Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
The Passive in Tentative Statements
The passive is often used in tentative statements where the writer tries to be as neutral as possible.
| considered | to | be… | ||
| It | is | said | ||
| known | to | have been… | ||
| They | are | acknowledged believed regarded as… |
8.1
Look at the box below. Write tentative statements following the pattern in the table above.

Advertisements
Solution
- Qutab Minar is regarded as the tallest aneient minaret.
- The Sahara Desert is considered to be the hottest region of the earth.
- Hieroglyphics is acknowledged to be one of the oldest forms of writing.
- The Amazon is believed to be the longest river in the world.
- Gun powder and printing are known to have been invented by the Chinese.
- Women are considered/said to be healthier than men.
- The Cheetah is known to be the fastest land animal.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Here are some direct quotations from the story. Identify the speaker and write what each quotation suggests about the speaker. You can use the adjectives given in the box and may also add your own.
| amiable, tender, gentle, sympathetic, understanding, determined, diligent, kind, concerned, systematic, wise, helpful, enthusiastic, selfish, cruel, humble, religious, prudent |
| Speaker | Quotation | Quality Highlighted | |
|
a. |
'Avva, is everything all right? Are you O.K.?' |
||
| b. | 'At times, I used to regret not going to school, so I made sure that my children and grandchildren studied well.' |
||
| c. | 'Avva, don't cry. What is the matter? Can I help you in anyway?' |
||
| d. | 'We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent.' | ||
| e. | 'I will keep Saraswati Pooja day during Dassara as the deadline.' | ||
| f. | 'For a good cause if you are determined you can overcome any obstacle.' | ||
| g. | I am touching the feet of a teacher not my granddaughter.' |
Answer the following question briefly:
What does the dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggest about him?
Answer the following question:
Who was Jerry Fisher? What did he say to try and convince Bill to change his mind?
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions
by ticking the correct choice.
The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of the brook with ___________.
Answer the following question.
Why is the rain divine?
Answer the following question.
The Poem invokes beautiful imagery which is built around 'sigh of the sea', 'laughter of
the field' and 'tears of heaven'. Explain the three expressions in the context of rain.
'Ode to Autumn' is a beautiful poem written by the famous poet John Keats.
Your teacher will read an excerpt from the poem. Pick phrases
which personify autumn.
Phrases
________________________ ______________________________
________________________ ______________________________
________________________ ______________________________
________________________ ______________________________
Ode to Autumn
John Keats
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Answer the following question.
Give an appropriate proverb that conveys the message that this poem carries.
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow by choosing the
correct options.
I offered to take her in here for a day or two, but she seemed to think it might distress
you.
(a) The Bishop wanted to take Mere Grngoire in because _________.
(i) she was sick.
(ii) she had no money.
(iii) she was unable to pay the rent of her house.
(iv) she was a close friend of Persome.
(b) Persome would be distressed on Mere Gringoire's being taken in because
________
(i) she did not want to help anyone.
(ii) she felt that Mere Gringoire was taking undue advantage of the Bishop.
(iii) she was a self-centred person.
(iv) she would be put to a great deal of inconvenience.
In Units 1 and 2 you learnt and practised the skill of deducing the meanings of new words by using other words in the given context. Now use that skill to deduce the meanings of words in the article you have read. Here is an example.
(a) They are solitary creatures with the exception of the mothers and calves and breeding pairs, although they sometimes congregate at bathing places.

Deduce the meanings of the following words from the passage you have just read, using other words in the context to help you. Copy and complete the following :
| Word | Words/clues that helped me | what I think the word means | what the dictionary says | were you (✓) (tick mark) or (x) |
| confined | ||||
| ranged | ||||
| overlapping | ||||
| bobbing | ||||
| olfactory | ||||
| aggregation | ||||
| plummeting | ||||
| mortality | ||||
| vulnerable | ||||
| poached |
Choose one suitable word from the given options to complete the paragraph.
It’s in (a)_____middle of (b)_____night on (c)_____edge of the world. On the fringes of civilization, where man and beast have barely left (d) _____mark, 12 people are sleeping in small nylon tents pitched in the scant shelter of (e)_____mountains. The camp is at (f)_____mercy of the elements, (g)_____are volunteers who have set up camp to help gather (h)_____ information on (i)_____the snow leopard population. These conservationists have had very (j)_____or no scientific training. They, along with (k)_____guides intend to assess (l)_____ snow leopards habitat in (m)_______ Altai region, Siberia.
| (A) (i) x (ii) a (iii) an (iv) the |
| (B) (i) the (ii) some (iii) a (iv) one |
| (C) (i) a (ii) an (iii) the (iv) x |
| (D) (i) their's (ii) their (iii) his (iv) our |
| (E) (i) a (ii) x (iii) the (iv) some |
| (F) (i) x (ii) a (iii) an (iv) the |
| (G) (i) This (ii) There (iii) That (iv) These |
| (H) (i) some (ii) few (iii) x (iv) a few |
| (I) (i) x (ii) a (iii) an (iv) the |
| (J) (i) a little (ii) few (iii) some (iv) little |
| (K) (i) there (ii) their (iii) they're (iv) these |
| (L) (i) the (ii) a (iii) an (iv) x |
| (M) (i) an (ii) a (iii) x (iv) the |
During your discussions in groups, and in your individual written report, you will find the following language useful :
GROUP DISCUSSION
When recommending
| I | Propose suggest recommend |
that..... |
| what about ? why don't we....... |
| we could think |
consider...... about......... |
WRITTEN REPORT
When recommending
| I |
propose |
that..... |
| I strongly recommend that ........ |
| I urge the commision to ....... |
| It is | recommended proposed |
that.... |
| My | recommendation proposal |
is that...... |
When giving reasons
| ................. as .............. ................because ......... ..............since ............... |
| My reason is that .................... |
When giving reasons
| ................. as .............. ................because ......... ..............since ............... |
| My reason is that....................... In view of the fact that.............. |
The residents of Kanpur decide to approach the Chairman of the Municipal Steps which can be taken problem of pollution in their city. In groups of six, play the role of the following : (Cue cards may be given by the teacher)
• A farmer
• An environmentalist
• Chairman of the Municipal Corporation
• President of 'Save the Ganga Project'
• A Human rights activist
In groups, work on one of the topics mentioned in 8(a)-(g). Research your topic by collecting relevant articles from the print and electronic media (like the National Geographic). Make a power point presentation of 10-12 minutes. You can also use film clippings to enrich your presentation.
(a) SOLAR MISSION
1) To promote the use of solar energy through solar photovoltaic and thermal systems for power generation .
2) To integrate other renewable energy technologies like biomass and wind. 
(b) ENERGY EFFICIENCY
1) To mitigate GHG through sector-specific and cross-cutting technology and fuel switch options.
2) To use more LNG and biomass fuels besides seeking tech transfer. 
(c) SUSTAINABLE HABITAT
1) To promote energy efficiency in the residential and commercial sectors through LPG use.
2) To manage municipal solid waste and urban public transport in a better way. 
(d) WATER MISSION
1) To promote efficient water use, augment supply in critical areas and ensure effective management of water resources.
2) To have better management of surface and groundwater,and conserve wetlands. 
(e) SUSTAINING HIMALAYAS
1) To enhance monitoring and conservation of the Himalayan ecosystems, empower local communities for management of ecological resources and promote sustainable tourism. 
(f) GREEN INDIA
1) To reduce fragmentation of forests, enhance public and private investments for plantation, upscale joint forestry management and promote conservation of biodiversity. Need to afforest degraded lands.

(g) SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE :
1) To focus on four crucial areas - dry land agriculture, risk management, access to information and promoting the use of biotechnology.
2) To develop drought and pest resistant varieties. 
Working in groups of four, write a dialogue between
• A tiger behind bars and a man
• A man in a cage and a tiger.
Review of passives
Look back on the exercises in this Unit. Discuss why the passive is used in each of these different circumstances.
Can you think of any other times when it is best to use the passive?
Impressed by your performance on Sports Day, the Chief Guest (an omcial of the Sports Club of India) decides to offer you a sports scholarship. Write an email to a friend about your performance and the scholarship offered.
A student from a lower class asks you to help her illustrate for her class, the use of different prepositions.
In groups of four, choose one of the following lists of prepositions and draw simple pictures to illustrate their meaning.
| Time | Place | Movement |
| since | on | through |
| at | in | along |
| until | behind | across |
| for | beside | down |
| after | above | round |
You have recently been to a wedding. A British pen friend asks you to describe it. Using the words in the box, describe the different stages. Write only the body of the letter below.
On the basis of your reading of the exctract on Chess , complete the following table with your partner .
| Figure | Name | Order of importance | Function | Significance |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
||||
![]() |
||||
![]() |
||||
![]() |
||||
![]() |






