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प्रश्न
Although the author was not a vindictive man he was very happy to see the twenty-one stone lady
who had impoverished him twenty years ago, and says he had finally had his revenge. What makes him say this?
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उत्तर
The story Luncheon relates incidents, replete with humour and irony, involving the author and a lady in a restaurant twenty years ago. The author narrates how he was tactfully suggested by a lady to meet her at a high-grade restaurant Foyot. Given the poor economic condition of the author at that time, visiting a highly expensive restaurant like Foyot along with a lady for a luncheon was very ironical. The author narrates in a flashback how at that point in time he could not turn down her request only to meet with embarrassing situations at the restaurant. In the name of a little luncheon, the lady started placing order after order for highly expensive items from the menu like salmon, caviare, champagne, asparagus, etc. without bothering about the bill. Unable to reveal his actual position, the author kept giving excuses for not ordering items for himself. Ultimately, he had to give away whatever money he had with him in paying the bill. He was left without even a penny and the whole month was before him.
The author was not a vindictive man so he did not say a word to her but chose to endure. It is in this context, the author says on seeing the lady after twenty years that the embarrassment done to him in the restaurant by the lady was avenged in due course of time as the lady is now only twenty-one stone.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Read the passage given below and answer the questions (a), (b) and (c) that follow :
(1) At the Literary Society’s meeting, Isola read out the letters written to her Granny Pheen, when she was but a little girl. They were from a very kind man – a complete stranger. Isola told us how these letters came to be written.
(2) When Granny Pheen was nine years old, her cat died. Heartbroken, sitting in the middle of the road, she was sobbing her heart out.
(3) A carriage, driving far too fast, came within a whisker of running her down. A very big man in a dark coat with a fur collar, jumped out, leaned over Pheen, and asked if he could help her. Granny Pheen said she was beyond help. Muffin, her cat, was dead.
(4) The man said, ‘Of course, Muffin’s not dead. You do know cats have nine lives, don’t you?’ When Pheen said yes, the man said, ‘Well, I happen to know your Muffin was only on her third life, so she has six lives left.’ Pheen asked how he knew. He said he always knew - cats would often appear in his mind and chat with him. Well, not in words, of course, but in pictures.
(5) He sat down on the road beside her and told her to keep still – very still. He would see if Muffin wanted to visit him. They sat in silence for several minutes, when suddenly the man grabbed Pheen’s hand.
(6) ‘Ah – yes! There she is! She’s being born this minute! In a mansion – in France. There’s a little boy petting her, he’s going to call her Solange. This Solange has great spirit, great verve – I can tell already! She is going to have a long, venturesome life.’
(7) Granny Pheen was so rapt by Muffin’s new fate that she stopped crying. The man said he would visit Solange every so often and find out how she was faring.
(8) He asked for Granny Pheen’s name and the name of the farm where she lived, got back into the carriage, and left.
(9) Absurd as all this sounds, Granny Pheen did receive eight long letters. Isola then read them out. They were all about Muffin’s life as the French cat − Solange. She was, apparently, something of a feline musketeer. She was no idle cat, lolling about on cushions, lapping up cream – she lived through one wild adventure after another – the only cat ever to be awarded the red rosette of the Legion of Honour.
(10) What a story this man had made up for Pheen – lively, witty, full of drama and suspense. We were enchanted, speechless at the reading. When it was over (and much applauded), I asked Isola if I could see the letters, and she handed them to me.
(11) The writer had signed his letters with a grand flourish :
VERY TRULY YOURS,
O.F. O’F. W.W.
It was highly possible that Isola had inherited eight letters written by Oscar Wilde, for who else could have had such a preposterous name as Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Willis Wilde.
Adapted from : The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society – By Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
(a) (i) Given below are four words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage :[4]
(1) adventurous
(2) cat-like
(3) appreciated
(4) received something on someone’s death
(ii) For each of the words given below, write a sentence of at least ten words using the same word unchanged in form, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the passage :[4]
(1) kind (line 2)
(2) mind (line 13)
(3) still (line 15)
(4) sounds (line 26)
(b) Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:
(i) Where did Isola get the letters from to read at the Literary Society’s meeting?[2]
(ii) Who consoled Granny Pheen when she was heart-broken? What did he say about Muffin’s lives?[2]
(iii) What did the man say when Granny Pheen asked him how he knew about cats’ lives?[2]
(iv) According to the man, what was Muffin’s new fate?[3]
(c) In not more than 100 words, summarise why the eight letters were a treasure to Granny Pheen. (Paragraphs 2 to 10). Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. You will be required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words.[8]
What is universal about the theme – that is, what can we all learn from the poem?
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
What is meant by “free bird thinks of another breeze”?
But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
Explain with reference to the context.
Besides being an amusing tale about a failure to communicate the story “A Horse and Two Goats” makes some crucial points also. Justify.
What is the primary purpose of “Hearts and Hands” by O. Henry?
You walk home from school one afternoon to find the door unlocked and on entering you are shocked to see the house in total disarray. You call out but get no answer. Describe in detail what you saw, the reason behind your house being in total disarray and how you found your family. Mention also how the experience ended and what impact it had on your life.
The tree grew at a dangerous slant and had to be cut ________
Talk with your family members about elderly people who you have been intimately connected with and who are not there with you now.
Write a short description of someone you liked a lot.
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
-
forensic reconstruction
-
scudded across
-
casket grey
-
Resurrection
-
funerary treasures
-
Circumvented
-
computed tomography
-
eerie detail
Given below is an interesting combination of words. Explain why they have been used together.
desert sky
Maintain a record of the trees cut down and the parks demolished in your area or any other act that violates the environment. Write to newspapers reporting on any such acts that disturb you.
Approval from the outside world and approval within the family.
How does the bond of affection between Mrs. Croft and the narrator evolve?
Satyajit should have revealed his predicament to his uncle.
There are quite a few places where the author uses the expressions 'my heart sank', 'panic seized' etc. What was the reason for this?
Multiple Choice Question:
What lesson did they possibly learn?
Match the words and phrases with their meanings in the box below.
|
|
|
paragraph numbers |
|
1. |
homesick |
(3) |
|
2. |
practically |
(4) |
|
3. |
it pains me |
(7) |
|
4. |
appreciate |
(9) |
|
5. |
thoughtless |
(10) |
|
6. |
exercise |
(11) |
|
7. |
relief |
(13) |
|
8. |
ghastly |
(14) |
|
Almost |
it hurts me |
terrible |
|
test the strength of |
understanding the difficulties |
|
|
wanting to be home |
a welcome change |
not very caring |
Glance through the text again and explain the qualities of Tenzing Norgay. Pick lines that show his unique qualities. One is done for you.
| Sr No. | Qualities | Lines |
| 1. | Patriotic | I told Colonel Hunt that I was carrying the Indian flag with me and I would like it to be on the top with other flags. |
|
2. |
||
| 3. | ||
| 4. |
You might have learned about organic farming. Make groups and discuss the difference between conventional farming and organic farming and write it down.
| Sr.No. | Conventional Farming | Organic Farming |
| 1. | ||
| 2. | ||
| 3. |
Imagine your younger sister is not paying attention to her studies and is seen wasting time playing games on her cell-phone. Suggest some ways that will help her to concentrate on her studies and overcome her bad habit.
You have just returned after your first experience of the kite - festival in Gujarat/Ahmedabad. You were thrilled with the festivities.
Write a short report about the kite - festival for your local newspaper. Give an attractive headline, a dateline, and an account of the kite - festive. Write the report in the third person with more use of Passive voice.
Imagine your friend is a table tennis champion who has won the semi-final in the inter-collegiate championship. Due to overconfidence, she neither practices nor does she take her opponent seriously. This may result in her losing the final. Suggest some ways to make her aware of the importance of hard work and regular practice.
'Narnia' (part 1,2,3 and 4) is a film about 4 children who find a path to Narnia. Discuss in your class, the special effects, and direction. Write a review with the help of the following points in about 100 to 150 words.
- Storyline
- Producer
- Director
- Music Director
- Characters/ casting (major and minor)
- Setting / location
- Conflict
- Message
- Significance of the title.
Now read the beginning and end of a sci-fi story given below and complete the story using your imagination.
|
‘The Magic Glasses’ After ten years of diligent experimenting on ‘light’, Jayant, a brilliant scientist, created a pair of eye-glasses which would enable him to see through all opaque objects, doors, walls, metal structures, etc. On Monday, he put on his ‘magic’ glasses and stepped into the busy street outside ____________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ And so, Jayant received the ‘State Award for Brave Citizens’ _____________________________________________ |
Can you think of a parallel scene of dawn or evening when everything is steeped in golden light?
Write a short essay on the following.
What I would like to do for my country.
Read the following and draw a tree diagram to show this information.
| Things in our surroundings form two groups - living things and non-living things. Living things are of two kinds, plants and animals. There are two types of plants - flowering plants and non-flowering plants. If we consider animals, we see that some animals lay eggs. They are oviparous animals. Some animals give birth to their young ones. They are viviparous animals. |
Expand the theme in a write-up of about 20 lines.
‘Books are our real friends’
Prepare a ‘tourism leaflet’ on any one of the following.
- Your Home Town
- A Historical Place
- A Place of Natural Beauty
- A Place of Pilgrimage
Fill in the value trees with the best qualities you like to follow in your life from the given list. Write a few lines about your favourite quality in the box.
| Best qualities in life | ||||
| Affectionate | Cooperative | Gratitude | Loving | Responsible |
| Ambitious | Courageous | Happiness | Loyal | Self-confident |
| Brave | Dependability | Helpfulness | Good manners | Self-control |
| Calm | Diligence | Honest | Patriotic | Self-esteem |
| Caring | Enthusiastic | Humble | Peaceful | Sensitive |
| Cheerful | Fairness | Imaginative | Perseverance | Sincerity |
| Committed | Faithfulness | Intelligent | Polite | Successful |
| Compassionate | Flexible | Joyful | Positive | Tolerant |
| Concerned | Forgiveness | Kind | Rational | Truthful |
| Confident | Generosity | Leader | Resourceful | Versatile |
| Contented | Giving | Logical | Respect | Witty |
| My favourite quality is... __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
||||
Draft Letter for the following.
You are Sanjay. Your colony utilizes solar energy to light the common areas. You find many friends of your colony forgetting to switch off the lights in the common area. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to a newspaper, echoing the importance to conserve and preserve solar energy.
Write a letter of enquiry for the following.
Write a letter to the head of the BSNL office enquiring regarding the internet broadband scheme launched recently.
Reference to context.
Draw pictures of the speakers of the above lines.
The word in the sentence is jumbled. Write them in order.
was island the inhabited.
The word in the sentence is jumbled. Write them in order.
I around me looked.
Do you want to try to write your own paragraph now?
Write a paragraph on Monkey.
- ______
- ______
- ______
- ______
- ______
Complete the following picture board.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Use the option to fill in the blank.
My toys ______broken.
Answer the question by looking at the picture.
Example: What is happening in picture 5?
Find one word from the story that means
happy d ______.
Find one word from the story that means
to be seen nowhere d ______.
Look for words in the poem which sound like the words given below.
- are ______
- there ______
- flour ______
- where ______
- son ______
- threw ______
In the sentence below the capital letter, comma, full stop and question mark are missing. Put these in the correct place.
laxmi why are you crying
Write a few lines on Mithoo and his little dog named Shadow.
See the picture Travel Time below. Answer the questions that follow.
- Where did you go for an excursion/holiday?
- With whom did you go?
- What did you take with you?
- What was the first thing you saw when you reached your destination?
- What did you like best about the place?
- How long did you stay there?
- What did you miss about home?
The grandmother appreciated the value of education. Give instances in support of your answer.
State whether the following statement are true or false
The friends parted one night after watching a movie together.
Describe Bertie’s problem.
Rearrange the sentences given below and write a summary of the story in a paragraph. Begin with:
Philip Sletherby was travelling by train to Brill Manor.
- The young man introduced himself as Bertie, the son of Saltpen Jago.
- Bertie needed three pounds desperately and asked Sletherby to lend it to him.
- All the time Sletherby was gazing at the door panel of the car, on which were the two crests – a demi-lion and a greyhound courant.
- He was received by Claude People. K.C., who had kept on talking about various things.
- Bertie had left his purse behind, after sealing an envelope with the crest on the purse.
- Bertie stated that it was the Jago crest. He further added that his mother’s hair was dark brown similar to his.
- While describing the appearance of Honario Saltpen-Jago, K.C. referred to her altered hairstyle.
- Sletherby realized that Bertie had not lied to him, but that he had mistaken him for fraud.
- He explained that the Saltpen crest was that of a demi-lion.
- Sletherby sat dumbstruck on learning that Mrs. Honario Saltpen Jago had changed her dark brown hair to a blonde, just five weeks ago.
- Sletherby pointed out to him that his mother’s letter had a greyhound courant crest.
- His companion in the train was a young man who was searching for something frantically
- Suspecting foul play, Sletherby did not give him any money, as he knew Mrs. Saltpen-Jago was a blonde.
Write conversation on the following situation.
Between two friends about the uses of the internet
What angered the author?
What was the knife that Miss Meadows carried with her?
Write a paragraph of about 150 word, on the following topic.
The value of discipline
Write the full form for the following.
who's - ______
What might success mean to the following people? Think about it and write.
A sportsman
Imagine someone has invited your family to a programme and you were the only person at home when the invitation was given orally. Write a note (4-5 lines) to pass on the message to the other people in your family. Or, Write an imaginary conversation in which you pass on the message to your parents.
