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प्रश्न
You will probably agree that this story does not have breathless adventure and exciting action. Then what in your opinion makes it interesting?
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उत्तर
Pointers have been provided for students' reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
The various reasons which make this story mind-gripping and a real page turner, are:
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The innocence of the language which keeps us in suspense about the belongingness of the horse.
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The mystery behind riding horse;
The interesting feature which makes this story captivating is the way in which the relationship between the author and his cousin develops.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Read the following passage and do the activities:
A1 True or False:
Rewrite the following statements and state whether they are ‘true’ or ‘false’.
(i) Mashelkar’s mother did menial work to bring him up.
(ii) Mashelkar’s father died when he was twelve.
(iii) Mashelkar was born in a very rich family.
(iv) Tatas added much value to Mashelkar’s life.
I start with my greatest guru-my mother. I was born in a very poor family and my father died when I was six. We moved to Mumbai and my mother did menial work to bring me up. Two meals a day was a tough challenge. I studied under street lights and I walked barefoot until, I think, I was twelve. I remember when I passed the seventh standard and I wanted to go into the eighth standard, our poverty was such that even to secure 21 rupees for secondary school admission became a big challenge. We had to borrow from a lady, who was a housemaid in Chaupati in Mumbai. That was the tough life I had.
In fact, I remember, my passing the SSC Examination-i.e. 11th standard. Those days it used to be not 10th standard or 12th standard but 11th standard. I stood 11th among 1,35,000 but I was about to leave higher education and find a job. What helped me was the scholarship by Sir Dorab Tata Trust. It was just 60 rupees per month and would you believe that 60 rupees per month from Tatas added so much value to my life that I have been able to stand here today before you to speak to you.
I am on the Board of Tatas now and it is very interesting that the same Bombay House where I used to go to collect that 60 rupees per month now one goes and sits there like a Director on the Board of Tata Motors. The turn that these 40 years have taken is very interesting. It has all been possible because of the chance I got to do higher studies at the insistence of my mother. She gave me the values of my life. She was one of the noblest parents I have met in my life.
So, my greatest guru was my mother. My second guru was Principal Bhave, about whom I made a mention earlier. He taught us Physics. Because it was a poor school, I remember, it had to innovate to convey to the young students the message of Science.
A2 Complete:
Complete the following sentences and write:
(i) Mashelkar was inspired by his greatest guru _______
(ii) Mashelkar studied under _______
(iii) Principal Bhave taught _______
(iv) The scholarship by _______ Trust helped him in higher education.
A3 Find the meaning:
Choose the appropriate meaning of the underlined words from the given alternatives:
(i) We moved to Mumbai and my mother did menial work.
(a) skilled
(b) hard
(c) unskilled
(d) of low status
(ii) Because it was a poor school, it had to innovate to convey to the young students the message of science.
(a) do a cheap experiment
(b) introduce new things
(c) avoid
(d) try hard
(iii) I got to do higher studies at the insistence of my mother.
(a) firm saying
(b) being inspired
(c) being inspected
(d) being instigated
(iv) That was the tough life I had.
(a) difficult
(b) soft
(c) cheap
(d) simple
A4 Match:
Match the following sentences with their tags:
| 'A' | 'B' | ||
| (i) | I stood 11th among 1,35,000 |
(a) | aren’t I? |
| (ii) | I am on the Board of Tatas | (b) | didn’t we? |
| (iii) | It was a poor school | (c) | didn’t I? |
| (iv) | We moved to Mumbai | (d) | wasn’t it? |
A5 Personal Response:
“Mother is the greatest Guru.” Discuss.
Briefly comment on:
The author’s meeting with Norbu.
Discuss the following statement in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.
Reality is what is directly experienced through the senses.
This short story revolves around a single important event. Discuss how the narrative is woven around this central fact.
‘The Tale of Melon City’ has been narrated in a verse form. This is a unique style which lends extra charm to an ancient tale. Find similar examples in your language. Share them in the class.
Examine the communication channels in the story between Paul's mother and his uncle.
The Cloud ‘fuses together a creative myth, a scientific monograph, and a gay picaresque tale of cloud adventure': explain.
What, according to Ruskin, are the limitations of the good book of the hour?
What is the emphasis placed by Ruskin on accuracy?
How is the idyllic juxtaposed with the pedestrian in the poem?
Discuss the following in pairs or in small groups.
“Before you begin experimenting you need to perfect the technique with which you experiment.”
Rearrange the following events as they occur in the story. Put the correct number in the boxes.
| (a) | Mr Fitzwarren provided shelter to Dick. | |
| (b) | A carter gave Dick a lift to London. | |
| (c) | A cat sailed to the African coast. | |
| (d) | The captain sold the cat for a very high amount of money. | |
| (e) | Dick left his village on foot, to go to London. | |
| (f) | Dick became rich, and later, the Mayor of London. | |
| (g) | Dick was homeless, helpless, cold and hungry. | |
| (h) | Dick bought a cat to get rid of the mice. | |
| (i) | The rats and mice ate up all the dinner, laid for the king and queen. |
Think and answer in your own words in your notebook.
Why does the poet appeal to us, to respect the life of a worm?
Find evidence from the lesson and write in your own words.
Indians respect the freedom of others.
Have you heard of birds that fly from one part of the world to another in small or large flocks?
They are called Migratory birds.
Discuss and write down two reasons why they migrate and return.
State whether the following statement is true or false. Correct the false statement.
The Ear was appointed as a judge.
Fill in the gaps in the table of Degrees of Comparison.
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative | |
| (1) | ____________ | ____________ | oldest |
| (2) | ____________ | healthier | ____________ |
| (3) | near | ____________ | ____________ |
| (4) | ____________ | finer | ____________ |
| (5) | ____________ | ____________ | earliest |
| (6) | small | ____________ | ____________ |
| (7) | ____________ | faster | ____________ |
| (8) | high | ____________ | ____________ |
Read the following phrase and use it in a sentence of your own in proper form.
To voice something
Visit a library: Find the stories of
- Mulla Nasiruddin
- Gopal Bhand and
- Tenali Raman. Share them in the class.
Complete the following web diagram.
Enlist a few reasons for watching a drama live on the stage.
Can you name different types of fabrics? Which is the most expensive fabric you know? Talk to your parents or to a textile shop assistant. Collect samples of as many types as you can and paste them into your scrapbook. Name each type.
What themes would you like to add to the themes given in this passage?
Read the following from the Language Study pages:
- adjective clause
- adverb clause
- noun clause
Find one example of each from the passages. (Note the linking word when you do that.)
‘Unke, Munke, Timpetoo,
I wish, my wish is coming true.’
Try to compose two other funny magical chants that have rhyming lines.
What did the husband want to buy?
Guess the meaning of the following word.
fruitless
What more difficulties would they have to face, if the roads are not cleared?
How did the parents support and encourage the young seagull’s brothers and sister?
Have you ever seen a bird making its first-ever attempt to fly?
Who were the narrator neighbours?
How did the Bodwells react, when a shoe was thrown into their house?
What conclusions did grandfather jump to when he saw the cops?
What are the three rules given by the bird?
Hamid thought that his grandma would be pleased if he bought______
‘My tongs are like a tiger among toys.’ It means ______
What did Hamid buy at the fair? And for whom?
Identify the character/speaker.
I must find out why he's in such a hurry!
Identify the character/speaker.
One side makes you big, the other side makes you small.
What did Grandmother feel about trees growing in the house?
How did Grandfather’s dream come true?
What did Amma mean when she said tomatoes, ladies' fingers and corn came from other countries?
The people were making all kinds of sounds because ______.
Our planet is called the _____.
The robot that sat on her shoulder was a______.
Some words sound the same but their spelling and meaning are different. Such words are called homophones. There are many homophones.
How did the girl seem?
Who is the hero of this story?
What did the five friends call themselves?
What was the reason behind Nandhini’s dullness?
Which quality makes 'world is one and human is one'?
Divya and Rani decided to draw a ________.
The merchant paid______ to the boatman.
______ was helpful for his father to drive out the wild animals.
Mugund loved wild animals.
The Delhi government did not allow blind children to study Science after ____________.
What happen to a child who shuts his ears?
Do we worry when the progress is slow?
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow
Humans have long been fascinated by fiction. We experience excitement in assigning supernatural power to imaginary characters in fictional stories – and so we have Spider man, Batman, He–man, Titans and many more. The ‘Cyborg’ was an offshoot of such wild imagination of humans to invest our species with superhuman powers. Today, the Cyborg is no more an imaginary organism. We are living in a world where a sizeable population of humans have merged their bodies with technological implants. The term ‘Cyborg’, short for ‘cybernetic organism’, was coined to describe a man, whose body is implanted with technological devices to supplement and substitute body functions.
Cyborgs include people with cardiac pacemakers, contact lenses, bionic ears and eyes, prosthetics and so on. In other words, a cyborg is partly human and partly machine. The technological innovations in the field of medicine and healthcare augment humans with machines, producing a beta version of the human body. The advent of brain machine interfaces is certain to blur the boundary between humans and machines. Scientists are working hard to find a technique for age reversal too. People do not want to die, so mankind is striving to get to the final frontier, which is development of machines and devices that would accord man immortality.
The needs of humans are not limited. As time passes, food habits change, thinking patterns change, and even appearances change. We are about to travel by driverless, fully automated vehicles. Computers and smart phones have become our masters. The more we depend and merge with technological advancements, the more the humanness in us slowly erodes. Intelligence is sought to be infused into machines and robotics are designed in such a way to give man a virtual human companion. The field of artificial intelligence is overtaking the human brain and many fear that it could even harm the human race. Despite certain limitations and potential threats, many believe that cyborgs will be the next step in the evolution of mankind. The amalgamation of man and machine is sure to add a new dimension to the life of mankind and this will prove to be the ‘biggest evolution in Biology’ since the emergence of life, four billion years ago.
Questions:
a) Account for the popularity of characters with supernatural powers.
b) Who is referred to as a ‘Cyborg’?
c) What is expected to happen with the advent of the brain machine interface?
d) The needs of humans are not limited. How is this statement elaborated in the passage?
e) How can a machine turn into a virtual companion for humans?
f) Explain the flipside of the rapid technological advancement.
g) Identify the word in para 1 which means ‘everlasting life’.
h) Which of the following words is synonymous with ‘amalgamation’?
- recreation
- integration
- exploration
- proposition
i) Which of the following options is the antonym of the word ‘advent’?
- drawback
- dispute
- departure
- danger
j) Find out the word which is the antonym of ‘natural’ in para 3.
Pick out word which mean the same as
not protected (para 2)
