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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]
Pick out words and phrases which are examples of visual and auditory imagery in the poem.
How was the country affected by the war?
It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad;
The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day.
Read the above lines and answer the question that follow.
When was the patriot welcomed?
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What is the theme of all summer in a day by Ray Bradbury?
(A) Ashita is the most beautiful girt in the class.
(B) No ………………………………..
This is the place. The dog was rescued from its cruel owner.
With close reference to the novel Ivanhoe discuss how the central plot revolves around the conflicts and tensions between the Normans and the Saxons.
Study the picture given below. Write a short story or description or an account of what the picture suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of the picture or you may take suggestions from it; however, your composition must have a clear connection with the picture.

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word:
- The teacher spoke for Raju when he was wrongly accused of stealing money.
- We can visit her at the hostel at 3 pm and 6 pm on Saturdays.
- The Sinha's have lived in New Delhi 1943.
- Little children are often afraid of the dark.
- Sneha has applied for a scholarship.
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- She turned the generous offer made by the manager.
- We were asked to take our footwear as we were entering a place of worship.
Re-write the following sentence according to the instructions are given. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of the sentence.
As soon as the function got over. The crowd dispersed.
(Begin: Hardly had……….)
The tree grew at a dangerous slant and had to be cut ________
Combine the following sets of ideas to show the contrast between them.
(i)The Emperor commissions a painting and appreciates its outer appearance.
(ii)The artist reveals to him the true meaning of his work.
Discuss with your partners
The manner you adopt when you talk about a teacher to other teachers.
What do you understand the character of Mrs. Croft from the story?
See if you understand what the following words that are parts of a house mean. Look up the dictionary if you don't.
|
parlour |
foyer |
lounge |
porch |
|
lobby |
attic |
portico |
|
Compose 4-6 lines on your own on ‘Good deeds’.
Multiple Choice Question:
What lesson did they possibly learn?
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I had heard a great deal about Miss Beam’s school.
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(Shy, bold, gruff, friendly, withdrawn, perceptive, empathetic, playful, lonely, happy, gentlemanly, frank, mature, dull, sharp, adventurous.)
| Jo | Laurie | Grandpa |
Narrate in 100 words an incident, that illustrates the way a friend of yours ‘made you feel happy and accepted’, at some point in your life.
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| Expansion of Ideas | |
| Dos | Don’ts |
| (i) Begin impressively | (i) Do not go off-track |
| (ii) | (ii) |
| (iii) | (iii) |
| (iv) | (iv) |
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Drafting a Speech. Discuss in groups each block and make notes about it.

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‘Rumours are spread by fools and accepted by greater fools’.
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- Early life
- Training
- Achievements
- Future plans
Make a diary entry on the impact of a sports personality who is an inspiration to you.
Note
- Date your entry.
- Write naturally and truthfully.
- Use first person. (I read about Mithali, I like her playing style, etc.,)
- Make your entry informal and expressive.
- Use words that express feelings and write what you feel about it.
Imagine a conversation among your friends about the four characters in the play – Tabaqui, Shere Khan, Mother Wolf and Father Wolf. Use the hints to write it.
- The characters' entry in the play.
- Compare and contrast their character traits.
- The reaction of the characters on seeing the man cub.
Fill in the blank by choosing the preposition from the option.
The boy ran ______ the dog.
Two stories got mixed up. Sort them out and write them in the appropriate boxes.
- We thought the lion had eaten someone.
- Suddenly the kite lifted him off the ground and took him over the treetops.
- He saw a shoe in the lion's cage.
- Finally, the kite brought him back to the park.
- Our class had gone to the zoo.
- Puran was flying the brand new kite in the park.
- Some children stood and screamed, and some ran to the Director of the zoo.
- Puran was frightened and excited.
- The lion had not eaten anyone, because the shoe was one of the lion's toys.
Find one word from the story that means
at once q ______.
Alice follows the strange rabbit because she wants to know a number of things. Re-arrange the words to make the questions that Alice has in her mind, and put a question mark (?).
going he is where
Now describe two of the following processes.
(i) How to send a letter/e-mail.
(ii) How to make a salad.
(iii) How to prepare a garden bed to grow flowers.
(iv) How to paint a mural or a wall picture.
The grandmother was strong-minded. Justify
What are all the factors that influence our moods?
Develop the following hints into a paragraph.
Two kings - ruled neighboring kingdoms. King Arya - great warrior - looked after - subjects - very well - People loved him - looking - their safety and welfare - all his subjects - very happy - healthy life - King Vaishali on the other hand - very lazy man - spent his time - entertaining - dancing – ignoring - needs or developmental - people - His people - angry - never met them - never listened to their woes.
Powerful Sultan attacked - with his strong army - King Arya’s army - alert - ready - preparedness - enemy - more powerful - love for King even women and children - came to the war-front - fought - protected their King -a different story - King Vaishal - impending war - people started fleeing - King all by himself - not interested to protect - King - did nothing for their welfare.
King Vaishal - realized his foolishness - too late - defeated in the war and fled for his life - King Arya - defeated the Sultan - people to live in peace - King Arya - welfare of his people at heart at all times - subjects - returned his love - loyal and supportive - during testing times.
Write a paragraph of about 150 word, on the following topic.
The teacher I like the most
Write a paragraph of about 150 word, on the following topic.
The importance of Good Health
Observe the following picture and write a paragraph in about 150 word about each one of them.

Preparation of apple juice
You plan to delight your parents and sister, serving them chilled apple juice. Here is the process: (Complete the sentences with the right form of the verbs)
Four or five apples ______ (take) and ______(wash) well. They ______(wipe) dry and cut into pieces of medium size. The seeds ______(remove). Then the apples ______(put) into the mixer. Some milk ____(add) .The apples ______(crush) and a fine liquid ______(obtain). This liquid ______(filter) and the juice ______(store) in the refrigerator. It is ______(take) out whenever needed, and after adding sugar, it ______(serve) in cups.
Write a composition in approximately 350 – 400 words on the following subject:
(You are reminded that you will be rewarded for orderly and coherent presentation of material, use of appropriate style and general accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar.)
Lockdown.
Write a composition (300 - 350 words) on the following:
Imagine a situation where a child runs away from home but later returns. Why did he or she run away? What made him/her come back? Write an original short story entitled: 'Finding My Way Home'.
Read the given sentence and underline the 'no' word.
Ram has no book.
Read the given sentence and underline the no word.
Was Gopal nowhere around?
Read the given sentence and underline the no word.
There is nothing to do.
Why according to Maya Angelou, does the caged bird sing?
Think of different types of people who have to face great difficulties. Write what you can do to help at least one of them.
Informal Letter -
Write a letter to your friend describing the details of the vacation.
