Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
- Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?
- What did his father say to this?
- What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?
Advertisements
उत्तर
- Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram for further studies. He wanted to study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram.
- After giving his consent to Kalam for pursuing his higher studies in Ramanathapuram, Kalam’s father said that he knew Kalam had to go away to “grow” and follow his dreams. He gave the analogy of a seagull that flies across the sun alone, without a nest. He then quoted Khalil Gibran to Kalam’s mother, saying that their children were not their own. They were the “sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself”. They “come through” their parents, “but not from” them. Parents may give love to their children, but not their “thoughts”, as children have “their own thoughts”.
- The words he spoke reveal his viewpoint. He believed that at some point of time, children will leave their home and parents, to follow their dreams and to grow as an individual. Just like a seagull flies away alone and finds its own food and nest, children will leave their parents to make their own life and family. Parents can merely nurture their children with love. They cannot give them their thoughts. The children have their own opinions and beliefs. He spoke these words to comfort Kalam’s mother, who was probably hesitant to let Kalam leave Rameswaram. Besides, he could also be consoling his own self for the same.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan Thinking about the text :
Tick the right answer.
(Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Tick the right answer.
When we take to something, we find it (boring/interesting).
Match the meanings with the words/expressions in italic, and write the appropriate
meaning next to the sentence.
Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end.
We notice lots of details about people and their appearance, but in order to
vividly describe them , we need to be specific.
Working in pairs, look carefully at the people around you and complete the
table with appropriate words from the box given on the next page. You may
add words of your own to describe people.
| angular | close-cropped | well-tailored | well-tailored casual | stocky |
| elegant | unshaven | ill-fitting | formal | lanky |
| bearded | sloppy | medium | petite | hefty |
| balding | slim | plaited | thick | round |
| open | friendly | wavy | long | receding |
| over weight | sharp-featured |
| A | B | C | D | |
| Face | ||||
| Hair | ||||
| Dress | ||||
| Build |
The Process of Writing : CODER
In your written work, it is advisable to follow the process outlined below. (We call it 'CODER' - Collect your ideas; Organise your ideas; make your first Draft; Edit your work; Revise your work.)
1. C - Collect your ideas
Working in groups, recall and jot down the opinion that the 'scientist' formed of his boss in A.5.
2. 0 - Organise your ideas
(a) Now work in pairs. Choose one or two opinions about the boss that you feel quite strongly about, or agree with.
(b) Also, note down the opinion that you prefer about the scientist.
3. D - make your first Draft
Write the description individually. You may refer to some of the words in the boxes in A.2. and A. 7.
Note : At this stage of your course, you should not worry about the language and tone of a formal description.
4. E -Edit your work
Now exchange your description with your partner, and suggest improvements in grammar, spelling, punctuation etc.
5. R - Revise your work
Rewrite your speech and check it carefully, before handing it to your teacher.
'Ordeal in the Ocean' is the story of Slava Kurilov, a Russian, who faced a remarkable trial in the water. Slava Kurilov tells his own story. Read on .......
When the liner had finally vanished over the horizon, I was absolutely alone in the stormy night sea. First I thought I had to swim one way, then another. It was not even midnight yet, and I had no hope at all of finding my way in this terrible night time ocean. I began to feel afraid. Waves of fear rolled through me, starting from my hands and feet, attacking my heart and then reaching through my neck to my head. Waves broke over me and water went into my snorkel. I realised I would not be able to last even half an hour in such a condition.
I saw individual stars, but I could not distinguish the constellations they belonged to. Then dawn came and put out all my stars and I felt my solitude more keenly. The sky was grey at first, then blue-violet shades appeared. In a few minutes, the colours became brighter, with dark red strips cutting across the sky!
The rising sun came up over the ocean. I was surrounded by large waves. The clouds turned pink and swept across the sky in all directions. It was a windy day.
There was no land visible. I grew alarmed. Had I made a mistake in my calculations? Perhaps the current had carried me a long a way off the course during the night?
An hour passed, perhaps two. "Landlll" I could not deny myself the pleasure of shouting the magic word aloud and of hearing my own voice. Perhaps it was my ghostly island of Siargao? I almost felt I had succeeded - now at least I had hope.
The sun looked out for the last time, as if it was saying goodbye to me, and hid itself away again. In a few minutes the sky was filled with all the colours of a rainbow, the bright shades changing and merging as I watched. At first the clouds became deep red and then their edges turned bright orange. A little while afterwards, the clouds turned lilac and dark violet. Darkness fell swiftly. My second lonely night in the ocean began. The stars came out unnoticed. I changed course and headed for the south west. As it turned out, this was an unforgivable mistake.
Evening was approaching. The ocean around me was full of life; large fish often leapt out of the water and big birds flew right above my head. I could see the island distinctly now. A line of dancing palms stretched the length of its shore. The sides of the mountain were covered in many different shades of green.
An hour passed, perhaps more. It was extraordinarily quiet. Then suddenly to my horror, I discovered my island had noticeably begun to move north and was drifting further and further in that direction right before my eyes. Before I had worked out what was happening and could sharply change my course towards the north, the southern tip of the island had appeared in front of me and, beyond that, open ocean stretched to the very horizon. I was totally at the mercy of the current and realised to my alarm that it was slowly carrying me past the land.
My third night in the ocean crept up unnoticed. This third night in the ocean was very dark, much darker than the two previous ones. I almost decided to die as I had no hope of seeing another dawn. I was suddenly aware of a quiet voice: "Swim to the sound of the breakers."
Indeed, there had been a distant rumbling for some time, although I had paid no attention to it. Now, I started listening and I thought it sounded like the characteristic noise of jet aeroplanes constantly landing and taking off. The voice inside kept insisting that I should swim towards this thunder of waves.
At last I obeyed. Again I heard an approaching rumble. What I suddenly saw at a distance of about 30 or 40 metres has imprinted itself on my memory forever. It was a gigantic wave with steep, very slowly falling crests. Never in my life had I seen such an enormous wave - it even seemed to be touching the sky. It moved very slowly and was fantastically beautiful.
The wave did not break over me as I assumed it would. An irresistible force dragged me up its steep slope right to the very foot of the falling crest. Instinctively I clutched my mask snorkel and managed to take a deep breath. The crest started to break over me and pulled me under it. For a moment, I found myself in the air
under the crest as ifin a cave. Then my body was in a swirling current of water; the inner power of the wave made me recover several times, twisting me in all directions before it subsided.
I realised that I had to try to keep my body on the crest and I quickly took up a horizontal position. This time the wave quickly grabbed me and carried me at great speed for quite a long distance on its crest.
I got up to the surface easily and swam in the direction the waves were heading. "Somewhere there, beyond the reef, there should be a lagoon," I hoped.
Suddenly, I felt something hard under my feet. I could stand up to my chest in water! Around me I could see random currents of water, splashes of foam and phosphorescent spray, all swirling about. Before I fully came to my senses, another large wave approached and carried me some distance further. I was up to my waist in water when a new wave picked me up, taldng me several metres forward. Now the depth of the water was only up to my knees. I had enough time to take a few tentative steps, to catch my breath and look around.
I surfaced at the foot of very tall palm trees. I left a trail of luminous water and my body glittered like some princess's ball-gown. Only now did I feel completely safe. The ocean was behind me ....
A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
What does the caged bird’s singing reveal about him?
Discuss the following topic in groups.
“Death in an open field is better than life in a small hut,” Chandni said to herself. Was it the right decision? Give reasons for your answer.
One should not be greedy. Why do you think so?
Why did Abbu Khan laugh with joy?
Why did Akbar ask Tansen to join his court?
“Trees are for apples to grow on, or pears.” Do you agree that one purpose of a tree is to have fruit on it? Or do you think this line is humorous?
ind the word that refers to the snake’s movements in the grass.
Complete the following sentence.
The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree ________.
How do you define or describe a desert? Name some common desert animals. How do they survive?
Why do rebels always contradict the others?
Study the following phrases and their meanings. Use them appropriately to complete the sentences that follow.
The police are …………… the matter thoroughly.
Play detectives with each other. Find a person in your class (or some other acquaintance) to speak to. Find out the answers to the questions given below. Be careful to ask your questions in a polite and inoffensive way. Do not force the person to answer you. Then allow the person to ask you the same questions.
- Name?
- What newspapers or magazines does the person read?
- How long has the person lived at the current address?
- What does she/he do during the day, i.e. the daily routine?
- What do neighbours and friends say about the person?
- Who are his/her visitors and what are his/her eating habits? (You can ask a few others about this.)
- What do you think about the person?
Read the following extract from Robert Browning's poem, “The Patriot” and answer the question that follows.
|
Alack, it was I who leaped at he sun To give it my loving friends to keep! Nought man could do, have I left undone: And you see my harvest, what I reap This very day, now a year is run. |
- What can you conclude of the Patriot's mood from the given lines?
Quote the line from the given extract which tells us that the Patriot did his utmost to satisfy his people? [3] - The last line of the extract suggests that a year has gone by.
How had the speaker been treated a year ago? [3] - How did the situation change a year later? Give details of his present state. [3]
- Why were only a ‘palsied few” onlookers seated at the windows?
‘Where had the other townspeople gone?‘Why had they gone there? [3] - How is the speaker's faith in God revealed at the end of the poem?
Do you think the poem ends on a note of hope or despair? Justify your answer. [4]
Read the passage given below and answer the questions (i), (ii) and (iii) that follow:
|
(1) |
The Police Superintendent is walking across the market square followed by a constable. Suddenly he hears a loua shout, "So you bite, you damned brute? Lads, don't let the dog go! Biting is prohibited nowadays!" There is the sound of 'yelping and the Superintendent sees a dog running out of a timber-yard. A man runs after it and tries to seize the dog by its hind legs'. Sleepy countenances protrude from the shops and soon a crowd gathers. |
5 |
|
(2) |
"It looks like a row, your honour", says the constable. The Superintendent turns to his left and strides towards the crowd. He sees the aforementioned man standing close by the gate of the timber-yard, holding his right hand in the air and displaying a bleeding finger to the crowd. He was the town's goldsmith. The culprit who has caused the sensation, a white puppy with a sharp muzzle and a yellow patch on its back, is sitting on the ground. "What's it all about?", the Superintendent inquires, pushing his way through the crowd, "Who was it that shouted?" |
10 |
|
(3) |
The goldsmith answers, "I was walking along here not interfering with anyone when this low brute, for no rhyme or reason, bit my finger. I am a working man. Mine is fine work. I must have damages, for I shan't be able to use this finger for a week." |
15 |
|
(4) |
"I won't let this pass! Find out whose dog it is and draw up a report!", the Superintendent commands the constable. |
20 |
|
(5) |
"I fancy it's General Zhigalov's dog", says someone in the crowd. Suddenly indignant, the Superintendent turns to the goldsmith and asks, "There's one thing I can't make out. How it could have bitten you? Surely it couldn't reach your finger. It's a little dog, and you are a great hulking fellow! You must have scratched your finger with a nail, and then the idea struck you to get damages for it. I know your sort!" |
25 |
|
(6) |
"No, that's not the General's dog", says the constable, with profound conviction, "the General has valuable dogs, and goodness knows what this is! No coat, no shape, a low creature." The Superintendent says, "You have been injured, goldsmith and we can't let the matter drop. You must be compensated for the damage." |
30 |
|
(7) |
"It is the General's, that's certain!", says a voice in the crowd. "Oh! Constable, take the dog to the General's and inquire there. Say I found it and sent it. And tell them not to let it out into the street. A dog is a delicate animal. And you, you goldsmith, put your hand down. It's your own fault." On seeing the General's cook approaching, the Superintendent asks him, "Is it one of yours?" "We have never had one like this", says the cook. "There's no need to waste time asking", decides the Superintendent, "it's a stray dog. Chase it away!" |
35 |
|
(8) |
"It's not our dog", the cook goes on, "it belongs to the General's brother who arrived the other day." "Is his Excellency's brother here? Delighted to hear if', says the Superintendent, and his whole face beams with an ecstatic smile, "it's not a bad pup. A lively creature, indeed. Come, why are you shivering, you nice little pup?" |
40 |
|
(9) |
The cook calls the dog and walks away from the timber-yard. |
45 |
|
(10) |
The crowd laughs at the goldsmith. |
|
|
|
Adapted from : A Chameleon by Anton Chekov |
|
-
- Given below are three words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage: [3]
- faces
- walks purposefully
- precious
- For each of the words given below, choose the sentence that uses the same word unchanged in form, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the passage: [3]
- row (line 7)
- We sat in a row at the back of the room.
- The vegetables were planted in neat rows.
- A row has broken out amongst the vendors.
- The fisherman rowed us back to the shore.
- left (line 8)
- I instructed the driver to take a left turn at the intersection.
- The bank is situated to the left of the library.
- They left the house at six o'clock in the morning to reach the airport on time.
- He's giving away money left, right and centre.
- fancy (line 21)
- He fancies himself as a serious actor.
- I was foot-loose and fancy-free in those days.
- He had some fanciful notion about crossing the Atlantic in a barrel.
- He sells poor goods, but charges fancy prices.
- row (line 7)
- Given below are three words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage: [3]
- Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:
- How does power play an important role in the Superintendent's decisions? [2]
- Why does the goldsmith ask for damages? [2]
- Who does the dog belong to? How do we know it? [2]
- Trace the Superintendent's reactions from the time the initial voice in the crowd is heard till the cook takes the dog away (paragraphs 5 to 9). You are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words. Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised. [8]
