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Question
How does the nightingale's song plunge the poet into a state of ecstasy?
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Solution
When Keats was sitting under a plum tree in the garden of his house, in Hampstead, he composed this poem. He was inspired by Nightingale's song and completed the poem within one day. The poet begins the poem in a melancholic mood and disparagingly expresses how his “heart aches” as if he is poisoned or is drugged. He felt as if he drank Lethe's water and was drowsy. Then it is revealed that actually it is the nearby bird, Nightingale's song which is the reason for the poet's happiness. The poet addresses the Nightingale that he is happy in the bird's happiness.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The term dietary fibres refers collectively to indigestible carbohydrates present in plant foods. The importance of these dietary fibres came into the picture when it was observed that the people having diet rich in these fibres, had low incidence of coronary heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, dental caries and gall stones.
The foodstuffs rich in these dietary fibres are cereals and grains, legumes, fruits with seeds, citrus fruits, carrots, cabbage, green leafy vegetables, apples, melons, peaches, pears etc.
These dietary fibres are not digested by the enzymes of the stomach and the small intestine whereas most of other carbohydrates like starch and sugar are digested and absorbed. The dietary fibres have the property of holding water and because of it, these get swollen and behave like a sponge as these pass through the gastrointestinal tract. The fibres add bulk to the diet and increase transit time in the gut. Some of these fibres may undergo fermentation in the colon.
In recent years, it has been considered essential to have some amount of fibres in the diet. Their beneficial effects lie in preventing coronary heart disease, and decreasing cholesterol level. The fibres like gums and pectin are reported to decrease postprandial (after meals) glucose level in blood. These types of dietary fibres are recommended for the management of certain types of diabetes. Recent studies have shown that the fenugreek (Methi) seeds, which contain 40 per cent gum, are effective in decreasing blood glucose and cholesterol levels as compared to other gum containing vegetables.
Some dietary fibres increase transit time and decrease the time of release of ingested food in colon. The diet having less fibres is associated with colon cancer and the dietary fibres may play a role in decreasing the risk of it.
The dietary fibres hold water so that stools are soft, bulky and readily eliminated. Therefore high fibre intake prevents or relieves constipation.
The fibres increase motility of the small intestine and the colon and by decreasing the transit time there is less time for exposure of the mucosa to harmful toxic substances. Therefore, there is a less desire to eat and the energy intake can be maintained within the range of requirement. This phenomenon helps in keeping a check on obesity. Another reason in helping to decrease obesity is that the high-fibre diets have somewhat lower coefficients of digestibility.
The dietary fibres may have some adverse effects on nutrition by binding some trace metals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and others and therefore preventing their proper absorption. This may pose a possibility of nutritional deficiency especially when diets contain marginal levels of mineral elements. This may become important constraints on increasing dietary fibres. It is suggested that an intake of 40 grams dietary fibres per day is desirable.
(Extracted from ‘The Tribune’)
(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it in points only, using recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary. Also suggest a suitable title. (5)
(b) Write a summary of the above in about 80 words. (3)
How did Helen Keller enjoy her visit to the World fair? (120‒150 words)
Write a summary of the above passage in about 100 words.
Read the extract and do the following activities:
A1 Complete :
| Night |
Morning |
| (i) | (i) |
| (ii) | (ii) |
There was a roaring in the wind all night;
The rain came heavily and fell in floods;
But now the sun is rising calm and bright,
The birds are singing in the distant woods;
Over his own sweet voice the Stock-dove broods;
The Jay makes answer as the Magpie chatters;
And all the air is filled with pleasant noise of waters
All things that love the sun are out of doors;
The sky rejoices in the morning’s birth;
The grass is bright with raindrops-on the moors
The hare is running races in her mirth;
And with her feet she from the plashy earth
Raises a mist; that, glittering in the sun,
Runs with her all the way, wherever she doth run.
A2 What do the different birds do? Discuss.
A3 The sky rejoices in the morning’s birth. (Name and explain the figure of speech)
Complete the call-outs:
A.1)
Our world is an institution
Of environmental pollution
We choose not to care
For our future generations
And I for one am guilty
For buying the hundreds of electronic gadgets
That attracts the industries to produce like maggots
environmental pollution is at the heart of our planet
The forests are dying
Wildlife is crying
Millions of fish are dying
Mother earth is sighing
Tell me is it right
That we sleep well at night
Replenishing ourselves
For tomorrow’s greedy fight
Overcrowded trains
Overloaded brains
Where is the light? What is our plight?
While the river break their banks
And greedy industries play their polluted pranks.
A.2) Find the examples that show that we do not care for our future generation
A.3) Match:
Match the lines in Column ‘A’ with the figures of speech in Column ‘B’:
| Column ‘A’ | Column ‘B’ | ||
| (i) | Our world is an institution | (a) | Personification |
| (ii) | Mother earth is sighing | (b) | Simile |
| (c) | Metaphor |
What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”.
Why is the quality of pity earth-bound while the other two passions are elevating?
The peacock is a colourful bird. How does the poem capture the various colours that its plumage displays?
Love is presented as the subject or the doer of actions in the poem. Why do you think the poet has used this form rather than involving human agents?
Why does the poet prefer to be a primitive Pagan rather than a member of civilised society?
Read the extract 'Being Neighborly' and complete the following statement:
In order to tidy the room, Jo __________________.
Rearrange the letters to make meaningful words, occurring in the poem.
- clearmis ____________
- sowmid ____________
- gearuoc ____________
- rissupser ____________
- tabyue ____________
- madres ____________
- laveu ____________
- downre ____________
Name the world-famous personality who reached great heights despite of humble circumstances.

Answer in your own words.
How did the plants respond when Revathi played her favourite tune?
Answer in your own words.
Read and write down 5 points which prove that Tomba, (Lanthoi’s father) firmly believes in gender equality.
Find evidence from the lesson and write in your own words.
We Indians are obsessed with foreign things.
Discuss the activities carried out by a farmer.

Stories can be told even in the form of poetry. Such poems are called Narrative poems. Narrative poems do not always follow rhythmic patterns of a fixed rhyme scheme. Such poems are written in a style called ‘Free Verse.’
Recall and name some narrative poems you have done/read earlier.
Where do we find all types of wild animals in urban areas?
Have you ever given up on something good? Share your story with your friend.
Discuss in groups and think about it.
List a few occasions on which you had become angry. What do you do when you are angry?
Discuss in groups and think about it.
Mention three occasions on which you have made someone else angry. What made that person angry? Can you avoid such things in the future?
The description of the character is given below. Identify the character from the play. Find some sentences which support your choice.
He is a brave but irresponsible person.
Draw a diagram to show how life returned to the island. Label the diagram.
(Use the technique of drawing diagrams when you study science, geography, etc.)
The man in the moon is mentioned in many nursery rhymes and stories. When people see the spots on the surface of the moon, they imagine that it’s a human face or the figure of a man who lives on the moon. Sometimes, other characters like rabbits are also imagined to live with the man. Here are two nursery rhymes about the man on the moon.
Are there any stories/legends about the moon or special names for the moon in your language? Talk to your friends and family members and collect this information.
Read the story and write about the following in short.
Kojo
Antonio’s ships were lost at sea.
Write about Malti and Rima using the following points:
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| Appearance... | Appearance... |
| Studies... | Studies... |
| Singing... | Singing... |
| Attitude to others... | Attitude to others... |
| Weak points... | Weak points... |
Use details from the story and your own imagination when you write the above descriptions.
A parody is a playful, comic imitation of a writer’s style. A parody is like a verbal cartoon. Compare the original poem and its parody given on page 35 using the following points:
|
How doth the little busy bee |
How doth the little crocodile (parody) |
| Choice of a subject (an animal) | __________________ |
| __________________ | __________________ |
| Number of lines and stanzas | __________________ |
| __________________ | __________________ |
| Same or similar constructions | __________________ |
| __________________ | __________________ |
| Tone of the poem | __________________ |
| __________________ | __________________ |
There are many popular lines like:-
- ‘Life is a game - play it well’.
- ‘Life is a journey - keep going ahead’.
Discuss and write down a few such metaphorical lines about ‘life’. You can make them up yourselves.
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
- ____________________________
Fill in the blank choosing the appropriate word/idiom from the lesson.
The ______ solved the mysterious crime.
Fill in the blank choosing the appropriate word/idiom from the lesson.
In the examination, I did not know the answer, so I ______.
Write other meaningful words that begin/end with stepmother.
List all the words and phrases in this story that indicate 'time'.
____________ raised a dreadful storm.
The second human being that Miranda saw on the island was __________________.
How did Zigzag communicate with the Krishnans?
Identify the character/speaker.
Wake up. You've been sleeping for too long.
He exercised with Louise every day.
He preferred handling mail by himself.
Neerja leapt into action when she______.
What did Grandmother feel about trees growing in the house?
Write a summary based on the story map.

Identify the speaker/character.
They somehow managed to put him on the platform.
In this story, what happened to the Earth?
We don’t use _________ in the soil.
Why did Yazhini want to join the military?
The pigeon started to worry for her friend.
______helped Bujju to reach his family.
Senthil bought a ______ from his savings.
What happened to Jayan?
Why did the greedy merchant get angry?
Write the word with same meaning.

queue- ______
“Something is wrong,” said Helen’s mother. What was wrong with Helen?
Although Helen could not hear or see, what kind of girl was she?
Why did the dogs feel scared when they saw the jackal?
Read the passage carefully and complete the activities:
A1. Complete the following sentences. [2]
- Female sparrows lay ______.
- Sparrows build their nest out of ______.
- The eggs are ______.
- In cities, sparrows build their nest in ______.
|
A sparrow is a small bird which is found throughout the world. There are many different species of sparrows. Sparrows are only about four to six inches in length. Many people appreciate their beautiful songs. Sparrows prefer to build their nests in low places-usually on the ground clumps of grass low trees and low bushes. In cities, they build their nests in building nooks or holes. They rarely build their nests in high places. They build their nests out of twigs grasses and plant fibers. Their nests are usually small and well-built structures. Female sparrows lay four to six eggs at a time. The eggs are white with reddish-brown spots. They hatch within eleven to fourteen days. Both the male and female parents care for the young. Insects are fed to the young after hatching. The large feet of the sparrows are used for scratching seeds. Adult sparrows mainly eat seeds. Sparrows can be found almost everywhere where there are humans. Many people throughout the world enjoy these delightful birds. The sparrows are some of the few birds that engage in dust bathing. Sparrows will first scratch a hole in the ground with their feet then lie in it and fling dirt or sand over their bodies with flicks of their wings. They will also bathe in water or in dry or melting snow. Water bathing is similar to dust bathing with the sparrow standing in shallow water and flicking water over its back with its wings also ducking its head under the water. Both activities are social with up to a hundred birds participating at once and are followed by preening and sometimes group singing. |
A2. How do sparrows take a bath? [2]
A3. Find out adjectives for the following nouns from the passage. [2]
- ______ Song
- ______ Water
- ______ Bird
- ______ species
A4. Do as directed. [2]
- A sparrow is a small bird which is found throughout the world.
(Underline the subordinate clause) - Female sparrows lay four to six eggs at a time.
(Frame a ‘wh’ type question to get the underlined part as an answer.)
A5. ‘We have to save the birds.’ Do you agree with this statement? Why? [2]
Read the passage given below:
| 1. | Very often, we do not take the first step towards a good cause because we say to ourselves, "The task is so big. What can I do alone?" So nothing gets done. There is much talk about environmental protection, air pollution and saving our forests. Do we really care? If we do, here are a few things we can do to make our surroundings more pleasant. |
| 2. | It is good to adopt a two-uses-attitude! By putting an article to a second use, we are giving it a longer lease of life and using up less raw material from nature. One of the worst things we do is abuse of paper. The clean sides of envelopes can be used to write small notes, lists and reminders around the house. The more paper we use, the more trees will have to be cut down. For the same reason, we should avoid the use of paper napkins or paper plates. Cloth napkins are just as good, for they can be washed and used over and over again. |
| 3. | Another area which needs the most urgent attention is effective garbage disposal. People who are conscious about it follow rules and laws strictly. As a result, their neighbourhoods are clean and beautiful Similarly, each one of us can contribute to a cleaner environment. All kitchen waste should be collected separately. Those of you who have green fingers can turn this into valuable manure. Dig a pit and put the kitchen waste into it. When the pit is a little over half full, cover it up with mud. Let nature do the rest. Within three or six months, we will have a good garden manure. It can also be done as a community project by digging a large pit in the colony. Do take help of all the members, for nothing succeeds like co-operation |
| 4. | A lot of people don't care about the environment because they don't understand the adverse effect that society has on it. It is important to convince people to care about the environment. The first step would be to convince people to change by providing simple alternative solutions and ways of doing things. Theintemet is a powerful tool and a group on social media of like-minded people can be formed. People can share environmental stories and issues, as well as pool in solutions and alternatives to educate one another. With the current state that our planet is in, it is imperative that people actively care about the environment and most importantly to act now. |
Based on your understanding of the passage, answer any Eight questions from the nine given below:
- Why don't we take the first step towards a good cause?
- What is a two-uses-attitude?
- What can we do to avoid the abuse of paper? (any two points)
- What is the result of an effective way of a garbage disposal?
- What procedure can one adopt for kitchen waste?
- How can making of garden manure be done as community project?
- How long does it take to make good garden manure?
- Select a suitable word from the passage which means - being concerned or interested. (Paragraph 3)
- Pick out the word from the passage which means - completely necessary? (Paragraph 4)
Being a bachelor, the stranger had no patience with children.


