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Question
Answer the following question briefly.
The poet says “I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.” What is ‘the difference’ that the poet mentions?
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Solution
The poet says “I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference”. The difference is that he did not choose that way of life which most people generally choose to get easy success, fame and money in life. On the other hand, he chose the road that was “less travelled by”. It was certainly risky and adventurous to choose such a road. Perhaps, he means that he chose to be a poet and sacrificed other convenient traditional and more lucrative professions. To be a poet, perhaps, turned out to be a risky and adventurous choice. Perhaps he realised it ‘ages and ages’ after he had made the decision.
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3. crack the…………..............….
4. take the……………….to water
5. …………...................…….tail.
6. wonders will……….........…….
7. ……………….can't be undone.
8. reap what I …………………….
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SHRAVAN KUMAR
His day begins when most other people's day ends. Thirteen-year old Shravan Kumar works in a tea shop on Delhi's Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, where several newspaper offices are situated. His work begins around seven in the evening when he starts preparing samosas, coffee and tea. He carries them to several offices, does the dishes, and goes around collecting his money well into the night. Around six in the morning, when all the newspapers are despatched for distribution and the press employees return home, he prepares his food, takes a bath and goes to bed.
Shravan is an orphan who crune to Delhi from his village in search of work. His father kept a shop, but was tricked out of it by a deceitful uncle. Despair drove him to alcohol and grunbling, and he died of a stroke soon after.
Shravan worked in a tea shop in his village for a while. "When I first began washing other people's cups and glasses", he recalls, "I used to feel very bad, I would cry."
Shravan moved to the more lucrative environs of Delhi, where his elder brother Shatrughan had preceded him. Ajob in a shop selling ice was his first taste of big city life. His mother crune to visit him in Delhi, but she fell ill and died soon after. "That was two or three years ago. I don't remember exactly when," the little boy says. Soon, Shravan lost his first job. His employer still owes him Rs 500.
Following a brief spell of unemployment and a short spell as an assistant at a car park, he joined the tea shop where he is presently employed. The ruthlessness and loneliness of the world has left him shattered. "I think I run all alone in this world," he says despondently.
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Shravan was a dedicated lotte:ry buyer at one time; until he realized that it was adding nothing to his income. The cinema remains a favourite form of entertainment - he even wakes up early to see the noon show. "I have no friends here. Who keeps awake late at night and sleeps during the day? I miss my village. There, I used to play gully danda and marbles and I had a lot of friends. When I went to the village last year, I met them. They are still studying and playing games. I want to join them, but it is a question of survival for me."
Sharvan's mother wanted him to own a big shop - "like the one his father had owned," he says wistfully. He dreams of fulfilling her wish. He dreams of getting back their mortgaged land, and returning to the village for good, "I like being in my village. I like the films and the glitter of Delhi, but I prefer the greene:ry, the trees, and the fields of my village." Maybe the grit and intelligence he has shown, alone and friendless, in facing a hostile world, will also win for him his heart's desire.
NARENDRA KUMAR
Narendra Kumar, a thirteen year old Kendriya Vidyalaya student, was interviewed by The Illustrated Weekly of India. Read what he says about himself.
Interviewer : Hello, Narendra!
Narendra : Hello!
Interviewer : Congratulations! Narendra. I saw your photograph in the newspaper last week, when you won the Soviet Land Nehru Award for drawing and painting. Our readers are anxious to know more about you.
Narendra : Thank you, Sir. I think I was just lucky to get the award. The competition is held every year in my school and a large number of students take part in it.
Interviewer : That's good, very good. It's evident that your school encourages students to take part in various activities.
Narendra : Oh yes. Our teachers -especially my Art teacher, Mr. V. Sinha - gives us a lot of encouragement. My parents have encouraged me a lot, too.
Interviewer : When did you start painting?
Narendra : When I was three, I was attending the Shishu Vihar Nursery School. My teacher gave me a picture of a big kite one day. The picture was beautiful and that very day I asked my father to buy me some crayons and drawing paper... Soon my room was full of crayons and paper! I kept drawing whenever I found time. I now have a mini art room of my own at home!
Interviewer : That's great, really great! Do you want to become an artist when you grow up?
Narendra : No. Drawing and painting are just hobbies, which give me a great deal of pleasure. I want to become a police officer when I grow up. That's the only thing I've ever wanted to be.
Interviewer : Is that because your father is a police officer?
Narendra : Yes, maybe. I've been watching my father and other policemen for a very long time. I suppose I want to be like him!
Interviewer : Do you feel you have the qualities that a good police officer needs?
Narendra : Yes, I think so. A good police officer needs to be physically fit and mentally alert. I'm trying my best to grow into a healthy young man. I'm a member of the local sports club. I play tennis in the evenings and I also swim regularly.
Interviewer : How do you find time for all these activities?
Narendra : Well, I suppose I'm busy the whole day. Immediately after school I like to paint or play. I study before dinner and usually get to bed at about 10 o'clock.
Interviewer : Thank you, Narendra. It's been good talking to you. We wish you success.
Narendra : It's been a pleasure
Fill in the empty bubbles in Column C with reports of what was said in Column A, as in the box given above.
Now prepare a graph based on the students' response to the survey you conducted in Question 2. Then write a report for the newspaper taking the help of Question 5, Question 3 and Question 6. You may follow this pattern:
Paragraph 1 : A suitable introduction as in B.4.
Paragraph 2 : Hours per week spent on different activities - classes VI, IX and XI compared.
Paragraph 3 : How extra time would be used - Classes VI, IX and XI compared.
Paragraph 4 : Boys and girls compared - Classes VI, IX and XI
The following words and phrases will be useful to you:
To express proportion
Most __
Many __
The majority of ___
A large number of ___
A small number of ___
Very few ____
Only a few ___
To express frequency
Most of the time ___
Frequently ___
Occasionally ___
Often ____
At times ___
To express comparison and contrast
__ compared with __
On the other hand, ___
In contrast, ___
By comparison, ___
___ however, ___
____ in comparison with ___
You may also find some of the phrases from B.5 useful.
In pairs, choose one topic from the table in Question 3. Imagine that you and your parents are expressing your views on the topic. Use your notes from the table and write the dialogue that would take place. Make it funny! Share your dialogue with the rest of the class.
Verbs and Prepositions
Fill in the gaps with suitable prepositions
- You’re right. I agree __________ you.
- The conclusions are based __________ extensive research.
- He arrived __________ Delhi airport at 2 am and then arrived the city at 4 am.
- He angrily shouted __________ the pupil.
- “Remember the party!” she shouted __________ her friend.
- A differs __________ B in a number of ways.
- He applied __________ the teaching job but was turned down.
- She replied __________ his last letter.
- They apologized __________ breaking the vase.
- Do you believe __________ ghosts?
Adjectives and Prepositions
Look at the table below. Decide which of the adjectives in Column A commonly go with which preposition. Tick the table as shown. (There may be more then one tick for each adjective).
| A | at | to | about | for |
| worried |  |
 |
||
| good | ||||
| bad | ||||
| surprised | ||||
| happy | ||||
| sensitive | ||||
| puzzled | ||||
| married | ||||
| clever | ||||
| suitable | ||||
| curious | ||||
| due | ||||
| qualified | ||||
| famous |
