight in his diary, how would it be?
Answer:
When I saw the glint from the nest of the squirrel I went to investigate. To my utter surprise What do I see there? Among the wool, which was actually my Grandmother’s knitting, there were three white baby squirrels. I had never seen another squirrel in that area. Then how can the baby squirrels appear in the nest? I was puzzled. I decided to tell my Grandfather about it. Grandfather was also puzzled as he had never seen white squirrels. Then he said that rats and squirrels were of the same family group and they could cross-breed. The squirrel was the father and the white rat was the mother of the white babies. This world is full of wonders, isn’t it?

Activity 6

A. The silhouettes of some scenes from the story are given here. Identify the scenes and give cutlines.

Answer:

B. Based on the outlines, prepare a narrative:

The first friend of the boy was a small squirrel. He used to give the squirrel pieces of cakes and biscuits. The squirrel then became bold enough to eat from his hands. The boy built a platform in a banyan tree. He used to sit there and read books and watch the things around.

One day he saw a cobra and mongoose having a fight. As he was watching the fight he saw there were also a myna and a crow watching the fight. These birds wanted to attack the cobra. But the cobra kills the crow. Finally the cobra is killed by the mongoose and its body is dragged into the bush.

The Grandfather of the boy had bought a white rat and brought it home. The boy took it to the squirrel and soon the white rat and the squirrel became close friends. They mated. The squirrel built a nest and crammed it with the wool of the boy’s Grandmother’s knitting. When the boy went to investigate he was surprised to see 3 white baby squirrels. His Grandfather told him that the squirrel was the father and the white rat was the mother. Since rats and squirrels are related species, they could have offspring, if they mated. It was news to the boy.

Activity 7

a) A single banyan tree creates such beauty and harmony. How will it be if we have such beauty everywhere? What should we do for the conservation of nature? Discuss
Answer:
The great poet John Keats said, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” Indeed we would be happy to have beauty everywhere. But what do we see now? Even on the roads people throw their waste. We see plas¬tic bags and other things lying all around killing our environment.

We can do many things to conserve nature. We should plant trees. Reduce deforestation for cultivation and building industries and houses. Reduce the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Keep our rivers, lakes, ponds and wells clean. Reduce our dependency on motor vehicles which use petrol and diesel.

b. Prepare a digital poster on the theme; “Conservation of Nature”.

Activity 8

The story “Adventures in a Banyan Tree’ portrays the happy childhood of the writer blended with enchanting nature. Can the future generation enjoy such a beautiful life? Analyse the following pictures and identify the environmental issues portrayed in them.

Issue : Cutting Down Trees – Deforestation What is the dreadful impact of this?
The dreadful impact is global warming. The trees give us oxygen. The roots protect the soil from erosion. The tree itself gives dwellings to various birds and animals. By cutting down the trees, we are making deserts.

Issue: Plastic Waste Dumps Everywhere How will this affect the environment?
The whole place becomes a Plastic waste dump. Water bodies will be clogged and polluted. There will be no clean water. People, animals and birds will be struggling to get good water. Peaceful and healthy life becomes impossible.

Issue: Carbon Emission – Over-Industrialization What are the reasons and consequences?
Overindustrialization pollutes the atmosphere and even the air becomes poisonous with dust and smoke. Diseases spread rapidly and people die of various diseases.

Discuss the following questions:

Question 1.
Do you think these are very serious threats to our earth? What are the possible solutions for these issues?
Answer:
Of course deforestation, dumping of plastic waste everywhere and excessive carbon emission are serious threats to our earth. They cause global warming and climate change.

But there are solutions to the problems:

• Afforestation
• Planting trees wherever possible
• Conduct awareness programmes
• Avoid plastic carry bags
• Use cloth bags
• Dispose the waste properly
• Control carbon emission
• As far as possible avoid using motor vehicles using petrol and diesel as fuel.
• Avoid the use of pesticide sprays and such polluting agents.

Things To Be Done By Students
Conducting a seminar on the topic “Save the Earth”. Making a documentary on the topic as suggested in the Text.

Let’S Learn About Words

Activity 1

Question 1.
Pick out the words and phrases used to describe the fight of each warrior.

Answer:

Activity 2

Question 2.
Rewrite passage using synonyms of the words underlined:
In the spring, when the banyan tree was full of small red figs, birds of all kinds would flock into its branches – the red-bottomed bulbul, cheerful and greedy; gossiping rosy pastors; and parrots and crows, sguabbling with each other all the time. During the fig season, the banyan tree was the noisiest place on the road.
Answer:
In the spring, when the banyan tree was full of small red figs, birds of all kinds would throng into its branches – the red-bottomed bulbul, happy and avaricious; slandering rosy pastors; and parrots and crows, Quarrelling with each other all the time. During the fig season, the banyan tree was the noisiest place on the road.

Now, read the following sentence:
He had never tried taming it, because a wild mongoose was more useful than a domesticated one.

• He – pronoun, subject,
• had – auxiliary verb helping to form the past perfect tense of the verb
• tried – verb
• because – conjunction
• wild – adjective
• mongoose – noun
• more useful – comparative adjective

See the word card in the text on below:

Prepare more word cards by picking words from the lesson.
Here are three examples:
1.

• word – magnificent
• category – adjecive
• synonyms – brilliant, elegant, excellent, glittering, gorgeous, grand
• antonyms – mediocre, common, ordinary Sentence using
• the word – Taj Mahal is a magnificent building.
  Sentence using
• antonym – His performance as a Minister was mediocre.
  An activity with
• the word – magnificently (adverb), magnify Dence (noun).

2.

• Word – invasion
• category – noun
• synonyms – aggression, assault, breach, incursion, incursion, intrusion
• antonyms – resIstance, retreat, surrender Sentence using
• the word – Hitler’s invasion of Poland was condemned by all peace-loving nations.
  Sentence using
• antonym – The Polish people put up a strong resistance when Hitler invaded their country
  An activity with
• the word – invade (verb) invading (participle).

3.

• Word – aggressive
• category – adjective
• synonyms – antagonistic, belligerent, bellicose, militant, pugnacious
• antonyms – amicable, unaggressive
  Sentence with
• the word – Powerful nations should be not aggressive.
  Sentence with
• antonym – Nations should be amicable towards one another.
  An activity with
• the word – aggression (noun).

Question 3.
Read the following sentences.
1. It was an old banyan tree.
2. The tree was older than the house.
3. It was the oldest banyan tree in the town.
In sentence 1, the adjective ‘old’ merely tells us that banyan tree was old.
In sentence 2, the adjective ‘older’ is used to show that it was olderthan the house. Thetree was already there when the house was built.
In sentence 3, the adjective ‘oldest’ tells us that it was the oldest banyan tree in the town. Oldest is the superlative degree of old.
Fill in the blanks Suitably:
Answer:

1. clever
2. more aggressive
3. noisiest
4. skillful
5. hotter
6. contented
7. worst
8. most unforgettable
9. eldest
10. swiftly

Adventures in a Banyan Tree About the author:

– Ruskin Bond

Ruskin Bond was born on 19 May 1934. He is an Indian author of British descent. His father was an officer at the Royal Air Force. Ruskin’s first novel, The Room on the Roof was written when he was only 17. His first children’s book was The Angry River’. In 1992, he got the Sahitya Akademi Award for his collection of short stories titled “OurTrees Still Grow in Dehra”. He got Padma Shri in 1999. He now lives near Mussoorie.

Adventures in a Banyan Tree Summary in English

The house and grounds of our home in India belonged to the Grandfather. But the beautiful old banyan tree was mine because grandfather could not climb it as he was 65 years old. Grandmother often teased him telling him the story of an English woman who died at the age of 117. She would have lived longer if she had not fallen while climbing an apple tree. The branches of the banyan tree curved to the ground and took root again. Thus there were many trees all connected together. It gave me much pleasure. Dehra was a valley at the foot of the Himalayas and the banyan tree was older than anything there.

My first friend was a small grey squirrel. At first he did not like my spoiling his privacy. But I did not have a catapult or airgun. So, soon the squirrel became friendlier. I started giving him pieces of cake and biscuit and he grew bolder. He even started taking food from my hands. Slowly he even started searching my pockets and taking whatever was there. He was very young. His friends and relatives must have thought he was foolish to trust a human being, In the spring, when the banyan tree had small red figs, different kinds of birds would come to eat them. The birds included bulbul, rosy pastors, parrots and crows. During the fruit season, the banyan tree was the noisiest place on the road.

Halfway up the tree I made a small platform. When it was not very hot I spent the afternoons there. I could sit and read there. Sitting here I read Treasure Island’, ‘Huckleberry Finn’, The Mowgli Stories and the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Louisa May Alcott. When I did not read, I would look down through the banyan leaves at the world below. I could see grandmother hanging up or taking down the washing, the cook quarreling with the fruit seller or grandfather complaining that the strong Indian marigolds growing up all over his English garden. Usually only ordinary things happened. But one day there was something very exciting. I saw a mongoose and a cobra fight to death in the garden as I was sitting above them.

It was in an April afternoon. The warm breezes kept people inside their homes. My grandfather was also inside. I was feeling drowsy and was thinking of going for a swim in the pond behind the house. Soon I saw a black cobra coming out of a group of cactus. It was looking for a cooler place in the garden. A mongoose also came out and went towards the cobra. They came face to face.

The Cobra knew that the 3 feet long mongoose is a fine fighter, clever and aggressive. But the cobra was also an experienced fighter. He could move wjth great speed and strike the mongoose. His sharp teeth were full of poison. It was a battle of champions.

The cobra was not a coward. It hissed. His tongue darted in and out. It was 6 feet long. It raised its body three feet high and raised its broad, spectacled hood. The mongoose was also ready to fight. Its hair on the spine stood up like bristles. They would help him to prevent his body from getting bitten. Although the mongoose and cobra did not know I was sitting up, two other spectators arrived. One was a myna and the other was a jungle crow. They settled down on the cactus to watch the fight.

The cobra swayed slowly from side to side trying to make the mongoose make a false move. But the mongoose knew the power of the glassy eyes of the snake and did not look at them. He was looking at a point just below the cobra’s hood. Moving quickly near the cobra, he made a move to one side. The cobra struck immediately. I thought it was the end of the mongoose. But he neatly jumped to one side and bit the snake on the back and moved away from the reach of the snake.

The. moment the cobra struck, the crow and the myna flew fast towards it but they collided in mid-air, and making angry noises, they returned to the cactus.

There was some blood on the cobra’s back. He struck again but missed. The mongoose jumped again and bit the cobra. Again the birds flew towards the snake and bumped into each other and went back.

The 3rd round was different. The crow and the myna dived at the cobra, but they missed their mark. The myna went back, but the crow came again. The cobra struck the crow with great force and it died soon, a little away from the cobra.

The cobra was weakening. The mongoose raised himself on his back legs and picked the cobra by its nose. The cobra tried hard to get free! It coiled around the mongoose. But soon it stopped fighting. The mongoose then dragged it, catching it by the hood, into the bushes. The myna flew away making some noise as if congratulating the mongoose.

I also got down from the tree and went to*my house. I told my grandfather about the fight. He was happy that the mongoose had won. He had encouraged the mongoose to live in the garden to keep the snakes off. He often gave it food. He never wanted to tame it because a wild mongoose is better than a tame one.

I often saw the mongoose going round the garden. Once I saw him with an egg in his mouth and. he took it from the poultry house. But he did not harm the birds. Grandmother would forgive him because he kept snakes away from the house.

The banyan tree was also the setting for the Strange Case of the Grey Squirrel and the White Rat. The Grandfather had bought the white rat from the bazaar for four annas. I would often take it to the roots and branches of the old tree. It soon made friendship with the squirrel. They would together go for excursions among the branches.

Then the squirrel Started building a nest. First it tried to build the nest in my pockets. When I vent home I would find straw and grass falling out. One day my Grandmother’s knitting was missing. We looked for it everywhere without success. The next day I saw something shining in the banyan tree. I realized it was the end of the steel knitting needle of Grañdmother. The hole was filled with knitting. Among the wool there were three white baby squirrels.

Grandfather had never seen white baby squirrels. When I mentioned that the white rat often visited the tree, Grandfather told me that the squirrel must be the father of the white baby squirrels. He said that rats and squirrels were related to each other and it was possible for them to have babies if they mated.

Adventures in a Banyan Tree Summary in Malayalam

Adventures in a Banyan Tree Glossary

You can Download The Best Investment I Ever Made Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 3 Chapter 1 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 3 Chapter 1 The Best Investment I Ever Made (Anecdote)

Std 10 English Textbook The Best Investment I Ever Made Questions and Answers

The Best Investment I Ever Made 10th Standard Question 1.
Have you come across any person with importunate behaviour? How did ypu feel about it? Describe your experience.
Answer:
Yes, I have come across a person with importunate behaviour. I felt very bad about it. This person sells lottery tickets. He goes on pestering me to buy tickets from him. I feel very bad as I have to repeatedly tell him I don’t need any lottery ticket.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Summary 10th Standard Question 2.
Why was the narrator not interested in the man who was watching him?
Answer:
The narrator was not interested in the man who was watching him because he wanted to rest and avoid strangers who would bore him with unnecessary questions.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Question And Answer 10th Standard Question 3.
The narrator observed the man and described him in vivid terms. How did he describe him?
Answer:
He was in his early 40s. He was fair in complexion and short. He had clear blue eyes. He had thin hair and a large forehead. He wore a dark suit, sober tie and rimless spectacles. All these gave him a look of seriousness and reservation.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Pdf 10th Standard Question 4.
Why did the narrator notice the fellow voyager the next day?
Answer:
The narrator noticed the fellow voyager the next day because he was watching the narrator very earnestly from his deck chair. Then he came and introduced himself handing over a visiting card.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Questions And Answers 10th Standard Question 5.
What was the purpose of the visit of the voyager and his wife to America?
Answer:
The purpose of their visit was to learn about some of the summer recreational camps for young people there. They also visited settlement houses in New York and other cities. They wanted to study the methods used in dealing with backward, maladjusted and delinquent youth.

Best Investment I Ever Made Summary 10th Standard Question 6.
“I found liking him instinctively.” Why?
Answer:
I found liking him instinctively because there was much enthusiasm in his voice, manner and his personality

The Best Investment I Ever Made Notes 10th Standard Question 7.
What did Cronin learn about the man after questioning him further?
Answer:
He learned that the man and his wife had been active for the past 15 years in the field of youth welfare. He was a solicitor by profession but in addition to his practice in courts, he found time to act as the director of a charitable organization devoted to the care of boys and.girls who were punished by the courts.

Best Investment I Ever Made 10th Standard Question 8.
How did the couple help derelict adolescents to lead normal lives?
Answer:
They took derelict adolescents from the juvenile courts and placed them in a healthy environment. They healed them in mind and body and sent them back into the world. They were given training in some handi craft so that they could live as worthy citizens.

Summary Of The Best Investment I Ever Made 10th Standard Question 9.
What did Cronin mean by the expression ‘the veils parted’?
Answer:
The man told him of the incident 25 years ago, when Cronin had helped him. Now Cronin remembered everything. The veils parted. Now he knew why the man was keen on talking to him.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Summary In Malayalam 10th Standard Question 10.
‘… I was awakened by a loud banging on the door. ’Who was banging on the door’? Why?
Answer:
A sergeant of police was banging on the door. There was a case of attempted suicide and he had come to call Cronin as he is a doctor.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Narration 10th Standard Question 11.
What did the doctors to save the life of the young man?
Answer:
With the help of the sergeant, the doctor began the work of resuscitation. They laboured hard for an entire hour. As they were about to give up, the young man started breathing and soon he was sitting up.

10th English The Best Investment I Ever Made 10th Standard Question 12.
“Utterly friendless, he had fallen victim to the loose society of the streets…” What does the author mean by this statement?
Answer:
The young man was without friends and slowly he got into bad company. He started living a life beyond his means. He began to bet on horses and it ruined him.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Short Summary 10th Standard Question 13.
Why did the young man try to commit suicide?
Answer:
He had lost heavily on horse betting. To recover his losses he decided to make a final bet. For that he had no money and so he stole money from the safe where he was working. He lost that bet also. He knew he would be caught and so he decided to commit suicide.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Speech 10th Standard Question 14.
Why does the author say that it was the best investment he had ever made?
Answer:
He had made many investments for material gain, but he had lost. The losses brought him only anxiety, disappointment and frustration. But here he made a small investment that changed the life of a man, who has become an excellent citizen doing service to the society.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Activities 10th Standard Question 15.
The sergeant, the landlady and the narrator helped the young man, Complete the following table:

Answer:

The Best Investment I Ever Made Textual Activities and Answers

Activity 1

Best Investment I Ever Made Notes 10th Standard Question 1.
How does the writer contrast thp past the present lives of Mr. John?
Pick out appropriate sentences/expressions from the story and complete the following table.

Past	Present
The young man had fallen victim to the loose society of the streets.	Interested to study the methods employed in dealing with cases of backward, maladjusted and delinquent youth,

Answer:

Activity 2

Summary Of Best Investment I Ever Made 10th Standard Question 2.
Do you think the title ‘The Best Investment I Ever Made’ is appropriate to the story? Why? Consider the following questions:
a) What does the word investment mean with special reference to the story?
b) What are the other meanings of the word investment?
c) Why does the narrator describe his investment the best?
Answer:
a) In the story the word investment means the help the narrator gave the boy who was in trouble,
b) Investment means the process of putting money forgetting profit, like buying shares or starting a business or company.
c) The narrator describes his investment the best because it changed the life of a man. With 7 pounds and 10 shillings, the narrator changed a bad boy into a«^blicitor and the director of a charitable organization doing the work of rehabilitating delinquent children.

PARAGRAPH
a) I definitely think the title The Best Investment I Ever Made’ is the most appropriate forthe story. In its normal meaning investment means the process of putting money for getting profit, like buying shares or starting a business or company. In the story the word investment meant the help the narrator gave the boy who was in trouble. If the narrator had not given the money to the boy, he would have been caught for stealing money, and he would be dismissed from service and sent to the jail. But the narrator saved him and later we see that bad boy becoming a solicitor and the director of a charitable organization doing the work of rehabilitating delinquent children. The author may not have gained any material benefit from his investment, but still it was the greatest investment he ever made.

Activity 3

10th Class English The Best Investment I Ever Made  Question 3.
Read the notes on Page on below:
‘He was in his early 40s, rather short in build, with a fair complexion and clear blue eyes. His thin hair had begun to recede from his forehead. His dark suit, sober tie and rimless spectacles gave evidence of a serious and reserved disposition.’

Now prepare a brief description about your friend/ a film star.

Answer:
Selina is my friend. She is a beautiful girl of 15. We have been friends right from the LKG. We have been studying in the same school all these years. She has fair complexion. Her hair is long. Her eyes are wide with a bluish tinge and they are always bright. She smiles nicely and I jocularly call her Aishwarya Roy. She is tall and slim. Her parents are rich and she often helps poor students by buying them books and writing material. She dresses modestly and she walks and talks gracefully. She is very clever and she is one of the best five students of the class. All the students like her because of her amiable behaviour. I am lucky to have a friend like Selina.

Activity 4

The Best Investment I Ever Made Text 10th Standard Question 4.
From a state of loss and despair, John came to a life of success and joy. He intervened wholeheartedly to bring about a change in the miserable life of many young men. What helped him do so? What lesson do we learn from the eventful life of John? Discuss. In the light of the discussion, prepare a speech on the topic. “Self help is the best help.”
Answer:
My dear Principal, teachers and students, Today I am going to talk on the topic “Self help is the best help.” We all heard about the story of John. John’s parents were dead. His uncle helped him to get the job of a clerk in a London lawyer’s office. He had no friends and he fell into bad company. He started enjoying pleasures beyond his means. He started betting on horses. Soon he lost all his savings. In an effort to get money he stole some money from his office safe to make a final bet. But again he lost. He now wanted to commit suicide. He went to the room and turned on the gas.

A doctor was called in to attend to him as he was found unconscious. There was also a policeman as well as the land lady of John. The doctor soon revived him. John told them his story. The doctor, the policeman and the landlady felt pity for him and they agreed to help him. The doctor gave him the money to replace what he took from the office safe. The policeman would not report against John. The landlady would give him a month’s free board.

John changed completely. He worked hard and he became a success in life. Now he and his wife are helping children with problems to settle in life. John learned to help himself and others. Self help is the best. If you are determined to succeed, no one can stop you. “Where there is a will, there is a way.” Thank you for listening.

Activity 5

10th English Chapter The Best Investment I Ever Made  Question 5.
The story is told from the point of view of the narrator. This is called “the first person point of view”. The pronoun used here is “I”.
Now, change the perspective of the narrative to the third person point of view using the pronoun “he” and narrate the events in the story.
Answer:
It was the second day of the narrator’s voyage. Suddenly he became aware that one of the passengers was watching him closely. The narrator felt that the man was not confident enough to go to him and ask for clarification. He was in his early 40s. The narrator learned that the man’s name was John. On the final evening at sea Mrs. John persuaded John to meet the narrator.

After introducing himself and his wife, John started telling his story to the narrator. His parents were dead. His uncle helped him to get the job of a clerk in a London lawyer’s office. He had no friends and he fell into bad company. He started enjoying pleasures beyond his means. He started betting on horses. Soon he lost all his savings. In an effort to get money he stole some money from his office safe to make a final bet. But again he lost. He now wanted to commit suicide. He went to the room and turned on the gas.

The narrator, who was a doctor, was called in to attend to him as he was found unconscious. There was also a policeman as well as the land lady of John. The doctor soon revived him. John told them why he wanted to die.

The doctor, the policeman and the landlady felt pity for him and they agreed to help him. The doctor gave him the money to replace what he took from the office safe. The policeman woufd not report against John. The landlady would give him a month’s free board.

John now changed completely. He worked hard and became a success. Now he’ and his wife are helping the backward, maladjusted and delinquent youth to return to normal life. The narrator felt that the money he gave John was the best investment he ever made.

Activity 6

Go through the following diary entry.
Saturday, 23 August
What a terrible experience……..!
In that moment of despair. I tried to embrace death. Hope came in the form of the sergeant and the doctor They saved my life. The landlady also helped me, I will never again follow that dark and evil life of mine. Definitely I will change …. Just like the doctor, the sergeant and the lady, I will also try to change the lives of many …,. thus brining light to others.

Now I see that the light never fades out!

Question 6.
In which period of his life do you think Mr. John wrote this diary entry? Why?
Answer:
He wrote this diary entry after he was saved and , helped by the sergeant, the doctor and the land lady. Soon John realized his mistake. He knew that suicide is not the answer to problems. He decided to succeed in life and help the backward, maladjusted and delinquent children to live normal lives.

Question 7.
Imagine that Mr John, after meeting the narrator for the second time, writes his diary. What would be the possible diary entry? Write down.
Answer:
Today is one of the happiest days in my life. For almost 25 years I had been trying to find out this man, who had changed my life. This man, this doctor, had not only revived me after my suicide attempt, but also gave me the money to put back into the place from where I had stojen it. He is not just a man but an angel for me. Without his help, I would have been dead. Today I met him while I was returning from the States. This doctor has grown slightly old, but the cheerful expression is still on his face. I recognized him at the first look. But he did not recognize me. So I went and told him who I was and how he had helped me 25 years ago. He was happy to see me and hear about my work. I was also extremely pleased to meet him. I pray God there should more and more persons like him in this world.

Activity 7

Question 8.
Drug addiction and alcoholism are major social issues today.
A programme is to be held in the School campus to make the children aware of the dangers of these issues.
The following are some of the activities that can be conducted to create awareness.
a) seminar
b) poster/collage
c) cultural events: skit, street play, etc.
d) screening films, short videos.
Select any one of these and prepare it. You may present it before the class.
Answer:
A Seminar Paper
Drug addiction is one of the greatest evils that is destroying our society. This is the worst among school and college going children. Drug addiction is a psychological and sometimes physical problem. It is a compulsion to use a drug to experience psychological or physical satisfaction. Drug addiction takes several forms: tolerance, habituation, and addiction.

Tolerance is the first stage. It occurs when the body becomes accustomed to a drug and requires ever- increasing amounts of it to achieve the same effects. This condition is worsened when certain drugs are used at high doses for long periods (weeks or months), and may lead to more frequent use of the drug. However, when use ofthedrug is stopped, drug withdrawal may result, which is characterized by nausea, headaches, restlessness, sweating, and difficulty in sleeping. The severity of drug withdrawal symptoms varies depending on the drug involved. Habituation is characterized by the continued desire fora drug, even after physical dependence is gone. A drug often produces an elated emotional state. A person abusing drugs soon believes the drug is needed to function at work or home. Addiction is a severe craving forthe substance and interferes with a person’s ability to function normally. It may also involve physical dependence.

In addictive stage, one feels that he would die without the drug. To get it he will do anything – beg, steal or even murder. Once this stage is reached, the person will need outside help.

Of course there are awareness programmes against the dangers of drug abuse in our schools and colleges. But more direct action is needed to stop this danger which kills ouryouth and makes them useless people, useless to themselves and humanity at large.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Let’s Learn About Words

Activity 1

Question 9.
Read the following sentences from the story.
He was by profession, a solicitor
I was a young doctor at the doctor the time.
It was a sergeant of sergeant police.

The words given in bold refer to various professions.
The names of different professions are given on the left column and the details are
given on the right. Match the items by drawing lines.

Answer:

Activity 2

Question 10.
Words are divided into two classes – Closed Word Classes and Open Word Classes. When we say Closed Word Classes, we mean those classes to which no more new words will be added. Thus Determiners, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions are Closed Word Classes.
Open Words classes are Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. New words are added to these categories. That is why they are called Open Word Classes.
Here is a passage from the text. It contains both Closed Word Classes and Open Word Classes. Pick out the words and decide to which category they belong.
On thd second day, out from New York, while making the round of the promenade deck, I suddenly became aware that one of the passengers was watching me closely following me with his gaze every time I passed.
I wanted to rest, to avoid the tedium of casual and importunate shipboard contacts. I gave no sign of having noticed the man.
Answer:
Closed Word Classes

• Determiner : the,one,every
• Pronoun : I, me, his
• Preposition : On, out, from, of, with, to
• Conjunction : while, that, and

Open Word Classes

• Noun : day, New York, promenade, deck, passengers, gaze, time, tedium, shipboard, contacts, sign, man
• Verb : making, became, was watching, following, passed, wanted, rest, avoid, gave, having, noticed
• Adjective : round, second, aware, casual, importunate, no Adverb: suddenly, closely

Activity 3

Question 11.
Read the following sentences.
Listening to a single story is the refusal of truths.
Applauds of the audience energise the athletes.
Racism had deeply affected the life of the African Americans.
Freedom is the birthright of an individual.
Nightingales have a musical voice.
Climate changes threaten the life on earth.
These paintings are very creative.
Each of us should be a protector of nature.
The argument against fossil fuel consumption is stronger nowadays.
He seemed affected by a troubled, rather touching diffidence.
Education will enlighten the minds of people.
He went on with the same awkwardness.
He found time to act as director of a charitable organisation.

Pick out the words highlighted in these sentences and complete the table.

Answer:

Question 12.
The root words had changed their forms or class after suffixation. Categorise them on the basis of derivation as shown in the table below:

Answer:

Activity 4

Question 13.
Fill in the following passage using appropriate words given below:
(maladjusted, paltry, disarming, go on, awkwardness, genuine, importunate, given up, tedium, apparently)
Answer:
The tedium of life in old age homes has been pointed out by many. The awkwardness old people face there is mainly out of the importunate curiosity of the visitors who come there. Many of the old people are maladjusted because of the long and solitary lives they have to lead there. Apparently there are no genuine cases of abandoned parents because of the financial conditions of the family. Most of them are given up by their wealthy children. We have to go on enlightening our youths against the tendency to fly away from their parents. The paltry sum they send ¡s nothing if they really know the value of the disarming smiles that bloom on the faces of their parents when thêy are properly cared for in their old age.

The Best Investment I Ever Made About the author:

– Archibald Joseph Cronin

Cronin (1896-1981) was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is “The Citadel”. It is about a doctor in a Welsh mining village, who quickly moves up the career ladder in London. Cronin also worked as a Medical Inspector of Mines. His short novel “Country Doctor” was adapted for a long-running BBC Radio and TV Series.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Summary in English

Page – 77
1. I was travelling in a ship from New York. On the second day, as I was walking around on the deck, I noticed that a passenger was observing me. I did not want to answer questions from strangers and so I pretended I did not notice him.

2. But the man continued to observe me. I felt he was not confident enough to come to me and ask for clarification. He was in his early 40s. He was fair in complexion and short. He had clear blue eyes. He had thin hair and a large forehead. He wore a dark suit, sober tie and rimless spectacles. All these gave him a look of seriousness and reservation. It was time for dinner and I went below.

Page – 78
3. On the following afternoon also I noticed that he was observing me from his deck chair. His wife was with him. I was puzzled. I discovered from the steward that they were Mr and Mrs John S. from near London. After another day, I felt that John was too shy to come to me. On the final evening at sea, Mrs. John S. persuaded her husband to come and talk to me as I passed along the deck.

4. He came to introduce himself and gave me his visiting card. The name did not mean anything to me. Then with great difficulty, he told me he and his wife would like to talk to me.

5. I went and sat near them. He told me that this was their first visit to America. It was not an entirely holiday trip. They had been making a tour of the New England states, inspecting many of the summer recreational camps for young people there. They also visited settlement houses in New York and other cities. They wanted to study the methods used in dealing with backward, maladjusted and delinquent youth.

Page – 79
6. There was much enthusiasm in his voice and manner. I liked him. I found out that he and his wife had been active in youth welfare for the last 15 years. He was a lawyer by profession. In addition to his work in the court, he was the director of a charitable organization devoted to the welfare of boys and girls. These boys and girls were mostly law-breakers from city sums.

7. I learned about their work. They took derelict adolescents from the juvenile courts and placed them in a healthy environment. They healed them in mind and body and sent them back into the world. They were given training in some handi craft so that they could live as worthy citizens. I wanted to know why he did such a work.

8. The question had a strange effect on him. He took a deep breath and asked me if I still did not remember him. I said no.

9. He said that he had wanted to get in touch with me for many years. But he was not able to do so. Then he whispered to me something that took me back to the incident that happened 25 years ago. I had then met him, just once.

10. I was a young doctor then. I had begun my practice in a working-class district of London. On a foggy night, around 1 o’clock, somebody banged at my door. I went down to see who it was. It was a police sergeant. He told me there was a suicide case and I should go with him at once.

Page – 80
11. We walked in silence. Even our footsteps were muffled by the fog. We entered an old building. As I climbed the steps, there was the smell of gas. The landlady showed me the body of a young man. It was on a narrow bed in the attic.

12. The young man was not dead, although the chance of his recovery was minimal. We tried to revive him, for almost one hour. We were about to give up, when the patient started breathing. We tried again and in half an hour the youth was sitting up, looking at us in a surprised manner. He soon realized the horror of the situation.

13. As he regained his strength, he told us his story. His parents were dead. His uncle helped him to get the job of a clerk in a London lawyer’s office. As he had no friends, he had fallen into bad company. He started enjoying the pleasures of life beyond his means. He started betting on horses. Soon he lost all his savings and he incurred a lot of debt. In an effort to get money, he stole money from his office safe to make a final bet. But again he lost. He was desperate and returned to the room. He wanted to die. He turned on the gas.

Page – 81
14. The policeman wanted to know how much he had stolen. He had stolen only seven pounds and ten shillings. For this small amount he was throwing his life away.

15. The landlady, the policeman and I were the only witnesses to this confession. Together, we decided to give the young man a fresh start.

16. The policeman agreed not to report the case so that there would be no trial. The landlady offered a month’s free board to the youth. I gave him the 7 pounds and 10 shillings to put back into the safe.

17. The ship moved. There was no need for any speech. With a tender gesture, Mrs. John took her husband’s hand. We sat in silence. I realized that it was the best investment I had ever made in my life. It had paid me no dividends in worldly goods. I had made many investments for material gain, but I had lost. The losses brought me only anxiety, disappointment and frustration.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Summary in Malayalam

The Best Investment I Ever Made Glossary

You can Download The Danger of a Single Story Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 3 Chapter 3 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 3 Chapter 3 The Danger of a Single Story (Speech)

Std 10 English Textbook The Danger of a Single Story Questions and Answers

The Danger Of A Single Story Questions And Answers 10th Question 1.
How does Adichie begin her speech? What is striking about it?
Answer:
She tells the audience that she is story teller. The striking thing about it is that it captures the attention of her listeners or readers.

The Danger Of A Single Story Summary In Malayalam 10th Question 2.
How does Adichie describe the characters in herearly writings?
Answer:
Her characters were, white and blue eyed. They played in the snow. They ate apples. They talked a lot about the weather and how lively it was that the sun had come out.

Danger Of A Single Story Questions And Answers 10th Question 3.
How did Adichie feel when she read books authored byAchebe and Laye?
Answer:
When she read books authored by Achebe and Laye, Adichie felt that people like her with chocolate colour and kinky hair could also exist in literature.

The Danger Of A Single Story Answer Key 10th Question 4.
How did American and British books help her in her writing?
Answer:
They helped in stirring her imagination and opened up new worlds before her.

The Danger Of A Single Story Summary 10th Question 5.
Why was Adichie startled when she visited Fide’s village?
Answer:
She had thought that poor people could hardly do anything. But when she visited Fide’s village, Fide’s mother showed her a beautifully patterned basket made from dyed raffia that Fide’s brother had made. Adichie was surprised that a poor boy could make such a beautiful thing.

The Danger Of A Single Story Notes 10th Question 6.
Why was Adichie’s roommate shocked?
Answer:
Adichie’s roommate was shocked because Adichie spoke English quite well.

The Danger Of A Single Story Questions 10th Question 7.
Adichie talks about the ‘no possibilities’ in this single story. What does she mean by this?
Answer:
She means that her roommate could never imagine that there was a possibility of people like her in Africa. Her roommate knew only the ‘single story’ of Africa that it is a dark continent.

The Danger Of A Single Story Answer Key Pdf 10th Question 8.
Why did the professor say that her characters were ‘not authentically African’?
Answer:
He said like that because her characters were like him, educated and middle class. Her characters drove cars and they were not starving. The professor thought that such things are not authentically African.

The Danger Of A Single Story Questions Pdf 10th Question 9.
What is the problem of a single story according to Adichie?
Answer:
The problem with single story is that it creates stereotypes. Stereotypes may not be untrue but they are not complete. Single story gives people a wrong picture of things.

The Danger of a Single Story (Speech) Textual Activities and Answers

Activity 1

Question 1.
In her speech Adichie says, “All these stories make me who I am.”
Listen to her speech on www.TED.com and pick out the instances of personal stories from it.

One instance is given for you.
The story of her childhood when she started reading the age of 4 and writing when she was 7.
…………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………….
Answer:
Her reading of foreign books, especially American and British.
Her reading of Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye. The coming of Fide as the houseboy when she was 8.
Her mother telling her how poor Fide’s family is. Her visit to the village of Fide.
Her going to the USA when she was 19.
Her experiences with her roommate.
The comment about her characters by a professor who felt that her characters were not authentically African.
The tragedies she experienced – grandparents dying in refugee camps, her cousin Polle dying because of the lack of proper healthcare, her friend Okoloma dying in a plane crash as the fire trucks had no water and how the repressive military governments, which did not give priority to education, did not sometimes even pay salaries to her parents.

Activity 2

→ To be done by students after listening to the TED speech.

Activity 3

Question 2.
Critically analyse the speech of Chimamande Ngozi Adikie and discuss the dangers of a single story in perceiving people and events in the world. Prepare a write-up based on the points of your discussion.
Answer:
The Danger of a Single Story A single story creates stereo types. The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but they are incomplete. The experience of Chimamanda Adichie, while she was a student in the USA, proves the point. Her American roommate was surprised to hear Adichie speak English so well and she liked the songs of Mariah Carey. The American roommate could never imagine that a girl from Nigeria would speak English or listen to singers like Mariah Carey. Many British, Canadians or Australians feel surprised when Indians speak fluent English because they think that Indians can’t speak English well.

misinform and misguide people. They had a servant, whose name was Fide. Her mother always talked about the poverty of Fide. Adichie once visited Fide’s home and found his brother was a fine craftsman who could make beautifully patterned baskets. But she knew only of their poverty and not their artistic skills. This is what happens to many of us. We hear just one thing about a person or about a country. We don’t hear other things about him or the country. And so our opinion about the person and the country remains prejudiced. In India there are many street magicians an snake charmers. Many people in Africa and Europe think that all Indians know magic and they can handle snakes like Vava Suresh.

We all have heard the story of six blind men going to ‘see’ the elephant. Each of them felt with their hands a different hart of the elephant. The person who felt the leg of the elephant said that an elephant is like a pillar. The one who felt the ear said that an elephant is like a hand-fan. To the one who felt the tail an elephant was like a stick! They all were right in their own limited way, but they were all wrong about their concept of the elephant.

So before coming to conclusions we should hear not a single story about something, but different stories about it. Otherwise we will remain prejudiced like the blind men in the story.

Let’s find out how language elements work.

Activity 1

Question 2.
Consider the following sentence from the story “The Best Investment I Ever Made”:
“Excuse me, doctor, I wonder if I might introduce myself.”
This is a very formal way of introducing oneself.
Can you complete the following table with formal and informal expressions wherever necessary?

Answer:

Question 3.
Now, complete the following conversation between Mr and Mrs John and DrCronin using formal expressions.
Mr John : Excuse me, doctor, I wonder if I might introduce myself.
Dr. Cronin : Of course. _____________________________________________.
Mr.John : ________________________________________. I am afraid you
may not remember me.
Dr.Cronin : _____________________________________________________________
Mr John : By the way, may I take the privilege of introducing my wife?
Dr.Cronin : _______________________________ Mrs. John.
Mrs. John : Good morning doctor ____________________________________
Dr.Cronin : _______________________________________________________
Mr.John : _______________________________________________________
Answer:
Mr. John : Excuse me, doctor, I wonder if I might introduce myself,
Dr. Cronin : Of course, you may do so.
Mr. John : I am John whom you once helped. I am afraid you may not remember me.
Dr. Cronin : Oh Yes, now I remember. That was long ago, isn’t it? How are you now?
Mr. John : By the way, may I take the privilege of introducing my wife?
Dr. Cronin : Pleased to meet you, Mrs. John.
Mr. John : Good morning doctor. John has always been speaking about you.
Dr. Cronin !t is good of him. I didn’t do anything great for him.
Mr. John : No, doctor. You did really something great for me. You changed my life entirely for the better.

Activity 2

Question 4.
1. f you spare a few minutes with me, I can convey the message.
2. If the sergeant refused to oblige, the young man would go to the prison.
3. If I had prepared well, I would have performed well on the stage.

Discuss:
Can split the above sentences into two? Yes, I can.

• Is there a subject and a verb in both the parts? Yes, there is.
• What will you call the two parts with verbs in each of them? Clauses.
• Identify the verb forms in both the parts of the sentences:
  1. spare – simple present; can convey – future
  2. refused – simple past; would go – conditional
  3. had prepared – past perfect; would have performed – conditional perfect

Now complete the following sentences suitably:
Answer:

1. If you had enough money, you would buy a car.
2. I will come if you invite me.
3. If you had informed me, I would have come in time.
4. If she comes, I will be happy.
5. If he had known about it, he would not have said such things.
6. If they tried, they would succeed.

Activity 3

Question 5.
Read the following sentence from the story “The Best investment I ever Made”.
No sooner had the sergeant banged the door than he saw the doctor hurriedly coming down.

• Which event happened first? banging the door.
• What was the second event? the coming of the doctor.
• Did the second event happen immediately or after some time? Immediately after.
• How have we linked the two events?

By using no sooner…. than.

Note: When the second event occurs immediately after the first, they can be connected with “No sooner …. than”. “No sooner” should be added to the event that occurred first. ‘Had’ or ‘did’ is used along with ‘No sooner’.

Read the following sentences and complete them suitably:
1. No sooner had I reached the station than the train left.
No sooner did I reach the station than the train left.

2. No sooner had we heard the sound than we rushed to the spot.
No sooner did ____________________________________________________.

3. No sooner had ____________________________________________________.
No sooner did she finish the project than she started a new one.

4. ___________________________ I received her call ___________ I left the house.
__________________________________________________________________.
Answer:
1. No sooner had I reached the station than the train left.
No sooner did I reach the station than the train left.

2. No sooner had we heard the sound than we rushed to the spot.
No sooner did we hear the sound than we rushed to the spot.

3. No sooner had she finished the project than she started a new one.
No sooner did she finish the project than she started a new one.

4. No sooner had I received her call than I left the house.
No sooner did I receive her call than I left the house.

Question 6.
It is possible to express the same idea using ‘hardly/ scarcely… when’.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Answer:

1. Hardly had I reached the station when the train left.
2. Scarcely had we heard the sound when we rushed to the shot.
3. Hardly had she finished the project when she started a new one.
4. Scarcely had I received her call when I left the house.

Question 7.
Now, read the following sentence and see how it is different from the previous one. You may rewrite the other sentences too.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Answer:

1. As soon as I reached the station, the train left.
2. As soon as we heard the sound, we rushed to the spot.
3. As soon as she finished the project she started a new one.
4. As soon as I received her call I left the house.

Activity 4

Read the following sentences from the story The Best Investment I Ever Made.
I was awakened by a loud banging on the door.
He had taken a sum of money from the office safe for a final gamble.

You have learnt about noun phrases and verb phrases in the earlier units. Now, let’s have a look at the prepositional phrases. The words given in bold in the above sentences are prepositional phrases.

The preposition is followed by an object. The preposition and the object together form a prepositional phrase.
I am going into the forest.

Now, read the following sentences and identify the prepositional phrases in each sentence.
1. Come into the garden with me.
____________________________________________________________

2. She wanted to go to the movies.
____________________________________________________________

3. The girl from the nearby city left her purse in the lab.
____________________________________________________________

4. The stories in that book were translated by my friend.
____________________________________________________________

5. She was looking for a man with money.
____________________________________________________________
Answer:

1. Come into the garden with me.
   (into the garden, with me)
2. She wanted to go to the movies,
   (to the movies)
3. The girl from the nearby city left her purse in the pub.
   (from the nearby city, in the pub).
4. The stories in that book were translated by my friend,
   (in that book, by my friend)
5. She was looking for a man with money,
   (for a man, with money)

The Danger Of A Single Story About the author:

– Chimamanda Adichie

Chimamanda Adichie (b. 1977) is a Nigerian novelist, non-fiction writer and short story writer. She occupies an important place among the young English writers of Africa. Her works include Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah.

The Danger Of A Single Story Summary in English

Page – 95
I am a story teller. I would like to tell you a few personal stories to show you the danger of a single story. I grew up in a university campus in Eastern Nigeria. My mother says I started reading at 2. But I think I did it when I was 4.1 am a reader and I used to read mostly British and American children’s books.

I was also an early writer. I started writing when I was 7.1 wrote stories in pencil with crayon drawings. My poor mother had to read them. I wrote exactly like the kind of stories I read. All my characters were white and blue-eyed. They played in the snow. They ate apples. They talked a lot about the weather and how lovely it was when the sun came out. I had never been outside Nigeria. We did not have snow. We ate mangoes and we never talked about the weather as there was no need to.

Page – 96
This shows how impressionable and vulnerable we are to a story, especially when we are children. Since I read books whose characters were foreign, I thought books should have foreigners in them and should be about things I could not personally identify. Things changed when I found African books. Not many were available and they were not easy to find. When I read Chinua Achebe (Nigerian writer) and Camara Laye (writer from Guinea), I realised that people like me could also exist in literature. We have skin colour like chocolate and hair kinky which could not form pony tails. Now I started writing about things I recognized. I loved the American and British books I read. They stirred my imagination and opened a new world for me. African writers showed me that books can be about different things.

Page – 97
I come from a conventional middle-class family. My father was a professor. My mother was an administrator. We had a live-in domestic help, who came from a village nearby. Wheh I was 8, we got a new houseboy, Fide. My mothertold us that his family was very poor. My mother sent yams (“kachil”), rice and old clothes to his family. When I could not finish my food, my mother would say. “Finish it. Don’t you know that people like Fide’s family have nothing to eat?” I felt pity for Fide’s family.

One Saturday we went to Fide’s village. His mother showed us a beautifully patterned basket of dyed raffia that his brother had made. I was surprised. I never thought a member of his family could make something. I had heard enough of their poverty, I simply knew only one thing about them – they were poor. Their poverty was my single story of them.

Years later, I thought about this when I left Nigeria to study in the USA. I was 19. My American roommate was shocked by me. She asked me where I had learned to speak English so well. She was confused when I told her that English was the official language of Nigeria. She asked me to play for her some ‘tribal music’ and was disappointed to see that my tape had Mariah Carey.

She had felt sorry for me even before she saw me. She had pity for me as I was an African. My roommate had a single story of Africa. I n this single story she could not imagine that anybody in Africa could be like her in anyway.

Page – 98
Before I went to the US, I did not consciously identify as African. But in the US whenever Africa has mentioned people turned to me. I got the identity of an African. But I get angry when people refer to Africa as if it is just one country. After living for some years in the US, I understood my roommate’s response to me. If I did not grow up in Nigeria and if all I knew about Africa was from popular images I too would think like her. To people like her Africa was a place of beautiful landscapes, animals and incomprehensible people. The Africans, they thought, were unable to think for themselves. They were waiting to be saved by some white foreigners. They saw Africa, in the same way, I saw Fide’s family when I was young.

My American roommate must have heard different versions of a single story about Africa. A professor once told me that my novel was not ‘authentically African’. He told me that my characters were too much like him, educated and middle class. My characters drove cars. They were not starving. Therefore, he thought, they were not authentically African.

I learned that writers were to have unhappy childhoods to be successful. If that is true, I had to invent horrible things my parents had done to me. But the truth is I had a happy childhood full of love and laughter. Mine was a close knit family.

But I also had grandfathers who died in refugee camps. My cousin Polle died because he could not get adequate healthcare. One of my closest friends, Okoloma, died in a plane crash because our fire trucks did not have water. I grew up under repressive military governments that devalued education so that sometimes my parents were not paid their salaries.

All of these stories make me who I am. Giving importance only to the negative things is not good. The single story creates stereotypes. Stereotypes . may be true, but they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.

The Danger Of A Single Story Summary in Malayalam

The Danger Of A Single Story Glossary

You can Download Vanka Questions and Answers, Summary, Activity, Notes, Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 5 Chapter 1 help you to revise complete Syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 5 Chapter 1 Vanka (Short Story)

Std 10 English Textbook Vanka Questions and Answers

Vanka Question Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 1.
On the basis of your reading of the first two paragraphs of the story, complete die following table.
Answer:
Protagonist of the story: Vanka Zhukov
Place: Shoemaker Alyakhin’s house, where Vanka is apprenticed.
Time: Christmas Eve
His family: Grandad Konstantin. His parents are dead. He has no relatives.
His mental state: Depressed and miserable.
His actions: Writes a letter to his Grandad telling him about his misery. Puts it in an envelope with incomplete address. Goes out and posts the letter in the letter box.

Vanka Letter To Grandfather Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 2.
What were the specialties of the dog Eel?
Answer:
Eel had black coat and a long weasel-like body. He was respectful and always tried to get people’s affection. He looked at friends and strangers in the same manner. He did not give confidence to anyone. His respectful and obedient nature hid his hatred and vengeance. He could go quietly and bite somebody’s foot, creep into the icehouse and steal a peasant’s chicken. His back legs had been cut many times, twice he had been hung up, and every week he was beaten up very badly. But he survived all.

Vanka Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 3.
Is there a shift in the setting of the story in paragraphs 3 and 4? Where do the events take place?
Answer:
There is a shift. The events in paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 take place in the estate where Vanka’s grandfather worked.

Vanka Chapter Questions And Answers Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 4.
How does grandfather create an atmosphere of fun and laugher?
Answer:
Grandfather creates an atmosphere of fun and laugher by playfully pinching one of the maids or cook and making them take snuff. He also gave snuff to the dogs. The women would sneeze and then the grandfather would say “Good for frozen noses”.

10th English Chapter Vanka Activities Kerala Syllabus Question 5.
Pick out words and phrases used to describe the night.
Answer:
Dark night; trees were silver with rime; sky sprinkled with gaily twinkling stars; the Milky Way looked newly scrubbed and polished with snow.

Vanka Story In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 6.
What sort of life did Ivanka lead at the shoemaker’s place?
Answer:
Vanka led a very miserable life there. He did not get enough food to eat. He had to rock the shoemaker’s baby in the night and this prevented him from getting enough sleep. He was badly beaten by Alyakhin. Senior boys ridiculed him.

Vanka Story Summary In Malayalam Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 7.
What, according to Vanka, would happen to him if his grandfather did not take him back home? Why did he think so?
Answer:
If his grandfather did not take him back home, he would die. He thought so because it was impossible for him to continue with his cruel master Alyakhin, who made him work hard, starved him, made him rock his baby in the night and beat him up cruelly.

10th Class English Chapter Vanka Kerala Syllabus Question 8.
Why could not Vanka run away from the home of the shoemaker?
Answer:
Vanka could not run away from the home of the shoemaker because he had no shoes or boots. He was afraid of frostbite.

Character Sketch Of Vanka Grandfather Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 9.
Vanka is working for a shoemaker, but he does not have boots. What do you understand from this?
Answer:
This means although he works with a shoemaker he can’t have shoes of his own. This is the case with many workers. A worker in a five-star hotel will not enjoy the same food or facilities that he helps to give to the guests. It is like ‘Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink!”

Vanka Story Summary In English Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 10.
What promises does Vanka make to his grandfather so that he would take him back home?
Answer:
Vanka makes a lot of promises to his grandfather so that he would take him back home. He would grind his snuff. He would pray for him. He could even beat him as hard as he liked if he did mischief. He would clean the boots or go as a shepherd instead of Fedya. When he grows up to be a man he would look after him and he will not let anyone hurt him. When he dies, he would pray for his soul like he does for his Mummie.

Anton Chekhov Vanka Summary Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 11.
What beautiful memories of Christmas do Vanka Cherish?
Answer:
Vanka remembers his grandfather going to get a Christmas tree for his employers. He had taken Vanka with him. How happy Vanka was then! Grandfather would laugh. The frost-covered trees would laugh and Vanka also laughed. Before cutting the tree, grandfather would smoke his pipe, take a long pinch of snuff. He would laugh at the shivering Vanka. The young firtrees, covered with frost, stood without moving. They were waiting to see which one would be cut. Suddenly a hare would appear. Grandfather would shout: ‘Stop it, stop it.’ Grandfather would drag the tree to the big house. They all would decorate it.

Vanka Character Sketch Kerala Syllabus 10th Question 12.
Who was Vanka’s favorite? Why did he like her?
Answer:
Miss Olga Ignatyevna was Vanka’s favorite. She used to give Vanka sweets. She also taught him to read, write, count and also to dance.

Malayalam Short Story Summary  Question 13.
How did Vanka reach Moscow?
Answer:
When he became an orphan, after the death of his mother Pelageya, he was sent to his grandfather. His grandfather apprenticed him to the shoemaker Alyakhin in Moscow.

Kerala Syllabus 10th Standard English Notes Question 14.
“I have such a miserable life worse than a dog’s. ” What made Vanka say so?
Answer:
Vanka said so for so many reasons. He did not get enough to eat. He could not sleep properly as he had to rock Alyakhin’s baby in the night. He was laughed at by the senior apprentices and above all he was often beaten by Alyakhin.

Question 15.
Do you think Vanka’s letter will reach his grandfather? Why?
Answer:
It won’t reach his grandfather. He just wrote the name of his grandfather and simply the village’. Which village? Where? Nobody would know.

Question 16.
What did Vanka dream about in his sleep?
Answer:
He dreamed of a stove. His grandfather was sitting on the stove-ledge, with his bare feet dangling. He was reading the letter to the cooks. Eel was walking backwards and forwards, wagging his tail.

Question 17.
Does the reference to the Eel have any significance in the story? How?
Answer:
The Eel in spite of his reverential manner and docility had spite and malice in his heart. So did the grandfather to the gentry he worked for. If he got a chance he too would bite them, as did Eel when he got a chance.

Activity I

Question 1.
According to Vanka, what kind of a person is Konstantin Makarich? It was Makarich who had sent Vanka away, when Vanka’s mother Pelageya died. Do you justify Makarich’s decision to send Vanka away to Moscow? Why?
Answer:
Vanka thinks Makarich is a good person. That is why he writes him a letter when he finds his life is miserable in Moscow. Makarich is a happy-go-lucky man having fun with the maids, the cook and the dogs. Some people might find fault with Makarich for sending the boy to Moscow. But we should know that he is an orphan with no education. He has to learn a trade to make a living. So Makarich’s sending Vanka to Moocow is justified. But unfortunately, Alyakhin turned out to be a cruel man.

Activity 2

Question 2.
How did the people in Alyakhin’s workplace treat Vanka?
Complete the following table using appropriate phrases/clauses from the story.

Answer:

Activity 3

Question 3.
How is Moscow, the big town, contrasted with the village where Vanka lived?
Answer:
Moscow is a big city. There are huge houses of rich men. They have horses. Children sold fishing hooks and lines there showing you could catch fish. There were shops there selling all kinds of guns. People hunted birds. Life was busy in the city. In the village, life was easy-going. There were a lot of sheep and dogs. The boys played with stars at Christmas and they sang songs in the church.

Activity 4

Question 4.
Study the story map of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. (See p. 17 of the Text.)
Now, prepare a story map of Vanka.
Answer:

Activity 5

Question 5.
Attempt a character sketch of Grandfather in the story ‘Vanka’.
Answer:
Vanka’s grandfather was a night watchman on the estate of a rich family. He was a small, lean old man about 65. But he was lively and agile. He had a smiling face but his eyes were bleary with drink. During daytime he slept in the dark kitchen or spent time joking with the cook and the kitchen maids. In the night he wore a sheepskin coat and walked around the estate making sounds with his rattle. With him there used to be two dogs. One was old Kashtanka. The other was Eel. His rattle would be tied to his belt. He liked to laugh and playfully pinch maids and cooks. He would show his snuff box and ask the women to take a nip. The women would take some snuff and put into their nostrils. They would sneeze.
Grandad would be shouting and laughing with joy, saying, “Good for frozen noses.” He even gave snuff to the dogs. He was a fun-loving old man. He sent Vanka to a shoemaker in Moscow as an apprentice.

this action can be interpreted in two ways. May be he wanted the orphaned boy to learn a trade to make a living for himself when he grew up. Bu some may think that he was running away from the responsibility of looking after his orphaned grandson. Whatever is the case, grandfather is a fun-loving fellow that makes us laugh with his antics.

Activity 6

Question 6.
Let’s reread the story and complete the table given:


Now, prepare an analysis based on the table. You may begin like this:
Answer:
Anton Chekhov’s ‘Vanka’ is a story that haunts the reader for long. Vanka is an orphan. He is apprenticed to a cruel shoemaker in Moscow. In the house of the shoemaker, Vanka is seriously mistreated. He is not given sufficient food, he is made to rock the baby of Alyakhin in the night and so he cant sleep properly, the senior apprentices send him to buy vodka and to steal cucumbers from the master. They also make fun of him. Vanka wants to run away to his grandfather in the village, but he has no shoes and he is afraid of the frost. Tired of the life at the shoemaker’s house, Vanka decides to write a letter to his grandfather to come and take him back to the village.

He promises to help his grandfather in different ways if he is taken. But the innocent Vanka does not even know that a letter can be sent only if it has a correct postal address, and the cover is stamped. After writing about his sufferings on a crumpled sheet of paper, he puts it in an envelope. On the envelope he simply writes “To my grandfather Konstantin Makarich in the village”. He innocently thinks that this will reach his grandfather and he will be rescued. He goes to sleep dreaming of the joys he will have when he goes back to his village.

Anton Chekhov’s story touches our heart. His style is simple and straight forward with a message for the readers. He exposes a cruel society that ignores and even mistreats its children. After reading the story nobody would like to mistreat the orphaned children. The imagery is so beautiful that we can read the story as if we are watching an excellent film.

Activity 7

Question 7.
Usually stories featuring orphans like David Copperfield. Oliver Twist or Cinderella end with their escape from the horrid surroundings to find love and happiness. A story can have more than one ending. You can think of many alternatives like Vanka joining his grandfather or running away from the shoemaker’s house and so on. Suggest an alternative ending to the story and write it in your own words.
Answer:
After writing the letter, Vanka waited for a month. He saw no signs of his grandfather coming to take him to the village. His life was becoming more and miserable at Alyakhin’s place. “I can’t continue like this,” he thought and made secret plans to run away. The extreme winter had gone and now the weather was getting warmer. There was no frost and so even without shoes he could walk on the ground. One morning, Alyakhin and his family and Vanka’s senior apprentices had gone to attend a marriage in a nearby village. Vanka thought this was the right time to quit his hellhole. He had very little to carry with him. Just a pair of clothes which he neatly bundled up. With determination, he left his miserable place.

He walked and walked. He was hungry and tired. Nearby he saw a park. He went and sat on a bench. Soon he fell asleep because of tiredness and hunger. A rich couple was sitting and talking on a nearby bench. They saw the boy. When he woke up he was crying. He did not know where to go. As he was crying the couple came to him and asked him what made him cry. He told his pathetic story to them. This couple had no children. So they decided to take Vanka with them. They were God-loving people and they thought it was their duty to help an orphan like Vanka.

They enrolled Vanka in a school nearby. With good food and proper clothes, Vanka looked cheerful and handsome. He would study, study hard. He would find a job and would live a comfortable life, Vanka decided. He thanked God for the happy turn of events in his life.

Activity 8

Question 8.
Imagine that there are many children in your locality who have similar experiences like that of Vanka. Write a letter to the editor of newspaper describing the sad plight of such children and the need to uplift them.
Answer:
The Editor
The Indian Express
Kochi
10 June 2016
Sir,
This is to bring to your notice the sad plight of some children in my locality. Most of these children are from other States like Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. Some of them are employed in the local hotels and some shops in the market. They are made to work from early morning to late into the night. They are given very small wages and their living conditions are very poor. Even with the little money they get, they drink alcoholic beverages and smoke ganja.

We all know about the Right to Education and Laws against child labour. But these children who are less than 14 are not going to any school and are badly mistreated by their employers. If people don’t open their eyes, the Law should come and make these cruel employers open their eyes. We speak of Metros, Airports, 6-line super highways and Info parks. How can we ignore the plight of these victims of Fate and speak of development?

Children are the wealth of the society. They are to be tomorrow’s leaders. We ought to do them justice, not on paper and pulpits, not by mere words but by deeds.

Yours truly
Sd /-
Kareena

Activity 9

Think of publishing a manuscript magazine on the lines suggested on p. 144 -145 of the Text.

Let’s Learn More About Words

Activity 1

Look at the following sentence.
Vanka put on his hat and ran out into the street.
When ‘on’ is added to put, it means wear.
a. Prepare a list of such phrasal verbs and use each of them in sentences of your own.
1. put off – postpone: The meeting was out off for next month.
2. put up with – tolerate: I can’t put up with your antics any more.
3. put down – write: Whatever you say put it down on paper.
4. put across: communicate properly: The teacher could not put across his view to the students.
5. put out – extinguish: The fire department failed to put out the fire.
6. put back – keep somewhere where you took it from: Put back the book after you have gone through it.
7. Put in – add: Put in more efforts next time you write the examination.
8. put into – deposit something: After using the shaver put into the drawer.
9. put forward – suggest – The new minister put forward some good ideas.
10. Put by – save: You have to put some money by for the rainy day.

b. Rewrite the paragraph given on p. 156 replacing the under lined words with suitable phrasal verbs from the table.

Vanka began his letter wishing his grandfather a happy Christmas. Even though he was conscious about his master’s arrival, he went on writing. He wanted to get back to his village where he lived peacefully. He could not put up with the cruelties of his masters any more. He begged his grandfatherto look after him. He never wished to call at Moscow again. He finished the letter and went through it once again. He put on his coat and went out to drop his letter in the post box.

Activity 2

Imagine that Grandfather receives the letter written by Vanka. The paragraph given below describes his thoughts and feelings.
Complete the paragraph using appropriate words from the box below.
Grandfather’s hands shivered as he opened the letter. Vanka’s face appeared ………… (a) ……… before him. The candle ……….. (b) ……… but the letters were ……….. (c)………. clear to him. The old man who was ……….. (d) ………… at hiding his emotions could not stop the tears from
flowing down ……….. (e) ……….. eyed, he recollected with warmth the ………. (f) …….. and ………. (g) ………. manner of his grandson. He longed to bring him back. The ………. (h) ………. eyes of the boy seemed to haunt him. They could enjoy the ……… (i) ……….. Christmas together. But the helpless old man gave a deep sigh!
[remarkably, bleary, distinctly, glorious, docility, flickered, insinuating, adept, imploring]
Answers:
a) distinctly
b) flickered
c) remarkably
d) adept
e) Bleary
f) docility
g) insinuating
h) imploring
i) glorious

Vanka (Short Story) About The Author

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) is a master of modern short story and drama. His works make the readers ask questions. His important works are: “Three Sisters’’, “The Cherry Orchard” and “The Lady with the Dog”.

Vanka (Short Story) Summary in English

1. Vanka Zhukov is 9 years old. He is apprenticed to Alyakhin, a shoemaker. Vanka did not go to bed on Christmas Eve. When his master, master’s wife, and the other senior apprentices went to Church, Vanka took a pen and a crumpled sheet of paper. Before starting to write he looked around the room, the door and window as if he was afraid. He looked at the lasts on the shelves and gave a sigh. Then he knelt on the floor and started writing.

2. “Dear Grandad Konstantin Makarich, I am writing a letter to you. I send you Christmas greetings and I hope God will send you his blessings. I have no father and Mummie and you are all I have left.”

P.146
3. Vanka saw his grandfather in his mind. His grandfather was a night watchman on the estate of a rich family. He was a small, lean old man about 65. But he was lively and agile. He had a smiling face but his eyes were bleary with drink. During daytime he slept in the dark kitchen or spent time joking with the cook and the kitchen maids. In the night he wore a sheepskin coat and walked around the estate making sounds with his rattle. With him there used to be two dogs. One was old Kashtanka. The other was Eel. Eel had black coat and a long weasel-like body. Eel was respectful and always tried to get people’s affection. He looked at friends and strangers in the same manner. He did not give confidence to anyone. His respectful and obedient nature hid his hatred and vengeance. He could go quietly and bite somebody’s foot, creep into the icehouse and steal a peasant’s chicken. His back legs had been cut many times, twice he had been hung up, and every week he was beaten up very badly. But he survived all.

P.147
4. Grandad was perhaps standing at the gate looking at the bright red light coming from the church windows, or chatting with the servants. His rattle would be tied to his belt. He would be laughing and pinching a maid or one of the cooks. He would show his snuff box and ask the women to take a nip. The women would take some snuff and put into their nostrils. They would sneeze. Grandad would be shouting and laughing with joy, saying, “Good for frozen noses.”

5. Even the dogs were given snuff. Kashtanka would sneeze, shake her head and walk away, feeling angry. But Eel very politely would wag his tail. The weather was good. The air was still and fresh. It was a dark night. But the whole village could be seen’ clearly because the houses had white roofs. Smoke rose from the chimneys. Trees were covered with frost. Snow was falling. The sky was filled with twinkling stars. The Milky Way was shining as if polished with snow.

6. Vanka continued with his letter: “Yesterday I got a lot of beating. The master took me by the hair and dragged me into the yard. He beat me badly with the stirrup-strap (the belt used to connect the foot rest of the rider to the saddle). I had gone to sleep while rocking his baby. One day last week, the mistress told me to clean a herring. I began from the tail. She took it and rubbed its head on my face. Other apprentices make fun of me. They send me to buy vodka and make me steal the master’s cucumbers.
I don’t get enough to eat. They give me bread in the morning, gruel for dinner and again bread for supper. I never get tea or cabbage soup. They take it all themselves. They make me sleep in the passage. When their baby cries, I don’t get any sleep at all. I have to rock it. Dear Grandad, for the Lord’s sake, take me away from this place. Take me home to the village. I can’t suffer it any longer. I beg you. I always pray for you. Do take me away or I will die….’’

P.148
7. Vanka’s lips trembled. He rubbed his eyes. He sobbed.

Vanka continued: “I will grind your snuff for you. I will pray for you. You can beat me as hard as you like if I do mischief. If you think I have nothing to do, I will clean the boots or go as a shepherd instead of Fedya. I wanted to run away to the village but I have no boots and I was afraid of the frost. When I grow up to be a man I will look after you and I will not let anyone hurt you. When you die, I will pray for your soul like I do for my Mummie.”

8. “Moscow is such a big town. There are many gentlemen’s houses and many horses there. There are no sheep. The dogs there are not at all fierce. The boys go about with a sta,r at Christmas. They don’t let you sing in church. Once I saw them selling fishing hooks of different sizes. I saw one hook that could hold a catfish weighing 30 pounds. I have seen shops selling guns like the one my master has. The guns might cost 100 roubles each. In the butcher’s shop we can buy grouse, woodcock (both mean different kinds of ‘kattukozhi’) and hares. The shopkeepers don’t say how they got them.”

9. “Dear Grandad, when they have a Christmas tree at the big house, take a fine nut for me and put it away in the green chest. Ask Miss Olga Ignatyevna and tell her it is for Vanka.”

10. Vanka sighed. He looked at the window glass. He remembered his grandfather going to get a Christmas tree for his employers. He had taken Vanka with him. How happy Vanka was then! Grandfather would laugh. The frost covered trees would laugh and Vanka also laughed. Before cutting the tree, grandfather would smoke his pipe, take a long pinch of snuff. He would laugh at the shivering Vanka. The young firtrees, covered with frost, stood without moving. They were waiting to see which one would be cut. Suddenly a hare would appear. Grandfather would shout: ‘Stop it, stop it.’

P.149
11. Grandfatherwould drag the tree to the big house. They all would decorate it. Miss Olga Ignatyevna, Vanka’s favourite, was the busiest of all. Pelageya was Ninka’s mother. She is dead. When she was working in the big house, Olga Ignatyevna used to give Vanka sweets. As her pastime, she also taught Vanka to read, write and count to a hundred. She even tried to teach him to dance. When his mother died, Vanka was sent to the back kitchen to his grandmother. From there he was sent to Moscow, to Alyakhin.

12. Vanka continued writing. “Come to me dear grandad. Take me from here. Feel pity for me. They always beat me and I am always hungry and miserable. I send my love to Alyona, one eyed-Yegor and the coachman. Don’t give my concertina to anyone. I remain your grandson Ivan Zhukov. DearGrandad do come.”

13. He folded the sheet and put into an envelope. He wrote the address: To Grandfather in the village. After some thought he added: To Konstantin Makarich’.

P.150
14. He was happy that nobody saw him writing. He put his cap and ran out into the street. He did not wear his coat. The men at the butcher’s had told him that letters are put into letter-boxes. Then they are sent all over the world in mail coaches with 3 horses and drunken drivers and jingling bells. Vanka dropped his letter in the letter box.

15. An hour later he fell asleep. He dreamed of a stove. His grandfather was sitting on the stove-ledge, with his bare feet dangling. He was reading the letter to the cooks. Eel was walking backwards and forwards, wagging his tail.

Vanka (Short Story) Summary in Malayalam

Meaning of Words and Phrases