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प्रश्न
Narrate 'The Tale of Melon City' in your own words.
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उत्तर
A model answer has been provided for students' reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
The Tale of Melon city is a narrative poem by Vikram Seth written in the couplet form. The poem is an account of an incident involving the monarch and citizens that took place in a city long ago. The tale is humorous with a very sharp focus on the thematic aspect. Structurally, the story has three parts-the first part mentions about a king's wish to build an arch. The second part relates his complaints regarding the faulty construction of the arch and the last part narrates how his decree ultimately falls on him leading to his hanging. The poem in a high tone of humour narrates the transition of power from the king to a melon which became a symbolic head.
In the beginning the poet narrates that there was a king in a city long ago. One day the king expressed his desire to construct an arch spanning the main thoroughfare to improve the onlookers morally and mentally. The king was just and peace loving. The construction work was soon undertaken by employing large number of labourers.
After the completion of the arch, the king went to inspect the newly constructed arch. The arch was very low. His crown struck against the arch and fell off. Feeling dishonoured, the king decided to hang the chief of builders. All arrangements were made for the hanging. The Chief of builders defended himself by shifting the responsibility to the labourers. Convinced by the argument, the king then ordered to hang all the labourers. The labourers shifted the responsibility to the size of the bricks. The king accordingly ordered the hanging of the masons. The masons in turn defended themselves and put all blame on the architect. The king ordered to hang the architect. The architect reminded the king that he (King) had made some amendments to the plan when it was shown to him. The architect indirectly put the blame on the king. The king was confused to hear the architect's argument. The king solicited the advice of the wisest man in his kingdom. Accordingly, the wisest man was found and brought to the court. He was so old that he could neither walk nor see. He gave the verdict that the arch was the real culprit. It was the arch that hit the crown violently and it fell off. So, the arch must be hanged. Accordingly, the arch was led to the scaffold. In the meantime, a councillor pointed out that it would be very shameful act to hang the arch that touched the king's crown.
The crowd which gathered there to witness the hanging of the culprit was getting restless. Sensing their mood, the king said that someone must be hanged since the nation wanted a hanging. The noose was set up. It was somewhat high. Each man was measured turn by turn. But there was only one man who was tall enough to fit in the noose, and it was the King. Interestingly, the king was hanged.
The poet then narrates the third part of the poem. In the concluding part the ministers heaved a sigh of relief that they were able to find someone, otherwise, the unruly crowd might have risen in revolt. After the death of the King, it was required to choose another king. As per the convention, the ministers sent out the herald to proclaim that the next to pass the City Gate would choose a king. An idiot happened to pass the City Gate. The guards asked him who was to be the King. The idiot answered that a melon should be chosen to be the next king. Actually that was his pet answer to all questions as he liked melons. The ministers crowned a melon and placed their Melon King reverently at the throne.
The poet narrates that the citizens were least bothered about their symbolic head. They enjoyed the principles of Laissez faire. They were very respectful to their new monarch as the new monarch did not interfere in their lives.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
A1. True or False
State whether the following statements are true or false:
(i) A new research suggests that eating healthy food and getting proper sleep helps children to succeed in school.
(ii) Kids in the age group of 6-12 years should get an average sleep of little less than 7 hours.
(iii) Kids should start their day with yogurt, fruits and veggies.
(iv) Children should have consistent sleeping habit.
A new research suggests that eating healthy food and getting proper sleep can help children succeed in school. According to research, when kids go to school without eating breakfast, their cognitive function can be affected.
According to study, kids should start the day with fruits, proteins and whole grains and they should avoid sugary cereals because they cause a sugar high. If the kids do need to eat something prior to dinner, parents should offer healthy choices like yogurt, fruits and veggies or baked chips. Children have also been advised to drink water instead of soda as-it lacks nutritional value. Moreover, research suggests that children need a good night's sleep for theiroverall school performance. It is said that. lack of sleep can lead to problems with attention and memory in the classroom, affect impulse control and mood regulation lead to.
anxiety and even depression.
While kids aged 6-12 years should get nine hours sleep nightly, adolescents from the age of 13 to 18 years should get an average sleep of little more than seven hours per night. However, the research suggests that catching up on lost sleep on the weekend can make matters worse and recommended a consistent bedtime seven days a week.
A2. Find
Fill in the blocks with the following given in the passage:
(i) Two things to be avoided by children:
(ii) Lack of sleep due to mood regulation leads to:
A3. Select
Select the correct word from the brackets and complete the statements given below:
(anxiety, consistent, impulse, attention)
(i) Last minutes study causes......... to the students.
(ii) Stress affects the.............. for a quick action.
(iii) Saina has shown ........... improvement in her performance.
(iv) Students should pay ..............in class.
A4. Language study
(i) Pick out anyone sentence from the passage where a modal auxiliary indicating advice is used.
(ii) Pick out the correct conjunctions from the given sentences:
(a) Kids should avoid sugary cereals because they cause a sugar high.
(b) It is said that lack of sleep can lead to problems.
A5. Personal response
We should eat healthy food. Explain..
Life is a gift to be used every day,
Not to be smothered and hidden away,
It isn’t a thing to be stored in the chest
Where you gather your keepsakes and treasure your best;
It isn’t a joy to be sipped now and then
And promptly put back in a dark place again
Life is a gift that the humblest may boast of
And one that the humblest may well make the most of
Get out and live it each hour of the day,
Wear it and use it as much as you may,
Don’t keep it in niches and corners and grooves,
You’ll find that in service its beauty improves.
(1) What do we treasure in a chest?
(2) How does the poet went us to use the gift of life?
(3) Do you agree that life should be measured un deeds and not in years? Why?
(4) Which words in the poem mean the following :
(a) Kept from developing
(b) Hollow places in a wall
(5) Life is a gift to be used every day. [Name and explain the figure of speech]
Answer any four of the following questions in 30 - 40 words each :
(a) What kind of gold did the people of Seemapuri look for in the garbage ? (Lost Spring)
(b) Why did Gandhi tell the court that he was involved in a 'conflict of duties' ?
(c) How do we get joy from life which is otherwise full of sorrows ? (A Thing of Beauty)
(d) For Aunt Jennifer, what do the tigers symbolise ?
(e) What made the chief astrologer place his finger on his nose ? (The Tiger King)
(f) On the seventh day after the American soldier was found by Dr. Sadao two things happened. Why did Hana feel scared of the second ?
Read the passage and complete the activities given below :
B1 Pick out
The correct answers from the statements given below:
B2 Fill in the gaps with the information given in the passage :
Answer the following question in 30-40 words:
“The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? (His First Fight)
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
-
honing our seafaring skills
-
ominous silence
-
Mayday calls
-
pinpricks in the vast ocean
-
a tousled head
Notice these expression in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
manoeuvres
Briefly comment on:
The author’s physical condition in Darchen.
Comment on the graphic detail with which the various passengers who took Iona's cab are described.
Look at the following set of words and mention what is common to them both in form and meaning.
|
Snuffle |
snort |
sniffle |
snore |
How does the insertion of dialogue in the story contribute to its interest?
We 'draw up a deed'. Complete the following phrase with an appropriate word.
________a deaf ear to
Explain the line:
Within a week it sickened to a raging fever and its pulse went up to a hundred and fifty in the shade.
Read the story and complete the following.
At first, Revathi’s plants did not look normal and healthy because, ____________.
Complete the following sentence.
Sujoy reported about ___________________.
Pick out some sentences from the lesson that convey a general truth.
Read other poems by Leigh Hunt, especially 'Abou Ben Adhem'.
Compare the messages in that poem with those in 'The Plate of Gold'. What do you observe?
Read the description of the Kabaddi match and do the following:
Choose any one event and draw a diagram to show what happened.
How many of them are personal articles? How many of them are used for the beautification of your home? How many of them are meant for utility (to fulfill a useful function in the household)?
Comment on the given statement after reading the given dialogue -
And if we get him itself, nothing but abuse on our heads for it from the people, and maybe from our own relations -
you may begin like this
We do not think about society at large _________________________________________________.
Comment on the given statement after reading the given dialogue -
I wouldn’t be in your shoes if he rewards me ten times as much. People generally fall victim to incentives. Some people stick to values. They _________________.
The description of the character is given below. Identify the character from the play. Find some sentences which support your choice.
He is smart as well as brave.
Write short note on the following:
The 1883 eruption
Describe in your own words the incident when Hovstad's real intention to help Dr. Stockmann is exposed.
Visit a library:
Read more stories from Japan, China, and Korea.
Answer the following question in one sentence.
What does the title of the poem say?
Read the following sentence aloud. Write who said it and to whom.
“I would rather not go to the party.”
Fill in the following blanks with reference to the poem.
'In time of rain when spring and life are ______, the butterflies lift ______ wings to catch a ______ cry and trees put forth ______ leaves to sing in ______ beneath the sky as ______ boys and girls too ______ singing down the roadway'.
You want to start human settlement somewhere else other than the earth, in the universe. Will you select a star or a planet? Why? What features supporting life will you look for? Try to find answers to such questions and make a presentation using scientific information and your imagination.
Form groups of 5-8. This passage tells us only what the compère says. Try to visualize and write what the other people on the dais must have said in their speeches (Write only the main points.)
- The School Principal
- The Chief Guest
- The Art teacher who offered a vote of thanks
What is direct and indirect.
Write in your own words.
In which professions is a person forced to stay away from his home/ homeland for a long time? Try to guess why the poet is forced to stay away from his home?
Read the following words aloud and copy them in your notebook.
- idle
- enough
- exclaimed
- commotion
- astounded
- antics
- wander
- wielding
Find the meaning of the following word.
rated
Does Marouckla get any of the things she brings?
What is the world wide web?
The taxi driver took away the narrator’s suitcase.
Mention at least two expressions which shows that Mrs. Krishnan was not willing to have Zigzag at home?
Which theory of Ramanujan helps the ATMs to dispense cash?
Hamid’s granny scolded him for buying iron tongs. Then she understood that Hamid had bought it ______.
Why does Alice drink from the bottle that says ‘DRINK ME’ and why does she eat from the cake that says ‘EAT ME’?
Rearrange the following jumbled sentences in the correct order.
- Payal’s house was a home for abandoned animals.
- It was a small ball of brown and grey.
- She found an owlet in one corner.
- Payal’s mother picked her up gently.
- Payal’s mother opened the carton.
- One day they got a carton.
Grandfather felt planting trees would help the forest because______.
Read the story on your own. Discuss in a group and complete the story map below.
| A story map is the main events of the story given in a flow chart. |
When did Usha Rani start playing Kabaddi?
Identify and write the sport's name respectively.
- ______
- ______
- ______
- ______
Find example of alliteration and write them in the blank.
to muddy roads
monsoons and mangoes
How is water produced in Mars?
Imagine you are the girl and give a different ending to the story.
How can we make our nation proud?
Where is the key?
Write the homophone for the given word and draw the picture.
Identify the character or the speaker.
“I was cruel and selfish.”
Answer using Yes or No and pick sentence from the story to support your answer.
Was Robinson alone in the island?
What did the oil seller perform?
List out the questions to which you seek answer using 'Why?'
Choose the word with same meaning.
Kingdom- ______
What did the boy make with the branches of the tree?
What did he call his puppet?
Read the given sentence and underline the 'no' word.
Nobody is at home.
