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Question
Summarise the story with the help of the points given below.
- Meena’s initial attitude
- Meena’s meeting with Sudha Murthy in Mumbai
- Beggar’s incident
- Change in attitude
Summary Maker
| Dos | Don’ts |
| Use important/relevant points/ incidents/ events short forms of the text. | Select irrelevant/less important points/ incidents/events |
| Make a paragraph containing the message, theme etc | exceed the word limit |
| Use your own language taking help of the sentences in a topic and key words | reproduce/copy the text |
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Solution
Meena was an LIC officer in Bangalore and the writer’s friend. She was a pessimistic person who always looked at the negative side of things and never said anything positive about someone or something. She was such a pessimist that even the writer felt depressed when she was around her. Meena was later transferred to Bombay and the writer didn’t see her for a few years. One rainy day, the writer was in Bombay on official business and ran into Meena. Meena cheerfully greeted the writer and insisted she stay the night with her so that they could catch up. When the writer politely refused, Meena invited the writer to have tea with her at the Grand Hotel. The writer was surprised to see Meena’s changed attitude towards life. Meena told the writer that a beggar changed her life. She told her about the incident where she saw the beggar and his granddaughter playing on the road on a rainy day. She saw how happy and satisfied they were. The incident made Meena reflect on her life and the comforts that she was blessed with. That day Meena decided to adopt a more positive attitude towards life keeping the beggar as her role model. It took Meena two years to completely change her attitude, but she did become a positive person. She wanted to give ‘gurudakshina’ to her guru - the beggar, but he was dead by the time she had turned her life around. So, she sponsored the beggar’s granddaughter to a boarding school.
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| “It’s a beautiful day.” | ||
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Meena was a very cheerful person initially.
Meena was the second child of her parents.
Meena stayed alone in an appartment in Delhi.
The author spotted Meena at Bombay’s Flora Fountain.
The scene of the beggar and the girl made Meena peep into her own life.
The beggar became Meena’s role model
It took Meena almost two years to put the change into effect.
Meena was able to give Gurudakshina directly to her Guru, the beggar.
Meena, who is an LIC officer, is ____________.
The writer was standing near Akbarallys, a popular department store because - __________________
The only thought in the writer’s mind till they reached the Grand Hotel was __________________
Meena sponsored the granddaughter of the beggar because __________________
How did the beggar change Meena’s attitude? Discuss with your partner and complete the following web.
Write in your own words:
How did Meena show her gratitude to her guru?
Why would Meena be sad initially? Give reasons. Pick out sentences from the story which prove that Meena was a pessimist.
- She was forever unhappy.
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
- ________________________
Go through the points below showing Meena’s encounter with the beggar that transformed her completely. The sequence of events are jumbled up below. Arrange the events according to the occurence. Fill in the number as per sequence.
Read the following passage and do the activities.
1. Answer the following in 1-2 words: (2)
- The person who changed the writer’s life –
- The age of beggar’s granddaughter –
- The writer’s role model –
- The things that the writer used to give to beggar every day –
|
‘Then what’s the secret of your energy?’ I asked like Tendulkar does in the advertisement. She smiled, ‘A beggar changed my life.’ I was absolutely dumbfounded and she could see it. |
2. Describe how the beggar and his granddaughter enjoyed the rain. (2)
3. Write antonyms of the following (2)
- optimist × -____________
- unhappy × -___________
4. Do as directed: (2)
- She could see it. (Use ‘able to’.)
- I used to give my leftovers to this beggar every day. (Use ‘would’.)
5. Who is your role model? Why? (2)
Read the following passage and do the activities:
B1. Complete the following sentences: (2)
- Meena stayed alone as ______.
- Meena had the habit of ______.
- The narrator was caught in ______.
- Seeing Meena the narrator's first reaction was ______.
|
That was Meena. She stayed alone in an apartment as her parents lived in Delhi. She was an only child and had the habit of complaining about anything and everything. Naturally, she wasn't very pleasant company and nobody wanted to visit her. Then one day, Meena was transferred to Bombay and soon we all forgot about her. Many years later, I found myself caught in the rain at Bombay's Flora Fountain. It was pouring and I didn't have an umberella. I was standing near Akbarallys, a popular department store, waiting for the rain to subside. Suddenly, I spotted Meena. My first reaction was to run, even in that pouring rain. I was anxious to avoid being seen by her, having to listen to her never-ending complaints. However, I couldn't escape. She had already seen me and caught hold of my band warmly, What's more, she was very cheerful. |
B2. Describe Meena's character. (2)
B3. Find similar words: (2)
- pleasant
- Heavy rainfall
- well known
- noticed
B4. Do as Directed: (2)
(i) She wasn't a very pleasant company. (Choose the correct question tag)
- did she?
- can she?
- can't she?
- was she?
(ii) I spotted Meena. (Rewrite the sentence beginning with 'Meena....')
B5. Personal Response: (2)
In your opinion, how should a friend be?
