Question

Read the following extract and complete the activities given below:

"This is my birthday, sir," explained Gopal timidly. "Wish you many happy returns," said the director promptly and added, "What if it is your birthday?" "Rather a peculiar birthday," explained Gopal. "This is my forty-ninth birthday. Astrologers have often told me that I might not see this birthday, and if I lived to see this day I should have nothing more to worry about... I have lived in secret terror of this ‘day all my life. Whenever I saw my wife and children I used to be racked with the thought that I should probably be leaving them orphans. I came late today because we held some propitiatory rites at home for the planets, and we celebrated my survival this day with a feast. My astrologer has suggested that I do nothing unpleasant today, sir. I wish to treat it as a very auspicious day, sir." The director was impressed. He turned to his assistant, who always shadowed him, carrying a portfolio under his arm and commanded, ‘fetch the story-writer’. Presently he arrived, his lips red with the chewing of betel leaves. He was a successful story-writer who made a lot of money by dashing off plots for film people. He laughed aloud on hearing of the problem created by the actor. He was not the angry type to feel upset at contrary suggestions. He declared, 'Impossible to change the story. How can he refuse to die? I am busy. He turned on his heel and started out. At the door he stopped to add, "Anyway, send for our boss and tell him about it." The boss came running into the scene. He asked anxiously, "What is all this trouble about? What is it all about?" Gopal sat in his chair unmoving: he was not allowed to shift his position even slightly: continuity would be spoilt otherwise. He felt stuffy. The big lamp scorched his face. They all stood around and looked at him as if he were a freak. Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows. 'All of them are my Yamas,' Gopal thought. 'They are bent upon seeing me dead.'

A1. Arrange the following statements in a proper sequence as per their occurrence in the extract and rewrite:

1. The director was impressed.
2. Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows.
3. Gopal explained timidly that it was his birthday.
4. His lips were red with the chewing of betel leaves.

A2. Give reasons:

1. Gopal’s forty-ninth birthday was a peculiar one because ....
2. He felt stuffy because ....

A3. 'All of them are my Yamas'. Explain the statement.

A4. 'Superstitions poison our minds'. Explain in your own words.

A5. Do as directed.

1. He laughed aloud on hearing of the problem. 
   (Choose the correct change in the given options, if 'would' is used in the above sentence.)
   
   1. He would laughed on hearing of the problem.
   2. He would have laughed on hearing of the problem.
   3. He would laugh aloud on hearing of the problem.
   4. He would be laughed on hearing of the problem.
2. They all stood around and looked at him. (Choose the correct alternative to write it with 'not only ... but also ... .')
   1. They all not only stood around but also looked at him.
   2. They all stood not only around but also looked at him.
   3. Not only they all stood around but also looked at him.
   4. They all stood not around only but also looked at him.

A6. Find out the antonyms for the following from the extract:

1. bravely
2. pleasant
3. accept
4. moving

Answer 1

A1. 

iii. Gopal explained timidly that it was his birthday.

i. The director was impressed.

iv. His lips were red with the chewing of betel leaves.

ii. Their faces were blurred beyond the shadows.

A2. 

1. Gopal’s forty-ninth birthday was a peculiar one because astrologers predicted that everything would be OK if he lived through this birthday. He, therefore, wished to avoid doing anything unpleasant and treat it as an auspicious day. To his dismay, though, he was supposed to die in the movie he was playing in on that same day. 
2.  He felt stuffy because he was forced to remain motionless while sitting in a chair. Because of continuity issues, he was unable to move even a little. In addition, his face was burning from the large lamp.

A3. Due to his superstitious beliefs, Gopal feared that he would pass away before reaching his 49th birthday. However, the narrative writer refused to alter the scenario in which he was supposed to die in the movie in which he was acting. The large bulb burned Gopal's face as he sat motionless in a chair when the boss arrived. In this instance, he believed that the individuals before him were "Yamas," or the Gods of Death.

A4. This statement is true. Superstitious beliefs make us fearful of a variety of things. It prevents us from moving forward and from realising our greatest potential. In our journey, it drags us back. We question a lot of things, even our own skills. It is therefore like poison to our brains.

A5. 

1. He would laugh aloud on hearing of the problem.
2. They all not only stood around but also looked at him.

A6. 

1. bravely × timidly
2. pleasant × unpleasant
3. accept × refuse
4. moving × unmoving