Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
How does the poem capture the elusive nature of the peacock?
Advertisements
Solution
The peacock, as the poet narrates, is not so easy to find. Its elusive nature makes one work really hard to get a glimpse of it. The poet says that she was told that one has to sit in the veranda and read a book, preferably a favourite one, with great concentration. The moment the person begins to live inside the book and forgets about the surroundings, the peacock descends casting a blue shadow over the person. The steady humming of the bees in the nearby bushes will stop, the cat will awaken and stretch. The attention will brake and then one has to look up in time else the peacock will disappear again somewhere for it is evanescent. Even when one gets to see it once, the peacock runs out of sight quickly gathering its tail.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Attempt the following in 150-200 words.
Bring out the importance of the diary in Anne's life.
Chimps making their own fishing rods is an indication that
Read the following passage carefully and complete the activities given below :
A.1) Complete the web :
Write the words from the passage on the web. 
We saw small bits of grass peeping through the small cracks in concrete pavement. It left us thinking: however impossible things may look, there is always an opening…………
We saw a tree bare of all leaves in the cold winter months. We thought its chapter was over. But three months passed, spring set in and the tree was back to its green majesty once again, full of leaves, flowers, birds, and life. What if we too had the conviction that, however difficult things are right now, it will not remain so forever. Remember, this too shall pass.
We saw an army of ants lugging a fly which was at least ten times the ant’s size. The ants organized themselves around the fly, lifted it on frail feelers and carried it to quite a distance. Their teamwork and perseverance were impressive. What if we too are consistent, organized, focused ……… Spider webs are delicate, yet very strong. A rainbow colors the entire sky. Oysters take in a grain of sand they open up with a pearl. Innumerable stars shine across the infinite sky. Clouds take new shapes with every passing moment. The wind makes trees dance with unhindered passion. Water, without a hint of ego, changes its form according to the dictates of the sun and the wind. When we see a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, a flower turns into a fruit, we experience the alchemy of nature ………. We touch it and become gold ourselves.
A.2) Finding meanings :
Write what you mean by :
(i) _______ there is always an opening.
(ii) _______ its chapter was over.
(iii) _______ the tree was back to its green majesty.
(iv) _______ this too shall pass.
A.3) Matching :
Match the words in Column ‘A’ with their synonyms in Column ‘B’:
| Column 'A' | Column'B" | ||
| (i) | conviction | (a) | strong feeling |
| (ii) | alchemy | (b) | delicate |
| (iii) | frail | (c) | mysterious/magical power |
| (iv) | passion | (d) | strong belief |
A.4) Language study :
Rewrite the sentence using the correct question tag given in the brackets :
(i) Water changes its form. (does it?, do it?, do they?, doesn’t it)
(ii) However impossible things may look, there is always an opening. (Rewrite using ‘but’)
A.5) Personal Response :
Nature is the best teacher. Explain.
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
-
the thought was almost revolting
-
an expanse of pure white serenity
-
a turning-point
-
accepted her seclusion with resignation
-
a veritable bedlam of chirrupings
-
frivolous rebukes
-
the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum
Give reasons for the following statement.
The author was disappointed with Darchen.
The story begins with a description of the setting. How does this serve as a fitting prelude to the events described in the story?
The episode has been narrated in a light vein. What social mores does the author seem to ridicule?
Discuss the following in pairs or in groups of four:
Because India's tribal communities are basically bilingual there is a danger of dismissing their languages as dialects of India's major tongues.
How is the essence of the poem captured in the lines 'two tickets to Happiness'?
Read the following statement and mark those that apply to you.
Someone has extended a hand of friendship towards me and I have not accepted it.
Rearrange the letters to make meaningful words, occurring in the poem.
- clearmis ____________
- sowmid ____________
- gearuoc ____________
- rissupser ____________
- tabyue ____________
- madres ____________
- laveu ____________
- downre ____________
How do stories/biographies of such famous people help youngsters?
Read the poem below and fill in the gaps, choosing appropriate pairs of rhyming words, to make them meaningful.
|
Little things Little drops of water, Thus the little minutes, Little deeds of kindness, |
(love - above / sand - land / be - eternity)
Expand the idea inherent in the following proverb :
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread - Alexander Pope.
Suggest what you would do in the following situation:
You realise that you no longer want to pursue your studies in the stream you have selected.
What could have happened to the one who flew away? Who was she?
Define drama.
The description of the character is given below. Identify the character from the play. Find some sentences which support your choice.
He is obedient and simple.
Write a conversation between a donkey and a school boy.
What did the Clean Brigade do?
Find the pairs of rhyming words used at the end of the lines in the poem.
Find out the following with the help of your teacher and the internet.
Seasonal Rains (monsoon) in India and other countries.
Find one example of the following given below from the poem: Metaphor
Why did Marouckla’s stepmother hate her?
Rewrite the following line in your own words.
'Never one comes flying by
But will flutter down to drink.'
What did he try to take the milk from?
Rearrange the following sentences in a coherent order.
- He ordered Ariel to torment the inmates of the ship.
- Miranda was attracted by Ferdinand and had more concern towards him.
- Prospero and Miranda came to an island and lived in a cave.
- Prospero forgave them and restored his dukedom, Milan.
- He raised a violent storm in the sea to wreck the ship of his enemies.
- Prospero wanted to test Ferdinand and gave a severe task to perform.
- Using his powers, Prospero released the good spirits from large bodies of trees.
- The King of Naples, and Antonio the false brother, repented the injustice they had done to Prospero.
- Ariel was instructed to bring Ferdinand, the prince of Naples to his cave.
- Ferdinand was the second human whom Miranda had seen after her father
The narrator searched for three days to buy ceramic paint.
Identify the speaker/character.
‘Even though I clearly said no!’
Find a sentence/word from the text which express the following.
The parent’s earlier view of the child
What did Usha see while walking to the bazaar?
Why did Alice follow the rabbit?
The boy was rather unsympathetic to his sister.
Try your own.

Karmugilan went to __________ for higher studies.
The villagers, built a _______ on his memory.
Find the rhyming word from the poem.
Crowd - ______.
How was he honoured by the Indian government?
Try your own.

How did Vicky change at the end?
Name the character or speaker.
"The robot will do all your work."
Look at the picture and Choose the correct word.

Why do we discover a mystery?
What is your hobby?
The old man is _____.
What did the archer want to show to the crowd?
Why did Uthaman become angry with the old man?
Match the rhyming words.
| 1. share | dare |
| 2. bread | rest |
| 3. care | needs |
| 4. deeds | ahead |
| 5. zest | bear |
Jana and her family moved to the village _______ ago.
In real, the test is for______.
Why is your nose important for you?
What did Nasruddin boast about?
What strange things did Alice see?
What does the earth do when the day is over?
Who was Nokomis?
How did the boy enjoy the company of the tree?
Read the passage below:
| 1. | Our history makes it evident that the Indian Plastics Industry made a vigorous beginning in 1957 but it took more than 30 years for it to pervade Indian lifestyles. In 1979, "the market for plastics' was just being seeded by the state-owned Indian Petro-Chemicals and it was only in 1994 that plastic soft drink bottles became a visible source of annoyance. |
| 2. | In the same year, people in other cities were concerned about the state of public sanitation and also urged regulatory bodies to ban the production, distribution and use of plastic bags. However, the challenge was greater than it appeared at first. |
| 3. |
The massive generation of plastic waste in India is due to rapid urbanisation, spread of retail chains, plastic packaging from grocery to food and vegetable products, to consumer items and cosmetics. The projected high growth rates of GDP and continuing rapid urbanisation suggest that India's trajectory of plastic consumption and plastic waste is likely to increase.
|
| 4. | According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report of 2018, India stands among few other countries like France, Mongolia and several African countries that have initiated total or partial nationallevel bans on plastics in their jurisdictions. On World Environment Day in 2018, India vowed to phase out single-use plastics by 2022, which gave a much needed impetus to bring this change |
| 5. | In this context, thereafter ten states (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu) are currently sending their collected waste to cement plants for co-processing, twelve other states/UTs are using plastic waste for polymer bitumen road construction and still four other states are using the plastic waste for waste-to-energy plants and oil production. A world of greater possibilities has now opened up to initiate appropriate and concrete actions to build up the necessary institutions and systems before oceans turn, irreversibly into a thin soup of plastic. |
| 6. | However there is no one single masterstroke to counter the challenges witnessed by the staggering plastic waste management in the country. The time is now to formulate robust and inclusive National Action Plans and while doing so, the country will establish greater transparency to combat the plastic jeopardy in a more sustainable and holistic way. |
Based on your understanding of the passage answer any six out of the seven questions given below:
- What does the writer mean by 'visible source of annoyance'?
- Why did people demand a ban on plastics?
- What created a demand for plastics in India?
- With reference to the graph write one conclusion that can be drawn about the production of plastics in 2019 (approximately).
- What does the upward trend of the graph indicate?
- What does the line, oceans turning 'irreversibly into a thin soup of plastic', suggest?
- What step must be taken to combat the challenges of plastic waste management? What will be its impact?

