Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Although the author was not a vindictive man he was very happy to see the twenty-one stone lady
who had impoverished him twenty years ago, and says he had finally had his revenge. What makes him say this?
Advertisements
Solution
The story Luncheon relates incidents, replete with humour and irony, involving the author and a lady in a restaurant twenty years ago. The author narrates how he was tactfully suggested by a lady to meet her at a high-grade restaurant Foyot. Given the poor economic condition of the author at that time, visiting a highly expensive restaurant like Foyot along with a lady for a luncheon was very ironical. The author narrates in a flashback how at that point in time he could not turn down her request only to meet with embarrassing situations at the restaurant. In the name of a little luncheon, the lady started placing order after order for highly expensive items from the menu like salmon, caviare, champagne, asparagus, etc. without bothering about the bill. Unable to reveal his actual position, the author kept giving excuses for not ordering items for himself. Ultimately, he had to give away whatever money he had with him in paying the bill. He was left without even a penny and the whole month was before him.
The author was not a vindictive man so he did not say a word to her but chose to endure. It is in this context, the author says on seeing the lady after twenty years that the embarrassment done to him in the restaurant by the lady was avenged in due course of time as the lady is now only twenty-one stone.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
What do you like about this poem?
Is there any relevance of this poem to the present scenario?
In how many ways was this Olympic special? Explain?
The eight other runners pulled up on their heels
The ones who had trained for so long to complete
one by one they all turned around and went back to help him
And brought the young boy to his feet.
Then all the nine runners joined hands and continued
The hundred-yard dash now reduced to a walk
And a banner above that said (Special Olympics)
Could not have been more on the mark.
That's how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And a standing ovation and nine beaming faces
Said more than these words ever will.
Read the lines given above and answer the following question:
How did the spectators react to this gesture of the eight contestants?
Besides being an amusing tale about a failure to communicate the story “A Horse and Two Goats” makes some crucial points also. Justify.
Describe the picture of India given by the author.
(A) Some of the cakes had been eaten by the boys before the party began.
(B) The boys…………………………
Write a composition (350 - 400 words) on the following:
“The use of Mobile Phones must be allowed in schools.” Express your views either for or against the statement.
You walk home from school one afternoon to find the door unlocked and on entering you are shocked to see the house in total disarray. You call out but get no answer. Describe in detail what you saw, the reason behind your house being in total disarray and how you found your family. Mention also how the experience ended and what impact it had on your life.
When did he realise that there was something wrong?
If Mary catches the first bus, she will be on time for school.
(Begin : Unless …………….)
Write a composition (350–400 words) on the following:
You had booked a ticket on an early morning train. However, you woke up late and missed it. You then decided to run to catch a bus to the next station, where you hoped to catch up with the train. Narrate the entire event, including how you felt, the effort you made, and how you finally caught the train. What did you learn from this stressful experience?
‘Working women make better mothers than women who stay at home’. Express your views either for or against this statement.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
The morning stretched calm, beautiful, and warm.
Sprawling half-clad, I gazed out at the form
Of shimmering leaves and shadows. Suddenly
A strong flash, then another, startled me.
I saw the old stone lantern brightly lit.
(A Doctor’s Journal Entry for August 6, 1945: Vikram Seth)
(i) In which country did the incident described in the poem occur? What had caused the flashes? What happened to his home soon after?
(ii) Describe the injuries suffered by the Doctor.
(iii) What was his wife’s name? What happened to a house standing before them?
(iv) How does he describe the people he met on the way?
(v) Why were the people walking with their hands away from their bodies? What was common to all of them? What message does the poem convey?
They had to climb ____________the steep pathway to reach the top.
It is dangerous as well as illegal to drive a motorcycle without a helmet. (Begin: It is not ................................................. )
Given below is an interesting combination of words. Explain why they have been used together.
desert sky
It is difficult to adjust to a fall from glory.
Find out information about the Mahavastra of Maharashtra - Paithani.
We add ‘un-’ to make opposites. For example, true — untrue. Add ‘un’– to the word below to make its opposite. Then look up the meaning of the word you have formed in the dictionary.
answerable: ____________
‘Kalpana Chawla was a heroine’. How did a journalist support his statement?
What did the myna do finally?
In groups of four discuss some more ‘whatifs’ that you experience in your day to day life and list them out.
(i) ______________________________
(ii) ______________________________
(iii) _____________________________
(iv) _____________________________
(v) _____________________________
(vi) ____________________________
(vii) ___________________________
(viii) ___________________________
And now write a poem of five or six lines with the ‘whatifs’ that you have listed.
Find out from your grandparents or parents the names of vegetables and fruits they had eaten in their childhood and mention how the vegetables and fruits are different from the one's today.
| Name of the vegetable or fruit | Shape | Colour | Taste |
| 1. | |||
| 2. | |||
| 3. |
State whether the following statement is true or false. Correct the false statement.
There is nothing wrong with being grateful to great men.
Column A shows your involvement in growing a tree, as well as the stages in the life of a tree. Column B shows the feelings you experience at all stages. Match them appropriately.
| A | B | ||
| 1. | You planted a sapling. | a. | Gave you a feeling of joy to see the promising future. |
| 2. | You watered the plant. | b. | The new experience brought excitement to you. |
| 3. | You saw the shoot for the first time. | c. | You were happy and satisfied because you experienced what you had often heard, that a small beginning can lead to great achievements. |
| 4. | You fenced the plant. | d. | The colour, symbolizing life, gave you a feeling of hope. |
| 5. | The plant gradually saw lush green leaves grow on it. | e. | You wanted to make a humble beginning. |
| 6. | The tree had buds too. | f. | Your motive was to protect it. |
| 7. | Birds made a nest on the tree which was fully grown and laden with flowers. | g. | You cared for it. |
Choose the correct alternative for the given line. Focus on the inference of the poet.
‘Earth has not anything to show more fair:’
The line means - _________________.
Make a paraphrase of the poem ‘Leisure’ in your own simple words. Write it down in your notebook.
The setting of the act is the office of the newspaper 'The Herald'. Explain how it is the proper background for the theme of the play.
Write your opinion, in your own words:-
Why do you think the children dislike their aunt’s story?
Write the reason in your own words.
Akbar had to dress like a slave.
Speech development
Explain the following points to develop speech.
- Content
- Speaking Presentation
- Useful phrases and vocabulary
As a local government official working in the flood-affected area you are talking to an old lady who has lost her belongings. Write a dialogue between you and the old woman. Complete the conversation.
| You | Good morning Madam. |
| Old lady | Good morning. |
| You | I am from the Fire and Rescue department. How can I help you? |
| Old lady | |
| You | |
| Old lady | |
| You | |
| Old lady | |
| You | |
| Old lady | |
| You | |
| Old lady | |
| You |
On the next day, Mr. Scotti was __________ at how the local people responded to his queries.
Create a poster for the following.
“Save our Earth” is the need of the hour. Draft a poster with attractive slogans/ phrases for the same in not more than 50 words. Use attractive drawings.
Draft Letter for the following.
You are Raja. The street lights of your area do not work properly. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to the newspaper enlightening them about the problem and also suggest ways to brighten the area.
Write a letter of inquiry for the following.
Venkat hails from a remote village of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu who aspires to become an IAS officer. Currently, he is in class X. He notices an advertisement on free classes for the IAS aspirants by a trust in a news paper. He writes a letter to the coordinator of the trust inquiring for further details.
Your friend is coming to your city/town to spend a week with you. He/she wants to visit some tourist places and enjoy the special food items of the place. Prepare a two-day itinerary for the visit.
| Day | Timing | Stopover | Stopover | Mode of Transport |
| Day 1 Sunday | 8.00 am | Market | Go shopping for | Auto |
| clothes/curios | ||||
| Day 2 Monday | ||||
In the puzzle find the words given in the column. Notice that these words are formed by joining two words. One is done for you.
Find some more such words.

Complete the paragraph with suitable words from the box.
| around, across, with, along, to, after, next to, into, from. |
One day, as I was walking ______ the bank of the river, I saw my friend running ______ the field. He was calling my name and waving ______ me. I stopped and waited. ______ sometime he reached where I was standing. He said, “I went all ______ the town looking for you. I have some exciting news to share ______ you. Do you remember the old house ______ the neem tree? Guess who is moving ______ that house? Janak Das, the great magician. Now we can learn lots of magic tricks ______ him.”
Choose two friends in your class who are very different from each other. Use the clues in the box to describe their nature. You may also add your own words to describe them.
| naughty | lively | sharing | careless | studious |
| quiet | friendly | helpful | regular | cheerful |
Connect the pairs of sentences below using and or but.
- Raju plays cricket.
- He also plays hockey.
Here is a word, morning. Now write down words related to it.

Find one word from the story that means
at once q ______.
Fill in the blank with choosing the preposition from the option.
This tree was the home a flock ______ wild geese.
The travellers rested under the ______ of trees.
The children finished their work______ [quick]
What used to be there in the place of that shop twenty years ago?
How did the author react on seeing his photograph?
What was the only similarity between Leacock’s face and his photograph?
Respond to the following advertisements.
Classified Advertisement
| WANTED 100 part-time Graphic Artists Experienced in Photoshop and InDesignSalary negotiable. Apply to: MM Graphics, Triplicane, Chennai - 5 or Mail your Resume to [email protected] |
Block Advertisement
|
Female IELTS Teachers Required Postgraduates in English with a minimum of 3 years experience Must be bold and confident Good salary, transport and food allowance provided Apply to: ARV Institute of Languages 149B, Bose Road, Coimbatore Ph: 98400 xxxxx Email: [email protected] |
Fill in the following forms with imaginary details.

Reading a map
Nowadays though locations are traced easily using GPS, (Global Positioning System) one should know what to look for in the map to reach the destination. Here are a few general instructions to be followed while reading a map.
- Identify and understand the elements of the map correctly.
- Look out for the title to know what the map shows.
- Study the symbols/colors that are used on the map and find what they stand for.
- Look at the scale of the map. (whether to be scaled or not to be scaled)
- Look for the pointer to know the direction.
Let us together scale the summit. Here is a drawing of the Everest showing the way to the summit, and the position of the camps with their heights. Trace the trekking trail to reach the summit with the given details and write an interesting paragraph in about 100 words.
The Summit of Mount Everest

Using the given informal letter as a model, write a letter on any one of the topics given below.
Write a letter to your father asking permission to go on a educational tour.
Write a dialogue between a student and teacher on 'Importance of Yoga'.
Imagine someone has invited your family to a programme and you were the only person at home when the invitation was given orally.
Write a note (4-5 lines) to pass on the message to the other people in your family. Or, Write an imaginary conversation in which you pass on the message to your parents.
You are the editor of your school magazine. You want to bring about awareness among the students on the topic -Noise Pollution: A threat to all life forms. Write an article in about 300 words based on the following points:
Causes of noise pollution - effects on humans - effects on other living creatures - measures to reduce noise pollution - role of authorities - conclusion.
Think of an occasion when you did not like the decision/actions of your family members but realised later on that they were right. Write about it in 5-8 lines.
Write in a few lines, about an experience of your own where you scored in your exams much more than you hoped for. What did that experience teach you?
Do you like cartoons and cartoon films? Which one do you like best?
