Plus One

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 1 Chapter 3 Quest for a Theory of Everything Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Quest for a Theory of Everything Questions and Answers Unit 1 Chapter 3 (Profile)

Quest for a Theory of Everything (Profile) Textual Questions

Plus One English Chapter 3 Notes Question 1.
How did Hawking startle the audience?
Answer:
He startled his audience by telling them that there was an end in sight for Theoretical Physics. He invited them to join him in a sensational escape through time and space.

Hss Guru Plus One English Notes Question 2.
Stephen Hawking did not appear to be a promising choice to lead any adventure. Why?
Answer:
He was sitting in a wheelchair while one of his students was reading his lecture to the audience. His appearance was not healthy and naturally he did not appearto be a promising choice to lead any adventure.

Hss Live Guru Plus One English Notes Question 3.
Can a person be judged by appearance alone? Justify your response.
Answer:
A person cannot be judged by appearance alone. Many great men in history did not have a great appearance. Napoleon Bonaparte was a very short person. Franklin Roosevelt, one of the greatest American Presidents, spent most of his working hours in a wheelchair, and he walked with leg braces and canes, usually with help. Mother Theresa did not appear a robust person but she was really great.

Hsslive Guru Plus One English Notes Question 4.
What do you learn about Stephen Hawking’s childhood?
Answer:
He was born on 8 January 1942 in Oxford, England. His parents were Frank and Isobel Hawking. They were not wealthy. Hawking attended the local St. Alban’s school. By the time he was 8, he was seriously thinking of becoming a scientist. His father wanted him to study medicine. But Stephen thought biology was too imprecise. He wanted a subject in which he could look for exact answers. He was just an ordinary school boy. He was slow in learning to read and his handwriting was horrible.

At 14, Stephen knew he would study maths and physics. But his father discouraged him from studying maths because he thought it offered no jobs, except as a teacher. Stephen’s father wanted him to attend Oxford where he had studied. Oxford had no mathematics. So Stephen studied chemistry and physics and only a little mathematics. At the age of 17, Hawking went to Oxford to study natural science and to specialise in physics.

Plus One English Quest For A Theory Of Everything Summary Question 5.
Comment on Hawking’s life at 03(ford.
Answer:
For about one year and a half, Hawking was lonely and bored at Oxford. He also did not try hard at his academics. But halfway through the second year, he began to enjoy Oxford.

Profile Of Stephen Hawking In English Plus One Question 6.
What opinion did Hawking’s peers at Oxford have about him?
Answer:
Hawking became popular and was well-accepted among his peers. They remember him as lively, buoyant and adaptable. He wore his hair long. He was famous for his wit. He liked classical music and science fiction. He took part in sports.

Plus One English Chapter Quest For A Theory Of Everything Summary Question 7.
Cite an example to prove that Stephen Hawking was sharp-witted. Did his wit help him in any way?
Answer:
Stephen Hawking had applied to do a Ph.D. at Cambridge while he was a student at Oxford . He was accepted on condition that he got a ‘First’ from Oxford. Hawking thought he could get through successfully. But as the examination came, his confidence failed. Hawking got only borderline marks between a first and a second. As he had only a borderline result, his examiners called him for an interview and asked him about his plans. He told the examiners boldly, “If I get a first, I shall go to Cambridge. If I receive a second,

I will remain at Oxford. So I expect that you will give me a first.’ He got his ‘First’ and he went to Cambridge. His wit helped him here to get what he wanted.

Plus One English Textbook Activity Answers Unit 1 Question 8.
Stephen’s first year at Cambridge was worse than that at 03dord. Why?
Answer:
His first year at Cambridge was worse than that at Oxford. His poor mathematical background troubled him. He found general relativity extremely tough. There was even a bigger problem. During his 3rd year, he had started getting a bit careless. He had fallen once or twice for no apparent reason. Soon he had trouble tying his shoes and sometimes he had difficulty in talking.

Plus One English Notes Quest For A Theory Of Everything Question 9.
How did tragedy strike Hawking after his 21st birthday?
Answer:
Shortly after his 21st birthday, in 1963, tragedy struck him. He contracted a rare disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, for which there was no known cure. It caused a gradual disintegration of the nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain. He went into a deep depression. He did not know what to do and what his future would be.

Plus One English Chapter Quest For A Theory Of Everything Question Answers Question 10.
What drastic change came over Hawking after the diagnosis of the disease?
Answer:
A drastic change came over Hawking after the diagnosis of the disease. He had many dreams. He said that his dreams were at that time very confused. Before his condition was diagnosed he was bored with life. But after he came out of hospital, he dreamt that he was going to be executed. He realized then that there were a lot of important things to do if he was given a reprieve – time to live for some more time. Hawking was getting some more time to live and life was precious.

Quest For A Theory Of Everything Summary Pdf Question 11.
What was Jane’s impression ofHawking?
Answer:
Just before Hawking entered the hospital for tests, he met Jane Wilde at a New Year’s Party at St. Alban’s. She thought Hawking was very intelligent, eccentric and rather arrogant. But he was interesting and she liked his wit. She fell in love with him.

Quest For A Theory Of Everything Plus One Notes Question 12.
Write a note on the character of Jane.
Answer:
Jane was a shy teenager with a strong faith in God. This faith was ingrained in her by her mother. She believed that good can come out of any adversity. When she met Hawking after his discharge from the hospital, he was in a sad state. She felt that he had lost his will to live and he was very confused. She was not put off by his physical or mental condition. Hawking liked her optimism and their friendship grew. They thought that together they could make something good.

For Stephen, it made a big difference. He applied for a research fellowship at Caius, one of the colleges of Cambridge University. In 1965, when he was 23, he received his fellowship at Caius. In July 1965, he married Jane. They had 3 children. In fact, it was Jane who gave moral support to Hawking to overcome his adversities and do something great for mankind.

Quest For A Theory Of Everything Questions And Answers Question 13.
Is Stephen Hawking really a great mind on par with the likes of Einstein and Newton? Justify your answer.
Answer:
It is not yet time to make a verdict on the work of Stephen Hawking. Newton and Einstein are giants who rule the world of science. It is true that Hawking has said some significant things about the universe. He has asked significant questions but he has not provided adequate answers. Anybody can ask questions. Asking questions does not make a person a genius.

Hawking used to ask daring, unexpected and penetrating questions during the sessions involving some of the most famous and distinguished scientists in the world. That is how he earned his name as ‘a genius’ and as ‘another Einstein’. I don’t think his mind is on par with the likes of Newton and Einstein. Time may prove me wrong. But for the moment I stick to my answer.

Ferguson Higher Physics Ebook Download Question 14.
List the interesting facts dealt with Hawking’s book.
Answer:
Where did the universe come from? Is it infinite? Does it have any boundaries? Will it come to an end? If so, how? Is there a complete theory of the universe and everything in it? Is there a beginning of time? Could time run back? The book begins by recounting the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein. His purpose in writing the book was to make science understandable to non-scientists.

Plus One Quest For A Theory Of Everything Notes Question 15.
What could have been the misgivings of Jane?
Answer:
While on a trip to Switzerland, Hawking contracted pneumonia and was left on a life-support system. The doctors treating him suggested a tracheotomy operation which would remove his windpipe. It might save his life but he would never again be able to speak or make a vocal sound. Jane thought her husband might die with this operation. That is why she said, The future looks very bleak.’ Hawking would no longer breathe through his mouth and nose, but through a permanent hole made in his throat.

Question 16.
How could he overcome his difficulties after the tracheotomy operation?
Answer:
Since Hawking could not speak, Walt Woltosz, a computer expert in California, sent him a programme he had developed. It was called the Equalizer. It would allow Hawking to select words from the screen and this way he could continue to do his work, although very slowly.

Question 17.
Mention some of the unique ideas and paradoxes put forward by Stephen Hawking.
Answer:
Some of the unique ideas and paradoxes put forward by Stephen Hawking are :

• In science and with people, things are often not what they seem.
• Pieces that ought to fit together refuse to do so.
• You will learn that beginnings may be endings.
• Cruel circumstances can lead to happiness, although fame and success may not.
• Two great scientific theories taken together seem to give us nonsense.
• Empty space is not empty.
• Black holes are not black.

Question 18.
What was Hawking’s attitude to his disability? How do you estimate it in a wider social context?
Answer:
He chose to ignore his difficulty. He expected others to adopt the same attitude. In the modern days, we call ‘disabled’ people ‘Differently Abled People’. A physical disability does not have to make you desperate and a victim of sympathy. People with physical disabilities have achieved marvels. Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of the most famous American Presidents spent most of his working hours in a wheelchair and walked with leg braces and a cane, supported by others.

Now we have a blind play-back singer Bhagyalaksmi. There is also a blind music director named Afsal. Handicaps need not be looked upon as excuses to be lazy. With hard work, one can overcome his handicaps. Helen Keller – blind, deaf, and dumb – became world-famous because of her determination to succeed. And she did.

Activity – I (Writing)

Question 1.
Attempt an assessment of the personality of Hawking in a short paragraph.
Answer:
Hawking was a man of determination and perseverance. When he was at Oxford, in his late teens, he was lively, buoyant, and adaptable. He wore his hair long. He was famous for his wit. He liked classical musical and was interested in sports. When he was in the 3rd year at Oxford he applied to do a Ph.D. at Cambridge. He was accepted on condition that he got a ‘First’ from Oxford. But during the examination he had only borderline marks between a first and a second.

The examiners summoned him and asked him about his plans. He told them bluntly, “If I get a first, I shall go to Cambridge. If I receive a second, I will remain at Oxford. So I expect that you will give me a first.” They gave him a First and he went to Cambridge. This shows how frank and open he was. When he was 21, he contracted a rare disease which caused disintegration of the nerve cells of his spinal cord and brain. He walked around with a cane, supporting himself against a wall.

His speech was impaired. But nothing stopped him from achieving what he wanted. It was this determination that attracted Jane Wilde whom he married. He lost his voice after a tracheotomy operation. But he continued working with an Equalizer, which helped him to choose words from a computer screen. He asked fundamental questions like where did the universe come from and whether it has boundaries. Is there a beginning of time? Could time run back? His book ‘A Brief History of Time’ contains a lot of paradoxes that will surprise us. He is often called another Einstein.

Activity – II (Timeline)

Question 2.
List the facts you have earned about Stephen Hawking, in chronological order, in the timeline given below:
Answer:

2005 Release of a Book ‘A brief History of time
1988 Published a Brief History of Time
1984 Completing the Draft of the Book
1980 Inaugural lecture at Cockcroft Lecture Room
1980 Started writing a book about universe
1965 Received research fellowship at Caius
1965 Married Jane Wilde
1963 Gets the rare disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
1959 Goes to Oxford
1950 Decides to become a scientist
1942 Birth

Question 3.
Now, look at the list you have made. What facts do the readers expect in a profile?

• Date of birth
• ……………………..
• ……………………..
• ……………………..
• ……………………..
• ……………………..
• …………………….. etc

Answer:

• Date of birth
• Parents and schooling
• Higher Education
• Turning Points in life
• Marriage
• Rare activities
• Achievements
• Things that make a person stand out
• The message he/she gives

Activity – III (Interview)

Question 4.
Read the excerpt from the interview of Stephen Hawking by Kitty Gail Ferguson. She interviews him to collect details for his biography. Find out Stephen’s responses from the profile and complete the interview.
Answer:
Interviewer: Shortly after your 21st birthday, your doctors diagnosed that you had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare disease for which there is no known cure. How did you react to the diagnosis? How did you manage to cope with the situation?

Interviewee: My initial reaction was shock and disbelief. I went into a depression. I did not know what to do and what my future would be. But then I told myself that there was no point in spending time worrying about something that we can’t change. In English, there is a saying “What can’t be cured must be endured.” So I decided to live with my disease and continue working as best as I could.

Interviewer: What made you think that life was precious? Can you recollect any particular instance in your life that has become crucial?

Interviewee: I dreamt that I was going to be executed. Suddenly I realized that there were a lot of worthwhile things to do, if I were given some more time to live.

I wanted to do some good things before I died so that people would remember me even after my death.

I started thinking that life was precious. My meeting with Jane Wilde was crucial. She liked me in spite of my eccentricity and disease. Her optimism helped me a lot.

Interviewer: It is said that you wrote a book to make science understandable to non-scientists. Is that so?

Interviewee: Yes, that was my plan, I wanted even non-scientists know something about cosmology and the quantum theory. Everybody has heard about Einstein’s theory of relativity and his famous equation E = me2. But how many people know what it means? So I decided to write about science in a language understandable by the common man. But of course, you will find a lot of seeming paradoxes in my writings. But then life is full of paradoxes, isn’t it?

Question 5.
Now, prepare a set of questions, and conduct an interview with a person who has become successful in any field in your locality. You can identify people who became successful in any walk of life such as farming/entrepreneurship/ the civil services/competitive examinations, etc.
Answer:
Mehboob Saithu, who is my neighbor, is a successful rice farmer. He produces around 50 tons of rice each year. Through his initiative, some uncultivated farms have been brought under cultivation. Here is an excerpt from an interview I had with him.

Interviewer: Mr. Mehboob, please tell us something about yourself.

Interviewee: You already know my name. My parents are Mr. Saithu and Mrs. Khadeeja. I am married and I have two children, a boy and a girl. My wife Kunjumol is a homemaker and she supports me in all my farming activities. My son is a student in Singapore, doing a degree in sound engineering and my daughter is studying for her MBA.

Interviewer: What are your educational qualifications?

Interviewee: I have only completed my Pre Degree Course. I was very reluctant to join college, although my father wanted m%Jo study further. But I refused to go to college. Instead, I started helping him in his electrical shop. The shop was running reasonably well at that time. I had a nice time in the shop as I could make some money for my needs.

Interviewer: Then how did you become a farmer?

Interviewee: I had an inborn desire to be a farmer. I love watching plants grow and produce. We had some fields which were not cultivated because my father thought agriculture was a loss because of high labour cost and low returns. Soon my father became very sick and a lot of money had to be spent on him. He was treated in different hospitals. As I was going round taking care of him, there was no proper supervision in the shop and slowly the business was running at a loss and those who bought things on credit did not pay up. The shop had to be closed down in due course. It was then that I turned my attention to farming.

Interviewer: Are you happy with farming?

Interviewee: It is a difficult question to answer. Indian agriculture, as you know, is a gamble on monsoons. A good harvest depends on many factors. Once we sow the seeds till the harvest is marketed we are worried. Questions like ‘Will there be enough rain?’, ‘Will there be too much rain?’ etc. keep worrying us. But once the harvest is in the barn, we are happy. On the whole, I would say I am happy. I am able to produce food for others. I am able to give jobs to many people and this way I am doing my part for the development of the nation.

Interviewer? What are your future plans?

Interviewee: I am not a very ambitious man. Soon my daughter will complete her MBA. I have to get her married. My son will have his engineering degree and he will have, hopefully, a good job. Then he too should get married. Then it would be time for me to rest a little and spend my time with my grandchildren. I hope, Insha Allah, to succeed in my plans.

Interviewer: Thank you Mr. Mehboob for talking to me.

Interviewee: Thank you, too!

Activity – IV : (Profile)

Question 6.
Using the responses you received from the person you interviewed, prepare his/her profile.
Answer:
Mehboob Saithu was born on 10 May 1963. His parents were Mrs. Saithu and Mrs. Khadeeja. When he was 5, he was sent to Little Flower Convent School Irinjakaluda. There he studied until class IV. Then he was sent to Don Bosco School, Irinjalakuda. From there he completed his SSLC in 1982. Later he went to Christ College, Irinjalakuda. He completed his Pre Degree Course there.

After his education, he joined his father in the Electrical Shop to assist him in the business. The shop did well for some years. When he was 27, he married Kunjumol, who comes from a wealthy family from Ernakulam. Their first child was born in 1990 and their daughter in 1992.

By the time Mehboob was 40, the shop ran into problems because of the grave illness of his father. His father had to be shuttled from hospital to hospital for better treatment. It took away a lot of time and also money. In the absence of proper supervision, the shop went into problems as those who got things on credit refused to pay up. Finally the shop had to be closed down.

It was then Mehboob turned his attention to farming. He had some agricultural fields which were lying uncultivated. He started cultivating them and now he is fully into farming. He derives satisfaction in two ways. He is producing food for many people and at the same time he is able to give jobs to some people. This way he is doing his bit in the development of the nation.

Mehboob is not a very ambitious man. Soon his daughter will complete her MBA. He wants to get her married. His son will have his engineering degree and he will have, hopefully, a good job. Then he also should marry. Then it would be time for Mr. Mehboob to rest a little and spend his time with grandchildren.

Activity – V: Speech

Question 7.
Read the following statements from the profile of Stephen Hawking:
Answer:
‘Shortly after I came out of hospital, I dreamt that I was going to be executed. I suddenly realized that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do.’ Can you find out similar incidents that happened in the lives of other great people (such as Helen Keller, Wilma Rudolf, Valentina Tereshkova, etc.). Prepare a short speech on any one of them so as to deliver it before the school assembly.

My dear teachers and students,
Sometimes people lose their faith because they have some handicaps and they feel they can’t become famous because of their handicaps. But we have so many examples in history which prove that handicaps need not make people desperate. They can excel in some fields and become more famous than even normal people. Today I will talk to you about Helen Keller, who achieved international fame although she was deaf and blind. But she served as an inspiration for other people with disabilities.

Helen Keller (1880-1968) was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the daughter of well-to-do parents. When 19 months old, Helen was stricken with an acute illness that left her deaf and blind. In a short time she forgot the few words she knew and became silent. She made use of signs to get what she wanted. On the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, who was also a teacher of deaf people, Keller’s paints got a teacher named Anne Mansfield Sullivan (later Macy). Helen and Anne worked together until Anne’s death in 1936.

Anne taught Helen to read and write using the Braille system. When Keller was ten, she began to relearn how to speak. At first this seemed impossible, but Anne discovered that Keller could learn sounds by placing her fingers on her teacher’s larynx and sensing the vibrations. The moving account of how Anne taught her to speak is told in Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life (1902).

In 1900, Keller entered Radcliffe College. Four years later Keller graduated with honors to worldwide acclaim and decided to devote her life to helping blind and deaf people. Through her essays and articles in major magazines and newspapers, Keller explained the problems encountered by people who are deaf and blind and the responsibilities of society. In addition to The Story of My Life, she published Optimism, or My Key to Life (1903), The World I Live In (1908), and Out of the Dark (1913). Helen Keller achieved fame in spite of severe handicaps and she should be an inspiration to all of us.

Activity – VI: (Group Discussion)

The Group Discussion (GD) is an important tool for assessing a candidate’s personality. The GD has become a part of the selection process for admission to any reputed institution.

Skills judged in GDs :

• Your communication abilities
• Your behavior and interaction with others
• How open-minded you are
• Your listening skills
• The way you present your ideas.
• Your leadership and decision-making capacity
• Your knowledge of the subject and your analytical skills
• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Your attitude and confidence

Here is a model for a Group Discussion:
Topic: “Commercialization of violence and sex in the media increases the crime rate.”

A : Hello friends, we are going to talk about the issue of commercialization of violence and sex and how the media increases the crime rate in the society by sensationalizing things. You may have different views about it.

B : Friends, I do say that the media is helping in the increase of crime rates by making sensational reports of violence and sex. The front pages of many newspapers and magazines are full of gory details of violence and sex. Looking at the newspapers, someone may be forced to think that only two things happen in the country – violence and sex.

A : I agree with B. Look at some of the newspaper headlines. You see a headline: WAR BREAKS OUT. You are anxious to know where and why. And then you see it is just an ODI (One Day International) between India and Pakistan. Look at some of our cinemas. Most of them are a mixture of songs, dances, sex and violence. Even to sell a particular brand of the umbrella, they will show Sania Mirza in her tennis shorts! Money has become God.

C : The problem with the media is that they have a great effect on the youth. What they see in films and on TV influences them. Didn’t we hear the case of a boy who imitated Superman and jumped from the top of a building and died?

D : I’m afraid the media often misleads people. Biased reporting makes people take sides. Look at the Marad incident that happened in Kerala. One group of media supported one community and the other group supported the other. Truths are distorted. Media should be used to promote fellow-feeling, love and tolerance.

E : I’m afraid there is too much negative criticism against the media. In the media also we see the villain getting punished in the end. So actually there is no encouragement in the media to be villainous. In fact, it warns people not to do bad things. It reinforces our culture.

F : I believe that the media culture has a positive impact on society. The number of media users has increased greatly and the media make people aware of the things happening around them and also in the world. Thus it serves a good purpose.

G : We can’t think of a life without the media. The only thing is that we should use it positively. There is no point in criticizing the media for all the ills rampant in the society.

Activity – VII (Cohesive devices)

In the profile, we see the use of words like ‘n7oreover’, ‘never there ‘however etc. These words show the relationship between sentences. They hold the text together. Such words are known as ‘cohesive devices Identify a few such expressions/words and complete the following:

Here is a list of cohesive devices used for different functions.

Let’s Practise:

Choose the correct cohesive device from the box given to complete the sentences. Each one is to be used only once.

Question 8.
1. I had a terrible day at work and lost my umbrella too. _________ I spoke to that nice guy who works in the coffee shop at last!
2. Television turns people into lazy couch potatoes. _________, there are some educational programmes on.
3. _________, 1 would like to welcome you all to the conference today.
4. _________ the film was a little boring, we still had a nice evening out.
5. I’ve always known Caroline as a miser. _________, she lent me 1000 yesterday without my having to ask twice!
6. I got up at 9 o’clock yesterday and had a cold shower _________, I had breakfast and left for work.
7. My brother works ¡n a large office _________ I work on my own at home.
8. Why do you think I don’t want to go out tonight? _________ I would be delighted to get out of the house.
9. You should participate in the school youth festival as it gives you a chance to meet many people _________, It gives you an opportunity to showcase your talents.
10. I don’t want to go to the football game. Football bores me and don’t want to pay 40 fora ticket. _________, look at the weather! All that rain!
Answers
1. At least
2. On the other hand
3. Firstly
4. Though
5. However
6. Then
7. Whereas
8. Actually
9. Moreover
10. Besides

Activity – VIII:

Collocation “Stephen Hawking has overcome his crippling disease to become the supernova of world physics.” In this sentence the underlined words go together. In other words crippling collocates with the disease. In other words, we can say that words that are used together and have a special meaning are called collocations. For example ‘strong tea’.

Given below are a set of collocations that can be used to describe success.

Let’s practice:

Arun’s teacher is talking about his merit and achievement to his parents while giving the end-of-term report. Imagine what the teacher would say, and complete the sentences using suitable collocations from those given in the box above. Arun has made a breakthrough in Maths this year, doing excellent work compared to last year. It is, of course, a remarkable achievement on his part. This year has seen a dramatic improvement in Arun’s English. His crowning achievement is his performance in the school’s staging of ‘Othello’. He has found some effective ways of working with natural materials this year, and his self-portrait is a brilliant success. He is now able to enjoy the fruits of hard work. Playing for the school team has certainly brought out the best in him and he rightly won the respect of all his teammates.

Read and Enjoy

Question 1.
We have read aboyt a few great personalities and identified some off the qualities of greatness. “If is a poem with a message. It suggests the idea of conditional fulfillment. Here the poet describes the qualities of the perfect man.

Quest for a Theory of Everything (Profile) About the Author:

Kitty Gail Ferguson is a science writer, lecturer and professional musician. She was written many science books and biographies. Her works are known for their details and accuracy. She is known for her simple explanation of complicated scientific principles.

Quest For A Theory Of Everything Summary

– Kitty Gail Ferguson

On 29 April 1980, in the Cockcroft Lecture Room, many scientists and university dignitaries were seated. The occasion was the inaugural lecture by a new Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, Stephen Hawking, who was a mathematician and physicist. He was 38 years old.

The title of the lecture was “Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics?’ His listeners were surprised when Hawkins said it was. He invited them to join him in a sensational escape through time and space to find the Holy Grail of science – the theory that explains the universe and everything that happens in it. (The Holy Grail is the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.)

Stephen Hawking sat silently in a wheelchair as one of his students read his lecture to the audience. Judging by his appearance, Hawking did not look the kind of person to lead any adventure. Hawking was bom on 8 January 1942, in Oxford, England. It was exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo, the father of modern science. Frank and Isobel Hawking, Stephen’s parents, were not wealthy. But they believed in the value of education. So they wanted to send Stephen to Westminster Public School, which is in the heart of London. Unfortunately, Stephen was ill at the time of the scholarship examination for Westminster. So, he attended the local St. Alban’s school.

By the time he was 8, he was thinking of becoming a scientist. His father encouraged him to study medicine, but Stephen found biology too imprecise. He wanted a subject that gave exact answers and so he could get into the root of things.

Stephen was not a miracle boy. He was just an ordinary English boy. He was slow in learning to read and his handwriting was bad. He was ranked somewhere in the middle of the class. In his defence Stephen Hawking now says, ‘It was a very bright class’, meaning he was not among the top students because all the students in the class were very bright!

At 14, Stephen decided to study mathematics and physics. His father was not happy because he said there were no jobs in mathematics except teaching. Moreover he wanted his son to attend Oxford where he himself had studied, but Oxford offered no mathematics. So Stephen followed his father’s advice and studied chemistry, physics and only a little mathematics in preparation for the entrance to Oxford. He did well in physics and was accepted there. In 1959, at 17, Hawking went to Oxford to study natural science and to specialize in physics. He joined University College, the oldest at Oxford, founded in 1249 AD. His father had studied there.

For about one year, Hawking was lonely and bored. He did not feel any inspiration to do well in his academics. But by the middle of 2nd year, he began enjoying Oxford. He became popular and was well accepted by his peers. He was lively, buoyant and adaptable. He had long hair. He was famous for his wit. He liked classical music and science fiction. He took part in sports.

By the end of the 3rd year, however, things were bad for Hawking. He selected theoretical physics as his specialty. He had then applied to do a Ph.D. at Cambridge. He was accepted on the condition that he got a ‘First’ from Oxford. Hawking thought he could get through successfully. But as the examination came, his confidence failed. Hawking got only borderline marks between a first and a second.

As he had only a borderline result, his examiners called him for an interview and asked him about his plans. He told the examiners boldly, “If I get a first, I shall go to Cambridge. If I receive a second, I will remain at Oxford. So I expect that you will give me a first.’ He got his ‘First’ and he went to Cambridge.

His first year at Cambridge was worse than that at Oxford. His poor mathematical background troubled him. He found general relativity extremely tough. There was even a bigger problem. During his 3rd year, he had started getting a bit careless. He had fallen once or twice for no apparent reason. Soon he had trouble tying his shoes and sometimes he had difficulty in talking.

In 1963, shortly after his 21st birthday, he got a rare disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, for which there was no known cure. It caused a gradual disintegration of the nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain. He went into a deep depression. He did not know what to do and what his future would be.

He said that his dreams at that time were very confused. Before his condition was diagnosed he was bored with life. But after he came out of hospital, he dreamt that he was going to be executed. He realized then that there were a lot of important things to do if he was given a reprieve – more time to live.

Another recurring dream he used to have was sacrificing his life to save others. If he was going to die, he thought, he should do some good things. The doctors thought his condition would stabilize but it went from bad to worse. They told him that he had only 2 years to live.

Two years passed. The disease slowed down. He did not die. He said that although a cloud was hanging over his future, he was enjoying the present more than before. Hawking was getting some more time to live and life was precious.

Just before Hawking entered the hospital for tests, he met Jane Wilde at a New Year’s Party at St. Alban’s. She thought Hawking was very intelligent, eccentric and rather arrogant. But he was interesting and she liked his wit. When Jane met him after his discharge from the hospital, he was in a sad state. She felt that he had lost his will to live and he was very confused. She was not put off by his physical or mental condition. She was a shy teenager with a strong faith in God. This faith was ingrained in her by her mother. Jane believed that good can come out of any adversity.

Hawking liked her optimism and their friendship grew. They thought that together they could make something good. For Stephen it made a big difference. He applied for a research fellowship at Caius, once of the colleges of Cambridge University. In 1965, when he was 23, he received his fellowship at Caius. In July, 1965, he married Jane.

People remember Hawking moving about in the University with a cane, supporting himself against the wall. He spoke with a slight speech impediment. People remember his brashness in sessions in which some of the most distinguished scientist spoke. While other young researchers kept silent, Hawking daringly asked unexpected questions. He knew what he was talking about. His reputation as ‘a genius’ and ‘another Einstein’ began then.

In 1980, a practical need for funds made him start a new enterprise. It was to have a far-reaching impact on the Hawkings and others in the world. He thought of writing a book about the universe. He wanted to write about the most interesting questions that had made him study cosmology and quantum theory. Where did the universe come from? Is it infinite? Does it have any boundaries? Will it come to an end? If so, how? Is there a complete theory of the universe and everything in it? Is there a beginning of time? Could time run back? The book begins by recounting the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein. His purpose in writing the book was to make science understandable to non-scientists.

He completed the first draft in 1984. As he was revising it, he went to Switzerland. There he caught pneumonia and was on a life-supporting system. Doctors suggested a tracheotomy operation.’This would result in the removal of his windpipe. It might save his life, but he would never again speak or even make a vocal sound. Jane, with reluctance, consented to the surgery.

Hawking could no longer breathe through his mouth and nose. So, a permanent opening was made in his throat. After many weeks of intensive care, he went home to join Jane and their three children. He was too weak and ill to continue his research. Walt Woltosz, a computer expert in California, sent him a programme he had developed. It was called the Equalizer. It would allow Hawking to select words from the screen.

Hawking thought he would not be able to complete his book. With the support of his student Brian Whitt, ‘A Brief History of Time was published in 1988. In September 2005, an abridged version of the original book was published. This version was updated to include the new issues that had arisen due to further scientific developments.

In the book we can see a number of paradoxes:
a) In science and with people, things are often not what they seem.
b) Pieces that ought to fit together refuse to do so.
c) You will learn that beginnings may be endings.
d) Cruel circumstances can lead to happiness, although fame and success may not.
e) Two great scientific theories taken together seem to give us nonsense.
f) Empty space is not empty.
g) Black holes are not black.

It is a miracle that Hawking was able to achieve everything he has and he is still alive. When we experience his intelligence and humor, we tend to take his unusual mode of communication and his terrible physical problems very lightly. That is exactly what he wants. He chooses to ignore the difficulty and he expects others to have the same attitude. Hawking has overcome his crippling disease to become a shining star of world physics.

Quest For A Theory Of Everything Glossary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 3 Chapter 1 Sunrise on the Hills Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Sunrise on the Hills Questions and Answers Unit 3 Chapter 1 (Poem)

Sunrise on the Hills (Poem) Textual Activities Questions and Answers

Activity -1 (Read and Respond)

Plus One English Unit 3 Chapter 1 Question 1.
Look at the expressions ‘heaven’s wide arch and ‘returning march’. What does the poet describe here? What else does it remind you of?
Answer:
The poet describes here the sky and the return of the sun in the morning. It reminds me of a king returning after a long absence or even my own returning to life in the morning after the night’s sleep.

Sunrise On The Hills Notes Hsslive Chapter 1 Question 2.
Comment on the expression of ‘soft gales’.
Answer:
This is the poetic way of describing the early morning breeze.

Plus One English Textbook Answers Chapter 1 Question 2.
What makes the glory of the clouds fade?
Answer:
The rising sun makes the glory of the clouds fade. The mist melts away and the glory fades.

Plus One English Hsslive Chapter 1 Question 3.
What are the clouds compared to?
Answer:
They are compared to the army defeated in battle, ready to flee from the conqueror.

Plus One English Notes Chapter 1 Question 4.
What picture of the valley is unveiled?
Answer:
The valley is rich. The water that flows in the river gets darkened at times by the shade of the forest, but in the cascade it glistens. The bittern is flying upward spirally making noise as the dawn is softly and smoothly turning into morning.

Hsslive Guru Plus One English Notes Chapter 1 Question 5.
How does the valley respond to the rising sun?
Answer:
The valley responds to the rising sun in a lively manner. The water in the river is dashing down and currents whirl and flash. The trees of the forest are bending as if to touch the water and the silver sands of the beach of the lake. The valley is filled with the echoing noise of the wild horn, the screeching owl. Thin smoke is rising from the huts of the valley-dwellers through the thick-leaved branches as they are preparing their morning meals.

Hsslive Guru English Plus One Chapter 1 Question 6.
What message does the poet convey?
Answer:
The poet says that if you are tired and are troubled with problems and sorrows that you want to forget, if you want read a book that will prevent your heart from losing hope and wake your soul up with optimism, you should go to the forest and hills. The sweet look that Nature has is not dimmed by tears of any kind.

Plus One English Textbook Activity Answers Unit 3 Chapter 1 Question 7.
Are all the three stanzas of equal length? Why do you think the last stanza is short when compared to the previous stanzas?
Answer:
No, the three stanzas are not of equal length. The first stanza has 18 lines, the second 12 and the third only 6-. The last stanza is short when compared to the previous stanzas because in it the poet is giving us a piece of advice. In the other two stanzas he is describing the hills, the valley, the river, the lake and the beautiful sights and sounds there. Naturally they have to be longer. Descriptions take many lines, but a piece of advice does not have to be so long.

Activity – II (Read and reflect)

Hsslive Plus One English Notes Chapter 1 Question 8.
You may listen to the recital of the poem.
Now, discuss and answer the following questions:
Comment on the musical quality of the poem.
Answer:
The poem is highly musical. The rhyming couplets (arch¬march, gales-vales, light-height, etc.) give a highly’ melodious quality to the poem. The poem has fine rhythm as the stressed and unstressed syllables alternate regularly. There is alliteration that adds to The musical quality. Examples of alliteration are ‘blasted, bare’, ‘faint and far’, ‘sudden shot’, ‘from fainting’. There are also many instances of assonance which make the poem sound sweet: The poem gives a smoothing effect as it sounds so soft and sweet to the ear.

Hss Live Guru Plus One English Notes Chapter 1 Question 9.
Identify the symbols used in the poem.
Answer:
There are many symbols in the poem. Examples are: ‘Heaven’s wide arch’, ‘returning march’, ‘soft gales kissing the sun-clad vales’, ‘hosts in battle overthrown’, ‘shattered lance’, ‘pine, blasted, bare and cleft’, ‘the veil of cloud’, ‘woods bending with silent reach’.

Plus One English Notes Hss Live Chapter 1 Question 10.
How does figurative language, like the simile, make the poem effective?
Answer:
Longfellow has used many figures of speech in his poem to make it effective. His figurative language includes simile, metaphor, personification and onomatopoeia, among others. He speaks of the clouds losing their glory “like hosts in battle overthrown”. This is a fine smile. There are excellent personifications in “the sun’s returning march” and “soft gales Went forth to kiss the sun-clad vales”. Metaphors can be seen in ‘Pinnacles thrusting up shattered lances’ and The dark pine blasted, bare and cleft’. There is a superb onomatopoeia in ‘the whirl and flash of currents’.

Activity – III (Appreciation)

Pick out the descriptions of sights, sounds and movements in the poem.

Hsslive Plus One English Textbook Answers Chapter 1 Question 11.
Does any image stand out as the most important? Why do you think so?
Answer:
The image of the current whirling and flashing stands out as the most important. I think so because it represents man’s desire to explore and reach further and further.

Hss Live English Notes Plus One Chapter 1 Question 12.
What is your overall assessment of the poem?
Answer:
I think the poem is superb as it depicts some of the most alluring sights, sounds and movements of nature. Here Longfellow can stand comparison to William Wordsworth, the high priest of Nature.

English Plus One Notes Hsslive Chapter 1 Question 13.
Based on the above discussions, prepare an appreciation of the poem.
Answer:
The poem ‘Sunrise on the Hills’ by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a lyric that extols the beauty of Nature and how Nature can soothe you when you are in trouble or difficulty. The poet stands upon the hills when the sky is glorious with the rays of the rising sun. The forests are brightened. Mild breezes are kissing the valleys brightened by the dawn. The clouds are under him and they are bathed in light. As the mist clears away in the rising sun, many peaks with their sharp spear-like projections appear. Soon he will see the rich valley. The river is flowing.

As the dawn breaks into the morning, birds fly away chirping noisily. The poet hears the distant waters rush. He sees the current whirl and shines in the light. The lake is blue with a beach of silver sand and near it the thick forest is bending as if to reach and kiss the lake. Over the valley, the gentle and melodious sound of the village bell is echoing on the hills. The thin smoke starts coming out from the wooded valley through the thick-leaved branches, from the huts of the people living in the valley.

The poet says that if you are tired and are troubled with problems and sorrows that you want to forget, if you want to read a book that will prevent your heart from losing hope and wake up your soul with optimism, you should go to the forest and hills. The sweet look that Nature has is not dimmed by tears of any kind.

The poet has used exquisite phrases to depict the sights, sounds, and movements of Nature. He has used many figures of speech to drive his points home. The message is clear. Go to nature to forget your sorrows and troubles. A glorious sunrise can life even the gloomiest person with hope and optimism.

The poem is full of visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic imagery. In this poem, Longfellow stands comparison to the greatest Nature Poet, William Wordsworth. Wordsworth is called the High Priest of Nature. The world today is full of problems and one reason for them is our contempt and disregard for nature. We destroy the beauty of nature. Now we have concrete jungles instead of jungles full of trees, wild animals, and birds. Longfellow wants us to return to Nature and enjoy its superb sights, melodious sounds, and exquisite movements.

Read and discuss :

Hss Live Plus One English Chapter 1 Question 14.
The modes of travel differ. Some may result in more intense and interesting experience.
Answer:
Christ Foster is a 48-year teacher from Southern California. He has completed the first part of a solo motorcycle journey around the world, travelling 13,343 miles. He has gone across 3 continents, and eleven countries. By travelling on his motorcycle he wants to get close to everything – the weather, the smells, the sights, and the people. His main motivation is to get to know the various countries and the customs there.

Hss Live Plus One English Notes Chapter 1 Question 15.
What does the travel experience of this teacher tell us?
Answer:
It tells us that he is a very adventurous person. He wants to have a first-hand experience of everything – the weather, the smells, the sights, and the people of different countries. He wants to learn about the different customs people have in the countries he visits.

Plus One English Chapters Chapter 1 Question 16.
What do you think interests him more: where to travel dr how to travel?
Answer:
I think where to travel interests him more as one of his main motivations is to get first-hand knowledge of various countries and their customs.

Read and Reflect

How interesting does the earth look when viewed from a different angle from+1&r away, from out there? Let’s read ‘The Trip ofLe Horia’. It chronicles Maupassant’s ride in a hot air balloon called ‘Le Horia’.

Sunrise on the Hills (Poem) About the Author:

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was a popular American poet and translator. He was a Professor at Harvard University. During his lifetime, Longfellow was considered the best American poet. His work was translated and published in many other languages. The poem ‘Sunrise on the Hills’ presents the experience of the poet as he watches the sun rise among the hills.

Sunrise On The Hills Summary

Stanza 1 : I stood upon the hills when the sky was glorious with the rays of the rising sun. The forests were brightened. Mild breezes were kissing the valleys brightened by the dawn. The clouds were under me. They were bathed in light and they gathered midway round the height covered with trees. Their glory was fading and they looked like armies defeated in battle. As the mist cleared away in the rising sun, many peaks with their sharp spear-like projections could be seen.

On the cliff there was a dark pine moving in the wind. It was withered, without any leaves and was split here and there. Soon the veil of the clouds was lifted and below I could see the rich valley. The river was flowing and its water was sometimes darkened by the shade cast by the forest. But sometimes the water glistened in its downward flow. As the dawn broke into morning, a bittern (a bird belonging to the heron family) flew upward in a spiral way making a lot noise.

Stanza 2 : I heard the distant waters rush. I saw the current whirl and shine in the light. The lake was blue with a beach of sliver sand and near it the thick forest was bending as if to reach and touch the lake. Over the valley the gentle and melodious sound of the village bell was echoing on the hills. The sound of the screeching owl filled the forest. li?A/as as if the owl was replying to the merry, but faint shout sent out by the valley. Then thin smoke started coming out from the wooded valley through the thick leaved branches, probably from the huts of the people living in the valley.

Stanza 3 : If you are tired and are troubled with problems and sorrows that you want to forget, if you want to read a book that will prevent your heart from losing hope and wake up your soul with optimism, you should go to the forest and hills. The sweet look that Nature has is not dimmed by tears of any kind.

Sunrise On The Hills Glossary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 4 Braving The Hazards Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Braving The Hazards Questions and Answers Unit 4

Let’S Begin

1. Examine the picture given below:

Let’s Discuss

Disaster And Disaster Management In India Plus One Notes Question 1.
What do these pictures tell us about?
Answer:
They tell us about disasters.

Disaster And Disaster Management In India Plus One Questions And Answers Question 2.
Note down all the ideas that come to your mind about them.
Answer:
Upper Row:
Picture 1 : aWhirlwindorablastofanuclearbomb.
Picture 2 : a Tsunami
Picture 3 : High tide or Storm in the sea

The row beneath :
Picture 1 : An earthquake
Picture 2 : A forest fire

Read and Reflect

Disaster And Disaster Management In India Plus One Summary Question 1.
Share your thoughts with your friends. Collect ideas from them, and enrich your understanding of the subject.

Plus One English Chapter Disasters And Disaster Management In India Summary Question 2.
Disasters – both natural and man-made cause widespread damage and destruction. It is high time that we became aware of and equipped ourselves to face impending disasters. Here is an essay about disasters and their management in the Indian context.

Braving The Hazards About the Unit:

Disasters, both natural and man¬made, have become very common today. Thousands die each year in disasters. They also cause a lot of destruction and damage. It is necessary to be informed and equipped to face impending disasters. The idea of disaster management is taken up seriously throughout the world.

This unit has 3 texts. One is an essay by Anjana Majumdar about disaster management in India. The 2nd is a short story by A.J. Cronin. The 3rd is a poem by Benjamin Peck Keith about the wreck of the Titanic. In addition, there is a newspaper report and an excerpt from the essay ‘On Courage’ by A.G. Gardiner. The texts and activities aim to make the learners aware of different disasters and to equip them to act promptly in moments of crisis.

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 2 Words and Deeds Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Words and Deeds Questions and Answers Unit 2

Let’s Begin

And Then Gandhi Came Questions And Answers Question 1.
“Deeds must be an execution of words. Mahatma Gandhi was true to his words in his deeds. His life was a message.” This is what Albert Einstein wrote about Gandhi on his 70th birthday, in 1939:
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi: He was a leader of his people, unsupported by any outward authority. He was a politician whose success did not rest upon craft or the mastery of technical devices but simply on the convincing power of his personality. He was a victorious fighter who always refused to use force. He was a man of wisdom and humility. He was armed with resolve and inflexible consistency. He devoted all his strength to the uplifting of his people and the betterment of their condition. He faced the brutality of Europe with the dignity of a simple human being.

Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth.

Let’s discuss :

Plus One English And Then Gandhi Came Notes Question 2.
What impression of Gandhiji do you get from the brief description given above? Discuss.
Answer:
The impression I get is that Gandhiji was one of the greatest men the world has ever seen. He did not have any political authority but he was a true leader of the people. He was not a shrewd politician who was a master of all latest technologies, but he impressed people with his powerful personality. He always advocated non-violence. Even the might of England could not defeat this ‘Naked Fakirfrom India’ as Winston Churchill once called him. He was a man of wisdom and humility.

He would never run away from any risk and he was determined to succeed. His ambition in life was giving the people of his country freedom and good life which they could enjoy in peace and brotherhood. He advocated tolerance and he believed that God is one known by different names – Ishwar, Allah, God. All human beings are the sons and daughters of the same Father. Gandhi was not only a nationalist but a great internationalist who believed in the fraternity of the humankind all over the world. Gandhiji is the greatest son of India.

Plus One English And Then Gandhi Came Question Answer Question 3.
What kind of a ‘fighter’ is Gandhi?
Answer:
Gandhi is a fighter who believed in non-violence. He would never give up, fearing defeat. He was even willing to sacrifice his life to attain his goals which he believed to be just and right.

And Then Gandhi Came Text Question Answers Question 4.
‘One must practise what one preaches.’ How far is the statement true of Mahatma Gandhi?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi always practised what he preached. He strongly believed that “Deeds must be an execution of words.” Empty words never came out of his mouth. If he said something people could be sure that he would do it. He even gave up his life to practise what he preached.

Read and Reflect

And Then Gandhi Came Notes Hss Live Question 1.
Jawaharlal Nehru writes about the timely arrival of Gandhiji to Indian politics. India was in great need of such a leader. Gandhiji was like a beam of light that removed the darkness. Nehru makes a right assessment of Gandhiji in his book ‘Discovery of India’. Here is an excerpt.

“Keep your thoughts positive
because your thoughts become your words
Keep your words positive
because your words become your behaviour.”

Words and Deeds About this Unit:

– Mahatma Gandhi

The theme of this unit is the need for the symbiotic relationship between words and deeds. The unit aims at inculcating the right values through a few examples. It has an essay by Nehru titled “And Then Gandhi Came”, a story written by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay with the title The Price of Flowers’, translated by Lila Ray, and a poem ‘Death the Leveller’ by James Shirley.

The texts and the activities are designed to help the students to imbibe the values of good citizenship. They also enable them to acquire a strong linguistic foundation.

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 1 Chapter 4 If Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook If Questions and Answers Unit 1 Chapter 4 (Poem)

If (Poem) Textual Activities Questions and Answers

Activity -1 (Read and Respond)

Plus One English Textbook Answers Chapter 4  Question 1.
The first stanza of ‘If’ speaks about the need for self-confidence. Do you agree? Why?
Answer:
Yes, I agree. Without self-confidence, nothing worthwhile can be achieved.

If Poem Appreciation Hsslive Chapter 4 Question 2.
What does the poet say about patience?
Answer:
Successful people exercise patience. Without patience, nothing can be got. In English they say, “Slow and steady wins the race’ and ‘Haste makes waste’.

Plus One English Questions And Answers Chapter 4 Question 3.
Explain the poet’s views on honesty and fortitude of character.
Answer:
The poet says that even if people tell lies to you, never follow their examples and start telling lies. A liar is not respected in the society. A liar may succeed temporarily but in the long run he is bound to fail and will be put to shame.

Plus One English If Notes Chapter 4 Question 4.
Lines 5-7 speak about the need for righteous behavior in the face of unrighteousness. How far do you agree?
Answer:
I fully agree with the view that in the face of unrighteous behavior, we should face it with righteous behavior. If somebody is bad, we don’t have to become bad and follow his ways. We should learn to conquer hatred with love.

Plus One English Text Book Answers Chapter 4 Question 5.
What is the poet’s approach to dreams and longings?
Answer:
It is good to dream but we should not let dreams become our master. We can have longings, but we should never take crooked paths achieve them. We can think — but thinking is not ouraim. Our aim is to act and achieve.

Plus One English If Questions Answers Chapter 4 Question 6.
The poet believes that success comes from self control and a true sense of the value of things. Express your views on this.
Answer:
I fully agree with the poet’s views on these aspects. Success comes from self-control and a true sense of the value of things. We should know that all that glitters is not gold. Without self-control we will go astray. Unless we know the true value of things, we may spend our time and energy trying to get things that have no true value. Appearances can be deceptive.

Plus One English Textbook Activity Answers Chapter 4 Question 7.
‘Never breathe a word about your loss. ’ What impression do you get about the poet when you read this?
Answer:
I feel that the poet is a strong-willed person. He can keep his secrets. He does not want people’s sympathies. He has fortitude and courage to suffer his adversities without sharing them with others.

Plus One English Textbook Solutions Chapter 4 Question 8.
What is the message conveyed in the last stanza of the poem?
Answer:
You can talk with the .crowds, but you should not become one of.them and lose your virtue. Even when you walk with kings, you should not lose sight of the ordinary people. You should be beyond getting hurt by your enemies or friends. All kinds of people should be able to count upon you for help. You should forgive and never rush to punish the offender. If you can do all these things you can enjoy on this earth as if you are its master.

Activity – II (Read and Reflect)

If Poem Appreciation 11th English Hsslive Chapter 4 Question 9.
What is the central theme of the poem?
Answer:
The central theme of the poem is the qualities of greatness or the traits of a perfect man.

Plus One Scert English Textbook Solutions Chapter 4 Question 10.
What, according to the poem, are the two impostors of life?
Answer:
According to the poem the two impostors of life are Triumph and Disaster.

Plus One English Chapter If Questions And Answers Chapter 4 Question 11.
What, according to the poet, should be one’s attitude to unexpected loss?
Answer:
According to the poet one’s attitude to unexpected loss should be one of indifference. Triumphs and Tragedies are part of life. Don’t be overjoyed at the successes and don’t be dejected at the failures. If you happen to have a loss, don’t tell anyone. Accept it with fortitude.

Plus One English Unit 1 Questions And Answers Chapter 4 Question 12.
What is the poem about? (Consider the speaker, theme, symbols, comparisons, contrasts and conflicts.)
Answer:
The speaker here is a father. He is speaking to his son about the qualities that are needed to become a successful man, a perfect man. The theme is the attainment of perfection. To make his ideas clear, the speaker has used many symbols. There are symbols like ‘pitch-and-toss’ (suggesting gambling), ‘force heart, nerve and sinew’ (suggesting gathering of strength) and ‘sixty seconds worth of distance run’ (suggesting delayed reaction). There are fine contrasts in ‘triumph and disaster’, ‘kings and common people’ and ‘friends and foes’. There are conflicts in ‘risking it on one turn of pitch-and-loss’ and ‘loving friends hurting you’.

Question 13.
Identify the poetic form, figurative language and poetic structure.
Answer:
It is a lyrical poem with four stanzas consisting of four octaves (a group of eight lines). The poem is in rhyme although the rhyming scheme is different in various stanzas. In the first stanza it is aaaa, bcbc. The poet has figurative language with a lot of metaphors, personification, parallelisms, climaxes, etc. It is a didactic poem telling us what to do and what not to do to enjoy life and to be a perfect man.

Question 14.
When the poet says, ‘If you can dream – and not make dreams your master, he is personifying dreams, i.e. dreams are spoken of as masters who can control our lives. In this case, dreams assume a human role/qualjfy.
Answer:
Pick out other expressions where the poet uses personification.
a) Triumph and disaster treated as impostors.
b) Will which says ‘Hold on’.

‘Unforgiving minutes’ is a metaphoric expression as it refers to time that waits for no man; it is like a race where every second is important.

Now, identify other metaphoric expressions used in the poem.

Deal in lies, twisted by knaves, one heap of all your winnings, breathe a word, unforgiving minute, sixty second’s worth of distance

Question 15.
What do knaves represent?
Answer:
Knaves represent dishonest people.

Question 16.
What other symbols are used in the poem ‘If’?
Answer:
a) Deal in lies
b) Making one heap of all your winnings
c) Risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss
d) Breathe a word
e) Force your heart, nerve and sinew

Notes:

1. Personification : Speaking of things and animals as if they are persons with human traits and qualities. Example: Death steals our life; he is very cruel.
2. Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing or person is spoken as another. Example: K.S. Chitra is a nightingale.
3. Symbol : A symbol is an object that represents an idea, image or an action. We see different symbols on our roads to warn us. Example: Red Light is the symbol of danger.

Activity – III (Appreciation)

Question 17.
Based on the responses you have got, prepare an appreciation of the poem ‘If ’ (Consider theme, language, style, figures, symbols, relevance)
Answer:

The poem ‘If is written by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling is an English short-story writer, poet and novelist. He is chiefly known for his stories and poems about the British soldiers in India. He also wrote stories for children.

In the poem a father tells his son how to be happy and how to be a perfect man. So many conditions have to be fulfilled if one is become perfect man. He should not lose his head, even when others around him have lost theirs. He has to trust himself when all people doubt him. He should wait and shouldn’t be tired of waiting. When people tell him lies, he should not follow their example. People may hate him but he should not hate them. He should not try to look too good and try to talk too wise.

He should dream, but should not make dreams his master. He should think but shouldn’t make thoughts his aim. He should view Success and Failure equally. Even when the results of his hard work are destroyed, he should get ready to build them. He should not tell others about his losses. He should persevere, always being optimistic. He should keep talking with the crowds but maintain his virtue. He can walk with kings but shouldn’t lose the common touch. Neither his friends nor his enemies should be able to hurt him. All men should be able to count on his help. He should forgive people who have offended him. If he can do all these things the Earth and everything in it is his and he will then be a man.

The poem is in rhyme and it has good sound effects. It has fine imagery, The mood is one of joy and optimism. The language used is simple. There are a lot of symbols and figures of speech in the language, especially personification.

The message of the poem is to be happy and successful in life. The poem talks of conditional fulfilment. If certain conditions, as specified in the poem, are fulfilled, one can be a perfect man, enjoying his life. ‘If is the most famous poem of Kipling. It attracted nation-wide attention. It soon became a very popular qnthem.

Activity – IV (Conditionals/lf Clause)

In the poem ‘If we find so many ‘If clauses. ‘If clauses are called conditional clauses.

Answer:
Here is the list of ‘If Clauses in the poem:
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, ….
if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,
If you can dream,…
If you can think, …
If you can meet with triumph and disaster, ….
If you can bear to hear the truth, …”
If you can make one heap of all your winnings, …
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew,…
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, ….
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, ….
If all men count with you, ….
If you can fill the unforgiving minute

Usually, there are three common patterns with ‘If which are often called first, second, and third conditionals.

Answer:
The first type is called Probable or Likely or Open condition.
The second type is called Improbable or Unlikely or Imaginary condition.
The third type is called Impossible or Unreal Past condition.
We make these conditions by changing the tenses in the clauses.

→ Let us take one example:
a) If you call, I will come. (Probable) (If clause Present tense, Main Clause Future)
b) If you called, I would come. (Improbable) If clause Past, Main Clause Conditional).
c) If you had called would have come (Impossible) If Clause – Past Perfect, Main clause Conditional Perfect.

→ Here is the formula:
If – present, Main Clause Future (Probable)
If – past, MC Conditional (Improbable)
If- past perfect, MC Conditional Perfect (Impossible)
Now Look at the examples given in the Text on p. 33.

Let’s Practise

Question 18.
Complete the conditional sentences to get the full story.

Once upon a time, a cat bit a mouse’s tail off. ‘Give me back my tail,’ said the mouse. And the cat said, ‘Well, I would give (give) your tail back, if you fetched me some milk. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’

The mouse, however, went to a cow. ‘The cat will only give (give/ only) me back my tail if I fetch her some milk.’

And the cow said, ‘Well, I would give you some milk, if you ______________ (get) me some hay. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’

The mouse, however, went to a farmer. ‘The cat will only give my tail back if the cow ______________ (give) me some milk. And the cow ______________ (only/ give) me some milk if I get her some hay.’ And the farmer said, ‘Well, I would give you some hay if you ______________ (bring) me some meat. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’

The mouse, however, went to a butcher. ‘The cat will only give my tail back if the cow ______________ (give) me some milk. And the cow will only give me some milk if she ______________ (get) some hay. And the farmer ______________ (only/ give) me some hay if I get him some meat.’ And the butcher said, ‘Well, I would give you some meat if you ______________ (make) the baker bake me a loaf of bread. But that’s impossible for a little mouse like you.’

The mouse, however, went to a baker. ‘The cat ______________ (give/ only) my tail back if I fetch her some milk. And the cow ______________ (give/ not) me some milk if I don’t get her some hay. And the farmer will only give me some hay if the butcher ______________ (have) some meat for him. And the butcher will not give me some meat if you ______________ (bake/ not) him a loaf of bread.’

And the baker said, ‘Well, I ______________ (give) you a loaf of bread if you promise never to steal my corn or meal.’

The mouse promised not to steal, and so the baker gave the mouse a loaf of bread; the mouse gave the butcher the bread. The butcher gave the mouse some meat; the mouse gave the farmer the meat. The farmer gave the mouse some hay; the mouse gave the cow the hay. The cow gave the mouse some milk; the mouse gave the cat the milk. And the cat gave the mouse her tail back. But imagine what would have happened otherwise: If the mouse had not promised (promise/ not) never to steal the corn or meal, the baker would not have given (not/give) the mouse the bread.

If the baker ______________ (not/ give) the mouse the bread, the butcher ______________ (refuse) to give her the meat for the farmer.

If the butcher ________________ (refuse) her any meat, the farmer ________________ (not be) willing to give the mouse the hay. If the farmer ________________ (not/ be) willing to give the mouse the hay, the mouse ______________ (not/ receive) the milk from the cow. If the mouse ______________ (not/ receive) the milk from the cow, she ______________ (not/ get) back her tail.
Answer:
got, gives, will only give, brought, gives, gets, will only give, made, will only give, will not give, has, don’t bake, will give.
had not given, would have refused, had refused, would not have been willing had not been, would not have received, had not received, wouldn’t have got

Extended Activities

Activity -1 (Read and Respond)

Question 19.
Read the extract from the newspaper article:

Teacher’s Pride

Many of the old teachers of the University College in the city would have felt a thrill of pride and joy, on reading in the newspapers the news that their old student Arun M. Kumar has been selected by President Obama to a very important post in his government. Arun is now Assistant Secretary and Director-General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration, in the Department of Commerce. The President has spoken appreciatively of the new team he has chosen.

A rare honour, indeed, and well-deserved recognition of merit. Arun did his three-year undergraduate course in Physics in the University College. I taught that class their English prose. It was a very bright class, with some of the students brilliant without any self-consciousness of their brilliance. And Arun was among the most brilliant. Well-read in many subjects, keen in understanding, quick, sensitive, and cultured beyond his years in his responses, it was a privilege and a pleasure to have him in my class, and sometimes, to discuss things with him outside the class. Over the years, as his mind matured, his sense of language had become fine – a sure pointer to deeper changes. Confined to my academic pursuits, I know little about the wider world of Arun’s enterprises. To see him trusted with the intricate problems of international finance is enough to make me feel that his choices and decisions were right.

Arun and his friends were responsible for starting the Science Society of Trivandrum for the benefit of school children. It has done a lot of good to school students, both in terms of financial help and academic training.

List out the special qualities you have noticed in one of your classmates:
Answer:
Brilliant, cheerful, sociable, hardworking, well read, sensitive, generous, sociable, humble, cultured, has initiative, humorous, optimistic My friend John is liked by all the students in the class. He is brilliant and he always gets the top marks and the teacher is never tired of praising him.

John comes from a wealthy family. His father is a magistrate and his mother is a lecturer in a college. But he is very humble and he never shows off to others. He is always cheerful and has a smiling face. He is well-read and hardworking. His general knowledge is great. He is a voracious reader and he seems to know about all things underthe sun, and even beyond! He is very generous and is always willing to help the weak.

He is very sociable. He is polite and respectful to teachers and elders. He always greets them when he meets them. He is cultured in his behaviour. He is very humorous and he has the knack of telling very amusing stories. He is optimistic and a strong believer in God. He has many leadership qualities and he takes initiatives in many things. John is an ideal student.

Activity – II (Cohesive Devices – Practice)

Question 20.
Fill in the blanks using the appropriate cohesive device from the ones given in brackets.
1. All the assignments should be submitted on time, …………………, they wilt not be evaluated.
2. The price of petrol has gone up considerably in the last few years …………………, the sale of cars has not seen any decrease.
3. Cycling is a good exercise …………………, it helps you to save money, (however, moreover, consequently)
4. Desktop computers are cheaper and more reliable than laptops; …………………, they last longer. (whereas, furthermore, alternatively)
5. There is a stiff competition between mobile phone companies to win customers …………………, they are slashing prices to attract customers, (as a result, in contrast, in conclusion)
Answer:
1. Otherwise
2. However
3. Moreover
4. Furthermore
5. As a result

Activity – III (Documentary):

Question 21.
Prepare a presentation on the life and works of an eminent person who has overcome many obstacles/difficulties and become successful in life.
Answer:
Helen Keller : She was an American lecturer and writer who overcame severe physical disabilities, inspiring many other people to similar accomplishments. Deaf and blind from the age of 19 months, Keller learned to communicate with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller to read Braille and to “listen” by feeling a speaker’s face. Keller graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904 and authored a number of books about her experiences.

Helen Keller (1880-1968 was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the daughter of well-to-do parents: Arthur Keller, a former officer in the Confederate army, and Kate Adams. When 19 months old, Helen was stricken with an acute illness that left her deaf and blind. In a short time, she forgot the few words she knew and became silent. She made use of signs to get what she wanted, but when her parents or the family servants did not understand her, her frustration found an outlet in screaming and tantrums. In the 1880s people who were both deaf and blind were classified in law as idiots.

A doctor who examined Keller, however, thought that her intelligence could be developed. On the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor, who was also a teacher of deaf people, Keller’s parents got a teacher for the Blind. The teacher’s name was Anne Mansfield Sullivan (later Macy). Thus began an association that lasted until Sullivan’s death in 1936.

Sullivan’s first task was to break through the barrier of darkness and silence that surrounded the child.

She succeeded in that. Two years later she was reading and writing fluently using the Braille system. When Keller was tert, she begged to relearn how to speak. At first this seemed impossible, but Sullivan discovered that Keller could learn sounds by placing her fingers on her teacher’s larynx and sensing the vibrations. The moving account of how Sullivan taught her to speak is told in Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life (1902).

In 1900, Keller entered Radcliffe College. Four years later she graduated with honors to worldwide acclaim and decided to devote her life to helping blind and deaf people. Through her essays and articles in major magazines and newspapers, Keller explained the problems encountered by people who are deaf and blind and the responsibilities of society. In addition to The Story of My Life, she published Optimism, or My Key to Life (1903), The World I Live In (1908), and Out of the Dark (1913).

In her desire to help people like her, Keller also began to travel and lecture throughout the world, enlisting the aid of many famous people she met. Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie gave her an annual income, writers Mark Twain and Robert Louis Stevenson sang her praises, and nearly every U.S. president of her time invited her to the White House. She received many honors. Helen Keller is one of the best examples of people who have overcome severe handicaps and become world-famous.

Activity – IV (Collection):

Question 22.
Collect inspiring speeches of great persons like Martin Luther King, Swami Vivekanda, Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru, etc. Make a presentation based on the common factors in the speeches.
Answer:
Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered what is regarded today as one of the greatest speeches in American history. Here is an excerpt from his speech: “I Have a Dream”.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification—one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.’

In all the speeches of the above great people, we can find some common factors. One is patriotism. Patriotism is the love of one’s motherland. The country of one’s birth is his mother and he should love her and work for her progress. In case of a need, he should be even ready to sacrifice his life for this motherland.

Another common factor is the love for liberty, freedom. Man is born free and he should have his freedom to enjoy his life. Political freedom, economic freedom, and religious freedom are essential for the proper growth of a person. No country should be ruled by other countries.

Another factor that is common among the speeches of these great men is a fraternity and universal brotherhood. In the pledge, we assert, “All Indians are my brothers and sisters”. This pledge should not be limited to words. In deeds, we must show that we are true to our words.

All great men preach internationalism and universal brotherhood Even as we preach nationalism, we must be internationalists. We all know that we may have different colors. The Europeans may be white, the Africans may be black, the Asians might be brown or yellowish, but all of them have red blood! Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, or Jew, your emotions are the same. That is why we say, “Tickled we laugh; pricked we cry”. So we must love humanity. Gandhi is the Father of our nation, but he was also a great internationalist.

If (Poem) About the Author:

– Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) is an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist. He is chiefly known for his stories and poems about the British soldiers in India. He also wrote stories for children. “If” is the most famous poem of Kipling. It attracted nationwide attention. It soon became a very popular anthem.

IF (Poem) Summary

Here a father is advising his son:
Stanza 1: Maintain your coolness when people around you have lost it and blame you for the situation. Trust yourself when all people doubt you, but give allowance for their doubting. Wait and don’t be tired of waiting. When people tell you lies, don’t follow their example. People may hate you but don’t hate them. Don’t try to look too good and don’t try to talk too wise.

Stanza 2: You should dream, but do not make dreams your master. You should think but don’t make your thoughts your aim. You should view Success and Failure equally. You may say truths but dishonest people may twist them and use them to trap fools. You worked hard to get certain things done, but you find them broken. Then you get ready to build them up using old tools.

Stanza 3: Collect all your winnings and risk them on one turn of the dice. You may lose the entire thing. But start again without telling anybody about your loss. Continue doing your work even when others have abandoned theirs. Continue to hold on even you have nothing left except your will.

Stanza 4: Keep talking with the crowds but maintain your virtue. Walk with kings but don’t lose the common touch. Neither your friends nor your enemies should be able to hurt you. All men should be able to count on your help. But nobody should expect too much from you. You should forgive people who have offended you. If you can do all the above things the Earth and everything in it is yours and you will then be a man.

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 2 Chapter 3 Death the Leveller Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Death the Leveller Questions and Answers Unit 2 Chapter 3 (Poem)

Death the Leveller (Poem) Textual Questions and Answer

Activity -1 (Read and respond)

Death The Leveller Appreciation Hsslive Chapter 3 Question 1.
Why does the poet think that the glories of our blood and state are shadows?
Answer:
The poet thinks that the glories of our blood and state are shadows because they are not substantial or concrete things. They don’t last.

Hss Guru Plus One English Notes Chapter 3 Question 2.
What do ‘sceptre and crown’ and ‘scythe and spade’ stand for and what do they symbolize?
Answer:
Sceptre and crown stand forthe royal glory, splendour and power of rulers. Scythe and spade stand forthe tools of workers. Sceptre and crown symbolizes kings (authority) whereas scythe and spade symbolize ordinary people (the masses).

Death The Leveller Summary In Malayalam Chapter 3 Question 3.
Why does the poet say that ‘there is no armour against fate’?
Answer:
The poet says that ‘there is no armour against fate’ because death comes to everyone. Nobody can resist it. No armour will protect you against death.

Death The Leveller Textual Questions And Answers Chapter 3 Question 4.
‘Some men with swords may reap the field’- What does this mean?
Answer:
It means some powerful conquerors might attack other lands and occupy them. Alexander the Great, Napoleon and Hitler are good examples of such mighty men.

Death The Leveller Poem Chapter 3  Question 5.
What is the fate of the men with swords who hope to reap the field?
Answer:
They also die, as they have to bend before fate. All are captives of the mighty Death.

Hsslive Guru English Plus One Chapter 3 Question 6.
What does ‘Death’s purple altar’ refer to?
Answer:
It refers to the inevitable death. It also refers to the battle grounds where blood flows and the ground are made purple with the colour of blood. Thus it means bloodshed.

Death’s Purple Altar Chapter 3 Question 7.
What does the phrase ‘victor-victim’ mean?
Answer:
It is means the conqueror and the conquered, the triumphant and the defeated, the master and the slave.

Death The Leveller Appreciation In Malayalam Chapter 3 Question 8.
What can survive death ? What are the things that blossom in the dust? Why?
Answer:
The actions of the just, the good deeds of the righteous people, can survive death. The good actions blossom in the dust because people will remember them and the aroma of the good actions will continue to waft in the air.

Death The Leveller Poem Meaning In Malayalam Chapter 3  Question 9.
Why death is called the Leveller?
Answer:
Death is called the Leveller because Death shows no distinction and he carries off everybody alike – high and low, rich and poor, strong and weak – reducing them all to dust. He is an equalizer in whose eyes everybody is equal. He levels everybody to one size!

Activity – II (Read the reflect)

Plus One English Chapter Chapter 3 Question 10.
Elaborate the ideas in the following lines:
Answer:
i) Only the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.
All people have to die. Kings and clowns, scholars and illiterates, rich and poor, high and low – all will die and become dust. But the actions of the good people will be remembered as they continue to waft their aroma even from the dust.

ii) The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against Fate.
The glory or our birth and our condition are simply like shadows, not substantial, not concrete, not things that will last for long. There is no way we can escape from death. Whether we are born high or low, whether we are powerful or not death will come to us and no shield of any kind will protect us from death.

Plus One English Poem Of Appreciation Chapter 3 Question 11.
The following words are taken from the poem. Parse (Describe the grammatical function) them.
Answer:

• Armour – noun
• wither – verb
• But – Conjunction
• tame – verb
• Murmuring – adjective
• stoop – verb
• Boast – verb
• tumble – verb
• Where – adverb
• reap – verb
• Cold – adjective
• boast – verb
• Sweet – adverb
• bleeds – verb

Activity – III (Analysis)

Malayalam Poem About Death Chapter 3 Question 12.
Examine the rhyme scheme of the poem. What effect does it produce?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the poem is: ababccdd It give the poem a highly musical quality.

Couplet: A couplet consists of two lines of poetry that rhyme with each other and are of the same length: e.g. “Sceptre and crown Must tumble down,”

Question 13.
Can you identify more couplets from the poem?
a) “Early or late ,
They stoop to fate”
b) “ murmuring breath
creep to death”
c) “actions of the just
blossom on their dust”

Figures Of Speech : Study the notes given on page 69.
Identify the figure of speech in ‘Death lays icy hands on kings’ – Personification Pick out example of metaphor, metonymy and oxymoron in the poem.
Answer:
Metaphor:
i) glories are shadows. It shows the transient and insubstantial nature of glory.
ii) Actions of the just smell sweet: The actions of the just are flowers.

Metonymy :
i) sceptre and crown means kings, rulers or people with high authority.
ii) scythe and spade = ordinary people

Oxymoron : victor-victim bleeds. Normally it is only the victims that bleed.

Activity – IV (Appreciation)

Question 14.
Men are mortal. Triumph and failures are part and parcel of life. However, we have to think of the consequences of our action before we do something. The effect of our mistaken deeds cannot often be rectified.

Think and add your views : Life is a mixture of pleasure and pain. There are ups and downs in everybody’s life. We should not be overjoyed in our success. In the same way we must feel too dejected in our failures. We have opportunities to do good and bad. If we do good things, posterity will remember us as good people. But if we do bad things, people will curse us even after our death. So our aim should be to live exemplary lives and help others to live their lives in a good way.
Answer:
Now attempt and appreciation of the poem : The poem ‘Death the Leveller’ by James Shirley is a fine poem that teaches us a god lesson. It says that our earthly glories are mere shadows. There is no shield against Fate. Death comes to all. Even the mightiest will be levelled with the poorest by Death, who is a leveller. Some men may make big conquests but their strong nerves finally become weak. Finally they also die as poor, pale prisoners of fate. So do not boast about your great actions. On the altar of death victor and the vanquished bleed alike. However great you are, your head must come to the cold tomb. Only the good actions of the just people will be remembered by posterity.

The poem has fine imagery. The poet has used many figures of speech like simile, metaphor, metonymy and oxymoron. These figures make the poem very interesting. The poem is in rhyme with the scheme ababccdd. It has a fine rhythm and it is very melodious.

The poem has a fine message: Death levels everyone. He treats all alike. All, kings and clowns, scholars and the illiterate, the rich and the poor, end up in dust. So we should not boast about our capabilities and achievements. We should remember that all of us are children of God and we all go back to the same dust. Death is a great leveller.

Activity – V

Question 15.
Preparing a Class Magazine (To be done by the students).

Death the Leveller (Poem) About the Author

– James Shirley

James Shirley (1596-1666) is known as the last of Elizabethans. He wrote a lot for the stage. He published four small volumes of poems and plays.

‘Death the Leveller’ is a funeral song. It asks the readerto think about human actions. The subject-matter of the poem is vanity and the impermanence of earthly glory and power. Death shows no distinction and he carries off everybody alike – high and low, rich and poor, strong and weak – reducing them all to dust. It is only the memories of the good deeds during our lifetime that will last forever.

Death The Leveller Summary

Stanza 1 : The glories of our blood and state are shadows. They are not concrete things. There is no armour against Fate. Death lays his cold hands even on kings. Sceptre and Crown, the symbols of a king, will fall down and they will be made equal with the sickle and spade, the tools and symbol of poor people.

Stanza 2: Some men may reap the fields with sword and plant fresh victories where they kill. But their strong nerves finally become weak. Early or late they have bend low before their fate and must give up their breath. Finally they also die, as poor, pale prisoners of fate.

Stanza 3 : The garlands on your brow dry up. So do not boast about your great actions. Upon the purple altar of death the victor and the vanquished bleed alike. However great you are, your head must come to the cold tomb. Only the good actions of the just people will flower in the dust and smell sweet.

Message: Death levels everyone. He treats all alike. All, kings and clowns, scholars and the illiterate, the rich and the poor, end up in dust.

Death The Leveller Glossary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 6 Chapter 3 Conceptual Fruit Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Conceptual Fruit Questions and Answers Unit 6 Chapter 3 (Short Story)

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How does the wife, and the son, react to the man’s excitement? What does this tell us about their character?
Answer:
The wife and the son react to the man’s excitement in a negative way. They are uninterested in the whole thing. This tells that they are not much concerned with the happiness of Greta who is a differently-abled child.

Question 2.
Why are the son and the wife uninterested? Do you approve of their attitude?
Answer:
The son is not interested because he wants to devote all his life to karate. The wife says she has been sitting in front of the computer and she wants to spend her evenings in the garden. Both of them are not bothered in the welfare or happiness of Greta. I don’t approve of their attitude.

Question 3.
Greta is a special child. How do you know that? Have you ever visited a special school?
Answer:
I know that Greta is a special child because she had worked hard to tie her shoes by age ten. Although she was 16, she is in the 5th grade-level. Her younger brother who is 11 is in a higher grade. She went to a special school.
I have visited a special school and I have seen how differently-abled children are taught various skills.

Question 4.
What is the father’s expectation of his daughter’s future prospects?
Answer:
Greta could type very slowly. Her father expected that by the time she left her school, she might be able to type fast enough to get a job at some word processing centre. But he was not sure about it as Greta was a differently-abled child.

Question 5.
Who is Sam? Why he is mentioned here? Do yo have any friend who has done interesting things in the field of computers?
Answer:
Sam is the person who set up the whole library of classics on the Internet. He is mentioned here to show that people can do wonderful things if they worked with the computer diligently. I have a friend who has done interesting things in the field of computers. He works on cryptology – a secret language.

Question 6.
How is Greta described in these lines? What does this convey about the character of Greta?
Answer:
Greta is a young girl of 16. She is a differently-abled child. She is doing 5th grade-level. Her younger brother is in a higher level. She goes to a special school. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and she wears a sweater. She has the habit of repeating things * she hears. She picks at the sweater when she knows she has got something right. She makes a furtive smile when she pretends that she understood something that made no sense to her. She likes a big house with 11 windows. She wants sheer white curtains for all of them. She wants bowls of different fruits everywhere.

She loves peaches very much. She wants her bowls to be blue. She can type a bit. People hope when she leaves school she can work at word processing job. She is a helpful girl. When her mother is cutting blackberries she goes to help her.

Question 7.
What made Greta disappointed? How did her father try to console her? Was his explanation convincing?
Answer:
When she clicked bowl, the word peaches appeared. She thought she would get real peaches to eat and when they did not come she was disappointed. Her father says to get real peaches one has to go to the store. Her father further adds that when people see words like peaches or apples on the screen they are reminded of them and people like it. His explanation was convincing.

Question 8.
Why doesn’t Greta intend to have a bathroom in her house?
Answer:
Greta does not intend to have a bathroom in her house because it is not a real house and so people would not use it.

Question 9.
Why does she give a furtive smile when she saw the word ‘peaches’ on the computer screen? What does it indicate?
Answer:
Greta clicked and the word peaches appeared on the computer screen and then she smiled. It was a furtive smile -the smile she got when she pretended to have understood something which made no sense to her. It indicates the appearance of the word without the actual thing has no meaning for her.

Question 10.
Can you identify the words that tell you that she is disinterested?
Answer:
When her father says there could be other fruit – apples, pears and there could be flowers, she responds by saying, “Sure, there could be anything.” These words of hers tell us that she is disinterested.

Question 11.
What are the thoughts of the father? Do you think that they are touching? Why?
Answer:
The father knows that Greta would never have a house of her own. She would live in a group house with other people like her. He only hopes the house would be large and have sheer white curtains in all the rooms. He hopes it would have an orchard with fruit in real blue bowls: apples, pears, peaches – whatever Greta wanted.

His thoughts are touching as they are the sincere wishes of a loving father who knows her daughter is differently-abled and can’t have what she wants. He represents all fathers with differently-abled children.

Activity – I (Read and respond)

Question 1.
A story can be analysed based on its characters, setting, plot, mood, structure and its language. In the light of your reading of the story discuss these elements in groups and complete the table. The table gives you a few details about these elements.

Answer:
Characters: Greta, her father, her brother, her mother and Sam
Settings: The dining room in the home of Greta.
Plot: Greta’s father trying to make her, a differently abled girl, happy by making her a house of her choice in the cyberspace.
Mood: It is one of hope and joy. Greta gets what he wanted and she is happy.
Structure & Language: The writer has used simple, everyday language. The story is taken forward through dialogues. It has good characterization. It shows a loving father taking pains to make his differently-abled child happy.

Question 2.
Read the notes on characters on page 178. Classify the characters as primary secondary and tertiary.

Answer:

Question 3.
Can we call this a technology story?
Answer:
Yes, we can call this a technology story.

Question 4.
Why do you think so?
Answer:
I think so because here technology is used to make a differently-abled girl happy. Technology fulfils her dream.

Question 5.
Do you have any evidence to cite?
Answer:
Yes, I have. “Greta clicked and this time smiled.”

Question 6.
Write a short paragraph about this.
Answer:
Greta is a differently-abled girl. Differently-abled people have some physical or mental handicaps. Because of that they are not able to enjoy the normal charms of daily life. In such cases technology plays a big role. It gives the differently-abled people also to enjoy certain things. In the story, Greta wants to have a house of her own. She can’t get a real house of her choice. But technology comes to her rescue and gives an imaginary house.

She wants a blue bowl in every room. She wants peaches in the kitchen and living room and all the bedrooms. She wanted
11 windows covered with sheer white curtains. She wanted a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a bedroom for a cat. She gets all that in the cyberspace and she is happy.

Activity – II (Think and respond)

Read the excerpt given on p. 178 and answer the following questions.

‘When he told his family about the site on the Internet where you could create whole streets, his wife and son went on eating their pasta and artichokes. Only his daughter Greta looked up.’

Question 1.
What is interesting about this family?
Answer:
It is a small family and they eat their meals together.

Question 2.
Is it a middle class or upper class family?
Answer:
It is a middle class family.

Question 3.
How do you understand the characters of this story?
Answer:
Greta is differently-abled girl. She goes to a special school. She is 16, but is at a much lower class than her younger brother. She could tie her shoes only by the age of 10. Still she has some desires. She wants to have a big house. She loves peaches. She also loves cats and that is why she specifies that she needs a bedroom for her cat. Her father is quite a loving father. He tries hard to make his daughter happy by trying to give her what she wants on the cyberspace. Greta’s mother and her brother are not so affectionate or considerate. We see them making eyes when Greta asks her father to show her the place on the cyberspace.

Activity – III (Analysis)

Note down the words, phrases or passage that create a picture of the character in your mind in the column to left of the table. Now note your analysis of the characters on the column to the right.

Answer:

Activity – IV (Writing)

Question 1.
Read the last paragraph. If you were the author of the story, how would you end the story? Write an alternative ending of the story.
Answer:
Greta and her father continued the conversation. Her father told her that she was doing well with her typing. If she practiced a little more she could soon become art adept at it. Once she has the necessary speed, she could easily get a word processing job.

He further told her that the government has schemes to employ differently abled people in good positions with high salaries. The government also will give housing loans for such people on very easy terms. Once she has a job, she can buy a house of her choice and fulfil her dreams.

“Please bring my laptop, Dad,” Greta said. “I’m going to practice for more time from today.”
“I wish you all the luck in the world, beautiful girl,” her father said. As he was bringing her laptop to her his eyes were brimmed with tears.

Activity – V

Read the notes on page 179.

Question 1.
An email to a relative (telling him about the story)
Answer:
[email protected]
Today I want to tell you about a story I read. There is this girl named Greta. She is a differently-abled girl. She goes to a special school. She is 16, but is at a much lower class than her younger brother. She could tie her shoes only by the age of 10. Still she has some desires. She wants to have a big house. She loves peaches. She also loves cats. Her father is quite a loving father. He tries hard to make his daughter happy. He can’t buy her a real house. Instead he makes her a house on the cyberspace.

Greta wants a blue bowl in every room. She wants peaches in the kitchen and living room and all the bedrooms. She wants 11 windows covered with sheer white curtains. She has a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a bedroom for a cat. Her mother and brother are not so understanding and compassionate liker her father. As the girl and the father make their plans for the house they make eyes to mean that he is just wasting his time. Greta is happy with her imaginary house. The father hopes and prays that one day Greta may live in a house of her dreams! I felt moved by the emotions of the loving father.

Hope you are keeping well. Write back to me at your earliest.

Lovingly,
job

Activity – VI (Word Power)

Read the notes on page 180.

Question 1.
Write down as many Internet related words as possible.
Answer:
Web, world wide web, cyberspace, cyber crime, cyber law, digital, on-line, download, upload, email, post, chat, access, tag, software, blocking, data stream, spam, virus, anti-virus, info superhighway, networking.

Extended Activities

Activity – I : (Application Letter and CV)

Read the advertisement given on page 180 of the Text.

Question 1.
Type an application Letter and a CV on your desktop or laptop.
Answer:

Application Letter

Jobhaven
Azad Road
Irinjalakuda
Kerala, India
PIN-680 125
17 October 2014

The Manager
Lee Shipping Co. Ltd.
4545 Changi Boulevard
Singapore

Dear Sir,

Application for the post Receptionist/Booking Clerk

This is in response to your advertisement appearing in the “Malaysia Manorama” dated 15 October 2014. I am a B.Com Graduate with 80% marks in the aggregate. I speak and write three languages fluently – English, Hindi and Malayalam. I have completed a course in Microsoft Word and Excel for which I hold a certificate. I have some experience in office work as I worked as a clerk in the KSE Ltd. Irinjalakuda, Kerala, for 2 months during the summer vacation. My detailed C.V. and my recent photograph are enclosed.

I am prepared to come for the interview on any day in the month of October at any place of your choice in India, preferably Kochi. You are assured of full satisfaction if you give me a chance to work under you. Hoping to hear from you soon,

Yours faithfully,
Shweta Raj

Encl: 2

Curriculum Vitate Of Shweta Raj

Name: SHWETA RAJ
Address: Jobhaven, Azad Road, Irinjalakuda,
Kerala, India, PIN 680125
Phone No.: 8547028805
E-mail : [email protected]
Career Objective: To associate myself with a prestigious organization that provides a challenging job and an opportunity to prove innovative and diligent work.
Education

Achievements
Member – College Handball Team
Secretary – Commerce Club
Stood second in an Inter-Collegiate Debate
Experience – Worked for2 months as a clerk in KSE Irinjalakuda.
Languages known – English, Hindi and Malayalam (fluent in all of them.)
computer training- Microsoft Word, Excel, Tally, Unix

Personal Details
Date of birth – 20 August 1994
Sex – Female
Nationality-Indian
Marital status – single
References-Available on demand

(Shweta Raj)

Activity – II (Telephone Interview)

Question 1.
Imagine that the company accepted your application and asked you to give a telephone interview. Prepare the script of the telephone interview.
Answer:
Shweta: Good morning! May I know whom I am speaking to?
Manager: Good morning! I am Lee, the Manager of Lee Shipping Co. We got your application and we want to have an interview with you over the phone.
Shweta: That’s great. You may go ahead.
Manager: Shweta, you said in your application that you can speak and write 3 languages fluently. How good are you in English?
Shweta: I feel I am quite good. Ours was an English medium school and so I can speak English quite fluently. I can also write it well.
Manager: You said you have some certificates in computer courses. How good are you with Microsoft Word and Excel?
Shweta: I can’t say that I’m a great expert. But I am quite okay in them and I can do all the normal tasks.
Manager: What salary do you expect, Ms Shweta?
Shweta: I understand that you have offices in India and Singapore. If I have to work in Singapore, I expect a salary of US $ 4000 p.m. If I am posted in India, I can accept a lesser salary, the equivalent of US $2000.
Manager: You will be working in our Indian office. But we can’t pay you US$2000. Will you accept the job if we pay the equivalent of US $ 1500 p.m.?
Shweta: I will accept the offer for the time being.
Manager: When can you join us?
Shweta: Currently I am working with a local firm. So I will need one month’s time.
Manager: Agreed. We expect you to join us on the 1st of October.
Shweta: It’s fine.
Manager: Is there anything you would like to ask?
Shweta: Will I get a chance to come to Singapore anytime?
Manager: Yes, we usually have get-together of all the employees during X-mas time. Then you can come and we will pay you all the expenses of coming, provided you have proved yourself an asset to the company.
Shweta: I assure you I will prove that.
Manager: Okay then! I will send you the necessary papers to sign. Goodbye for now.
Shweta: Goodbye, and have a nice day!

Activity – III (Write-up)

Question 1.
The interview board asked you to prepare a write-up on ‘Why you want this job.’ Prepare a write-up on this in about one-and-a half pages.
Answer:
I want this job because of different reasons. First of all, I am an ambitious person who wants to make use of the talents God has given me. I don’t believe in doing the minimum and getting the maximum. I believe in doing the maximum and getting the maximum. This way I will benefit myself and also my employer.

I want this job because I know that Lee shipping Co. is one of the most prestigious in the world. I have heard that the company appreciates talented people and does its best to promote them to do their best. I understand that the Company gives incentives to those who prove themselves to be competitive and sincere in their work.

I want this job for another reason. I learnt that all the employees of the Company are called for a get- together in Singapore at the time of Christmas. I have heard a lot about Singapore and its achievements. I have heard that Singapore is the cleanest city in the world. I want to visit Singapore and experience myself some the marvels Singapore has.

I want this job for yet another reason. I am told that Lee Shipping Company encourages hardworking and intelligent people by giving them special training to do more responsible jobs where they will have a lot of benefits. I feel that I am intelligent and hardworking and I will also be noticed by the authorities and they give me a chance to grow to the greatest potential I am capable of.

Last but not the least I want this job because of the good salary I am offered. With my qualification and experience I feel this is the best I can get. With encouragement and assistance from the authorities I am sure I will be able to go higher in my life and achieve my aims. I have dreams of a good life and I am sure this job will help me to realize my dreams.

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) About the Author

Thaisa Frank is a famous short- story writer. She worked as a psychotherapist before becoming a full time writer. She also teaches at the University of San Francisco. This short story is about the Internet.

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) Summary in English

Page 174: When he told his family about the site on the Internet where you could create whole streets, his wife and son went on eating pasta and artichokes (edible flower buds). Only his daughter Greta looked up. He said he could buy a house on Pomanger Street. He could put as many rooms in it as he wanted and fill them with fruit. He could also make his own library.

His son, who was eleven, agreed with him. His son knew how to programme computers. But he was not interested. He wanted to give away his books and devote his life to karate.

His wife ate the heart of the artichoke carefully. He wanted to know her opinion. She said that she was in front of the computer the whole day and she wanted to spend the evenings in the garden. He knew that she was not interested.

Greta looked up from her artichoke leaves. She was arranging them in a circular pattern in her bowl. She said: “You said that there were streets. You said there could be fruit.” Greta often repeated what she heard. She had worked hard to tie her shoes by age ten and could read at fifth grade level, five grades below Joel, even though she was sixteen. She went to a special school. She said she wanted to see the place. Her father said he would show her. His wife and his son made eyes indicating their displeasure. They thought: “He is at it again. He’s getting Greta into it, too.”

Page 175: He said he would show her where she can make up streets and bowls of fruit. Greta sat in his chair and he sat next to her. Greta could type very slowly. By the time she left her school, she might be able to type fast enough to get a word processing job. But nobody was certain.

The man said that there was this guy named Sam who set up that whole library of classics. He lived in Illinois, but he made this wonderful place. He wanted her to watch. He clicked into the programme and was about to show Greta the collection of books when he saw her staring into space. He asked her if she wanted something of her own.

She said she wanted peaches and pears and artichokes. He asked her if she wanted them with bowls in a kitchen of a house or in a garden. He was typing, creating a street called Greta’s Street, a house called Greta’s house. Greta wanted to know why he was writing all that down. He said he was writing them down because they all were hers. Greta looked at the screen. Her blond hair blended with her sweater. Her blue eyes were the only colour in her face.

She said she wanted a bowl in every room. She wanted peaches in the kitchen and living room and all the bedrooms. He asked her if she did not want artichokes. Greta picked at her sweater. This is something she did when she knew she had got it right. She had forgotten about the artichokes and he was sorry that he had reminded her. He said he would put peaches everywhere. He wanted to know if the bowls should be of the same colour. She said they all should be blue colour. He then asked her how many windows she wanted and whether there should be a fireplace and if there should be curtains. Greta wanted 11 windows covered with sheer white curtains as the ones she had in her bedroom.

Page 176: He said he would start with the fruit in the kitchen. He wrote Greta’s kitchen and asked her to walk around and take fruits from the bowl and eat them. She asked where the peaches were. He said they would come in a minute. She should click under bowl and see what happens. He covered the screen for a moment and wrote peaches. He asked to try it by clicking bowl. Greta clicked bowl and the word peaches appeared. She told him that it was just a word. He said that was the idea and she can see a picture of the fruit.

She said she thought she would make real peaches. He said she had to go to the store to get them. She said here she just saw only words and wanted to know why people liked them. He said that they reminded people of the things the words stand for as she saw in her books.

He created other rooms as wanted by Greta: a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a bedroom, a room fora cat and one bathroom. Then she said there was no need for a bathroom as it is not a real house and so people would not use it. He agreed. He programmed bowls of peaches in every room. He asked Greta to click.

Greta clicked and smiled when the word peaches appeared. It was a shifty smile – the smile she got when she pretended to have understood something which made no sense to her. He said there could be other fruit like apples, and pears and there could be flowers. Greta agreed and said there could be anything.

His wife was cutting blackberries in the garden. Greta was getting up from her chair to help her. Greta would never have a house of her own. She would live in a group house with other people like her. He hoped the house would be large and have sheer white curtains in all the rooms. He hoped it would have an orchard with fruit in real blue bowls: apples, pears, peaches-whatever Greta wanted.

Conceptual Fruit (Short Story) Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 6 Chapter 2 Is Society Dead? Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Is Society Dead? Questions and Answers Unit 6 Chapter 2 (Article)

Is Society Dead? Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What aspect of New York did the author notice?
Answer:
The aspect of New York that the author noticed was that its nightlife was very much dead.

Question 2.
The day life in New York is powerfully presented in these lines. Suppose you describe the same in your own city, what points will you note?
Answer:
I will note the noise of people talking and rushing, the vehicles hooting, the haste and hurry both by people and vehicles, the vendors of various fancy items trying to make a buck, and the worried faces of people.

Question 3.
Have you noticed i-Pod people in your town too? Is there any difference between toe i-Pod generation in New York and those in your own town?
Answer:
Yes, I have noticed them in my town also. There is some difference between the i-Pod generation in New York and those in my town. Here the i-Pod people do not emit strange tuneless squawks and snap their fingers. Their arms don’t twitch here, as in New York.

Question 4.
What, according to the author, are the markers to identify the i-Pod generation?
Answer:
According to the author, they walk down the street in their own MP3 cocoon, bumping into others, deaf to small social cues, shutting out anyone not in their bubble. Every now and then, some start emitting some strange tuneless sounds and their fingers snap or their twitch some soundless rhythm. When people tell them, ‘Excuse me’ or ‘Hello’, there is no response. They hear so little.

Question 5.
This article is replete with powerful anti-technology words for presenting the arguments of the author. Try to list down those expressions, e.g., anesthetized technology.
Answer:
In their own MP3 cocoon, i-Pod generation emitting strange tuneless squawks, their fingers snap and their arms twitch, glazed pupils, white box worshipers, compulsive obsession, atomization by little white boxes and cell phones, hermit crabs, addictive cults, white wires hanging from their ears, i-Pod generation.

Question 6.
Why does the author say that technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves?
Answer:
The people today are cut off from the affairs of the world by their technological devices. They do not see or hear anything as they are immersed in a world of their own choice where nothing happens by chance. All technological devices like the satellite radio, cable TV and Cell phone support this world of exclusion so the author says that technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves.

Question 7.
The author has described the experiences of music in the past and the present to drive home his point. Compare the experience of music in the past with the experience of music in the present.
Answer:
In the past music was a communal experience, shared by people. You had it in the living room or concert hall so that it was a shared experience. It brought people with the same interest together. In the present, music is a secret and each person listens to it individually and we never know what the other person is listening to and so we will never get to know him.

Question 8.
What were the nicer aspects of life that the author noticed when he forgot to take his i-pod on a trip?
Answer:
The author noticed many of the nicer aspects of life when he forgot to take his iPod. He noticed the rhythms of others, the sound of the airplane, the opinions of the taxi driver, and small social cues that he would not notice if he had his iPod.

Question 9.
How did the author enjoy the new experience?
Answer:
He enjoyed the new experience as he felt connected to others as he became more aware of the world around him.

Question 10.
Do you notice anything special about the ending of the essay?
Answer:
Yes. The author has enjoyed the experience of not being a slave to devices the like i-Pod and he seems to be surprised and happy. He realises that the world has a special and interesting rhythm or sound-track of its own and he encourages everyone to listen to it and experience it.

Activity – I (writing)

When you read any article you will realize that some of the statements made are facts and some others are mere opinions. A good reader must be able to distinguish between the facts and opinions presented in any article.
Now, sit in pairs and identify examples of facts and opinions from the article ‘Is Society Dead’? You may write them in two columns:

Answer:

Activity – II (Short essay)

Question 1.
This article you have read discusses how technology, especially the MP3, kills social interaction, in the lives of people. Being a member of technology-friendly generation, you intend to argue for the benefits of technology in enhancing social interaction.
What are the points that you will bring in, other than the ones listed below? Sit in groups and find a few more points.
Answer:
Technology makes communication faster. Technology affords diverse formats of interaction. Technology brings people of different places closer. We have such a variety now. Now the whole world is a global village. Face Book and WhatsApp connect people in much a bigger way than before. Technology brings relaxation and a relaxed mind is a more competent mind.

Question 2.
Prepare a short essay on the topic: Technology: Making Society Alive to be published in TECH-WATCH, the school magazine tracking the latest developments in the technology field.
Answer:
Technology: Making Society Alive
In the modern world, technology has made society very much alive. The extensive use of computers, mobiles phones, i-Pods and i-Pads, MP3 and a host of other gadgets has transformed the world into a tiny village. What happens in one part of the world is beamed instantly so that people everywhere in the world come to know about it even as it is happening. Technology has unified the world, at least in the world of sports and entertainment. Programmes of one country are enjoyed by others also.

The world has become a richer place because we have so much to choose from. At the click of a button things far away will be transported to you for your enjoyment. You can see your friends and relatives who are and chat with them when you like. Even if they are in another country, we feel they are next door and ready to meet us when we want them.

Face Book and What’s App have revolutionized the society. You can send out all the news and photographs of yourselves, your friends and family to all those who are interested in your affair. You can also get news and pictures of those you love. This way society has become much alive.

Because of this boredom has been taken away from the lives of people. In the past people sitting at home, especially women and children, did not know how to spend their leisure time, especially when the weather was bad. But now they have their Face Book and What’s App to keep them busy all the time. A society that is alive is a healthy society. Thanks to technology, we now live livelier and fuller lives.

III. Read And Reflect

Differently-abled children are an important part of our society. The daily charms of a regular life are denied to them. Technology extends a helping hand and acts as a leveller in such cases. This story reveals the human face of technology in helping a young girl shape the world around her.

Is Society Dead? (Article) About the Author

Andrew Michael Sullivan is a British author, editor and blogger. He is an influential commentator and a renowned lecturer. His writings are well-known for their imagery.

Is Society Dead? Summary in English

I was visiting New York last week and noticed something that I could not believe about the city. Nightlife was very much dead and I’m not the first one to notice it. Today life, that mad mixture of yells, chatter, hustle and rudeness, was quieter.

Lower Manhattan is now a Disney-like string of malls, riverside parks and pretty upper middle class villages. There was something else. When I looked at the throngs on the pavements, I saw the reason.

There were little white wires hanging down from their ears or tucked into their pockets, purses or jackets. The eyes were a little vacant. Each was in his or her musical world, almost oblivious to the world around them. These are the i-Pod people.

Even without the white wires you can tell who they are. They walk down the street in their own MP3 cocoon, bumping into others, deaf to small social cues, shutting out anyone not in their bubble.

Every now and then, some start emitting some strange tuneless sounds and their fingers snap or their arms twitch with some soundless rhythm. When people tell them, ‘Excuse me’ or ‘Hello’, there is no response. You are among so many people and hear so little. But each one is hearing so much.

Page 170: I am one of them. I also have white wires peeping out of my ears. I joined the group a few years ago, the group of the little white box worshippers.

Others began as I did with a Walkman and then an MP3 player. But this sleekness of the i-Pod won me over. Unlike other models, it gave me my entire music collection to rearrange as I saw it. Once it was a musical diversion. Now it is a compulsive obsession.

Like all addictive cults, it is spreading. Walk through any airport in the US these days and you will see many of them. You will see them on a subway. Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t overhear, don’t observe. Just tune in and tune out.

The worrying fact is that it is part of something bigger. You get your news from your favourite blogs, the ones that won’t challenge your view of the world. You tune into a satellite radio service for your modern rock or liberal talk. Television is cable. Your mobile phones get email feeds from your favourite bloggers or get sports scores for your team. Technology has given us a universe entirely for ourselves. The chance of meeting a new stranger, hearing a piece of music we would never choose for ourselves, or an opinion that might change our mind about something is removed.

This is atomization by little white boxes and mobile phones. It is a society without the social. We choose what we want and not meet at random. People never lived like this before. Of course we had homes, retreats or places where we went to relax, unwind or shut out the world. But we did not walk around like hermit crabs.

Page 171: Music was limited to the living room or the concert hall. Sometimes it was solitary but primarily it was a shared experience that brought people together. But now it has become a personal affair. It is now a secret. You never know what the other person next to you is listening to. You will never see him. By his white wires he is showing that he doesn’t want to know you.

What do we get from this? We get the chance to slip away from everydayness, to give our lives its own sound tracks, to get away from the monotony of commute and to listen more closely and carefully to music that can lift you and keep you going. We become masters of our own interests. We keep connected to people like us over the Internet. We get in touch with anything we want or think we want.

We miss many things. The funny piece of an overheard conversation that stays with you; the talk of the child on the pavement that will take you back to your childhood; birdsong; weather; accents; the laughter of others. We also miss those thoughts that come to our mind when we allow it to wander aimlessly through the background noise of human and mechanical life.

External stimulation can crowd out the interior mind. Even boredom has its uses. We are forced to find our own methods to overcome it.

Recently, I was on a trip and I realized I had left my i-Pod behind. But then I noticed the rhythms of others again, the sound of the airplane, the opinions of the taxi- driver, the small social cues that had been left out before. I noticed how others related to each other. I felt more connected and more aware.

Try it. There is world out there. It has a soundtrack of its own.

Is Society Dead? Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 6 Chapter 1 The Cyber Space Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook The Cyber Space Questions and Answers Unit 6 Chapter 1 (Essay)

The Cyber Space (Essay) Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is special about the ‘modern psyche’?
Answer:
The modern psyche loves new frontiers. We love wide-open spaces; we like to explore; we like to make rules instead of following them.

Question 2.
What is cyberspace? How has it evolved over the years?
Answer:
Cyberspace is the community of networked computers. It is the imagined place where electronic data goes. Before J#was a playground for computer nerds and techies. But now it embraces all kinds of people, including children.

Question 3.
What type of metaphor is used by the author to describe cyberspace?
Answer:
To describe cyberspace the author has used the metaphor of real estate. Real estate is an intellectual, legal, artificial environment constructed on top of land. It recognizes the difference between parkland and shopping mall, between red-light zone and school district, between church, state and drug store. In the same way we can think of cyberspace as a giant and unlimited world of virtual real estate.

Question 4.
Mention some of the traditional metaphors used to denote cyberspace.
Answer:
Some of the traditional metaphors used to denote cyberspace are highways and frontiers.

Question 5.
Why does the author maintain that censorship will not work in the case of cyberspace?
Answer:
The author maintains that censorship will not work in the case of cyberspace because it is not a frontier where bad people can grab unsuspecting children. It is also not a giant television that telecast offensive messages at unwilling viewers. In cyberspace users choose where they visit, what they see and what they do. It is optional.

Question 6.
Why is cyberspace described as a voluntary destination? Do you agree with the author here?
Answer:
Cyberspace is a voluntary destination because you have to go someplace in particular. People can choose where to go and what to see. I fully agree with the author.

Question 7.
Who, according to the author, are the right people to set the standards?
Answer:
According to the author, the right people to set the standards are the cyberspace communities themselves.

Question 8.
What are the three major areas of services available in cyberspace?
Answer:
The three major areas of services available in cyberspace are: First, the private email conversations similar to the talks you have on the telephone or voice mail. Second, information and entertainment services. Here people can download anything. These places are like book stores, malls, and movie-houses. Third, there are ‘real communities’- groups of people who communicate among themselves. They are like shops or restaurants or playgrounds. Each participant contributes to a general conversation, generally through posted messages. Other participants may simply listen or watch.

Question 9.
What is in store for cyber communities in the future?
Answer:
Cyber communities will have to have a moderator because anyone is free to post anything. Because of that there will be unwanted advertising, discussions that are. not healthy and rude participants. Then the cyberspace will become too noisy. To keep these negative elements in check a moderator would be needed.

Question 10.
What are the comparisons made by the author between cyberspace and terrestrial communities?
Answer:
What is special about cyberspace is that it frees us from the tyranny of power structures of the terrestrial communities. Cyberspace allows communities of any size and kind to flourish. In cyberspace communities are chosen by the users, not forced on them by accidents of geography. This freedom gives the rules in cyberspace a moral authority that rules in terrestrial environments don’t have. Most people are forced to stay in the country of their birth. But if you don’t like the rules of the cyberspace community, you can quit. It loves it or leave it, which is not possible in terrestrial communities.

Activity -1 (Writing)

Question 1.
A group of students are asked to prepare a list of Dos and Dont’s of using cyberspace. They list the points as given on p. 167 of the Text. Classify the ideas generated under the following heads. Write the corresponding number.
Parents: …………
Teachers: …………
Students: …………
Counselor: …………
Answer:
Parents : 2, 4,7
Teachers: 5, 8
Students: 1
Counsellor: 3, 6, 9

Question 2.
Now, write an article on the use and misuse of cyberspace for your School Magazine using the hints given in the text.
Answer:
Use of computers has become widespread and accordingly the uses and misuses of cyberspace have also multiplied. Cyberspace is an excellent way of getting information, giving information, and also for entertainment. But it has potential dangers. These days we hear a lot about cybercrimes. The culprits are mostly young people, including students. Even as we acknowledge the importance of cyberspace in the modem world, should be aware of its potential dangers and how to avoid them.

Cyberspace is full of sites that give vulgar and explicit sex material. Young children are naturally curious about these things. So to prevent them from watching these things privately in their own rooms, computers should be kept in open view in a common hall. This way, children will be discouraged from visiting bad sites. There should be a specific time schedule for browsing the net. Late-night browsing should b discouraged. When students are given assignments and projects they rush to cyberspace for the material. The download material from it and copy it in their assignments. Teachers should check the authenticity of the sources used in the papers given by the students. Many schools and colleges now have computers and the Internet, including Wi-Fi. Teachers must ensure that students do not misuse these facilities.

Counsellors have also a big role to play in the right use of cyberspace. They should conduct awareness programmes on the various cybersecurity measures. The net addicted children should be given counselling in the school.

Students should be aware of the risks involved in the use of cyberspace. It is easy to fall into the mire of bad habits. It would be difficult to get out. Ultimately they are responsible for their acts and they are the masters of their destiny. They should not reveal their e-mail address to everyone and should use cyberspace sensibly. Cyberspace is a double-edged tool. It is like a knife and it can be used to cure (like a surgeon) or to kill.

Activity – II (email)

Read the email given on page 168.

Question 1.
What is this mail about?
Answer:
It is an application for a job.

Question 2.
How is it different from surface mails?
Answer:
It is different from surface mails in different ways:

• It has no address of the receiver (except the email address),
• It has no date
• It has no signature of the sender
• The sender’s name and address are given at the bottom with the mobile number and email address.

In the surface mail these appear on the top part of the letter.

Question 3.
Analyze the language structure, style and format of the email.
Answer:
The language is simple and straight. Block style is used with all the paragraphs aligned to the left.

Question 4.
Imagine that you organize a seminar on Technology and English language Teaching in your school. In order to ensure the presence of the distinguished scholars invited, you draft a detailed email about the seminar.
Draft the email to be sent to the visiting dignitaries.
Answer:
To: [email protected]
Subject: Seminar on Technology and English language Teaching

Dear Prof. Job
Our school is organizing a seminar on Technology and English language Teaching. As a person renowned in this realm, we would very much like to have your presence during the Seminar. The seminar will begin at 9.00 in the morning and it will end by 1.00 p.m. Please make it a point to come. Your expertise and experience will be of great use to our students as well as staff.
We look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,
Simi Hyder

Simi Hyder
Secretary, Students’ Welfare Association
AlAzharHSS
Mala
PIN – 679342
Mobile: 8547028805
Email – simihyder@gmail. Com

II. Read And Reflect

Are you familiar with the i-pod generation? You see them everywhere, at railway stations, busy places in the city, or even in remote villages. You may be one of them. What is so special about them and how do you distinguish them? Read on to know about the ultramodern representatives of today’s youth.

The Cyber Space (Essay) About the Author

Esther Dyson is an American technology analyst. She is a leading commentator on digital technology, biotechnology and space. The present article is a discussion on the possibilities and challenges involved in the use of cyberspace.

The Cyber Space (Essay) Summary in English

Page 164: Something in the modern psyche loves new frontiers. We love wide-open spaces; we like to explore; we like to make rules instead of following them. Is there a place you can go and be yourself without worrying about the neighbours?

Yes, there is such a place: cyberspace. Before, it was a playground for computer nerds and techies. But now it embraces all kinds of people, including children. Can they all get along in a friendly way in the cyber world? Or will our fear of kids misusing cyberspace provoke a crackdown?

First of all, we ought to know what cyberspace is. For this, we have to leave behind metaphors of highways and frontiers and think instead of real estate. Real estate is an intellectual, legal, artificial environment constructed on top of the land. It recognizes the difference between parkland and shopping mall, between red-light zone and school district, between church, state and drug store.

You can think of cyberspace as a giant and unlimited world of virtual real estate. Some property is privately owned and rented out; another property is common land; some places are suitable for children; others should be avoided by all but the strangest citizens. Unfortunately, it is those places that are now capturing the popular imagination. They make cyberspace sound like a bad place. Good citizens, therefore, say: Regulate it.

Page 165: Using censorship to silence cyberspace misinterprets the nature of cyberspace. It is not a frontier where bad people can grab unsuspecting children. It is also not a giant television that telecast offensive messages at unwilling viewers. In this kind of real estate, users choose where they visit, what they see and what they do. It is optional. It is easier to bypass a place on the net than it is to avoid a block of bad stores on the way home.

Cyberspace is a voluntary destination or many destinations. You choose a site. That means you can where to go and what to see. Community Course Book standards should be enforced but those standards must be set by cyberspace communities themselves. We don’t want control from outside; we need self-rule.

Cyberspace is so interesting because it is different from shopping malls, television, highways, and other terrestrial jurisdiction. So, let us define its territory:

First, there are private email conversations similar to the talks you have on the telephone or voice mail. These are private and done with the consent of both parties. So they require no regulation.

Second, there are information and entertainment services. Here people can download anything. These places are like book stores, malls, and movie-houses. The customer needs to request an item. Some of these services are free, for some you have to pay.

Third, there are ‘real communities’-groups of people who communicate among themselves. They are like shops or restaurants or playgrounds. Each participant contributes to a general conversation, generally through posted messages. Other participants may simply listen or watch. Many of these services started out un¬moderated. But now some rules are imposed because of unwanted advertising, outside discussions, and increasingly rude participants. Without a moderator, the decibel level often gets too high.

Page 166: What is special about cyberspace is that it frees us from the tyranny of power structures. In a democracy, minority groups and minority preferences get squeezed out. Cyberspace allows communities of any size and kind to flourish. In cyberspace communities are chosen by the users, not forced on them by accidents of geography. This freedom gives the rules in cyberspace a moral authority that rules in terrestrial environments don’t have. Most people are forced to stay in the country of their birth. But if you don’t like the rules of the cyberspace community, you can quit. Love it or leave it.

What is likely to happen in cyberspace is the formation of new communities. Instead of a global village, we will have another world of self-contained communities that will cater to the wishes of their members without interfering with anyone else’s. We will be able to test and evolve rules regarding what should be governed. These may include content and access control, rules about privacy, and free speech.

Our society needs to grow up. It means understanding that there are no perfect answers and solutions. We don’t have a perfect society on earth and so we won’t have perfect cyberspace. What we can have is an individual choice and individual responsibility.

The Cyber Space (Essay) Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 1 Chapter 2 I Will Fly Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook I Will Fly Questions and Answers Unit 1 Chapter 2 (Speech)

I Will Fly (Speech) Textual Questions and Answers

I Will Fly Summary In Malayalam Chapter 2 Question 1.
Why does Dr Kalam say that ‘No youth needs to fear about the future’?
Answer:
Dr Kalam says that ‘No youth needs to fear about the future’ because the ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth, under the earth and above the earth.

Plus One English Second Chapter Notes  Question 2.
What was the mission of Sashtrayaan?
Answer:
The mission of Sashtrayaan was the preparation of about 2000 students from different schools to be engineers, doctors, scientists, qualified managers and civil servants. This would, in turn, empower 2000 families of the village.

I Will Fly Chapter Summary In Malayalam Question 3.
Dr. Kalam’s talk was on the topic ‘Science Empowers the Nation’. How does science empower the nation?
Answer:
Science empowers the nation by making continuous progress in the fields of agriculture, medicine, nutrition, mining, industries of various kinds, architecture, space exploration, defense, transportation, communication and all such related matters that bring progress to the nation.

Hss Guru Plus One English Notes Chapter 2 Question 4.
Why couldn’t the boy gather confîdence?
Answer:
The boy couldn’t gather confidence because he did not get it through his education all those years. One of the primary things education should do is to instill confidence in the students. The failure of the boy to gain confidence can be seen as the failure of the educational system and the teachers.

Hsslive Guru Plus One English Notes Chapter 2 Question 5.
If yo u were there, would you dare to ask Dr. Kalam a question?
Answer:
Yes, I would. I would ask him to tell me ways to eradicate poverty from our country.

I Will Fly Meaning In Malayalam Chapter 2 Question 6.
What was the boy’s concern?
Answer:
The boy wanted to be a marine engineer. He wanted to travel in a ship. He wanted to be the captain of the ship. He wanted to build the engine of the ship. He wanted to know if he would be able to do all this and how to achieve his mission and what he should do to achieve it.

Hss Live Guru Plus One English Notes Chapter 2 Question 7.
Why did the audience look at Dr Kalam when the boy completed the question?
Answer:
The audience looked at Dr Kalam when the boy completed the question because it was a very tough question to answer. The boy was from a remote village and he himself admitted that he was nervous. He wanted to be a marine engineer, the captain of the ship and he wanted to build the engine of the ship. The audience was curious to know what reply Kalam was going to give to this young boy.

Hsslive Guru English Plus One Chapter 2 Question 8.
Why did Kalam value the boy’s question?
Answer:
Kalam valued the boy’s question because it was the most difficult question among the many questions he had reœived from millions and millions of students he had met. The boy was echoing the fear of many.

Plus One English Chapter 2 Notes Question 9.
How can you unique?
Answer:
You can be unique by being yourself. The world around you wants you to be like others. At home, you parents will tell you to be like the children of the neighbors. At school, the teacher will tell you to be like the first 5 rankers of the class. All the people tell you to be somebody else. But Kalam tells you to be ‘YOU’. You should not try to be somebody else. You should not be a copycat. Be you and thus you can be unique.

Activity – I (Think and respond)

Hss Reporter Victers Notes Plus One Chapter 2 Question 1.
Are you confident enough to ask questions or express your views in public?
Answer:
Yes, I am confident enough to ask questions and express my views in public.

Plus One English 2nd Chapter Notes Question 2.
Have you ever felt inferior to others in any way?
Answer:
Yes, I have sometimes felt inferior to others in some ways.

Travel Info Format Plus One English Chapter 2 Question 3.
How can you overcome your fear or inhibition?
Answer:
I will try to build self-confidence, telling me I learned to walk after falling many times. If you are afraid, you will not be able to do anything good and people will despise you.

Abdul Kalam Speech To School Students Pdf Chapter 2 Question 4.
What is your ambition in your life?
Answer:
My ambition in life is to become a good teacher and help the students to become competent persons and lovers of humanity.

Plus One English Chapter I Will Fly Malayalam Meaning Question 5.
Are you confident that you can fulfill your dream?
Answer:
Yes, I am confident that I can fulfill my dream.

Abdul Kalam Speech On Youth Pdf Chapter 2 Question 6.
How do you think you can attain your goal?
Answer:
I can attain my goal through hard work, selfconfidence and perseverance. I will also need the support of my family and well-wishers.

Activity – II (Speech)

Question 7.
Imagine that you get the opportunity to address Class X students before their public examination. On the basis of Dr Kalam’s message, prepare a speech to motivate and prepare them for the examination.
Answer:
My dear students,
You are soon going to appear for the SSLC Examination which is considered to be a big turning point in your life. Some students get panicky before the examination and spoil their chances to do well. There is no need to fear. The examinations are simply to test your understanding of the things that you have been taught in the class. Millions of students before you have taken this kind of examination. So this is nothing new or terrifying.

Be confident. Don’t be nervous. Be optimistic. Be cool, calm and composed. Fear will not help you. It will only make you forget what you already know. You have been reading your lessons regularly and doing the assignments. The teachers have been testing your knowledge every now and then. You already know what types of questions are coming in the examination and the time you have to answer them. So read the instructions and questions carefully and make a plan to answer them in the most appropriate manner.

You have read the story ‘His First Flight’ by Liam O’Flaherty. The seagull was reluctant to take his first flight. But goaded by his mother, he takes his flight and then he finds it is smooth and he experiences no problem. In a similar fashion, you go courageously and confidently to take your examination and everything is going to be fine. Keep your mind happy with encouraging thoughts. Be optimistic. You are not the first or the only one going to write this examination.

Life is full of examinations. The people who face them with confidence and courage will succeed in life. You don’t have to compare yourself with others. Kalam has told you to be unique, to be you. You know you have done your best during the preparation time. Now you simply have to do your best as you write the examination without being unduly worried about the result. Do your best and leave the rest to God.

I wish you all the resounding success in the forthcoming examinations!

Activity – III (E-mail)

Question 8.
You get inspired by Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s message and decide to communicate your thoughts and ideas to your friend who is studying abroad. Draft an e-mail to your friend.
Answer:
Dearest Raj, I was greatly inspired by a speech of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in one of the English text books. In that speech, Kalam tells students to be unique. He says that the world around you wants you to be like others. At home, you parents will tell you to be like the children of the neighbors. At school the teacher will tell you to be like the first 5 rankers of the class. All the people tell you to be somebody else. But Kalam tells you to be ‘YOU’. You should not try to be somebody else. You should not be a copycat. He says “Be you and thus you can be unique”. I think this is a wonderful idea. This will release everybody from his inferiority complex. It is when you compare yourself with others you feel inferior. Kalam wants people to be confident, self-reliant and hardworking. He wants everyone to believe he was born with some potential, ideas and dreams. Everybody is born with wings and so nobody needs to crawl because he can fly. And as he has confidence he will fly. I really enjoyed this speech and it has given me a new insight.

Read And Reflect

Question 1.
Dr. Kalam exhorts everybody to be unique in his/her own way There are any people who have proved their uniqueness even while fighting adversities and limitations. Stephen Hawking’s profile shows how he overcame his disabilities to become a shining star in physics.

I Will Fly (Speech) About the Author:

– DR. APJ Abdul Kalam

DR. APJ Abdul Kalam was a former President of India. He is a distinguished scientist. He is famous for his contribution to the field of space research. His vision is to make India a developed nation by 2020.

He was born on 15 October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. He specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology. He became a Professor of Technology and Societal Transformation at Anna University. He is actively involved in teaching and research.

I Will Fly (Speech) Summary in English

Dear friends,

The youth of the past have continuously contributed to the world of today in many fields. Today the youth does not have to fear about the future. The flamed mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on earth. The topic I will talk to you today is “I am born with wings’.

Last year I went to a village to inaugurate a programme called ‘Sashtrayaan’ which means the propagation of Science’. It was to ensure the preparation of about 2000 students from different schools to be engineers, doctors, scientists, qualified managers and civil servants. This would, in turn, empower 2000 families of the village. My inaugural address to the audience of about 5000 people was on ‘Science Empowers the Nation’.

After my talk, hundreds of hands were raised for asking questions. Because of the lack of time, I chose 12 students at random from the last row to the first to ask questions. One question impressed me greatly and I want to share it with you.

The question was from a teenager who came from a remote village. He was nervous and a typical representative of the youth of India. He began like this, “Sir, I don’t know what I should ask. I am nervous. I have not asked any question in class. I need to have confidence, but I have not gained any confidence through my education all these years. I am afraid to talk to my teachers, and even to my friends. Whenever I talk I compare myself with other students and their elegant dress. I want to become a marine engineer. I want to travel in a ship. I want to be the captain of the ship. I want to build the engine of the ship. Shall I be able to do all this, Sir? How can I achieve this mission? What should I do?” The entire audience and the dignitaries on the dais, including the Chief Minister, looked at me wondering how I would answer this sincere question from a village boy.

I replied, “You have put the most difficult question I have received from millions and millions of students I have met. I know you are echoing the fear of many. Let me recite a beautiful ancient poem named ‘I will fly’.

I am born with potential.
I am born with goodness and trust
l am born with ideas and dreams.
I am born with greatness.
I am born with confidence.
I am born with wings.
So, I am not meant for crawling,
I have wings, I will fly
I will fly and fly.

Let me tell you how you can be unique. I have met some 15 million youth in a decade’s time. Every youth wants to be unique, that is YOU! But the world all around you is doing its best to make you just ‘everybody else’. In your home, you are asked by your parents to be like the neighbors’ children for scoring good marks. At school, your teacher asks you to be like the first 5 rankers in the class. Wherever you go people tell you to be somebody else or everybody else. But you should be unique – yourself.

The challenge is that you have to fight the hardest battle which any human being can ever imagine, and never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place, that is a UNIQUE YOU.

I Will Fly (Speech) Glossary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 6 Leaps and Bounds Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Leaps and Bounds Questions and Answers Unit 6

“That’s one small step for a man one giant leap for mankind.”

– Neil Armstrong

Let’s begin

Look at the pictures on page 163 carefully:

Question 1.
Can you identify the actor in these visuals?
Answer:
It is Charlie Chaplain.

Question 2.
What do these pictures communicate to you?
Answer:
They communicate to me the wonder-world of technology and machines.

Question 3.
Do you think that technology and its various aspects must be studied in detail to get a serious understanding of society?
Answer:
No, I don’t think so. Technology is just one aspect of the society and not everybody understands it.

Question 4.
Write a short paragraph on the role of technology in modern society and share the ideas with your friend.
Answer:
In modern society, technology is an inevitable part of our everyday life. It has a role in everything we do even though we sometimes do not realize it. Thanks to development in technology there have been many breakthroughs in different fields such as communication, transportation, education, medicine, entertainment and agriculture. Our life has become simpler and more enjoyable than before. We have mobile phones and so we can talk with anybody, anytime, anywhere in the world. The planes, trains, buses and trucks transport people and goods fast from one place to another.

In medicine, X-ray, Scanning etc. help doctors to diagnose the disease. Laser treatment and surgery is common. We have video, audio and TV to keep us entertained all the time. Even in religion, technology is playing a role. Using powerful sound system, cassettes and CDs, religious leaders propagate their beliefs. Agriculture is revolutionized by the use of technology.

About the Unit

Science and technology have brought about big changes in every walk of life. Technology has transformed every corner of the world. It caters to the demands of everyone including the differently abled. This progress is, however, not without some hazards.

This Unit starts with an article ‘The Cyber Space’ by Esther Dyson on the use and abuse of cyberspace. ‘Is Society Dead?’ by Andrew Sullivan is a humorous but strong write-up on the i-Pod generation which is in a way disconnected from societal interactions. The short story titled ‘Conceptual Fruit’ by Thaisa Fank, presents the efforts of a loving father to enable his differently abled daughter to make sense of the world around her, with the help of technology.

Read And Reflect

The advent of the www (world wide web) has brought a revolutionary change in the spread of information. A cultural transformation from the printed space to the cyber space took place. It redefined the spatial dimensions of our universe.

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 5 Chapter 3 Going Out for a Walk Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Going Out for a Walk Questions and Answers Unit 5 Chapter 3 (Essay)

Going Out For A Walk (Essay) Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What does the author consider the drawbacks of London?
Answer:
The drawbacks of London are its endless noise and hustle, its smoky air, and its squalor.

Question 2.
What is the author’s excuse to avoid walking?
Answer:
The author’s excuse to avoid walking is to tell the people who call him for a walk that he has many letters to write.

Question 3.
Why is the author’s excuse ineffective?
Answer:
The author’s excuse is ineffective in three ways: i) it is not believed; ii) it forces you to rise from your chair, go to the writing table and pretend to be writing a letter until the walk monger goes out of the room; iii) it won’t work on Sunday mornings because there is no post out till the evening.

Question 4.
What makes the author say that walking for walking’s sake stops one’s brain?
Answer:
The author says that walking for walking’s sake stops one’s brain because then a person’s power to instruct or to amuse when he is sitting on a chair or standing on a hearth-rug leaves him.

Question 5.
‘Trespassers will be prosecuted’ – Write down two more such wall notices.
Answer:
i) ‘DRIVE SLOWLY’
ii) ‘CAUTION, SHARP CURVE’

Question 6.
What, according to the author, is the thought process taking place in the brain during a walk?
Answer:
A man is not urged by his reasoning faculties to go for a walk. He is urged by something that surpasses reason, by his soul. His soul tells his body to go for a walk. The brain asks the soul where to go and for what purpose. The soul then replies that there is no definite destination or any particular mission.

Question 7.
What is the author’s opinion of having a vehicle for every destination?
Answer:
The author does not take a vehicle to every destination. He never goes out of his way to avoid exercise. When a vehicle is essential he takes one.

Question 8.
What holds the author back from going out for a walk?
Answer:
People wanting to see him and work in his own premises hold the author back from going out for a walk.

Activity – I (Write-up)

Question 1.
Do you usually go out for a morning walk or evening stroll?
Answer:
Yes, I do. I usually go out for a morning walk.

Question 2.
Who do you usually go out with?
Answer:
I usually go out with my friends.

Question 3.
What do you enjoy the most while walking?
Answer:
While walking I enjoy the sights along the street most.

Question 4.
How do you feel after the walk?
Answer:
After the walk I feel energetic and happy.

Question 5.
Make a distinction between going for a walk and being taken out for a walk.
Answer:
Going out for walk means you go out because you want to go out. Being taken out for a walk means you don’t go because you are keen on going, but somebody, whom you can’t refuse, forces you to go with him. If a very dear person comes and tells you to go for a walk with him, you can’t refuse.

Question 6.
Now prepare a write-up on walking and your preferences.
Answer:
Walking:
Walking is an excellent form of exercise and it is good for our health. A person who walks for about three kilometres a day can maintain his physique very well. Walking gives exercise not only to the body but also the mind. As our muscles and body shake up, increasing the blood circulation, we see new things forcing our mind to think. Staying inside all the time makes one bored with life. Walking brings variety into our lives. Variety is the spice of life.

Doctors say that large numbers of people suffer from back pain due to lack of exercise. They say walking reduces back pain. When we walk, the fat accumulated in our body burns up. Then carbohydrates are burnt. Thus we clear our body from extra fat and carbohydrates.

Walking is an exercise which does not cost anything extra. You may need a good pair of walking shoes. These days there are many people who jog every morning or evening for health reasons. Jogging is walking at a greater speed, less than running. Walking is especially good for people who do sedentary jobs, which force them to sit down for long periods.

I like to go for walking with friends. When we walk, talking with friends, walking becomes doubly enjoyable. We forget the bodily exertion of walking and at the same time we exchange views on so many things. I prefer to walk early in the morning when the streets are not crowded. The airthen will be fresh and without much dust. My advice to all the young boys and girls is to go to their schools on foot, if the distance is not much. Walking will make you healthy, wealthy and wise.

Activity – II (Personal Essay)

Read the note and tips on Personal Essay given on page 152 and 153 of the text.
Attempt to write a personal essay on a topic of your choice, e.g. (swimming, jogging etc.)
Answer:
The other day I was walking with my friend when I saw a gruesome sight. Two young boys were working at a construction site. They were carrying heavy loads of bricks on their heads. They were about 10 years old. They wore rags and poverty was writ large on their faces. Although child labour is banned in India, may people still make children do a lot of hard work. I felt sorry for them.

Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives them of their childhood and interferes with their ability to attend regular school. It also refers to any employment of children in jobs that are mentally, physically, socially or morally harmful. Employing children in jobs which are supposed to be done by the adults is considered exploitative by many international organizations. Legislations across the world prohibit child labour. No country wants its children to spend their childhood in working at jobs which the adults are supposed to do.

Child labour was employed to varying extents through most of history. Before 1940, many children between the ages of 5-14 were made to work in Europe, the USA and the various colonies of European powers. These children worked in agriculture, home-based assembly operations, factories and even in mining. Some worked night shifts lasting 12 hours. With the rise of household income, availability of schools and passage of child labour laws, the incidents of child labour rates fell.

In developing countries, where there is high poverty and less opportunities for schooling, child labour is still prevalent. In 2010, sub-Saharan Africa had the highest incidence oftmild labour, with several African nations witnessing over 50% of children aged between 5-14 working. Agriculture is the largest employer of child labour. Vast majority of child labour is found in rural areas and informal urban economy. Even parents make their children labour hard at homes and in the fields. Poverty and lack of schools are the main causes for child labour.

In Kerala, which is called God’s own country, we see children from other States employed in the homes of the well-to-do to work as servants, to do household chores. Making the children work like a servant is a sin against God and man. When the rich people send their own children to school, these poor boys and girls stand looking helplessly at their miserable plight. You can try to prevent child labour by reporting such cases to the police or to some other authorities.

God has given us childhood to enjoy and to learn. It is gross injustice to deprive the children of their childhood and learning opportunities. In the novels of Charles Dickens we see how boys like Oliver Twist suffered because of child labour. Remember each child has a dream. Don’t deprive him of it. God will never forgive you if you are the cause to deprive a child of his dream.

My friend and I went to the nearest police station to report what we saw at the construction site. The policeman sitting there took down our complaint. But will the police take any action against those who employed the boys to work there? We could only hope they will.

Activity – III (Survey)

The survey is to be carried out by the student themselves. Do it following the questionnaire and the suggestions given in the text on p. 153 and 154.

Activity – IV (Read and Practise)

Read the notes on the use of would rather and would prefer on page 154 and 155.

Let’s practise:
Answer the following questions using ‘would rather’:
1. What did you have for breakfast today?
2. How would you like your coffee, with some cream or milk?
3. How are you going to the doctor’s?
4. Where do you like to go on vacation?
5. Whom do you like to go out with?
Answers :
1. I would rather have bread and jam for breakfast today.
2. I would rather like my coffee with some milk.
3. I would rather go in a car to the doctor’s.
4. I would rather go to Singapore on vacation.
5. I would rather go out with Kareena.

Expressing Wishes:

a) For wishes about the future we use would or could. I wish I could get a better bike.
b) To talk about wishes in the present we use the past tense forms.
I wish the dress was not so expensive.
c) For past wishes we use the past perfect tense.
I wish I hadn’t wasted my money on that silly movie.

Activity – V (Make a start)

Read the notes on p. 156 and discuss your plans with your friends.

Activity – VI (Project)

Read the notes and tips given on page 156-158 and see how a good survey report is made.

Extended Activities

Activity – I : (Discussion)

Discuss the points given on page 158-159.

Activity – II : (Write-up)

Question 1.
Do you think that there should be physical education in schools? Prepare a WRITE-UP saying why or why not.
I think there should be physical education in schools. I have many reasons to say so.

In Latin there is a saying ‘Mens sana in corpore sano’. In English it means ‘A sound mind in a sound body.’A . sickly body will not have a healthy mind. Physical education helps in the formation of a healthy and active life style. Such a life style makes the body and the mind sound.

Physical education helps in the development of leadership qualities. To be a leader one should have the capacity to organize, take initiative, guide and control his mates. He should be fearless and just. By taking part in physical education, one develops confidence, cooperation, and team spirit. Work is done in teams. Although individual excellence counts, it is the group work that makes a project successful. Any big event is the result of team work. Games are lost and won based on the team spirit. We all know that ‘United we stand, divided we fall’ and ‘Unity is strength’.

A positive attitude is very essential for success. An optimistic attitude keeps one cheerful and prepared to work hard. Perseverance is essential for any important work. Physical education helps one to build a positive attitude to life and things. When we keep our bodies in shape, our mind also gets shaped with the right attitudes. Physical education brings confidence and self-esteem. Only if we believe in ourselves, others will believe in us. Dr. Abdul Kalam said that each person is unique and he should try to remain he and no one else. We should feel that we are unique. We don’t have to imitate and copy others. Self-confidence and self-esteem grow by our being active in physical education.

Physical education also helps us to learn better. A fit body keeps the mind fit and alert. An alert mind grasps things fast and physical exercises help the brain to retain things for a long time. Physical education also instils civic virtues in us. We become more compassionate and loving. We become ready to help others. Physical education is a group activity and so group welfare, social welfare, becomes an important aspect of our training. Man is not an island. He is a social being and physical education drives into our mind this significant concept. In all schools all over the world physical education is compulsory because it has such a big roldto play in the life of an individual and also in the life of the society.

Activity – III (Speech)

Read the notes given on page 159.
The newspaper headlines below may remind you of some of your friends who are addicted to junk food, energy boosters, computers, bike racing, etc. You are worried about how these habits will affect them mentally, physically and academically. Being the Health Officer of your school, you decide to make a speech in the morning assembly on the adverse effect of such a lifestyle and the need to take charge of oneself.
Draft the script of the speech.
Answer:
My dear students,
Today I am going to talk to you about some of the things that bring a lot of harm to the youth of today. Being part of the youth, you should know some of the dangerous things that have gripped the young minds. First of all, many youngsters think that homemade food is not cool. They go after fast food and fizzy drinks. They are fond of eating hamburgers, pizzas, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), noodles, pasta and such others things. They forget that these use a lot of dangerous additives and colours. Recently we heard how the broiler chicken which we consume so much is injected with all sorts of antibiotics and hormones.

A hectic life style leads to ill-health and anxiety related illness. Hurry brings worry. Many of you like speed. Speed thrills but it kills. So slow down! Slow and steady wins the race. Haste makes waste.

Many of you are tech-savvy. You are addicted to all sorts of latest gadgets mobiles, i-pad, i-pod, and all such devices. Once you are denied these things you suffer from gadget withdrawal syndrome. You feel as if they are essential in life. Did your parents use them? Did they not live well? And happily? So don’t think these are essential for a good life.

You like to spend your nights before the TV or the computer screen watching your favourite programmes or playing your favourite games. Scientists have established that just on night of sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain and related illnesses. “Early to bed and early to rise – Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Instead of drinking clean water, you prefer energy drinks or fizzy drinks which contain alarming rate of caffeine. Large amount of caffeine adversely affect your body and mind. So avoid them. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta and Sprite taste good. But their excessive use can bring you harm.

Don’t remain indoors all the time. Play vigorously. Let your bodies get proper exercises. Enjoy eating nuts, fruits and vegetables. They will help you to keep your body trim and healthy. Nuts and buttermilk help to cut flab.

It would be a good idea to keep pets to beat stress. Spend some time with them. Watch them. If you don’t have pets, watch Nature. The trees, flowers, creepers, birds, butterflies, bees, etc. will make you marvel at the variety of life. Sunrise and Sunset can fill your life with colourful thoughts. Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful night with the queen moon surrounded by the stars? Or the waves kissing the sandy shore on a breezy evening?

Activity – IV (Role play)

“Last year, I went to pay him a visit. I thought I would go and see what it was like” – Ivan goes on to narrate his meeting with his brother. Attempt a role-play of the narration. (Read the notes on page 159).
Answer:
Nicholai: Welcome Ivan! Nice to see you after such a long time.
Ivan: Niholai, you’ve changed a lot! You have become fat and old!
Nicholai: Yes, Ivan. I’ve become fat. I spend much of my time inside the house. Ivan, you too have become old!
Ivan: I can’t help. Time runs. Remember how young we were! Good old days!
Nicholai: Okay, Ivan, let’s go and look around my estate.
Ivan: How are you getting on, brother?
Nicholai: I’m doing very well. I am a landowner now. I am not the old official in the treasury. I’ve become a man of importance. Ivan : Good to hear that! You are happy, aren’t you?
Nicholai: I’m happy. When the peasants in my estate become sick they come to me and I treat them with soda and castor oil. On my birthday, a thanksgiving service is held in the middle of the village. I then give the peasants half a bucket of vodka. Okay, Ivan, let’s now go back to the house. It’s tea time. (They go back to the house and are having tea. There are gooseberries on the table.)
Nicholai: Ivan, look at those gooseberries. They are from my estate. They are so nice. Ivan : Gooseberries. I don’t think I like them. They are too sour for me.
Nicholai: Sour? No man, they are so delicious. I can eat a whole lot them.
Ivan: Sorry Nicholai, I can’t eat them. You may eat. Maybe, you enjoy them so much because they grew in your estate. My idea of happiness is quite different.
Nicholai: Well, I know. But for me they are so , delicious.
Ivan: Enjoy them, Nicholai.

Activity – V (Essay)

“Satisfaction, self-sufficiency and piety are the characteristics of a happy life.’’ Do you agree? Keeping in mind all the texts that you have read in this unit, prepare an essay on your idea of a happy life.
Answer:
Happiness differs frojn person to person. That is why we say ‘One man’s*meat is another man’s poison’ and ‘One man’s religion is another man’s madness’. Happiness, like beauty, is non-definable in precise terms. Still, there are some common ingredients, some characteristics that constitute a happy life. I definitely agree with the view that satisfaction, self-sufficiency and piety are some of the characteristic. Satisfaction comes when our desires are fulfilled. Desires are of various kinds. Some love adventure. Climbing the Himalayas, swimming across seas, flying into space, etc. are things some people enjoy and such things give them great satisfaction. For some satisfaction comes when they behold things of beauty. Sights, sounds and movements of nature and even people make them happy and satisfied. Standing on a hill and watching the sunset might satisfy the lovers of nature. Walking through the forest, watching the wild life might be a thrilling experience to some.

Self-sufficiency is an important characteristic of a happy life. If a person does not have the essential requirements like food, dress and shelter, he can’t be happy. He should have self-sufficiency in these matters. Depending on others for our needs is demeaning especially for an adult. Even birds and animals train their young to be self-sufficient when they grow up.

Piety is another important characteristic of a happy life. Piety does not mean mere religious piety. Piety also includes the love and- respect for our parents, elders, teachers, brethren, relatives, neighbours and people at large. We saw that piety of Mahatma Gandhi did not limit itself to some rituals and religious worship. His piety went much beyond that. A real pious man will also think of the welfare of his fellow beings. He will not do anything that brings pain and sorrow to others because he feels that all human beings are the children of the same God. “Ishwar”, “Allah” and “God” are synonyms of that Great Power that created us and that nourishes us.

There are many more characteristics of a happy life, but satisfaction, .self-sufficiency and piety seem to be most important. Once we have all these we definitely will be happy people.

Activity – VI (Comparative1 analysis)

There is a poem ‘Ode on Solitude’ by Alexander Pope. What is the poet trying to convey through the poem? Make a comparative analysis of this poem with Wordsworth’s ‘To sleep’.
Answer:
In his poem ‘Ode on Solitude’, Alexander defines a happy man. A happy man has a lot of land. He does not have to go out looking for any job. He has milk from his cattle, bread from his fields and dress (wool) from his sheep. The trees give him shade in the summer and in the winter he makes fire with the wood from those trees. He has health in body and peace in mind. He sleeps soundly at night. He uses his life for study and recreation. He is a good man and spends time in meditation. The poet wants to live like him. He does not want to be famous. He wants to quietly go away from life unlamented. He does not even want any memorial stone raised on his tomb.

The poem To sleep’ by William Wordsworth, who is known as the high priest of Nature, is an exquisite poem that presents to us some of the finest sights, sounds and movements of Nature. We can see a flock of sheep leisurely passing by one after one; we can the sound of rain and the murmuring of bees. We can hear the fall of rivers, winds and seas. We can see the smooth fields, white sheets of water and pure sky. We also hear the melodies of small birds coming from the orchard trees. We hear the cuckoo’s melancholy cry. The poet can’t sleep. Maybe he is worried about the bad things happened during the past. In fact he has not slept for a couple of days and this makes him all the more worried. If he does not sleep he won’t be able to enjoy the wonderful signs and sounds of the morning. Sleep brings fresh thoughts and joyous health.

Both are exquisite poems. While Pope describes the things needed for a man to be happy, Wordsworth is more interested in presenting the beautiful sights, sounds and movements of Nature. In both poems ‘Sleep’ is an essential element for happiness. Only a happy man can have a sound sleep. The reverse is also true. Only a sound sleep can make a man happy. Sleep and happiness are complementary.

Between the two I prefer the poem by Wordsworth. The imagery there is far better. Both poems have good rhythm and rhyme. There are instances of alliterations and assonances in both and they increase the melodious quality. There are excellent figures of speeches, especially personification. Both poems have a grave mood. Nothing funny, nothing light¬hearted. Both are philosophical poems. I do not agree with the idea of Pope of a man going away from this world quietly, unknown, not even leaving behind him a tombstone for posterity to remember him.

Going Out for a Walk (Essay) About the Author

Sir Henry Maximilian Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) is an English writer and caricaturist. He is remembered for the gentle humour of his essays. In the present essay he challenges the idea that walking is a productive mental exercise, especially if one is accompanied by a talkative companion.

Going Out for a Walk (Essay) Summary in English

Page 149:1 have not gone out for a walk all my life. But I have been taken out forwalfor walks while I walked by my nurse’s side I felt nostalgic for the old days when I had a perambulator. When I grew up I felt that one advantage of living in London was that nobody ever wanted me to come out for a walk. The endless noise and hustle of London, its smoky air and its squalor were unsuitable for walks.

Page 150: When I was in the country and if there was no actual rain somebody might come any time and ask me to go out for a walk with him. People think there is something noble and virtuous in the wish to go for a walk. A person with such a desire feels that he has a right to impose his will on somebody sitting in an armchair and reading and ask him to accompany him. It is easy to say ‘No’ to an old friend. In the case of a mere acquaintance, one wants some excuse like ‘I wish I could, but …’. I always have just one excuse: “I have some letters to write.” This excuse is unsatisfactory in three ways: i) it is not believed; ii) it forces you to rise from your chair, go to the writing table and pretend to be writing a letter until the walk monger, who does not dare to call you a liar and a hypocrite, goes out of the room; iii) it won’t work on Sunday mornings. There is no post out till this evening’, the walk monger will tell you and you will have to go with him quietly.

Walking for walking’s sake may be laudable and exemplary for those who practise it. My objection to it is that it stops the brain. Some people have told me that their brains work well when they walk along the high road or over hill and valley. Experience tells me that a person’s power to instruct or to amuse when he is sitting on a chair or standing on a hearth-rug leaves him when he takes one out for a walk. Plenty of ideas come to him when he is in a room. But when he is out for a walk all those ideas evaporate. His encyclopaedic knowledge goes away. His imagination dries up. The man’s face becomes hard. Light goes from his fine eyes. He says that A (our host) is a thoroughly good fellow. Fifty yards further on, he adds that A is one of the best fellows he has ever met. We go for another furlong and then he says that Mrs. A is a charming woman. Then he adds that she is one of the most charming women he has ever known.

Page 150: We pass an inn. He reads quickly to me, “The King’s Arms. Licensed to sell Ales and Spirits’. I foresee that during the rest of the walk he will read aloud any description that occurs. We see a milestone. He points to it with his stick and says, ‘Uxminster. 11 miles.’ We turn a sharp corner at the foot of a hill. He points at the wall and reads, ‘Drive Slowly’. Far ahead there is a small notiCe-board. He sees it. He looks at it carefully and in due course he says, Trespassers will be prosecuted.’ Poor man – he has become a mental wreck.

Luncheon at the A.S, brings his mind back. Once again he is the life and soul of the party. I think he will never go out for another walk after the bitter lesson of this morning. But an hour later I see him walking with a new companion. I watch him out of sight. I know what he is saying. He is saying that I am a rather dull man to go for a walk with. He will then say I am one of the dullest men he ever went for a walk with. Then he will start reading the inscriptions.

It is surprising how this deterioration happens in those who go for walking for walking’s sake. A man is not urged by his reasoning faculties to go for a walk. He is urged by something that surpasses reason, by his soul. His soul tells his body ‘Quick march!’ The brain then says, ‘Halt! Stand at ease!’ and sweetly asks the soul ‘To what destination and on what mission are you sending the body?’The soul replies saying that ‘On no mission at all and to no destination’.

Page 151: People are always on the look-out for some Ulterior motive. The body goes out because it is a sure indication of nobility, probity and rugged grandeur of character. But the brain says it won’t be mixed up with the foolishness of the body and it would go to sleep till the walk is over. It will wake up again only when the body is safely placed inside the house.

Even if you go to some definite place, for a definite purpose, the brain wants you to take a vehicle. It does not insist on that and it will serve you well unless you are going out for a walk. While your legs are competing with each other, the brain will not do any thinking for you, but it will do any number of odd jobs for you. Even this the brain will do only if it is sure that the legs are making themselves useful and not merely fooling you about to gratify the pride of the soul.

This essay was composed in the course of a walk this morning. I do not take a vehicle to every destination. I never go out of my way to avoid exercise. I don’t despise the exercise of a walk because the sickly people are always talking about it or practising it to excess. I think in moderation it is good, physically. I will never go out for a walk until no people want me to see them or there is nothing for me to do in my own premises.

Going Out for a Walk (Essay) Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 5 Chapter 2 To Sleep Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook To Sleep Questions and Answers Unit 5 Chapter 2 (Poem)

Activity – I (Read and respond)

Question 1.
I’ve thought of all by turns what are the things that the poet thinks of?
Answer:
The things that the poet thinks of are a flock of sheep leisurely passing by one after one; the sound of rain, and bees murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas, smooth fields, white sheets of water and pure sky.

Question 2.
Why couldn’t the poet sleep for three nights?
Answer:
The poet couldn’t sleep for three nights because sleep was running away from him.

Question 3.
Do you think that sleep embraced the poet in the end? Why?
Answer:
Yes, I think that sleep embraced the poet in the end because he entreated her not to run away and praised her with some fine words.

Question 4.
How many of you can identify with Wordsworth’s experience of lying awake until the ‘birds twitter their dawn chorus’?
Answer:
Many of us can identify with Wordsworth’s experience of being sleepless the whole night as they are stressed out by the pressures of life and so they cannot fall asleep until the birds twitter their dawn chorus.

Question 5.
How do you think the poet feels at the start of the poem?
Answer:
At the start of the poem the poet feels is a bit desperate and longs for sleep.

Question 6.
Pick out the images from the poem.
Answer:
The images from the poem are: A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by one after one, the falling rain, bees murmuring, the fall of rivers, white sheets of water and pure sky .smooth fields, twittering birds in the orchard and a mother bringing sweet things to her child.

Question 7.
Which lines or images do you think are the most effective in conveying the necessity of sound sleep?
Answer:
The last three lines are the most effective in conveying the necessity of sound sleep. Only if he sleeps the morning’s wealth will have any meaning for him. Sleep is the blessed barrier between day and day and she is the mother who brings fresh thoughts and joyous health.

Question 8.
The poem ends in a note of wistful hope and prayer. Do you agree? Why?
Answer:
Yes, I agree that the poem ends in a note of wistful hope and prayer. The poet is requesting sleep to come to him. She has been running away for three nights in succession. He hopes she will listen to his entreaty and come to him this night.

Question 9.
Comment on the length of the poem and the poetic form.
Answer:
The poem is a sonnet. A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines with a strict pattern of rhyme and rhythm. There are different forms of the sonnet but they share some common things which include: a key idea, its proper development and a conclusion with a twist. A sonnet is divided into 2 parts. The first 8 lines are called an octave and the last 6 lines are called a sestet. The poet has used several images in the poem which include a flock of sheep that leisurely pass by one after one, the falling rain, bees murmuring, the fall of rivers, white sheets of water and pure sky, smooth fields, twittering birds in the orchard and a mother bringing sweet things to her child. The rhyming scheme in this sonnet is abba, abba, edc, cdc.

Question 10.
The poet uses several images in the poem, like the sound of rain and the sight of the fields. Identify the images used buy the poet in ‘To Sleep’.
Answer:

• a flock of sheep passing by one after one
• bees murmuring
• white sheets of water
• pure sky
• birds singing from the orchard trees
• cuckoo’s melancholy cry

Study the various poetic devices given on page 147 of the text.

Activity – II (Critical Appreciation)

Question 1.
Based on the above discussions, prepare a critical appreciation of the poem bearing the tips given on page 147 and 148 of the text.
Answer:
The poem To sleep’ by William Wordsworth, who is known as the high priest of Nature, is an exquisite poem that presents to us some of the finest sights, sounds and movements of Nature. We can see a flock of sheep leisurely passing by one after one; we can the sound of rain and the murmuring of bees. We can hear the fall of rivers, winds and seas. We can see the smooth fields, white sheets of water and pure sky. We also hear the melodies of small birds coming from the orchard trees. We hear the cuckoo’s melancholy cry.

The poet can’t sleep. Maybe he is worried about the bad things happened during the past. In fact he has not slept for a couple of days and this makes him all the more worried. If he does not sleep he won’t be able to enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of the morning. Sleep brings fresh thoughts and joyous health.

To Sleep’ is a sonnet. In the octave (first 8 lines), the poet describes the alluring sights and sounds of Nature. In the sestet (the last 6 lines) he describes his condition without sleep and requests sleep not to run away from him. He also talks about the blessings sleep brings. The rhyming scheme in the octave is abba, abba, and in the sestet it is cdc, cdc.

The poet has used personification effectively. Sleep is pictured as a mistress who is refusing to come to the poet. There is the Rhetorical Question “Without Thee what is all the mornings wealth?” There is onomatopoeia in ‘bees murmuring’. There is fine alliteration in ‘blessed barrier between’. There is hyperbole in calling sleep as the ‘Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health’. On the whole To Sleep’ is an enjoyable poem with a fine message for all of us.

Question 2.
Wordsworth’s ‘To Sleep’tells us how important it is to have a sound sleep in order to remain mentally and physically fit. In this world where everything is ‘instant’ or instantly done, isn’t it important to avoid unhealthy habits? Discuss.
Answer:
In our modern world everything has become ‘instant’. We get instant coffee and tea, instant meals from the fast-food outlets, instant cures by quacks and even instant sleep through sleeping pills. People are in a hurry and they want everything instant. In the readymade stores you can get almost everything instant. If things go like this, the day is not far off when we can also get instant ‘babies’.

This desire for everything ‘instant’ is symptomatic of a disease that has gripped the modem society. People have lost the virtue of patience. Nobody is willing to wait for anything. This lack of patience makes us sick as it increases our blood pressure. We forget that ‘Haste makes waste’. By consuming all the ‘instant’ foods and clicks we are spoiling our health. The same thing happens when we resort to instant cures. There are instances where people wanted instant sleep. They swallowed many pills and they never got up from their sleep!

III. Read And Relfect

Walking, like any other exercise, undoubtedly leads to physical wellness. There may be differences of opinion. The argument that each and every moment has to be filled with activity has gained currency these days. Here in this essay, Max Beerbohm looks at walking from a different angle.

To Sleep (Poem) About the Author

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a major English Romantic poet. He had a deep love for nature which is depicted in many of his poems. He considered nature to be his friend, philosopher and guide. He became the Poet-Laureate in 1843 and remained so until he died in 1850.

To Sleep (Poem)Summary in English

Lines 1 – 8: I have thought of all these things by turns: a flock of sheep leisurely passing by one after one; the sound of rain, and bees murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas, smooth fields, white sheets of water and pure sky. Still I lie sleepless. Soon I must hear the melodies of small birds, first uttered from my orchard trees, and the first cuckoo’s melancholy cry.

Lines 9 – 14: Last night it was like that. Two nights more I lay awake without winning sleep. Sleep, do not run away from me by using some tricks so that I don’t have to pass this night also without sleep. Without you the morning’s wealth is nothing. You are the barrier between day and day. You are the dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health.

To Sleep (Poem) Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 5 Chapter 1 Gooseberries Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Gooseberries Questions and Answers Unit 5 Chapter 1 (Story)

Gooseberries (Story) Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What purpose does the first sentence serve?
Answer:
The first sentence serves as a suitable introduction to a story which itself talks about a sad and gloomy situation. It looks like rain but it does not come. Happiness is like the rain here. It looks like happiness but it is not there!

Question 2.
Can you guess what story Ivan was about to tell Bourkin?
Answer:
The story is of two brothers who pursue happiness in their own ways.

Question 3.
How do you feel when it rains?
Answer:
I feel sad and gloomy when it rains. I prefer sunshine to rain.

Question 4.
Describe Aliokhin’s appearance.
Answer:
Aliokhin was about 40, tall and stout. He had long hair. He looked more like a professor or a painter than a farmer. At the time we see him first he was wearing a grimy white short and rope belt, and pants instead of trousers. His boots were covered with mud and straw. His nose and eyes were black with dust.

Question 5.
Why couldn’t Aliokhin bathe regularly despite having a good bathing shed?
Answer:
Aliokhin couldn’t bathe regularly despite having a good bathing shed because he had no time.

Question 6.
How did Ivan respond to the rain?
Answer:
Ivan responded to the rain by plunging into the water with a splash. He swam about in the rain, flapping his arms, and sending waves back. He swam out to the middle of the pool and dived, trying to reach the bottom. He shouted with glee and said how delicious it was.

Question 7.
When did Ivan start narrating his story?
Answer:
After Ivan’s bath they all went to the house. The lamp was lit in the large drawing-room upstairs. Bourkin and Ivan were dressed in silk dressing-gowns and wore warm slippers. They sat in chairs. Aliokhin was also washed and brushed. He wore a new frock-coat. He paced up and down. It was then that Ivan began his story.

Question 8.
How did the brothers spend their childhood after their father’s death?
Answer:
After their father’s death, the estate went to pay his debts. The children spent their childhood in the country. They were like peasants’ children. They spent their days and nights in the fields and the wood. They minded the horses, took the bark of the lime trees and fished.

Question 9.
Comment on Ivan’s view on the saying that a man needs only six feet of land.
Answer:
It is a common saying that a man needs only 6 feet of land, the land for his grave. But Ivan says 6 feet of land is for the corpse and not for. a man. He needs much more.

Question 10.
“To leave town, and the struggle and swim of life, and go and hide oneself in a farmhouse is not life – it is egoism, laziness.” Do you agree? Why?
Answer:
Yes, I agree. We have only one life. We should be able to make the best use of it. We should see the world a bit and we should make use of all the talents that God has given us. Hiding in a farmhouse, away from the hustle of bustle of life would be living like a frog in a well, not knowing what is going on outside.

Question 11.
What was the difference in the attitudes of Ivan and Nicholai towards life?
Answer:
Nicholai wanted to live in a farmhouse. He wanted to eat in the open air, sleep in the sun, and sit for hours together on a seat by the gate and look at the fields and the forest. He wanted garden walls, flowers, fruits, nuts, carp in the pond and such things. He was very fond of gooseberry bushes. Ivan did not have such an attitude. He also loved country life as he lived there as a child, but his love for it was not as passionate as his brother’s.

Question 12.
What was Nicholai’s dream?
Answer:
His dream was to live in the country, eating out in the open air, sleeping in the sun and sitting for hours together on a seat by the gate and gazing at the fields and the forest. He wanted to sit on the veranda drinking tea and watching his ducklings swim in the pond, and everything smelling good. His dream house always had a gooseberry-bush in it.

Question 13.
Mention some of the advantages of country life.
Answer:
Country life has many advantages. One can eat out in the open air, sleep in the sun and sit for hours together on a seat by the gate and gaze at the fields and the forest. One can sit on the veranda drinking tea and watch the ducklings swim in the pond and everything smells good. There is fresh air in the countryside and there is less dust, smoke and traffic noise. Country life is definitely healthier than city life.

Question 14.
‘Fixed goals help us achieve success in life.’ What is your opinion?
Answer:
I fully agree with the statement that fixed goals help us achieve success in life. It is so because goals give a sense of direction to our work. Once we have the sense of direction and goals are fixed our work becomes goal-oriented and we can succeed in life.

Question 15.
What are the sacrifices Nicholai made to achieve his goal?
Answer:
To achieve his goal, Nicholai lived meagrely. He never had enough to eat or drink. He dressed almost like a beggar. He always saved the money and put it into the bank. He was terribly stingy. Ivan used to feel hurt seeing his brother like this and he used to give him money to go away for a holiday. But he would put that money also in the bank.

Question 16.
Nicholai had to buy an estate quite different from what he had dreamt of. But he did not grieve much. How would you behave in such a situation?
Answer:
I would feel very sad. After making so much of sacrifice for so long, if I could not get the kind of thing I had hoped for I would be grieved.

Question 17.
What were the ‘good works’ of Nicholai? How did he care for his peasants?
Answer:
Nicholai looked after his soul and did good works pompously. The good works included curing the peasants of all kinds of diseases with soda and castor-oil. On his birthday he would have a thanksgiving service held in the middle of the village. He would treat the peasants to half a bucket of vodka. He thought it was the right thing to do.

Question 18.
The gooseberries were unripe and sour, but Nicholai found them delicious. Why?
Answer:
The gooseberries were unripe and sour, but Nicholai found them delicious because they were his own gooseberries. Even the ugliest child would look most beautiful to its mother.

Question 19.
Was Nicholai happy with his life? How do you know?
Answer:
Nicholas was happy with his life. His dearest dream had come true, He had attained his goal in life. He had got what he wanted. He was pleased with his destiny and with himself. We see him laughing with joy looking at his first gooseberries. When he looked at them there were tears of joy in his eyes.

Question 20.
What distinction did Ivan make between the happy and the unhappy?
Answer:
Contentment is an overwhelming power. The happy man feels he is happy and he is happy. The unhappy man bears his burden in silence.

Question 21.
What, according to Ivan, was the relevance of freedom?
Answer:
According to Ivan freedom is a boon, as essential as the air we breathe, freedom should be instant and not something that Hornes after a long wait.

Question 22.
Why did Ivan find it difficult to live in town after visiting his brother?
Answer:
Ivan found it difficult to live in town after visiting his brother because the peace and quiet of the town oppressed him. He did not dare to look in at the windows because to him nothing was more dreadful to see than the sight of a happy family, sitting round at table, having tea. He was an old man now and he was no good for the struggle.

Question 23.
What change in attitude came over Ivan at the end?
Answer:
Ivan asked forgiveness from God. He realised that his previous attitude was wrong.

Question 24.
How can happiness be achieved in life?
Answer:
Happiness can be achieved in life by getting your dreams realized. Gooseberries may be hard and sour for Ivan but they were delicious for Nicholai. Happiness differs from person to person. One man’s meat is another man’s poison and one man’s religion is another man’s madness. There are no common criteria for happiness. Prayer, sacrifice, fasting and abstinence may make some people happy. But others feel happy when they are rich and successful.

Activity – I (Read and Respond)

Question 1.
What lesson does Ivan seek to learn from his brother’s life?
Answer:
The lesson Ivan seeks to learn from his brother’s life is to know how the hard and sour gooseberries become delicious to him.

Question 2.
Compare Aliokhin’s first appearance in the story with that of Nicholai.
Answer:
When he sees him first Aliokhin was standing at the threshold. He was about 40, tall and stout. He had long hair. He looked more like a professor or a painter than a farmer. He was wearing a grimy white short and rope belt, and pants instead of trousers. His boots were covered with mud and straw. His nose and eyes were black with dust. Nicholai was 2 years younger to his brother Ivan. Nicholai was at the Exchequer Court when he was 19. He was not happy at the Exchequer. For years he was sitting in the same place, writing the same documents. He was thinking of only one thing – how to get back to the country and buy a small farm near the bank of a river or lake.

Question 3.
The story begins and ends in rain. What does the imagery convey to you?
Answer:
The imagery conveys to me a gloomy atmosphere. There is no joy and mirth.

Question 4.
Why do you think the story is titled Gooseberries?
Answer:
The story is titled ‘Gooseberries’ because life is very much like gooseberries. Gooseberries are sour and sweet. Similarly life too is sour (bitter) and sweet. Nicholai lives all his life like a miser and even marries an ugly widow to get money to buy the estate with a gooseberry bush. The state he bought does not have a gooseberry bush and so he plants some. Later he eats the gooseberries from the plants he had planted and looks pleased when he eats them. Gooseberries may be sweet for one, but sour for another. Life is like that. One man’s food is another man’s poison and one man’s religion is another man’s madness.

Question 5.
Identify the climax of the story.
Answer:
The climax of the story is when in the night Ivan watches his brother Nicholai going again and again to the plate of gooseberries and eating gooseberries. That night Ivan was able to understand he too had been content and happy. We don’t have to wait for happiness.

Question 6.
Rain has an additional symbolic relevance in this story. Can you identify other symbols?
Answer:
The other symbols are, Gooseberries, six feet of land, the name Himalayskoe, the red-haired dog, soda & castor oil curing all diseases and the family sitting round a table having coffee.

Question 7.
Analyze Ivan’s argument against happiness (‘There is nothing sadder than the sight of a happy man’).
Answer:
Ivan argument against happiness stems from the fact that he has no family. He says that nothing is more dreadful to see than the sight of a happy family, sitting round table, having tea. Everybody has his idea of happiness. But Ivan’s idea of happiness seems to be peculiarly his own. I don’t agree with him.

Question 8.
How does Chekhov develop his theme in the story? What are the techniques used? (story within the story, realism, irony, symbolism)
Answer:
Chekhov’s theme in the story is finding happiness. Nicholai finds happiness in eating strawberries. He thinks he can make the peasants happy by giving them half a bucket of vodka. People pursue happiness in different ways. Some find happiness in eating, drinking and merrymaking. Some find happiness in strict ascetic life. Some find happiness in serving others and making sacrifices for them.

Chekhov develops his theme by using different techniques. There is a story within a story. Ivan and Bourkin are walking. It is raining and they take shelter in the farmhouse of Aliokhin. Then Ivan tells the story of his brother Nicholai, how he sought happiness. Chekhov uses realism in unfolding the story. The account of the life of Ivan and his brother Nicholai in the village after the death of their father is highly realistic. There is also realism in the description of Aliokhin and his farmhouse.

Irony is an important ingredient Chekhov has used. Nicholai eats gooseberry after gooseberry to feel happy and contented. We know how gooseberry is. Nicholai lived all his life like a miser, not eating and drinking properly, not dressing properly, to eat gooseberries, He even married an ugly widow to eat gooseberries!

Chekhov is a master in the use of symbolism. He has used the symbol of rain to great effect. It gives the entire story a sad and melancholic mood. The red¬haired dog which looks like a pig is an excellent symbol. So is the symbol of the family sitting round the table enjoying their coffee. Both Nicholai and Ivan have their peculiar, even perverted, sense of happiness. It is a relevant question to ask whether our own sense of happiness is normal or something queer.

Activity – II (Review)

Question 1.
Based on the above points, attempt a review of Chekhov’s ‘Gooseberries’ bearing in mind the following hints:
Read and recall what you have read and formulate your own observations.

• Theme/content
• Writing style/presentation
• Characters
• Depiction of landscape
• Symbolic relevance

Answer:
Chekhov’s story ‘Gooseberries’ is essentially a satire on man’s search for happiness. Here we see two brothers – Ivan and Nicholai – seeking to be happy. Ivan is a veterinary doctor and Nicholai is an official at the Exchequer. Nicholai is fed up with his job – sitting in the same place and writing out the same documents. His dreams were centred round a farmhouse with a garden, an orchard, a fishpond and above all a gooseberry fish. He lives like a miser to get his ideal place. He even marries an old ugly widow to fulfil his dream. In the end he buys an estate with a farmhouse but it had no orchard, no duck-pond and no gooseberry bush. He plants some gooseberry bushes in his new estate. His joy in life is going on eating the gooseberries his gooseberry bushes produce.

Checkhov has presented the story in a fine way, as a story inside another story. We are curious to know what happens to Nicholai after all his sacrifices. The characterization by Chekhov has been excellent. There are only 4 main characters in the story Ivan, Nicholai, Bourkin and Aliokhin. We are also told about Tchimsha Himalaysky, the father of Ivan and Nicholai. The characterization of Nicholai and Aliokhin stand out as superb.

Chekhov has presented the landscape in exquisite beauty. We see the endless farms and the windmills. We can see the dreamland of Nicholai – an estate with a farmhouse, a river nearby, garden, mill, mill¬pond, garden-walls, flowers, fruits, nests, carp and ducklings in the pond. It is country side at its best. Chekhov is a master in the use of symbol. The rain, gooseberries, six feet of land, the name Himalayskoe, the red-haired dog, soda & castor oil curing all diseases and the family sitting round a table having coffee, are all symbols. They make a powerful impact on the readers.

Activity – III (Write-up)

Question 1.
According to Chekhov, ‘money, like vodka, plays queer tricks with man ’. How far is this statement relevant in the present-day world? Prepare a write-up on the topic.
Answer:
in the present day world, the statement by Chekhov that money, like vodka, plays queer tricks with man’ is highly relevant. When a person drinks vodka he feels that he can do anything, Alcohol gives even a weak man courage to speak out his mind. We often suppress our feelings because of fear. But once some vodka gets into us, our tongues become loose and we can say anything without any fear. The same is the case with money. Once people have money they think they can do anything and speak anything. In the present day world, there is a lot of corruption and so people with money can get away from punishment by bribing the authorities. Money, like vodka, intoxicates a person and gives him courage to do things he would not normally do. It is called Dutch courage.

Activity – IV (Debate)

Read the following lines from the story. ‘Freedom is a boon as essential as the air we breathe.’ How far is this statement true in the case of an individual?
Is freedom essential for an individual? Debate the topic.
(Study the tips given on page 141 of the text.)
Answer:
Arguments in favour of freedom:

1. Freedom is a natural thing.
2. Only with freedom we can develop to our full potential.
3. Freedom forces us to be independent.
4. With freedom we choose what we want and do what we want.
5. Freedom enables us to be what we want to be, and not what others want us to be.
6. All living creatures love freedom. You may make a golden cage fora bird, keep it in an air-conditioned room and give it the best and costliest food. But it won’t be happy to be confined to the cage. It would fly away the moment you open the cage, because it prefers its freedom to food and comfort.

Arguments against freedom:

1. Absolute freedom is impossible and undesirable.
2. Your freedom might cause problems to others.
3. If everybody doe^ what he wants, there will be chaos in the society?
4. Imagine the situation if you drive freely on our roads.
5. Regulations are necessary for a peaceful and enjoyable life.
6. Even Nature follows a discipline – the sun rises and sets in time, seasons come and go.

Activity – V (Seminar)

Question 1.
In the story, ‘Gooseberries’ represent whatever is indigenous, whatever should be preserved to retain the culture of the countryside. Do you think that it is our responsibility to preserve our indigenous culture? Conduct a seminar on this topic.
Present you paper in the class. You may take note of the following guidelines:

• Introduction
• Objective
• Theoretical background- what others say on the topic
• Research – connect theoretical background
• Conclusion – your references and findings – reflect on what you have been able to prove.

Answer:
Our seminar today discusses the question “Is it our responsibility to preserve our indigenous culture?” I would start by saying it is our duty to do so. Every nation and every tribe has a culture. India is a nation of mixed cultures. That is why Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru talked about university in diversity. Although we have different cultures and traditions, ultimately we are all Indians, the children of Bharat Mata.

Culture can be defined as the patterns of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share. Culture distinguishes one human group from others. It also distinguishes humans from other animals. A people’s culture includes their beliefs, rules of behaviour, language, rituals, art, technology, styles of dress, ways of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic systems. Anthropologists commonly use the term culture to refer to a society or group in which many or all people live and think in the same ways. Likewise, any group of people who share a common culture and in particular, common rules of behaviour and a basic form of social organization constitutes a society. Thus, the terms culture and society are often interchangeable.

The objective of preserving culture is to bring about unity. For survival unity is essential. Unity is strength; united we stand, divided we fall. So we ought to preserve our culture. But at the same time we should not be rigid. We should never become jingoistic about our culture.

The world has seen may wars fought in the name of culture as one group tries to impose its culture on another group. We hear about tribal wars and ethnic cleansing. These are caused by extremists who feel that their culture is the best. I would say that even as we preserve our culture, we should respect the culture of others. The principle should ‘Live and let others live.’

Activity – VI (“Wh” Interrogatives)

We use ‘wh’ interrogatives to make questions. Study the set of questions given on p. 142 and 143. Reported Questions: Read the notes and examples given on page 143.
Frame questions to get the underlined words as answer.
Example: He bought twenty gooseberry bushes.
What did he buy? Or How many gooseberry bushes did he buy?

1. They went to Aliokhin’s barn.
2. He was a gentle, good-natured fellow.
3. We have spent our childhood running wild in the country.
4. Ivan saw a happy man.
5. I went away from my brother’s house early in the morning.
6. That night, Ivan realized that he too was happy and contented.
Answers:
1. Where did they go?
2. What type (kind) of a man was he?
3. How have you spent your childhood?
5. Whom did Ivan see? Or What type of a man did Ivan see?
6. What did Ivan realize that night?

Activity – VII (Exclamations)

Let’s practise

Change the following assertive sentences into exclamatory sentences.

Question 1.
It was a great beautiful land.
Answer:
What a great, beautiful land!

Question 2.
The water looked cold and contaminated.
Answer:
How cold and contaminated the water looked!

Question 3.
That was a very interesting dream.
Answer:
What an interesting dream it was!

Question 4.
Nicholai is very generous.
Answer:
Nicholai is so generous!

Question 5.
It would be nice if I were young once again.
Answer:
How I wish to be young once again!

Question 6.
He is an incredibly positive man.
Answer:
What an incredibly positive man he is!

II. Read And Enjoy

In Chekhov’s “Gooseberries”, after visiting his brother Nicholai, Ivan’s head is hot with the rush of ideas and he can’t sleep. Have you ever lain awake, sleepless at night? Describe your experience. Let’s see what Wordsworth has to say about sleep.

Gooseberries (Story) About the Author

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian physician, dramatist and author. He is one of the greatest short story writers. ‘Gooseberries’ is the middle story in a trilogy of Chekhov’s stories. The first is entitled The Man in a Shell’ and the last is titled ‘About Love’. All are united in theme – the isolation and escape from life. This story has much irony and humour and is poetic in mood.

Gooseberries (Story) Summary in English

Page 132: From early morning the sky had been overcast with clouds. The day was still, cool and wearisome. It looked like it would rain but it never came. Ivan Ivanich, the veterinary surgeon, and Bourkin, the schoolmaster, were tired of walking. The fields seemed endless to them. Far ahead they could see the windmills of the village of Mirousky. Nature looked gentle and melancholic and the two men were filled with love for the fields and thought how nice the country was.

Bourkin reminded Ivan of the story he had promised to tell him. Ivan told him that he wanted to tell him about his brother. Ian took a deep breath and lit his pipe before he began his story. But soon the rain fell and showed no signs of stopping.

Page 133: Bourkin said they would take shelter in Aliokhin’s place. They took a short cut until they came to a road. Soon they came to a mill and a white bathing- shed. It was Sophino where Aliokhin lived.

The mill was working, drowning the sound of rain. It was wet, muddy and unpleasant. Ivan and Bourkin felt wet and unpleasant. Their feet were tired with walking in the mud.

In one of the bams a winnowing machine was working. It was sending out clouds of dust. Aliokhin was standing at the threshold. He was about 40, tall and stout. He had long hair. He looked more like a professor or a painter than a farmer’ He was wearing a grimy white short and rope belt, and pants instead of trousers. His boots were covered with mud and straw. His nose and eyes were black with dust. He recognized Ivan and was pleased.

He asked Ivan and Bourkin to go into his house. He would soon follow. The house was large and two storied. Aliokhin lived downstairs. Ivan and Bourkin were received by a chambermaid.

Soon Aliokhin came showing his pleasure at seeing his friend and his companion. He said he never expected them. He asked the maid, Pelagueya, to give them a change of clothes. He also would change. Before changing he will have a bath. He hasn’t had one since the spring. He invited them to come to the bathing shed. Things will be got ready soon.

Aliokhin led his guests to the bathing-shed. He repeated that he did not have a bath for a long time. He had a good bathing shed, His father and he put it up, but he has no time to bathe. He sat down on the step and lathered his long hair and neck. The water round him became brown.

Page 134: Ivan came out of the shed. He plunged into the water with a splash. He swam about in the rain, flapping his arms, and sending waves back. He swam out to the middle of the pool and dived, trying to reach the bottom. He shouted with glee and said how delicious it was. Bourkin and Aliokhin were already dressed and ready to go. But Ivan kept on swimming and diving.

He continued shouting ‘Delicious’. Bourkin told him it was enough. They went to the house. The lamp was lit in the large drawing-room upstairs. Bourkin and Ivan were dressed in silk dressing-gowns and wore warm slippers. They sat in chairs. Aliokhin was also washed and brushed. He wore a new frock-coat. He paced up and down. Ivan then began his story.

They were two brothers- Ivan and Nicholai. Nicholai was 2 years younger. Ivan went in for studies and became a veterinary surgeon. Nicholai was at the Exchequer Court when he was 19. Their father, Tchimsha- Himalaysky, was a cantonist (service obliged military person). He died with an officer’s rank and left them his title of nobility and a small estate. After his death, the estate went to pay his debts. They spent their childhood in the country. They were like peasants’ children. They spent their days and nights in the fields and the wood. They minded the horses, took the bark of the lime trees and fished.

Once a man has fished or watched the thrushes (small song birds) hovering in flocks over the village in the bright cool autumn days, he can never be a townsman. Ivan’s brother Nicholai was not happy at the Exchequer. For years he was sitting in the same place, writing the same documents. He was thinking of only one thing – how to get back to the country and buy a small farm near the bank of a river or lake.

Page 135: He was a good fellow and Ivan loved him. But Ivan did not like his idea of shutting himself upon his farm. It is a common saying that a man needs only 6 feet of land. It is the corpse that wants it, not a man. To leave town, and the struggle and swim of life, and go and hide yourself in a farmhouse is not life – it is egoism, laziness.

Nicholai, sitting his office, would dream of eating in the open air, and of sleeping in the sun, sitting for hours together on a seat by the gate and looking at the fields and the forest. He enjoyed books on agriculture, the hints in almanacs (calendars) and reading the newspaper advertisements of land to be sold, with a farmhouse, river, garden, mill and mill-pond. He would dream of garden walls, flowers, fruits, nets, carp in the pond and such things. His fantasies used to vary according to the advertisements he found. However in every fantasy of his there was always a gooseberry bush. He could not imagine a house or a romantic spot without a gooseberry bush.

He used to say that countryside has its advantages. You sit on the veranda drinking tea and your ducklings swim in the pond and everything smells good … and there are gooseberries.

He used to live meagrely. He never had enough to eat or drink. He dressed almost like a beggar. He always saved the money and put it into the bank. He was terribly stingy. Ivan used to feel hurt seeing him like this and he used to give him money to go away for a holiday. But he would put that money also in the bank. Once a man gets a fixed idea, there is nothing to be done.

Years passed. Nicholai completed his 40th year and was still reading advertisements in papers and saving up his money. Then he was married. With the idea of buying a farmhouse with a gooseberry-bush he married an elderly, ugly widow, not out of any feeling for her but because she had money. With her he still lived stingily, kept her half-starved and put the money into the bank in his own name. Money, like vodka, can play strange tricks with a man.

Page 136: After the death of his wife, Nicholai began to look for an estate. Through an agent, Nicholai raised a mortgage and bought 300 acres with a farmhouse, a cottage, and a park. But it had no orchard, no gooseberry- bush and no duck-pond. There was a river but the water was coffee-coloured because the estate lay between a brickyard and a gelatine factory. Nicholai was not worried about that. He ordered 20 gooseberry-bushes and settled down to a country life.

Last year Ivan visited him to find out how things were with him. In his letter he called his estate Tchimbarshov Corner or Himalayskoe. Ivan reached there in the afternoon. It was hot. There were ditches, fences, hedges, rows of young fir-trees, trees everywhere. There was no place to put the horse. Ivan went to the house and there he was met by a red-haired dog, as fat as a pig. He tried to bark and felt too lazy. From the kitchen the cook came. The cook was barefooted and looked like a pig. Ivan was told that Nicholai was having his afternoon rest. Ivan went into his brother who was sitting on his bed with his knees covered with a blanket. He looked old, stout and flabby. His cheeks, nose and lips were hanging loosely. Ivan said he half expected his brother to grunt like a pig.

They embraced and shed a tear of joy thinking that once they were young. Now they were going grey and nearing death. Nicholai dressed and took Ivan to see his estate.

Page 137: Ivan waited to know how Nicholai was getting on. He said he was doing very well. He was no longer a poor, tired official but a real landowner and a person of importance. Like a good landowner, he looked after his soul and did good works pompously. The good works included curing the peasants of all kinds of diseases with soda and castor-oil. On his birthday he would have a thanksgiving service held in the middle of the village. He would treat the peasants to half a bucket of vodka. He thought it was the right thing to do.

Ivan says a change took place in him when he was in his brother’s house. In the evening when they were having tea, the cook laid a plateful of gooseberries on the table. They were not bought but were Nicholai’s own, plucked for the first time since the bushes were planted. Nicholai laughed with joy and for a minute or two he looked at the gooseberries with tears in his eyes. He could not speak for excitement. He put one in his mouth and glanced at Ivan in triumph. He said they were good and asked him to try one.

The gooseberry was hard and sour but Ivan saw a happy man whose dearest dream had come true, who had attained his goal in life, who had got what he wanted, and was pleased with his destiny and with himself. In Ivan’s idea of human life there is always some alloy of sadness, but now at the sight of a happy man he was filled with something like despair. In the night the feeling got stronger. A bed was made for Ivan near his brother’s. He could not sleep and he heard Nicholai going again and again to the plate of gooseberries. Ivan thought about the many contented and happy people. Contentment is an overwhelming power. We want this state. A happy man feels so because the unhappy bear their burden in silence. Without that, happiness would be impossible.

That night Ivan was able to understand how he too had been content and happy. He used to say that freedom was a boon as essential as the air one breathes, but one had to wait. But now he wanted to know why people had to wait.

Ivan looked angrily at Bourkin. He asked him why one has to wait. Why do people fast? People are told that they can’t have everything at once and that every idea is realized in time. Who says that and where is the proof for that? Why should people wait?

Ivan left his brother the next morning. From that time it was impossible for him to live in town. The peace and quiet of it oppresses him. He does not want to look in at the windows because nothing is dreadful to see than the sight of a happy family, sitting round a table having tea. He is an old man now and he is no good for struggle. He started late. He can only feel sorry within his soul and feel angry. At night his head buzzes with so many thoughts and he can’t sleep. He regrets that he is old.

Ivan suddenly shook the hands of Aliokhin and told him not to be satisfied. He should not let himself be lulled to sleep. While one is young, strong and wealthy he should not stop to do good. Happiness does not exist. If there is any meaning and purpose in life, they are not in our peddling little happiness, but in something reasonable and grand. Do good.

Page 139: Then all three sat in different corners of the drawing room and were silent. Ivan’s story had satisfied neither Bourkin nor Aliokhin. It is boring to hear the story of a miserable official who ate gooseberries. They had a desire to hear and to speak of charming people, and of women. Sitting in the drawing-room was much better than any story.

Aliokhin wanted to go to bed. He had to get up for his work very early, about two in the morning. His eyes were closing. Bourkin said it was time to go to bed and wished them good night. Aliokhin said good night and went downstairs, and left his guests. Each had a large room with an old wooden bed and carved ornaments. Ivan undressed in silence and lay down. He asked forgiveness from God as he drew the clothes over his head. The rain beat against the windows all night long.

Gooseberries (Story) Vocabulary

Kerala State Board New Syllabus Plus One English Textbook Answers Unit 5 Harmony of Life Text Book Questions and Answers, Summary, Notes.

Kerala Plus One English Textbook Harmony of Life Questions and Answers Unit 5

Good health is a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living, and is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities.

– WHO

Look at the Logo give below.

Question 1.
Can you identify the words that appear with the entry ‘wellness’ in the logo?
Answer:
The words are Health, exercise, flexibility, movement, balance, energy.

Question 2.
What is your idea of wellness?
Answer:
My idea of wellness is a state of complete physical, social, financial and mental well-being. In other words I should be physically healthy, free from diseases. Socially I must be accepted by others and they should like me. Financially I should be free so that I can have all the material that I think I need for my comfort and happiness. Mental well-being is a state which always keeps me happy, optimistic and contented, free from tensions, worries and anxieties.

Question 3.
Does it pertain to the physical realm alone?
Answer:
No. It also pertains to the social, mental and financial realms.

Question 4.
What are the activities conducted by your School Health Club for promoting wellness?
Answer:
Our School Health Club conducts many activities for promoting wellness. There is a trainer who gives the members yoga classes. Every day a few minutes are spent on physical exercises. Twice a week we have compulsory outdoor games at least for an hour. Once a month we go out trekking. We also have made it a regular practice to plant trees around the compound, or take care of the existing ones. As part of our program the members are asked not to overeat and oversleep. Whenever possible they are encouraged to swim. We also tell the members to come to the school on foot, and not in vehicles, if the distance is not much.

Question 5.
Prepare a logo, (This should be done by each student, ensuring that the logo reflects some of the aims (goals) of the Club.)
Answer:

Harmony of Life About the Unit

The holistic concept of wellness is the basic premise of this unit. It has a short story, a poem and an essay. The short story ‘Gooseberries’ by Anton Chekhov reflects on the belief in following one’s dream and doing whatever it takes to achieve that. The poem To Sleep’ by William Wordsworth stresses the importance of good sleep. The essay ‘Going out for a walk’ by Max Beerbohm challenges the notion that walking is a productive mental exercise – especially if one is with a talkative companion.

I. Read And Reflect

Chekhov’s ‘Gooseberries’ is a story of two brothers who pursue happiness in their own ways. The story gives plenty of opportunities to critically examine the ways they have chosen. The extent to which they succeed is a/so worth our consideration.