CUET (UG) entrance exam Question Bank Solutions

Morning and afternoon, all the young girls and maidens used to gather around the village well with their water pots. There they exchanged pleasantries, chatted and discussed. Lakshmi was the prettiest girl at the well. But, she was an orphan.

One day, a well-built man came to Lakshmi's house. He brought with him the richest clothes and jewels as presents for her, "I am your dead father's brother," he told the astonished girl. "You have not seen me before because I have been staying abroad. You must come and live with me now." Lakshmi believed his sweet words and in a short time, locked up her little house and set out with the man.

But a terrible surprise was in store for poor Lakshmi when she got to her new-found uncle's home. The man locked her in a room "I am not your uncle, but a robber. And I am going to marry you," he told her. Lakshmi howled and wept when she heard this. Saying he would be back in a day or two after making arrangements for the wedding, the man went away. Lakshmi continued sobbing for a while and then stopped. "I must think of a plan to escape," she told herself. Lakshmi guessed that the robber would try to enter her room. So, she kept near her bed a sharp knife which she could find in the room.

One night the robber did enter her room but Lakshmi did not make any sound. She just kept a tight hold of knife and pretended to be sound asleep. When the robber was near her bed, she stood up suddenly, brandishing the knife. The robber was taken aback and with a loud cry, he ran out. Lakshmi gave chase and he climbed up the nearest tall tree. Lakshmi then gathered some dry figs and sticks around the foot of the tree and set them on fire. on seeing the rising flames, the robber gave a mighty yell and jumped down. But it was such a long way to the ground that he broke a couple of bones and was unable to move away from the place he fell.

In the mean time, the police was informed by someone about the robber. Very soon they reached the spot and arrested the robber. The people who had gathered at the spot were all praise for Lakshmi's courage and presence of mind.

The pandemic has forced schooling to move online, but the burden of digital inequality has fallen on the great majority of children who do not have access to smartphones, let alone laptops, or the internet. But is there no alternative to virtual classrooms? Several creative teacher-led initiatives on the ground, reported in this newspaper, demonstrate that it is not just desirable but also possible for governments and communities to design solutions that take the last child along.

In Karnataka, for instance, the vatara shaale model of community schooling - using open community spaces like temples, courtyards and prayer halls to teach children in small groups, with social distancing norms in place - began when a group of government school teachers sought to create a pandemic classroom that was inclusive. Like in many other states, only about 30 per cent of children in the state have digital access. Spliced for other factors like caste and gender, it throws up a grim picture - as well as the possibility that children, especially in the more impoverished parts, would be sucked into wage labour or child marriage. Similarly, in Sikkim, a maths teacher's concern for the students of her village led her to visit them at their home for short lessons that ensure they do not fall off the learning grid. The local administration of a village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, has allowed teachers to broadcast English lessons through loudspeakers. Both the Sikkim and Karnataka state governments have responded by absorbing elements of these innovations in new learning programmes devised to adapt to the COVID-19 challenge.

Few they might be, but these examples are a glimmer of hope in an education system that stifles creativity in both teachers and students. They also show up the generalisation of the commitment-less, undertrained government school teacher as a lazy stereotype. The fact is that schools and teachers exist in a continuum with local communities, and are more responsive to their needs than they are given credit for. Many teachers used the disruption of the pandemic to come up with solutions that adapted to their environments and local needs and placed the concerns of children who might be left behind at the centre, without being told to by government circulars.

The pandemic has forced schooling to move online, but the burden of digital inequality has fallen on the great majority of children who do not have access to smartphones, let alone laptops, or the internet. But is there no alternative to virtual classrooms? Several creative teacher-led initiatives on the ground, reported in this newspaper, demonstrate that it is not just desirable but also possible for governments and communities to design solutions that take the last child along.

In Karnataka, for instance, the vatara shaale model of community schooling - using open community spaces like temples, courtyards and prayer halls to teach children in small groups, with social distancing norms in place - began when a group of government school teachers sought to create a pandemic classroom that was inclusive. Like in many other states, only about 30 per cent of children in the state have digital access. Spliced for other factors like caste and gender, it throws up a grim picture - as well as the possibility that children, especially in the more impoverished parts, would be sucked into wage labour or child marriage. Similarly, in Sikkim, a maths teacher's concern for the students of her village led her to visit them at their home for short lessons that ensure they do not fall off the learning grid. The local administration of a village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, has allowed teachers to broadcast English lessons through loudspeakers. Both the Sikkim and Karnataka state governments have responded by absorbing elements of these innovations in new learning programmes devised to adapt to the COVID-19 challenge.

Few they might be, but these examples are a glimmer of hope in an education system that stifles creativity in both teachers and students. They also show up the generalisation of the commitment-less, undertrained government school teacher as a lazy stereotype. The fact is that schools and teachers exist in a continuum with local communities, and are more responsive to their needs than they are given credit for. Many teachers used the disruption of the pandemic to come up with solutions that adapted to their environments and local needs and placed the concerns of children who might be left behind at the centre, without being told to by government circulars.

The pandemic has forced schooling to move online, but the burden of digital inequality has fallen on the great majority of children who do not have access to smartphones, let alone laptops, or the internet. But is there no alternative to virtual classrooms? Several creative teacher-led initiatives on the ground, reported in this newspaper, demonstrate that it is not just desirable but also possible for governments and communities to design solutions that take the last child along.

In Karnataka, for instance, the vatara shaale model of community schooling - using open community spaces like temples, courtyards and prayer halls to teach children in small groups, with social distancing norms in place - began when a group of government school teachers sought to create a pandemic classroom that was inclusive. Like in many other states, only about 30 per cent of children in the state have digital access. Spliced for other factors like caste and gender, it throws up a grim picture - as well as the possibility that children, especially in the more impoverished parts, would be sucked into wage labour or child marriage. Similarly, in Sikkim, a maths teacher's concern for the students of her village led her to visit them at their home for short lessons that ensure they do not fall off the learning grid. The local administration of a village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, has allowed teachers to broadcast English lessons through loudspeakers. Both the Sikkim and Karnataka state governments have responded by absorbing elements of these innovations in new learning programmes devised to adapt to the COVID-19 challenge.

Few they might be, but these examples are a glimmer of hope in an education system that stifles creativity in both teachers and students. They also show up the generalisation of the commitment-less, undertrained government school teacher as a lazy stereotype. The fact is that schools and teachers exist in a continuum with local communities, and are more responsive to their needs than they are given credit for. Many teachers used the disruption of the pandemic to come up with solutions that adapted to their environments and local needs and placed the concerns of children who might be left behind at the centre, without being told to by government circulars.

After murdering Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, evil Lord Voldemort puts a killing curse on Harry, then just a baby. The curse inexplicably reverses, defeating Voldemort and searing a lightning-bolt scar in the middle of the infant's forehead. Harry is then left at the doorstep of his boring but brutish aunt and uncle, the Dursleys. For 10 years, Harry lives in the cupboard under the stairs and is subjected to cruel mistreatment by Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley. On his 11th birthday, Harry receives a letter inviting him to study magic at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry discovers that not only is he a wizard, but also a famous one. He meets two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and makes his first enemy, Draco Malfoy. At Hogwarts the three friends are all placed into the Gryffindor house. Harry has a knack for the school sport, Quidditch, and is recruited into the Gryffindor team as its star Seeker. Perusing the restricted section in the library, Harry discovers that the Sorcerer's Stone produces the Elixir of Life, which gives its drinker the gift of immortality. After realizing that Voldemort might be after the stone, Albus Dumbledore had it moved it to Hogwarts for safekeeping.

Harry finds out that when she died, Lily Potter transferred to her son ancient magical protection from Voldemort' s lethal spells. This protection is what allowed Harry as an infant to survive Voldemort's attack. It also helps Harry keep Voldemort from possessing the Stone, which Dumbledore agrees to destroy.

After murdering Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, evil Lord Voldemort puts a killing curse on Harry, then just a baby. The curse inexplicably reverses, defeating Voldemort and searing a lightning-bolt scar in the middle of the infant's forehead. Harry is then left at the doorstep of his boring but brutish aunt and uncle, the Dursleys. For 10 years, Harry lives in the cupboard under the stairs and is subjected to cruel mistreatment by Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley. On his 11th birthday, Harry receives a letter inviting him to study magic at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry discovers that not only is he a wizard, but also a famous one. He meets two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and makes his first enemy, Draco Malfoy. At Hogwarts the three friends are all placed into the Gryffindor house. Harry has a knack for the school sport, Quidditch, and is recruited into the Gryffindor team as its star Seeker. Perusing the restricted section in the library, Harry discovers that the Sorcerer's Stone produces the Elixir of Life, which gives its drinker the gift of immortality. After realizing that Voldemort might be after the stone, Albus Dumbledore had it moved it to Hogwarts for safekeeping.

Harry finds out that when she died, Lily Potter transferred to her son ancient magical protection from Voldemort's lethal spells. This protection is what allowed Harry as an infant to survive Voldemort's attack. It also helps Harry keep Voldemort from possessing the Stone, which Dumbledore agrees to destroy.

After murdering Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, evil Lord Voldemort puts a killing curse on Harry, then just a baby. The curse inexplicably reverses, defeating Voldemort and searing a lightning-bolt scar in the middle of the infant's forehead. Harry is then left at the doorstep of his boring but brutish aunt and uncle, the Dursleys. For 10 years, Harry lives in the cupboard under the stairs and is subjected to cruel mistreatment by Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley. On his 11th birthday, Harry receives a letter inviting him to study magic at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry discovers that not only is he a wizard, but also a famous one. He meets two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and makes his first enemy, Draco Malfoy. At Hogwarts the three friends are all placed into the Gryffindor house. Harry has a knack for the school sport, Quidditch, and is recruited into the Gryffindor team as its star Seeker. Perusing the restricted section in the library, Harry discovers that the Sorcerer's Stone produces the Elixir of Life, which gives its drinker the gift of immortality. After realizing that Voldemort might be after the stone, Albus Dumbledore had it moved it to Hogwarts for safekeeping.

Harry finds out that when she died, Lily Potter transferred to her son ancient magical protection from Voldemort's lethal spells. This protection is what allowed Harry as an infant to survive Voldemort's attack. It also helps Harry keep Voldemort from possessing the Stone, which Dumbledore agrees to destroy.

After murdering Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter, evil Lord Voldemort puts a killing curse on Harry, then just a baby. The curse inexplicably reverses, defeating Voldemort and searing a lightning-bolt scar in the middle of the infant's forehead. Harry is then left at the doorstep of his boring but brutish aunt and uncle, the Dursleys. For 10 years, Harry lives in the cupboard under the stairs and is subjected to cruel mistreatment by Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley. On his 11th birthday, Harry receives a letter inviting him to study magic at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry discovers that not only is he a wizard, but also a famous one. He meets two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and makes his first enemy, Draco Malfoy. At Hogwarts the three friends are all placed into the Gryffindor house. Harry has a knack for the school sport, Quidditch, and is recruited into the Gryffindor team as its star Seeker. Perusing the restricted section in the library, Harry discovers that the Sorcerer's Stone produces the Elixir of Life, which gives its drinker the gift of immortality. After realizing that Voldemort might be after the stone, Albus Dumbledore had it moved it to Hogwarts for safekeeping.

Harry finds out that when she died, Lily Potter transferred to her son ancient magical protection from Voldemort's lethal spells. This protection is what allowed Harry as an infant to survive Voldemort's attack. It also helps Harry keep Voldemort from possessing the Stone, which Dumbledore agrees to destroy.

The pandemic has forced schooling to move online, but the burden of digital inequality has fallen on the great majority of children who do not have access to smartphones, let alone laptops, or the internet. But is there no alternative to virtual classrooms? Several creative teacher-led initiatives on the ground, reported in this newspaper, demonstrate that it is not just desirable but also possible for governments and communities to design solutions that take the last child along.

In Karnataka, for instance, the vatara shaale model of community schooling - using open community spaces like temples, courtyards and prayer halls to teach children in small groups, with social distancing norms in place - began when a group of government school teachers sought to create a pandemic classroom that was inclusive. Like in many other states, only about 30 per cent of children in the state have digital access. Spliced for other factors like caste and gender, it throws up a grim picture - as well as the possibility that children, especially in the more impoverished parts, would be sucked into wage labour or child marriage. Similarly, in Sikkim, a maths teacher's concern for the students of her village led her to visit them at their home for short lessons that ensure they do not fall off the learning grid. The local administration of a village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, has allowed teachers to broadcast English lessons through loudspeakers. Both the Sikkim and Karnataka state governments have responded by absorbing elements of these innovations in new learning programmes devised to adapt to the COVID-19 challenge.

Few they might be, but these examples are a glimmer of hope in an education system that stifles creativity in both teachers and students. They also show up the generalisation of the commitment-less, undertrained government school teacher as a lazy stereotype. The fact is that schools and teachers exist in a continuum with local communities, and are more responsive to their needs than they are given credit for. Many teachers used the disruption of the pandemic to come up with solutions that adapted to their environments and local needs and placed the concerns of children who might be left behind at the centre, without being told to by government circulars.

Every Sunday morning I take a light jog around a park near my home. There's a lake located in one corner of the park. Each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water's edge with a small metal cage sitting beside her.

This past Sunday my curiosity got the best of me, so I stopped jogging and walked over to her. As I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was, in fact, a small trap. There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap. She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a sponge brush.

"Hello," I said. "I see you here every Sunday morning. If you don't mind my nosiness, I'd love to know what you're doing with these turtles."

She smiled. "I'm cleaning off their shells," she replied. 'Anything on a turtle's shell, like algae or scum, reduces the turtle's ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim. It can also corrode and weaken the shell over time."

"Wow! That's really nice of you!" I exclaimed.

She went on "I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It's my strange way of making a difference."

"But don't most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum hanging from their shells?" I asked.

"Yep, sadly, they do," she replied.

I scratched my head. "Well then, don't you think your time could be better spent? I mean, I think your efforts are kind and all, but freshwater turtles are living in lakes all around the world. And 99% of these turtles don't have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells. So, no offence... but how exactly are your localized efforts here truly making a difference?"

The woman giggled aloud. She then looked down at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, "Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he'd tell you I just made all the difference in the world."

My sister is a soldier. I remember when she came home and announced to our mother that she was going to enlist in the army. My mother replied, "You're terribly young. It's too difficult, challenging, and dangerous, you really should reconsider."

My sister Darlene said, "I'm 18, which is old enough, and through the army, I'll be able to make progress. Right now, all I can get is part-time work while I go to community college. I need to have a career, not a part-time job, I need a college education, and the army will pay for that when I've finished my tour of duty, so this is about my future."

My mother cried and said, "There is a war, you will be in dangerous situations.

I said, "Don't worry. They don't send women to fight on the front lines in wars, so they are not in great danger. If it was me that would be a different situation."

Darlene said, "Don't worry, I'm cautious, I won't take unnecessary risks."

Despite that assurance, my mother stayed worried. My sister went to training camp for three months, and when she returned, she said, "I'm glad I enlisted, it was a wise decision. Training was challenging, we have to get up at 5:00 every morning, the work was demanding, we drilled a lot, but we learned skills. You have to be on time, and you have to follow all the directions, but they keep you occupied, so you don't get bored. I like the other recruits in my platoon, we all supported each other in the exercises."

My mother said, "I'm proud of you, but I'm still concerned about your safety." "Don't worry, Mom. If I do get sent to the war zone, I'll be extremely careful."

My sister did go to the war zone when her unit was sent to Iraq. I had no idea where that was, so I looked it up on the Internet. Iraq is on the other side of the world.

My sister purchased a computer before she departed, and she showed us how to use it to send email. I'm glad she did because we sent notes to her on it every day, then when she could she responded, but usually not immediately. She reported the weather and the people, but she didn't describe her activities. Here's what she wrote in one note.

"It's extremely hot here, and we have to wear heavy clothes, which makes it really challenging, though, they are bullet-proof for protection. Most of the local people here are supportive, and the soldiers are great companions. Don't worry, you can rely on me to be careful, I know how important it is to be cautious. See you in September."

She would end every communication that way-don't worry, see you in September. But then September came and she communicated a disappointing message, "We have to stay longer; I'm not sure how soon I'll be returning. Don't be discouraged, I'll be there."

My mother checked the e-mail every day for the next week and didn't get a message. She was increasingly concerned, and then she got a reassuring note- "I'm fine, sorry I couldn't e-mail for some time, we were on assignment. Don't worry. I'm being careful."

So it went on. We waited and waited, and I worried, too. The news reports on the war on TV looked dangerous, and my mother would cry when we saw those reports.

October went by; then November; then it was December. My mother bought some presents for my sister and dispatched them by mail. She said, "I really wish Darlene could return for Christmas." Every time the phone rang or someone knocked on the door, she hoped it might be Darlene coming home by surprise. But she didn't get her wish, so Christmas was uniquely sad this year, not the holiday we had appreciated in the past.

Then on New Year's eve, the doorbell rang, and we rushed to open it. My mother said later she was a little afraid every time the doorbell rang that it might be someone to announce bad news, that there was a problem with Darlene. But this was the opposite, this was the best news we could have received. It was Darlene! We'll have a really happy new year now.

My sister is a soldier. I remember when she came home and announced to our mother that she was going to enlist in the army. My mother replied, "You're terribly young. It's too difficult, challenging, and dangerous, you really should reconsider."

My sister Darlene said, "I'm 18, which is old enough, and through the army, I'll be able to make progress. Right now, all I can get is part-time work while I go to community college. I need to have a career, not a part-time job, I need a college education, and the army will pay for that when I've finished my tour of duty, so this is about my future."

My mother cried and said, "There is a war, you will be in dangerous situations.

I said, "Don't worry. They don't send women to fight on the front lines in wars, so they are not in great danger. If it was me that would be a different situation."

Darlene said, "Don't worry, I'm cautious, I won't take unnecessary risks."

Despite that assurance, my mother stayed worried. My sister went to training camp for three months, and when she returned, she said, "I'm glad I enlisted, it was a wise decision. Training was challenging, we have to get up at 5:00 every morning, the work was demanding, we drilled a lot, but we learned skills. You have to be on time, and you have to follow all the directions, but they keep you occupied, so you don't get bored. I like the other recruits in my platoon, we all supported each other in the exercises."

My mother said, "I'm proud of you, but I'm still concerned about your safety." "Don't worry, Mom. If I do get sent to the war zone, I'll be extremely careful."

My sister did go to the war zone when her unit was sent to Iraq. I had no idea where that was, so I looked it up on the Internet. Iraq is on the other side of the world.

My sister purchased a computer before she departed, and she showed us how to use it to send email. I'm glad she did because we sent notes to her on it every day, then when she could she responded, but usually not immediately. She reported the weather and the people, but she didn't describe her activities. Here's what she wrote in one note.

"It's extremely hot here, and we have to wear heavy clothes, which makes it really challenging, though, they are bullet-proof for protection. Most of the local people here are supportive, and the soldiers are great companions. Don't worry, you can rely on me to be careful, I know how important it is to be cautious. See you in September."

She would end every communication that way-don't worry, see you in September. But then September came and she communicated a disappointing message, "We have to stay longer; I'm not sure how soon I'll be returning. Don't be discouraged, I'll be there."

My mother checked the e-mail every day for the next week and didn't get a message. She was increasingly concerned, and then she got a reassuring note- "I'm fine, sorry I couldn't e-mail for some time, we were on assignment. Don't worry. I'm being careful."

So it went on. We waited and waited, and I worried, too. The news reports on the war on TV looked dangerous, and my mother would cry when we saw those reports.

October went by; then November; then it was December. My mother bought some presents for my sister and dispatched them by mail. She said, "I really wish Darlene could return for Christmas." Every time the phone rang or someone knocked on the door, she hoped it might be Darlene coming home by surprise. But she didn't get her wish, so Christmas was uniquely sad this year, not the holiday we had appreciated in the past.

Then on New Year's eve, the doorbell rang, and we rushed to open it. My mother said later she was a little afraid every time the doorbell rang that it might be someone to announce bad news, that there was a problem with Darlene. But this was the opposite, this was the best news we could have received. It was Darlene! We'll have a really happy new year now.

My sister is a soldier. I remember when she came home and announced to our mother that she was going to enlist in the army. My mother replied, "You're terribly young. It's too difficult, challenging, and dangerous, you really should reconsider."

My sister Darlene said, "I'm 18, which is old enough, and through the army, I'll be able to make progress. Right now, all I can get is part-time work while I go to community college. I need to have a career, not a part-time job, I need a college education, and the army will pay for that when I've finished my tour of duty, so this is about my future."

My mother cried and said, "There is a war, you will be in dangerous situations.

I said, "Don't worry. They don't send women to fight on the front lines in wars, so they are not in great danger. If it was me that would be a different situation."

Darlene said, "Don't worry, I'm cautious, I won't take unnecessary risks."

Despite that assurance, my mother stayed worried. My sister went to training camp for three months, and when she returned, she said, "I'm glad I enlisted, it was a wise decision. Training was challenging, we have to get up at 5:00 every morning, the work was demanding, we drilled a lot, but we learned skills. You have to be on time, and you have to follow all the directions, but they keep you occupied, so you don't get bored. I like the other recruits in my platoon, we all supported each other in the exercises."

My mother said, "I'm proud of you, but I'm still concerned about your safety." "Don't worry, Mom. If I do get sent to the war zone, I'll be extremely careful."

My sister did go to the war zone when her unit was sent to Iraq. I had no idea where that was, so I looked it up on the Internet. Iraq is on the other side of the world.

My sister purchased a computer before she departed, and she showed us how to use it to send email. I'm glad she did because we sent notes to her on it every day, then when she could she responded, but usually not immediately. She reported the weather and the people, but she didn't describe her activities. Here's what she wrote in one note.

"It's extremely hot here, and we have to wear heavy clothes, which makes it really challenging, though, they are bullet-proof for protection. Most of the local people here are supportive, and the soldiers are great companions. Don't worry, you can rely on me to be careful, I know how important it is to be cautious. See you in September."

She would end every communication that way-don't worry, see you in September. But then September came and she communicated a disappointing message, "We have to stay longer; I'm not sure how soon I'll be returning. Don't be discouraged, I'll be there."

My mother checked the e-mail every day for the next week and didn't get a message. She was increasingly concerned, and then she got a reassuring note- "I'm fine, sorry I couldn't e-mail for some time, we were on assignment. Don't worry. I'm being careful."

So it went on. We waited and waited, and I worried, too. The news reports on the war on TV looked dangerous, and my mother would cry when we saw those reports.

October went by; then November; then it was December. My mother bought some presents for my sister and dispatched them by mail. She said, "I really wish Darlene could return for Christmas." Every time the phone rang or someone knocked on the door, she hoped it might be Darlene coming home by surprise. But she didn't get her wish, so Christmas was uniquely sad this year, not the holiday we had appreciated in the past.

Then on New Year's eve, the doorbell rang, and we rushed to open it. My mother said later she was a little afraid every time the doorbell rang that it might be someone to announce bad news, that there was a problem with Darlene. But this was the opposite, this was the best news we could have received. It was Darlene! We'll have a really happy new year now.

At last, they were safe. A brave little company of pioneers from the Atlantic coast crossed the Mississippi River. They finally succeeded in climbing to the top of the great Rockies and down again into a valley in the very midst of the mountains. It was a valley of brown, bare, desert soil, in a climate where almost no rainfalls. But the snow on the mountain- tops sent down little streams of pure water; the winds were gentle. Like a blue jewel at the foot of the western hills was a marvelous lake of saltwater, an inland sea. Some wanted to keep going, but most said, this is where we should live-the journey is accomplished. So, the pioneers settled there and built themselves huts and cabins so they could survive the first winter.

They were used to challenges. It had taken them many months to make a terrible trip.

Many had died of illness on the way; then many died of hardship during the winter. The supplies they had brought in their wagons were so nearly gone that, by spring, they were living partly on roots, dug from the ground. All their lives now depended on the crops they could raise in the valley. They made the barren land fertile bringing mud from the river to the dry land and creating irrigation channels. They planted corn and grain and vegetables, and everyone collaborated. Then it was an anxious time as they watched for the plants to grow, with hopes, and prayers, and careful eyes.

In good time the brown earth was covered with a carpet of tender, green, growing things. No farmer's garden could have looked better than the great garden of the desert valley. And from day to day the little plants grew and flourished till they were all well above the ground-they had succeeded. James, who was the head of the group, said, "We finally will have all the food we need. We have achieved our goal."

Then a terrible thing happened. One day, the men who were watering the crops saw a great number of crickets swarming over the ground at the edge of the gardens nearest the mountains. They were hopping from the barren places into the young, green crops, and as they settled down they ate the tiny shoots and leaves to the ground. More came, and more, and evermore, and as they came they spread out till they covered a big corner of the grain field. Yet still more and more, till it was like an army of black, hopping, crawling crickets, streaming down the side of the mountain. James said, "Watch out, they're going to eat our food. We will be ruined."

Everyone tried to .kill the crickets by beating them down, but the numbers were so great that it was like beating at the sea. Suddenly, from far off in the air towards the great salt lake, there was the sound of flapping wings. It grew louder. It looked like a white cloud rising from the lake, a flock of sea gulls flying toward them. Hundreds of gulls rose and circled and came on. "The gulls! The gulls!" James cried.
"They will rescue us. It is a miracle." The gulls flew overhead, with a shrill chorus of whimpering cries, and then, in a marvelous white cloud of outspread wings and hovering breasts, they settled down over the field. "Look, look," James said. "See! They are eating the crickets! They are saving our crop. We are restored."

It was true. The gulls ate the crickets, and when at last they finished, they had stripped the fields of that pest. The pioneers had moved to the right place after all. It had taken a lot of work, great determination, and courage. They had met and overcome obstacles, solved problems, and would survive. Without the gulls, what might have happened is not certain, but the future was secure, the pioneers were confident.

At last, they were safe. A brave little company of pioneers from the Atlantic coast crossed the Mississippi River. They finally succeeded in climbing to the top of the great Rockies and down again into a valley in the very midst of the mountains. It was a valley of brown, bare, desert soil, in a climate where almost no rainfalls. But the snow on the mountain- tops sent down little streams of pure water; the winds were gentle. Like a blue jewel at the foot of the western hills was a marvelous lake of saltwater, an inland sea. Some wanted to keep going, but most said, this is where we should live-the journey is accomplished. So, the pioneers settled there and built themselves huts and cabins so they could survive the first winter.

They were used to challenges. It had taken them many months to make a terrible trip.

Many had died of illness on the way; then many died of hardship during the winter. The supplies they had brought in their wagons were so nearly gone that, by spring, they were living partly on roots, dug from the ground. All their lives now depended on the crops they could raise in the valley. They made the barren land fertile bringing mud from the river to the dry land and creating irrigation channels. They planted corn and grain and vegetables, and everyone collaborated. Then it was an anxious time as they watched for the plants to grow, with hopes, and prayers, and careful eyes.

In good time the brown earth was covered with a carpet of tender, green, growing things. No farmer's garden could have looked better than the great garden of the desert valley. And from day to day the little plants grew and flourished till they were all well above the ground-they had succeeded. James, who was the head of the group, said, "We finally will have all the food we need. We have achieved our goal."

Then a terrible thing happened. One day, the men who were watering the crops saw a great number of crickets swarming over the ground at the edge of the gardens nearest the mountains. They were hopping from the barren places into the young, green crops, and as they settled down they ate the tiny shoots and leaves to the ground. More came, and more, and evermore, and as they came they spread out till they covered a big corner of the grain field. Yet still more and more, till it was like an army of black, hopping, crawling crickets, streaming down the side of the mountain. James said, "Watch out, they're going to eat our food. We will be ruined."

Everyone tried to .kill the crickets by beating them down, but the numbers were so great that it was like beating at the sea. Suddenly, from far off in the air towards the great salt lake, there was the sound of flapping wings. It grew louder. It looked like a white cloud rising from the lake, a flock of sea gulls flying toward them. Hundreds of gulls rose and circled and came on. "The gulls! The gulls!" James cried.
"They will rescue us. It is a miracle." The gulls flew overhead, with a shrill chorus of whimpering cries, and then, in a marvelous white cloud of outspread wings and hovering breasts, they settled down over the field. "Look, look," James said. "See! They are eating the crickets! They are saving our crop. We are restored."

It was true. The gulls ate the crickets, and when at last they finished, they had stripped the fields of that pest. The pioneers had moved to the right place after all. It had taken a lot of work, great determination, and courage. They had met and overcome obstacles, solved problems, and would survive. Without the gulls, what might have happened is not certain, but the future was secure, the pioneers were confident.

At the end of March 2020, a poll found that in societies locked down to combat COVID-19, almost 40% of young men said they felt the absence of live sport more keenly than any other deprivation, including going outside. Those pining for some action received their first proper fix for two months on Saturday, as the German equivalent of the Premier League reopened behind closed doors. The Bundesliga is the first major football league to try to resume the interrupted season. In France, it was decided to curtail championships and award trophies on the basis of matches already played. In Netherlands, the season was simply voided. The unfortunate players and supporters of SC Cambuur, who were 11 points clear at the top of the second division, are understandably miffed.

The English Premier League is fretfully keeping its fingers crossed, hoping that Germany's experiment in "bio-secure " football works. The richest football league in the world hopes to relaunch its own competition sometime in June. Whether that is desirable or feasible has been the subject of fierce debate. If Project Restart is given the go-ahead this week, players are expected to begin non-contact training together, but the planning process has been fraught with difficulty. Some players have voiced deep reservations over safety. Protocols have yet to be finalised for a second phase, when full training will recommence. There is also concern that, after a long and unusual layoff, players have no hope of reaching proper match fitness before June. A glut of summer injuries might therefore accompany the 92 fixtures scheduled for empty stadiums, during a hectic seven-week period. The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has suggested that the completion of the Premier League season would "lift the spirits of the nation".

At the end of March 2020, a poll found that in societies locked down to combat COVID-19, almost 40% of young men said they felt the absence of live sport more keenly than any other deprivation, including going outside. Those pining for some action received their first proper fix for two months on Saturday, as the German equivalent of the Premier League reopened behind closed doors. The Bundesliga is the first major football league to try to resume the interrupted season. In France, it was decided to curtail championships and award trophies on the basis of matches already played. In Netherlands, the season was simply voided. The unfortunate players and supporters of SC Cambuur, who were 11 points clear at the top of the second division, are understandably miffed.

The English Premier League is fretfully keeping its fingers crossed, hoping that Germany's experiment in "bio-secure " football works. The richest football league in the world hopes to relaunch its own competition sometime in June. Whether that is desirable or feasible has been the subject of fierce debate. If Project Restart is given the go-ahead this week, players are expected to begin non-contact training together, but the planning process has been fraught with difficulty. Some players have voiced deep reservations over safety. Protocols have yet to be finalised for a second phase, when full training will recommence. There is also concern that, after a long and unusual layoff, players have no hope of reaching proper match fitness before June. A glut of summer injuries might therefore accompany the 92 fixtures scheduled for empty stadiums, during a hectic seven-week period. The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has suggested that the completion of the Premier League season would "lift the spirits of the nation".

At the end of March 2020, a poll found that in societies locked down to combat COVID-19, almost 40% of young men said they felt the absence of live sport more keenly than any other deprivation, including going outside. Those pining for some action received their first proper fix for two months on Saturday, as the German equivalent of the Premier League reopened behind closed doors. The Bundesliga is the first major football league to try to resume the interrupted season. In France, it was decided to curtail championships and award trophies on the basis of matches already played. In Netherlands, the season was simply voided. The unfortunate players and supporters of SC Cambuur, who were 11 points clear at the top of the second division, are understandably miffed.

The English Premier League is fretfully keeping its fingers crossed, hoping that Germany's experiment in "bio-secure " football works. The richest football league in the world hopes to relaunch its own competition sometime in June. Whether that is desirable or feasible has been the subject of fierce debate. If Project Restart is given the go-ahead this week, players are expected to begin non-contact training together, but the planning process has been fraught with difficulty. Some players have voiced deep reservations over safety. Protocols have yet to be finalised for a second phase, when full training will recommence. There is also concern that, after a long and unusual layoff, players have no hope of reaching proper match fitness before June. A glut of summer injuries might therefore accompany the 92 fixtures scheduled for empty stadiums, during a hectic seven-week period. The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has suggested that the completion of the Premier League season would "lift the spirits of the nation".

In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it should surprise no one that the National Green Tribunal has prohibited the sale and use of firecrackers during Deepavali in the National Capital Region of Delhi and in urban centres that recorded poor or worse air quality in November last year. The directions expand on Supreme Court orders issued in the past, and provide some concessions to cities and towns that have moderate or better air quality, by allowing "green crackers" and specified hours for bursting. These stipulations are to extend to Christmas and New Year if the ban continues beyond November. The NGT took note that Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Chandigarh, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Calcutta High Court had already responded to deteriorating environmental conditions by banning firecrackers this year.

The tribunal's reasoning giving primacy to the precautionary principle in sustainable development over employment and revenue losses is understandable. As the impact of COVID-19 became clear in March, and there were fears of a case surge during the winter, it was incumbent on the Centre to work with States and resolutely prevent the burning of farm stubble ahead of Deepavali. This annual phenomenon unfailingly fouls the air across northern and eastern India, and imposes heavy health and productivity costs. In the absence of pollution from agricultural residue, there might have been some room for a limited quantity of firecrackers, although climatic conditions at this time of year, of low temperature and atmospheric circulation, would still leave many in distress. Only damage control is possible now, including steps to address the concerns of the fireworks industry.

In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it should surprise no one that the National Green Tribunal has prohibited the sale and use of firecrackers during Deepavali in the National Capital Region of Delhi and in urban centres that recorded poor or worse air quality in November last year. The directions expand on Supreme Court orders issued in the past, and provide some concessions to cities and towns that have moderate or better air quality, by allowing "green crackers" and specified hours for bursting. These stipulations are to extend to Christmas and New Year if the ban continues beyond November. The NGT took note that Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Chandigarh, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Calcutta High Court had already responded to deteriorating environmental conditions by banning firecrackers this year.

The tribunal's reasoning giving primacy to the precautionary principle in sustainable development over employment and revenue losses is understandable. As the impact of COVID-19 became clear in March, and there were fears of a case surge during the winter, it was incumbent on the Centre to work with States and resolutely prevent the burning of farm stubble ahead of Deepavali. This annual phenomenon unfailingly fouls the air across northern and eastern India, and imposes heavy health and productivity costs. In the absence of pollution from agricultural residue, there might have been some room for a limited quantity of firecrackers, although climatic conditions at this time of year, of low temperature and atmospheric circulation, would still leave many in distress. Only damage control is possible now, including steps to address the concerns of the fireworks industry.