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Question
How does the guru mange to save his disciple’s life?
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Solution
Since the guru had magical powers, he saw in a vision that the disciple was praying to him. As soon as he arrived to save him, he whispered something to him. He then went to the king and asked who was greater, the guru or the disciple. The king answered that the guru was greater. Immediately, the guru asked the king to put him to the stake first and then his disciple. The disciple understood the guru’s trick and began saying that he was brought there first and therefore, he should be put to death first.
The guru and disciple got into a fight. The king was puzzled. He knew there was something mysterious about the fight. So, he promised the guru that he would put him to death first if he told him what the mystery was. The guru told him that he and his disciple had been all over the world, but they had never found a city like that or a king like him. The stake was the stake of the god of justice. It was new and a criminal had never been put on it. Whoever would die on it first would be reborn as the king of that kingdom and whoever would die next, would be the future minister. The guru said that they were tired of their ascetic lives. Hence, they wanted to be reborn as king and minister.
The king started thinking immediately. He did not want to lose his kingdom to someone else in the next life. He postponed the execution till the next day and talked to his minister and decided that they would go on the stakes themselves and would be reborn as king and minister. The king and the minister secretly released the guru and his disciple and took their place and got executed on the stake. Hence, the guru used his cleverness to save his disciple’s life.
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Answer of these question in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
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Thinking about the Text
Given in the box are some headings. Find the relevant paragraphs in the text to match the headings.
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Joy of Reunion;
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An Island in the courtyard
Notice how ideas are connected in the story.
Write what the following words you just used in 1.1 imply by choosing suitable options from the box.
- and:
- but:
- where:
- while:
- after:
- until:
- so :
connects similar actions, objects
denotes contrast
denotes time.
The words given above are called connectors. Connectors do not simply join sentences together; they also show how ideas are related.
There are many different ways of classifying connectors according to their meaning. We shall start with the ones you are already familiar with.
More complex Connectors
Read through the following text. Pay special attention to the underlined words. These help the reader to understand the relationship between sentences, or the parts of sentences, clearly.
Select as many appropriate words as possible from the list given below to replace the underlined words. Be careful not to change the basic meaning too much.
| to his amazement | even though |
| although | in actual fact |
| as a matter of fact | lastly |
| generally | usually |
| however | nevertheless |
| besides | to his surprise |
| asarule | all the same. |
Martin’s Picture
Margin wasn’t a very bright boy. Normally, he never came more than second from the bottom in any test. But, that morning in the art lesson, he had drawn a beautiful picture of a scarecrow in a field of yellow corn. To his astonishment, the drawing was the only one given full marks – ten out of ten – which made him for the first time in his life the best in the class! He had proudly pinned the picture up on the wall behind his desk, where it could be admired by all. It seemed though, that not everyone admired it. Some unknown member of the class had, in fact, taken a violent dislike to it.
During the lunch break, when the classroom had been deserted, the picture had been torn off the wall. Moreover, it had been trodden or stamped on. As if that wasn’t enough, the words ‘ROTTEN RUBBISH’ had been written on the back in big round letters. And finally, the paper was so creased that it looked as though it had been screwed up into a tight ball and perhaps thrown about the room.
“Who could have done it?” Martin wondered.
Now rewrite the text.
Martin’s picture
Martin wasn’t a very bright boy.
Usually,
Generally
As a rule, He never came more than second from the bottom in any test.
However,…. ______________________
"My father lived at Blenheim then,
Yon little stream hard by;
They burnt his dwelling to the ground,
And he was forced to fly;
So with his wife and child he fled,
Nor had he where to rest his head.
"With fire and sword the country round
Was wasted far and wide,
And many a childing mother then,
And new-born baby died;
But things like that, you know, must be
At every famous victory;
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.
Explain with reference to context.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in springhtly dance.
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.
Explain with reference to context.
The angel wrote and vanished.
The next night, It came again with a great wakening light,
And show's the names whom love of God had blest,
And Lo! Bin Adhem's name led all the rest.
Read the lines given above and answer the following question.
Where was Abou’s name written amongst those who loved God?
Of the seven hundred villages dotting the map of India, in which the majority of India’s five hundred million live, flourish and die, Kritam was probably the tiniest, indicated on the district survey map by a microscopic dot, the map being meant more for the revenue official out to collect tax than for the guidance of the motorist, who in any case could not hope to reach it since it sprawled far from the highway at the end of a rough track furrowed up by the iron-hooped wheels of bullock carts. But its size did not prevent its giving itself the grandiose name Kritam, which meant in Tamil coronet or crown on the brow of the subcontinent. The village consisted of fewer than thirty houses, only one of them built from brick and cement and painted a brilliant yellow and blue all over with
gorgeous carvings of gods and gargoyles on its balustrade, it was known as the Big House. The other houses, distributed in four streets, were generally of bamboo thatch, straw, mud and other unspecified material. Muni’s was the last house in the fourth street, beyond which stretched the fields. In his prosperous days Muni had owned a flock of sheep and goats and sallied forth every morning driving the flock to the highway a couple of miles away.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
Name the village in which Muni lived.
He flungs himself down in a corner to recoup from the fatigue of his visit to the shop. His wife said, “You are getting no sauce today, nor anything else. I can’t find anything to give you to eat. Fast till the evening, it’ll do you good. Take the goats and be gone now,” she cried and added, “Don’t come back before the sun is down.”
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
What lie did Muni tell the shopkeeper?
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Granny knew I'd been in the train for two nights, and she had a huge breakfast ready for me. Later she told me there'd been a letter from Uncle Ken.
'He says he's the manager in Fitpo's hotel in Simla,' she said. 'The salary is very good. It's a steady job and I hope he keeps it.' Three days later Uncle Ken was on the veranda steps with his bedding roll and battered suitcase. 'Have you given up the hotel job?' asked Granny. 'No,' said Uncle Ken. 'They have closed down.' I hope it wasn't because of you.' 'No, Aunt Ellen_ The bigger hotels in the hill stations are closing down. 'Well, never mind. Come along and have your lunch. Over lunch; Uncle Ken talked very seriously about ways and means of earning a living. There is only one taxi in the whole of Debra, he mused. 'Surely there is business for another?' `I'm sure there is,' said Granny. 'But where does it get you? In the first place, you don't have a taxi. And in the second place, you can't drive.' I can soon learn. There's a driving school in town. And I can use Uncle's old car.' 'I don't think it will run now,' said Granny. 'Of course, it will. It just needs some oiling and greasing and a spot of paint.' 'All right, learn to drive.' So, Uncle Ken joined the driving school.After a month Uncle Ken announced that he could drive and that he was taking the car out for a trial run. 'You haven't got your license yet,' said Granny. 'Oh, I won't take it far,' said Uncle Ken. 'Just down the road and back again.' He spent all morning cleaning up the car. Granny gave him money for a can of petrol. After tea, Uncle Ken said, 'Come along, Ruskin, hop in and I will give you a ride. Bring Mohan along too.' Mohan and I needed no urging. We got into the car beside Uncle Ken. 'Now don't go too fast, Ken,' said Granny anxiously. 'You are not used to the car as yet.' Uncle Ken nodded and smiled and gave two sharp toots on the horn. He was feeling pleased with himself. Driving through the gate, he nearly ran over a cat. Miss Kellner, coming out for her evening rickshaw ride, saw Uncle Ken at the wheel of the car and ran indoors again. [40] Uncle Ken drove straight and fast, tootling the horn without a break. At the end of the road there was a roundabout. 'We’ll turn here,' said Uncle Ken, 'and then drive back again.' He turned tt;e steering wheel, we began going round the roundabout, but the steering wheel wouldn't turn all the way, not as much as Uncle Ken would have liked it to... So, instead he went on - and straight through the Maharaja of Jetpur’s garden wall. It was a single-brick wall, and the car knocked it down and emerged on the other, side without any damage to the car or any of its occupants. Uncle Ken brought it to a halt in the middle of the Maharaja's lawn. Running across the grass came the Maharaja himself. When he saw that it was Uncle Ken at the wheel, the Maharaja beamed with pleasure. 'Delighted to see you, old chap!' he exclaimed. 'Jolly decent of you to drop in again. How about a game of tennis?'
(a) Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage:
One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
(i) battered
(ii) bused
(iii) emerged
(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
(i) Why did Granny hope Uncle Ken would keep his job at Fitgo's hotel?
(ii) When Uncle Ken arrived with his luggage, Granny remarked that she hoped the hotel had not closed down because of him. What does this remark tell you about Uncle Ken?
(iii) Why did Uncle Ken think that driving a taxi in Dehra would be profitable?
(iv) Which sentence tells you that the narrator and his friend were waiting to be invited for a drive in a car?
(v) Why did Miss Kellner run indoors when she saw Uncle Ken at the wheel of the car?
(vi) What was Uncle Ken's intention at the roundabout?
(c)
(I) In not more than 60 words, describe what happened after the car went through the wall.
(ii) Give a title to your summary in 3(c)(i). Give a reason to justify choice of the title.
How, according to Portia, can the Duke of Saxony’s nephew be made to choose the wrong casket? What do these suitors ultimately decide? Why?
By pressing the red button, Tilloo made the mechanical hand from the spacecraft cease to work.
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(a) If she knows we have a cat, Paati will leave the house.
(b) She won’t be so upset if she knows about the poor beggar with sores on his feet.
(c) If the chappals do fit, will you really not mind?
Notice that the sentence consists of two parts. The first part begins with ‘if’. It is known as if-clause. Rewrite each of the following pairs of sentences as a single sentence. Use ‘if’ at the beginning of the sentence.
Don’t tire yourself now. You won’t be able to work in the evening.
What did Kari eat and how much?
How was Mahmoud, the cook, attached to the tiger cub?
What made the farmer’s wife blind with rage?
What was it that made Prem leave his village?
Who really helped Vijay Singh in defeating the ghost? How?
Answer the question.
Why does the poet want to know where the teachers go at four o’clock?
Your partner and you may now be able to answer the question.
From the way the child envies the hawker, the gardener, and the watchman, we can guess that there are many things the child has to do, or must not do. Make a list of the do’s and don’ts that the child doesn’t like. The first line is done for you.
| The child must come home at a fixed time. | The child must not get his clothes dirty in the dust. |
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Now add to the list your own complaints about the things you have to do, or must not do.
