Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
Certain words in the poem are in capital letters — why?
Advertisements
उत्तर
Certain words in the poem which are in capital letters are: “HOW DARK?', 'ARE YOU LIGHT?', 'OR VERY DARK?', ' OR VERY LIGHT?'
These words exemplify the purpose of the poem which is to showcase the racist mentality of the fair-skinned. When a landlady talks to a tenant, the only matter of concern should be whether the person is suitable for staying with respect to his behaviour, financial position, etc. and not on his skin colour. These capital letters magnify the fact that it is more important for the landlady to know how dark-skinned the person on the other side of the phone is, rather than how erudite or intellectual or well-behaved he might be.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
A1. True or False
State whether the following statements are true or false:
(1) The author's new house was situated at Bangalore.
(2) The writer was delighted because their new house, was the biggest they ever lived.
One of the advantages of growing up in an Army household was the frequency with which we moved. 'Postings' came with predictable regularity every three years. What was unpredictable and therefore exciting was the suspense. Where would we go this time? Ambala, Pune, Dehradun, Allahabad, Tejpur, Bangalore, Yo! ............ In my short span of thirteen years we had moved lock. stock and barrel eleven times!
Every move meant change. New journeys, new places, new schools, my new books, new uniforms, new friends and new houses. We lived in tents, bashas, Nissen huts, flats and bungalows. No matter what the shape and size of the dwelling, mother soon put her own special stamp on it and transformed it into a familiar place - our home - complete with bright yellow-curtains, coffee-brown carpet, assorted pictures, hanging ferns and potted palms - providing a comforting sense of continuity in our essentially nomadic life.
I was thirteen, the year we moved to the Cantonment at Allahabad. In stark contrast to the razzle-dazzle of the city's commercial areas like Katra and Chowk, the Cantonment was a quiet, orderly place with broad tree-lined roads that still carried the names of long-dead Britishers. Our bungalow was on a sleepy by-lane called MacPherson Road. When we first saw it, my brothers and I were delighted. It was by far the biggest house we had ever lived in. The task of furnishing those huge, echoing rooms daunted Mother.
A2. Complete
a. The broad tree-lined roads were named after.............................
b. Katra and Chowk are .............................
c. Mother was daunted with the task of................................. .
d. The suspense was exciting because the posting was.........................
A3. Personal response
What do you think are the problems faced by those who change households frequently.
It was her determination that helped Helen Keller get admission to Radcliffe College. Comment.
How did Helen Keller enjoy her visit to the World fair? (120‒150 words)
Give an example from the passage that proves the crow to be an intelligent bird.
Read the following passage and complete the activities given below :
A1 Find out :
Find from the passage the related words to the sea and write them.

ON FIERCE monsoon nights, about one and a quarter-mile off the Mumbai harbor, there have been occasions when 52-year-old Bikaji Ramchandra Dhuri is the only man on the sea. From the watchtower of the Prongs Reef Lighthouse, which is surrounded on all sides by the Arabian Sea, he has heard the sea rage like a possessed spirit – the darkness dispelled only by the beam of light flung across the waters from the tower he mans.
Dhuri is one of the last breeds of lighthouse keepers on the Indian coast, as a majority of the 182 lighthouses in the country are now unmanned. Built-in 1871, the Prongs Reef lighthouse was modeled on Scotland’s Skerryvore Rocks Lighthouse and is located at a strategic spot on the western coast, marking the entrance to the busy Mumbai Harbour. It was meant to stem the number of shipwrecks off the harbor, which the lone Colaba lighthouse could not illumine on its own. “Even now, during nights, for fishing vessels without any gadgets, it’s the soft light from this tower which directs us to Mumbai,” says Vinayak Koli, a boatsman who helps ferry people and also goes on fishing expeditions.
Throughout the year, Dhuri lives in the lighthouse for 15 days at a stretch, when he is relieved by another keeper. In the monsoon, it becomes his home for three months. “We call it the Kalapana as we are alone in the middle of the sea for days, with basic supplies – and the revolving light that keeps the sea awake,” he says.
A2 Fill in the following information using words from the passage :
(i) The Prongs Reef lighthouse was modeled on _______.
(ii) Dhuri lives in the lighthouse for _______ at a stretch.
(iii) _______ is one of the last breeds of lighthouse keepers on the Indian coast.
(iv) The majority of the _______ lighthouses in the country are now unmanned.
| Violent | Scattered | Place of shelter for ships | Shine light |
A4
A5 Personal Response
Imagine you have to spend a night in a lighthouse. Narrate your experience.
Read the following extract carefully and complete the activities given below :
A1 Complete the following :
(i) Books were found on the _____________ and ____________.
(ii) The tales are described as ______________ and __________.
|
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One-half of their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
|
Answer the following in 200-250 words :
Describe the relationship between Anne and Margot?
Talk to your partner about the following.
Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
Talk to your partner about the following.
Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
How does 'A Munda song' show that the perspective of the tribal mind towards the girl child is different from that of [other ] mainstream communities?
Read the following statement and mark those that apply to you.
I have a small group of close friends and have no wish to interact with anyone else.
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 ......................
Find evidence from the lesson and write in your own words.
In Israel, the media have a positive outlook and self-respect.
Pick out some sentences from the lesson that convey a general truth.
Find proof from the poem for the following.
The poet’s minute observations of the steady growth of the cherry tree.
Think and answer in your own words.
What could have inspired the poet to compose this poem? Do you think it relates to our present-day life? Defend your choice.
Where do we find all types of wild animals in urban areas?
Expand the idea inherent in the following proverb:
A Bad workman blames his tools.
Fill in the elements that you find in the drama script of ‘A Battle to Baffle.'
Characters:
- Background Scene:
- Crisis:
- Steps taken to resolve the crisis:
- Climax:
- The end:
Write a short note on Emperor Akbar.
Fill in the gap, choosing a word from the bracket to make an appropriate comparison.
(tall / quiet / humble / merry / busy / slippery / fast / sly / slow / big)
as ______ as an eel
Discuss in groups and think about it.
List a few occasions on which you had become angry. What do you do when you are angry?
The man in the moon is mentioned in many nursery rhymes and stories. When people see the spots on the surface of the moon, they imagine that it’s a human face or the figure of a man who lives on the moon. Sometimes, other characters like rabbits are also imagined to live with the man. Here are two nursery rhymes about the man on the moon.
Visit a library:
Find and read stories and poems written by Edith Nesbit.
Complete the following sentence with reference to the passage:
The king was determined to prevent his beloved son from ____________.
Link the items in the three columns properly.
| A | B | C |
| The past | A sea beneath a cloudless sun | A pleasant time which has ended |
| The present hour | A soft and mild autumn evening | An exciting, thrilling time which has no end. |
| The future | A green and flowery spray Where a young bird sits | A time, full of life in which you gather strength |
Correct the following sentence using facts from the passage.
Achilles was killed by an arrow that pierced his heart.
Find the words that mean the following from the first stanza.
- Gold hammered into a flat, thin shape: ______
- show off proudly: ______
- tilt, move at an angle: ______
- across, especially in a slanting direction: ______
Write in your own words.
How does the poet describe his home in the second stanza?
Who said the following, to whom, and when?
“He dwells within a cave of Himalaya.”
Listen carefully and guess how the sentence would end.
When the teacher read the answer papers, she was ______.
An announcement can be made in every class, orally. Or, it can be put up on the school notice-board. Discuss and decide what method should be used for the announcement given here.
Oral aanouncement
Discuss how you will measure the worth of a sports event.
Write slogans for the cleanliness drive in your area.
In what way can we help to reduce or minimize waste generation?
Discuss the issue in groups of 4 or 5 and note down all good suggestions.
Resolve to follow them yourself. Some have been given below for your reference.
- Don’t waste food.
- Take as much as you want but finish everything that’s on your plate.
- Don’t throw away broken or half-used things. Repair them and use them.
- Avoid things which can be used only once.
For example: thermocol (polysterene) cups, plastic glasses, etc. - Reuse!
- Recycle!
Based on your understanding of the poem, complete the following passage by the using the phrases given in the box.
| youth to old age | up or down the hill | to hurry nor move away | |
| high adventure | joyful | mourn | looking ahead |
The poet wants to live his life __________, willing to do something. He neither wants __________from his goal. He does not want to _______ the things he has lost, not hold back for fear of the future. He instead prefers to live his life with a whole and happy heart which cheerfully travels from __________. Therefore, it does not matter to him whether the path goes __________, rough or smooth, the journey will be __________. He will continue to seek what he wanted as a boy - new friendship, __________ and a crown (prize). His heart will remain courageous and pursue his desires. He hopes that every turn in his life's journey will be the best.
Identify the character or speaker.
It seems to me like the recollection of a dream.
What powers did Prospero posses?
Why did Herman and the author slam the doors?
Gilson asked the narrator to buy a tie.
The weather is always too hot or cold; Summer and winter alike they scold. Nothing goes right with the folks you meet Down on that gloomy Complaining Street.
Pick out the rhyming words and identify the rhyme scheme of the above lines.
What scared Usha during the dark rainy night?
The hatchlings use a tiny egg-tooth to come out of the eggs.
What does the peepul do?
Gulliver was hailed as a hero because he ______.
How did Vicky change at the end?
Name the character or speaker.
"You want me to strain my back?"
How did he lose his hand?
Who is the hero of this story?
What was the message on the chit?
Choose the correct picture for the passage.
There is a table under a tree. A man with a big hat and a hare with long ears are sitting. A young girl is sitting between them. There are many cups on the table. The girl has a cup in her hand, and the man has a pot in his hand. It seems like they are having tea. Yes, they are having tea at the tea party in Wonderland. The girl is Alice, and she is in Wonderland.
Match the rhyming words.
| 1. | flow | know |
| 2. | grow | week |
| 3. | seek | blow |
Write the word under the correct group and divide it.
bullet
candle
bat
title
ball
tiffin
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Choose the correct answer.

Kani took Teddy out for a ____.
The villagers took oath not to harm the _______.
What did Bala want to learn?
Match the rhyming words.
| strokes | floor |
| shore | rush |
| brush | chokes |
Why was Chris worried?
Read the passage given below:
| 1. | Very often, we do not take the first step towards a good cause because we say to ourselves, "The task is so big. What can I do alone?" So nothing gets done. There is much talk about environmental protection, air pollution and saving our forests. Do we really care? If we do, here are a few things we can do to make our surroundings more pleasant. |
| 2. | It is good to adopt a two-uses-attitude! By putting an article to a second use, we are giving it a longer lease of life and using up less raw material from nature. One of the worst things we do is abuse of paper. The clean sides of envelopes can be used to write small notes, lists and reminders around the house. The more paper we use, the more trees will have to be cut down. For the same reason, we should avoid the use of paper napkins or paper plates. Cloth napkins are just as good, for they can be washed and used over and over again. |
| 3. | Another area which needs the most urgent attention is effective garbage disposal. People who are conscious about it follow rules and laws strictly. As a result, their neighbourhoods are clean and beautiful Similarly, each one of us can contribute to a cleaner environment. All kitchen waste should be collected separately. Those of you who have green fingers can turn this into valuable manure. Dig a pit and put the kitchen waste into it. When the pit is a little over half full, cover it up with mud. Let nature do the rest. Within three or six months, we will have a good garden manure. It can also be done as a community project by digging a large pit in the colony. Do take help of all the members, for nothing succeeds like co-operation |
| 4. | A lot of people don't care about the environment because they don't understand the adverse effect that society has on it. It is important to convince people to care about the environment. The first step would be to convince people to change by providing simple alternative solutions and ways of doing things. Theintemet is a powerful tool and a group on social media of like-minded people can be formed. People can share environmental stories and issues, as well as pool in solutions and alternatives to educate one another. With the current state that our planet is in, it is imperative that people actively care about the environment and most importantly to act now. |
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any Eight questions from the nine given below:
- Why don't we take the first step towards a good cause?
- What is a two-uses-attitude?
- What can we do to avoid the abuse of paper? (any two points)
- What is the result of an effective way of a garbage disposal?
- What procedure can one adopt for kitchen waste?
- How can making of garden manure be done as community project?
- How long does it take to make good garden manure?
- Select a suitable word from the passage which means - being concerned or interested. (Paragraph 3)
- Pick out the word from the passage which means - completely necessary? (Paragraph 4)



