Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
Narrate 'The Tale of Melon City' in your own words.
Advertisements
उत्तर
A model answer has been provided for students' reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
The Tale of Melon city is a narrative poem by Vikram Seth written in the couplet form. The poem is an account of an incident involving the monarch and citizens that took place in a city long ago. The tale is humorous with a very sharp focus on the thematic aspect. Structurally, the story has three parts-the first part mentions about a king's wish to build an arch. The second part relates his complaints regarding the faulty construction of the arch and the last part narrates how his decree ultimately falls on him leading to his hanging. The poem in a high tone of humour narrates the transition of power from the king to a melon which became a symbolic head.
In the beginning the poet narrates that there was a king in a city long ago. One day the king expressed his desire to construct an arch spanning the main thoroughfare to improve the onlookers morally and mentally. The king was just and peace loving. The construction work was soon undertaken by employing large number of labourers.
After the completion of the arch, the king went to inspect the newly constructed arch. The arch was very low. His crown struck against the arch and fell off. Feeling dishonoured, the king decided to hang the chief of builders. All arrangements were made for the hanging. The Chief of builders defended himself by shifting the responsibility to the labourers. Convinced by the argument, the king then ordered to hang all the labourers. The labourers shifted the responsibility to the size of the bricks. The king accordingly ordered the hanging of the masons. The masons in turn defended themselves and put all blame on the architect. The king ordered to hang the architect. The architect reminded the king that he (King) had made some amendments to the plan when it was shown to him. The architect indirectly put the blame on the king. The king was confused to hear the architect's argument. The king solicited the advice of the wisest man in his kingdom. Accordingly, the wisest man was found and brought to the court. He was so old that he could neither walk nor see. He gave the verdict that the arch was the real culprit. It was the arch that hit the crown violently and it fell off. So, the arch must be hanged. Accordingly, the arch was led to the scaffold. In the meantime, a councillor pointed out that it would be very shameful act to hang the arch that touched the king's crown.
The crowd which gathered there to witness the hanging of the culprit was getting restless. Sensing their mood, the king said that someone must be hanged since the nation wanted a hanging. The noose was set up. It was somewhat high. Each man was measured turn by turn. But there was only one man who was tall enough to fit in the noose, and it was the King. Interestingly, the king was hanged.
The poet then narrates the third part of the poem. In the concluding part the ministers heaved a sigh of relief that they were able to find someone, otherwise, the unruly crowd might have risen in revolt. After the death of the King, it was required to choose another king. As per the convention, the ministers sent out the herald to proclaim that the next to pass the City Gate would choose a king. An idiot happened to pass the City Gate. The guards asked him who was to be the King. The idiot answered that a melon should be chosen to be the next king. Actually that was his pet answer to all questions as he liked melons. The ministers crowned a melon and placed their Melon King reverently at the throne.
The poet narrates that the citizens were least bothered about their symbolic head. They enjoyed the principles of Laissez faire. They were very respectful to their new monarch as the new monarch did not interfere in their lives.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
How important was the presence of Miss Anne Sullivan in Helen’s life?
Who was Selden? Why was he on the moor?
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The term dietary fibres refers collectively to indigestible carbohydrates present in plant foods. The importance of these dietary fibres came into the picture when it was observed that the people having diet rich in these fibres, had low incidence of coronary heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, dental caries and gall stones.
The foodstuffs rich in these dietary fibres are cereals and grains, legumes, fruits with seeds, citrus fruits, carrots, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, apples, melons, peaches, pears etc.
These dietary fibres are not digested by the enzymes of the stomach and the small intestine whereas most of other carbohydrates like starch and sugar are digested and absorbed. The dietary fibres have the property of holding water and because of it, these get swollen and behave like a sponge as these pass through the gastrointestinal tract. The fibres add bulk to the diet and increase transit time in the gut. Some of these fibres may undergo fermentation in the colon.
In recent years, it has been considered essential to have some amount of fibres in the diet. Their beneficial effects lie in preventing coronary heart disease, and decreasing cholesterol level. The fibres like gums and pectin are reported to decrease postprandial (after meals) glucose level in blood. These types of dietary fibres are recommended for the management of certain types of diabetes. Recent studies have shown that the fenugreek (Methi) seeds, which contain 40 per cent gum, are effective in decreasing blood glucose and cholesterol levels as compared to other gum containing vegetables.
Some dietary fibres increase transit time and decrease the time of release of ingested food in colon. The diet having less fibres is associated with colon cancer and the dietary fibres may play a role in decreasing the risk of it.
The dietary fibres hold water so that stools are soft, bulky and readily eliminated. Therefore high fibre intake prevents or relieves constipation.
The fibres increase motility of the small intestine and the colon and by decreasing the transit time there is less time for exposure of the mucosa to harmful toxic substances. Therefore, there is a less desire to eat and the energy intake can be maintained within the range of requirement. This phenomenon helps in keeping a check on obesity. Another reason in helping to decrease obesity is that the high-fibre diets have somewhat lower coefficients of digestibility.
The dietary fibres may have some adverse effects on nutrition by binding some trace metals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and others and therefore preventing their proper absorption. This may pose a possibility of nutritional deficiency especially when diets contain marginal levels of mineral elements. This may become important constraints on increasing dietary fibres. It is suggested that an intake of 40 grams dietary fibres per day is desirable.
(Extracted from ‘The Tribune’)
(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it in points only, using recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary. Also suggest a suitable title.
(b) Write a summary of the above in about 80 words.
Read the following extract and answer the questions given below:
How do you know
Peace is a woman?
I know, for
I met her yesterday
on my winding way
to the world's fare.
She had such a wonderful face
just like a golden flower faded
before her prime.
(1) How does the poet describe the face of peace?
(2) Do you think there is a way out of the war-ridden world? What is it?.
(3) Name and explain the figure of speech in the following line:
"I met her yesterday
on my winding way."
(4) The poet asks the question and herself answers it. What effect does it create in the extract?
Attempt a character sketch of Margot Frank as shown in ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, make notes on it using headings and subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations (wherever necessary – minimum four) and a format you consider suitable. Also supply an appropriate title to it.
Answer the following question in 200-250 words:
Helen had a great love for animals and birds. Write about this aspect of her character.
Tick the item that is closest in meaning to the following phrase.
to stand on one's feet
Why did the author finally give up on his watch?
How does Russell's definition of knowledge differ from what is commonly understood by the term?
An acrostic is a poem or a write· up in which the first letter of each line forms a word. when it is read vertically.
For example,
Faithful
Reliable
Inspiring
Encouraging
Noble
Dedicated
With your benchmate / group, complete the acrostic of BELIEVE and FAITH.
(Please note that the words / phrases should be more or less related to the topic. You can use a thesaurus.)
Be certain of
E ......................
L ......................
I ......................
E ......................
V ......................
E ......................
F ......................
A ......................
I ......................
T ......................
H ......................
What decision taken by Dick changed his fortune?
Read the poem and fill in the table.
| Time of the day | Location | Poet’s Activity | Hawker’s Activities | Gardener’s Activities | Watchman’s Activities |
| Morning | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Afternoon | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
| Night | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ | __________ |
Answer the given question in your own words.
What was the first task given to the Swallow?
Read the story and choose the appropriate meaning.
Palette __________________.
State the facts about the story.
- Main characters:
- Problem:
- Attempts made to solve it:
- Climax/Turning point:
- Problem solved:
- End:
Select a season of your choice and give the following details:
- Time of the year -
- Characteristics- crops, festivals, etc.
- Features/changes - climate/weather/temperature etc.
- Advantages/Disadvantages -
Suggest what you would do in the following situation:
One particular friend of yours is always late for college, social functions, movies, etc. and delays everyone.
Find out the different processes by which fabrics are made. Find illustrations and write a few lines on each process.
The description of the character is given below. Identify the character from the play. Find some sentences which support your choice.
He is a brave but irresponsible person.
Discuss and write 1-2 lines about the following,
The lesson that Bushi learned.
Where does the story take place?
Visit a library:
Read stories about Gautama Buddha. Relate one story in the class.
‘Unke, Munke, Timpetoo,
I wish, my wish is coming true.’
Try to compose two other funny magical chants that have rhyming lines.
Use the following outline to develop a story as a group activity. Then write the story individually.
Family returns home late at night ______ hear converstation between thieves from inside the locked house ______ family gets ready to counter ______ attack ______ father opens the door ______ all enter ______ no one is seen ______ but TV is on detective serial midway.
Read the following words aloud and copy them in your notebook.
- idle
- enough
- exclaimed
- commotion
- astounded
- antics
- wander
- wielding
What was the businessman looking for? Why?
How did the middle brother use rice?
Discuss how you will measure the worth of a book.
Tell any one of the stories orally imagining you are Gulliver.
Find out the difference between the fingerspelling method, sign language and Braille.
What made the reporter gaze at the author?
Based on your reading, rearrange the following sentences in the correct sequence.
- Since all her methods failed, finally she gave him a pain-killer.
- He told his aunt that Peter had no aunt, so he gave him the medicine.
- The pain-killer triggered adverse reactions on Peter.
- It jumped out of the open window.
- Tom was dull and depressed.
- This incident upset Aunt Polly and she questioned him.
- But, Tom gave that painkiller to the cat Peter.
- So, Aunt Polly tried different types of remedies on him.
Hamid’s granny scolded him for buying iron tongs. Then she understood that Hamid had bought it ______.
Identify the character/speaker.
One side makes you big, the other side makes you small.
Identify the speaker/character.
Stop ship. Drop anchor. Quick!
Read the comic strip again. Make groups of four and frame some questions on what you have read. Each group should ask a question in turns. You cannot repeat the same question. The team which asks more questions is the winner.
e.g:
- Which are the foreign vegetables mentioned?
- What was sad for Columbus?
Identify the sports and the sports personalities from the lesson and fill in the table.
| Sports | Name of the player & Field of sports | Awards |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
They rode back home quickly.
_______ broke out in the near by villages.
_________ is the memorial for the soldiers.
Connect the rhyming words.
| strong | tall |
| call | sack |
| back | along |
Match their hobbies.
 |
swimming |
 |
cycling |
 |
gardening |
Write the rhyming word.
Bird - ______.
What are the things given by the tree?
What wins the hearts?
The bird-catcher let the pigeon jump into the fire.
What will you do if someone ensnares birds?
Look at the picture and tick choose the correct word.
Recite the poem 'Treasure Trove' with the correct intonation.
Answer using Yes or No and pick sentence from the story to support your answer.
Did Robinson’s ship sink?
Write the rhyming word.
gale
Choose and write the adverbs to complete the sentence.
She won the game _____
Find and write the clues.
Clue for lame ______.
Read the advertisement and answer the question given below.
What is the advertisement about?
Do you think you treat everyone equally? Justify with an example.
What did Kamali get as gift?
Moles dig ______ to catch earth worms.
Nithin had many ______toys.
What did he call his puppet?
