Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Indicate the details that tell us that the narrator was not very financially comfortable during his stay in London.
Advertisements
Solution
The following details depict a very uncomfortable picture of life, faced by a financial crisis: The author travelled in a third-class cabin. The author talks about 'struggling' to earn a livelihood and establishing oneself abroad. The author was three or four friends residing together and sharing a wash-room which was icy cold. The author, along with his friends, took turns cooking pots of curry which they ate with their hands on a table covered with newspapers. His rugged life could well be understood by instances such as watching cricket at Lord's or listening to Mukesh. Habits such as walking barefoot, smoking, drinking tea, and strolling around on weekends show that he wasn't all set in his life. The word 'penniless' quite describes the financial crunch which he faced while he was studying at LSE.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in the correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space.
Example :
(0) roamed
Once upon a time, in the days when genies and giants (0) ______ (roam) the land, there (1) ______ (live) a farmer (2) ______ (name) Baba Ayub. He lived with his family in a little village by the name of Maidan Sabz. Because he had a large family to feed, Saba Ayub (3) ______ (see) his days (4) ______ (consume) by hard work. Every day, he (5) ______ (labour) from dawn to sundown, (6) ______ (plow) his field and (7) ______ (turn) the soil and (8) ______ (tend) to his meagre pistachio trees.
Analyse the use of imagery in the poem ‘The Bangle sellers’.
What made the old man shake his head and sigh?
Explain and discuss the themes in the poem.
Explain the use of the rhetorical device like the apostrophe by the poet.
What are the fears of the caged bird? Answer with examples from Maya Angelou’s poem.
What bells are being referred to here? Why are they rung?
Who won the race and how? Explain in about 50 words.
Who was talking to the old man?
Show liow Narayan depicts women in the story and their role in a man’s life.
Write a composition (350 - 400 words) on the following:
"Money is important for happiness." Express your views either for or against this statement.
Your uncle has offered to get you a pet for your birthday. Write a letter to him telling him what you would like, give reasons for your choice and tell him how you Would-take care of your pet.
Fill in the blank with an appropriate word:
The dog was hiding __________ the bed, barking at the stranger.
The delivery boy was requested to bring the parcel the next day. (Rewrite using direct speech)
Anil is too fast a runner not to come first in the race. (Begin: Anil is so………….)
The Principal said, “All the prizes will be distributed tomorrow.”
(Begin : The Principal said that ……………. )
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Lying in bed, Swami realized with a shudder that it was Monday morning. It looked as though only a moment ago, it had been the last period on Friday; already, Monday was here. He hoped that an earthquake would reduce the school building to dust but that my good building, Albert Mission School, had withstood similar prayers for over a hundred years now.
At nine o'clock, Swaminathan wailed, “I have a headache.”
His mother said, “Why don’t you go to school in a bullock cart?”
“So that I may be completely dead at the other end? Have you any idea what it means to be jolted in a cart?”
“Have you any important lessons today?”
“Important! Bah! That geography teacher has been teaching the same lesson for over a year now. And we have arithmetic, which means for a whole period we are going to be beaten by the teacher............ Important lessons!”
And Mother generously suggested that Swami might stay at home.
At 9:30, when he ought to have been lining up in the school prayer hall, Swami was lying on the bench in Mother’s room.
Father asked him, “Have you no school today?”
“Headache,” Swami replied,
“Nonsense! Dress up and go.”
“Headache.”
“Loaf about less on Sundays, and you will be without a headache on Monday.”
Swami knew how stubborn his father could be and changed his tactics.
“I can’t go so late to class.”
“I agree, but you’ll have to; it is your own fault. You should have asked me before deciding to stay away.”
“What will the teacher think if I go so late?”
“Tell him you had a headache, and so are late.”
“He will beat me if I say so.”
“Will he? Let us see. What is his name?”
“Mr. Samuel.”
“Does he beat the boys?”
“He is very violent, especially with boys who come late. Some days ago, a boy was made to stay on his knees for a whole period in a corner of the class because he came late, and after getting six cuts from the cane and having his ears twisted, I wouldn’t like to go late to Mr Samuel’s class.”
“If he is so violent, why not tell your headmaster about it?”
“They say that even the headmaster is afraid of him. He is such a violent man.”
And then Swami gave a lurid account of Samuel’s violence; how when he started caning, he would not stop till he saw blood on the boy’s hand, which he made the boy press to his forehead like a Vermillion marking. Swami hoped his father would be made to see that he couldn’t go to his class late. But his father’s behaviour took an unexpected turn. He became excited.
“What do these people mean by beating our children? They must be driven out of service. I will see…..”
The result was that he proposed to send Swami late to his class as a kind of challenge. He was also going to send a letter with Swami to the headmaster. No amount of protest from Swami was of any avail: Swami had to go to school.
By the time he was ready, his father had composed a long letter to the headmaster, put it in an envelope, and sealed it.
“What have you written, father?” Swaminathan asked apprehensively.
“Nothing for you. Give it to your headmaster and go to your class.”
Swami’s father did not know the truth—that, actually, Mr. Samuel was a very kind gentleman.
(a) Give the meaning of each of the following words as used in the passage. (3)
One-word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
- jolted
- stubborn
- avail
(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:
- What did Swami wish for on a Monday morning? Why was his wish unlikely to be answered? (2)
- Which sentence tells us that Swami’s father was completely unsympathetic to his son’s headache? (2)
- In what way was Swami’s mother’s response different from his father’s? (2)
- Why did Swami give a colourful account of Mr. Samuel to his father? (2)
- In what way did Father’s behaviour take an unexpected turn? (2)
- What was Swami finally ordered to do by his father? (2)
(c)
(i) In not more than 60 words, describe how Swami tries to prove that Mr. Samuel is a violent man. (8)
(ii) Give a title to your summary in 3
(c). Give a reason to justify your choice. (2)
Fill in the blank with an appropriate word:
He found the key just _______ the front door.
Fill in the blank with an appropriate word:
Ashok leaned ______ the wall tiredly.
A number of loose electric wires are hanging from a lamp post near the main gate of your school. Write a letter to the Municipal Commissioner explaining the problem, the danger it poses and suggests a quick solution.
Give reasons for the following.
King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
Give reasons for the following.
Explain the statement, “King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned — in death, as in life ...”
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
-
a holistic and ecological view
-
inter alia
-
sustainable development
-
decimated
-
languish
-
catastrophic depletion
-
ignominious darkness
-
transcending concern
Based on the text enact your own version of the play. Work in pairs.
Identify instances of ironical comment in the story.
What do you understand the character of Mrs. Croft from the story?
Make a list of jobs which would give you an opportunity to help the society or serve the country. Also mention the different ways in which they can be beneficial to the people and also the country.
Find out different career opportunities in the field of social work.
We add ‘un-’ to make opposites. For example, true — untrue. Add ‘un’– to the word below to make its opposite. Then look up the meaning of the word you have formed in the dictionary.
controlled: ____________
Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight?
Re-word the line from the story:
“We cannot bandage the children’s mouths, so they really have to exercise their will-power.”
Notice the use of ‘there’ in the following sentences.
-
There was a big crowd at the fair.
-
There were many things I’d have liked to buy.
Now rewrite the following sentences using ‘there’ in the beginning. Look at the following examples.
-
I can do nothing to help you.
-
There is nothing I can do to help you.
-
A man at the door is asking to see you.
-
There is a man at the door asking to see you.
1. This park has beautiful roses.
2. Your story has no fun in it.
3. We have no secrets between us.
4. My village has two primary schools.
5. This problem can be solved in two ways.
Fill in the blanks in the paragraph below with words from the box.
| huge | big | foolish | interesting | tiny | unlucky | last |
There was a ___________ Eid fair in our village. We could buy anything from a
____________ toy to a ____________ camel. I went to the fair on its ___________ day with Uncle and Bhaiya. We went to the Lucky Shop. It was
very____________ . I tried my luck but did not win any prize. Later, Uncle told me that I was more ___________ than___________ .
The extract deals with the atmosphere of two homes. Collect the words associated with - Garden.
You have noticed that many of your classmates are not interested in outdoor games or participating in co-curricular activities. Discuss some ways in which they will be encouraged to participate in activities.
Write the appreciation of the poem.
- About the poem/poet/title
- Theme
- Poetic devices, language, style
- Special features/novelties/focusing elements
- Values, message
- Your opinion about the poem
Gather information about the following insects. Draw their images or get pictures. On one sheet each, fix the image/picture and below it write the information. Compile these pages and make a file of ‘Insects - our friends’.
Insects: Bee/Praying mantis/Butterfly Beetle/Wasp/Dragon-fly
The diagram below encircles the various features that make the script of a skit/ play. List the other words and mention the form of writing of which it is a feature.

Why should seniors not overprotect or over - pamper juniors?
Write your opinion, in your own words:-
What did the aunt fail to realize in Bertha’s story?
Here is a dialogue between a father and his daughter. Continue the dialogue with at least five utterances and use all the clues given above.
| Father: | Hi Mary, it has been a very long time since we went on a trip. Let’s plan one. |
| Mary: | Yes, dad. I am also longing to go. Why don’t we plan one for this weekend? |
| Father: | Sure. Tell me, where shall we go? |
| Mary: | Some place nearby but for at least two days. |
| Father: | Hmm… I think we should go to the reserved forest nearby. |
| Mary: | Yeah. I’ve never been to a forest. I have seen a forest only on the TV and movies. The forest is a good choice! |
| Father: | OK. If we are going to the forest, we must list out what we should carry with us for two days. |
| Mary: | I think we should carry suitable clothes like ________________________ |
| Father: | What about the food? Do you have any idea, Mary? |
| Mary: | Yeah. For food, I suggest ________________________ |
| Father | ________________________ |
| Mary: | ________________________ |
Imagine yourself as the writer. Narrate the story of your visit to your ancestral house.
Write a paragraph of 100 – 120 words about your favourite personality.
Draft Letter for the following.
You are Sanjay. Your colony utilizes solar energy to light the common areas. You find many friends of your colony forgetting to switch off the lights in the common area. As a responsible citizen, write a letter to a newspaper, echoing the importance to conserve and preserve solar energy.
Fill in the form given below.

Write a formal email to Mr. Sundar Pitchai CEO of Google, requesting him for an appointment to interview him.
Find example of alliteration and write them in the blank.
in a blaze of heat
with sunny smiles.
Can we try to complete another dialogue now?
Rathi is visiting a shop to buy a pen. Let us try and complete the dialogues between her and the shopkeeper.
| Rathi | Hi Akka! |
| Shopkeeper | Hi! How can I help? |
| Rathi | I need a______. |
| Shopkeeper | Sure. Which colour? |
| Rathi | Give a______ pen. |
| Shopkeeper | Do you need a ten rupee pen or a five rupee pen? |
| Rathi | Give me the ______rupee pen. |
| Shopkeeper | Do you want anything else? |
| Rathi | ______. |
| Shopkeeper | Thank you. Goodbye. |
| Rathi | ______ |
Use the option to fill in the blank.
Her frock______too long.
Imagine that you will go to the bookshop tomorrow. What will you do there? Write five sentences beginning with –
- I shall______
- I shall______
- I shall______
- I shall______
- I shall______
State whether the following statement are true or false
The cop suddenly slowed his walk, when he heard the barking of dogs.
Based on your understanding of the play, complete the Graphic Organiser (GO) suitably.

How did Woman 5 spend her time in the waiting hall?
What was the human side to the photographer?
For what purpose did Aunt Jane wish to use the cheque given by Aunt Jane?
The poet immortalizes the tree. Elucidate.
Write an original short story that begins with the following words:
My mother stopped suddenly at the doorway and stared in amazement at ..........
Discuss the following and write the summary of your discussion in the form of bullet points.
- How are certain ideas/customs/knowledge passed on from one generation to the next?
- Is it necessary for children to follow the footsteps of their forefathers? If yes, why? Why is it sometimes necessary to change the old ways?
What makes you sad?
