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प्रश्न
Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
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उत्तर
The author’s grandmother shared a unique bond with the sparrows. She seemed at her happiest self while feeding the sparrows.
The day the author’s grandmother died, thousands of sparrows sat scattered around her dead body. They sat there in utter silence mourning the death of the grandmother. They took no notice of the bread crumbs thrown at them and flew away silently after the body was carried for the final rites. The next morning, the bread crumbs were swept away into the dustbin by the sweeper.
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संबंधित प्रश्न
India, my India, where the first human eyes awoke to heavenly light! All Asia’s holy place of pilgrimage, great Motherland of might! World – mother, first giver to humankind of philosophy and sacred lore, knowledge thou gav’st to an, God – love, works, art, religion’s opened door.
O even with all that grandeur dwarfed or turned and can vaunt thy mighty name?
Before us still there floats the idea of those splendid days of gold; a new world in our vision wakes, Love’s India we shall rise to mould. India, my India, who dare call thee a thing for pity’s grace today? Mother of wisdom, worship, works nurse of the spirit inward ray!
(1) The poem is a ……………………
(a) Praise
(b) Prayer
(c) Story in the form of poem
(d) Song of condolence [Choose the correct alternative]
(2) What has India given to the world?
(3) How does the poet visualize New India?
(4) Give the rhyme scheme of the first four lines.
(5) Name and explain the figure of speech that dominates the poem.
Answer any two of the following questions in about 30‒40 words:
(a) How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
(b) Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in 'Keeping Quiet'?
(c) What are the difficulties that aunt Jennifer faced in her life?
What role did Mr. Gilman play in Helen Keller's life? (120‒150 words)
Why are animals considered as intelligent as humans ?
Notice these expression in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
manoeuvres
Guess the meaning of the following word:
Drokba
In which language are these word found?
Briefly explain the following statement from the text.
Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him.
Briefly explain the following statement from the text.
“The lack of determinism in quantum theory!”
Discuss the following statement in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.
Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again?
Examine the communication channels in the story between Paul and his mother.
Name the world-famous personality who reached great heights despite of humble circumstances.

Imagine that you are the peasant. Compose a short prayer to God, after having received the plate of gold. Write it using stylish handwriting.
Say where . . . . . . .
______ do stars shine in the daytime?
Who gives medicine/treatment to sick animals and birds?
Write 3 to 4 lines about the following in your own words.
First Neurosurgeon
The emperor-bee supervises the building of ______.
Birbal thought Akbar was greater than God.
Play the roles of an interviewer and a Great Indian Bustard and present the interview in the classroom.
What would happen if children didn’t go to school? Discuss the question in groups of 5-8 and prepare a short composition on it.
Read the description of the Kabaddi match and do the following:
Write, in your own words, what happened in the second half.
What do restive horses do?
Draw a character sketch of Oberon as an enemy of his wife but a friend of the lovers.
Discuss the following question after you have seen a presentation of the ‘ad’.
How many times is the name Krispy Krunchy repeated in the ad? Why?
Write a conversation between a donkey and a school boy.
Shylock demanded a pound of Antonio’s flesh.
What themes would you like to add to the themes given in this passage?
Visit a library:
Read Lewis Carroll’s book ‘Alice in Wonderland.’
Find the meaning of the following word.
thee
Prepare similar word chains using the following ideas.
wind - breeze __________________.
The items in the programme below have got mixed up. Rearrange them in the proper order. Just add the number in the left-hand column.
| Balanand Vidyalaya Art Festival Programme | |
| ( ) | → Koli Dance |
| ( ) | → igniting the Lamp |
| ( ) | → Chief Guest Speaks |
| ( ) | → Appraisal of the Art Festival |
| ( ) | → Dignitaries Arrive |
| ( ) | → Recital of ‘Taal kacheri’ |
| ( ) | → Welcome and Introduction of Guests |
| ( ) | → Prize Distribution |
| ( ) | → The Boy Comes Home - A skit by Std IX |
| ( ) | → Vote of Thanks |
How does the following character in the story live up to their name? Provide points from the story.
Teshumai Tewindrow
Listen carefully and write all the words correctly.
You are right. Write it down in the right-hand corner.
Find out how the following game is played.
Hockey
Find out the difference between the fingerspelling method, sign language and Braille.
Identify the character or speaker.
It seems to me like the recollection of a dream.
Departure was delayed because of the author.
What game did Anne choose to play?
What kind of learning brings joy to you?
Read Section – III (para 1 and 4) and answer the following questions.
Paragraph 1
1. Who listened to the chipping sound of the chisel? ______
2. Who was working with the hammer and chisel? ______
Paragraph 4
1. Who was staring? ______
2. Who was the young stone carver? ______
3. What was he working on? ______
Listen to your teacher read the first part of the story. Many things described in the story can be seen in the picture. Find and name them.

How did Grandfather’s dream come true?
When Amma said,'Don’t upset our foreign visitor' she meant______.
Amma bought the vegetables from the______.
What did Amma mean when she said tomatoes, ladies' fingers and corn came from other countries?
How can you balance your academic goals and your passion for sports or arts?
The dry earth soaked up the moisture as a hungry puppy laps up milk. It means______.
Be humble like a _____.
Who is the wisest of all? Why?
Where is Jaswantgarh located?
Brain of a robot is the______.
When do we land on Mars?
Choose the best answer.
Suddenly there was a______.
Appu felt hungry and ate a______.
Why do we ask questions?
Divide the following word.
circle
Read the advertisement and answer the question given below.

When does the offer end?
Pick out the rhyming words and write.
| green | |
| human | |
| will | |
| welfare |
In which season is ice cream popular?
Now, read the following biographical extract on Sujatha Rangarajan, a Sciencefiction writer, and answer the questions that follow.
- Sujatha is the allonym of the Tamil author S. Rangarajan and it is this name that is recognised at once by the Tamil SciFi reading community. You might have seen the Tamil movie ‘Endiran’ where the robot Chitti exhibits extraordinary talents in an incredible manner. The robot could excel a human being in any act, beyond one’s imagination. Jeeno, a robotic dog which appeared in Sujatha’s science fiction novel “En Iniya Iyandhira” (My Dear Robot) formed the basis of Chitti’s character. Like Chitti, Jeeno was an allrounder who could cook, clean and fight. High-tech computer technology terms are used in the story. Jeeno, a pet robot, plays an important role throughout the story. As the story proceeds, it behaves and starts to think on its own like a human and instructs Nila, a human being, on how to proceed further in her crises.
- In the preface of ‘En Iniya Iyandhira’, the writer states the reason for his attraction to the genre: “Science gives us the wonderful freedom to analyse thousands and thousands of alternative possibilities. While using it, and while playing with its new games, a writer needs to be cautious only about one thing. The story should draw some parallels or association from the emotions and desires of the present humankind. Only then it becomes interesting. Jeeno, the robot dog, was intelligent. But the character became popular only because of the robot’s frequently displayed human tendencies.” It is no wonder that all his works echo these words and will remain etched in the minds of the readers who enjoy reading his novels to have a wonderful lifetime experience.
- It was Sujatha, who set the trend for sci-fi stories. He had tracked the origin from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to his short stories. He has written 50 sci-fi short stories and these were published in various Tamil magazines. His stories have inspired many readers to extend their reading to English sci-fi writers like Isaac Asimov. The themes were bold, even if there was a dependence on a very well-established characterization of English fiction. Sujatha opened up a new world to us with his writings on holograms, computers and works like ‘En Iniya Iyanthira’ inspire many to study computer science.
- He has been one of the greatest writers for more than four decades. He combined reasoning and science in his writings. Being a multifaceted hi-fi and sci-fi humanistic author, he expressed his views distinctively. He was the one who took Tamil novels to the next level. As an MIT alumnus and an engineer at BHEL, he was very good at technology. He could narrate sci-fi stories impressively. His readers always enjoyed reading all his detective and sci-fi novels which featured the most famous duo ‘Ganesh’ and ‘Vasanth’.
- Sujatha has played a crucial role as a playwright for various Tamil movies which have fascinated movie lovers. Hence, it is fathomable that the writer’s perspective of future India enthuses every reader and paves a new way to reading sci-fi stories in English.
A. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.
- How was Jeeno different from other robots?
- What precaution should one take while writing Science fiction stories?
- What inspired Sujatha’s themes?
- Why were Sujatha’s sci-fi stories impressive?
B. Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following.
- difficult to believe (para 1)
- a style or category of art, music or literature (para 2)
- having many sides (para 4)
- capable of being understood (para 5)
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
The Stationmaster’s Supreme Sacrifice by Sanchari Pal (Adapted)
- Thirty-three years ago, on the night of December 2, 1984, Bhopal was hit by a catastrophe that had no parallel in the world’s industrial history. An accident at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal had released almost 30 tons of a highly toxic gas called methyl isocyanate, turning the city into a vast gas chamber. The result was a nightmare; more than 600,000 people were exposed to the deadly gas cloud that left thousands dead and many more breathless, blind and in agonizing pain. Few people know that during the Bhopal gas tragedy a heroic stationmaster risked his own life to save others.
- On the evening of December 3, 1984, Ghulam Dastagir was settling down in his office to complete some pending paperwork. This work kept him in his office till 1am in the night, when he emerged to check the arrival of the Gorakhpur Mumbai Express. As he stepped on to the platform, the deputy stationmaster felt his eyes burn and a queer itching sensation in his throat. He did not know that poisonous fumes leaking from Union Carbide’s pesticide factory were stealthily enveloping the railway station.
- Beginning to choke, Dastagir did not know then that twenty-three of his railway colleagues, including his boss, station superintendent Harish Dhurve, had already died. It was later reported that Dhurve had heard about the deadly gas and had immediately tried stopping the movement of trains passing through Bhopal before collapsing in his office chamber. His suddenly worsening health and years of experience told Dastagir that something was very wrong. Though he did not fully comprehend what was happening, he decided to act immediately when he did not get any response from the station master. He alerted the senior staff at nearby stations, like Vidisha and Itarsi, to suspend all train traffic to Bhopal.
- However, the jam-packed GorakhpurKanpur Express was already standing at the platform and its departure time was 20 minutes away. Listening to his gut instinct, Dastagir summoned his staff and told them to immediately clear the train for departure. When they asked if they should wait until the order to do so came from the head office, Dastagir replied that he would take complete responsibility for the train’s early departure. He wanted to ensure that the train left immediately, without any delay. His colleagues later recalled that Dastagir could barely stand and breathe as he spoke to them. Breaking all rules and without taking permission from anyone, he and his brave staff personally flagged off the train.
- But Dastagir’s work was not done. The railway station was filling up with people, desperate to flee the fumes. Some were gasping, others were vomiting, and most were weeping. Dastagir chose to remain on duty, running from one platform to another, attending, helping and consoling victims. He also sent an SOS to all the nearby railway offices, asking for immediate medical help. As a result, four ambulances with paramedics and railway doctors arrived at the station. It was winter and the gas was staying low to the ground, a thick haze poisoning everything in its path. Besieged by hordes of suffering people, the station soon resembled the emergency room of a large hospital. Dastagir stayed at the station, steadfastly doing his duty, knowing that his family was out there in the ill-fated city. That day all he had for his protection was a wet handkerchief on his mouth.
- Ghulam Dastagir’s devotion to duty saved the lives of hundreds of people. However, the catastrophe didn’t leave him unscathed. One of his sons died on the night of the tragedy and another developed a lifelong skin infection. Dastagir himself spent his last 19 years shuttling in and out of hospitals; he developed a painful growth in the throat due to prolonged exposure to toxic fumes. When he passed away in 2003, his death certificate mentioned that he was suffering from diseases caused as a direct result of exposure to MIC (Methyl Isocyanate) gas. A memorial has been built at platform No.1 to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty on the fateful night of December 3, 1984. However, Ghulam Dastagir, who died later, is not one of them. A forgotten hero whose sense of duty and commitment saved countless lives, Dastagir’s story deserves to be recognized and remembered by our fellow countrymen.
- Why was the accident at Union Carbide unparalleled in the world’s industrial history?
- How was Dastagir affected by the poisonous gas?
- What was the action taken by the station superintendent?
- How did Dastagir and his staff break rules?
- What was the cause of Dastagir’s death?
- Find words from the passage which mean the opposite of the following.
- safeguard (para 1)
- common or familiar (para 2)
- prompt (para 4)
- cause (para 6)
