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Question
Examine the communication channels in the story between Paul and his uncle.
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Solution
Paul and uncle Oscar became partners soon after uncle discovers that Paul has an uncanny knowledge that makes him predict the winning horse. However, there is more to it, he realises that the whole betting thing was making Paul nervous and was hampering his health. However, Oscar Creswell asks Paul on how to win by betting, to which the child innocently replies that he just knows who is going to win once he “gets there
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer any six of the following questions in 30‒40 words:
(a) Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless?
(b) Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap?
(c) How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad?
(d) What tempted Franz to stay away from school?
(e) Why did the maharaja ban tiger hunting in the state?
(f) How was the skunk's story different from the other stories narrated by Jack?
(g) Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama?
Read the following passage and do the activities:
B1 Match:
Match the areas given in Column ‘A’ with the description of Mehendi design given in Column ‘B’:
| 'A' | 'B" | ||
| (i) | North African | (a) | A mix of Indo-Pakistani and Arabic design |
| (ii) | Indian | (b) | Delicate loops and curves, paisleys, teardrops |
| (iii) | Arabic | (c) | Geometrical images |
| (iv) | South Asian | (d) | Local textiles, paintings, and architecture |
Henna comes from the leaves of the plant Lawsonia inertias. The plant grows in hot and dry climes and is native to North Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. The leaves of the plant are dried and crushed to powder. Various additives such as coffee decoction, tea, lime juice, Mehendi and eucalyptus oil are mixed with the henna powder to increase the potency of the dry, this also helps to bind the powder to a paste-like consistency. The mixture is applied through cones in intricate patterns depending on the region of use.
Album of Patterns
Four major styles can be found in the vast dictionary of Mehendi designs. Earlier the application was restricted to hand and feet, but the adoption of Mehendi by different cultures throughout the world has seen experimentation on different body parts including the neck naval and back.
North African patterns rely on geometrical images to trace the shape of hands and feet, Arabic designs borrow heavily from local textiles, paintings, and architecture. These are more spaced out, to allow the design to stand out boldly from the skin parts left untouched by henna. The Indian style comprises of delicate loops and curves, paisleys, teardrops and flowers that give a dainty filigreed glow-like effect. Though intricate patterning is the name of the game today, this trend took off in India only during the 20th century. The patterns preferred by the South Asian countries are mixed with Indo-Pakistani and Arabic design schemes. Chinese and Celtic symbols now find a place in the vast repertoire of Mehendi designs as well.
B2 Complete:
Complete the following and write:
(i) The procedure before applying henna _______
(ii) The reasons for using additives _______
(iii) The suitable climatic conditions for the henna plant _______
(iv) Mehendi is used on _______
B3 Find words:
Look at the following description and find out proper words from the passage and write:
(i) Existing naturally in the place : - n _______
(ii) Consist of something: - c _______
(iii) Delicate decoration made from gold, silver and copper wire: - f _______
(iv) Substance that is added in small quantity : - a _______
B4 Language study:
Fill in the blanks with suitable subordinators given in the box:
| as well as, so that, however, which |
(i) The mixture is applied through cones in intricate patterns _______ depend on the region of use.
(ii) The intricate pattern is the name of the game of today _______, this trend took off in India, recently.
(iii) North African pattern relies on geometrical images ______ they can trace the shape of hands and feet.
(iv) The patterns preferred by the South Asian countries are mixed with Indo-Pakistani _______ Arabic design schemes.
B5 Personal Response:
Which Mehendi design do you like? Why?
Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme?
What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”.
Look for pictures in newspapers and magazines that depict the urban civic problems discussed in the text. Cut them out and pin them to the text at appropriate places.
What impression of the character of Iona do you get from this story?
Discuss in groups plays or films with a strong message of social reform that you have watched.
How, according to you, can peace and liberty be maintained in a state?
Suggest a few instances in the poem which highlight humour and irony.
'New Literature' is a misnomer for the wealth of the Indian Literary tradition. How does G. N. Devy explain this?
What makes the urgency of the child's demand seem logical?
How does the nightingale's song plunge the poet into a state of ecstasy?
What decision taken by Dick changed his fortune?
Answer in your own words.
Why did she decide to keep her new knowledge ‘a secret’?
Answer in your own words.
What are the provisions in the Declaration of the United Nations, to ensure the equality of men and women?
Answer the given question in your own words.
Where was the Happy Prince’s statue located?
You have heard the proverb ‘Plan your work, work your plan’. It means - ________________.
Given below are various professions in column A and in column B, the nature of work in respective professions. Match the columns.
| A | B |
| (i) Anaesthetist | (a) Specialist in the treatment of problems concerning the position of teeth and jaws. |
| (ii) Pharmacist | (b) A person who designs buildings and supervises the process of constructing them. |
| (iii) Orthodentist | (c) A person who is in charge of a newspaper or of a part of a newspaper. |
| (iv) Dermitologist | (d) The medical study of the skin and its diseases. |
| (v) Architect | (e) A person who has been trained to prepare medicines and sell them to the public. |
| (vi) Chartered Accountant | (f) A person whose job is to give drugs which makes the person not feel pain especially in preparation for a medical operation. |
| (vii) Editor | (g) A person who is engaged in the profession of accounting and examining the statements and records of accounts. |
Discuss in your class.
Do you like to study science?
Expansion of Idea:
Expand the following idea in about 100-150 words by using the points.
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty'.
- Meaning of the proverb
- Significance of the proverb
- Add your own points.
Find at least five other Akbar and Birbal stories and share them with your friends. Make a list of the stories collected by the entire class. Put your list in alphabetical order.
Write a short autobiography of any bird or animal of your choice.
Read the story aloud (or present it) in groups of three - the narrator, the peacock, and the crane.
Read the passage and answer the following question:
Who designed the PVC medal?
Read the story and write about the following in short.
Yonamine Chiru of Okinawa
Write a short monologue using one of the following ideas. Write down the monologue and present it in the class.
Bushi disguised as a bandit.
Make a chart to show the important points to remember while making a graphic presentation.
Relate the themes of the Fair to your science textbook by writing the relevant chapter numbers under each theme.
Imagine you are visiting the Science Fair. What other stalls (apart from the ones mentioned here) are you likely to find there? Try to list at least five more stalls.
Prepare similar word chains using the following ideas.
| rain | drizzle | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| wind | breeze | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| sunshine | warm | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| waterbody | pool | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| size | big | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| size | small | ______ | ______ | ______ |
Complete the following sentence with reference to the passage.
It is believed that _________ Homer, who __________ and who ________ to all who __________________.
Rewrite in your own words.
One of the Caesar’s traits that makes you laugh.
Form groups of 6-8. One person (leader) chooses one item - a picture, a paragraph, or a lesson from any one of the 9th standard textbooks and writes the reference on a slip of paper, and folds it. Others ask him/her questions and try to guess what it is, from his/her answers. Follow the rules given below.
- The maximum number of questions the rest of the group can ask is 20.
- You cannot ask a direct question like ‘What do you have in mind?’
- You can ask ‘Wh-’ questions or ‘Yes/no’ questions.
- The leader has to give truthful answers.
Fill in the blank choosing the appropriate word/idiom from the lesson.
The ______ solved the mysterious crime.
What was the businessman looking for? Why?
Read the word. Write the words that combine to make it.
footprint
List all the pairs of antonyms you find in the passage.
Who used the zither and how?
Mention the things that the grandfather imagined.
Read the data below and answer the following question.

Choose the correct answer.
Percentage of women working in finance is the same as ______.
He woke up very late in the morning.
Read these lines and answer the questions given below.
With lutes in our hands ever-singing we roam,
All men are our kindred, the world is our home.
- Who does ‘we’ refer to? What do they have in their hands? What is its name?
- How are the men in the world related to the singers?
Read the “Story of Self Sacrifice and Bravery” once again and complete the flow chart.

What made Grandfather plant saplings on the rocky island?
Find out the idiom that relates to ‘whatever the circumstances’, from the first paragraph.
Name some of the activities that the village children were doing on their vacation.
What is our core?
How did Vicky change at the end?
Write the rhyming word.
gale
Choose the correct answer.

What are things that we can save? Why should we save them?
Fill in the blank with rhyming word.
anthill- ______
Fill in the blank with rhyming word.
larder- ______
When does the world become green?
Ani grew the seeds well.
The child won’t ______ anything, if he closes his ears.
What does the poem tell us to do?
How did the animals know that the king was just a jackal?
Read the following passage and do the activities.
1. State whether the following sentences are True or false. (2)
- The king’s temperament also changed.
- The king was happy with prediction of the astrologer.
- The courtiers sought an audience with Tenali Raman.
- Courtiers advised the king to regulate his diet.
2. Complete the web (2)

|
King Krishnadeva Raya would perform heavy exercises every morning. He regularly applied oil on his body and thereafter worked out till all the oil came out with the sweat. This was followed by a long ride on his horse. Once the king started leading a sedentary lifestyle, and he stopped exercising. He no longer went horse-riding either. The king overate and as a result grew fat and heavy. The king‟s temperament also underwent a sea change. Noticing this, the royal physicians cautioned the king against the ill effects of overeating and explained to him the risks posed by obesity. They advised the king to regulate his diet, exercise, and take care of his health. The repeated advice he got from the physicians to eat less made him so angry that one day he announced a reward for anyone who could find him an easy cure. But there was one condition: those who failed would have their heads off. None dared to advise the king in this regard. The situation became precarious and as usual Tenali Raman was approached by the courtiers for a remedy. Tenali heard the problem and assured the courtiers of a viable solution. The next day, an astrologer predicted that the king had only a month left to live. When the king came to know of this, he was furious. The astrologer was ordered by the king to be imprisoned for a month so that his prediction could be put to test and so the hapless forecaster was sent to prison. |
3. Find out describing words from the passage for the words given below. (2)
- exercise - ________
- lifestyle - ________
- ride - _________
- physician - __________
4. Do as directed. (2)
- King Krishnadeva Raya would perform heavy exercises every morning.
(Use 'used to) - They advised the king to regulate his diet. (Pick out the infinitive)
5. What are the benefits of daily exercise? (2)
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)
